Orla looked at Merrick. "We need the device audit, not only the service page."
Merrick requested it. The system did not immediately provide the full user history, but it showed the cancellation, restoration, and acceptance along with the assigned device. Sela's login on the exchanged tablet appeared in a separate record at 8:32. The data showed that Bria's original device remained associated with her service session throughout the disputed actions.
"That doesn't prove she touched every entry," Bria protested.
"Not by itself," Merrick acknowledged. "It does mean we have to find out who did."
He spoke carefully because he wanted the record to survive later scrutiny. Zire appreciated that more than a dramatic accusation would have impressed him. Somebody might decide afterward that a child had misunderstood what he saw. They would have a harder time arguing with a service log, a printed confirmation, and an original photograph when each told the same story.
The station manager arrived while Merrick was requesting the next report. Roland Keene was a compact man with a controlled voice, gray at his temples and a security badge clipped to his jacket. His day had already included a passenger who missed a connection and an equipment delay that threatened to cause missed baggage transfers. He approached the cabin expecting an ordinary customer-service problem, perhaps one that could be solved with a refund and an apology.
Instead, Merrick handed him a list of disputed entries. Roland read it once, then asked Zire and Nessa to explain what each had been promised. He did not interrupt them, which made Zire feel less anxious. When they were finished, he turned to Bria and asked why her device appeared beside both false delivery confirmations.
"I've said repeatedly that it was a system problem," she replied.
"Then we'll treat that as one possibility and verify it," Roland said. "Until then you won't be handling the affected meals."
Bria looked as though she might object, but the manager had already asked Sela to assist Merrick. The assignment removed Bria's access to the food service for the remainder of the immediate review. She moved to a forward crew seat, sat rigidly, and stared at the empty space across the aisle.
Lenora saw her opportunity to separate herself from the problem. "I was simply accepting hospitality," she told Roland. "If your employee handled the paperwork badly, that shouldn't become my responsibility."
"When did you learn the tray carried another passenger's name?" Roland asked.
"I didn't read every sticker on the packaging."
"Did you see a label being covered?"
"She told me catering sometimes used outdated labels."
Zire looked up. "Then you did know a label was there."