Word Count: 370
As soon as he walked in the door he turned on the news. The Channel 5 pretty blonde news anchor greeted her audience with a big smile and a wink.
“Today marked the first day under new airport security regulations and reports are that for the first time in years there were minimal flight delays and flights in and out of most major airports went smoothly thanks to streamlined security that enabled passengers to move more quickly through security checkpoints.”
He sat down and waited. They said little at work, just that a flight to Indianapolis International had crashed as it was circling to land. It was Flight #535, the one he had checked passengers through at Kennedy. That’s all they knew, they said at the time.
He tried to remember what the man looked like. Young, dark hair, trim, blue puffy jacket and dark pants. He’d pointed him out to another security worker. “What do you think of that guy?” he’d asked.
“What about him?”
“I don’t know, it’s just a feeling. He’s been walking around the whole time.”
“Suspicious?”
“Well, no, but…”
“Then just keep an eye on him. Where’s he going?”
“Indianapolis.”
“Don’t worry about it,” his buddy said. “It’s not like it’s Dulles or LAX. Or here. You’re just asking for trouble if you pull him aside and put him through inspection.”
That was true. He’d be accused of profiling. The briefing they’d had on the new regulations made that clear. And while nobody said it yet, he knew they’d be laying off a good part of the staff. Didn’t need so many agents with the machines no longer in use for every passenger. Don’t give trouble to kids nor little old ladies, they said. Just keep a sharp eye for suspicious behavior. If you question somebody, you’d better have damn good cause.
He waited through the commercial. Turned the volume up two steps higher. The news lady came back on with a serious expression.
“In other news, Flight #535 from New York to Indianapolis crashed just short of landing. All 140 passengers and crew aboard are believed dead. They cite pilot error as the probable cause or a bird striking an engine. Update at eleven.”
