The young man answered the phone promptly, “Good afternoon, Armstrong, Bennet, Dashwood, and Zinski. … Yes, please hold while I connect you with her office.” He put the caller on hold and punched in an extension.
“Ms. O'Ceallaigh, call for you on line five.”
“Thanks, Sam.”
The pale woman connected to line five, “Sharon O'Ceallaigh, how may I help you.”
“I'm the manager at Big Value Grocery. I've got two girls here who--”
“One with red hair, one with dark green?”
“Yes.”
“I've never seen them before in my life. They aren't mine.”
“Uh, lady, how did you… I mean, if you know their hair color wouldn't that--”
“I have witnesses who will testify I never met either of them. The skin color is simply circumstantial evidence.”
“But… But…”
“Okay, okay. They're mine. What did they do this time? Do I have to go down to the jail and bail them out again?”
“No, there was no crime they just--”
“They're drunk again, aren't they?”
The manager gave the two girls sitting in his office a look of horror. They appeared to be about eleven. He felt a little sympathy for them, clearly having a mother who was a madwoman. On the other hand, it seemed odd that she worked for one of the best law firms in the city.
Kasy and Sheki looked at each other and grinned broadly as the manager tried to carry on a rational conversation. Based on his reaction Eemah was in good form.
“Look, I'm on my way,” Shego assured him, “you aren't allowed to use electro-shock or hang them until I get there.”
Shego apologized on the way out, fortunately other staff had children and understood family crises.
Once at Big Value Shego's years with Drakken paid off as she smiled and nodded without listening to a word the manager said. “And what do you think would be an appropriate punishment?” she asked as he wound down.
“Banned from the store for life!” he replied.
“I'm sure it was a youthful indiscretion. How about they aren't allowed back for six months? You wouldn't want to lose my family's business, would you?”
“Well, no. I guess that--”
“Thanks awfully,” Shego shouted back as she hustled the girls out of the office and herded them towards the door.
Once out at the car the older woman demanded, “Okay, girls. What happened? I don't want accusations I want the truth.”
“It was Sheki's idea.”
“No it wasn't, it was your idea!”
“No--”
“No,” Shego interrupted. “No accusations. I'm holding you both equally culpable. You can't change that. What happened?”
“Well, we were playing Marco Polo in the store--”
“Marco Polo?”
“It's this game, one of us says 'Marco' and the other one goes 'Polo' and--”
“I know the game.”
“Really?”
Shego sighed, “I'm not that ancient. Your grandparents probably played it. Only it's a game you play in the pool. How do you play it in the grocery store?”
“Well, you told us to pick up a few things on our way home from school. So Kasy suggested--”
“Did not!”
“Did too!”
“Finish the story. I blame you both.”
“Kasy had the cart and I took half the list. When I found something I called 'Marco.'”
“And I called 'Polo.'”
“And I called the aisle I was in.”
“Then I called the aisle I was in.”
“And I tossed it over to her.”
“You… tossed… groceries… over… to… her…” Shego said slowly. “Did you kill someone with a can?”
“Eemah!”
“Were you throwing glass jars?”
“Well… Yeah.”
“Did a glass jar get smashed cutting up innocent bystanders?”
“No.”
“So why was the manager so upset?”
“I think it was the dozen eggs.”
“Eggs?”
“Yeah. I tossed them, but fumble-fingers here--”
“It was a lousy toss!”
“It was a good toss.”
“The carton came open. I had a dozen eggs coming at me!”
“Get in the car girls. We're going home.”
“Shotgun!”
“No, you will both ride in the back seat.
The twins buckled up in the back seat as Shego put the key in the ignition. She glanced into the rear-view mirror and caught Sheki's eyes. “You really threw eggs?”
The girl with dark green hair nodded.
Shego closed her eyes and started to laugh as she shook her head. “You have to be careful with eggs.” She backed out of the parking spot. As she pulled onto the street she asked, “We still need groceries, right? I'm assuming that after the Big Value incident you didn't get what was on the list.”
“No,” they said together.
“Well, we'd better stop then or Mommy will make us all cold cereal for breakfast tomorrow.”
“How do you burn cold cereal?” Kasy asked.
The three laughed, and Shego turned left and headed for another grocery.
The secretary for the Team Commanders picked up the phone after the first ring, “Global Justice… Yes… Yes… Hold on just a minute, please.” She put the caller on hold and yelled across to an open office door, “Kim! Line three for you!”
“Thanks, Jan.”
The red haired woman picked up the phone and connected with line three. “Kim Possible here, how can I help you?”
“Hello, I'm the manager at Wholesome Foods on Prospect Park. I have a woman and two girls here--”
Kim closed her eyes. “Oh, please… Not again.”
“Ten dollars to either of you if you take the fall for me,” the pale woman whispered. The twins ignored her. “How about ten dollars and chocolate?”