Callie lay in bed where she had spent most of the week. The rupture in her relationship with Frank had sapped her of any energy or motivation to do anything. Frank had been too busy to talk most of the week, or at least that's what he had said. She doubted that was truly the case.
Vanessa's Snapchat stories included Frank and her doing a variety of recreational activities at the conference and around Seattle. Every video where Frank made Vanessa giggle was like a knife in Callie's stomach. She knew it was innocent, but she was growing to hate Vanessa's tinkling laughter.
Frank had answered a Facetime once. Callie went through the call in her head.
"Hey, how's Seattle?" Callie had asked, trying to give her voice a lightness it didn't possess.
"It's fine," Frank had responded.
Callie had asked a few more questions which Frank answered monosyllabically.
Callie finally summoned the courage to talk about what happened at the theater. She had apologized profusely and explained that it was an honest mix-up.
Frank paused. "I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt me. It's just . . . how did you not know? I knew immediately."
"That's why you're the detective," Callie had joked. Frank didn't smile.
"I just need some time," he had said. "It's hard to get that image out of my head. Look, let's talk when I get back. That will let me process things, and it's better to talk in person rather than through a screen. I have to go; we have a seminar in five minutes."
Callie's phone buzzed. She eagerly picked it up, hoping for a message from Frank. She was disappointed to see it was a text from Joe.
"Do you have a second? I need some advice."
Callie knew how hard it was for Joe to ask her for help. She debated her response for a second before deciding to ignore the text.
She thought back to that night. As much as she hated what happened, she had enjoyed it when she believed it was Frank. There was a little part of her that still enjoyed it. She hated that part of her. It wasn't that Joe was unattractive; in fact, he was quite good-looking, although she preferred Frank's darker features. It was everything else about Joe that she found off-putting: his obstinacy, lack of self-control, and casual misogyny.
She closed her eyes and tried to forget the feel of Joe's lips on hers and his hands on her body. She was unsuccessful. She screamed and threw a pillow across the room.
Frank and Vanessa sat in a steakhouse at SeaTac Airport. Their flight back to New York had been overbooked, and Ducroy Airlines had begun offering credit for passengers to be bumped to the next flight. When it reached $500 per person, Frank and Vanessa looked at each other and took the offer.
"How's the vest?" Vanessa asked.
One of the attendees at the conference had invented a vest containing a wearable parachute for people who were afraid of flying. He had given out samples to other attendees. Frank had taken one for novelty purposes. It was slimmer than Frank had thought possible, halfway between a sweater vest and a windbreaker.
"It's actually pretty comfortable," Frank responded. "Although, I don't think it's that useful. Wearing a parachute isn't going to change anything if the whole plane is crashing, but I guess it might calm some people down. Callie doesn't like flying, so I'll probably give it to her."
Vanessa stirred her straw in her drink. "Can I ask you a question?" From the tone in her voice, Frank could tell she wanted to talk about what happened between Joe and Callie. They had meticulously avoided the topic all week, acting like nothing had happened.
Frank nodded.
"Do you think Joe will ever settle down? Do you think I could ever trust him?"
Frank let out a huge sigh. He studied a nervous man throwing back shots at the bar for a second before turning back to Vanessa.
"Honestly," Frank began, "I hope so, but I can't say for sure. Joe used to be a real jerk toward girls. He didn't treat Iola well. He blamed himself when she died, thinking that it was his fault. The reason he wasn't with her when the bomb went off was because he was too busy flirting with another girl."
Frank leaned back in his chair. "He protected himself for a while by not getting too attached to anyone else. When you came to town, he changed. To Joe, you were worth possibly getting hurt."
Vanessa spun her soda glass on the table. "He's a giant flirt. It seems like he's still considering other options."
"Not really." Frank didn't know why he was defending Joe. "Joe struggles with impulse control, true, but he is really devoted to you. With what we do, he gets put in a lot of dangerous situations with a lot of girls. Those tend to reduce inhibitions and increase emotions, but I can honestly say he's never taken anything too far."
"You don't struggle with impulse control," Vanessa said. "You get put in those situations too."
Frank looked down at his half-eaten steak, his appetite gone. Images of Nancy Drew swam through his head. "That's . . . that's not exactly true," he responded. He wasn't sure why he was telling Vanessa this, but it felt good to get it off his chest.
Vanessa gasped. "What happened? Does Callie know?"
Frank shook his head. "There's this girl Joe and I have solved some cases with. We've kissed a couple of times, but we both agreed we shouldn't pursue anything. Callie doesn't know."
They sat quietly for a few minutes.
"Maybe I'm being too hard on Joe," Frank said. "I guess I'm a hypocrite, especially since it was an honest mistake. Maybe Hardys aren't meant for relationships."
Vanessa leaned forward, putting her hand next to Frank's. "Don't say that. I don't know what will happen with Joe and me, but you and Callie are perfect for each other. Don't throw that away because of a mistake. Although, you should be honest with her."
Frank nodded and rested his hand on Vanessa's. "Thanks." His hand lingered.
The two jumped apart when the intercom announced their flight was now boarding.
Frank turned off his phone when the battery hit 2%. He hadn't been able to charge it at the airport. He looked around the plane. The man with the window seat kept nervously checking his watch and gripping the armrests.
The man had protested when an elderly couple was seated in his row, explaining that he had purchased the two seats next to him. The stewardess clarified that the airline had overbooked and needed the seats. After the couple had expressed discomfort with sitting in the exit row, Frank and Vanessa had switched with them.
"The turbulence isn't helping him relax," Frank thought.
The plane had been bouncing non-stop. Frank knew that clear-air turbulence had never downed a plane in the modern era, but there were quite a few people around the cabin who didn't seem to understand that. Frank glanced across the aisle at a woman continually praying the rosary.
The man in the window seat got up, and Vanessa and Frank had to move to the aisle to allow him to get out.
Frank frowned as the man got his backpack from the overhead bin before heading to the bathroom.
"What does he need his backpack for?" Frank wondered.
He and Vanessa used the opportunity to stand and stretch in the aisle. They had been in the air for about an hour, and airline seats were not made for their long legs.
"Does he think we're going to steal his spot?" Vanessa joked. Frank looked over to see the man had placed his laptop case on his seat.
The plane suddenly hit a speed bump in the air. Vanessa and Frank lost their balance as the front of the plane tilted up. They tumbled down the aisle and came to rest about six rows behind where they were sitting. The passengers vocalized a mix of gasps and screams.
Frank and Vanessa picked themselves up and began walking back.
A bang reverberated through the fuselage as the laptop bag exploded, blowing out the exit door. Frank and Vanessa were immediately sucked toward the hole. Frank grabbed Vanessa's arm with one hand and his seatback with the other. The plane instantly dove as the pilot responded to the loss in cabin pressure. Panic overtook everyone. As the plane lost altitude, Frank felt the pull from the outside of the airplane diminishing, but his hand was getting tired and slick.
The strength in his hand finally gave out. Vanessa and Frank were swept through the hole and out of the plane into the open air.