CHAPTER 9
Package Thief
After a few hours, Dani was walking back home from Emma's house.
She stayed there with her friend talking and laughing about stuff that happened at school and at the party.
Emma was still very surprised by the way Dani handled the situation, claiming that she was both very intimidating yet calm at the same time which was very surprising, to say the least.
What happened last night was surely going to be a hot topic for school the next day.
After they hanged out for a while, Dani decided to leave once she checked the time. She didn't want Emily to start lunch without her.
The walk back home was surely going to work up her appetite.
After walking a few blocks, she arrives back home. She swipes her card at the building's main entrance and walks inside.
Daniela always loved entering the main lobby. It was large and spacious, with polished marbled floors and a cozy decorated.
Very nice and welcoming.
The main lobby was quiet and pretty much empty, with only a person or two entering and leaving the building. A normal sight inside the building.
Daniela decided to check the mailbox for any mail.
She was supposed to get it yesterday but forgot to check the mail yesterday since she arrived late last night.
She walks down the hallway where the mailboxes were and opens the box, revealing a few envelopes and a packet inside.
The girl takes out the mail and the package, wondering who's it was.
She reads the label, saying that it is for Mr. Adam Robinson, the neighbor that is on the main floor.
"They always get his address mixed up with ours," Dani mumbled.
It wasn't the first time that Mr. Robinson's package landed inside the wrong mailbox. Daniela assumed it was because his unit was A3 and Dani's unit was A13.
It's a common mistake that both she and Mr. Robinson was used to at this point.
"I'll just go give it to him. Hopefully, he is home," the girl told herself.
The teenager walks back to the main lobby and heads towards the other end of the hallway where Mr. Robinson's unit was in.
While walking, she is checking what else came in the mail. Most of it was in Emily's name, to be expected. Others were just a few junk mail.
The teenager wasn't paying attention to where she was going when all of a sudden she bumped into someone, causing her to drop the package and envelopes on the floor.
"Oh, shoots," the girl said when she saw the envelopes scattered on the floor.
She quickly kneels down and starts picking them up. She quickly glances at the person she bumped into. She noticed that it was a woman.
"I'm sorry, ma'am."
She finishes picking up the envelopes while the lady ducks down and picks up the package.
Daniela stands up and looks at the woman.
She quickly analyzes how the woman looks. She is tall, roughly 6ft in height.
Her shin was light white, almost pale which contrasted with her brunette hair. She looked like she was in her mid-fifties or early sixties, with a few visible wrinkles on her face and grey streaks on her hair.
She looked oddly familiar to someone but the teen didn't know from who.
She had on a nice pair of white heels, a grey skirt with a grey blazer combined with a nice dress shirt.
To top it off, the woman had a nice pearl necklace with an LV designer bag. Her outfit practically defined money and elegance.
"You should be more careful young lady," the woman said as she fixed her shirt.
"Yeah, sorry it was my fault," the girl sincerely said.
"I was distracted and didn't notice. I apologize," she says.
She then noticed that the woman wasn't alone. There was a younger man next to her. He was wearing a suit and had an earpiece on his right ear.
Dani recognized the earpiece and looked down at the side of his waist where a gun holster was tucked.
She assumed he was the woman's security guard.
The woman nods and looks at her.
"Say, young lady. What are you doing inside this building?"
"Oh. I live here," the girl responded.
"You live here?" The woman asked with skepticism.
"Yeah," Daniela answers slowly.
She felt rather off that she was being asked this question. She wasn't sure why she was being questioned by this lady.
"Huh. I don't know why but for some reason I don't believe you," the woman says while looking at the girl.
"Something looks... off."
Daniela narrows her eyes in confusion.
"I don't know what to tell you, mam. I live in this building," said the young girl.
"Otherwise why would I be here?"
"That's the same question I ask myself," the woman said while eying the girl.
"Yeah, I honestly don't know what to tell you. All I can say is that I do live here," Dani said, trying her best not to sound annoyed.
"Now if you excuse me, I need to get going," she said while pointing at the other side of the hallway.
"So if you could just hand over the package and I will be on my way," she said with a forced smile.
The lady glances down at the package and reads the shipping label.
"Hmm. Looks like this package belongs to a person named Adam Robinson," she says.
She looks back at the girl and frowns.
"You don't look like an Adam Robinson to me."
"That's because it isn't me. That package came into my mailbox by accident. I was on my way to return it when I bumped into you."
"Do I look foolish enough for you to think you can trick me?" The woman said with an offended tone.
"I think it's obvious what is happening here."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm almost certain that the reason you are inside this building is to take away what isn't yours."
"What?!" The girl exclaims. "Are you accusing me of stealing this?"
"It's pretty clear to me what you are doing, young lady," the woman said.
