"Absolutely."
"You'd fly in it"
"Whenever possible."
"Your family, your friends ..."
"Absolutely."
"No hesitation whatsoever?"
"That's right."
"So what was your reaction, when you saw the tape on television from Flight 545?"
He 'II get you saying yes, then hit you from left field,
But Casey was ready for it. "All of us here knew that it was a very tragic accident. When I saw the tape, I felt very sad for the people involved."
"You felt sad."
"Yes."
"Didn't it shake your conviction about the aircraft? Make you question the N-22?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because the N-22 has a superb safety record. One of the best in the industry."
"One of the best in the industry..." Reardon smirked.
"Yes, Mr. Reardon," she said. "Let me ask you. Last year, forty-three thousand Americans died in automobile accidents. Four thousand people drowned. Two thousand people choked to death on food. Do you know how many died in domestic commercial transports?"
Reardon paused. He chuckled. "I must admit you've stumped the panel."
Chapter 22
"It's a fair question, Mr. Reardon. How many died in commercial aircraft last year?"
Reardon frowned. "I'll say ... I'll say a thousand."
"Fifty," Casey said. "Fifty people died. Do you know how many died the year before that? Sixteen. Fewer than were killed on bicycles."
"And how many of those died on the N-22?" Reardon asked, eyes narrowed, trying to recover.
"None," Casey said.
"So your point is ..."
"We have a nation in which forty-three thousand people die every year in cars, and nobody worries about it at all. They get into cars when they're drunk, when they're tired - without a second thought. But these same people are panicked at the thought of getting on an airplane. And the reason," Casey said,"is that television consistently exaggerates the real dangers involved. That tape will make people afraid to fly. And for no good reason."
"You think the tape shouldn't have been shown?"
"I didn't say that."
"But you said it will make people afraid - for no good reason."
"Correct."
"Is it your view tapes such as these should not be shown?"
She thought: Where is he going? Why is he doing this?
"I didn't say that"
"I'm asking you now."
"I said," Casey replied, "that those tapes create an inaccurate perception of the danger of air travel."
"Including the danger of the N-22?"
"I've already said I think the N-22 is safe."
"So you don't think such tapes should be shown to the public."
What the hell was he doing? She still couldn't figure it out. She didn't answer him; she was thinking hard. Trying to see where he was going with this. She had a sinking feeling she knew.
"In your view, Ms. Singleton, should such tapes be suppressed?"
"No," Casey said.
"They should not be suppressed."
"No."
"Has Norton Aircraft ever suppressed any tapes?"
Uh-oh, she thought She was trying to figure out how many people knew of the tape. A lot, she decided: Ellen Fong, Ziegler, the people at Video Imaging. Maybe a dozen people, maybe more...
"Ms. Singleton," Reardon said, "are you personally aware of any other tape of this accident?"
Just lie, Amos had said.
"Yes," she said. "I know of another tape."
"And have you seen the tape?"
"I have."
Reardon said, "It's upsetting. Horrifying. Isn't it?'
She thought: They have it. They'd gotten the tape. She would have to proceed very carefully now.
"It's tragic," Casey said. "What happened on Flight 545 is a tragedy." She felt tired. Her shoulders ached from tension.
"Ms. Singleton, let me put it to you directly: Did Norton Aircraft suppress this tape?"
"No-Eyebrows up, the look of surprise. "But you certainly didn't release it, did you."
"No."
"Why not?"
"That tape was found on the aircraft," Casey said, "and is being used in our ongoing investigation. We didn't feel it appropriate to release it until our investigation is completed."
"You weren't covering up the well-known defects of the N-22?"
"No."
"Not everyone agrees with you about that, Ms. Singleton. Because Newsline obtained a copy of that tape, from a conscience-stricken Norton employee who felt that the company was covering up. Who felt the tape should be made public."
Casey held herself rigid. She didn't move.
"Are you surprised?" Reardon said, his lips in a curl.
She didn't answer. Her mind was spinning. She had to plan her next move.
Reardon was smirking, a patronizing smile. Enjoying the moment.
Now.
"Have you yourself actually seen this tape, Mr. Reardon?" She asked the question in a tone that implied the tape didn't exist, that Reardon was making it all up.
"Oh yes," Reardon said solemnly, "I have seen the tape. It's
difficult, painful to watch. It is a terrible, damning record of what happened on that N-22 aircraft."
"You've seen it all the way through?"
"Of course. So have my associates in New York."
So it had already gone to New York, she thought.
Careful.
Careful.
"Ms. Singleton, was Norton ever planning to release that taper