Laura Whitmore took a half step backward, phone slipping in her grasp. Mom's calm radiated power. What happened? She asked Davis. He opened his mouth, then closed it.
"Someone called and said I was casing a jewelry store?" Malik whispered more to himself than to her. She turned to Laura. "Were you the one who called?" Laura's face drained color.
I... I thought he was I didn't see a transaction. He looked nervous. He was buying a gift for his mother. Monica said, "You assumed his intentions before you knew his story."
Laura's voice wavered. "I'm sorry." Monica Reed folded her arms. "I understand caution, but next time remember that fear is not evidence." Malik exhaled a breath he didn't know he was holding.
His mother's presence had shifted the day's axis. What could have ended in arrest dissolved into a lesson about bias and humanity. They stepped outside together. The afternoon sun felt different now, exposing rather than welcoming. Malik's fingers curled around the velvet pouch.
"Can we go back inside?" he asked. Monica raised an eyebrow. "To finish the purchase." "Full price," he said with quiet determination.