The Last Flight

On the way back from the catered event, Claire worries that the videos of the confrontation will be posted, and when she gets home, she finds the video already online. In one of the comments below the video, someone notes her resemblance to Rory Cook’s wife. Over the next few days the question is dismissed as insensitive and callous. However, Claire is sure that, despite her blonde hair, Rory will recognize her.

When Kelly stops by with coffee, Claire tells her she has to leave now: She cannot take the chance her husband will see the video. Kelly understands and offers Claire the chance to work a party that afternoon for extra money. Reluctantly, Claire agrees. She thinks vaguely she will head north, maybe to Oregon. As she and Kelly work the crowd with trays of appetizers, Claire is stopped cold when she hears a woman’s voice say, “Oh my god, Claire! Is it really you?” (194).

It is mid-January, six weeks before the crash. Eva meets Agent Castro in a remote parking lot along the beach in Santa Cruz. Before Eva cooperates, she wants to know she will be protected, asking not for immunity but witness protection: a new identity, a new home, and a new life.