“… we're going to take the sweater to see if it matches the stolen one.”

“…You’re going to stay here with me while my partner goes back to the store to see if that sweater matches the one shoplifted from them.”

Lucy blushed but nodded slowly, a tentative wave of relief washing over her as she tried to reassure herself that this misunderstanding would be sorted out, “Ok…”

The car window to Lucy’s right suddenly jerked into life, sliding down a few inches as the female officer nodded to her in the rear-view mirror. Outside the window the male cop stood leaning against the car.

“Alright, just hand the offending garment to my partner and he can take it back to check it out.”

Lucy froze, “W-what? I can’t… you can’t…”

“Officers, during the course of their duties, have the power to seize suspected stolen goods; if you’re telling the truth and it is your sweater, it will be returned to you,” The female cop stated simply, like she was reciting something she’d practiced a thousand times, “Or we can forcibly remove it from you.”

“C-can you just drive me to the store- when they see me they’ll know it wasn’t m-”

The cop cut her off, “Right, you want us to drive all the way around to the whole other side of campus, at rush hour – when my partner can cut back through much faster on foot? Don't try to delay the inevitable…”

Lucy shook her head wildly in pleading, “N-no, you don’t understand please… I…” she glanced up at the crack in the window painfully aware of the eavesdropping male officer and then leaned forward, lowering her voice, “I’m not… I’m not wearing anything else.”

Lucy felt her cheeks burning brighter pink as she squirmed uncomfortably in place.

“Well I’m afraid that’s your own fault,” The female officer turned in her seat to stare directly at Lucy, “and it's going to seem to my partner like you're just wasting our time...”

“I’m not… please… y-y-you can’t expect me to…”

The female cop rolled her eyes, “That you decided that sweater would be adequate as an entire outfit when you stole it is on you. The only one to see you will be me and as a female officer I have the same power to strip search you anyway. It’s nothing I haven’t seen before. The rear windows are tinted.”

Lucy sat back in horror, glancing at the windows either side of her. They didn’t look tinted to her, but she knew from the inside she couldn’t tell. She was sure people were still looking in at her as they walked and drove past – maybe they were just trying to see in but couldn’t? The brunette shuddered with anxiety; she couldn’t hand over the last of her clothes – the last of her possessions - and sit naked in the back of a police car… could she?

Lucy mewled, **** for a way out of this awful situation, she never in her worst nightmares could’ve imagined a day going any worse for her than this one had.

“D-do you have a blanket or something?” She pleaded quietly.

“Does this look like a goodwill?” The female cop snorted, making it clear Lucy wouldn’t get anything else. Though after a moment she paused, her tone softening, “Look. If your story is true this'll be over in half an hour - it might be embarrassing but the alternative is jail ok? So, be smart and just hand it to my partner...”