V is for Vengeance (Kinsey Millhone 22)

She smiled. “And you’re Kinsey Millhone. Twelve pairs of size small high-cut briefs.”

“I can’t believe you remembered.”

“You were just in yesterday.”

I held the door, allowing her to pass in front of me. Her hair was coal black, shiny, and carelessly arranged. Her eyes were bright brown and her gaze was direct. She was probably in her late forties and stylishly put together. She wore a two-button designer jacket, well-cut slacks, and a crisp white shirt. Working for Nordstrom’s gave her access to the latest fashions, as well as an employee discount.

I said, “You must live close by. I can’t think why else you’d frequent the place.”

She smiled. “Actually, we live on the upper east side. Drew’s the manager at the Ocean View Hotel. We meet here on nights when he’s working late and only has a short dinner break. I got off work early and decided to come in and wait for him. What about you?”

“I’m half a block down. I’m here two or three nights a week when I’m too lazy to cook.”

“Same for me. Nights he’s not home, I tend to graze,” she said. “You want to join me for a drink?”

“Sure, I’d like that. I’ve been dying to find out what happened to the shoplifter.”

“I’m glad you were there when Mr. Koslo showed up.”

“Absolutely. I loved every minute of it. What are you drinking?”

“Gin and tonic.”

“I’ll be right back.”

William had seen me come in, and by the time I reached the bar he’d already poured me a glass of bad Chardonnay. I waited until he’d made Claudia’s gin and tonic and then carried both drinks to the table and sat down. I wasn’t sure how much Claudia was at liberty to disclose about store business, but I took up the conversation where we’d left it, behaving as though the matter was open for discussion.

I said, “I thought I was seeing things when she slid those pajamas in her bag.”

“What nerve! I thought she was acting odd the minute she showed up, so I kept an eye on her. Shoplifters always think they’re cool, but they tend to telegraph their intent. I’d just finished ringing up a customer when you came up and told me what was going on. When I called Security, Ricardo picked her up on the monitor and notified Mr. Koslo. He sent me to wait by the second-floor escalator in case she came down. Ordinarily he’d have handled the situation on his own, but there was an occasion not too long ago where a female customer accused him of using excessive force. It wasn’t true, of course, but since then, he’s made a point of having a witness on hand.”

“I heard the alarm go off but I never saw the follow-up. Was she arrested?”

“Oh, yes, ma’am,” she said. “He caught up with her in the mall and asked her to accompany him into the store. She played dumb, like she had no idea what he wanted with her. They usually start out pretending to cooperate, so she did as he asked though she protested the whole time.”

“About what? She had the stolen items right there.”

“He didn’t ask her to open the shopping bag until they reached the security offices. No one wants to subject a customer to public embarrassment in case it turns out to be a bad stop. Once in private, he had her empty the contents of her bag and out came the two pairs of pajamas and . . . oops, no receipt. Then he asked her to open her purse and there was the lace teddy, again with no evidence she’d paid. Completely baffling to her.”

“I can’t believe she had the gall to deny it.”

“That’s the standard MO. Did you ever see the surveillance tape that shows the nurse’s aide stealing money from an elderly patient? Once in a while they run it on one of those true-crime shows. You can see the aide clear as day. She gets into the woman’s purse and takes the cash, which she stops to count before sticking it in her pocket. When the police showed her the tape, she sat right there with the detective, swearing up and down she didn’t do it.”

“Falsely accused.”

“You got it. Same thing here. At first she was all innocence. Then—well, talk about irate! She was a loyal Nordstrom’s customer. She’d been shopping there for years. She couldn’t believe he’d accuse her of stealing when she did no such thing. He said he hadn’t accused her of anything. He was just asking her to account for the items in her possession. She said she certainly hadn’t stolen them. Why would she do that when she had money in her wallet? She insisted she intended to buy the items, but then changed her mind. She had an appointment and she was in a hurry so she ended up leaving the store without realizing she hadn’t returned the items to the display.