Cream and Sugar

My usual drink is an Americano, but I kind of feel like having a latte today. It's a sunny Sunday morning, and I'm enjoying the warm sun on my skin as I walk to my coffee shop down the street from my condo. It's not actually my coffee shop in that I own it, but the coffee shop that I regularly frequent, almost every day, and thus, my coffee shop.

I open the door, greeted by the familiar little tinkle of the bell on the door, and decide it's a vanilla latte kind of morning.

"You've finally arrived, our main suspect," a voice to my left growls. That's when I glance around and see yellow duct tape all over the place.

"Are you talking to me?" I blurt out. I look around and see two police officers staring intently at me.

"Come and sit over here," the taller male officer tells me, gesturing to one of the tables not surrounded by yellow tape.

I obediently go sit down, but my inner voice starts insisting that I have rights and I should call a lawyer. I haven't done anything wrong, so I don't need a lawyer, I tell myself.

"What do you mean by saying I'm your main suspect?" I ask, adjusting the chair I'm sitting on. "I haven't done anything. I just got here!"

"A crime took place here last night," the female officer begins. I look at her name tag, Officer Sosnowski.

"That's terrible, what happened?" I reply automatically.

"The safe was broken into and cash was stolen. As well, some supplies and the secret recipe book were taken as well," the male officer, Officer Anderson says, reading from his notepad.

"What does that have to do with me?" I ask.

Officer Sosnowski gives a sigh, and I feel like she is restraining herself from rolling her eyes. "You are Veronica Lau, are you not?"

"Yes," I answer slowly.

"And were you not the perpetrator of these thefts last night?"

"No!" I exclaim. "I didn't do anything! I wasn't here last night! If I did the crime last night, why on earth would I return to the scene?"

"We have you on the surveillance footage," Officer Sosnowski tells me in a bored tone. "You might as well 'fess up."

"I don't believe you. Let me see the footage," I insist.

"Absolutely not," Officer Sosnowski replies.

"Why not? Let her see," Officer Anderson says.

Officer Sosnowski gives another exhale of annoyance. "Fine. Come to the back office and we'll show you."

We head to the back and I see the regular Sunday morning barista, Marina, at the back counter while on the way. We make eye contact, but then she quickly breaks away and starts unpacking sugar packets from a box.

Officer Anderson sits down and plays the video footage from last night. I see someone with my long black ponytail sneak in the store, disarm the the alarm, and head to the office. On the way, she puts on the black hood of her jacket over her head. I can see more of her face now, but most of it is covered by the large hood, and the lower half is wearing a blue surgical mask. She's clad all in black except for a bright yellow leather side bag, which looks the the same as the one I'm wearing right now.

I'm dumbfounded. On the grainy footage, it does look like me. No wonder they think I'm the thief.

"It looks like me," I agree slowly, "but it isn't. Oh! I have an alibi for last night! I was at a work dinner last night, a team building event. I was at a restaurant with my coworkers until about 1:30 and then my boyfriend and I went home."