There was a bump bump as the plane came in for a landing. That was Joe Matthews’s first indication that the road ahead of him would not be a smooth one. Whenever he was in the cockpit and he brought the craft back to earth, there was never a bump. Because Joe Matthews was precise, level-headed, and even-handed.
bump bumpThe swerve to the left, and then the hitch to the right as the pilot put on the brakes indicated that they were none of those things. Joe sat straight in his seat as many others braced themselves and tilted forward. During his time in the Air Force, he’d been in much hairier situations. Though it was his time in boardrooms and courtrooms negotiating and advising as a JAG officer that had been the most combat-laden.
As the commercial airliner slowed to taxi to the gate, a
