Maddox looked at the silver dime Mr. Pepper pulled out. He examined it without taking it with his eyes, looking at the color and roundness. "I'll take it," he said finally. "Mercury seems like a good god, crossroads and games of chance. While I have skill, sometimes my job is about chance. The chance of the suspect pulling out a charm that I don't have time to deflect; the chance of living or dying, of not walking away."