Free Shattered Spirits by C. I. Black Page A

certainly been—” He glanced at the kitchen window. It was dark. Twilight was setting in. He hadn’t just lost the minutes where he’d managed to get covered in filth. He’d lost almost the entire day. What the hell had happened? What had he done?
    The fog in his head billowed. He’d followed up on a few leads but nothing had come of it, save that he’d gotten filthy. He hadn’t answered any questions, but he hadn’t gained new ones. Which meant he hadn’t done anything important. That was all. Nothing important. Just exhausting. Yes. “It’s certainly been a day.”
    “I can see that.”
    He blew steam from his mug. She wanted him to say more, explain why he’d called this morning and said he was visiting. Or rather, more of an explanation than his original lie of ‘it would get him transferred back to town.’
    Maybe investigating Pete’s murder would get him back in Newgate. A guy could hope. He hated Elmsville. Nothing happened, save local kids smoking pot, painting graffiti, and stealing street signs for entertainment. At least, nothing had happened until last week, when Special Agent Jones had walked into the police department and took away the only interesting case he’d seen in over a year.
    Trisha tapped her nails against her mug. “So…”
    “So—” He was going to need to think up something, explain why he was covered in crap, but he couldn’t get his mind to work. He couldn’t remember how it had happened in the first place.
    His cell phone chirped, saving him from coming up with an explanation, or at least one right away. “Miller.”
    “It’s Hiro. I’m going on break in about half an hour; care to buy me dinner?”
    “Absolutely.” The fog slid away. “Name the place and I’ll be there.”
    “Bistro 57.”
    He stood and pocketed his phone. “I’ve got to go. Tell Jess I’ll look at the album when I come back.”
    Trisha raised an eyebrow. He could see the questions in her eyes. Rushing off to dinner? Was it a woman? Please let it be a woman.
    And it was, just not the one he wanted. It wasn’t Special Agent Jones.
    Wow, where had that thought come from?
    He shoved it aside, offered Trisha a half smile—she’d make of it what she wanted, she always did—and headed back to his coat. Jones was a distraction he couldn’t afford to have, and yet he couldn’t avoid her. He’d seen her in danger. He had to figure out a way to save her, or even just warn her.
    But first things first. Dinner with Hiro and answers about a corpse that shouldn’t be fresh.

 
    CHAPTER 10
     
    The restaurant Hiro had picked was a few blocks from the Medical Examiner’s office. With simple stylish decor in tan and chrome, it seemed out of place in the tired neighborhood—and so did his filthy coat and jeans. He should have changed at Trisha’s, but it hadn’t occurred to him until halfway to the restaurant and then he couldn’t turn back. Not without being inundated with all those questions his sister was dying to ask.
    Inside, there were only two dozen tables lining the sides of the narrow space, but more than half had customers. The hostess gave Ryan a quick glance and, with a hard expression that said in no uncertain terms she disapproved of his attire, led Ryan along the right side to a table halfway into the room. He sat with his back to the wall so he could catch Hiro when she entered.
    It had been a long time since he’d had a meal with Newgate’s Chief Medical Examiner. Well, it had been as long as he’d been stuck in Elmsville. They used to have lunch or dinner every couple of months. It wasn’t because there was anything between them, although she was certainly pretty. He’d just felt comfortable with her, like he could be himself, and that included the part of himself that had flashes of the future. Not that he’d ever told her. The only person he’d ever confessed that to had been Pete.
    And now he was dead, again… maybe.
    The door opened and Hiro entered. For a moment he