Operation London (6 page)

“If I have a look at the glasses maybe I can help you out,” the boy said, pushing his own heavy frames back up his pointed nose.

“Thanks....Bill,” Ava said, searching his blue vest for the telltale nametag. The little personal touch went over well with Bill, who proceeded to take his most professional manner and assume his duties immediately. He went to the back of the store, spectacles in hand and she was left to wait for whatever help he could offer her.

Ava walked around the perimeter of the store, perusing the cases and trying to find a match for the glasses
. Her fingertips touched lightly on the wire and plastic frames, sliding over their smooth shapes. Each pair was distinct, spheres and rectangles and ovals bent into different sizes and fashions. Ava raised a black eyebrow. The world of optometry was more complicated than the average agent would assume.

The boy came out a moment later and Ava tried to glaze any intelligence that might be
showing on her face, opting for her big-eyed doll look.

“Bill!”  Her own saccharine voice was giving her a headache.

“Ma’am. I think I might be able to give you a start.” His crooked smile showed a row of equally crooked teeth. “These are tinted.”  His chest puffed up considerably as he delivered the news.

“Tinted?” Ava asked, and this time the flakiness wasn’t for show
.

“Uhhm, you can have the glass
. Colored. Uh-hmm.”  He seemed uncertain about his explanation.

“Why would you want that done?” she asked.

“It’s, uh, pretty much a preference. For people. Who want it done,” Bill stuttered. “And your mystery person had them tinted pink!”

“I’m still not following Bill
. Maybe you could explain the whole thing. Quickly,” Ava said, setting her lips in a firm smile despite her frustration.

“Well, these are adult frames
. And pink isn’t really a tint you see on many adult glasses. Oh!  Also she’s pretty severely farsighted. I’m actually kind of surprised she’s doing without them. Maybe she’ll call your clubhouse,” he added helpfully, pushing his greasy bangs behind his ears.

“Why do you say ‘she’?” Ava asked, looking at the glasses critically
. Was it just the pink tint?  That wasn’t what Ava considered enough of a lead to identify the person as a female.

“Hugo Boss makes male and female glasses in this style
. These are female,” he finished as Ava took the glasses from him.

She flashed her brightest smile as she rushed out the door, leaving Bill looking a little
forlorn. “Thanks, Billy!  You should consider investigative work!” she called.

In the car Ava sped through the streets, opening her cell phone to check the messages
. The burn center had called back with a negative. Ava pulled over outside the next optical center and began to make her way out when she remembered to pick up a newspaper from a local box.

Front page story outlined a simmering heat wave, with temperatures reaching a point they hadn’t been at in almost forty years
.

“Thank you, Houston Sun, I would never have guessed it was hot outside,” she muttered, flipping through to the police blotter
.

A speeding violation, two kids charged with marijuana possession and a robbery
. Ava was about to fold the paper when a detail caught her eye.

“ ‘Burglary at eyeglass store, burglars leave no clues,’” Ava read aloud, glancing over the short piece
. “ ‘Cameras identified two suspects with black masks entering an eyeglass store across the street from the Bank of Houston on Massey Street. Sterling Optical is missing nonprescription sunglasses as well as several patients’ prescription glasses, glasses cases, and eyewear accessories. Police are asking the community members to offer any information they may have about the crime.’ ”

Ava crumpled the paper in her fist
. This could be a coincidence. If someone had been taken, why would the kidnapper bother to replace something like a pair of glasses?  If the glasses belonged to the criminal why not just order another pair?  Stealing them seemed a random way to get the prescription. Unless the person did not want to draw attention to the fact that he or she needed new glasses. Maybe because they had left the first pair at the scene of a crime?  There were way too many holes for Ava to begin feeling out a possible motive. She had to see what she could glean from some investigative work.

Ava pulled back out into traffic and headed towards Massey and Sterling Optical
. During the course of the ride she tried to focus on questions to ask whoever would be behind the desk. Strutting inside she felt a groan rise in her throat.

The woman behind the desk had high hair, a relic of New Jersey in the eighties
. Her too tight blouse was see-through, revealing a sparkly tank beneath and the full swell of her breasts. This was no Bill. This would be an obstacle that Ava would have to work with finesse. And an expired badge wouldn’t hurt either.

Ava held up the badge quickly, crisply, being careful not to flaunt her power
.

“Houston police force, ma’am.” Ava did a quick search for an identifier and found a brass name plate
. “Are you Shelly Harte?”

“Yes,” the woman said, sticking her pen into the enormous mound of hair on top of her head
. “What do you need?”   The tone was not welcoming and warm. In fact Shelly seemed annoyed at Ava’s presence.

Ava leaned over the counter conspiratorially
. “Listen Ms. Harte. I’m not even supposed to be here. The force said we should keep this quiet and follow the leads we have. But I think they’re crazy to neglect our best resources. The Sterling Optical employees.” Ava raised an eyebrow at Shelly.

“You’re on the robbery case?” she asked, dropping her voice to a low whisper
. “Well, I’ll tell you, everything’s all about evidence now and all that business. But what needs to be investigated is those coke dealers downtown.”

“Tell me more,” Ava said, sliding out a thin red leather notebook and clicking her pen into standby.

Shelly looked slyly around the room, her brown eyes scanning the back under the bright green eye shadow. Everything seemed to her satisfaction. “I’ll let you in, ‘cause you seem to have some sense, unlike those co-workers of yours. Down near Birmingham and Joseph St. there’s some apartments that house only the lowest people. They’ve been spreading drugs and guns and disease. It’s time your people got on them,” Shelly huffed, primping her considerable coif with gaudily manicured fingernails. Finding the pen meshed inside she pulled it out and used it to point at Ava. “You need to find the thieves?  Those idiots didn’t even know what they were stealing, so I’m pretty sure they just carted it all back to those filthy apartments.”

