Officer (chuckling):
“Long flight, huh? You headed home or just escaping something like the rest of us?”
Stranger (smirks slightly):
“Something like that.”
Officer:
“Yeah, I’m heading back after a messy case. Small-town stuff, you know? Nothing like the crazy stuff the Feds deal with.”
Stranger (raising an eyebrow):
“Oh? What kind of messy?”
Officer:
“Bunch of intel went missing from a task force we were coordinating with. Rumors say the FBI’s involved now, but who knows. Probably way above my pay grade.”
Stranger (calmly sipping coffee):
“Maybe. Or maybe someone closer than you think already has eyes on it.”
Officer (laughs):
“Ha! If you were FBI, I bet you’d be the last guy I’d suspect. You look more like someone avoiding TSA than enforcing it.”
Stranger (finally turns to look him in the eye, smile fading):
“Exactly.”