"You stole this packet and walked away before anyone noticed. If it wasn't for me, you probably would have taken more things."
"Mam, no offense or anything but you are wrong," Daniela told her.
"I live here. This is where I live. I didn't steal anything. I was simply trying to return it like I do every time a packet comes to the wrong address."
"If you truly live here then show me which unit you live in," the woman told her.
"What? Why?" Dani asks while raising her hands.
She couldn't believe that a random person was questioning her about where she lives. It was ridiculous in the girl's eyes.
"I'm not showing you anything."
"And the reason you are not showing me is that I am right. You don't live here."
"That's not the case," Dani states.
"The reason I'm not showing you is that I don't want to show a couple of strangers where I live. That's not cool."
"You are just making yourself more suspicious than you already are," the woman states.
Dani takes a deep breath and sighs, trying to calm her anger. It frustrated her that a random woman was accusing her of something that she didn't do.
Why is this woman making such a big deal?
"Okay, mam. You know what. I honestly don't feel like fighting or anything of that sort. Just please give me the package so I can go on with my day," she says .
She reaches out for the package that the woman was holding. All of the sudden, her arm was yanked by the man who was next to her.
"Don't you dare touch her," the man told the girl, holding her arm with a firm grip.
"What the hell is wrong with you guys? All I want to do is go home!" The girl exclaims.
"You won't be going home, little girl," the woman told her.
"I will be calling a good friend of mine. He is a police officer. He will know what to do with thieves like you," the woman said as she reached for her phone inside her designer bag.
"You are making a mistake," Dani said, trying to get off the man's grip.
"Quiet child. You have no idea who you are talking to."
"Neither do you."
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About ten minutes later, Daniela was still in the main lobby with the lady and her security guard.
They were all sitting in the waiting area, with the man sitting right next to the girl in order to make sure that she doesn't escape.
The woman was on her phone while Dani was just sitting while bouncing her leg.
The girl was feeling a strong combination of emotions.
She was annoyed and angry about what was happening. It was absolutely insane how a random stranger just stopped her and accused her of stealing.
It was probably the most random interaction she has had with a stranger.
A stranger who out of the blue started to question why she was inside the building.
Inside my own fucking building! All I was doing was minding my own business and this woman somehow thinks she has the right to question me?
Most importantly, Dani was confused. She was wondering why the hell this was happening.
How bold this woman was to just start randomly accusing her of something like this.
This whole thing was just dumb.
Yes, of course. The girl can just walk out and completely ignore this but there were a few problems.
On one side, the woman's bodyguard was not going to allow that. The man looked strong and fast so he could easily catch up to her.
Not counting the gun he had on his holster. The woman also said that a cop was on his way.
If she were to walk out that would just make her look more suspicious.
It wasn't like she had a choice.
It was a teenager's word against a rich woman's word. Daniela knows she was at a disadvantage.
Dani then noticed that a police car pulled up in the front of the building.
She rubs her face, preparing herself mentally for whatever was going to happen next.
The police officer steps out of the vehicle and heads inside the building.
The woman stands up and walks towards the entrance, greeting the officer while Dani remains in her seat.
The teen was watching as both adults were chatting at the entrance. From the looks of it, it looked like they were well aquatinted.
They were both smiling and talking in a well-mattered way. Opposite of how the woman was treating her.
Part of her was wondering what exactly was the woman telling the officer.
Once they were done talking, both adults headed inside the lobby walking towards the teen.
Dani sits up and straightens her shirt as she looked up at them.
"Good afternoon young lady. I'm deputy Cooper," the officer introduces himself. "What's your name?"
"Dani. I'm Daniela Hernandez," the girl replies.
"So Dani, any reason why you thought it was right to steal?" He asked while tilting his head.
"I didn't steal anything officer. This is a mistake," the girl said.
"I was just going to leave the package back to Mr. Robinson. I never intended to rob anything."
"I'm pretty sure she is lying officer. She had the packet and was acting so hostile when telling me to give it to her," the woman interjected.
"She even tried to snatch it away from me, almost violently."
"What? I never did that? This woman is crazy!" The teen exclaims while standing up.
"I never did that. All I wanted was to get the package when your 'shadow' over here grabbed my arm," she says, pointing at the woman's security.
"That was because you were about to knock me over," said the woman to the girl.
"What?! That's a lie and you know it!" Dani calls out, walking closer to the woman.
She was at her tipping point. It was crazy enough that the woman was accusing her of stealing.
Now she has to deal with false claims of supposed aggression.
The teenager was losing her cool.
"Alright alright! That's enough!" The officer exclaims.
"Ms. Hernandez, I now ask that you back off from her and turn around with your hands behind your back."
