He had receipts, purchase orders, labor logs, and Rachel Kim's inspection reports organized in a three- ring binder that weighed 6 lb. He walked into the building. The receptionist recognized him. She'd seen him come and go for 6 weeks and smiled with the slightly sad look of someone who already knew something you didn't. She's ready for you, Mr.
Hayes. Victoria Sterling's conference room on the fourth floor had floor toseeiling windows that looked out over the airfield. Malcolm could see hangar 7 from where he stood. He could see the jet. Victoria was already seated at the head of the table when he walked in.
Three executives lined the right side. Two attorneys on the left, an assistant in the corner with a laptop. Nobody offered Malcolm a chair. He stood. He opened the binder.
The restoration is complete, he said. Final systems check was performed yesterday evening. Captain Mercer's team can begin their pre-flight review at any time. Here is the itemized invoice. He walked to the head of the table and slid it to Victoria.
She picked it up. She looked at it. And then to Malcolm's disbelief and to the visible discomfort of at least two people in the room, she laughed. It wasn't a small laugh. It wasn't the polite laugh of someone buying time to think.
It was the full incredulous laugh of a woman who had decided before she even finished reading that what she was looking at was a joke. "$286,000," she said, setting the invoice down and leaning back in her chair. "Malcolm, you actually submitted this number. That is the number the contract entitles me to bill, Malcolm said. Along with reimbursement for components I personally advanced when your procurement department delayed purchase orders. Your components?
Yes, ma'am. $79,400 in parts that kept your aircraft on schedule. Receipts are in the binder tab three. She didn't open the binder. She looked at her attorneys, then at her executives, and something passed through that room. a decision that had clearly already been made before Malcolm ever walked through the door. "Malcolm," she said, and her voice changed.
It became something smooth and deliberate, the voice of someone who'd had this conversation before and knew exactly where it ended. I've had three of my aviation consultants review the scope of work on this aircraft. All right. They believe the appropriate market rate for this restoration given the size of the operation, the experience level of the personnel and the facilities involved is considerably lower than what you've submitted. Malcolm kept his face still.
What number did they give you? Victoria folded her hands on the table. 45,000. The room was quiet. Malcolm looked at her.
He looked at the binder. He looked out the window at the aircraft sitting in the hanger. every system he'd rebuilt, every component he'd hunted down, every night he'd slept on that cot to make sure nothing slipped through. $45,000, he said, which I think is quite generous, Victoria said. Given that Hayes Arrow works as frankly a second tier operation. You don't have the certifications, the facility size, or the staff of the firms that typically handle aircraft at this level. You got this contract because nobody else would touch it on the timeline I needed.