Chapter 22

Alan exited the airport grounds, following the GPS's directions to turn north on Alternate 89A. In a dimly lit stretch of road about two miles from the airport, he pulled over, removed the cover from his license plate, and then got back behind the wheel to continue his journey.

Meanwhile, as soon as the Dodge departed from the jet, the pilot radioed the control tower, announcing, "Special flight 1 ready for takeoff."

"Special flight 1, winds calm, altimeter 3001, cleared for takeoff," came the response.

"Roger, rolling," the pilot acknowledged as the darkened Boeing 717 ascended and vanished into the night sky.

The supervisor took the control strip in hand and tore it apart. Glancing at the controller, he remarked, "Too bad we don't have any nighttime air traffic, huh?"

He headed down to the maintenance room, jotting down the exact number from the tape recorder. He wiped the recordings dating back two ho