Page 11 of In the Line of Ire

"It's adifferent kind of theft problem. At least, I think it is. I'm notcompletely sure. Two stores were accused of selling counterfeitproducts. When I spoke to the store managers, they both swore upand down they would never sell anything that wasn't fullylegitimate. The customers, however, told a different story and Idon't know whom to believe. I trust my tenants and their employees,but I have no reason to doubt the shoppers’ credibility. Neitherseem to be running a scam but someone is definitely ripping offauthentic merchandise."

"Wouldthis merchandise include high-end purses?" I asked.

Samanthagulped. "Word is already out? I was afraid of that."

"We onlyare aware of the matter because I bought my wife a gift yesterdayand she knew it was counterfeit immediately," said Solomon. "Iplanned to return it this afternoon and demand restitution plus anexplanation."

"Mysister also bought a purse yesterday." I handed the shopping bag toSamantha. "This is the purse she bought. I can guarantee she wouldnever participate in any scam and would never knowingly buy a fakepurse. She wouldn't even carry one if she suspected it might befake. My husband and my sister are two honest, legitimate customerswho got ripped off. That suggests a problem with the stores, notthe customers."

Samanthaunwrapped the bag and lifted out the purse. She inspected it,frowning. "I'm not a collector of brand name bags or designerpurses," she admitted, almost apologetically. "So I'm not exactlysure what I should be looking for."

"Mostpeople can’t tell one from another either but any experienced salesclerk in a high-end store should know their inventory and possiblyeven undergone brand training. There are several 'tells' thatdistinguish legitimate products from counterfeit items. On thispurse, for example, you can smell the scent of the leather is allwrong, the stamp here should actually be a small piece of hardwarewith the designer name engraved on it, and the stitching is verypoor quality. See where the stitching has frayed at thehandle?"

"Yes, Ican see that," agreed Samantha, inspecting it more closely. "Arethe dust bag and box also fakes?"

"No,they're real so far as I can tell. So is the receipt. It's still inthe bag."

Samanthareached for the receipt and her eyebrows shot up. "I can see whyyour sister isn't thrilled," she said. "I would be very upset afterspending that much money and not getting what I paidfor."

"Arethere others who were similarly duped?" asked Solomon.

"Threeso far, that I know of," said Samantha. "All in the past week.Based on the evidence you already have and the three that I knowabout, this smells like a scam but I'm unsure how and where theproblem originates. I'm afraid that if more counterfeit productshave already been sold, our reputation will be criticallydamaged."

"How didyou learn about the three others?" I asked.

"Theymade written complaints to the mall after the stores adamantlyrefused to refund their money or replace the purses. Naturally,those complaints eventually came to me. It seemed unusual to havethree separate people protesting over two stores although I didn'tdismiss the idea of collusion with each other. I approached thestore managers and they insisted they would never do anythingwrong, saying it must be a scam on the purchasing end. Theysuggested the three customers were in on it together. I took theliberty of asking the customers to leave their purchases with mewhile I reviewed their claims," she added, indicating the bags ather feet.

"I'veheard of that before," I said. "Someone buys something, thenreturns it for the money or a new product. Women used to do thatbefore the stores tightened up their security. It was like rentinga dress for the night, leaving the label intact, and returning itthe following day to get a full refund. Or they might buy a goodproduct, and return a defective identical one in its place, keepingboth the good product and the money."

Samanthanodded. "That used to happen in the past, but it's very difficultto do now. Our employees inspect clothes and goods for any signsthat they have been worn or used."

"If itweren't for my sister-in-law and I both purchasing counterfeitpurses at the same mall and so closely together, I would look intothat theory," said Solomon, "but neither of us are in it foranything. Like Lexi, I'll vouch for her sister too. No, there'ssomething else going on."

"Can youfind out if it's one of the store employees? Or someone else at themall? I really hope it isn't any of them," said Samantha. "I hateto think of a criminal operating like that. I hope it turns out tobe a mistake with the suppliers. The customers are thoroughlyconvinced they were shown the real purses at the store and whenthey left, they took home a fake."

"We canfind out. I'd like to get inside the stores as soon as possible. Ifthe customers are already making public complaints, and someone atthe mall is behind the scam, they'll get tipped off quickly andshut down operations. I'd like to take a look around before thathappens," said Solomon.

"You cancome after closing time tonight," said Samantha. "The mall will beempty except for night security. If they're involved somehow, itmight be better if you came disguised as someone with a legitimatereason to be there."

"Wouldpotential renters of a store be legitimate enough?" Iasked.

"Yes,but I assume you'll want access to some of the occupied units. Forsecurity reasons I have keys to every unit but it'd be strange if Iasked to access them without a good reason. I don't think thecurrent renters of the units will accept potential interest in aneighboring unit as a viable explanation."

"Leaveit with us," said Solomon. "We'll come up withsomething."

~

"Terrific," I said as I rolled up the legs of the blackutility suit Solomon gave me before checking my reflection in themall window.

"Youlook so cute," said Solomon.

"Youlook like a kid on some kind of work experience program," saidDelgado. “Or community service.”

Thethree of of us stood at the side entrance of the mall where themanagerial offices were situated while Solomon pressed the buzzeragain.

"Ha-ha."I rolled up the second leg and pushed up the sleeves so they didn'tcover my hands. Solomon generously provided us with overalls thatread "City Pest Control" emblazoned across the back as well as theleft chest pocket. Both his and Delgado's suit fit correctly.Unfortunately, my suit was made for a man their size, and the legsand arms were way too long while the body was too loose and baggy.Solomon refused to let me diminish that look by teaming it with awide belt because he deemed it "unprofessional."

"Youcouldn't have found us better costumes for the ruse?" Iasked.

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