Mercer glanced toward the galley to see whether Laura was nearby. Then he lowered his voice. "You have no idea what information may become relevant before this is finished."
Maya looked directly at him. "Then use whatever information is lawfully relevant."
The answer made him pause. Grace noticed it, too. Mercer stepped away without replying and returned to first class.
Cole watched him sit down. "What was that about?"
"She thinks she knows procedure."
"She seems to."
Mercer picked up his phone. Cole looked at him. "Leave it alone."
"I am leaving the cabin alone."
"That's not what I meant."
Mercer unlocked the screen. Cole watched him open a secure application. "What are you doing now?"
"Checking something."
"Checking what?"
Mercer entered Maya's name. Cole leaned closer. "Dan..."
Mercer ignored him.
"You already filed the report. You already requested officers at the gate. What else do you need?"
"I want to know who I'm dealing with."
"You know who you're dealing with. Her name is Maya Williams. She has a boarding pass and a complaint."
Mercer continued entering information. Cole's voice became firmer. "This isn't an investigation."
"It may become one."
"Based on what?"
Mercer looked toward the rear cabin. "People who know that much about records usually have a reason."
Cole stared at him. "That is not probable cause for anything."
"I didn't say it was."
"Then why are you running her?"
Mercer did not answer. The search opened: no active warrant appeared, no criminal alert appeared. Nothing on the first screen supported the security concern he had already reported.
Cole saw the result. "There. Nothing."
Mercer did not close the system. Instead, he moved to another search field. Cole's expression changed. "Dan, what exactly are you trying to find?"
Mercer kept his eyes on the screen. "Something that tells me why she's so confident."
Several rows behind them, Grace finally lifted her coffee and took one small sip. Maya remained seated beside her, unaware that Mercer had stopped trying to prove what happened on the aircraft and had begun searching for something outside the flight that he could use against her.
Cole watched Mercer move past the initial search results and open a restricted law enforcement database.
"Close it," Cole said.
Mercer kept working.
"I'm serious, Dan."
"So am I."
"There's no case number attached to this."
"I know."
"No dispatch call, no arrest, no active investigation, and no threat reported by the crew. What business purpose are you using?"
Mercer glanced at him. "Officer safety."
Cole lowered his voice. "You're sitting in first class on a commercial flight. Maya Williams is several rows behind us. She hasn't approached you, threatened you, or interfered with the crew."
"That doesn't mean I ignore potential risk."
"What risk?"
Mercer did not answer. He entered another query. The screen returned basic identifying information associated with Maya's name. Mercer reviewed it, then moved to another field.
Cole leaned closer. "You already checked for warrants."
"I'm aware there weren't any."
"I saw that. No criminal alerts either."
Mercer continued. Cole looked around to make sure no passenger was close enough to see the screen. "You're searching for something because the first search gave you nothing."
"I'm verifying information."
"For what? An investigation?" Mercer looked at him sharply. "You keep asking the same question because you keep avoiding the answer."
Mercer lowered the phone slightly. "She knew exactly how to challenge the security language. She knew what needed to be preserved. She knew what to ask the crew to put into the log. So..."
"So you want to know who she is. You know her name."
"You know what I mean."
Cole shook his head. "Knowing procedure is not suspicious."
Mercer returned to the screen. The next search produced vehicle registration information and previous administrative contacts. Nothing suggested criminal activity.
Mercer opened another record. Cole's voice became firmer. "Stop running her."
Mercer ignored him.
"Dan."
Mercer finally looked up. "You don't get to order me around."
"I'm not ordering you around. I'm telling you this search has no legitimate connection to what happened on this plane."
"You're not the one who decides that."
"Then tell me who does." Mercer said nothing. Cole continued, "If a supervisor asks why you accessed her records, what are you going to say?"
"The same thing I already told you. Officer safety."
"Yes, then they're going to ask what conduct created the safety concern."
Mercer's expression tightened. "I filed an incident report."
"After the seat dispute."
"I filed it because of the seat dispute."
"No, you filed it because she challenged you and made Laura preserve the record."
Mercer locked the phone for a moment. "You need to be careful."
"About what? About deciding you understand my judgment better than I do?" Cole looked at him steadily. "This isn't about judgment anymore."
Mercer unlocked the phone again. Cole stared at the screen. "You're still going?"
"I haven't finished."
"What exactly are you trying to find? Anything relevant? That isn't an answer."
Mercer opened Grace Turner's information. Cole's face changed. "Now you're running Grace, too?"
"She was part of the incident."
"She sat there and asked why they were losing seats! She was involved in a seating dispute!"
Mercer continued reviewing the results. Grace had no criminal alert, no active warrant, and nothing that supported Mercer's security report.
Cole pointed toward the phone without touching it. "You've run both of them now. Nothing came back."
"That doesn't mean there's nothing relevant."
"What would be relevant?"
Mercer did not answer.
Cole leaned closer. "You're trying to find leverage."