Four O'Clock Sizzle: An Inspector Rebecca Mayfield Mystery (The Rebecca Mayfield Mysteries Book 4) Read Free

where a carafe of coffee waited. Two black suede loveseats faced each other in front of a sleek onyx fireplace. As each man sat, Travis poured the coffee.
    He added sugar and cream to his, took a swallow, and then eased back in the seat. “I called you here to talk about my newest invention.”
    Richie nodded sagely even as his stomach sank. He knew next to nothing about computers, and only hoped he didn’t get hit with so much jargon he wouldn’t have a clue what the hell Travis was talking about. Or get so bored he’d fall asleep.
    “I’ve told you about the rather simple apps I’ve done in the past, but my newest invention goes beyond anything anyone has ever seen,” Travis explained. “In fact, it’s likely to blow up the way humans interact with each other. It’ll be mind-bending. And worth billions.”
    “Pretty high expectations,” Richie said, sipping his coffee.
    “Look,” Travis leaned toward him. “In your line of work, wouldn’t you like to know who you can trust and who you can’t?”
    “In any line of work a person wants to know that,” Richie admitted.
    “Exactly!” Travis looked pleased. “And suppose you’re dating, and you meet the woman of your dreams, don’t you want to be sure you can trust her? That when she tells you she loves you, that it’s you and not your money she’s in love with?”
    “Sure,” Richie acknowledged. “What guy wouldn’t? I mean, who among us can really understand women?”
    With a Cheshire cat smile, Travis announced, “I’ve created an app that will tell you if a person is lying.”
    Richie put down his cup.
    “I’m testing it now. There are still a few kinks, but I’ll work them out.”
    “Really?” Richie asked.
    “I cannot tell a lie,” Travis said with a huge grin. “Not with my invention around. When it’s on, it records every human you interact with. You only need to say the person’s name so it can catalog who it is you’re dealing with. It sends out waves that record pressure points involving any touching, from handshakes to kisses, and changes in voice patterns or tones. The more often you interact with that individual the more data it will collect. That way, it’ll know when the person is acting out of character. Certain ‘out of character’ reactions are characteristics of lying.”
    “That’s mind-blowing,” Richie murmured, not too sure how much credence, if any, he gave to Travis’ claims.
    “Yes.” Travis looked like a kid entering a theme park. “My app will tell you if someone who says they love you really means it; if a business client really can be trusted; if the house you want to buy really doesn’t have any major issues; and so on.”
    Richie nodded. His job was dealing with people, and he couldn’t help but imagine the trouble such an app could cause. More business for him.
    “So, I have two requests of you,” Travis continued. “The first is about my old partners, Mitch Voltz and Jason Singh. I don’t want them to come back and demand a cut on what I’ve spent years developing. I want you to find out what they’re up to.”
    “What makes you think they’re plotting anything?”
    “Because my security system tells me someone has been sneaking around my house and I can’t think of anyone else it might be.”
    “In that case,” Richie said, “why don’t you use your app and ask them if they want a cut of your profits? You’ll know if they’re lying to you about it, right? Isn’t that the point?”
    Travis pursed his lips. “They know about the app, and know how to circumvent it.”
    “More of those kinks, eh?” Richie said.
    Travis stiffened and his cheeks reddened. “That brings me to my second request. People I deal with know about my invention. And most of them are easy to read, even without it. You, on the other hand, meet lots of people. I’d like you to put my app on your phone and see if it works for you.”
    “Are you joking? I don’t think I’m your