Tracking Trisha (2 page)

Trisha pulled out her black, canvas duffle bag with the Boswell International logo on it and packed two changes of clothes, one for work and one for play. Not that she did much playing any more.
Oops,
she thought to herself with a self-reproving smile,
forgot that one.
After packing her bag, she walked back over to the mirror and pulled her light brown hair up
and braided it
into a serviceable ponytail. Her hair was extremely curly from the top all the way to the tips. She tried cutting it short once and found out that was a huge mistake! She ended up with an afro that would have made the comedian Carrot Top proud if her hair had been red. After that disastrous style
decision
, she let it grow out thinking the weight of it would at least allow her to braid it or put it up into her current favorite style of the ponytail. She studied her face for a moment with a sigh. She had to admit that at twenty-eight, she wasn’t half bad – at least with her clothes on. At five foot six, her slender frame was well-portioned. She was a little big on top but not so much as it became much of a problem with strapping into a cockpit. Her almost waist length hair framed her long, narrow face. She had a straight nose and lips that were not too full but not too thin. Her biggest asset was her dark, chocolate brown eyes. They were so dark it was hard to see her pupils most of the time. Her dad still told her they weren’t brown for nothing whenever she would give him a hard time, she thought with a grin. Her eyes darkened as she realized she was long overdue for a visit with her dad. She should have gone last month but she was running out of excuses to give him about why she still wasn't dating anyone.

Sorry daddy, I can’t give you those grandkids you’ve been wanting
, the doctors say it is too dangerous
. No, I’m not seeing anyone. I’ve been too busy with work. No, I haven’t heard from Peter since the divorce
– and your little private conversation with him
. Yes, I know there are other men out there that…
Trisha slammed her mind closed.
Enough!
She told herself fiercely.
It’s been three friggin’ years. Get over it!
Trisha pictured a deep, black hole and threw all those bad memories into it, sealing it up with a huge, metal lid. As an afterthought, she opened it up just enough to toss Peter into it as well before resealing it.
That's much better,
Trisha
chuckled
.

Picking up her bag, she looked around to see if there was anything she might have missed. As she headed out to her SUV, she glanced up at the dark skies. Yeah, it seemed to fit the mood she was in. She pulled out of the parking garage under her apartment building and grinned. At least she was flying today. The weather forecast was scheduled to clear later this
afternoon
. She and her best friends, Ariel Hamm and Cara Truman, were scheduled to take an artist back across the country in an experimental business jet that was just about ready for full-scale production.
She
and
Ariel
had been test flying it all over the world. It was a beauty
,
with state of the art navigation and instrumentations. The sleek design was built for speed, and so far, it handled a diversity of environmental conditions
beautifully
.

Trisha’s cellphone rang as s
he was pulling onto the freeway
heading towards the private airfield owned by Boswell. Trisha frowned and muttered under her breath when a car nearly clipped her left bumper. Bad weather seemed to bring out the worse drivers.

Trisha pressed a button on the steering wheel
connecting the call
. “Hello, Ariel.”

“Hey, Trish.” Ariel said. Trisha grinned as she heard the breathlessness in Ariel’s voice. She
bashed another alarm clock
from the sound of it
.

“
Miss your wake-up call?
” Trisha asked with a grin.
They both slept in due to their late night in the training simulator at Boswell’s research facility last night and Trisha wouldn't have been surprised if Ariel had gone straight from the research lab to the no-kill kennel where she volunteered. Ariel really should have been a vet, Trisha thought as she changed lanes.

“My damn clocks are always breaking. I don’t know why I even bother buying a new one. They don’t last more than a week before they stop working.” Ariel grumbled under her breath. “Anyway, I was looking at the weather forecast and it looks like a go for
early to mid afternoon
. I know Abby was anxious to get back home. I haven’t heard from Cara but she should be in. I know she was in either Detroit or Philadelphia, I can’t remember which one. Anyway, you know how she is on a flight. We’ll be lucky she doesn’t try to dismantle the damn thing at thirty thousand feet for the hell of it. Oh, and Carmen is coming too.” Ariel added quickly at the end.

Trisha bit back a chuckle. She knew Ariel would not appreciate her humor right now. Carmen was a sore point with Ariel. If the truth was known, Trisha could relate to how Carmen was feeling. Carmen lost her husband three years ago in a traumatic way. Trisha thought Carmen was doing pretty good considering
what she went through
. She refocused when she heard the pause on the other end of the line and knew Ariel was waiting for her to reply.

“That’s great! I haven’t seen Carmen in a couple of months. Do you think Cara has forgiven us yet for the blind date we set her up with last week?” Trisha asked. She grinned when she heard the relief in Ariel’s voice as she changed the subject to some
thing
less stressful.

“I hope so or we may be flapping our arms all the way to California.” Ariel said with a laugh. They had learned a valuable lesson – never set up a blind date for someone who is not only ADHD but smarter than Einstein, especially when you were drunk.
The poor guy ended up having an asthma attack in the middle of the restaurant. Neither Ariel nor Trisha, who were two sheets to the wind, realized it until he finally got enough breath to ask the maître d' for an ambulance.

