Only one could carry the evidence. Private gate, Peter said. That is the fastest way out. Hayes studied the tracking map. That's what they expect us to choose.
Nia stared at the empty shells. The real cases were heavy. Zuri understood. Check the vehicle weight sensors. Every catering truck was weighed automatically before entering the secured ramp.
Airport operations compared the readings. The vehicle heading toward the private gate had gained nothing. The cargo truck carried 38 additional pounds. The control center vehicle carried only five. Both evidence cases together weighed 38 lb.
Police redirected toward the cargo warehouse. The driver saw the vehicles behind him and accelerated. He struck a baggage barrier, abandoned the truck, and ran between shipping containers. Officers recovered both cases from beneath sealed meal trays. The contents appeared intact.
The driver escaped into the warehouse ventilation corridor, but airport exits remained locked. Passengers inside flight 218 applauded when the recovery appeared on the screens. Zuri did not. What was in the control center vehicle? Hayes requested its inspection.
The five extra pounds came from a police radio repeater programmed with Rusk's account credentials. It had issued the false emergency orders. The thief never needed to reach the control center. He only needed investigators to believe the commands originated there. Peter checked the recovered case seals through the live camera.
They opened them. The contents are present, the evidence officer said. That does not mean they are original. Simone's red notebook still contained her handwriting. The damaged camera carried the same scratches.
The nine travel files retained their numbered seals, but the memory card inside the camera had been replaced. The new card contained one video. Celeste sat alone in an office speaking directly to the camera. Quiet transfer began with my approval, she said. I authorized the false handoffs, altered the complaint records, and instructed Valerie Kaine to target Zuri and Nia Brooks.
Celeste rose inside the cabin. I never recorded that. Her image continued. Deputy Chief Alan Rusk protected the program and caused the service road collision that killed Simone Brooks. Rusk's voice came through the airport interview room connection.
That confession is false. The recording appeared to solve everything. It named Celeste as the creator and Rusk as the killer. It also arrived through a thief who had risked capture to place it inside Simone's case. Zuri watched Celeste's mouth carefully.
The voice matched, the face matched, but Celeste never blinked during the entire 40 statement. It's fake," Zuri said. Peter slowed the video. Tiny distortions appeared around Celeste's lips. Someone had generated a confession to close the investigation around two obvious suspects.
Officer Hayes asked the evidence team to inspect the nine sealed files. Each still contained an original and altered handoff record. But the final approval page had been removed from every folder. The CR1 account identified Celeste. The missing pages identified the person who authorized CRO1 to operate.
The theft had one purpose. Protect the senior official above Celeste and Rusk. Clare looked towards Celeste. Who approved quiet transfer? Celeste's confidence returned.