Sophia shrugged, adjusting her position to lean against the door, one leg tucked beneath her. “I don’t know, maybe it’s ‘cause my brother raised me.” She grinned. “I’m built different.”

They passed a massive tractor-trailer, its shadow momentarily darkening the car interior. Sophia watched as Juniper unconsciously sat up straighter, her grip on the wheel tightening until they were clear of the truck’s massive presence.

“Good thing we aren’t going south like I did with Daniel,” Juniper said suddenly, her voice too casual. “I think that’s where the sewage from the city goes, right?”

Sophia turned to look at her friend, eyebrows raised. “Are you talking about near the aquifers?” The mental gymnastics were so transparent it was almost painful to witness.

When Sophia tried to gently bring up Daniel and the case again, Juniper immediately cut her off with a non sequitur about someone hogging equipment at the gym. “That guy on that rack wasn’t even using it, just wasting my time. I really can’t with some people.”

Sophia took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she watched the trees blur past. She knew better than to push – sometimes friendship meant knowing when to let a subject drop.