Dani looks at the officer with a confused face.
"What do you mean hands behind my back? Are you going to put cuffs on me?"
"Yes, that is exactly what I will do. So now I will tell you a second time. Back off and put your hands behind your back."
Daniela takes a deep breath and nods slowly. She slowly takes a few steps away from the woman and complies with the officer.
The officer then walks towards her and takes out his handcuffs, locking her wrist.
"Do you have something on you? Drugs or weapons?" He asked while slightly patting down her sides.
"No. All I have is my keys and wallet," the girl states with an eye roll.
Once the officer was done, he told Dani to sit back on the couch where she was sitting before.
The girl does what she is told and sits.
"So am I being arrested or detained?" She asked bluntly.
"You know the difference?" The officer asked back while taking out a notepad.
"Yeah. And before you say anything, I know because I was taught that in school not because I'm used to this or something," she stated.
It was true, she did learn that from school. Dani was glad to know that she was paying attention during her government class.
But it still bothered her that she had to use that information in this type of situation.
"I see," the officer said. "How about you show me an ID? Do you have one with you?"
"I just have a school one. I turned fifteen just a few months back. I still can't get a permit," Daniela replied.
"Where is the ID?"
"In my wallet that is in my left pocket," the girl answered while nodding her head at her front left pocket.
Officer Cooper nods and walks towards the teen, reaching inside her pocket for her wallet.
The officer examines the ID, holding it in his hands.
"Benjamin High School, huh? Most kids in this area go to private schools such as Marret."
"I never knew that it was illegal to go to a public school instead of a private one," the girl responded in annoyance.
"It isn't. I just find it odd that you go there," he told the girl.
"Now tell me, do you want to spill out the truth of why you had a package that wasn't yours? This time I want the truth, Daniela."
"Carajos, Hombre! I already told you the truth! It was in my mailbox. I was trying to return it like always! What else do you want me to say?" Daniela said while clenching her fist in annoyance.
The girl was angry and at this point, she didn't bother to hide her emotions.
"People like her don't live in this area. I think you and I know that officer Cooper," the woman told him.
"They belong in a less... enriched area."
"People like me? What do you mean people like me?" Daniela asked, narrowing her eyes at the woman.
"Are you talking about people who have the same skin color as me or something?"
The woman looks at her and scoffs in disbelief. "What are you trying to insinuate?"
"What do you think?" Dani asked back. She sits up and looks at the woman directly to her eyes.
"I think the reason why you stopped and called the cops on me was that I don't look like the rest of the people who live over here."
"Oh come on now. Don't pull out the race card on me," the woman said with an eye roll.
"I'm not pulling the race card. I'm pulling out the truth card."
The officer steps in and intervenes in the conversation.
"Alright, that's enough. Daniela, I'm pretty sure you have no idea who you are talking to. This woman is no one other than the ambas-"
"Listen. I don't care who she is. All I know that she stopped me for no reason and blatantly assumed that I don't live here," the girl shot back.
"News flash. No one can enter this building without having the entrance card or someone letting you in. I have a card just like the rest of the people over here and that's how I got in."
The officer looks at the girl and then back at the woman.
"Mam. I'll take care of this from here. You can go on with your day. Sorry for the disturbance."
"No problem officer. I'm glad I could help," the woman replied to the officer with a smile.
She hands the package to him and looks down at the girl who was still sitting with handcuffs.
"Espero que reflexiones tus acciones cuando estes encerrada niña. Tus padres te debieron enseñar mejor," she told her as she left the lobby and out the building with her bodyguard behind.
Daniela just sighed as she watched her leave. It wasn't even worth dealing with her anymore.
The woman brought her into this mess and now she has to dig herself out.
She just hopes she never gets to see her again.
As the officer started to question Daniela, she spots a middle-aged man walking down the hall.
He had on casual clothes with a fedora hat. Daniela knew exactly who it was.
"Mr. Robbinson! Mr. Robinson!" she called out to the man. Mr. Robinson looks up and smiles.
"Can you come here for a sec?" she asked him.
Mr. Robinson nods and walks towards her and the officer, completely unaware of what was happening.
"Hey, Daniela. What can I do for you?" he asked her.
He then realized that the teenager was handcuffed with the officer right next to her.
"Uhh. What's going on? Why are you in handcuffs?"
"Sir, do you know who she is?" Officer Cooper asked him.
"Why of course I do. She's my neighbor who lives directly upstairs from my unit," Mr. Robinson answered.
Daniela turned around and faced the officer.
"See. I told you that I live here." She turns back and looks at Mr. Robinson.
"What's happening is that I was on my way to give your package back to you since it was accidentally placed in my mailbox just like I do each time that happens."
