Authors: David A. Adler

The Mystery of Flight 54 (3 page)

BOOK: The Mystery of Flight 54

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Aunt Molly and Mr. Jansen turned and saw Cam take a small suitcase out from the larger one.

“Oh, my goodness,” Aunt Molly said and laughed. “Now I remember. When I left on my trip my small suitcase was filled with gifts for the friends I would be visiting. When I came back I didn’t need it, so I packed it inside one of the bigger suitcases.”

“You have your suitcase. Now we can go home,” Mrs. Jansen said.

May I have your attention, please,
was announced.
Will Simone Green please report to the information desk on the main level. Thank you.

“That announcement is no good,” Cam said. “Simone won’t understand it. It should have been made in French.”

Mr. Jansen returned the pen and forms to the airline’s desk. Then Cam, her parents, Eric, and Aunt Molly began to walk toward the exit.

“Wait,” Aunt Molly said. “I forgot something.”

“What now?” Mrs. Jansen asked as Aunt Molly ran back to the bench.

A moment later Aunt Molly returned carrying Eric’s bag of popcorn. She took some from the bag and ate it as she walked.

“Wait,” Eric said.

“Not again,” Mrs. Jansen told him. “We have to get home.”

“But I know where to find Simone.”

Chapter Five

M
r. and Mrs. Jansen put down the suitcases they were carrying. Mrs. Jansen looked at her watch and began tapping her fingers on her handbag again. Aunt Molly took some more popcorn from the bag.

“You’re hungry, right?” Eric asked Aunt Molly.

“Yes, I never get enough to eat on an airplane.”

“Well, if you’re hungry, Simone must be hungry, too. She’s probably in one of the restaurants eating.”

Cam, Eric, and Aunt Molly rushed over to the Greens. “We know where to find Simone,” Eric told them.

“Aunt Molly just got off the same flight and she’s real hungry,” Cam said.

“And I even brought along something to eat on the airplane. I had a buttered roll in my handbag,” Aunt Molly said.

“We think Simone must be hungry, too. We’ll probably find her in one of the restaurants.”

Charles Green said, “You may be right. Let’s go and look.”

“No, we have to stay right here,” Ida Green said. “I’ve asked them to repeat the announcement, this time in French. I hope Simone hears it. And if she does, I want to be here to meet her.”

“We have to go home now,” Mrs. Jansen told Cam, Eric, and Aunt Molly. Then she said to the Greens, “I’m sure you’ll find Simone.”

“We can’t leave now,” Cam told her mother.

Mrs. Jansen whispered, “But I have to get home. You know that. And you know why.”

“What’s that? Why do you have to get home?” Aunt Molly asked.

“Oh, I have some things to do,” Mrs. Jansen said.

“We don’t live far from the airport. I’ll take you home now,” Mr. Jansen told his wife. “Then I’ll come back and pick up Molly, Cam, and Eric.”

“And while you’re gone, we’ll find Simone,” Eric said.

Mr. Jansen looked at his watch. “I’ll be back at 3:00. I’ll be at the main entrance.”

Mr. and Mrs. Jansen walked toward the exit. Mr. Green showed the photograph of Simone to Cam and Eric. Cam looked at it, blinked her eyes and said,
“Click.”

Eric explained to Mr. Green, “That click helps Cam to remember the picture.”

“
O
h.”

Aunt Molly looked at the photograph again. “Simone’s hair is longer now. She has it in a ponytail. And she’s wearing a blue shirt.”

Aunt Molly returned the photograph to Mr. Green. Cam, Eric, and Aunt Molly started to walk to one of the restaurants. Mr. Jansen ran to them. He took a deep breath and then said, “Molly, I wanted to make sure you knew that we have your suitcases.”

“Oh no, I’ve lost them again.”

“No, you haven’t lost them. I have your suitcases in the car. I’m taking them home.”

“Good,” Cam said. “Now let’s find Simone.”

Cam, Eric, and Aunt Molly went first to a small coffee shop on the main level. A few people were sitting by the counter and eating. Simone was not there.

They went next to a fancy restaurant. Soft music was playing and there was very little light. A man wearing a bow tie and a black suit greeted them.

