“I also know what it feels like to be standing in public while somebody decides you are suspicious before checking whether they are right.”
Silence.
“The difference is I have power after the fact.”
She picked up her bag.
“The passengers in those reports may not have.”
Then she walked out.
N941SC departed at 8:04 p.m.
Fifty-four minutes late.
Ava sat alone in the forward cabin.
Her shoes were off.
Her cap rested on the opposite seat.
The brown coat lay folded beside her.
A plate of food sat untouched.
Daniel entered from the rear cabin after takeoff.
“You should eat.”
Ava looked at him.
“My mother is controlling you now?”
“She called.”
Ava stared.
Daniel smiled.
“Kidding.”
“Not funny.”
“Little funny.”
He sat across from her.
The jet climbed above clouds.
Outside, New Jersey became lights beneath them.
Daniel placed his tablet on the table.
“Meridian suspended Elise.”
Ava looked away.
“That was fast.”
“Pending investigation.”
“Not termination?”
“No.”
“Good.”
Daniel raised an eyebrow.
“You think good?”
“I think investigations should happen before conclusions.”
“Even after tonight?”
“Especially after tonight.”
He nodded.
Then:
“You could have ended that five seconds after she stopped you.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you?”
Ava looked toward the window.
The answer was uncomfortable.
“I wanted to know how far it would go.”
Daniel waited.
“And?”
“Too far.”
She rubbed her forehead.
“Theodore bothered me.”
“The guard?”
“Yes.”
“He did well.”
“That’s why.”
Daniel understood.
Ava continued.
“He knew the pass was valid.”
“He questioned her.”
“Yes.”
“But not until she called him.”
Daniel leaned back.
“You think he should have intervened earlier?”
“I don’t know.”
“That’s different.”
“Yes.”
She thought.
“Power doesn’t only exist at the top.”
She looked toward him.
“Theodore had enough authority to ask one question before I became a security problem.”
“He did eventually.”
“I know.”
“That matters.”
“Yes.”
“But?”
Ava sighed.
“But I keep thinking about how many people learn to wait until authority explicitly gives them permission to use judgment.”
Daniel nodded.
“That sounds like tomorrow’s training memo.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because memos don’t fix culture.”
He smiled.
“You are ruining my evening.”
“You get paid.”
“Apparently not enough.”
Ava finally picked up her fork.
Daniel relaxed.
She took one bite.
Then said:
“I want Sterling Crest’s vendor data.”
“All terminals?”
“Yes.”
Daniel frowned.
“That’s hundreds of thousands of interactions.”
“Good.”
“What are you looking for?”
“Escalation patterns.”
“By?”
“Passenger complaint category.”
“Security involvement.”
“Repeat staff.”
“Verification failure.”
“Client status.”
Daniel nodded slowly.
“You think this is bigger.”
“I think I don’t know.”