Gemma jolts upright and points. “Are you going to let her get away?”
I pinch the button on my radio and give my designator number again. “Suspect exiting the west entrance. I’m watching to see where she goes. Requesting backup.”
The woman heads to the passenger side of a beat-up brown pickup. I register a second female as a driver behind the wheel at the same time I tap the license plate number into my computer. The truck belongs to a man currently in jail on drug charges.
Another black-and-white glides into position on the opposite end of the parking lot. With the criminal history these women must have, I’m surprised the two of them aren’t more alert. Though it does already require a special kind of arrogance to think they can get away with what they’re doing.
Time for me to move in. I flick on my siren along with my lights this time.
Both women jump to attention. The thief stumbles backward a couple of steps before freezing. The driver simply shoots me a dirty look. She’s going to be a handful.
I roll behind the truck to block it from backing out. “Wait here.”
Gemma nods emphatically, eyes the size of camera lenses. What I wouldn’t give for an actual Bat-Signal right about now.
I open my door and circle to the front of the cruiser. “Good afternoon, ladies.”
“Good afternoon, officer,” the driver says. She’s skinny and has sagging jowls. Her dark hair is styled like it’s the 1980s, and from the lines in her grayish face, I would guess that’s the era she attended high school. Though people who live hard lives do tend to age faster. She asks, “Is there something you and your princess of a girlfriend need?”
Did Gemma hear the jab? I think she’d be okay with the insinuation that she’s my girlfriend but definitely not the princess part. I, on the other hand, want to arrest the woman simply for putting the idea of dating back in my head.
I keep my emotion in check. I can’t handcuff any suspects until I find evidence of a real crime. “I got a call about a theft at Macy’s. Do you know anything about that?”
“Nope.” Gray-faced lady. “We have a receipt.”
Of course they do. That’s how their scam works. “May I see it?”
The brunette nods at the blond, who fumbles through her pockets and produces a couple of white slips of paper stapled together. She glances at the driver once more before handing over a stapled pile of multiple receipts.
Just as I suspected. I barely have to glance at the dates and times to know what’s going on. “So you returned a bunch of stuff today? For cash?”
Blondie nods, her skittish eyes saying more than her lips as she continues to look between me and the truck driver.
“You didn’t like the”—I read the first item on the list—“Bluetooth radio?”
The driver answers for both of them. “There are better brands.”
The blond nods in a bobblehead sort of way.
Gemma watches from behind the windshield. If she can hear, I assume she’s putting the pieces together. She could very well become a witness when this case goes to trial, so I’ll give her another moment to figure it out.
“What about the”—I read from the receipt—“earrings?”
The blond wears large gauges in her ears. I wait for that to trip her up.
The truck driver’s laughter holds the tone of mockery. “They were a gift for me, but I didn’t like them.”
All right. If she wants to talk, we’ll talk. She’s obviously the mastermind. “So why didn’tyoureturn them if they were your gift?”
The brunette nods at her friend. “Tina offered.”
Uh-huh. And she’s giving me Tina’s name because she wants the other woman to take the fall for this. “That was nice of you, Tina.” I arch my eyebrows pointedly at the womannotnamed Tina before pivoting to fully address her scapegoat. “Are you also going to offer to go to jail for your friend here? Because you’re the one caught on camera today. There’s footage of you swiping the same items so you can return them and get the money.”
“No, I … uh …”
Gemma covers her mouth as understanding dawns.
Time to make the arrest. “Do you get to keep the entire cash refund, Tina, or do you have to give half to your partner here?”
