"A place as big as Harborview House—you think we need to scam you out of a few bucks?"
"You try to eat for free and act like we're the problem!"
I ignored her. "Give me an invoice," I said, voice flat and cold.
"And pull up the payment code."
My phone was already recording. Every second I dragged this out was another second closer to the police walking through that door.
Janet was clearly prepared. She snapped her fingers at someone behind her. "Two hundred thousand for one bill, twenty thousand for the other. Two hundred and twenty thousand total."
"Pay up."
She shot me a satisfied look as she said it.
I kept my face calm, picked up my phone, and opened the payment screen.
Just as I was about to scan the code, the door to the private room swung open and several police officers walked in.
"We received a report. Which one of you is Ms. Lucille Dickerson?"
They looked around the room and asked immediately.
I visibly let out a breath of relief.
I turned. Janet's face had already gone white.
I didn't spare her another glance. I raised my hand and called out, "Officer, that's me!"
"And I'm not just reporting extortion."
"They held us against our will."
"And they tried to rob us."