“Ow,” said Sean, giving Zoe a look.

“Yesterday?” said Zoe. “What a coincidence. A friend of mine purchased this same navy bag yesterday too. She’s so au courant, that’s why I thought I might buy the same one. I wonder if the person you helped could be my friend. Wouldn’t that be funny? What did the woman you met look like?”

“Normally, I wouldn’t remember because we’re usually so busy, but lately we’ve only had a handful of customers,” said the clerk coolly. “I do remember her because she had a very definite sense of style. She knew exactly what she wanted. She also had a beautiful accent with a gravelly voice.”

Zoe picked up the navy bag on the counter and pretended to examine it. “What kind of accent did she have?” she said, attempting to convey only mild interest as she looked through the inside of the bag.

“She could have been Italian or Spanish, or maybe even Portuguese. She might have been from Brazil, I suppose. The Brazilians are very stylish and discerning customers. I’ll tell you one thing, she knew her Gucci. The customer I worked with had a long, dark-brown ponytail and was wearing a pair of our aviator sunglasses in gold metal with blue lenses. Sound like your friend?”

“Gucci sunglasses? Are you sure?” said Zoe.

“I’d know our accessories with my eyes closed,” said the woman reaching for a pair of aviator sunglasses in a display case and holding them up. “Does your friend have these?”

“Yes, I think so,” said Zoe. “Maybe you could look in the receipts from yesterday and then we’d know for sure. I’d really like to buy the exact same bag as my friend.”

The saleswoman’s back straightened. “I’m sorry, but I’m not permitted to divulge any customer information. I’ve already shared more than I should have.”

“I don’t want you to divulge anything, I just want to make sure this was the bag my friend bought,” said Zoe.

“Why don’t you call her and ask her?” said the clerk suspiciously.

“Some people are funny about friends copying their clothing,” said Zoe, starting to sputter. “Everyone admires and emulates my friend’s style. Sometimes, she gets a little prickly about that.”

The saleswoman let out a breath. “I’m sorry but it’s against company rules to give out customer information of any kind.”

Defeated, the two friends turned to leave when Sean spotted a jewelry display case. “Look over there,” he whispered as he nudged Zoe.

Scattered along the far wall, a half-dozen necklace display stands showcased gold and silver chains each with a dangling double G charm.

“Holy shit,” said Zoe. “We got it totally wrong. The woman’s initials aren’t GG. The masked woman was wearing a Gucci necklace. She dresses from head to toe in Gucci.”

“That’s so tacky and matchy-matchy,” said Sean.