TSA Agent Accuses Black Woman of Smuggling — Then Discovers She Runs Customs...
Chapter 3
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Grant nodded while letting his eyes flick toward the ID again. It was a valid Georgia driver's license, her birth date showing she was in her mid-forties, though she didn't look a day over thirty-five. She didn't offer more detail, which he found curious."All right," he said. "Please take out any electronics and follow the line to the scanner."Harriet thanked him with a slight nod and continued ahead. She hadn't said anything out of line. Her presence hadn't disrupted any protocols. Still, an odd feeling tugged at Grant, like an itch in his mind he couldn't quite scratch. It wasn't simply the woman's calmness, he told himself; it was the seriousness in her eyes, the subdued authority in her voice. He decided to keep an eye on her as she proceeded through the checkpoint.The line advanced without incident, at least for a while, but Grant's unshakable intuition told him Harriet Brown was no ordinary passenger. He found himself glancing over at her belongings: she had one carry-on suitcase and a slim black backpack. Neither looked suspicious from the outside; both sailed through the X-ray machine with no visible anomalies.Yet Grant's mind refused to quiet. People who wanted to conceal something usually acted fidgety, unless they were extremely well-trained or used to intense scrutiny. Harriet Brown radiated something akin to a quiet authority that had nothing to do with fear.As Harriet picked up her belongings from the conveyor belt, Grant felt a surge of adrenaline that whispered:Don't let her slip away. He had no evidence, no cause—just a gut feeling that he should check deeper. But the line of passengers behind him was growing impatient. He hesitated, telling himself that if Harriet Brown truly warranted further inspection, the X-ray would have flagged something. Realistically, he had no reason to stop her.But that wouldn't be the end of it. Not by a long shot.Grant had a brief respite from the Harriet Brown situation as he navigated a small emergency with another traveler: a man in a wrinkled polo had forgotten to remove a large water bottle from his backpack, causing the X-ray machine to beep aggressively. The beleaguered passenger rolled his eyes when asked to remove it. By the time Grant resolved the issue, Harriet was already heading toward her gate—at least, that's what he assumed.