Characters: Sketchbook Assignment 3

I was in the library noticing an unusual amount of security officers milling about, and then the chief joined them. "Something's up," I observed to the colleagues at my table. We watched as the plain-clothes detective, wearing his badge as a necklace, joined them, and a strange figure, all in white, was escorted to a table behind a glass wall. "A plain-clothes cop means only one thing," I said, as if I knew what I was talking about, "Drugs." The white-clad figure, wearing a hat like the one pictured above, was questioned at the table behind the glass. Was he or she purposely seated with his or her back to us so that we couldn't see who it was? If so, this was effective as we couldn't even tell if this was a him or a her. Our group dispersed before the interrogation was over, so we never found out much besides (through the grapevine) that the white-attired person was selling pills.

Here's what I think went down: I think the interrogated one is part of a large drug ring operating in the Pennsylvania countryside and parts of Delaware. This group specializes in prescription drugs, obtained illegally, and the various salespeople find a good market in public places at college campuses, suburban shopping malls, and sports arenas. Periodically they have sales meetings, not in conference rooms, but in less-popular mall restaurants in-between the lunch and dinner rushes when there is less of a chance to be overheard.

Our particular perpetrator is transgender, able to switch between male and female with amazing agility to evade the authorities. From the back this person seemed to have no gender, but from the front the interrogators were probably able to discern whichever profile the perpetrator wished to put forth. Although eyewitnesses in the library claimed to have witnessed the white-attired figure selling pills, a search yielded no evidence that this person had pills of any sort upon their person.

Nonetheless, a search did produce an unusual amount of bills (mostly tens and twenties) that seemed to be shoved carelessly in the pockets of the white garments. This might indicate to some that the alleged perpetrator could have been peddling pills and sliding the money out of view hastily, but, as anyone who pays with cash will attest, we are frequently handed our change (bills with coins atop), a receipt and often coupons, as well as our parcel in one motion with a robotic "Thank you." Maybe with four hands we could put this all away neatly, but with only two at best we are forced to jam the bills into pockets and purses as quickly as possible so the next customer may step up.

We weren't born yesterday. (We watch Law & Order.)We know the white-clad figure probably was selling substance, but without more conclusive evidence there was nothing to book them on. They were set free, just in time to make this week's sales meeting at the local mall.