Fitting In

by Amanda Radley

  Scarlett fell into step behind her, taking the offered seat in front of Tara’s desk while the older woman closed the door behind them.

  “Security is essential to the running of this shopping centre,” Tara explained. “We want to ensure a safe environment for everyone, no exception. That means there are rules and they must be obeyed.”

  Scarlett sat up a little straighter at the strict tone being taken. Tara Manning meant business, and Scarlett appreciated her direct approach and honesty.

  Tara took her seat. “There will be a learning curve for you if you want to work in this team. There will be a lot of reading to be done, and then you will shadow one of my senior staff members until you find your feet. It won’t be easy, and I need to know if you’re prepared to work hard.”

  Scarlett nodded. “I will do whatever is necessary.”

  Tara rested her hand on a large box file. “In here are the codes of conduct for Silver Arches, as well as relevant laws, training manuals, staff guides. I need you to read through all of it and take and pass an online test before you are allowed to do certain tasks.”

  She pushed the box file towards Scarlett, who took the heavy file and placed it on her lap.

  “For the first few days, we’ll split your time between working with Max and seeing what he does in an average day and working on your paperwork. I’ll expect you to get all of that read within a week. Then we’ll do the online tests. I’d like for you to pass them within two weeks, which shouldn’t be a problem if you’ve read everything in that box. Does that make sense?”

  “Yes.”

  “Great. I’ll show you to your desk, and I’ll introduce you to Max. Then he’ll give you a tour of the centre.” Tara stood.

  “I already know my way around the centre,” Scarlett explained.

  “Not as a member of security. You’ll take the tour,” Tara told her.

  Scarlett stood and followed Tara out of her office. A few moments later, she was being introduced to Max. Unlike the people in facilities, the security team seemed professional and easy to work with. The walls were filled with whiteboards with schedules, business reminders, and security notices rather than questionable calendars and inappropriate quotes printed out from the internet.

  Max helped Scarlett log onto the computer and showed her the online tests and then went through the paperwork that related to each test. He told her that they would have an hour in the office before they conducted a tour of the centre and that she could get started on her reading in that time.

  Scarlett was pleased to see that Tara maintained a good level of discipline in the security office. The only sound that could be heard was that of soft typing and the occasional work-related phone call.

  Maybe a position in security was just what she needed. Maybe it would be the ‘good fit’ that people spoke of.

  She attempted to keep her expectations down, knowing that she often felt that things were going well only to be later told they had not.

  Time would tell if security was right for her.

  12

  No Time for Lunch

  Heather tucked her folio under her arm and shook the hands of the marketing team from Intrex. As meetings went, it had been fairly painless.

  Thankfully, the marketing team were a lot more pleasant to deal with than the financial team or the operations team.

  It had been a few weeks since Intrex had become involved with Silver Arches, and they were slowly making their presence known. From a slowdown in recruitment to a rebrand, things were changing.

  On the bright side, the Intrex people loved to hold a meeting about every little thing, which meant Heather always had the chance to put forward her point of view and even tweak some of their existing plans.

  Heather’s role had always included plenty of meetings and discussions, but these days it felt as if she spent more time around large meeting-room tables than she did in the comfort of her own office. If it wasn’t for the excellent team she’d surrounded herself with, her usual work stack would have been overflowing by now.

  Yasmin had taken the sudden changes in her stride and shown herself to be an excellent gatekeeper, feeding some tasks through to Ravi to share the load. Heather made a mental note to ensure that she appropriately thanked Yasmin for her extra work, probably with some restaurant gift vouchers.

  She said farewell to the Intrex marketing team and, instead of heading back to her office, made her way towards the centre. It had been a while since she had performed her usual patrol of the mall.

  Not that she was actually patrolling, she just enjoyed being in the centre. There was something pleasurable about seeing the stores and the ever-changing shop windows and marketing messaging. The centre felt like a living being that changed through the seasons. It didn’t hurt that she occasionally picked up on the odd thing that maintenance needed to turn their attention to. She prided herself on Silver Arches’ appearance; it felt like an extension of herself.

  Once in the public area, she inhaled deeply and enjoyed the aroma of coffee from the large chain as it mixed with the sweet smell of popcorn from the cart on the lower level.

  Shoppers of all sorts bustled through the busy walkway, from the mothers with buggies to the couples gently quarrelling about which wedding gift to get for a friend.

  A toddler ran from its parents with impressive speed and made a break for the escalator. Heather detoured and placed a hand on the little one’s chest to prevent them from picking up too much speed as a guardian sprinted over.

  “Thank you,” the woman said.

  “No problem.” Heather smiled.

  The toddler looked up at her and grinned, despite Heather having been the cause of the premature end of its bid for freedom. The woman scooped the child up and went back to the shop.

  Heather’s stomach growled, and she realised she’d not eaten lunch yet. It was a good opportunity to visit the large food court, which was populated with a large number of both sit-down and quick-service restaurants.

  On the way to the food court she took note of a couple of outfits in shop windows that interested her, as well as a pair of boots that would be perfect for DIY projects on her parents’ farm.