"This lady out of nowhere started accusing me of stealing it and well... now I'm here," she said, slouching on the couch.
"Oh, I see," the man said.
Mr. Robinson then directs his attention towards the officer.
"Officer, this is all a misunderstanding. You see, I have a similar unit number with Daniela's so sometimes the mailman mistakenly puts my mail in her mailbox."
"She is always kind enough to give it back to me when this happens just like today."
"So you confirm that this is your package and that Daniela is in fact your neighbor?" the officer asks while handing over the package to Mr. Robinson.
Mr. Robinson checks the package label and nods.
"This is certainly mine," he confirms.
"I'm sorry for the confusion that this has caused. I never meant for this to happen," he apologized to Dani.
"None of this was your fault, Mr. Robinson," Dani assured him.
"I have to go now. Again, I apologize for the inconvenience to both of you," Mr. Robinson said and then left, leaving only the officer and Dani alone in the main lobby.
Dani sits up and looks back at Officer Cooper with a smirk.
"So I believe I can go on about my day? Clearly, you have no other reason to keep me."
"Don't get all cocky with me. I still need to talk with your parents," officer Cooper told her, clearly annoyed.
"What? Why?" Dani practically exclaims. "Can you at least take out the cuffs?"
"Because I have to, okay? I'll take out the cuffs later. It's not like they are killing you or something," he told her.
"Now, who do you live with? Your mom or dad in order to know who I have to call."
"I live with neither. I'm a foster."
"Huh, a foster? I wouldn't be surprised if this wasn't your first time being detained. You all are known for causing trouble and become future criminals," He commented.
Dani just looked at him with a frown. Of course, he would mention the stigma that fosters become criminals.
If she weren't cuffed, she would have flipped him off by now.
"So who are your foster parents?" the officer asked while taking out his writing pad.
"That would be me," said a female voice approaching them.
Both Dani and the officer turn around where they heard the voice coming from.
They saw Emily and Tara walking towards them. Both of them had a rather serious and almost angry facial expression.
Dani wasn't sure whether to be relieved or worried to see them right now.
She has rarely seen Emily this serious. The only times she has is when the girl got in trouble or anything of that sort.
That is when she knew she screwed up big time.
Oh man, I'm fucked, the girl thought to herself.
Emily stood in front of the girl as the officer was telling her something but she completely ignored him.
Instead, she knelt down in front of the girl and looked at her.
Dani was so confused and initially thought that Emily was angry about why the girl was being detained.
She knew she was about to get scolded about all of this situation and Dani didn't know what to do or say.
She just drifted her eyes away from the agent and looked down on the floor, scared of looking at her directly.
No, she wasn't scared of Emily herself. Emily never gave her a reason to be afraid of her.
Not like other fosters did.
The only reason Daniela was scared to look at her was that she was afraid to look at Emily's disappointment towards her.
The teenager hated the feeling of being a burden to the woman who has done nothing but care for her.
"E-Emily I... I swear tha- that I," the girl couldn't think of anything to say.
She didn't know how to explain to her what was happening and why. Her anxiety wasn't helping her either.
"I didn't mean to-"
The teenager stops talking when she sees Emily reaching for her. The girl flinches, closing her eyes and expecting some sort of strike.
Again, it's not that Emily has ever hit her. She would never do that. It was just an involuntary reflex.
Both Emily and Tara noticed this. With both of them being profilers and Tara having a background rich in psychology, it wasn't hard to spot such a reflex.
They both knew it had to do with something from the girl's past but they weren't exactly sure what happened.
All they could infer right now is that Daniela didn't land in the best homes before Emily.
Maybe in one of the homes, she got hurt.
The thought of someone hurting Daniela made both of their stomach twinge, especially Emily's.
She would have to talk about this with Daniela soon but for now, she wanted to solve this.
The agent gently cupped the girl's cheek with her hand, silently begging the girl to look at her.
Dani slowly raises her head, meeting Emily's gaze. Emily smiles at her, surprising the teenager who initially thought that the woman was mad at her.
"Hey, are you okay Dan?" the woman asks, clearly worried about her.
"Y-yeah. I'm fine," the girl responds. "Emily, I swear I didn't do anything. I just-"
"Shh, It's alright. You don't have to explain anything," Emily calmed the girl.
"I know what happened. Mr. Robinson told us when we arrived at the parking lot. This is all a mistake," Emily told the teen.
The man told both Emily and Tara what happened just when they got out of the car.
Emily was so confused about why they had Daniela detained, especially after the fact that Mr. Robinson confirmed that Dani was not stealing.
Both agents went rushing to the main lobby, leaving behind their carryout bags they brought for lunch.
Emily leans forward, placing a kiss on the girl's forehead, and smiles.
"Don't worry. I'll handle this."