Page 96 of Playing With Temptation

Mercer’s eyes went to Sanderson standing in the corner, leaning against the wall. He was mostly in shadow, making him look more imposing than he already was.

The two men made a good team. Elias Radcliff was five-foot-eleven. Average build, handsome but bland, with a head full of salt-and-pepper hair that made him look five years older than he was.

Jim Sanderson was six-two, bald, built, and looked like he’d rip you in half and eat your heart out for breakfast.

They didn’t play good cop, bad cop.

It was more like friendly, happy-go-lucky cop and enforcer.

Until Radcliff tripped you up. Then he turned into a snake and coiled around you until he squeezed the life out of you.

“Yeah, no problem. You said there was a problem with my credit card. Identity theft or something?” Mercer asked.

“See, that’s the problem. I don’t know if it’s theft. Have you ever been to the Bluebird?”

“Yeah, sure, I’ve been there.”

“Can you recall the last time you were there?”

“I don’t know, a while, more than a month I’d say.”

Radcliff nodded and opened the file on the table.

I knew it would have a bunch of handwritten notes scribbled on pieces of loose-leaf paper. Though on one of those pieces of paper, he’d have the victims’ name written. That was where Sanderson would come in. He’d alert Radcliff to any change in body language while he was rummaging through his papers, not paying attention to Mercer.

“About a month ago?” Radcliff asked as he shifted through the papers.

“Yeah. About that.”

“Okay. Good. What about…” More shuffling. “Dutch Courage? Have you ever heard of that place?”

“The bar on Elma and General?”

Radcliff looked back down at his fake notes. Tyler looked at them as well.

“Did you see it?” I asked.

“He’s got a tell,” Ethan muttered. “Radcliff’s gonna chew his ass up.”

“Yeah, that’s the place,” Radcliff confirmed. “Have you ever been there?”

“I mean, yeah, I’ve been there, but I couldn’t tell you how long ago.”

Sanderson whistled. Tyler’s gaze shot back to the corner and he sat up straighter.

That quickly, he’d forgotten there was another man in the room.

Idiot.

But then again, the people who were smart enough to get away with a crime were the ones smart enough not to commit it in the first place.

Radcliff went on like he hadn’t heard the whistle.

“So would you say like three months, six, or last week?”

“I can’t really remember.”

“Can you just guess for me?” Radcliff pushed.