Derek glanced toward Patricia, who looked away. "We believed there was a security concern. The attendant behaved aggressively, and—"
"Nadine," Terrence interrupted, "is the woman who cares for my mother every day. She came here to help her shop safely. If you have evidence of theft or a threat, give it to the officers. If you don't, stop inventing reasons for what happened."
His voice remained low, but there was no room in it for further performance. Derek tried to speak again. Terrence raised one hand, not to silence him forever, but to keep the conversation focused. "I have not come here to hold a trial on the sales floor. The police will determine whether an offense occurred, and our investigators will determine what employment action is appropriate. But nobody is going to pretend that a misunderstanding explains someone striking my mother."
He turned to Bell and Morales. "Has she been charged with anything?"
"No, sir," Bell answered. "We're taking statements and reviewing evidence. Several witnesses have recordings, and we've requested the store's surveillance footage."
"Then I would like to make sure her allegation of assault is formally documented. I also want Nadine's statement recorded, including the shove she described. We will cooperate fully with your investigation and preserve all relevant material."
Morales nodded. "That's appropriate. We'll make sure both women have an opportunity to give their statements, and we'll explain what happens next."
Terrence thanked her. He did not ask her to arrest Derek on the spot or treat the store as an extension of corporate authority. He knew enough about investigations to understand the difference between expecting accountability and demanding an outcome before the facts were fully reviewed. He wanted the process to hold up when no one was standing under chandeliers and every word had to be supported by evidence.
Derek attempted a different approach. "Sir, I'm terribly sorry. You must understand, we have a difficult job here. We see people trying to take advantage of luxury stores all the time. I would never have spoken to your mother that way if I had recognized her."
Willa looked up sharply at that. Her son noticed. "That's the trouble, Derek," Terrence said. "You think recognizing her would have changed the rules. They were never supposed to change based on a name, a face, a blouse, or a wheelchair."
He let the words settle before continuing. "If another woman came through those doors tomorrow looking exactly like my mother, without her history or her resources, would you treat her any differently than you did today?"
Derek stared at the floor. He had no answer that did not sound like a confession. His silence was not proof of everything Terrence feared, but it was enough to make the question impossible to ignore. Willa had spent her life trying to build a business in which that question never needed to be asked.
Terrence turned to Patricia. "You told the police there was a suspected theft. What did you see?"