“Ms. Harte, I can’t tell you how helpful you’ve been
. I can have these people behind bars in no time, but I’m going to need a list of the names every person who had a prescription stolen.”  Ava looked with her gray eyes fixed. Shelly could sense this was something that she should be wary about, but that only seemed to make her more certain that she should do it.

“Sure. We keep everything in a drawer, all alphabetical
. They stole the “D, E, F” drawer. I’ll write you up a list.”  She turned to the computer and picked up the ringing phone. “Sterling Optical, Shelly speaking.”  There was a pause as she typed away.

“What?  Why not?  Well, tell her she wasn’t needed here anyway!  Trash!”  Throwing down the phone in a huff she turned to Ava with the printout
. “That little idiot. More of that waste from those apartments. She up and quit on us. And I just taught her the filing system and the formatting in the computer. I should be reimbursed for my time!”

“What was her name?” Ava asked
. An employee leaving just after a store robbery?  It sounded suspicious.

“Lucia Espino
. If you meet up with her tell her to bring back her damned smock!  That’s Sterling property, and we’ll hold her last check til we get it back.”  Shelly crossed her arms over her chest and tapped on foot.

“Ms. Harte, you’ve been incredibly helpful
. Thank you for your work,” Ava said honestly. The woman had definitely helped her to grid out some serious leads. “If I meet Lucia, I’ll be sure to let her know about the smock.”

The black Audi raced downtown, heading towards the apartments when Ava felt something in her stomach
. It resembled a cramp, but it was so severe that it startled her into pulling over.

“When did I eat last?” she asked herself out loud
. Thinking back, she realized it had been hours since she had put any proper nourishment in her body. At her pace she could be dead by dinnertime. Cruising down the strip Ava watched the men in women in sharp, dark suits moving in and out of fancy eateries, gripping lattes and daintily nibbling on croissants. A steak and beer woman herself, she was about to give up and search another locale when she spotted a sign that made her stomp on the breaks.

"
Arbor,"
she said, smiling smugly. She did have to eat, so what was so wrong with eating and spying on an incredibly good looking man at the same time?  Pulling into a nearby space she yanked on the rearview mirror and applied an extra coat of red lipstick, checked her breath and ran her long tanned fingers through her hair before stepping out of the car and making her way into the eatery.

At the door, she was met with the delicious aroma of roasted chicken and tomatoes
. The walls were painted a dark green, the tables intimate and cozy. A small man with a moustache rushed in to greet her.

"How many, madam?" he asked.

"Just myself, thank you," she smiled.

"That is a shame, a woman so beautiful eating alone," he said, shaking his head as he led her in.

"It's alright with me," she grinned. "I have a big appetite, and I don't really like having a man distracting me from my food."

He closed his eyes in excitement, mumbling a prayer under his breath
. "A beauty who appreciates good food. You are an angel!" 

Ava ordered a red wine from California and took a look at the menu
. Her thoughts were focused on the delicious assortment of foods in front of her. The hand that settled on her arm shocked her into a yelp.

"Well, hello Ms. London."  The voice was deep and powerful
. Her spine tingled from the warm heat coursing through her body at the sound of that feral voice she already knew so well. He was right in front of her, a jungle cat ready to pounce.

"Miguel Gustan, fancy meeting you here," she smiled
. He looked as incredible as always, dressed in a suit that fit his well-muscled arms and back, a dark navy that brought out the gleam in his black hair and the mischievous sparkle in his espresso eyes. Without pausing to consider asking for her permission he sat down across from her, peering at her menu upside down.

"I would imagine that you don't need to look at this," she smiled.

"No, you're right. I don't need the menu anymore. But if I concentrate too hard on the beautiful lady across from me, I might not be able to get back to work anytime today." 

The words were soft and humorous, but with a subtle bite of hot passion
. That same bite that made her feel like he was nibbling at her neck. She enjoyed the spreading burn of her face growing warm and she lifted her eyes to meet his, gently, giving him time to drink her face in as she stared at him. But this flirtation was unlike any she had ever taken part of before. Instead of leading him around she was being sucked into a bottomless, dangerous place.

"Any suggestions?" Ava asked quietly, pushing her long, honeyed hair away from her face
. He looked at the menu with concentration, slid his hand down to turn it towards him and wound his fingers deftly around her slim wrist as he did. His face betrayed no sign that he was aware of their contact. Ava felt like a flame had started somewhere inside of her and was engulfing her entire being, but his chiseled features remained a granite wall.

"Something simple
. Sempra's chili is wonderful," he said smiling at her, allowing her to draw her arm away from his touch. She knew she had to do that, regardless of how much she relished keeping it in place. Like a spider in a large web, Miguel had her trapped and she refused to let him know that he held the upper hand.

"Chili it is," she said smoothly
. She placed the order with the complimentary man she who had brought her to her table on the way in and was left to make conversation with the breathtaking man in front of her.

"So, how was the meeting?" she asked, and noticed that it took a minute for the glaze to lift from his brown eyes
.

"Meeting?  Oh, of course!  It went quite well
. I think the board was impressed with the presentation, although they seemed a little wary about letting a young Mexican man establish an eatery in their fine old town," he chuckled wryly.

"Hey, business men are business men
. I think money takes the precedence over everything. Even their own preferences."

"Do you think money is all that drives me?" he asked
.