Officer Amara: "Good. Now we can continue."
David Okafor: "Continue with what? Has anyone established that the device belongs to me?"
Officer Amara: "It was found in your suitcase."
David Okafor: "That is the discovery you're reporting. Ownership is a different question."
Amara's face tightened.
Officer Amara: "You speak as though you know more about this process than the people conducting it."
David Okafor: "I know that finding something in my luggage is not the same as proving I knowingly brought it."
Kofi looked toward the ceiling camera again. He had begun to understand why David kept referring to the recording. A complete review could show how the suitcase was opened, where each officer stood, and how the device was presented. It could also help investigators compare the visual sequence with the written record.
Officer Amara: "Stop looking at that camera as though it will rescue you."
David Okafor: "I'm looking at it because it can help establish what happened."
Officer Amara: "Cameras don't tell the whole story."
David Okafor: "Then preserve the whole recording so the investigators can examine it alongside the other evidence."
Amara stepped closer to him.
Officer Amara: "You think you're very clever."
David Okafor: "I think this should be handled properly."
Officer Amara: "You are going to wait here until we decide what happens next."
David Okafor: "I understand that the inspection has not been completed. I am not trying to leave."
Officer Amara: "Then stop challenging me."
David Okafor: "I will stop asking questions when you stop treating questions as misconduct."
Kofi looked down, trying to conceal his reaction. David had not raised his voice, and he had not moved toward either officer. Yet Amara was becoming more agitated with every exchange.
The control desk called again.
Control Desk: "Officer Ndlovu, your supervisor has been notified and is on the way. Please confirm that the evidence has been secured."
Officer Amara: "The device is in a transparent evidence bag and remains on the inspection table."
Control Desk: "Please ensure it is handled according to procedure. Do not finalize the report until the discovery details have been recorded."
Officer Amara: "Understood."
She returned the radio to her belt.
David Okafor: "I also want my request for the surveillance footage recorded."
Officer Amara: "You have already made that request."
David Okafor: "And I want confirmation that it will be preserved."
Officer Amara: "That decision belongs to airport management."
David Okafor: "Then please include the request in the incident notes."
Officer Amara: "You are becoming exhausting."
David Okafor: "I'm trying to protect the accuracy of the record."
Amara turned away and began rearranging the items on the table. She moved a folded shirt toward the suitcase, shifted the toiletry pouch, and picked up a small travel container.
David watched her hands.
David Okafor: "Please don't move anything else until the current arrangement has been documented."
Officer Amara: "I am conducting an inspection."
David Okafor: "The photographs have just been taken. If you move things now, the record should show what you moved and why."
Amara placed the container down harder than necessary.
Officer Amara: "You do not direct this inspection."
David Okafor: "Then document your actions without making this personal."
For a moment, Amara looked ready to respond with another sharp accusation. Instead, she turned toward Kofi.
Officer Amara: "Finish the inspection log."
Officer Kofi: "I need the precise location where you say you found the device."
Officer Amara: "Inside the suitcase."
Officer Kofi: "Which compartment?"
Amara hesitated.
Officer Amara: "The side compartment."
Officer Kofi: "The outer side pocket or the internal compartment?"
Amara looked at the suitcase. Several pockets were visible, and the contents had already been moved. She pointed toward one section without offering further detail.
Officer Amara: "That area."
Kofi checked the photographs he had just taken.
Officer Kofi: "I need to record the location more precisely. The image shows the bag beside the clothing, but it doesn't show the device in its original position."
Officer Amara: "Because I had already removed it."
Officer Kofi: "Then we should state that clearly."
David watched the exchange with growing concern. The initial accusation had been delivered with complete confidence, but the details needed to support it were becoming less clear. That did not establish that Amara had deliberately planted the device. It did mean that the inspection required careful review before anyone reached a conclusion.
David Okafor: "Please make sure the report distinguishes what was observed from what is assumed."
Officer Amara: "You are not writing the report."
David Okafor: "No. But my name is attached to the accusation, and I want the record to be accurate."
Kofi entered a note in the system and saved the draft without finalizing it.