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Chapter 2 Arrested
“I’ll
take that, Miss,” said the store security guard reaching for the shopping bag
Stacy was carrying.
“Come
with us, please,” said the guard’s female partner stepping to the other side of
Stacy bracketing her between them.
“I
haven’t done anything,” said Stacy fighting the urge to panic. No, she told herself. This can’t be happening
again.
“Right,
but we need to have a little talk. Don’t
make a fuss. No need to upset the other
customers,” said the female guard.
Stacy
glanced at their nametags, Mark Wilson and Faye Sellers.
This just
can’t be happening to me repeated Stacy as they wound past racks of merchandise
toward the back of the department store.
My parents will kill me. Mother
will never speak to me again.
“I
haven’t shoplifted,” said Stacy as soon as they passed through the door marked
Security Office Employees Only.
“We’ll
see,” said Mark dumping the contents of Stacy’s shopping bag on a table. There were several items including two spring
tops Stacy had bought but there were two smaller packages she didn’t remember
purchasing.
“You got
receipts for these?” asked Faye picking up the two small bottles of expensive
perfumes.
“No, I
didn’t buy those. Someone must have put
them in my bag,” said Stacy. She had no
idea how the perfume got in her bag.
“Right,
they just hopped off the counter all on their own,” said Mark. “Sit down, Miss, we got some paperwork to do
before we call the police.”
“No,
please, I can pay. But I didn’t take
them. Someone must have put them in my shopping bag,” repeated Stacy struggling
to maintain her composure.
“Stop the
bullshit. You’re busted. We know it isn’t your first time,” said Faye
pointing toward the computer monitor on her desk. “It’s all there in the computer’s database on
shoplifters. You and an accomplice were
arrested at the Watertown Mall last October 12th.”
“That was
my dorm mate. She was shoplifting and I
didn’t know it,” said Stacy surprised they already knew she’d been arrested
before.
“That
isn’t what the judge ruled, $500 fine, one hundred hours community service, and
three months probation. You have
violated probation. Judge Myers won’t
like that. He’s a real hard ass on
probation violators,” said Mark
“I wasn’t
guilty but my lawyer said it was better to plead guilty to a misdemeanor and
get it over with,” said Stacy.
“$300 for
an ounce, ridiculous,” said Faye looking at the price tag on one of packages.
“More
than $250 classifies you as a felony shoplifter. You better get a good lawyer, Miss, or you
are going inside,” said Mark.
“I hope
you like girls. Cause a pretty young
femme like you is going to munch a lot of rugs,” said Faye. “Come with me. You know the drill.”
Unfortunately Stacy did know the drill.
Two months ago she’d gone to a different mall with Jeanette, a fellow
student who lived in the same dorm.
Stacy didn’t really know Jeanette well other than they had two classes
together. As they were leaving the
store, security had arrested them.
Unbeknownst to Stacy, Jeanette had shoplifted something from practically
every store in the mall. It amounted to
over $700. After their arrest, Jeanette
had dropped out of Harvard returning to her home in
“Shirt,”
asked Faye closing the door behind them?
Stacy
concentrated on unbuttoning her blouse determined not to lose control and burst
into tears.
“Bra?” asked Faye running her hand down the
shirt Stacy handed her.
“I didn’t
have to take it off last time,” said Stacy.
“It’s
procedure in this store. Maybe you
arrived braless. You took one of our bras to the dressing room and put it
on. Wearing it out is common shoplifter
practice. If I tell the police you
didn’t allow us to search you thoroughly, they’ll do it at the station and they
will look in places I won’t,” said Faye smiling.
“All
right,” said Stacy reaching back to unhook her bra.
“Nice,”
said Faye examining the label in the bra noting it was an upscale designer
brand too expensive for the department store.
Stacy
resisted the urge to cross her arms over her breasts. Her mind was desperately searching for an
explanation for how the perfume had gotten in her shopping bag. She had browsed the perfume counter but
hadn’t bought anything.
“Mom and
Dad get you those for your birthday?” asked Faye.
“Huh?”
“Your
boobs, augments?”
“No,
they’re mine,” said Stacy resisting the urge to tell Faye to mind her own
fucking business. Stacy’s breasts were
large and had been the cause of unwelcome attention since they started to
appear in the seventh grade.
“Nice
shape, what’s the word when the nipple is turned up like yours?” asked Faye.
“Perky,
please, can I get dressed?” asked Stacy an angry tone creeping into her voice.
“Don’t
get pissed. Just making conversation,
take off your jeans,” said Faye.
“Surely
you don’t think I would steal underpants?”
“Why not?
It’s happened before. Some of the good
ones cost twenty dollars and up.”
She must
be a lesbian Stacy told herself as she pushed her jeans down. I’m going to find out whether they do this to
everyone. I’ll sue if I’m being singled
out.
Stacy
stood quietly as the guard emptied her jeans pockets on a nearby table.
“The
rest, shoes too,” said Faye tossing the jeans on the table.
“You’re
sure you do this to everyone,” asked Stacy?
Stacy had
been searched twice down to her underwear during her plane trip to
“If you
weren’t absolutely gorgeous, they wouldn’t have chosen you,” had been her
father’s unsympathetic comment when Stacy had complained about being searched
on both legs of her flight. “Beauty can
be a curse for a young woman. Men and
even women are attracted for the wrong reasons,” added Stacy’s mother.
“Yes, no
exceptions, everyone down to their socks, I search the girls and Mark the guys. Hurry up or I’ll miss my break.”
Stacy
considered refusing then decided that would end any chances she might have of
convincing them she was innocent. Stacy
slipped off her loafers as she pushed her panty down and stepped out of them.
I am not
going to let her intimidate me decided Stacy as she straightened up. I’ll look her straight in the eye and dare
her to do anything inappropriate.
“Stand
erect. Spread your feet hip distance
apart. Hold yours arms straight out and
turn slowly around,” said Faye tossing Stacy’s panty on the table after
examining the label.
Stacy
stifled her feelings of shame and humiliation and did as she was instructed. She was too upset to notice the video camera
hidden in a bookcase.
“Get
dressed,” said Faye once Stacy had gone full circle.