Free Shattered Spirits by C. I. Black Page B

was disappointed. Not because it was Hiro, but because it wasn’t Jones.
    There was that irrational desire again. One that was guaranteed to get him into trouble. She wanted nothing to do with him, and she couldn’t have made it more obvious when…? When they’d been lying in the dirt at the…? Where was that…?
    Hiro waved, and he shoved the questions aside. If he wanted answers about Pete, he couldn’t let questions about the day distract him. He hadn’t done anything important that day. That was all.
    He stood as Hiro approached.
    “Glad to see you dressed up,” she said, her tone wry.
    He brushed a hand over the dirt on his pants but didn’t dislodge anything. “Sorry, I didn’t have time to change.”
    “So.” She hung her coat on the back of her chair and sat. “What do you need?”
    Ryan sat again and leaned forward. She’d always been direct, but never this direct before. Maybe three years without much communication was too much for their friendship. “Wow, straight to business.”
    “Kind of like someone I know.” A smile pulled at her lips, but he wasn’t sure who she was thinking of. She rubbed the back of her neck. “I don’t have a lot of time. Nick called in sick so we’re shorthanded. And you wouldn’t have shown up three years after your transfer without a reason.”
    “I can’t just ask a friend out to dinner?”
    “You can. But before you noticed Capri, you looked like you had a question.”
    “Capri?”
    Hiro flipped open the menu, but didn’t look away from him. “Special Agent Jones.”
    “Capri.” He rolled her name over his tongue, spinning it through his thoughts. An unusual name, just like her.
    The waitress took their drink order. Hiro continued to watch him from over the top of her menu.
    “So, your question?” she asked, her tone softening.
    “I’m curious about the body in your exam room.”
    “It’s a little out of your town.”
    “By about a three-hour drive. I know. This isn’t official.”
    “I wouldn’t imagine so.” Hiro eased her menu shut. “Cooper’s on the case, so whatever you want to dig around in, it’s covered.”
    “That’s not—”
    She raised an eyebrow.
    “All right, maybe I do need to nose around.”
    The waitress arrived with their drinks, and Ryan sat back. If Detective Cooper was on the case, Ryan was going to have to be careful poking into anything. Cooper had been the first cop in line to help Internal Affairs find him guilty of arson and murder, and Ryan doubted the man had lost a night’s sleep over it.
    But that only meant Ryan would have to tread lightly. It certainly didn’t mean he was going to give up trying to find the truth. The waitress put Hiro’s coffee and Ryan’s beer on the table, took their dinner orders, and left.
    Ryan leaned forward again. “I just have… questions.”
    “What kind of questions?”
    Ah, shit. Now he had no idea how much to ask Hiro. He didn’t know how good her relationship with Detective Cooper was, but if they were friends, it could be trouble for him. And it didn’t explain why Special Agent Jones had been in the exam room when he’d walked in. “If the case is Cooper’s, why was the FBI there?”
    “Covering my bases.” Hiro picked up her coffee and took a long sip.
    “You don’t just cover your bases without letting the lead detective know.”
    Hiro raised a delicate eyebrow.
    “And we both know Detective Cooper would be less than impressed to find out you’d invited the FBI into his investigation.” Ryan lifted the beer to his lips, but kept his gaze on Hiro to judge her reaction.
    “Maybe I have his say-so.”
    “Then why say you were covering your bases?”
    “Touché,” Hiro said, a smile pulling at her lips. “Capri is a friend, and she likes unusual cases.”
    “And what makes this murder unusual? And don’t tell me it’s the decapitation, because while that’s uncommon, I’m not sure if it’s unusual.”
    Hiro’s smile deepened. “I’m not at