“When I spoke to Cola about setting up an interview with Freeman tomorrow, I asked if she’d had any visitors,” Park said when Cooper was done. “But she hasn’t. No family, friends, colleagues. Accomplices,” he added pointedly. “Hasn’t tried to make contact with anyone at all since her arrest.”

The besides you hung in the air unspoken.

“What about the threat she warned about?” Park asked, clearly thinking of that same single meeting three months ago.

“What about it?”

“Well, we did wonder where she got her information. Maybe this is the connection we’ve been waiting for.”

Cooper frowned. “But if we’re taking Freeman at her word, I’m not being threatened.”

Park looked pointedly at Cooper’s injured wrist, resting on his shoulder.

“That was spur of the moment panic. Someone wanted that phone. Someone like Arthur Crane, who is the only person besides Eli we know for sure James was blackmailing. Which at the end of the day is the actual case we have. Someone murdered a blackmailer. All this other...weirdness is insubstantial at the moment.” Although now that it seemed certain Hirano had lied about knowing James, she was a possible third person with a motive. Not to mention the oddness around his predecessor’s departure. And what about her partner who had also been seen with James? She who had appeared in Hirano’s life after a wolf attack. What was her part in all of this?

Park was watching him with a thoughtful expression. “You’ve never doubted Eli is innocent. Why?”

“Eli and innocent are two words that have no business being neighbors,” Cooper said immediately, but then gave it some genuine thought. “I think it was extremely difficult for him to talk about his past. Especially to me. I don’t think he ever would have if he felt like he had any other possible option.”

“Maybe not. Though I think he’s more fond of you than you believe.” Park tilted his head a little. “And I think you’ve taken a shine to him yourself.”

“He’s a slippery, piquant bastard who believes a marquess’s rapier is an achievable personality type, and so horrifically attractive he looks like—like singing woodland creatures help him dress in the morning. I can’t stand him.”

“Clearly,” Park said, amused. “Sometimes I look like a woodland creature. And I helped you get dressed a couple hours ago. I can hum a little tune next time if it makes you feel special.”

“Why did you two break up?” Cooper asked.

Park looked surprised.

Cooper was surprised himself. He hadn’t really intended to ask. “You don’t have to tell me, if you don’t want to.”

“It was a long time ago,” Park said carefully. “There’s the reason we thought we were breaking up at the time, and then there’s the bigger, more vague and mature reason seen in retrospect.”