‘Nothing in particular.’ He gestured around them. ‘Look around, observe. Do not just look but see. Watch people. You can learn so much about their behaviours and facial movements. See if you can try and read their lips and follow their conversations.’
Jaz coughed on her muffin as she turned to Ryan. ‘Can you read lips?’ He smiled and nodded. Jaz’s eyes grew wide. ‘Have you done this around me?’ Oh please, not her conversation with Anna.
Ryan said, ‘No.’ But when he turned, she caught a hint of a smile on his lips.
Her mind whirled as she tried to think of all the conversations she’d had with Anna about Ryan. Had he lip-read some of those? God, she hoped not. Jaz focused her attention onto her muffin while waiting for her embarrassment to fade.
‘So how do you learn lip-reading anyway?’ Jaz asked after finishing the last of her muffin.
‘With practice. See those two over the road, the ones that look like husband and wife? Well, she’s getting up him for parking the car in a loading zone. He’s holding a bit of paper which is probably a ticket.’
‘Oh yeah, I see. Huh, she looks pissed. Did she just call him an idiot?’
‘Yep, see you’re already picking bits up.’
‘Hey I’ve watched football on TV, it’s easy to lip-read the swear words.’ She watched the couple, trying to follow along the conversation. ‘Hmm, this is way more fun than trigonometry,’ said Jaz as she began sucking the froth from her coffee.
They sat there for another thirty minutes and Jaz watched the street, trying to read lips and take note. Ryan would point out little things she’d not even noticed. A bloke passing drugs off to a mate and a guy in the shop near them lifting stuff from the shelves. She couldn’t believe it was happening right before her eyes.
‘Come on, unless we are going to have another coffee I suggest we move on. You always need to think of things like that. You’ll be noticed otherwise.’
Jaz was wondering who they’d be noticed by. She was sure there was so much to learn, so much that she’d just taken for granted and things that lay beneath the surface. It was scary and exciting at the same time. Being here with Ryan was amazing. He was like the Yoda of agents. Not that she’d really know, she’d only met the one. She just had a feeling he was great at his job.
‘So are you like a top agent or something?’
He laughed. ‘I wouldn’t say that, we all have our own expertise in different areas, but I’m still the youngest known recruit and the youngest approved. I was eighteen when I went on my first op.’
‘Seriously?’ Jaz saw pride burning in his deep brown eyes. Here was a man dedicated to the cause.
‘See this person in front of us, the big guy with the brown coat?’ Ryan asked.
Jaz nodded, too overwhelmed to speak.
‘We’re going to see how far we can follow him without him suspecting us. Now this will be pretty easy as this guy wouldn’t be expecting to be followed, but with the shady sorts, they are always on alert.’
Ryan showed her how to follow discreetly, and also how to follow the guy from in front of him.
‘Why do you keep looking at your watch?’ she asked.
‘Good, you noticed that. Have a look for yourself.’
Jaz took Ryan’s arm and looked at his leather band watch, but then she saw the difference. ‘It’s a mirror stuck on top.’
‘It allows me to see behind me and up in front without detection.’
‘That is so cool and yet so simple. But then again, I’ve never had the need to follow someone.’ Jaz laughed.
‘So, say like now, he has stopped to look in this window, it would look suss if we stopped here too, so we continue. However, the next shop is a coffee shop, so we keep going until we find a shop front that is suitable for us to pause and look at. So if I was on my own I wouldn’t want to be looking in a lingerie shop or something.’
‘But you could if you were buying your girlfriend something nice, or maybe if you’re a perve,’ said Jaz with a grin.
‘You like calling me a perve and a stalker. You’re lucky I don’t have a complex.’ Ryan pushed Jaz back in jest. ‘So now we’re away from our target and I can use my watch just to keep him in sight.’
They kept following the guy in the brown coat for another half hour before he got in his car and left the city.
‘Shall we follow him by car? I can drive, you know.’
‘As much as I’d really love to see you driving my car, I think we’ll let this guy go home in peace.’
‘I didn’t like the note of sarcasm in your voice, Ryan. I’ll have you know I’m a good driver.’