"That was a friendly conversation."
"You gave me a contact card and said a particularly good review might help you get noticed by people in the travel industry."
Bria's face tightened. Merrick looked from one woman to the other and understood that this was becoming something more than a meal incorrectly assigned. A crew member had discussed publicity with a passenger, and the passenger had described a benefit neither had disclosed when the dispute began. Whatever they had expected to gain from the arrangement, Zire had not been part of the conversation in which his property was offered.
"I want the original catering handoff sheet," Merrick said. "And I want these service entries preserved until they're compared with what was actually loaded."
Bria's eyes moved toward the aircraft door. "You are delaying a full flight over one meal."
"I'm delaying closure of the door while I verify an inaccurate record involving a supervised minor," he replied. "Those are different things."
Zire was relieved that Merrick had finally begun treating the problem seriously, but he could see the delay had created its own pressure. The cabin had filled with passengers trying to settle themselves. Someone in the rear called out to ask whether departure would be late. A businessman nearby sighed loudly and checked his watch. Zire felt as if the entire aircraft were looking for the person responsible for the inconvenience, and he was afraid it might choose him.
A girl seated three rows behind him leaned into the aisle and raised her hand. She wore a green sweatshirt, carried a thick paperback book, and had a printed meal confirmation folded into a neat square. She had watched the exchange with an expression that changed from curiosity to recognition when Merrick mentioned falsely accepted meals.
"Excuse me," she said. "Can you check mine too?"
Bria closed her eyes briefly. Merrick turned toward the girl. "What's your name?"
"Nessa Row. Seat 3D. I'm supposed to have a dairy-free meal, but Ms. Calder told me special orders wouldn't come until after takeoff."
"That's normally when full meal service begins," Bria said. "Her situation is not related."
"Maybe it isn't," Nessa replied. "But I heard him say the system claimed he already accepted his food. Can somebody check whether mine says that?"
Merrick searched her record. After a moment he rubbed his forehead. "This says your meal was served at 9:11."
Nessa looked at the bare tray table in front of her. "Then who ate it?"
Zire felt a pulse of recognition. The two false confirmations had been entered one minute apart. One might be an error. Two could still be explained by a faulty device, perhaps, but Bria had given different answers to the two children: Zire's food was canceled, Nessa's food merely delayed. Each explanation had been chosen to stop an inquiry before it reached the record.