  One of the four entrances to the food court had once been a large and empty space, save for a couple of pieces of art on the walls. Now it had been converted into space for local pop-up shops.

  Heather was pleased to see that progress was quickly being made on the individual temporary stores. They weren’t much, similar to conference centre stalls, with light and power and enough room for a reasonable amount of stock. She hoped they would give a boost to local retailers and also encourage more of Silver Arches’ existing customer base to spend more cash.

  “Done with your meeting?” Ravi asked, appearing from inside one of the pop-up shells.

  “With the marketing one,” Heather confirmed. “I still have one with HR this afternoon.”

  “Don’t forget to eat,” Ravi reminded her perceptively.

  “I was literally on my way to do just that.” She pointed at one of the pop-ups. “Are these lights brighter than the others?”

  “They are,” Ravi confirmed. “No idea why. We’ve got an electrician coming out to switch the light fixtures. These units are all meant to be identical.”

  Heather looked around, noting that the electrical supply came from the wall and trailed along the floor. “Will this be properly covered?”

  “Yes, we’re getting a raised platform behind all the pop-ups. It will cover all the sins,” Ravi explained. “Now, weren’t you supposed to be getting yourself some lunch?”

  Heather chuckled. She’d already forgotten what she was in the process of doing, too easily distracted by something new and shiny. She knew Ravi could deal with the project and she didn’t need to get involved, but she sometimes couldn’t help herself.

  She held up her hands. “I’m going. I’m going.”

  As she turned to leave, something caught her eye. She paused and watched a
s Scarlett Flynn escorted a young teenager through the centre. The young woman had a tight grip on the boy’s upper arm, and he appeared to be crying.

  Ravi had his hands full, so Heather nodded to him to indicate she’d deal with whatever was happening.

  She jogged a little to catch up to the pair. Scarlett had been working in security for two weeks and had settled in well according to Tara. She’d gone through the online tests and certifications required to patrol the centre in half the time of any other security guard.

  Heather had hardly heard a word about or from Scarlett in that time and had assumed her issues with the woman were over.

  However, seeing Scarlett frogmarch a tearful teenager through the centre made Heather think her problems were just getting started.

  “Scarlett?” she called out.

  The young woman came to a halt and turned, her grip on the boy still vice-like.

  “What’s going on?” Heather asked.

  Now that she was closer, she could see the boy was very upset. Tears poured down bright, red cheeks and he was shaking.

  “He was stealing. I’m taking him to the office and will inform the police.”

  Heather knew the procedures for dealing with shoplifters, but she also knew that sometimes some lenience was required. Especially when the thief in question was around fourteen years old, well dressed, and absolutely terrified. There was something else going on here; Heather’s sixth sense was on heightened alert.

  “Please, I didn’t mean it,” the boy spoke up, his eyes boring into Heather.

  “You stole goods valuing thirty-four pounds and eighty-two pence,” Scarlett informed him coldly. “I watched you place the items in your bag. You had no intention to pay for them.”

  Heather realised shoppers were starting to take an interest in what was happening and knew it was time to take the conversation out of the public area.

  “Let’s take this to the office,” Heather suggested. “Let go of his arm.”

  Scarlett hesitated for a moment, her eyes locking with Heather’s questioningly.

  “Do it,” Heather insisted. “He’s not going anywhere. Are you?”

  “N-no,” the teen stammered.

  Scarlett reluctantly let go. She looked to Heather for further guidance.

  “Right, let’s get this sorted out,” Heather suggested, gesturing towards the escalator that would take them to the upper level and the security suite.

  13

  A Judgement Call

  Scarlett couldn’t believe what was happening. She’d successfully apprehended a shoplifter, and now the centre director was making them a cup of tea. The boy, Joshua Buckley, had promptly broken into floods of tears when they had arrived at one of the quiet meeting rooms used to store criminals until the police arrived.

  To Scarlett’s shock, Heather had put her arm around the boy and led him to an armchair. She’d softly whispered something to him, handed him a handkerchief from her own pocket, and was now making him a hot drink.

  Scarlett stood stiffly by the door, unsure what course of action to take.

  “So, Joshua, what was it you took?” Heather asked, lifting the just-boiled kettle and pouring hot water into two cups. Scarlett had declined the offer of a beverage.

  “He stole a book, a selection of pens, a blank notepad, some novelty erasers, four chocolate bars, a drink—”

  Heather held up her hand and Scarlett stopped speaking.

  “Is that true?” Heather asked Joshua.

  Scarlett couldn’t help but let out a sigh. It was a strange questioning technique to ask the offender if they had indeed committed an offence. Scarlett wanted to point that fact out to Heather but considered that Heather must have known that.

  At least, she hoped she did. It would be a surprise that she had managed to attain her position if she didn’t.

  Joshua nodded. “Yes.” He wiped at his face again with the white handkerchief.

  “Why did you do that?” Heather asked. She picked up the two mugs and placed them on the coffee table before taking a seat in the armchair opposite Joshua.

