could hit the man with her fist and punch the woman in the stomach. Rafille discarded all of these possibilities. Both man and woman were clearly far more athletic than she was, and Rafille doubted she would get ten meters before they caught up with her. As if reading her thoughts, the man tightened his grip on her shoulder enough to make her wince, a subtle indicator of his strength. Rafille's mouth went dry. She was in deep, deep trouble. If Roon found out she had been arrested, Rafille would land in the job pool so fast, she might well have traveled there through slipspace. She would lose her luxury apartment and almost everything she owned. Her daughter would have to drop out of college.
The security people steered Rafille toward an empty store. The front windows were obscured by blank beige screens and a sign read, Coming soon: another fine store! The blond woman pushed open the door and the man guided Rafille firmly into the space beyond.
Inside was a great, empty space. The floor was simple gray tile. A few empty clothing racks made a tangled metal jumble, and a sales counter sat off to one side. A line of closed doors marched along the back wall, and Rafille assumed they were fitting rooms. The place smelled of stale air and dust.
'What's going on?' Rafille demanded, deciding to play the role of indignant innocent. Perhaps she could brazen it out. 'What is this place?'
'It's where we take shoplifters for… debriefing,' the man said, and held up a small computer disk. 'We caught you on camera. Would you like to see it?'
'But that's… I mean, there's no way you could have… how did… '
Without a word, the man produced a datapad from his pocket and slotted in the disk. A holographic display popped up. Rafille watched herself in miniature as she palmed the silver cat key ring. Her heart plummeted into her shoes and her hands began to shake.
'Pretty conclusive,' the man said. 'Would you like to see the rest?'
'No,' Rafille whispered. 'Oh god.'
The man pulled a large card from his jacket pocket. 'Please give me your hands, ma'am. I need your prints.'
They were treating her like a criminal? A common thief? Rafille couldn't believe it, even when the man rolled her fingers carefully across the card. They left black prints in their wake, though her hands remained clean.
'Detective Dell here is going to search you now,' the man said next. 'Hold your arms out to your sides, please.'
Rafille numbly obeyed. Detective Dell's search was quick and thorough. It produced the silver key ring, the bookdisks, the leather gloves, two bottles of perfume, a scarf, and the AI disruptor. Dell laid the objects out on the counter in an accusatory row. Rafille didn't respond until she felt Dell's fingers open the little pouch on her belt, the one that contained her computer key. Rafille's hand shot down and grabbed Dell's wrist.
'There's nothing of importance in there,' she snapped.
'I'm sorry, ma'am, but I have to look,' Dell said neutrally.
'Please remove your hand from my partner's wrist, ma'am,' the man said, 'or I will remove it for you.'
'The key in that pouch is classified property of Silent Acquisitions,' Rafille said, obeying with reluctance. 'If you tamper with it-'
'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
