None of those skills mattered now.
His daughter was frightened.
He was hundreds of miles away.
And every minute seemed to pull him farther from her.
The flight attendant softened slightly.
"Sir, is there an emergency?"
Daniel looked at her.
"My daughter might be in danger."
The woman's expression changed.
"What kind of danger?"
"Someone is trying to take her from our home."
The flight attendant hesitated.
A man across the aisle lowered his phone.
The woman in the third row stopped whispering.
Daniel explained as much as he could without revealing private details. He told the attendant that he had received a call from his daughter, that an unauthorized person was attempting to remove her from the house, and that he needed to contact local authorities immediately.
The flight attendant listened carefully.
Then she asked the question that made him realize how little anyone around him understood.
"Sir, have you contacted the police?"
"I'm trying to."
"Then please take your seat while I see what can be done."
Daniel nodded.
For the first time since boarding, he followed an instruction without arguing.
He returned to his assigned seat near the middle of the cabin.
The passenger beside him was a gray-haired man in a brown jacket who had been reading a paperback novel.
He moved his bag to make room.
"Everything all right?" the man asked.
Daniel sat down.
"No."
The older man waited.
Daniel looked at his phone.
"No," he repeated. "It isn't."
The older man closed his book.
"Your daughter?"
Daniel turned toward him.
"How did you know?"
"Because I have a daughter. And because I've seen that look before."
For a moment, Daniel felt the urge to explain everything.
Instead, he stared through the window.
The airport buildings were sliding past outside.
He thought of Maya's bedroom, her yellow curtains, the stuffed rabbit she had slept with since she was three, and the small notebook in which she recorded his broken promises.
He wondered how many times she had looked at the door and hoped he would appear.
He wondered how many times she had stopped hoping.
His phone vibrated.
A message had arrived from an unfamiliar number.
STOP INTERFERING. THE GIRL WILL BE TAKEN CARE OF.
Daniel read it twice.
Then a second message appeared.
YOU HAVE MORE IMPORTANT PROBLEMS TO WORRY ABOUT.
A third message followed.
CHECK YOUR COMPANY'S BANK ACCOUNTS.
Daniel's blood ran cold.
He opened the secure banking application connected to his business.
Several transfers were pending.
They were enormous.
Each one had been authorized using credentials that appeared to belong to him.
He immediately called his chief legal officer.
No answer.
He called his company's security director.
No answer.
He called his personal attorney.
This time, the call connected.
"Daniel?"
"Where are you?"
"At the office. What's happened?"
"Victoria is at my house. She says she has authority over Maya. Someone is trying to move money out of the company, and I just received a threat."
The attorney went silent.
Then he said, "Listen carefully. Do not approve anything. Do not respond to the messages. I am contacting the authorities now."
"How did she get the documents?"
"I don't know yet."
"Then find out."
"Daniel, I need you to listen. We have reason to believe the documents are connected to the investigation. Someone may have used your electronic signature."
"Victoria?"
"We can't prove that yet."
Daniel looked toward the cabin entrance.
"I need to get off this plane."
"I understand, but don't do anything reckless. I'll send officers to your house."
"Send someone I can trust."
"I'll handle it."
The call ended.
Daniel stared at the screen.
He had spent years building a company that could survive almost anything.
He had believed that money, lawyers, security systems, and careful planning could protect the people he loved.
Now he was beginning to understand that he had built a fortress around his business while leaving the most important part of his life exposed.
The older passenger beside him spoke again.
"May I ask you something?"
Daniel looked at him.
"Go ahead."
"If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?"
Daniel answered without hesitation.
"At home."
The older man nodded.
"Then don't waste another second pretending anything else matters."
The words struck harder than Daniel expected.
He turned away, embarrassed by the sudden pressure behind his eyes.
He had no idea that the older passenger had spent the previous twenty years regretting the same mistake.
His name was Thomas Reed.
He had built a successful construction company, raised two children, and spent decades convincing himself that providing for his family was the same thing as being present for them.
He had missed birthdays, graduations, and countless ordinary evenings.
When his wife became seriously ill, Thomas had been negotiating a major contract in another state.
He had promised to return the following morning.
She died during the night.
His daughter had called him three times.
He had ignored every call because he believed the meeting could not wait.
He had never forgiven himself.