Then what's under your nail? A short blue fiber rested beneath Clare's thumbnail. It matched the thread around the bear's cut seam. The cabin became silent again. Celeste rose from her seat.
I want the bracelet secured. and those girls kept away from me. Officer Hayes turned the jewelry with clean evidence tongs. Describe your bracelet. Two rows of diamonds, a blue center stone, and my initials inside the clasp. Hayes examined the inner surface.
There are no initials. Celeste's confidence slipped. Then that is not mine. Zuri stared at her. Minutes earlier, Celeste had identified it without hesitation and demanded arrests.
You said it was yours before anyone touched it, Zuri said. Celeste pulled down her sleeve. It looked similar. Zuri froze the last clear image of Celeste's wrist. A dark line crossed the large blue stone.
The stone in the recovered bracelet was clear. Two bracelets existed. One had been planted inside the bear. The real one had never been stolen. Officer Hayes searched the visible space around Celeste's seat.
A blue sparkle appeared between the cushion and the cabin wall. She lifted out a second bracelet. The dark line crossed its center stone. Initials were engraved inside the clasp. Passengers began murmuring.
Clare stared at Celeste. You hid the real one? Celeste said nothing. You told me this was a security exercise. Officer Mercer turned toward Clare.
What exercise? Clare realized what she had revealed. Celeste's voice became cold. Do not say another word. Clare looked at the twins, then at the blue fiber beneath her nail.
She gave me the replica before boarding. She said their documents were compromised and the device would expose whoever had altered them. Nia's voice shook. So you cut open my bear. Clare nodded once.
Then you called us thieves, Zuri said. Celeste said the accusation had to appear real. You threatened us with handcuffs. Clare could not blame that choice on an exercise. Officer Mercer ordered her to move away from the twins.
Hayes sealed both bracelets separately. The apparent theft was over, but the black device still blinked inside Mr. Buttons, and the twins identities were still missing from the flight record. Captain Cole contacted the officers. Baltimore operations had no record of an assistance desk employee matching Nia's description. Worse, the official travel file showed that the twins had been delivered to the gate by their aunt, Relle Brooks.
Zuri shook her head. Aunt Rashelle is waiting in Denver. The captain transmitted the Guardian photograph stored in the file. Officer Mercer turned his screen toward the twins. The woman had brown hair, glasses, and a crescent-shaped mark on her left hand.
"That's the woman who took Mr. Buttons," Nia whispered. The stranger had entered the airport under their aunt's name, altered the yellow pouch, and returned the teddy bear with a device hidden inside. Zuri's phone vibrated. Unknown sender 417. The woman at the desk is not working alone.
Check who approved your seat change. Officer Hayes pulled up the passenger record. The twins had originally been assigned seats 18A and 18B. 11 minutes before boarding, someone moved them directly across from Celeste. The authorization carried Clare Voss's employee number.