Page 71 of Benjamin and the Thief

“But I didn’t do anything,” she protested. “I didn’t commit any…”

As she said it, her mind flashed back to the security video Benjamin had shown her earlier in the evening.

“Like I said, be smart about it. Now rest. It’s late.”

He turned away and walked out of her line of vision.

Fuck! Had the Prestons pressed charges? Would she now end up like her brother and sit in jail for a crime she didn’t commit? This couldn’t be happening. And now she didn’t have anyone who would help her get out of this mess. For all she knew, Benjamin wouldn’t lift a finger. Besides, she wouldn’t accept any help from him now, because his help came with strings. And she wasn’t prepared to pay for it with her body or her life. Now that she knew he was a vampire, she knew exactly what he wanted from her: to suck her dry. Sure, he’d keep her alive for a while, until he lost interest in her and drained her of the last drop of her blood.

She shuddered at that thought. How could she have been so wrong about him? How could she not have sensed the evil beneath his perfect surface? She’d let herself be blinded by his charm and good looks, his tender caresses and passionate lovemaking. How could the man she loved be a monster? Why hadn’t her heart warned her?

She felt tears roll down her cheeks, and she didn’t even bother wiping them away. Everything was over now. She would sit in jail and be convicted of attempted burglary, and nobody would help her or her brother get justice.

Dejected, she sank to the cold concrete floor and buried her head in her hands, letting the sobs come and wash away every little piece of hope she’d ever had, while her heart broke into a million little pieces that she would never be able to piece together again.

31

While Delilah wrote up her findings of the Prestons’ financial situation, Benjamin returned to headquarters. The Prestons definitely had a motive for framing Santiago, and the doctored security video proved that they had the means. Now it was important to determine whether they were the only ones involved in this scheme, or whether they had help.

Arriving at headquarters, he went straight to Nicholas’s office. After a perfunctory knock, he entered his colleague’s office. Nicholas looked up from his computer and motioned for him to come closer.

“Hey. I’m still working on the judge. But the district attorney is clean. He did his job by the book,” Nicholas said.

“You sure?”

“Yeah. There’s nothing that connects him to either Santiago or the Prestons. And no odd payments that would suggest bribery either. So, he’s out. Have you found anything on the Prestons? I heard you went to see Delilah.”

He wasn’t surprised that Nicholas knew about it. By now, the fact that he was investigating the Prestons in conjunction with the conviction of Santiago Vargas was probably common knowledge.

“We got a motive. The Prestons were in major financial trouble right before they claimed they were burgled.”

“Claimed?”

“Yep. Because the security video that was admitted as evidence at the trial was doctored. It was a complete fabrication. Santiago is innocent.”

“That’s great news. Doesn’t that give you enough to go to the authorities to get him a new trial?”

“It does, but I wanna be thorough. I’m not sure yet that the Prestons would bet their financial livelihood on just one single piece of evidence. They would have had a Plan B, some sort of backup.” Benjamin shrugged. “It’s just a hunch.”

“Alright.” Nicholas looked at the computer and typed something.

“Four eyes see more than two,” Benjamin said.

He walked around his desk and looked at the screen just as Nicholas pulled up a page with a photo. Benjamin stared at it. He’d seen this man before.

“That’s Judge Norton?”

Nicholas nodded. “Yes, Judge Tylor Norton. He’s sixty-three, married, with three daughters. I’ve already looked through his professional history. Seems pretty straightforward. He went to Harvard Law School, clerked at⁠—”

“None of that is important,” Benjamin interrupted. “I recognize him. He was at the Prestons’ party.”

He tried to recall the conversation he’d overheard between him and the Prestons that night.

“You mean they invited the judge who ruled over their case to a party? That’s a little odd. Don’t you think so?”

“It’s not that odd, if they knew each other before the trial,” Benjamin mused.

He motioned to the keyboard. “Do a search on Tylor Norton and his wife Sandra. Cross-reference it with the Prestons.”