Page 25 of Spies Don’t Fall for Their Best Friend

“It was the eye contact, wasn’t it? They made eye contact with each other from across the street.”

Close. But not this time.

“Or one of them smiled before they were within talking distance.”

Good catch. Also not it. I stay quiet so she’ll continue guessing.

“Wait. You guessed they knew each other while they were still further away from each other. They were walking at the same pace?”

Oh, that was part of it. She’s so good at this.

“No…” Reese says slowly. Then, much more animatedly, she says, “Maybe it wasn’t anything they did when they met—it was what they were paying attention to before they met!”

I actually pause chewing. Now that’s interesting. I’ve spent hours studying who Celeste Alati knows, who she trusts, who she does business with, and who she’s willing to be seen beside. But Reese is talking about something different— what Celeste notices. What holds her attention when she thinks nobody is watching.

I file that away for Saturday.

“I got it, didn’t I?”

I grin at Reese. “You are amazing.” Sunlight catches along one cheek and the curve of her smile, and something in my chest pulls tight. She is ridiculously beautiful. I’ve known this face for years, and somehow it still has the ability to knock every coherent thought from my head.

Both of us turn as one of the three older women at the table to our right says, “Do us next! That people-watching thing you two have been doing? You should do it for us!” She’s a silver-haired woman in a bright floral blouse. The rosy-cheeked woman next to her is looking at us eagerly, and the woman with a neat gray bob has her arms crossed, eyebrow raised in challenge. I’ve seen the three of them around town a few times when I’m out for my morning run. They’re usually walking with purpose and talking all at once.

“I didn’t even know we were talking loudly enough to be heard,” Reese says.

The rosy-cheeked woman taps her ear. “It’s the hearing aids. Most people resist getting them, but these babies have volume control. They’re the best eavesdropping tool ever invented.”

The third woman gives a sly grin and says, “It makes it easier to tune annoying people out, too.”

Reese looks over at me. I smile and nod, so Reese says, “Okay, you three. Your names?”

“I’m Marge,” the first woman says, then points to the rosy-cheeked one. “And this is Helen, and that’s Barbara.”

Barbara quickly flips the binder sitting beside her upside down.

Reese gasps. “She hid the evidence.”

“Which means there was evidence to hide,” I say solemnly.

Barbara’s mouth twitches, but she doesn’t say anything.

Reese leans closer to me. “Retired detectives?”

I shake my head. “Too obvious.”

“Private investigators?”

I tilt my head, considering. “Maybe.” I study the three women for another second. “They’re part of a neighborhood investigative network.”

Helen presses a hand dramatically to her chest.

Reese nods immediately. “Yes! They know everything that happens within a three-mile radius.”

“Four,” I correct.

“Right. Four.”

“They have sectors.”