Chapter 3 Questions

The chief pulled the phone back, and he was looking serious. "Mr. Michael Zimmer, the lady sent that text to her mother before she died. Our men have checked, and this seat is bought under your name. We've found out you bought a ticket leaving Shinborder today, so we came. We have some questions for you."

Something was odd. That pregnant woman didn't know my name and face. She was only insistent about that seat—1A.

"I have a question, chief." I looked the chief in the eye. "There are a lot of seats in the first-class cabin, so why was that woman so insistent about getting 1A? That message is too obvious. It's like she wrote it that way specially for you guys."

The middle-aged woman bristled. "Bullshit! You're smearing my daughter's name? She's dead! She had a reason to get your spot! Because it's in the front row, and it's a window seat! My daughter was carsick, and only that seat could make her feel better! She was five months pregnant and sick! You could've just given her the seat!"

The chief raised his hand to silence everyone. "You make a valid point, Mr. Zimmer. We'll look into that, but the fact is that the woman did die, and we need to find out what happened."

The crowd was getting bigger. Someone was livestreaming, while some were cursing me.

"Man, he should go to prison!"

"Yeah, he could afford first-class tickets, but so what? He has no heart!"

"It's viral right now, this case. I just saw it this morning."

The chief nodded. "It is viral now, and the public's pressure is mounting. Our superiors want us to find the truth as soon as we can."

He looked at me and softened up. "Mr. Zimmer, the victim's family and Zack are saying you're the criminal. Can you provide us with proof that you aren't?"

I took a deep breath. "Chief, I told you, that message is too obvious. It's weird, don't you think? Any sane pregnant woman would've asked the attendant for help if they weren't feeling well, but she adamantly wanted my seat."

The chief said nothing, but it struck the middle-aged woman's nerves. "You're calling my daughter a con artist? She's dead! Con artists don't sacrifice themselves for a scam, let alone their children! You bastard! You just hate my daughter!"

I looked at her. "I didn't call her a con artist. It's possible someone told her she must get that seat. Someone probably led her to believe that seat was the only thing that could save her.

Zack's expression shifted. "What? What are you talking about? Who would even do that?"

I smiled. "I haven't named names. You're awfully jumpy."

He choked on his words.

My wife stepped forth, looking every bit the disappointed partner. "Enough! Confess your crimes already and stop changing the subject! She's already dead, and you're still trying to weasel your way out? You killed a woman and her baby! We don't have children, but you should be more understanding of pregnant women."