It warned us before the cases disappeared, she said. How did it know? Officer Hayes looked toward the ceiling camera. Maybe the channel can see the aircraft feed. Or the sender took them, Mercer replied.
Nia shook her head. Mom wouldn't create a channel for the thief. Your mother did not reopen it today. The warning had saved Zuri's video and exposed the false guardian. It had also pushed the twins to open both cases.
If the cases were easier to steal after opening, the sender might have been guiding them into another trap. Clare remained beside the galley under the second flight attendant's watch. She looked through the door at the unconscious officer. The person who attacked him knew exactly when the locks released. Celeste gave a bitter smile.
You knew too. Clare did not look away. So did everyone watching the cabin screens, including you. Airport police searched the nearest service corridor. They found a maintenance jacket, the guard's missing body camera, and a flexible mask carrying Peter's face.
The masked impostor had changed appearance again. The body camera contained 18 seconds of footage before it was torn away. A ground worker approached the guard pushing a catering cart. He wore a face shield and cap. When the guard leaned toward an open compartment, the worker pressed something against his neck.
The image tilted. Before the camera went dark, the cart turned toward the south service elevator. Hayes radioed the search team. Lock that elevator. Too late.
It had reached the baggage level and opened beside three identical catering vehicles. All three left in different directions under Rusk's emergency order. One headed toward the police control center. One moved toward the cargo warehouse. The third approached a private aviation gate beside the south runway.
Only one could carry the evidence. Private gate, Peter said. That is the fastest way out. Hayes studied the tracking map. That's what they expect us to choose.
Nia stared at the empty shells. The real cases were heavy. Zuri understood. Check the vehicle weight sensors. Every catering truck was weighed automatically before entering the secured ramp.
Airport operations compared the readings. The vehicle heading toward the private gate had gained nothing. The cargo truck carried 38 additional pounds. The control center vehicle carried only five. Both evidence cases together weighed 38 lb.
Police redirected toward the cargo warehouse. The driver saw the vehicles behind him and accelerated. He struck a baggage barrier, abandoned the truck, and ran between shipping containers. Officers recovered both cases from beneath sealed meal trays. The contents appeared intact.
The driver escaped into the warehouse ventilation corridor, but airport exits remained locked. Passengers inside flight 218 applauded when the recovery appeared on the screens. Zuri did not. What was in the control center vehicle? Hayes requested its inspection.
The five extra pounds came from a police radio repeater programmed with Rusk's account credentials. It had issued the false emergency orders. The thief never needed to reach the control center. He only needed investigators to believe the commands originated there. Peter checked the recovered case seals through the live camera.
They opened them. The contents are present, the evidence officer said. That does not mean they are original. Simone's red notebook still contained her handwriting. The damaged camera carried the same scratches.