"Of course."
She picked up the phone.
For a second, Daniel thought she was actually calling someone.
Instead, she put the phone down.
"The supervisor isn't available."
Daniel knew that was a lie.
He had checked the duty roster that morning.
There were two supervisors assigned to Terminal Four.
Both were working.
He decided to give her one last opportunity.
"Could you please check the reservation one more time?"
Claire stared at him.
Then something changed in her expression.
She reached for the printed ticket.
Daniel watched her fingers close around it.
Then she tore it.
Once.
Twice.
The sound was sharp.
Several people nearby turned.
Claire dropped the pieces into the trash.
"There."
Daniel stared at her.
She folded her arms.
"Now you don't have a ticket."
The terminal seemed strangely quiet.
Daniel looked at the trash.
Then at Claire.
"You just tore my ticket."
"You didn't have a valid reservation."
"I paid for it."
"And the system rejected it."
"You could have returned it."
"You don't need it anymore."
Daniel studied her.
There was no anger in his face.
That seemed to make Claire more uncomfortable.
He simply asked:
"Do you know who I am?"
Claire gave a dismissive smile.
"No."
Daniel nodded.
"Good."
Claire frowned.
"Excuse me?"
"You don't know who I am."
"No."
"That's useful."
He turned away.
He didn't argue.
He didn't threaten her.
He didn't call anyone.
He simply walked toward a nearby seating area and sat down.
Claire watched him.
She had expected shouting.
Instead, Daniel checked his watch.
9:18.
Then he waited.
He had seen enough.
But the test wasn't over.
Not even close.
The Man in the Gray Jacket
Five minutes passed.
Then ten.
Claire continued checking in passengers.
Daniel watched.
A few people glanced at him.
One elderly man whispered to his wife.
"Did she really tear his ticket?"
His wife nodded.
"That's what it looked like."
Daniel heard them but said nothing.
At 9:31, the young student from earlier walked past him.
He was carrying his backpack with both hands.
Daniel stopped him.
"Excuse me."
The young man turned.
"Yes?"
"Did they resolve your fare?"
The student shook his head.
"No."
"Did you pay the four hundred eighty-two dollars?"
"I can't."
"What are you going to do?"
"Go home."
Daniel nodded.
"What is your name?"
"Marcus."
"Marcus, go to Customer Service and ask for the duty supervisor. Tell them Daniel Cross asked them to review your case."
Marcus looked confused.
"Who are you?"
Daniel smiled faintly.
"Nobody important."
Marcus walked away.
At 9:38, Daniel stood.
He approached a security officer.
"Excuse me."
The officer looked at him.
"Yes?"
"I'm having a ticket problem."
"Go to customer service."
"I already tried."
The officer glanced toward Counter 17.
"Claire?"
Daniel nodded.
The officer sighed.
"She's difficult."
Daniel raised an eyebrow.
"You've had complaints?"
"Everybody has complaints."
"How long?"
The officer hesitated.
"Months."
"Have you reported them?"
"To whom?"
Daniel understood.
That was the answer he needed.
A culture had already formed.
Employees knew complaints existed.
Managers knew.
Supervisors knew.
And everyone had learned to live with them.
At 9:45, Daniel's phone vibrated.
A message from his assistant.
DO YOU WANT THE EXECUTIVE ROOM PREPARED?
Daniel typed:
Not yet.
Another message arrived.
Are you certain?
Daniel looked toward Counter 17.
Very.
Then another message appeared.
Board members are asking where you are.
Daniel smiled.
He typed:
Tell them I'm conducting field research.
He put the phone away.
At 10:02, a woman approached him.
She was perhaps sixty-five, dressed modestly, with a small suitcase.
"Excuse me."
Daniel looked up.
"Yes?"
"Are you the man whose ticket she tore?"
Daniel smiled.
"Apparently."
The woman lowered her voice.
"She did something similar to me last week."
Daniel's expression changed.
"What happened?"
"I was flying to see my grandson."
"And?"
"She told me my luggage wasn't tagged correctly."
"Was it?"
"No."
The woman sighed.
"She made me pay a new fee."
"Did you complain?"
"Yes."
"Did anyone respond?"
"No."
Daniel stood.
"Would you be willing to tell me your name?"
She hesitated.
"Why?"
"Because I want to make sure somebody finally listens."
Her eyes studied him.
"Who are you?"
Daniel gave the same answer.
"Nobody important."
She smiled sadly.
"That's what they like."
"What?"
"People who don't think they're important."
Then she walked away.
Daniel remained standing.
The sentence stayed with him.
He had come to discover what people were really like when they thought nobody important was watching.
But perhaps he had misunderstood the test.
Maybe the real question wasn't what employees did when nobody important was watching.
Maybe it was what happened when nobody believed the passenger mattered.
At 10:17, Claire left Counter 17.
She walked toward the employee corridor.
Daniel followed at a distance.
Not because he wanted revenge.
Because he wanted answers.
And what he saw next changed the entire investigation.
Claire entered an office marked:
OPERATIONS SUPERVISOR — AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.
Thirty seconds later, another employee entered.
Then another.
Daniel recognized one of them.
Thomas Reed.
The Terminal Four customer-service manager.
The man who had signed off on most of the complaints.
Daniel's eyes narrowed.
He checked his phone.
He sent one message.
Bring the complete complaint file to Terminal Four. Quietly.
The reply came almost immediately.
Understood.
Daniel put the phone away.
He wasn't done pretending to be nobody.
Not yet.
The Complaint Nobody Read
At 10:40, Daniel returned to the seating area.
Marcus was still there.
"Did you find the supervisor?"
Marcus shook his head.
"They told me to pay."
"Did you?"
"No."
Daniel sat beside him.
"Then why are you still here?"
Marcus looked embarrassed.
"Because I don't know what else to do."
Daniel nodded.
"What were you traveling for?"
"My mother."
"Is she sick?"
"She's having surgery."
Daniel looked at his watch.
"When is your flight?"
"11:15."
"Then we're going."
Marcus blinked.
"Going where?"
"To your gate."
"You don't have a ticket."
Daniel smiled.
"Neither do you, apparently."
They walked toward Customer Service.
This time, Daniel didn't approach Claire.
He approached another employee.