Page 15 of Death Bringer

“Actually, we want to talk to the person who was behind the bar last night.”

“That would be me. I’m Mike. What’s the problem?”

Ella pulled out a barstool and sat down, allowing Vadim to conduct the interview.

“We’re trying to trace the movements of a Brad Dailey. We believe he was here last night.”

“Brad? The blond-haired guy who got dumped?”

“That’s the one.”

“Did something happen to him? I made sure he didn’t drive home. I called him a cab, and Adam, the other guy who was here, said he’d see him home to his apartment.”

“The man’s name was Adam? Did you get his last name?”

“Nope. I missed that.”

“It doesn’t matter. You did the right thing not letting Brad drive.”

Ella sensed Vadim’s magic enfolding Mike, making him more receptive to answering questions. It was a useful tool, and one she intended to borrow from Vadim’s arsenal. It would complement her empath gifts nicely.

“Was there anyone else in the bar who conversed with Brad?”

“There wasn’t anyone else here, period. It was a quiet night. Just Brad and his girlfriend—until she stormed out, and then just the two guys. They were here for about three hours until I had to shut up shop.”

“Were they drinking heavily?”

“I wouldn’t say, like,heavily.They switched from beer to shots after about an hour, and they were talking a lot more than they were drinking.”

“Would you say either of them was intoxicated by the end of the night?”

“Brad was definitely a bit worse for wear, but Adam looked stone-cold sober. That’s why I was okay with him helping Brad home.” He opened the dishwasher and steam rose into the air. “Is the guy okay?”

“Brad’s fine. We’re more concerned about tracing the guy who helped him get home. Can you describe him to me?”

“Adam? He was probably in his thirties, well dressed in a suit and tie.” Mike picked up one of the glasses from the dishwasher rack and polished it before putting it back on the shelf.

“What did he look like?”

Mike frowned. “It’s hard to say. He was pretty average—brown hair, brown eyes, medium height, no visible tats or piercings, not buff or gay, just a regular kind of guy. It’s weird…now that I think of it, I really can’t picture him very well at all.”

“If I sent someone from our office down here to make a sketch of him with your help, do you think you could do it?”

“It depends. He was just soaverage,you know?”

“It’s okay, you never know what you might remember when you start working with the artist.” Vadim handed over a card. “Call me if you have any further questions or information to impart.”

“Will do.” Mike tucked the card in his shirt pocket. “Is Brad going to be okay?”

Ella got off the stool and smiled at him. “I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

“How about Adam?”

“If we find him, we’ll let you know. Did he mention if he was visiting the city, or has he been in here before?”

“Ithinkhe was here, like, for a conference, some computer thing, although he looked too well dressed to be a nerd, but you never know these days, do you?”

“Was he staying around here?”

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