Page 25 of Not This Night

Rachel's eyes narrowed slightly, her instincts humming. She exchanged a glance with Ethan – they both knew when a subject was holding back. The game of cat and mouse had just begun.

"Think hard, Hawkeye," Rachel urged, her voice a steel wire. "The bracelet Sinclair bought—details?"

Scott's eyes, flinty and evasive, darted away. "Can't remember every trinket I sell." His fingers drummed on the metal table, a staccato nervousness belying his feigned indifference.

Rachel's gaze didn't waver, sharp as a shard of glass. She watched the twitch in his jaw, the uneasy shift of his weight. Lies had a way of seeping through the cracks of a man's armor, and Scott was no exception.

She pivoted swiftly, seizing upon another thread. "What exactly were you doing in that basement?"

"Ritual cleansing," he answered with a dismissive flick of his wrist. But the scowl that crept across his leathery face betrayed him, a flash of anger directed at Rachel and Ethan. "Trying to get the bad spirits out. Clearly, it didn't work." His eyes lingered on Rachel's face for a moment.

Ethan watched the exchange, quiet but calculating. He knew when to let Rachel take the lead, this was her dance. He was empathetic and likable, but Rachel… in the more direct approach, she was capable of giving as good as she got.

"Jenna Amos," Rachel said, her tone flat, her eyes drilling into Scott's. "When did you last see her?"

Scott's face tightened, a subtle tell. He looked away, his gaze landing on a water stain creeping along the ceiling.

"Been a while," he muttered, too quick, too vague.

Rachel leaned in, her presence dominating the cramped space of the interrogation room. "Define 'a while,' Scott."

He glanced at her, a flicker of something dark crossing his features. "Months, maybe."

"Months? She's been missing for days."

A muscle in his cheek twitched. "News to me."

"Is it?"

"Alright." Scott sighed, a hint of resignation in his voice. "Maybe a week. Came by the store."

"Alone?"

"Yep."

"Behavior? Anything unusual?"

"Seemed fine to me."

Rachel noted his clipped responses, the way his hands had stopped their nervous dance and now lay clenched on the table. "But you remember her visit clearly now."

"Guess I do," he shot back, defiance sparking in his eyes once again.

"Curious.”

Scott shifted, uncomfortable under her scrutiny. "I've got nothing to hide."

"Then why run, Hawkeye? Why bolt at the sight of me at Artifacts?"

"Instinct," he shrugged, a smirk playing on his lips. "You're not exactly local law."

"Instinct," she echoed, disbelief coloring her tone. "Or guilt?"

"Look, Ranger," Scott said, leaning back in his chair. "Anyone would run from an armed woman storming in like the place was on fire. Especially when she's not wearing a badge I recognize. You look half white anyhow."

Ethan continued to watch, allowing the direct approach, waiting for it to yield results.

Rachel leaned in, her eyes fixed on Scott like twin drills. "You killed Jenna Amos," she stated flatly, the words hung between them, heavy with accusation.

---