“Daniel, we should discuss this privately.”
Daniel turned.
“I tried.”
Arthur stopped.
Camille caught that.
“You tried?”
Daniel looked at her.
“Yesterday.”
“To whom?”
Arthur said quickly:
“This isn’t the place.”
Camille looked at him.
“Actually, Arthur, this may be exactly the place.”
His eyes widened.
She knew his name.
Everett finally understood.
He looked toward the papers on the tool cart.
Then at Camille.
“Who are you?”
Daniel answered before she could.
“Camille Vaughn.”
Everett stared blankly.
Daniel’s expression hardened.
“Chief executive of Vaughn Meridian Aviation.”
No one moved.
Daniel continued:
“The company that owns the lease entities on every aircraft in this hangar.”
Everett turned toward the six white jets visible beyond the partially open door.
Then back.
Arthur’s face had gone gray.
Camille said nothing.
Daniel continued, because he was angry now.
“And if the serial mismatches are what they look like, the lease safety covenants allow Vaughn Meridian to suspend operational possession immediately.”
Everett whispered:
“All six?”
Daniel looked at him.
“All six.”
The surrounding silence deepened.
Camille slowly removed one black glove.
Then the other.
She placed them on the tool cart.
Picked up her scattered folio.
Closed it.
Arthur took one step toward her.
“Ms. Vaughn—”
She raised a hand.
He stopped.
Camille looked through the hangar.
Guests had begun noticing.
Several stood near the door.
A woman holding champagne watched openly.
Two pilots had emerged from a side office.
One mechanic looked frightened.
Camille turned back to Daniel.
“Are any aircraft scheduled to depart tonight?”
Daniel checked tablet.
“Three.”
“How soon?”
“First in forty minutes.”
“Passengers?”
“Sovereign Arc members.”
“Ground all six.”
Arthur’s eyes widened.
“You cannot—”
Camille looked at him.
“Finish that sentence carefully.”
He stopped.
Everett said:
“You’re going to shut down an entire fleet over a labeling discrepancy?”
Daniel snapped:
“It’s not a labeling discrepancy.”
Camille held up one hand.
Daniel stopped.
She wanted facts, not adrenaline.
She looked at Arthur.
“Do you know why the plates were moved?”
“No.”
“Do you know they were moved?”
“No.”
Daniel gave a short incredulous laugh.
Camille ignored.
“Do you know of component transfers not reflected in primary maintenance records?”
Arthur said nothing.
There.
Camille saw it.
“Arthur.”
His jaw tightened.
“I know parts have been moved between aircraft.”
“Under whose authority?”
“Maintenance management.”
“Documented?”
“Yes.”