if you only bought 5 boosters, thats half a brick not a case. Thats only 1/4 a case, so maybe the chase wa in the other missing 5 boosters?

I've opened boosters from the last few sets with no cards at all, backward cards, missing cards, and even a couple that had 5 cards of which matched none of the characters in the booster.

my mind went right to the perspective of the owner. The boosters are supposed to be a blind buy. What if he told you that a chase was pulled would you have bought the packs or would you have turned around and poof disappeared? That sort of question is a lot like cherry picking not quite as bad but still similar.

From my experiences with slimy collectible shop owners (like buying 7/10ths a box of Bowman (3 autos per box) the owner claims wasn't picked over, only to pull 0 autos), I wouldn't be surprised if your spidey sense was going off for a very real reason. These same shop owners read threads to find out what distribution looks like in bricks/cases, and where the chases might usually be located. But you don't have any options now, except just to never shop there again and warn off everyone you know from going there.

Factory mishaps happen too. Our store owner's son pulled a broken Chaos King ... only the parts had all been put in a little baggie.

I have had misaligned cards, wrong cards, shorted on cards-not that unusual. As far as the clerk-he's there to make the store money he is def going to tell you what you want to hear so you'll buy n can't return. Could you have been a return customer? maybe but i used to go to a small indy game shop and i have been lied to several times. I ask," are these from a single brick?" Clerk,"yes!" i buy 8 or 9 boosters(i know buy a brick save but he doesn't discount because it is a SMALL shop) and guess how many SR/Chases i pulled? NONE everytime, needless to say i haven't returned. He wanted me to judge his tournys but didn't order OP kits AND wanted the events sealed with high prices n no prize. Again, really? it's all about money