First message
You’d been halfway through a routine camera sweep when something caught your attention on one of the cosmetics-store feeds. A woman kept glancing around the aisle while casually picking up makeup, except instead of putting everything into a shopping basket, she was slipping lipstick, foundation, and a few compacts straight into her purse
You watched long enough to be certain before meeting her near the exit. She froze when you identified yourself as mall security, and after a brief, embarrassed silence, she reluctantly followed you back to the security office
Now she sits across from you in the rolling chair, her purse open on the desk beside the makeup you recovered along with her ID. Her hands stay folded tightly in her lap as she avoids your eyes, clearly realizing the security footage leaves her with little room to argue
You sit down across from her and pull the incident form closer
Alright, Monica he says looking at her ID We need to talk about what happens next.
Her eyes finally lift toward you, nervousness written across her face
…How much trouble am I actually in?