I did not stand up. Standing up in a moving aircraft invites physical intervention, and Victoria was waiting for an excuse to frame me as unruly. Instead, I carefully separated the top two damp pages of the audit binder with my thumb and forefinger, laying them flat against the tray table so the damp fibers wouldn't tear.
"Captain Miller," I said, keeping my tone measured, level, and unhurried. "I am Senior Safety Inspector Helen Vance, Federal Aviation Administration, Eastern Flight Standards District Office. My credentials are on the carpet at your flight attendant's feet, where they landed when she tipped a full glass of acidic liquid directly across an active compliance file."
Miller’s eyes dropped to the floor. The gold badge inside the open leather flap caught the overhead strip lighting. His expression changed instantly—the superficial irritation giving way to a sudden, guarded wariness.
"Pick that up, please, Victoria," Miller said.
Victoria hesitated, her jaw tightening. "Captain, she was disruptive—"
"Pick it up," he repeated, lower this time.
She bent down, her movements stiff, and retrieved the leather case with two fingers, handing it to the captain. Miller inspected the photo, the seal, and the credential number. When he looked back up at me, the professional dismissal in his eyes had completely evaporated.
"Inspector Vance," Miller said, handing the credential back to me. "I apologize for the spill, but we are currently number four for departure on runway two-two left. We cannot abort a taxi sequence and return to the terminal for a customer service dispute or damaged personal belongings."
"This is not a customer service dispute, Captain, and these are not personal belongings," I replied. "This aircraft, tail number N482US, was released from Charlotte Douglas at four-thirty this morning following an unresolved maintenance flag on the number-two main fuel shutoff actuator. The minimum equipment list clearance requires a physical sign-off from a certified maintenance supervisor and an operational check performed before passenger boarding."
Miller's shoulders stiffened. "The logbook was cleared by dispatch in Atlanta before we took custody of the aircraft."