Power Play, chapter 10

Driving to the mall, Elizabeth tried to stay calm. Painful questions were whirling around in her mind. Was Jessica shoplifting after all? Were she and Lila in on it together? Were they covering for each other?

She zipped into the mall parking lot and stopped near Lila Fowler's car. Lila had been standing beside it, pacing back and forth anxiously. Immediately she came running over to Elizabeth, her face grim. She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue.

"Liz, what are we going to do?"

Elizabeth got out of the car. "Where's Jessica?"

"They've got her in there." Lila pointed unhelpfully in the general direction of the mall.

"Who's got her?"

"The detectives-the security people!"

"Lila, please calm down. Tell me what happened."

"You've got to get her out of there, Liz. I-I can't stay."

"What?"

"You handle it, Liz. I've got to get home." Lila put her hand to her forehead and looked away from Elizabeth.

"You're not going anywhere, Lila Fowler," snapped Elizabeth. "Let's get that straight right now!" Lila broke down completely then, slumping against the car and hiding her face. "I didn't know Jessie was taking things-I swear I didn't!"

"What did she take?"

"I don't know," Lila said, straightening up. "We just walked in today, and the next thing I knew two men walked up and grabbed her."

"You mean she hadn't taken anything? They just arrested her?"

"Yes! They said they've been waiting for her to come back-that she'd stolen things earlier."

Elizabeth felt a fury rising inside of her as she suddenly understood what had happened. The salesclerk at Lisette's had been watching for her, not Jessica.

"Oh, no! They wanted me!"

"You, Elizabeth? You've been taking things, too?"

Elizabeth fought the urge to grab Lila and shake her mercilessly. What a total, absolute mess! she screamed to herself. Why didn't I remember to warn Jessica to stay away from the mall? Jessica wouldn't steal. I'm sure of that.

"Lila, stop it, and listen to me! I know the truth."

Lila Fowler looked away and started twisting the tissue. "What do you mean?"

"I saw you steal a bracelet one day."

"A-bracelet?"

"Oh Lila, stop it! You've been lifting things from the mall!"

"What are you talking about, Elizabeth Wakefield?"

"Come off it, Lila."

Lila tried desperately for an air of outraged dignity. "My father is the richest man in Sweet Valley. He can buy me anything. I may even go study in Paris. I-"

"Lila, forget it. I said I saw you!"

"You ... did?"

"Yes. You walked out with a gold bracelet. And you've been giving Jessie things: a scarf, earrings, and I don't know what else."

Lila began to cry. The richest girl in Sweet Valley completely lost her composure and hid her face in her hands. "Oh, Liz, I'm so ashamed."

"But why, Lila? Why would you do such a crazy thing?"

"I don't know."

"Your father can buy you these things, can't he?"

"Yes, but that's all."

"What do you mean, 'that's all'?"

Lila wiped at the tears on her face. She looked over to the parking lot, and when she began to talk, it was with a bitterness Elizabeth had never heard before.

"You and Jessica are lucky. Your father spends time with you. And your mother, too. My mother took off right after the divorce, and I never see my father, even though we're supposed to be living in the same house. He's always too busy. Flying off to New York, to Paris, to Japan, or working late."

"He's a very important man, Lila."

"Sure! Big deal! When I was in Pippin at school last year, where was he? I'm a cheerleader, but he's never seen me at a game."

"Is that why you were stealing, Lila? To get his attention?"

"I don't know-maybe. But now I realize I can't ever let him know what I've done. You've got to get me out of this, Liz."

Elizabeth shook her head, wondering why she was always the one people turned to when things got tough. "Why me, Lila? I can't wave a magic wand and make everything all better!"

"Because you're the only one I can trust, Liz. You won't spread it all over. You're the only true friend I have."

Elizabeth wanted to remind her about Jessica, but what was the point?

"Come on. We've got to go in there and tell them the truth, Lila."

Lila shrank back in terror. "No! They'll tell my father!"

"You want Jessie to take the blame?"

