Page 60 of Benjamin and the Thief

Catalina followed him into the hallway when he accepted the call and put it on speaker.

“Hey, Nicholas, you’re on speaker. Catalina is with me.”

“Hey, bro. Got some news on the public defender.”

“That fast?” He was impressed.

“It was a doozy. Turns out that Gloria Evans is getting married to some bigshot investment banker. He actually purchased the car for her as an engagement present. So, she’s clean. She’s got no need for any bribery money. Her fiancé makes a shit-ton of money, and he’s not stingy if you know what I mean.”

He exchanged a look with Catalina. “Damn. That’s a dead end.”

“Yep, sorry. Anything else?”

“How about the prosecutor?” Catalina suddenly said.

Benjamin nodded. “That’s a possibility. Can you check him out too?”

“What’s the name?”

“Let me check in the file,” Benjamin said.

“No need. I remember his name. Steven Young,” Catalina volunteered.

“Great,” Benjamin said. “Oh, and while you’re at it, can you also check out the judge who presided over the trial?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“His name is Tylor Norton,” Catalina said quickly.

“Okay, I’ll run backgrounds on both. Let you know if I find any red flags.”

“Appreciate it,” Benjamin said before he disconnected the call.

“I’m not surprised,” Catalina said now.

“About the public defender?”

“Yeah. She had very little influence on how the trial went. It would make a lot more sense that the prosecutor would do something that would guarantee a conviction. I mean, he brought in all the expert witnesses that testified to the authenticity of the forensic evidence, and Gloria didn’t get to do her own investigation. If any of the witnesses lied or tampered with the evidence, there was nobody to contradict them.”

Slowly, he nodded. “It’s a possibility. Let’s wait to see what Sebastian can find when he’s examining the security video. That’s our best shot.”

Catalina stifled a yawn.

“You must be exhausted,” he said.

It was late, and while he was used to being up all night, she wasn’t.

“I’m fine,” she claimed.

“There’s nothing you can do right now anyway, so why don’t you lie down for a little while?”

“I can’t just lie down in somebody’s house,” she protested.

“Of course you can. This is like a second home for me. My father and Samson have been best friends for centuries.”

The word was out before he could stop himself. Fuck!

“Centuries?”