You asked me not to file a formal complaint. That is not true. You said an investigation would frighten my nephew. Passengers began watching Clare differently. Officer Hayes gave Dr. Lane paper and asked him to write a statement.
He completed one page, signed it, and held it out. Then his phone vibrated. It should not have received anything. The cabin network remained isolated. Dr. Lane read the screen.
His hand began to shake. He folded the statement and pulled it back. I made a mistake. Officer Hayes did not move. You identified Clare clearly.
I confused her with another flight attendant. Who messaged you? No one. Zuri pointed at his screen. Your phone received the same hidden signal as mine.
Dr. Lane slipped it into his pocket. I want an attorney. Officer Mercer ordered him to sit and keep both hands visible. Nia leaned toward Zuri. He keeps looking behind us.
The curtain separating first class from the main cabin moved slightly. A pair of black shoes stood behind it. Officer Hayes pulled the curtain open. No one was there. She asked the rear flight attendant to check the aisle.
The reply came through the interphone. We're missing a passenger from seat 19 C. His jacket remained on the seat. His name remained on the manifest, but nearby passengers could not describe him. Both lavatories were empty.
The cabin doors had remained sealed. Officer Mercer checked the rear galley. A narrow service panel in the floor stood slightly open. It led into a lower equipment compartment, inaccessible to passengers without a crew tool. "Who carries the tool?" Hayes asked.
Clare answered reluctantly. Every working flight attendant. Officer Mercer moved toward the panel. Dr. Lane suddenly ran from row four. Don't open it.
Mercer caught him before he reached the galley. Why? Dr. Lane struggled once, then stopped. The man below has something belonging to Simone Brooks. Zuri stood despite the seat belt light.
How do you know? Because I was supposed to collect it in Denver. The service panel slammed upward. A hand emerged from the darkness and grabbed Dr. Lane's wrist. Mercer pulled him back while Hayes forced the hatch closed and locked it with Clare's tool.
Dr. Lane collapsed against the galley wall. Three numbers had been scratched into his wrist. 417. The same number used by Zuri's unknown sender. Dr. Lane stared at her phone.
He knows you received the video. Zuri's screen lit up. The preserved recording was being deleted remotely. 60 seconds remained. Nia saw the authorization name and covered her mouth.
The deletion request had not come from Clare, Celeste, or the man hiding below the cabin. It had been approved using Simone Brooks's private recovery password, a password their mother had never shared with anyone except her two daughters. 57 seconds remained. Zuri tapped the screen, but the deletion notice covered every control. Turn off the phone.