A case of mistaken identity
It was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon. The first warm day of spring and everyone in town was taking the opportunity to get out for some fresh air and shopping. A group of girlfriends had gotten out of school early and were joking around in one of the stores when suddenly one of their lives was about to be changed forever...
Ashley had just turned around around from her group of girlfriends to check out the sales rack at the front of the store. The music was blaring her favorite jam and she was getting into it chopping away on her gum not a care in the world. She was about to show Kelly a cute shirt she found when suddenly out of nowhere there was a huge force shoving her from behind knocking her straight through the sales rack and past the theft alarms at the front of the store. She was face down in a pile of shirts in the middle of the walkway in front of the store and something was grunting on top of her scrambling to pull her arms behind her. No warning no audible explanation. Her face was being shoved into a pile of clothes she knocked down on her way out the door. Her voice was so muffled no one noticed her trying to scream.
For this small Indiana town any commotion drew a crowd of onlookers. So when all the commotion spewed out into the mall the shoppers started paying attention. You could see something was happening from every vantage point in the mall and in a town where nothing ever happened it was a big deal. Parents were showing their small children out the door trying to hustle to their cars in case it was dangerous rif raft. The teens were gathering around and making a commotion which made the remain patrons keep a safe distance but a steady ear to what was happening. Everyone was ready to leave if needed but how often was there any commotion in Sanburg, Indiana. Everyone wanted to know what was happening.
"I didn't mean to! I can pay for it! Keep it I don't want it!" Was the last thing her friends heard as 5'5" 120 pound, blonde haired, blue eyed Ashley was being dragged down the white mall corridor. You could only see it for a second behind a door at the back of the store before she was just out of site. She was being dragged by a 5' 7" 300 some pound ogre looking mall security guard. To say he was gruff was an understatement he was unkempt.
He was already out of breath and smelled like hot corn chips and mustard. "Pay for it?!?!? How much is that poor girls life worth to you?". Ashley could barely keep her feet under her as he dragged her along like a caveman claiming his prize. She couldn't be sure she was hearing him right over the grunting. If she wasn't mistaken he was salivating at the mouth or slobbering she couldn't really tell but she didn't like the way this day took a turn. Even worse her phone was knocked from her hand when this goon came barreling down on her back at the store, hopefully one of her friends grabbed it. "People like you disgust me. I hope they give you the electric chair." he snarled. What the fuck did he just say?!?! She thought to herself. What the hell is this guy on! He did not say I deserve to get the electric chair.
Ashley's brain went into overdrive… the electric chair she thought to herself it was only a pair of sunglasses. She saw the tag they were less than twenty bucks there's no way she should get the chair for that. It was just a joke between friends… she still wasn't sure she was going to go through with it when out of nowhere a security guard came barreling down on her tackling her to the ground and tying her hands with zip ties like a criminal.
"The electric chair over some sunglasses, really?!?" she shouted as he pushed her into a chair in his office and began to duct tape her hands and feet to the cold metal chair. "Hey! What the hell are you doing! You can't treat me like this! What the F--" suddenly a disgusting sock was shoved into her mouth still hot from his foot. He finished taping her to the chair and settled in the chair behind the desk across from her. The smile on his face was so malicious it looked more like a snarl than a smile.
Fred knew this was going to be his big break, he was finally going to get to join the police force after all these years of rejection. He was finally going to show them he had what it took and wouldn't be made a fool of again. After all he just took down one of Indiana's top 10 most wanted fugitives. He knew it for sure, he watches Indiana's most wanted every week and all the repeats on TV. He spends hours every night studying the faces and learning the cases. He was more than obsessed he was a walking talking most wanted encyclopedia. After studying all night he would go to work as a mall security guard at the local mall and watch the security footage all day. Hoping to catch a break and find one of them, the ultimate find an Indiana's Most Wanted fugitive and today was his lucky day. He found Ashley Day number three on Indiana's most wanted list.
"Sunglasses he grunted at her. Sunglasses are the least of your problems. I'm calling the FBI on your ass. I know who you are and I know what you did." He snarled at her. "Now keep your damn mouth shut you stupid bitch. You came to the wrong mall today."
Ashley could tell that whatever he thought she did wasn't good and there was no way of convincing him otherwise. Her only hope was that the FBI could clear this up. After all there was no way the FBI would be called over some sunglasses. Right?!?! She thought to herself.
She didn't even leave the store until he shoved her out past the theft detectors well he was tackling her. She didn't even alarm the theft detectors when she fell through as he tackled her to the ground. She had just tried the sunglasses on and then put them on her head well she looked around at the sales racks. No crime had been committed until he shoved her out of the store.What the hell was this about the FBI and the Electric chair. This guy was nuts and she was his squirrel.
Ashley is petite and tended to get noticed but never like this. She had several ear piercings and a small Celtic heart with a swallow tattooed on her shoulder. She saw the piece on a flash board in a tattoo shop in Clifton Hills, Ontario, Canada on her 18th birthday last month. She is up to date on current fashion and has heard more often than not that someone swore they saw her somewhere else. She learned to wear the label basic bitch with pride.
Ashley loves her ugg boots, leggings, oversized sweaters and big sunglasses. She and her girlfriends would go to the mall often and make little jokes and dares. Oh flirt with that guy, steal this (they never actually did they just liked to joke about it), pretend your pregnant and go in the maternity store... They never meant any harm, they always considered it harmless after all they never actually stole anything they just wanted to pass the time and not go home.
