Page 22 of Spark

“Of course.” Oliver clasped his hands in front of him and nodded slightly. “Cordial, I can do. I really am sorry about the other night. I had been drinking and told my friends about the beautiful girl next door.” He looked at her with the sweetest smile she could imagine.

“Let’s just put it behind us, ‘kay?” Mia held out her hand. “For the third time, hi, I’m Mia. I live on the third floor too.”

Oliver hesitated, eyeing her outstretched hand before grasping it firmly. She matched his grip as best she could, and blessedly, he released her first.

“Good to meet you, Mia. I’m Ollie.” He grinned as Mia rolled her eyes. “Or Oliver if you prefer.” He winked andlaughed. She chuckled, feeling some of the tension leave her body. She caught sight of his badge clipped to his belt buckle as he ran a hand through his hair.

“Hey, I saw you on TV,” she said, recalling him discussing the last attempt by the police to arrest the thieves.

He nodded. “Oh, yeah? We held a major sting operation not too long ago. About a month ago now[JM3], but it all went to shit.” Oliver grimaced slightly before his smile returned. “No worries, though; we’re gonna catch them.”

Mia pondered for a moment before deciding to ask, “That’s crazy. You know, I saw some pricey cars being chased by the cops a little while ago.” She avoided his eyes as the slight exaggeration slipped past her lips.

Oliver’s ears perked up, and his body stiffened. “Really? How long ago?”

“Oh, man.” She placed a hand on the back of her neck, gripping it lightly to loosen the tension there. “Three-ish weeks ago, maybe?” She feigned counting days while staring at the ceiling before meeting his gaze again.

Oliver’s smile faded, replaced by a detective’s seriousness. His features tightened, and a slight frown settled on his lips. “Where were you exactly?”

“Oh.” Mia’s eyes widened. “I was at Sunny Side Wash, a laundromat about four blocks over.”

Oliver nodded, his phone in hand, quickly typing down every detail she provided. He looked up for a moment. “Hey, would you mind if I got an official statement from you?” Mia gave a small nod, and he offered a softer, more professional smile. “When works for you in the next couple of days?”

Mia fumbled for an answer. “Oh, well…” She considered her schedule for the next day: school, work, and wallowing inher bathtub over Aurelio. “It’s pretty full. I really don’t want to go down to the station either.” Mia plan to gain more knowledge about the car thefts had gone awry. Panic settled in her stomach as Oliver looked to her. His brows furrowed as he began to speak.

“Mia, it’s really important I get this information before it fades from your memory.” He looked earnest, just as he had during the meeting.

She nodded. “I get it, um, I just…” She swallowed her nerves and exhaled. “I can meet for a late coffee Tuesday afternoon, around 4?” she half-asked. The diner would likely be dead on Tuesday, and Mac was scheduled to come in. If he showed she could probably sneak off early.

“Sure, that sounds great,” Oliver replied with a sigh. “Sorry, it’s just kind of a big deal, and we need to get all the info we can. You don’t understand how badly the sting got messed up.” He rubbed his neck, tilting his head until a gentle crack echoed.

“Yeah, I bet.” She bit her lip and glanced around. Terry was gone, and Tony appeared to be making tea or something behind the counter. He met her eyes and held up a cup, mouthing, “Spiked tea?” to which Mia nodded appreciatively.

When she looked back at Oliver, she asked, “What did happen?” She tried to infuse sweetness and innocence into her voice, hoping to sound intrigued rather than desperate, though desperation lingered close to the surface.

“I really can’t say…” Oliver started. Mia worked her best puppy-dog impression. “Much,” he added with a chuckle. “What I can say is we had information on a theft planned for a specific time and place.” He glanced around for a moment. “But our intel was bad. When we arrived to set up, the cars were already gone, except for one.” Oliver’s face shifted, his eyes hardening, andhis lips pulled into a grimace. “A yellow Shelby Mustang.” Mia took a sharp breath, Oliver cast his gaze to her as he finished speaking.

“The driver pulled out just as we got there, and those who could give chase did.” He shook his head, as if still haunted by the moment. Mia sat in the moment, her eyes threatening to water as she pieces together the puzzle.

“We lost him on some back roads, places scum like him know too well.” A sneer crossed Oliver’s lips, sending goosebumps crawling up Mia’s arm. “The boss was furious. The chief called us all incompetent.”

Mia listened, her heart racing as she blinked away the unknown, welcoming the knowledge Oliver had just given her.

“But we’ll catch him. That guy isn’t faster than the whole department,” Oliver declared, a smug smile creeping onto his lips as Mia stared at him, expressionless.

I don’t know. She thought as a small smile graced her lips.

His middle name is Speed.

Chapter Thirteen

The diner was dead, as Mia had predicted. Mac had shown another thing Mia had hoped for. He was looking tired, dark circles under his eyes, clothes clearly unwashed since his last shift. Mia almost felt bad asking him to stay in her place, but he seemed almost relieved to have to. She watched as he grabbed his phone and began texting furiously, his finger and eyes glued to the machine as he walked back into the kitchen.

Moving quickly to avoid having David come out and tell her she had to stay, Mia finished her side work and grabbed her stuff from her locker. Standing in the kitchen just outside the office door, she waited till she heard David on the phone and then popped her head in.

“Well, that’s bullshit Donna, the order was...” David was perfectly distracted as Mia caught his eye.

“I’m off, Mac is staying late for me.” Mia said hurriedly, waving as she popped away again. She heard David exclaim something, but her hand was already on the push door by the time the phone was hung up.

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