Final Call

FINAL CALL Alex Lake CopyrightHarperCollinsPublishers Ltd1 London Bridge StreetLondon SE1 9GFwww.harpercollins.co.ukFirst published by HarperCollinsPublishers 2023Copyright © Alex Lake 2023Cover design by Claire Ward © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2023Cover photographs: Shutterstock.comAlex Lake asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.Source ISBN: 9780008532024Ebook Edition © June 2023 ISBN: 9780008532048Version: 2023-05-10 DedicationTo Sharad and Adam ContentsCoverTitle PageCopyrightDedicationPart OneDecember 23rd, 2022: The PilotJill StearnsThe PilotChip MarkhamThe PilotMarcia FournierJill StearnsMarcia FournierVarun MillerJill StearnsKevin AndersonJill StearnsMarcia FournierKevin AndersonThe PilotChip MarkhamBarrow, Maine 2018: Stacy EvanstonStacy Evanston 2Stacy Evanston 3Stacy Evanston 4Stacy Evanston 5December 23rd, 2022: Jill StearnsJeff RamosThe PilotChip MarkhamMary Jo Fernandez Marcia FournierJill StearnsThe PilotChip MarkhamBarrow, Maine 2018: Stacy EvanstonDr. WilliamsStacy EvanstonDr. WilliamsDr. Williams 2December 23rd, 2022: Jill StearnsChip MarkhamKevin AndersonVarun MillerKevin AndersonThe PilotJeff RamosBarrow, Maine 2018: Elizabeth CarterDr. WilliamsStacy EvanstonSteve MurdochDr. WilliamsSteve MurdochStacy EvanstonDr. WilliamsNicole FarmerStacy EvanstonDecember 23rd, 2022: The PilotMarcia FournierKevin AndersonVarun MillerChip MarkhamJill StearnsMarcia FournierThe PilotBarrow, Maine 2018: Stacy EvanstonDr. WilliamsSteve MurdochDr. WilliamsStacy EvanstonDr. WilliamsSteve MurdochDr. WilliamsStacy EvanstonStacy Evanston 2December 23rd, 2022: Marcia FournierVarun MillerJill StearnsThe PilotKevin AndersonChip MarkhamVarun MillerBarrow, Maine 2018: Stacy EvanstonStacy Evanston 2December 23rd, 2022: Varun MillerBarrow, Maine 2018: Stacy EvanstonPart TwoBarrow, Maine 2018: Stacy EvanstonStacy Evanston 2December 23rd, 2022: The PilotVarun MillerJill StearnsVarun MillerBarrow, Maine 2018: Stacy EvanstonStacy Evanston 2Stacy Evanston 3Stacy Evanston 4December 23rd, 2022: Kevin AndersonMarcia FournierVarun MillerBarrow, Maine 2018: Stacy EvanstonStacy Evanston 2December 23rd, 2022: The PilotVarun MillerThe PilotJill StearnsThe PilotVarun MillerJill StearnsVarun MillerBarrow, Maine, December 2022: Stacy EvanstonStacy Evanston 2December 23rd, 2022: The PilotMarcia FournierKevin AndersonThe PilotMarcia FournierThe PilotThe Pilot 2Marcia FournierThe PilotPart ThreeDecember 23rd, 2022: Stacy EvanstonStacy Evanston 2December 24th, 2022: Kevin AndersonJill StearnsMarcia FournierMarcia Fournier 2December 25th, 2022: Varun MillerVarun Miller 2Varun Miller 3December 27th, 2022: Stacy EvanstonStacy Evanston 2Stacy Evanston 3Stacy Evanston 4Stacy Evanston 5Stacy Evanston 6Stacy Evanston 7Stacy Evanston 8Jeff RamosStacy EvanstonStacy Evanston 2Stacy Evanston 3Stacy Evanston 4Stacy Evanston 5AcknowledgementsAbout the AuthorAlso by Alex LakeAbout the Publisher PART ONE December 23rd, 2022The PilotThe pre-flight checks were complete. Engine, hydraulics, fuel: all fine. The weather too was clear. No rain, no wind, no snow, despite the time of year. It would be a smooth flight.In terms of turbulence, anyway.She had flown aircraft hundreds of times, but her palms were as damp with sweat and her heart racing as fast as on her first flight.Faster. This was the most important flight she would ever take. The rest of her life – and of her passengers – would be determined by what happened on this flight. How happy and fulfilled it was. How much meaning and purpose it had.How long it Jill StearnsHer phone rang just as she left the hangar. She looked at the screen. Mila, her daughter. Had it been anyone else – a board member, maybe, or a banker calling to wish her all the best for the holidays – she would have taken the call and boarded the plane as she spoke. It was fine for the other passengers – her staff – to hear that kind of conversation. In fact, it would help remind one or two of them that she was the boss.But not a conversation with Mila. That was personal, and she did not mix personal with professional. Besides, she and Mila had