  The boy just shrugged.

  “I need to know what’s going on if I’m going to help you,” Heather told him, her voice soft and gentle.

  Scarlett felt more confused than ever. If she’d been left to deal with this, the police would have been on their way to pick the boy up and she’d soon be back at work. Now both she and Heather were spending their valuable time talking to a teenage thief. A thief that didn’t seem willing to talk or aware of the amount of costly resources he was sucking up.

  “I dunno,” Joshua mumbled.

  “Drink some tea. I promise you, I make a very good cup of tea,” Heather said, picking up her mug. “I don’t know about you, but my mother always told me that a cup of tea will solve almost anything.”

  Joshua grinned ever so slightly. “Yeah, my gran says that.” He leaned forward and picked up the other mug.

  “Do you live with your gran?” Heather asked.

  “No, I live with my dad.” He winced as if suddenly remembering something. “He’s going to kill me.”

  “Is it just you and your dad?” Heather fished.

  Joshua shook his head. “No, I’ve got a little brother. Our mum left when he was a little kid. She wasn’t right, you know?”

  Heather nodded. Scarlett frowned; she had no idea what Joshua was referring to. She wanted to ask in what way his mother wasn’t ‘right’ but refrained; she already felt like an outsider looking in on a private conversation.

  “Have you stolen before?” Heather asked. “Not from here, just in general?”

  Joshua shook his head. “No. This was the first time; I don’t even know why I did it. I don’t even need that stuff.” He put the mug down on the table and put his head in his hands. “My dad is going to kill me.”

  Heather lowered her own mug to the table and leaned forward, placing a hand on his knee. “Has your dad been physically violent towards you or your brother?”

  Scarlett looked at the huddled mass that was Joshua Buckley. Silence filled the room for a few long moments before the boy slowly nodded, his head still buried in his hands.

  Heather stood up and sat down on the arm of Joshua’s chair. She laid a hand on his back.

  “What are you going to do?” Joshua asked.

  “I’m going to let you go with a warning,” Heather said.

  Scarlett stared at Heather, questioning her with an intense gaze. Heather met Scarlett’s look and softly shook her head to indicate that Scarlett should not speak.

  “But I want you to do something for me,” Heather continued.

  Joshua slowly looked up. His cheeks were red and soaked with tears.

  “I’m going to give you the number of a free helpline. They help people in your situation. I want you to call them; you don’t have to say anything you don’t want to, but they are a service for you to call when things get a little much at home. They are completely confidential, so anything you tell them stays between you and them. If you need advice, or help, they can do that for you.” Heather ran her hand through Joshua’s messy hair to flatten it down. “Will you do that for me?”

  He nodded.

  “Good. Get your phone out and I’ll put the number in for you,” Heather said.

  He reached into his pocket, unlocked it, and then handed over the device. Heather tapped the details into the phone. “We keep records of what happens here, and we have a lot of CCTV. If we find you stealing again, then we won’t be so kind, okay?”

  “I know. I’m sorry, I just… I don’t even know. I… I wasn’t thinking.”

  Heather handed the phone back. “I know. Just stay out of trouble in the future. Okay?”

  Heather instructed Scarlett to wait while she escorted Joshua back to the centre. While she waited, Scarlett took Joshua’s half-empty mug to the sink and washed it up and dried it.

  All the while she wondered what Heather wanted to speak to her about. Obviously, she had
made some kind of a mistake in her dealing with the shoplifting incident.

  Not that she agreed with Heather’s way of handling the situation. In fact, Scarlett still felt some residual anger at the centre director for taking control like that. What was the point in having rules and regulations if they could be ignored at any time someone chose? Especially by someone who didn’t work in security.

  Heather came back into the room. “Take a seat, Scarlett.”

  Scarlett dried her hands and perched on the edge of the armchair, eager to get the conversation out of the way so she could return to her work.

  “Do you understand why I let him go with a warning?” Heather asked.

  “No,” Scarlett replied honestly. “I think you made an error in judgement.”

  “Why do you think that?” Heather sat back in her own armchair, casually kicking off her shoes and pulling her legs up under her.

  “He committed a crime; he should be punished. Allowing him to leave gives the impression that we don’t prosecute, and he will be incentivised to try again.”

  Heather shrugged a shoulder. “Maybe, but I don’t think so. I think this was a special circumstance.”

  Scarlett resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Special circumstances were a mystery to her. Every situation seemed to have them, but she viewed them as a blanket excuse to throw rules out the window.

  “I see,” Scarlett said.

  “Do you?” Heather tilted her head.

  Scarlett swallowed. She didn’t see, but the response was her go-to for this sort of situation.

  “No,” she admitted, hating dishonesty.

  “I could see in him that he wasn’t your usual shoplifter,” Heather explained. “I surmised there was something else there.”

  Scarlett attempted to remain neutral but realised her feelings on the matter must have slipped through when Heather chuckled. She had been told that her facial expressions were a clear window into her soul. Apparently, she just didn’t possess the masking skills that everyone else seemed to have.