“Catherine Sloan.”
“General manager.”
Nathan nodded.
“Good.”
He opened his portfolio.
“My name is Nathan Monroe.”
He handed Mercer a document.
“American Express transaction confirmation.”
The officer looked at it.
Nathan continued.
“Card ending 4418.”
“Merchant Bellavere Chicago.”
“Time 2:14:36 p.m.”
“Amount fifty-two thousand eight hundred seventeen dollars and ninety-one cents including tax.”
Mercer looked toward Alicia.
Same number on the receipt.
Nathan handed over another page.
“Fraud status.”
Ramirez stepped closer.
The page showed:
NO FRAUD ALERT.
NO CARDHOLDER VERIFICATION HOLD.
TRANSACTION FINAL AUTHORIZATION: APPROVED.
Catherine folded her arms.
“That does not address our internal concern.”
Nathan looked toward her.
“What internal concern?”
“We are not obligated to discuss internal loss-prevention procedures.”
“Then you shouldn’t have called armed government employees to enforce them.”
Catherine’s face tightened.
Nathan looked toward Emily through the boutique window.
“The sales associate confirmed there was no terminal alert?”
Officer Ramirez nodded.
“That’s what she told me.”
Nathan turned toward Catherine.
“Did you personally observe fraud?”
“No.”
“Did anyone tell you the card was stolen?”
“No.”
“Did the customer give false identification?”
“No.”
“Did she conceal merchandise?”
“No.”
“Did she attempt to leave without paying?”
Catherine hesitated.
Nathan waited.
“No.”
“What did she do?”
Catherine’s voice became colder.
“You are making this adversarial.”
Nathan nodded.
“The police are here.”
A pause.
“It became adversarial before I arrived.”
Mercer lifted one hand.
“Everyone slow down.”
Nathan looked toward him.
“Happy to.”
Then he opened the tablet.
“One more thing.”
Catherine’s expression changed slightly.
Alicia looked at him.
“What?”
Nathan turned the screen toward the officers.
“I called Bellavere corporate.”
Catherine stared.
“You what?”
“The regional vice president’s office.”
Nathan swiped.
“They were willing to help once I explained that Chicago police were questioning my wife about a completed purchase.”
Catherine’s face lost color.
On the tablet was a remotely exported transaction record.
Time stamp.
Associate ID.
Product number.
Authorization.
Packaging confirmation.
Sale status:
CLOSED — CUSTOMER POSSESSION AUTHORIZED.
Ramirez read it.
Then looked toward Catherine.
“This says the sale was completed.”
Catherine said nothing.
Nathan continued.
“Corporate also preserved the internal camera footage.”
“You don’t have authority to access that.”
“I didn’t access anything.”
Nathan looked at her.
“Your employer did.”
He tapped the screen.
An email appeared.
Bellavere Corporate Security confirms Transaction CHI-88417 was completed normally. No automated fraud warning was generated.
Mercer exhaled.
For the first time since arriving, his posture changed.
He turned toward Catherine.
“Why did you report theft?”
“I did not specifically report a theft.”
Officer Ramirez frowned.
“Dispatch said possible retail theft using suspected fraudulent payment.”
Catherine looked toward him.
“That may have been how security described it.”
Nathan asked:
“Who told security to call police?”
Silence.
Catherine looked toward the store.
Alicia spoke.
“You did.”
Catherine faced her.
“You were behaving unusually.”
Nathan’s eyes narrowed.
Alicia remained calm.
“How?”
“You knew exactly which item you wanted.”
Alicia almost laughed.
“That’s suspicious?”
“You made an extremely large purchase on your first visit.”
Nathan looked toward the luxury storefront.
“Is that unusual in a luxury store?”
Catherine ignored him.
“You were defensive when asked questions.”
Alicia stared.
“You asked whether my husband needed to approve my purchase.”
Catherine flushed.
“That is being taken out of context.”
“You asked how I intended to pay before the transaction.”
“That is normal client service.”
“You requested my identification.”
“Standard verification.”
Alicia nodded.
“I complied with all of it.”
Catherine said nothing.
“Then you still called police.”
Silence.
Around them, phones remained raised.
Mercer looked increasingly uncomfortable.
