April 16, 2010
Mackenzie held onto Logan's arm with near death grip, her nails occasionally digging into his skin. With only mild complaining when she did start hurting him, the boy allowed it. He understood that she was scared, he was too.
Logan was cooping by hanging his head and allowing his hood to cover has much of his face as possible. They had been held in the room for what seemed to be an endless amount of time for two anxious children.
Finally, the door opened once more, startling both of them. The girl's nails buried further into her brother's skin. He pulled his arm away, wincing.
Mackenzie watched as her oldest brother followed after the police officer with large eyes and her hand now empty. The teenage boy shifted a bit in his seat antsy, sparing only a quick glance at his doom.
Officer Hogan looked down at the two, glad to see them so frightened and nervous. It was the ones that seemed unaffected that always worried him. He took a seat across the table from them, opting to use the same gentle but firm tone he used on his own children at home. "You kids understand that stealing is a very serious crime, right?"
Andrew leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, his mouth turned down and blue eyes glaring harshly at both of them. While quiet out of respect for the officer there was no doubt that he was steaming.
After all, the man had only left them alone at the mall for about forty minutes before getting the call from security. The movie the troublesome two were supposed to be seeing was a reward for Mackenzie, for doing so well in the science fair and a bit of a reprieve for Logan. That had gone well.
Thankfully as it was Friday night, Nancy was still home with the younger ones. Andrew had yet to disclose with his mother why it was he was leaving in such a hurry. That was just one more thing for once they got home.
Mackenzie nodded slowly to the officer's question. She sniffled as the tears made traces down her red face. Nervously so, she twisted up parts of her skirt in her hands. Hogan was certain he wouldn't see her back anytime soon.
The policeman shifted his gaze to the boy. That punk outfit alone had him worried that this was only the beginning. Hogan had seen his type before, usually they didn't listen to a word until something more drastic happened. Given how the boy had yet to even act as though he act, Hogan was having some concerns.
With a sigh, Hogan held up the necklace, which the boy had been caught with tucked under his jacket. It was clear from the moment that the two were caught that the lad was not stealing it for himself. "Is this really worth doing time behind bars for?"
Hogan let it twist around in the air for a moment, catching the light. The accessory itself was not incredibly expensive, only about twenty dollars. There really was no need for them to take it, seeing as the girl had a little over thirty dollars on her when they searched her purse. Clearly this had been a game of sorts for them.
Mackenzie shook her head, her mouth opened slightly as if she wanted to say something. Logan meanwhile had started played with the zipper at the end of his jacket, a sign of nervousness that Hogan was able to pick up on. Perhaps he wouldn't see the older one again after all.
"You seem like you are normally good kids," Hogan continued, having had given this speech before. Sometimes it was effective, sometimes it wasn't; it all depended on the kids.
Their eyes had been wide enough when he had showed up to take them to them to the station. According to what he had been told, the two had been so obvious about it that the staff noticed and called the security who had been near enough by to catch the children before they left. Hogan knew Dave Carlson, who ran the security there, due to frequent meetings of this nature. Between the two adults they thought it was best to put on a little show to scare these ones away from making a habit out of this. "The Aeropostale manager has said that she doesn't wish to press charges this time. However you are both banned from the mall for the next three months."
