Nancy's eyebrows raised in brief, uncontrolled surprise. She typed the name into the POS system, her polished nails clicking loudly against the screen.
"Ah, yes, I see it here. That'll be $4,250 with the tax." Nancy paused, looking at Valerie's worn hoodie. "Will you be putting that on a store card, ma'am?"
"No," Valerie said.
She reached into her pocket, bypassing her wallet entirely, and pulled out a thick, banded stack of $100 bills. She had withdrawn the cash that morning, preferring the tactile weight of a hard-earned gift. She set the money on the glass counter.
"Cash?" Nancy swallowed hard, her eyes darting to the cash, then back to Valerie. "I... I will need to count this in the back and check it. Store policy for large cash transactions."
"Take your time," Valerie said calmly.
As Nancy scurried to the back office, Valerie leaned against the counter. She casually adjusted her baseball cap, letting her eyes drift toward the security mirrors overhead. She saw Todd speaking rapidly into his wrist microphone, his face flushed with adrenaline. Valerie's police instincts hummed to life, a low-frequency vibration in her chest. She recognized the physical tells of a security guard escalating a situation. He was calling it in. But calling what in? She had literally just paid.
Ten minutes later, Nancy returned. She looked pale, clutching the small, heavy red leather box. She slid it across the counter along with a printed paper receipt.
"Here you go, Ms. Thompson. Thank you for shopping with us."
"Thank you, Nancy," Valerie replied, offering a polite but guarded smile.
She didn't put the box in a shopping bag. Instead, she dropped the red Cartier box directly into the deep front pocket of her Georgetown hoodie, took the receipt, folded it, and slid it into her sweatpants pocket.
From across the floor, Todd Walsh practically vibrated with vindication. In his mind, he hadn't seen the cash transaction in the back room; he had only seen Nancy hand over a highly valuable item, and the suspect immediately conceal it in her clothing without a store bag. It was all the confirmation he needed.