Gagliano,Anthony - Straits of Fortune.wps by Unknown Read Free Book Online

happens with the beautiful sometimes. You're so busy looking at them that you don't see them. You miss the extra glint in their eyes, that extra burst of life and the gift of mystery some people have. She had it. The legs had thrown me off for a moment, but that was understandable. Impeccable manners and the voice were not what I would have expected. Another surprise to sweep away the veil of her appearance. She could have passed for a Valley Girl, but the accent had a trace of England mixed with something else that brought it home again. 37
    The boldness in her eye was not sexual in cast or in inten- sity of expression, just appraising and self-assured. The sex was there, though, lounging in the background like a black cat on a Persian rug. You know what I mean. It was blended in, natural, nothing artificial, no need to force it. We sat down, and Cal got called out of the office for a moment. There was the usual awkward silence that hangs in the air like an invisible pi� waiting to be broken. I let it hang. No sense saying anything stupid until it was absolutely necessary. Besides, if you're quiet, you can feel people. I caught a lot of people that way when I was a cop. "Cal said you used to be a police officer," she said. "Yeah, in New York." I was a little pissed at Cal for having told her about the cop thing. I understood why he did it, though, especially with the wealthy, the famous, or the nervous. People figured that it made me that much less likely to haul off a Hummer or talk to a tabloid. Maybe they were right, but I didn't think so. Either you're honest or you're not. I wasn't a thief, and I knew how to keep my mouth shut, but I hadn't learned that at the academy. My father had beaten it into my head with his shoe and other sundry objects. Plus, I read the right comic books. "I'm looking for someone to train my father," she said. "You'd have to come to the house. It's quite nice there, really. Would that be a problem?" I was glad she was talking to me mainly, because it gave me an excuse to look at her without being impolite. She had the glossy black hair of a Chinese, but she looked mixed, maybe Eurasian. Everything about her seemed to come from someplace else. "Mind if I ask you a question?" I said. "Not at all." "That's almost a British accent you have, but not com- pletely." 38
    "I went to school in England when I was little. I guess I haven't lost it yet--the accent I mean. Well, what do you think?" "About what?" "Training my father. What did you think I meant?" Cal had come back into the office, and I was conscious of him sitting back in his swivel chair watching us. I laughed. "I thought you were asking me about your accent. I mean, what I thought about it." "Well?" "Keep it. It's nice." She smiled. "Thank you." "Let's stick to business, okay, kids?" Cal said mercifully. "I'm trying to make a living here." "Where does he live?" I asked. "Your father, I mean. We have to tack on a bit for the travel time." "Not a problem. He's out on Sunset Beach." She studied me to see what effect the address was going to have on me. I wasn't surprised. She had the look of money without being obvious about it. Everything top-shelf but inconspicuous-- Cartier watch, small diamonds. Was it old money? I didn't think so. It didn't have that musty, old-book smell to it. "Sunset Beach? Sure, I've been there," I said. "Except they always make me leave when it gets dark." She looked at me for a long moment, as though I'd said something strange or more revealing than I had intended. Then she laughed. "I think my father will like you." "Really, why so?" "You're in disguise. You have secrets. He likes that. People look at you, but they don't see you. But my father will see you. And I see you." "I see you, too." She looked around. "I guess smoking in here is out of the question." 39
    "I don't think Cal would like that. He smokes his cigars outside." She studied me for a moment. "I've seen you before," she said. "Do you go to the clubs?"