Chapter 11 - The Midnight Flight Grounding
Realizing that federal prison was now an absolute certainty, Linda Vance made a desperate run for the border.
She used the last $10,000 in cash she had hidden in her purse to hire an unlicensed private pilot to fly her on a small twin-engine aircraft from a private airfield in Van Nuys to a remote runway in Mexico.
At 11:45 PM, Linda arrived at the darkened hangar, disguised in a heavy trench coat and dark sunglasses, carrying a single duffel bag packed with designer jewelry.
"Is the plane ready to depart?" Linda demanded, rushing toward the small aircraft idling on the tarmac.
"Ready when you are, ma'am," the pilot muttered, keeping his head down.
Linda climbed the small metal stairs and stepped inside the cabin. She collapsed onto the leather seat, letting out a long, ragged sigh of relief. "Take off immediately. Don't file a flight plan."
Suddenly, the cabin lights flooded on.
Sitting across from her in the executive seats were two federal prosecutors and James Whitaker.
"Leaving so soon, Linda?" James asked smoothly, holding up a cup of coffee.
Linda gasped in horror, scrambling backward toward the cabin door, but the pilot had already shut and latched it from the outside.
Through the cabin windows, the tarmac was suddenly illuminated by the blinding red and blue strobe lights of a dozen FBI vehicles surrounding the aircraft. Sirens wailed into the night sky as heavily armed tactical agents breached the hangar.
"You... you set me up!" Linda shrieked, clawing at the window.
"The pilot works for me, Linda," I said, stepping into view from the forward cockpit compartment. "Did you really think you could run away after what you did to my daughter and grandson?"
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The cabin door was pulled open by FBI agents. Linda Vance was grabbed by the arms, dragged down the metal steps, and pushed facedown onto the tarmac, where zip-ties were secured tightly around her wrists.
As she lay on the cold asphalt, screaming curses into the night, I looked down at her with cold indifference. "You told Madison that if she came to me, you would make sure she lost everything. You should have remembered that a father's love for his child will tear down any mountain you try to build."
