“You owe me one, Kamal. I had to hike all the way to your place to get it.”
Kamal—apparently that was Five o’clock Shadow’s real name—laughed before throwing his board down and taking off around the fountain. He stopped momentarily by two other kids sitting on the cement bench and dropped off his bag. They did tricks and stunts on the twenty feet of smooth surface surrounding the big fountain. Creating a larger circle around the skating area were four sections of rounded cement seating full of people eating, talking, smoking, and watching the skaters. Two other skaters showed up, also with bags that they set next to Kamal’s before taking a seat. The two who had been sitting, stood and began skating. I itched for my own long board, finding my feet tapping in longing. The last time I’d skated was when I was in Oregon trying to catch some kidnappers.
I smiled as I watched the skaters play to the crowd. A pickpocket who also craved an audience? Interesting. What was Kamal doing here? Were all six of these kids pickpockets? My eyes flitted over the square, and I noted the four distinct exits out of the area. Flowers, shrubs and trees graced the section above the seats in large planters, creating a feeling of intimacy in the large park-like area. On the other side of the flowers and trees was more seating facing away from the fountain. Constant foot traffic moved in and out of the four openings that allowed entrance to the inner seating and the fountain. If I needed to make a quick exit, I’d have to take those people into account. I hated to leave, but I had to return to the museum to get my go bag. It took me forty minutes, but not much had changed when I returned to Halle.
The rushing of the fountain helped create a feeling of peace even though the space was still filled with activity. It was like it blocked out the world beyond the massive planters, and only the things inside existed. I resisted the urge to sigh and lean back to relax. I needed to stay alert and find a way to get Kamal’s attention. Once a spot near where some of the skaters sat opened up, I took it.
I pulled out my phone to give the appearance that I was busy texting someone. In truth, I was taking pictures and waiting to see if the skateboarders would discuss work, so I’d know if they were all pickpockets and where they were going to take their bags of loot. I sent the pictures to Ace. Maybe he could gather some intel on some of these guys, see who was worth following up on.
Two of Kamal’s friends looked like they were close to twenty while the other two appeared to be in their early teens. It made me wonder how old Kamal was. I’d thought early twenties, but if he was hanging out with these kids and acting like he was their peer, then he must’ve been younger than I’d thought.
I recognized the two younger kids from l'Orangerie. They’d been making rounds in the oval room. I sat as close to the group as I could and listened in on their conversation as I pretended to be busy with my phone. Mostly, I watched Kamal. He appeared to be the leader, or at least the person most looked up to and wanted to be like. He’d try some crazy stunt, and the rest would follow. And while he would make sarcastic comments, I couldn’t help but see that most of his comments were positive and even kind.
It started to get dark, but it didn’t stop anyone from continuing to sit and talk, just veg out, or continue skating. Dim lights popped on and then, slowly but surely, the area began to clear. But the skaters remained. I walked over to Mad Dogs and got a hot Nutella and banana crepe, which I brought back over to the fountain to eat.
I wished I could order electronic trackers for all the kids so we could see where they were going and when. The more information I had to work with, the better. But even though I had Ace’s support, I knew that if he started using Division resources, it could tip Siron off to what we were doing. I was going to have to play this old-school. That meant going in myself, undercover. Maybe after I found something useful, I could bring it to Siron and she’d sanction this line of investigation. Maybe when Jeremy got here, he could help me—if he ever did. He still hadn’t responded to my text. I pushed back the worry I felt at the thought of Jeremy. Worrying wasn’t going to help him, and it certainly wasn’t going to help me.
From what I’d seen tonight, it was clear Kamal was the leader of this little group, so I was just going to have to focus on him. A plan started to form in my mind as I watched the skaters slowly trickle out of the square.
I would be Eva, an independent pickpocket who skated occasionally.
Chapter 6
The next morning, I dressed as Gabrielle, the fashion intern. I wore an airy couture skirt that stopped just above the knee with a light sweater and, of course, a scarf. My feet were slipped into short, soft, brown leather boots that cost more than many people made in a week. One thing I would miss about being in Paris was the fabulous clothes I got to wear. It had shocked me when I’d first arrived to discover that even though it was the fashion capital of the world, everyday Parisians didn’t bother with it—only those in the fashion industry, like my alias, Gabrielle.
I was planning to watch the pickpockets again today—I needed to know