He handed the documents back to Nathan.
“I don’t see a basis to hold Ms. Monroe.”
Alicia nodded.
“Thank you.”
Catherine stepped forward.
“I still want the merchandise retained pending corporate review.”
Mercer looked at her.
“You want us to seize a bracelet from the person your company says purchased it successfully?”
Catherine froze.
“No.”
“Then what exactly are you requesting?”
She could not answer.
Mercer stepped toward Alicia.
“Ms. Monroe, you are free to leave.”
Alicia smiled without warmth.
“I was free to leave before you got here.”
Mercer’s face tightened.
Then softened.
“Yes.”
He glanced toward the phones.
“I’m sorry this became public.”
Alicia looked toward the boutique.
“I’m not interested in an apology for the audience.”
She looked back at him.
“I’m interested in why it became a police matter at all.”
Mercer nodded slowly.
“That’s fair.”
Catherine turned toward the store.
Then another vehicle stopped at the curb.
Black sedan.
Bellavere logo on the parking placard.
A man stepped out.
Tall.
Gray suit.
No tie.
He moved quickly toward the entrance.
Catherine recognized him immediately.
Her posture changed.
“Mr. Lang.”
Oliver Lang, Bellavere’s regional vice president for North America, barely acknowledged her greeting.
He looked toward Alicia.
“Ms. Monroe?”
“Yes.”
“I’m Oliver Lang.”
“I know.”
Nathan looked toward him.
“Thank you for preserving the records.”
Lang nodded.
“I wish I’d learned about this under very different circumstances.”
Catherine tried to speak.
“Oliver, there were concerns that—”
He held up one hand.
“Not yet.”
She stopped.
Lang looked toward Mercer.
“Officers, do you require anything further from Bellavere?”
Mercer shook his head.
“We’ll document the call.”
“Thank you.”
Then Lang looked toward the crowd.
“Perhaps we should move inside.”
Alicia shook her head.
“No.”
Lang hesitated.
“I understand.”
“No.”
Alicia looked toward the boutique.
“You don’t.”
She pointed toward the glass storefront.
“If I walk back in there right now, everybody sees the company taking me into a private room after the police arrived.”
Lang followed her gaze.
Several people were recording from the sidewalk.
“You’re right.”
He looked uncomfortable.
“I apologize.”
Alicia nodded.
“Better.”
Lang turned toward Catherine.
“Did the point-of-sale system generate any automated fraud warning?”
Catherine folded her arms.
“There were situational concerns.”
“That wasn’t the question.”
Silence.
“No.”
“Did American Express reject the purchase?”
“No.”
“Did Ms. Monroe’s identification fail?”
“No.”
“Did the serial number on the boxed item differ from the transaction?”
“No.”
“Did the sales associate report suspicious conduct?”
Catherine looked toward Emily.
“No.”
Lang paused.
“Then what caused you to intervene?”
Catherine’s expression hardened.
“I’m responsible for protecting nearly thirty million dollars in inventory.”
“That is true.”
“I am expected to use judgment.”
“That is also true.”
Catherine lifted her chin slightly.
“I used it.”
Lang stared at her.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then he said:
“That may be the problem.”
Catherine’s face changed.
Alicia watched.
Lang turned toward her.
“Ms. Monroe, I’m placing Ms. Sloan on administrative leave pending review.”
Catherine looked stunned.
“Oliver.”
“Please go inside.”
“You cannot seriously be doing this in public.”
Lang’s expression remained calm.
“The police investigation is public.”
Catherine stared.
“This is humiliating.”
Alicia almost spoke.
Then decided not to.
The irony required no assistance.
Catherine walked into the boutique.
Emily watched her disappear.
Then looked toward Alicia.
Their eyes met through the glass.
Emily mouthed:
I’m sorry.
Alicia nodded once.
Nathan took her hand.
“Ready?”
“Yes.”
They walked away.
The bracelet remained inside the Bellavere bag.
Alicia carried it.
Nobody stopped her.
Nathan guided her toward the Range Rover.
Before opening the door, Alicia looked back.
Police lights reflected faintly in the boutique windows.
People still stood on the sidewalk.
She hated that the entire afternoon had become content for strangers.
Nathan touched her arm.
“Home?”