Sandra inhaled.
"In the moment, yes."
"Then why did you not report being assaulted?"
Sandra hesitated.
"I reported aggressive behavior."
"You told Captain Williams the passenger became aggressive. You did not say she struck or attempted to strike you."
"I was still processing what happened."
"Afterward you announced to the cabin that some people didn't understand travel etiquette."
No answer. Marlowe leaned forward.
"Ms. Mitchell, the review is not asking whether you woke up that morning intending to discriminate against a Black mother. We are asking whether assumptions influenced your interpretation of ordinary behavior."
Sandra stared at the table. For the first time, her voice lost its defensive edge.
"I thought she didn't belong up there."
Her attorney looked at her sharply. Marlowe did not move.
"Why?"
Sandra's eyes filled.
"I don't know."
"Try."
The answer took almost a minute.
"She looked young. She had the baby. No luggage except the diaper bag. She seemed..."
Sandra stopped.
"Seemed what?"
"Like someone who might have been moved up because of a mistake."
"Would you have thought that about a white mother wearing the same clothes and holding the same ticket?"
Sandra began crying.
"I don't know."
Marlowe's voice remained neutral.
"That is the question you should have asked yourself before you asked Mrs. Thompson whether she knew where she was sitting."
Captain Williams's interview was less emotional and, in some ways, more troubling. He did not believe he was prejudiced. Marlowe believed him. He also believed he had acted correctly until almost the moment Marcus identified himself.
"My lead attendant reported a disruptive passenger," he said. "Command requires trust in crew reports."
"Does command require uncritical trust?"
"No."
"You were told video existed. Why didn't you watch it?"
"Departure pressure."
"Safety comes before schedule."
"Of course."
"Then departure pressure is not an answer."
Williams sat back.