Symphony of Bones by L.T. Ryan (little bear else holmelund minarik .txt) 📕

Was he considering grabbing his partner, anyway? When he turned back to her, she could see the interest in his eyes.

“You’ve got a deal. Mind if I drive?”

“Not at all.” Cassie got into the passenger seat with a sigh of relief. His car smelled like mint and vanilla with a hint of cigarette smoke underneath. “Rental?”

“How could you tell?”

She pointed to the three car deodorizers hanging from the rearview mirror. “These things can only do so much.”

“You should’ve smelled it a few days ago.”

“I’m surprised the FBI didn’t spring for something better.”

“Money’s tight and my partner is cheap.” He laughed. “I’m Chris, by the way.”

“Agent Viotto. I saw you on TV.”

He hung his head. “A lot of people did, apparently. Mannis chewed me out for that.”

“It’s the only reason I’m here right now.”

He kept his eyes on the road, but there was good humor in his voice. “At least there’s a silver lining, then.”

Cassie directed him across town, then down East 10th to Central Ave to Midwood. It was too chilly for the outdoor seating, so they found a table in the back. Cassie inhaled the sweet and spicy aroma of some of the best barbeque she’d ever had in her life and sighed.

Viotto’s stomach grumbled, and he flushed. “I don’t think I’ve had a proper meal since I landed.”

“That’s too bad. Charlotte has a lot of great food.”

“You from around here?”

Cassie shook her head. “Savannah. My parents moved out here a few years ago. My sister and I are just visiting. What about you?”

“Originally from Portland.” He opened the menu but kept Cassie’s gaze. “First time I’ve been to the South. Gotta say, it’s growing on me.”

It was Cassie’s turn to blush. She opened her own menu and perused the offerings. “What are you in the mood for?” She immediately regretted the words out of her mouth. “To eat. I mean, to eat.”

Viotto chuckled, but did her the favor of not lingering on her comment. “Any recommendations?”

“Brisket, ribs, you name it. Nothing here is bad.”

“That’s the second time you mentioned brisket, so I think that’s the way to go.”

“You got it.”

When the waitress came by, Cassie was ready with their order. The young woman kept looking at Viotto like she recognized him but didn’t know from where. She thanked them, grabbed their menus, and returned a minute later with their drinks before seating a group of four who walked through the door.

“Does that happen to you a lot?” Cassie asked.

“What?”

“People looking at you in awe and fear because you’re an FBI agent?”

He laughed and his eyes crinkled at the corners. “Yeah. But it does more harm than good. I get a lot more people running away from me than running toward me.”

She shrugged. “At least you’re getting your cardio in.”

“True, true.”

There was a beat of silence, and Cassie felt the need to say something—anything—to keep the conversation rolling. “I’m not trying to be mysterious, by the way. Asking you to lunch, telling you I have some secret information. I don’t even know if I can help you. I just can’t sit around and do nothing.”

Viotto put his arms on the table and leaned forward. “You said it’s because you saw me on TV?”

Cassie took a sip of water before she answered. She already had her foot in the door, but she had to play her cards right if she wanted him to take her seriously. “You don’t think Anthony Lewis killed Connor Grayson.”

Viotto looked around, but no one was paying attention to them. His face was neutral, but his eyes were guarded. “What makes you say that?”

Cassie shrugged. She didn’t have an answer. Just a feeling. “The way you acted during the press conference. How it didn’t take much to convince you to have lunch with me.”

“I’d be shooting myself in the foot if I turned down someone like you.”

“I’m flattered, Agent Viotto, but I’m pretty good at reading people. You have doubts.”

“I’m not at liberty—”

She held up a hand. “I know the line. This isn’t my first rodeo, and you’re not the first cop I’ve dealt with.”

His eyes crinkled again. “Agent.”

“A rose by any other name.” She was grinning, too. “They caught him awfully fast, don’t you think? Found Connor yesterday morning? Afternoon? Then found the gun that led them to Lewis. Arrested him that night. Something’s off.”

“Maybe he confessed. Maybe it was an open and shut case.”

“You wouldn’t have been so pissed off during the press conference.”

“Maybe I was just mad I wasn’t the one who got to announce it. Davenport’s kind of a dick. I’m better looking, anyway.”

“We both know that’s not the case.”

He grinned. “So, you don’t think I’m better looking?”

Cassie was finding it harder to stay focused. “You don’t think Lewis did it.”

“Hypothetically , if that were the case, there’s not much I can do about it. They made the arrest. The proof is there. They announced it. Open and shut. Unless a mysterious woman materializes out of nowhere with some evidence to the contrary, my hands are tied.”

This was going to be the hardest part, and Cassie still hadn’t figured out a way to tell Viotto she knew without a doubt that Lewis was innocent despite having no proof.

The waitress arrived with their order, saving Cassie from having to answer right away. They both dug in, and there were a few moments of silence while each of them had their fair share of lunch.

Viotto wiped his mouth to be polite, but Cassie could tell he was resisting the urge to lick all his fingers. “This is incredible.”

“Some of the best you’ll ever have.”

“I don’t doubt it.”

Cassie leaned back for a breather. “How often do mysterious women materialize out of nowhere with the evidence you’re looking for?”

“Today would be the first.”

“Look, I don’t want to get your hopes up. I don’t have anything concrete, but I do think I can help—”

Viotto’s phone rang. It turned more than a few heads as he scrambled to wipe his hands and answer the call. Luckily, his ringing