She would never have actually stolen the glasses. She has never stolen anything in her life. She was a solid A/B student and rarely got in trouble. When she did it was usually from being on her phone or talking too much never stealing or anything of the sorts. Her parents would kill her if they found out. Hopefully they would believe her that this was a huge misunderstanding. If only she had her phone she could text for help. Why was no one coming for her? Hopefully someone called her parents..
She could see the security guard was frantically looking for a number. At this point she could only assume it was the number for the FBI. She desperately wanted this nasty sock out of her mouth and her ankle was killing her she couldn't tell if it was from the tape cutting into her or if she rolled it well she was being dragged like a piece of meat down the hall. She was so going to sue this mall when she got out of here this has to be cruel and unusual punishment! It has to be! She thought to herself. As soon as she got this nasty sock out of her mouth she was going to give him a piece of her mind. Ewwwwww ugh really!! She could tell he was adjusting himself behind the desk and taking way longer than needed. Was he really getting off from this. Gross! OMG stop playing with yourself and call the damn FBI you creep!!!! she was screaming in her head. She kept trying to push the sock out of her mouth but her jammed it in to tight her jaw was locked and killing her.
Ashley noticed her sweater was slipping down her shoulder a bit farther that she would like and he was really getting into it. She was flat out glaring at him trying to do whatever she could to stop this. It was only turning him on more and her sweater slid further down her shoulder when she tried to get out of the duct tape. The only thing she could do was sit there and watch as he got off watching her be his prisoner. When she got out of here she was going to destroy him. After what felt like eternity it seemed that he had satisfied his urges and proceeded to continue to look for the number for the FBI.
He dialed the number for the FBI and asked to speak to whoever was in charge of the Top 10 Most wanted list he had number three. He was patched through to Agent McCleary.
FBI Special Agent McCleary here
Um, yes I am the Officer at the Sanburg town mall and I have apprehended number three on the most wanted list Ashley Day.
You say you apprehended Ashley Day? She is considered armed and dangerous we would ask you not to engage with her.
Well it's too late, trust me shes not getting out of here. I promise to keep guard of her myself.
Alright sir, I'll send an Agent right over to pick up Ms. Day
McCleary knew the odds of Ashley Day being found in Sanburg were low. Last anyone heard she was headed to Mexico. It was clear who ever this rent a cop had was not going to be The Ashley Day. Her mother did live in the next town over so he couldn't risk letting her go but who knows crazier things have happened this is Indiana after all McCleary thought sarcastically to himself.
McCleary decided to go check it out himself the mall was about 35 minutes away and he needed to grab lunch anyways. He grabbed the file on Ashley Day and headed for his car. He got to the mall shortly after 1 PM and people were still chattering about the commotion as he cut through the food court looking for the security office. He grabbed a sample of orange chicken on his way by and made a b-line to the hallway the led back to "mall jail" as the kids called it.
McCleary knocked once and opened the door in case the situation had already escalated. He opened the door to the dimly lit office with small screens all over the right wall. The pungent smell of Male secretion, corn chips and mustard smacked him in the face and he instantly knew something wasn't right here. He saw the tattoo that Day was known to have on the poor girls shoulder but it was the wrong one and the only tattoo on her. McCleary had some suspicions but he needed to look this guy up and get this poor girl back to her parents before he bothered with him. It was better to let him think he won the prize than to put him on the defense.
McCleary decided to play it cool for now. He took the guards name, address and phone number for any rewards associated with tips leading to the aprehension of Ms. Ashley Day and began to cut Ashley free. When he knelt down next to her he whispered in her ear to wait to talk until he got her out of here after he got the sock out. She gave a quick nod of understanding.
A wave of relief washed over Ashley she was about to be saved and sure as hell didn't want to spend another minute around this creep. Once she was cut free and the sock was pulled out she managed to gather enough saliva to spit at her previous captor as she was led from the office. Agent McCleary was explaining to her that he wanted him to be kept off guard well they investigated the mall security guard something was off with him. He apologized and asked her to play along until they got to his vehicle.
As soon as they got in the car McCleary cut the zip ties. He explained to her that her tattoo matches that of a wanted killer named Ashley Day but it is on the wrong shoulder. Ashley told him everything that happened that day including behind the pervs desk. They went to the main FBI office to file an official report on the incident. McCleary got her number and her parents number in case her phone didn't turn up. He apologized again and thanked her for playing along. They were going to investigate the mall security guard and see if there were any charges they could file on him. He offered her a ride home with one of the agents and said he'd be in touch.
.......
Ashley woke up the next morning and turned on the news. The FBI had raided the security office overnight after running the security guards name and getting his full rap sheet. They found child porn on the mall computer and used it as evidence to raid his house early this morning. There was footage of the FBI knocking down his door, hauling him out followed by boxes of evidence, computers etc. He ended up with over 30 charges and is facing life in prison before tacking on the charges of false imprisonment and then the other 10 charges they slapped on him on Ashley's behalf. This guy was going away for good. Just then her doorbell rang. It was Shirley she had seen Ashley's phone fly out of her hand and grabbed it for her yesterday when everything happened. Ashley thanked her and checked her phone. There was a message from Agent McCleary saying "We got him he won't bother anyone ever again".
..........
A few weeks later Ashley was watching the news when she saw that they caught Ashley Day in Canada thanks to an anonymous tip. Turns out the flash at that shop was actually custom flash designed by one of their artists. With cooperation from Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the tattoo shop they were able to track her down. It turned out she had an appointment coming up with the tattoo shop and they were able to get her when she came in for it. If Ashley didn't go in and make the report where they were able to ask her about her tattoo design all the cracker bits Ashley Days had left for them leading to Mexico would have worked. Turns out she didn't go far after all.
Ashley put her new sunglasses on and headed out the door.....
© Terra Lent
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