"I'll set it on the counter, ma'am," Dell said, and did so. "No one will touch it."
"Look at me, ma'am," the man said, and Rafille did so. "My name is Detective Melthine. Who are you, please?"
"Rafille Mallory," she whispered.
"Ms. Mallory, do you have receipts for any of these items?"
Rafille didn't answer.
"I'll take that as a 'no.' " Melthine passed a hand wearily over his face. His eyes were a liquid brown. "I'm going to go through the rest of your packages, Ms. Mallory. What will I find there?"
"I think I should call my corporate representative," she said.
"You certainly may, ma'am," Melthine told her, "though you aren't under arrest. Yet."
"Please," she said. "Please, I have the money to pay for all this. I can pay."
"That's as may be, you still broke corporate law, Ms. Mallory."
Dell, meanwhile, went through Rafille's packages, separating objects that had receipts from those that didn't. Something rustled behind the counter, and Rafille shot a glance in its direction. Her possessions, including the key, were still there.
"What was that noise?" she demanded. "Is there something back there?"
"Ms. Mallory, you have a lot more to worry about than a couple of hungry mice," Melthine said. "I'm just eyeballing here, but it looks like you've stolen over a thousand chits worth of merchandise. That's a serious crime on SA Station, Ms. Mallory."
"You'll never make it stick," she said.
He held up the data pad. "We've got several hours of images here. Hard to discount evidence like that."
How had they gotten around her jammer? There must be something wrong with it. Or maybe there were technological developments in security that she wasn't aware of. No, that couldn't possibly be the case. It had to be a flaw in the disruptor. Dammit! What did these detectives want from her? She had already agreed to pay for the stuff, but they didn't seem to- And then it struck her. She was offering to pay for the wrong thing.
"Listen," she purred, "I'm sure we can come to an agreement here. You have the stuff back. What do you need me for? All it'll mean is a lot of paperwork for you to fill out. I can make it worth your while."
"Ms. Mallory, are you offering to bribe me?" Melthine asked.
"It's a simple exchange," she said. "I'm sure you can use the money, and I have plenty."
"Listen to her," Dell said. "Miss Moneybags here thinks she can buy her way out of trouble. Just like a rich bitch."
"I'll give you each a hundred chits."
"Ma'am, attempting to bribe a detective is a crime under-"
"But you aren't corp cops," she pointed out. "You're store security. Look, I have a daughter in college. If I get arrested, I'll lose my job and she'll have to drop out of school. Is it fair to punish her for what I did? I'll give you two hundred chits each."
"No deal," Melthine growled. "If I got caught, I'd lose my job."
Ah ha! So the only thing holding him back was the threat of getting caught. Rafille sensed a potential advantage and rushed to press it. "Who's to know?" she countered. " I won't say anything, that's for sure. Two fifty."
"How am I going to explain company chits getting into my account from yours?" Melthine said, and Rafille knew in that moment she had him. It was merely a matter of the amount.
"I'll pay you in freemarks, then," she said. "A hundred each."
A gleam entered Melthine's eye. "One fifty."
"Done!"
"Hey, I never agreed to anything," Dell protested. "My job's on the line, too."
Melthine put a hand on her shoulder and turned to Rafille. "Will you excuse my partner and me for a moment?" he asked.
The two of them walked to the other end of the store and conversed in low tones. Melthine made a great many wild gestures, but Dell folded her arms and looked stubborn. Rafille strained to overhear, but she couldn't make out any words. Her heart pounded. Melthine was on her side, but could he persuade his partner? Her entire career rested in the hands of this man, this stranger. Rafille had never felt so helpless in her entire life.
At last, Melthine said something that made Dell bite her lip. Her posture relaxed and she gave a single, stiff nod. Melthine trotted back over to Rafille.
"She won't give in for less than two hundred freemarks," he said. "Hard."
Rafille let out a long, heavy sigh of utter, pure relief. "You got it."
Melthine and Dell took the money, counted it, and stuffed it into their pockets. "Take the stuff you paid for," Melthine said, "and get the hell out of here. I think it goes without saying that I'd better not see your face around this mall ever again."
"Not hide nor hair," Rafille promised fervently. She snatched her computer key from the counter, returned it to her belt pouch, gathered up her parcels, and all but bolted for the door. Once outside, she took a deep breath and felt her knees go slightly weak. Definitely time to head home for a drink.
As she strode swiftly toward the mall exit to find a taxi, it occurred to her that she should technically turn in her computer key and get fitted for a new one. After all, it had been out of her sight for quite a while. Then she shook her head. No, the paperwork would be immense, and she certainly didn't feel like explaining why she needed a new key. Besides, what would a couple of low-grade rent-a-cops have done with her key for the few moments it had lain on the counter?
After Rafille had left, Harenn emerged from a fitting room and strode into the main part of the empty store. Lucia popped up from behind the counter like a jack-in-the-box. Harenn smiled.
"Did you get it?" Kendi asked.
Lucia held up the copycat in one scarred hand. The lights were flashing green. "I got it. But I have to say that my heart about stopped when she asked what was behind the counter."
"You and me both," Gretchen muttered.
"Did everything go well?" Harenn asked. "I could not hear everything."
"It all went perfectly," Father Kendi grinned. "Good work, Harenn. Great plan on short notice."
"Do you think she suspected anything when you took her into an empty store instead of a security office?" Harenn asked.
"Are you kidding?" Gretchen scoffed. "She almost wet her pants when we grabbed her out there."
"Best of all, we keep getting paid." Kendi held up the wad of cash. "Between her and Elena Papagos-Faye, we won't need to dip into the kitty for a month."
Harenn nodded in satisfaction. "They are paying for their own demise."
"All right," Lucia said, "we have keys and prints for Security, Research, and Information Services. Just one left to go."
"Edsard Roon himself," Kendi said.
Ben Rymar howled like a wild thing. Storm clouds swirled in the sky above him and a few drops of rain spattered the dust at his feet. In front of him, the crude statue of Padric Sufur stared impassively at nothing. Thunder rumbled in the distance. Ben howled again and raised a fist. Lightning cracked down from the clouds and smashed into the statue. It exploded, sending stone fragments whizzing in all directions. The thunderclap smashed Ben's very bones. He flung himself flat on the ground, arms wrapped around his head. Shards rained down all around him and few stung the backs of his hands. After a moment, the rain of stone stopped. Ben uncurled himself and sat up. Where the statue had been stood a charred, blackened hole. Ben sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"Still pissed at him, huh?"
Ben, still seated, twisted around. Sejal was standing behind him, his strangely blue eyes looking both amused and concerned.
"I didn't even feel you coming," Ben said, surprised.
"You were busy, and you're still new at this," Sejal said. "Besides, I didn't want to interrupt, so I kept quiet."
"You saw what I was doing?"
Sejal spread his hands. "I'm no fan of Padric Sufur, either. Looks like your interest in him is more personal, though."