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“Is there a problem?” My heart started pounding. I had no idea what was going on, but it had to be bad. We had no living relatives other than a great aunt, but she lived in California and we hadn’t seen her in years. Surely if something had happened to her they wouldn’t send the police to tell me. Was it the coffee shop? But why hunt me down?
“There is,” the other one said. “Please come with us.”
“What’s this about?” I stepped in front of the girls who were looking belligerent at the officers. I got a bad feeling, but for the life of me I couldn’t figure out why.
“It’s better if we discuss this in private.” The same officer spoke while the other one looked around as if making sure we were alone.
“I don’t understand.”
The silent officer snorted. The first one just sighed and shook his head.
“Of course, you don’t. Please come with us.” He held out his hand to usher us in the direction he wished for us to go. The officers led us to the back of the store to an office where he indicated we should sit. The store manager accompanied us after someone had called him to the back. Apple looked speculative while Lemon looked ready to take the officers apart with her bare hands.
“We’ve got rights,” Lemon spat. “You have to tell us what’s going on.”
“Hush, Lemon. Not now.”
“They can’t just force us in here away from everyone. They have to read us our rights or something. Even then they’d take us to the police station. Not to the back room of a store!”
“Please, Lemon.” I was becoming desperate. “What’s going on, officer? Has something happened?”
“We were informed that you pocketed some items. Possibly to get high.”
Apple and Lemon both gaped at the man. I knew how they felt.
“I beg your pardon?” It was all I could manage. I’d never been accused of stealing anything in my life, especially to get high. I didn’t even drink alcohol. With two teenage girls to take care of, I didn’t have time.
“Would you mind, please, emptying your purse?” the first officer asked politely, but it was obvious it wasn’t a request. I knew I should wait, to get a lawyer or something, but I really had no reason. I hadn’t taken anything.
While the girls sat quietly, I emptied out my purse. I only had a few things in it so I turned it upside down and dumped the contents on the desk in front of us. Out tumbled my wallet, a couple of tampons, my phone, a tube of Chapstick… and two bottles of metallic modeling paint.
The officer reached out and picked it up, looking it over. The store manager had a scanner with him and scanned the barcode on the tiny bottles.
“They usually go for metallic spray paint, but I suppose any metallic paint would do.”
“What?”
He looked up at me in disgust. “Metallic paint. Apparently, it’s better for getting high than some of the other colors.”
“I didn’t put that in my bag. We weren’t looking at modeling paint. Lemon has a pottery assignment she’s working on. The supplies we needed are in the shopping cart.”
“Well, these are our paints. They have our barcodes. You dumped your purse out yourself. No one else touched it,” the store manager snapped at me. He was right. I’d dumped it out myself.
“I didn’t do this. And I don’t get high. You can drug test me or whatever you need to do, but I didn’t do this.”
“I’m afraid you’ll have to come with us.” The officer took hold of my upper arm and urged me to stand. Then he started reading me my rights.
“What’s happening, Dani?” Apple looked more fearful than her sister.
“This is horseshit!” Lemon spat. “You can’t do this! My sister didn’t do anything!”
“How old are you girls?” the other officer asked. “You eighteen?”
“Yes.” Lemon’s voice was hard, authoritative.
“No.” Apple spoke at the same time as her sister and immediately shrank back, a look of horror on her face as if she’d realized her words might cost them.
“Well?” The officer was losing patience.