“Anyway, I’m on my way and should be there in about twenty or thirty minutes.” Ariel said.

“Sounds good, I’d like to check over the controls again. I know we’ve been in the simulator a lot this week making sure we are comfortable, but I want to recheck a few things.” Trisha said.

They talked for a few more minutes before hanging up. Trisha knew she needed to make one more phone call before she flew out. She wanted to set up a time to meet with her dad so she could finally explain what she was planning to do. Pressing the pre-programmed number, she waited for his deep voice.

“Hello, baby girl.” Paul Grove said softly. “How are you doing?”

Trisha felt the smile curving her lips. She loved her dad so much. “I’m doing good, daddy, I’m missing you.”

Paul Grove laughed. “Okay, when are you coming so we can head up into the mountains for a few days?”

“How do you know me so well?” Trisha said with a sigh.

“We’re two of kind, baby girl. Give us the outdoors with room to roam and the peace and quiet of the world around us and we can solve all the world’s problems.” Paul Grove responded with a chuckle. “So, with those words of wisdom said, when are you coming out?”

“I’m doing a test flight to California for Boswell International. I should be back sometime tomorrow. I put in for my vacation starting on Monday. I’ll be there sometime late Monday afternoon.” Trisha said. Trisha used the word ‘vacation’ instead of ‘resignation’ because she didn’t want her dad to worry and didn’t have time to explain her decision. Some things were better said in person.

“Sounds good, I don’t have any clients right now lined up until the end of the month. I’ll keep my schedule clear. How long are you planning on staying?” Paul asked gruffly. He didn’t want to admit to how much he missed Trisha. He knew she had her own life now but it didn’t mean he didn’t miss her.

“I’m off until the end of the month. I was thinking we could talk when I get there. I wanted to pass a few things by you.” Trisha replied softly.

“Of course, baby girl. I can’t wait to see you.”

“Thanks, daddy, I’ll give you a call before I leave on Monday. I love you.” Trisha said.

“I love you too, Trisha.” Paul Grove said. “Be safe.”

“Always!” Trisha responded lightly. She was feeling better all ready.

Trisha disconnected the call and focused on the rest of the drive to the airport. There were a lot of things she needed to think about. She needed to talk to Ariel. Trisha decided it was time for a change. She had given her resignation to Boswell International and was going to join her dad back at Grove Wildness Guides. After her accident, she realized she would never make it into the space program. She would never be able to touch the stars. She hoped that staying active in a career devoted to flying would have been enough to satisfy her but there was still something missing. She finally realized she missed her quiet nights with her dad and the freedom of exploring the woods and mountains. But what she missed the most was the sense of being a part of a family. It was time to go home.

Trisha was working inside the jet by the time Ariel got there. She could hear her and Carmen outside but decided to stay focused on what she was doing. Ariel would take care of the outside inspections. Trisha was the pilot on this flight and Ariel was the co-pilot. They often switched back and forth.

A little while later, Trisha heard Cara’s cheerful voice in the hanger.
Uh oh,
Trisha thought as she listened,
Cara’s on a caffeine high!
She couldn’t help but grin. Cara was so much fun. Trisha and Ariel adopted her several years ago as their surrogate little sister. Cara had been going through a difficult time with one of the engineers at Boswell who was being a real dip-wad to her. When he showed up late one night at Cara’s apartment and started to get a little physical with her, Trisha and Ariel, who were visiting Cara at the time, ended up escorting him out none to gently. They told him in explicit detail what they would do to him if they ever saw him near her again. The jerk transferred overseas shortly afterwards. Trisha chuckled as she remembered the look on his face as they walked him out.

Trisha stood up and stretched, trying to ease some of the tension in her shoulders. She decided she would see what Cara was up to before contacting the tower to see if they had permission for take-off. She checked the radar about an hour before and it looked like the worse of the storm was passing through so it should be an easy take-off once they were given clearance.

Cara looked like she was just finishing up as Trisha stepped down the steps of the jet
. “Hey, Trish.”

Trish
a
turned
as she reached the bottom step
and walked towards her. Trisha gave Cara a big
smile. “Hey, Cara. Welcome aboard! Is this your first flight on the new Phantom Series?”

“Yeah,
I’m really looking forward to putting her
through the ringer.” Cara said.
“Carmen coming too?”

“Yeah.” Trish
a
said softly watching as Ariel headed toward her sister. “Ariel got permission for Carmen to tag along. We were heading to California to take an artist home the Boswell’s had commissioned to do a piece for and Carmen needed a lift.” Trish
a
said
. She pulled
Cara’s tool belt from her.
It looked too heavy for Cara’s small frame but Trisha knew better. Cara was tough as nails when she had to be.
Glancing back one last time
at Ariel and Carmen, she
turned to head up the stairs of the jet
telling Cara
softly
under her breath
, “She’s still not doing to good.”