“Would you like to be seated?” the man asked Aunt Molly.

“No. We’re looking for someone.”

Cam, Eric, and Aunt Molly walked quietly through the restaurant. The man followed them. “Please,” he whispered. “Don’t disturb anyone.”

“But there’s no one here. This place is empty,” Cam said.

May I have your attention please,
Cam, Eric, and Aunt Molly heard as they left the restaurant.
Will Simone Green please report to the information desk. Thank you.
Then the announcement was repeated in French.
Simone Green, est priée de se presenter à linformation. Merci.

Cam, Eric, and Aunt Molly walked past the information desk. They saw the Greens sitting nearby. They waited a short while. When Simone didn’t come, they walked toward the escalator.

Eric said, “She’s probably eating downstairs. Maybe she doesn’t know where the information desk is and everyone she asks doesn’t speak French.”

Just as Cam, Eric, and Aunt Molly got on the “down” escalator, a few people got off the “up” escalator.

“Did you see her? Did you see who just got off?” Cam asked.

“I saw a skinny woman with sunglasses and a few cameras,” Aunt Molly said.

“I saw a woman wearing lots of colored beads,” Eric said.

“No,” Cam said as the escalator took them downstairs. “I saw a girl with a ponytail. I saw Simone.”

Chapter Six

E
ric turned and started to walk up the “down” escalator. People moved aside to let him pass. But as Eric walked up, the escalator kept going down.

Cam and Aunt Molly got off the escalator on the lower level. They turned and got on the “up” escalator. Eric was still near the bottom of the “down” escalator. He turned and got off.

“Wait for me,” Eric called to Cam and Aunt Molly. “I’ll be up in a minute.”

When Cam and Aunt Molly reached the main level, they looked for the girl with the ponytail. Cam said, “I’m not sure which way she went.”

“Here I am,” Eric said.

“I’ll walk this way to look for Simone,” Cam said and pointed to her left. Then she pointed to her right and told Eric, “You look this way.”

“And I’ll walk straight ahead,” Aunt Molly said.

Cam walked quickly to her left. There were many small groups of people. Two women were hugging. One of them kept saying, “It’s so good to see you.”

Cam passed a man who was telling a few people, “I rode on a camel. Can you believe that! And I went on a boat with a glass bottom and saw thousands of fish.”

Cam looked at all the people. Then she saw the girl with the ponytail. Cam ran to her.

“Simone, Simone,” Cam said.

The girl looked at Cam.

“French.
Merci.
Simone,” Cam said.

The girl shook her head. “French, mercy, see, moan? What are you talking about?”

“Then you’re not Simone Green. You’re not lost.”

“Of course not,” the girl said and walked away.

Cam walked to meet Eric and Aunt Molly. “I found the girl with the ponytail,” Cam told them, “but she wasn’t Simone.”

Aunt Molly looked at her watch. “It’s almost 3:00. We’ll have to go to the main entrance to meet your father,” she said.

As Cam, Eric, and Aunt Molly walked toward the entrance, they passed the Greens. Eric told them, “I’m sorry. But we didn’t find Simone.”

Mrs. Green was sitting on a bench. She looked up for a moment. When she didn’t see Simone, she looked down again.

“Ida is very upset,” Mr. Green told Cam, Eric, and Aunt Molly. “We were both hoping you would find Simone. But thank you so much for your help.”

“Look, there’s your father,” Aunt Molly said as she waved to Mr. Jansen.

“We have to go now,” Eric told Mr. Green.

Cam, Eric, and Aunt Molly were walking toward Mr. Jansen when,
May I, have your attention please,
was announced.
The city bus will be leaving in three minutes. Thank you.

Three women pulling suitcases on wheels rushed past. Then came a tall man with a small boy walking beside him. The man was taking quick, long steps. The small boy had to run to keep up with him. “Hurry, or we’ll miss the bus,” the man said.

Cam looked at the tall man. Then she closed her eyes and said,
“Click.”

Aunt Molly heard Cam say
“Click.”
She saw that Cam’s eyes were closed. Aunt Molly held Cam’s hand and walked with her to Mr. Jansen.