Chapter 25

She settled into her seat as he grabbed the air-phone and swiped his American Express card through the slot. He punched in the number he found in the airline magazine. After a few rings, a voice answered, "United Airlines Corporate Offices, how can I direct your call?"

"Hey, it's Edward Neeson, VP over at Condé Nast Traveler. I need to talk to Joseph Jackson, like, right now. Otherwise, you might just see a little piece about my flight in our magazine next month."

"Okay, hold on a sec, Mr. Neeson."

"Mister Neeson, Joseph Jackson here. Just checked, don't see your name on the Condé Nast roster. What's going on?"

"Wait, are you the Joe Jackson who barely scraped by at the University of Pennsylvania back in '86 with a GPA that was barely above water? Rumor has it, if it weren't for Daddy's hefty donations, they would've booted you out on your butt. Seems like you're as sharp as