“I did not know who he was.”
Curtis looked at her.
That sentence landed harder than she understood.
Elias did.
He glanced toward Curtis.
Curtis remained silent.
Dana Cho opened the crew records.
“Vanessa.”
“Yes?”
“Why did you think he was unauthorized?”
Vanessa tried to recover.
“He didn’t match the executive profile.”
Dana stared.
“What profile?”
“You know what I mean.”
“No.”
Dana said.
“I want you to explain it.”
Vanessa looked around.
Nobody helped her.
“He was dressed casually.”
Dana looked at Curtis’s sweater.
“So?”
“He had no assistant.”
“So?”
“No escort.”
“So?”
Vanessa grew defensive.
“This is a sixty-eight-million-dollar aircraft.”
“I know who usually sits in 1A.”
Curtis finally spoke.
“No.”
“You know what you imagine they look like.”
Vanessa stared at him.
He continued.
“You never asked my name before deciding I was wrong.”
“You never checked the record.”
“You never asked the captain.”
“You never asked operations.”
“You looked at my clothes.”
“That was enough for you.”
Vanessa shook her head.
“That isn’t fair.”
Curtis almost laughed.
“No.”
“It wasn’t.”
Elias turned toward Captain Price.
“Was cabin audio retained?”
Roland answered carefully.
“Aircraft safety systems do not record general cabin conversation the way a cockpit voice recorder works.”
“But the cabin security system stores limited entrance-area video.”
Dana nodded.
“There may also be galley audio from the service-training unit if it was active.”
Curtis said:
“Preserve whatever exists.”
“Do not create evidence that doesn’t.”
Elias nodded.
“Understood.”
That detail mattered.
Curtis did not want the investigation built around exaggeration.
Aviation had enough myths.
Facts would be enough.
Vanessa tried again.
“Mr. Henderson, I am deeply sorry.”
Curtis looked at her.
“For what?”
The question stopped her.
“For the misunderstanding.”
“No.”
Curtis said.
“Try again.”
Vanessa swallowed.
“For assuming you were not authorized.”
“And?”
She looked toward the red mark on his face.
“For striking you.”
“And?”
Vanessa hesitated.
Curtis waited.
“I…”
Her voice weakened.
Curtis said:
“You told Maribel not to verify the manifest.”
Vanessa looked at the younger woman.
“You prevented another employee from correcting you.”
“That matters.”
Vanessa lowered her eyes.
“I’m sorry.”
Curtis nodded once.
“That is more accurate.”
Then he looked at Dana.
“Remove Vanessa from duty.”
Vanessa’s head snapped up.
“Curtis.”
He looked at her.
“You can’t remain assigned to a flight after physically striking a passenger.”
“Owner or not.”
Vanessa looked toward Elias.
“Am I fired?”
Elias answered:
“You are suspended from duty pending investigation.”
Her eyes filled.