"We received a report of possible theft."
Simone stared at him.
"From this store?"
"Yes."
She glanced around.
"This is my store."
Hayes looked surprised.
Caroline stepped forward.
"I saw what happened."
Simone looked at her.
"You called the police?"
"I had reason to."
"What reason?"
"You entered the fitting room with several expensive items and came out with fewer."
Simone nodded slowly.
"That is true."
Caroline smiled.
Hayes looked at her.
Simone continued.
"Because one of the dresses is at the alterations counter."
Elena arrived carrying the missing garment.
"Here."
She handed it to Hayes.
"The doctor asked for another size. Tessa took the original to the back."
Hayes examined the dress.
Then he looked at Caroline.
"Ma'am?"
Caroline's expression hardened.
"I couldn't know that."
"No," Hayes said. "You couldn't."
Caroline looked at Simone.
"Then why were you carrying everything around?"
Simone raised an eyebrow.
"Because I was shopping."
A few customers nearby tried not to smile.
Caroline noticed.
Her embarrassment turned into anger.
"I was trying to protect the store."
Simone looked at her.
"You called the police on the owner of the store to protect the store?"
Caroline said nothing.
Hayes stepped between them.
"Let's keep this calm."
Simone nodded.
"I am calm."
Hayes turned toward Elena.
"Do you have security footage?"
"Yes."
"Can we review it?"
"Of course."
They walked toward the security office.
Simone remained near the register.
Caroline followed.
The footage showed everything.
Simone entering the fitting room.
Tessa taking the third dress toward the back.
Simone leaving.
No concealment.
No theft.
Nothing suspicious.
Hayes watched the screen.
Then he turned around.
"That clears it up."
Caroline's face was red.
"I still believe she was acting strangely."
Hayes looked at her.
"Acting strangely isn't evidence of theft."
The other officer wrote something on his notepad.
Simone expected the matter to end there.
Instead, Caroline said something that changed the entire situation.
"Maybe you should look at the store's records."
Simone turned.
"What?"
Caroline smiled.
"I've heard there are questions about this place."
Elena's face changed.
Simone noticed.
"What questions?"
Caroline shrugged.
"Ask your accountant."
Hayes looked from one woman to the other.
"Are you alleging another crime?"
Caroline hesitated.
"No."
"Then we're done here."
Hayes closed his notebook.
Caroline walked toward the exit.
Before leaving, she looked back at Simone.
"This isn't over."
Simone didn't answer.
But when the doors closed behind Caroline, she turned toward Elena.
"What did she mean?"
Elena was silent.
"Elena."
"I don't know."
"You do."
Elena lowered her voice.
"There have been some accounting irregularities."
Simone's expression changed.
"What kind?"
"Not enough for me to say anything."
"How long?"
Elena looked down.
"Several months."
Simone slowly put down the invoice in her hand.
The police had come because Caroline thought she was stealing a dress.
But now Simone was beginning to wonder whether someone inside Bellamy House really had been stealing.
And perhaps the missing dress was the least important thing that had disappeared.
Simone closed the boutique early that evening.
She told the staff it was because of a maintenance issue.
It wasn't.
She didn't want rumors spreading before she understood what was happening.
At seven thirty, she sat in her office with Elena and the company's outside accountant, Marcus Hale.
Marcus had handled Bellamy House's books for five years.
He was careful, quiet, and obsessive about documentation.
Simone trusted him.
At least, she had.
She placed three reports on the desk.
"Show me."
Marcus adjusted his glasses.
"I don't know where to start."
"Start with the inventory."
He opened the spreadsheet.
"According to the system, we should have forty-eight high-value items in this category."
"And physically?"
"Thirty-seven."
Simone stared at him.
"Eleven missing?"
"Not exactly."
"What does that mean?"
"Some were transferred."
"Transferred where?"
Marcus hesitated.
"That's the problem."
Elena leaned forward.
"We don't have transfer records."
Simone's jaw tightened.
"Who authorized them?"
"Your operations director."
Simone froze.
"Greg?"
Marcus nodded.
Greg Holloway had worked for Bellamy House almost six years. He managed suppliers, purchasing, inventory, and several financial relationships.
Simone had once considered him indispensable.
"How much?"
Marcus opened another file.
"Across the last eighteen months, the unexplained transactions total approximately four hundred and twelve thousand dollars."
Silence filled the room.
Simone leaned back.
"Four hundred and twelve thousand?"
"Potentially."
"Potentially?"
"Some entries could have legitimate explanations."
"Do they?"
Marcus looked at Elena.
"We haven't found them."
Simone stood.
She walked toward the window.
Outside, downtown traffic moved beneath the streetlights.
The city looked normal.
Her business no longer did.
"Why didn't anyone tell me?"
Elena answered quietly.
"We tried."
Simone turned.
"When?"
"Several times."
"I never received anything."
Marcus opened a folder.