Page 30 of Then Came You

Sam had already gone into the bookstore, and when Gillian and Lauren entered, he was standing in front of the counter, conversing with two women who looked to be in their early twenties. Savannah was standing nearby with her hands on her hips and wearing a serious expression.

“What’s going on?” Gillian demanded.

Sam turned and addressed her. “We received a call that these two women are suspected of shoplifting.”

“Shoplifting?”

Savannah nodded. “I saw one of them slip a book into her purse, and I called the station.”

Gillian glanced at the two young women and saw that one of them was visibly shaken, while the other wore a haughty expression.

“Let’s talk in my office,” Gillian suggested. A few customers were milling around the store, and she didn’t want to cause more of a commotion than they already had.

“Good idea,” Sam said.

Gillian led him and the two suspects into her office. Since this had never happened before, she wasn’t sure what the protocol was, but Sam swiftly took charge. He sat behind her desk and motioned to the suspects to sit in the chairs across from him. Gillian stood off to the side and let him do his job.

“What are your names?” he asked, his voice firm yet polite.

The haughty one spoke first. “I’m Gwen, and this is Maddie.”

“What is your version of what happened?”

Gwen and Maddie exchanged glances, and Gillian noticed the fear in Maddie’s eyes.

“Tell me what happened, Maddie.” Sam coaxed.

Maddie wrung her hands and looked like she was about to cry. Even though she’d been accused of stealing, Gillian couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.

“I needed a book for my literature class.”

“Are you a college student?”

She nodded. “Community college.”

“Go ahead.”

“My parents don’t have a lot of money, and college is expensive.”

Sam nodded, and Gillian winced. How could he be so stoic when she wanted to give the poor girl a hug?

“It was my fault,” Gwen interrupted. “I told her to take it.”

Sam looked at the two girls. “Is that true, Maddie?”

She looked down at her lap. “I shouldn’t have done it. I’m sorry.”

Gillian swallowed hard and waited to see what Sam would do.

“You’re both old enough to understand that shoplifting is a crime, right?”

“I’ve never done this before, I swear!” Maddie cried.

Gwen remained silent, and Gillian suspected that this wasn’t the first time she’d been questioned by the police.

“We can handle this a few different ways, but if this is your first offense, we usually leave it up to the store owner. Miss Scott?”

Gillian’s mouth gaped open, but she quickly snapped it shut. This was her business, but she hated that the decision rested with her. “I…um…”