DANIEL BROOKS: "Then verify them."
Miller looked toward Ryan, then back at Daniel.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
The evidence bag still rested on the table.
The suitcase remained open.
And the surveillance camera continued recording the inspection area as the three men stood in the uneasy silence that followed the radio transmission.
Whatever the officers had expected when they first opened Daniel's suitcase, the situation was no longer proceeding according to their original plan.
But Daniel knew that an unexpected response over a radio was not the same thing as accountability.
The evidence still needed to be examined.
The events still needed to be reconstructed.
And the question of who had placed the suspicious substance in his luggage still demanded an answer.
Miller finally straightened his uniform and took a breath.
OFFICER MILLER: "Nobody moves until I finish this call."
Daniel looked at the officer, then at the evidence bag.
DANIEL BROOKS: "Take your time."
Miller raised the radio again.
Ryan stood motionless beside him.
The next few moments would determine whether the officers continued with their accusations or began asking questions they had avoided since the beginning of the inspection.
Daniel waited quietly as Miller pressed the transmission button and prepared to speak again.
Miller pressed the transmission button and brought the radio closer to his mouth.
OFFICER MILLER: "Control, this is Miller at the secondary inspection checkpoint. Confirm the status of the credential verification."
For several seconds, the only response was static.
Ryan stood beside the inspection table, his eyes moving between Miller and Daniel. The younger officer had stopped pretending that everything was routine. He knew the encounter had taken a different direction, and he seemed increasingly concerned about what the verification might reveal.
Finally, a voice came through the radio.
AIRPORT CONTROL: "Officer Miller, stand by. The federal identification presented by the passenger is being verified through the appropriate channel. Do not make any further assumptions about his status until confirmation is complete."
Miller's expression tightened.
OFFICER MILLER: "Understood."
He released the button and lowered the radio.
Daniel watched him without speaking.
OFFICER MILLER: "That doesn't mean anything has been decided."
DANIEL BROOKS: "I never said it did."
OFFICER MILLER: "You seem to think this is going your way."
DANIEL BROOKS: "I think the verification process should be allowed to finish."
Miller looked away.
Ryan glanced at Daniel, then at the transparent evidence bag on the table. His attention remained fixed on the object that had started the entire confrontation.
OFFICER RYAN: "We should preserve everything exactly as it is."
Miller turned toward him.
OFFICER MILLER: "I know what needs to be preserved."
OFFICER RYAN: "Then let's make sure nobody moves anything until the supervisor arrives."
This time, Miller did not immediately answer.
The younger officer's suggestion was reasonable, and the presence of the surveillance cameras made it difficult to justify any unnecessary handling of the evidence.
Miller finally nodded toward the table.
OFFICER MILLER: "Fine. Nobody touches the bag."
Daniel remained beside his suitcase, his hands visible and his posture relaxed.
He had no reason to rush the process.
The truth would not become more convincing because he argued louder, and it would not become less convincing because Miller refused to listen.
What mattered now was whether the officers would allow the available evidence to be examined without interference.
A few minutes passed.
The airport continued operating around them, but the small area near the secondary inspection table had become unusually tense. Miller occasionally checked his radio, while Ryan stood quietly beside the luggage.
Daniel watched the officers carefully.
He noticed that Miller no longer smiled.
The confident attitude that had accompanied the first accusation had disappeared, replaced by short movements, clipped responses, and repeated glances toward the terminal entrance.
Then two additional airport personnel approached the checkpoint.
One was a senior airport police supervisor wearing a dark uniform. The other was a security operations employee carrying a tablet.
The supervisor introduced himself as Sergeant Lewis and asked everyone to remain where they were while he established what had happened.
SERGEANT LEWIS: "Officer Miller, give me a clear account of the incident from the beginning."
Miller immediately straightened.
OFFICER MILLER: "During a secondary inspection, suspected narcotics were discovered inside the passenger's suitcase. The passenger denied ownership of the substance and subsequently presented credentials claiming to identify him as a federal agent."