of road than any other area in LA. The scenery turned into single-story homes like bungalows. Barred windows and gates to yards held warnings saying the “property was protected by Smith and Wesson.”
Yep, they were in the Valley.
A couple of nondescript vehicles were parked up the side of the road, but Gabby recognized their surveillance van.
“Let’s see what Nadia has for us,” she said as Kelso pulled behind the commercial vehicle. She turned the visor down to check her make-up. She’d gone with pale goth, dark circles under her eyes. Her hair was teased to death, reminiscent of Madonna’s Material Girl days. She had on jeans and wore a thin bulletproof vest behind a tee beneath a bomber jacket.
“Sure you’re up for this?” Kelso asked worriedly. “No headache?”
“A bit. Less than a hangover.” She put on her aviators. “Besides, shades help and go with the look.” She hopped out of the vehicle and immediately regretted it. The jolt gave her a spike of pain in her skull.
Kelso gave two raps to the back of the van, paused, and another double rap before Nadia opened the door, smiling at them
“Come on in, detectives. How’s the head?”
“Hard as ever,” Gabby quipped as she and Kelso climbed in. By that time, the captain and Delgado joined in.
“Chen’s scouting the perimeter, but good job with the drone, Nadia,” the captain said.
Nadia nodded, but her attention was riveted on Gabby, giving her a head-to-toe appraisal. “Love the disguise. Now we’re sisters.” She held out her fist and they exchanged a fist bump. Their crime analyst was dressed all in black, her right arm was inked with tattoos. Black square-rimmed glasses and slicked back blond hair gave her a scholarly yet edgy look. “Now all you need are bangles and bangs.”
Gabby laughed. “No bangles. If I have to follow a suspect on the sly, I don’t want to be jingling all over the place.” Everyone laughed, though the air in the van felt fraught with tension or maybe it was just too crowded, making it difficult to breathe.
“I’ll be watching you all on the Wasp.”
“The Wasp?”
“The Wasp ten-k.” The analyst gestured toward a row of silver colored bugs that looked more like beetles than wasps.
“They’re shiny. Don’t they attract attention?” Gabby asked as everyone picked up a set of earpieces and put them on.
“Nope. What they do is camouflage. Once activated, little mirrors reflect the surroundings and they’re nearly transparent. Can’t tell they’re even there.”
“At least this comm stuff looks like ear buds and …” Gabby checked her Tac-watch. “And it’s linked.”
They did a couple of tests with their communication equipment and finally Delgado turned to Gabby.
“Ready to rock?”
A couple of people stood in front of the clinic. A Hispanic woman with two children waited right by the door; a woman with coppery hair sat against the wall. She was so emaciated, her eyes were sunken. She didn’t even bother to hide the track marks on her arm.
“Be advised there are women and children around the perimeter,” Gabby muttered to her comms as she and Delgado entered the clinic.
There were varying affirmative responses. It was just a formality for the sake of recording the op.
The first thing Gabby noticed when she entered the facility was that it was clean, but it was crowded and noisy. Benches lined the walls and people of all ages and races sat against them, and children were scattered on the floor.
An announcement stood to one side. “Ariana Ortega Wellness drive today.” There was a translation in Spanish, and a red bar across the sign indicated appointments were fully booked.
“Oh well,” Delgado murmured by her ear. “I guess no vitamin infusion for you today.”
A large oval counter was flanked by the two hallways that led to the rooms in the clinic. Nurses ushered patients to and from the reception area. The disparity in personnel was obvious. Ariana brought her own staff to these events. The nurse in a polished and vibrant uniform clashed with the one wearing drab, faded scrubs, but they seemed to be getting along and exchanging good-natured ribbing.
She approached the front desk which was manned by three people, one of whom was a harried looking nurse, busy shuffling paperwork around. “We’re full,” she announced without looking at Gabby. “But you can take a bottle of vitamins from the box at the end of the counter.”
“Thanks,” she said. Delgado signaled with his eyes that he was going around the other end to peek down the corridor.