More Than a Mission - Caridad Pineiro [11]
She walked to stand by the end of one rack and clarified, “Italians and local wines are in the first two racks, Californian in the middle, some Australian, Chilean and French in the final section.”
Pausing by the rack of Italian vintages and removing one bottle for a closer inspection, he said, “How do you choose which wines you’ll carry?”
Elizabeth joined him, took the bottle from his hands and examined the label. With a nonchalant shrug, she said, “Tasting trips. Some are recommended to me by others. Like this one.” She returned the bottle to him and continued. “I was in Rome a few years back and someone said I might like it.”
This time his reaction to her statement was quite physical. His shoulders tensed and a muscle ticked ominously along his jaw. “Rome, huh?” he asked as, with almost exaggerated care, he placed the bottle back onto the wooden rack.
“Yes. A beautiful city. Have you ever been there?” she asked, wondering if there was something about that city that bothered him.
He faced her, the hard set of his jaw relaxing a little, and shrugged. “No. I tend to stay to the coasts since I like the water.”
“Surf much?” Her question coaxed back that little-boy smile.
“Surf. Swim. Fish. I’m an ocean kind of guy.”
“Leonia’s a good place for all of that,” she said and headed for the stairs once more, needing to get to work.
“I’ll keep that in mind while I’m here, as well as the gym,” Aidan said and followed the attractive sway of her hips all the way up to the kitchen level. The lady had a nice ass and being a guy, he wasn’t about to ignore the view.
Once they were back in the kitchen, she made a beeline for the prep table, where Natalie and another young woman were busily laying out a variety of ingredients. Elizabeth joined them, suggesting one thing or another and giving instructions. Her tone with them was patient and friendly. Despite her easy demeanor, however, her mind now seemed totally on the work that needed to be done.
Which was perfect for him. He strolled to the large refrigerators in the kitchen, checking out the surroundings to see where he could place a camera. A speaker up at one side of the kitchen caught his eye after he had removed some limes and lemons from the fridge and was returning to the bar.
Perfect, he thought. He’d have to wait for a lull in activity in the kitchen first, but since they were all so busy there now, it gave him a perfect opportunity in the cellar. Grabbing a menu and a pad of paper as if to take notes, he went back down to the cellar unnoticed and once there, walked to the farthest part of the room, near the safe and lockers.
The lockers were like those you would find in a gym or a school. He opened the first few to find some empty and some holding assorted clothes and bags, possibly belonging to Elizabeth’s staff. The last one had an ordinary combination lock that might not take much time to pick. He noted the make, model and serial number to see if there was a way to get a master key to simplify things.
Next, he turned his attention to the safe. Big, gray and old. A bit of rust along the edges, likely as a result of the sea air and dampness in the cellar. Despite that, the lock spun freely and the safe was in generally good condition. Again, he noted the information on the safe in the hopes of getting inside next time he could.
He suspected the safe would hold what most businesses would safeguard—important papers, cash and the like. But he wondered what else it and the locker might hold that wasn’t related to the restaurant. The Sparrow’s records and weapons?
A noise from above reminded him he had to get moving. Shifting back to the first locker, he found a spot for the camera.
“Lucia, come in Lucia,” he said after he had finished positioning the surveillance equipment.
“Perfect shot. I can see the entire cellar.”
“Did you see the label on the wine?” he asked and walked back over to the racks, where he once again pulled