"You've already decided the answer."
Madison smiled.
"That's your interpretation."
She glanced at Naomi's luggage.
"Where is your security?"
"I don't have security."
"Assistant?"
"No."
"Driver?"
"I drove myself."
Madison laughed softly.
"To your own private jet?"
"Yes."
Something changed in Madison's face.
It was subtle.
But Carlos saw it.
She had decided Naomi was lying.
Madison leaned closer.
"Dr. Brooks, I don't know what kind of arrangement you've made with the owner of this aircraft, but this is a secure aviation facility."
Naomi blinked.
"The owner is standing in front of you."
"Then prove it."
The words hung in the cold air.
Carlos looked at the phone in his hand.
He zoomed in.
Naomi's face was visible.
Madison's was visible.
The registration number was visible.
Everything was visible.
Naomi could have ended the conversation in seconds.
She could have called her attorney.
She could have called the aviation management company.
She could have summoned the aircraft's captain.
Instead, she asked:
"What would satisfy you?"
Madison smiled.
"Maybe a credit card."
Naomi frowned.
"What?"
"If you really own this plane, you can probably show me something with your name on it."
Carlos felt his stomach tighten.
That was no longer professional verification.
That was humiliation.
Naomi looked at the woman for several seconds.
Then she reached into her coat.
She produced a black metal card.
Madison glanced at it.
She shrugged.
"That doesn't prove ownership."
"No," Naomi said.
"It doesn't."
"Then what does?"
Madison gestured toward the aircraft.
"The aircraft documents."
"Where are they?"
"With the flight department."
"Then contact them."
Madison sighed dramatically.
"You're making this much harder than it needs to be."
Inside the lounge, Maria Santos whispered:
"Oh my God."
Her phone was still recording.
Patricia Williams had gone completely still.
She knew that voice.
She had heard it through hospital corridors.
She knew exactly who Naomi Brooks was.
"That's Dr. Brooks," Patricia said.
David looked at her.
"Who?"
"The surgeon who saved my daughter's life."
Nobody spoke.
Patricia stood.
And walked toward the door.
The Woman Behind the Name
Patricia Williams stepped onto the tarmac.
"Dr. Brooks?"
Naomi turned.
Her tired face immediately softened.
"Senator."
Patricia approached and hugged her.
Madison stared.
"You know her?"
Patricia pulled back.
"Know her?"
She looked at Madison.
"This woman saved my daughter's life."
Madison's expression changed.
Just slightly.
But she recovered quickly.
"Senator Williams, I'm sure she is an accomplished physician."
Patricia frowned.
"Accomplished?"
She looked at Naomi.
Then back at Madison.
"She performed the surgery that the rest of the medical team considered nearly impossible."
Madison crossed her arms.
"I'm only verifying her authorization."
"Then verify it."