Delaney looked suspicious.
“What was that?”
“My husband.”
“Why is he coming?”
Camille slipped the phone away.
“Because your investigation apparently needs more evidence than a receipt, a verified transaction, and the employee who sold me the item.”
Two minutes later, a black SUV stopped at the curb.
Marcus Dawson stepped out wearing a charcoal suit without a tie. He carried a leather portfolio in one hand and his phone in the other. He saw Camille first.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes.”
“Did anybody touch you?”
“No.”
He nodded.
Then looked at the officers.
“Good afternoon.”
Delaney said nothing.
Marcus turned toward Diane.
“Are you the manager?”
“Yes.”
“Excellent.”
He opened the portfolio.
“I would like somebody to explain why my wife’s completed purchase became a police matter.”
Diane crossed her arms.
“There were concerns regarding the transaction.”
Marcus removed a printed page.
“Here is the card authorization.”
Another.
“Bank confirmation.”
Another.
“The purchase notification sent by Bellanova at 2:21 p.m.”
He handed the papers to Delaney.
The officer read them.
Marcus held up his phone.
“And here is the completed debit from our account.”
Diane’s face tightened.
“That does not explain everything.”
Marcus looked at her.
“What remains unexplained?”
Silence.
Officer Bennett examined the documents.
“These all match the receipt.”
Marcus nodded.
“Yes.”
Then he looked at Diane.
“You knew the payment was approved.”
“I believed there might have been an issue.”
“What issue?”
“We have experienced fraud.”
“Was the card flagged?”
“No.”
“Did the name on the card fail to match her ID?”
“No.”
“Was the purchase unusually rushed?”
“No.”
Marcus waited.
Diane had nowhere clean to go.
He opened his tablet.
“There is something else.”
Diane frowned.
“What?”
“Camille called me after the police arrived.”
He tapped the screen.
“I called Bellanova corporate customer support because I wanted transaction verification.”
Camille had not known that.
Marcus continued.
“They accessed the store record.”
He turned the screen toward Delaney.
The transaction displayed clearly.
APPROVED.
FINALIZED.
ITEM RELEASED.
Then another line.
MANAGER SECURITY REVIEW INITIATED: 2:27 P.M.
Marcus looked at Diane.
“The payment was finalized six minutes before you initiated a security review.”
The crowd became quiet again.
Delaney turned toward her.
“Is that accurate?”
Diane’s face reddened.
“I was being cautious.”
Marcus stared.
“About what?”
She did not answer.
Camille stepped closer.
“That is the only question anyone has been asking.”
Diane looked toward her.