Scarred By a Simple Purchase

desk from two officers. The older one, Detective Miller, had tired eyes but a focused, patient d

ike exhibits in a trial. The initial phone call. The fake tracking information. The social media post that doxed me. The ultimatum from my

n unreadable. When I finished, he leane

ke him leave. He was ter

ng the money in a public space?" Rodr

he admitted it was about the money,

oice. "We have an address for a Mr. Thorne. Send a car to bring him i

ken only by the hum of the fluorescent lights. When they finally brought him in, he wasn't in handcuffs. He walk

me. "You' re the one who should be here!

ween us. "Mr. Thorne

the one-way glass. Thorne immediately launched into a performance. He slumped in h

ings into my boutique. Then she comes along, this... this rich girl from a big financial firm, and she steals from me. She thinks she' s above

thing in Miller' s eyes as he listened-not belief, but consideration. He was weighing t

m. "He' s telling a very di

hone and unlocked it. "Detective," I said, my

ording I' d made of my final phone call with him before the public

ot is going to stop me? I know who you are, Sarah Jenkins. I know where you work. I know where you

walked back into the interrogation room, placing it

rom Thorne' s face. His victim act shattered, replaced by pure

d himself across the table, his hands outstretched like claws

back into the chair, then onto the floor when he continued to struggle. The clat

denly quiet room. "You are under arrest for extortion, stal

it made me dizzy. It was re

igned statement, I was preparing to leave. A man

even hundred and fifty dollars immediately, with an additional sum for your trouble,

ought of the fear, the public humiliation, the threat to my job and

back to the law

elt like the strongest thing I had ever said

walked out of the station, I heard Thorne' s voice ech

hear me? This isn' t ove

ing, out into the cool night air, fee