Merrick used the crew access page to open the full feedback entry. The form had a short written comment and an account name beneath it. The comment praised the presentation, mentioned the attentive service of Bria Calder, and described an exclusive welcome promised to the reviewer. The account name was Lenora Pike's public travel handle.
"That review wasn't about a delivered meal," Merrick said. "It was submitted before boarding."
Lenora lifted her chin. "It was a draft from an earlier flight. The website might have carried it over."
"Did you submit it at 8:51 this morning?" Merrick asked.
"I don't recall the exact minute."
"The reference matches this individual tray."
"Then somebody shared the reference with me."
Bria closed her eyes briefly. It was an answer she could not easily deny. To submit the review, Lenora needed the unique card link or the code printed on the menu. The premium tray had been on a special handling shelf before boarding, and only a small number of authorized employees had access to it.
"Did you share the code?" Merrick asked Bria.
"I may have sent her a preview so she could prepare her notes."
"Before she received the food?"
"Some passengers appreciate knowing what's coming."
"This wasn't her food," Zire said.
Bria looked at him without answering. For the first time, Merrick could see how her explanations had changed as each new detail appeared. Initially the meal was canceled. Then the status was a computer error. Then the transfer was a temporary arrangement. Now a supposed act of generosity had been advertised in writing before either passenger boarded.
Zire imagined his grandfather sitting at the kitchen table, running one finger beneath the order number and another beneath the delivery timestamp. Harlon would have asked which events could happen before the others. He would have turned the sequence into a question a child could answer without being impressed by complicated software.
"You couldn't review a delivered meal before it was delivered," Zire said. "And you couldn't honestly mark me as accepting it while I was in the terminal. So somebody made the records say what they wanted people to believe, not what happened."