Then Amara reached toward the side of the suitcase and produced a transparent zip-lock bag.
Inside it was a compact black electric stun device.
She lifted the bag into the light and turned toward David.
Officer Amara: "We found this electric device in your suitcase!"
David stared at the bag. His expression changed from mild confusion to disbelief, but he did not move toward the table.
David Okafor: "That doesn't belong to me."
Amara raised the bag slightly higher, making sure he could see the object inside.
Officer Amara: "Then explain why it was inside your luggage."
David looked down at the open suitcase and then back at her.
David Okafor: "I packed my belongings myself. I have never seen that device before."
Officer Amara: "That's a convenient answer."
David Okafor: "It's the truth."
Kofi watched the exchange without speaking. The device was clearly visible through the plastic, but its presence did not explain how it had entered the suitcase. Amara had not yet shown David a photograph of the item's original position or explained precisely where she claimed to have found it.
David pointed toward the open luggage, careful not to cross the marked line on the floor.
David Okafor: "Please show me exactly where you found it."
Officer Amara: "You don't give me instructions."
David Okafor: "I'm asking a question about my own suitcase."
Officer Amara: "And I'm telling you that this is an official inspection."
David took a slow breath. He understood that arguing aggressively would only make the situation harder to manage. He had no desire to interfere with the officers or create a disturbance in the terminal. He simply wanted an explanation that matched what had happened.
David Okafor: "I understand that. I am cooperating with you. But I did not put that object in my luggage."
Amara's eyes narrowed.
Officer Amara: "Passengers always become very cooperative when we discover something suspicious."
David Okafor: "Then you should have no difficulty documenting what you discovered."
Kofi shifted his position slightly. He glanced at the evidence bag, then at the suitcase, where David's clothes and personal belongings had been moved during the inspection. He had heard passengers deny ownership of suspicious items before, and he knew that some accusations were eventually confirmed. He also knew that an officer's claim was not a substitute for a properly documented inspection.
Amara, however, seemed less interested in documenting the discovery than in forcing David to accept her interpretation of it.
Officer Amara: "Do you know what this device can do?"
David Okafor: "I know what you're showing me. I don't know how it got into my suitcase."
Officer Amara: "Are you carrying it for someone else?"
David Okafor: "No."
Officer Amara: "Did somebody ask you to transport it?"
David Okafor: "No."
Officer Amara: "Then why is it in your luggage?"
David looked at her for several seconds.
David Okafor: "That's exactly what I want you to investigate."
The answer appeared to irritate her. Amara lowered the bag and placed it beside the suitcase, but she kept one hand close to it. Rather than explain the inspection procedure, she began asking David about his destination, his travel arrangements, and whether anyone had handled his belongings before he reached the checkpoint.
David answered each question as clearly as he could. He explained that he had packed his own suitcase and had not knowingly carried an electric stun device. When he asked whether the item would be tested or photographed, Amara dismissed the questions as unnecessary.
Officer Amara: "You are not here to supervise my work."
David Okafor: "I'm not trying to supervise you. I want the record to be accurate."
Officer Amara: "The record will reflect what I determine is relevant."
David's expression hardened.
David Okafor: "That sounds like you've already decided what happened."
For the first time, Kofi looked directly at Amara. Her shoulders stiffened, and she turned toward David with a look of open irritation. The conversation had stopped being a simple exchange about an unidentified object. It had become a contest over whether David would accept an accusation without being given a meaningful explanation.
Officer Amara: "You need to watch how you speak to me."
David Okafor: "I have spoken to you respectfully from the beginning."
Officer Amara: "Respect includes following instructions."
David Okafor: "I have followed every instruction you have given me."
Amara gestured toward the suitcase.
Officer Amara: "Then stop questioning the discovery and answer what you're asked."