Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45031 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45031 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
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.
Neither girl said anything else. Apple ducked her head while Lemon raised her chin in defiance.
With a sigh the officer keyed the radio mic clipped to his shoulder. “Dispatch, signal six CPS. Two minors at this arrest.”
“What’s happening?” I struggled as the other officer snapped handcuffs around my wrists behind my back. “Let me go!”
“Child protective services are on the way. They’ll look after the kids until you’re out on bail.”
“NO!” Lemon stepped forward. One look from the officer stopped her. “We’re not leaving Dani.”
“Girls, just do what they say. It’ll be all right.”
“I’m calling Deacon,” Apple said. “He’ll know what to do.” As she pulled out her phone and made the call, it struck me that I should probably tell her not to call the man who’d tried to get with my sixteen-year-old sister, but I was in shock.
“I-I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Apple.” I was shaking. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
“Hey, lady,” the officer handcuffing me said, irritated. “You do the crime, you gotta do the time.
“Deacon says he’s on the way back. He said he’d take care of everything.” Apple sounded a little more settled but still fearful.
My phone started ringing. Unknown number. Fucking spam callers. Now wasn’t the time. When it stopped, Apple’s phone chimed with a text. She read it, then looked back at me.
“Deacon says to answer your phone.”
“Not happening,” the officer said.
When it started ringing again, Lemon grabbed it and answered. “Hello.” She looked at me steadily as she listened to whomever was on the other end. “At the hobby shop. They found two small bottles of paint in Dani’s purse. They’re arresting her.” There was another pause. “They’ve called Social Services for me and Apple. We don’t want to go with them.” Another pause. “OK. I’ll tell her.” She ended the call. “That was Wylde. He said he’d be here in five minutes and that we could stay with him until he fixes this.”