"You'll get her out of it, Liz."

"On your feet! Let's go!"

Reluctantly, Lila walked toward the mall, pleading and crying every step of the way.

"Listen," Lila said, dragging Elizabeth into a corner just inside the mall. "I'll tell the truth, but can we at least fix it so my father doesn't have to know? I'll pay them, Liz. You can tell them I'll make it worth their while. Just keep my father out of it."

"Sorry, Lila." Elizabeth stood firm, though she felt pity for the desperate girl. "You've got to tell your father. But before we do anything else, we've got to get Jessica out of there."

"Elizabeth, promise me one thing? Please? Oh, you have to!"

"What is it?"

"Promise?"

"If I can."

"Never, never, never tell Jessica about this. Or anybody else."

"How can I get her out if I don't tell the security people in the mall?"

"Well, if you have to-tell them. But not Jessica."

Elizabeth sighed and escorted a tearful Lila Fowler through the mall, past Lisette's, and toward the door marked Mall Security.

When she walked in, she heard Jessica's heartrending sobs and immediately felt like crying herself. For once in her life, Jessica was being tormented for something she hadn't done.

"Jessica!" Elizabeth called out.

"Liz! Liz!" Through a door and down a corridor Jessica raced, terrified, weeping, and frightened half out of her mind. She rushed into her sister's arms and hung on for dear life. "Thank God you're here!"

Right behind her came a sturdy matron and two large men, all wearing brown uniforms with gold badges and the words Mall Security stitched across their jacket pockets.

"No, you don't," the matron yelled, grabbing Jessica's wrist.

"Don't lose her," said a mall guard, moving forward aggressively.

"It's OK-I got her," said the matron. Then, staring at Elizabeth, she continued, "I think."

Stepping back for a moment, she studied Jessica from head to toe. "This is the one," said the matron. "She was wearing those Jordache jeans."

The next second, there was a bustle at the door and in walked the salesclerk from Lisette's.

"I see you picked up my little shoplifter," she said, pointing to Elizabeth.

"Not that one-this one," said the matron.

The salesclerk looked from one to the other and back again. "Lord in heaven," she gasped. "It's a regular gang!"

Jessica began crying uncontrollably again. "Liz, please tell them I'm not a shoplifter! I didn't take anything."

"Listen," said Elizabeth, "she's telling the truth."

"I saw her in the mall twice before this," the salesclerk said.

"Did you see her take anything?"

"She walked away, and the next minute I saw a bracelet was missing. And she was here another time before that."

"That was me," said Elizabeth. "Both times."

Jessica stopped crying and looked up, stunned. "Lizzie-you?"

The matron dropped Jessica's wrist and grabbed hold of Elizabeth's.

"I told you it was this one," said the salesclerk. "It's those shifty eyes."

"Oh, stop it," said Elizabeth. "I didn't steal anything either."

The salesclerk's eyes narrowed as she moved closer to Elizabeth. "Oh, so I suppose nobody stole over six hundred dollars worth of imports from my shop?"

Jessica gasped. "Six hundred dollars!"

"I think I can clear this up for you," said Elizabeth. "But you've got to let my sister go. She's totally innocent-I swear."

"OK, but if she goes, you stay," said the suspicious salesclerk.

"Jess, I want you to wait in the car for me," said Elizabeth. "And keep this to yourself."

"Oh, thank you, Liz. Come on, Lila."

"Lila will stay with me," Elizabeth said.

"Oh," said Jessica. "Well-OK. Fine. I'll see you." And without even a quick look around, Jessica was gone, not in the least bit interested in anything but her own freedom.

The sturdy matron moved a chair over in front of the door, put it down, and sat, waiting. The guard moved in front of the other door and crossed his burly arms, waiting. The salesclerk from Lisette's paced the floor, watching, waiting.

"Well?" said the guard at last.

"Lila, haven't you got something to tell these people?" Elizabeth prodded.

Lila Fowler took two steps away from the wall, opened her mouth to speak, and fainted onto the floor.