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Beth smiled. “Please do join us.”
The traitor slid over, and Benson sat next to her, while Preston moved next to Ariel. When their shoulders touched, her pussy had the nerve to shudder with pleasure. While she couldn’t deny both men were extremely handsome, Benson didn’t seem to care about the truth, and Preston might be involved somehow in Sam’s demise. It would be prudent to stay away from both men—unless she needed information from them.
“Ariel,” Benson said. “For what it’s worth, I am sorry about the outcome of the trial.”
She didn’t believe him for a minute, unless he gave her a good reason why he thought Trent was innocent. “If you’d been defending Trent, what would you have done differently from Mr. Ackerman?”
His eyes widened, as if he hadn’t expected that question. “I’ll have to think about that. I’ve only been on the prosecution side of things.”
That was interesting. “I know you probably can’t say much, but did you think the case was going to be a slam dunk when it started?”
“No. I did not.”
While Ariel was no mind reader, Benson seemed to be telling the truth. He didn’t shift his gaze, and no nervous tick appeared. Being a professional though, he might have learned how to control his facial expressions.
“I wasn’t able to attend all of the sessions since I had to work, but did Ackerman suggest who else might have harmed Samantha?”
“No, and that bothered me. I’m not one to point fingers, but he should have mentioned a few possible suspects to cast some doubt as to Trent’s guilt.”
That intrigued her. “Like who?”
He looked over at Preston. “I don’t go around stating this, but a lot of women chase Preston.”
“You’re exaggerating,” Preston said. Believe it or not, he acted embarrassed.
“I’m not. It’s no secret that Sam was interested in you.”
“Maybe, but I don’t date my clients.”
Ariel’s mind spun. “Benson, are you implying that someone who was interested in Preston might have thought he and Sam were a couple—behind Trent’s back, of course—and that this woman might have killed Sam to get rid of the competition?”
“You should have defended your brother. That is exactly what I mean. Do I believe it? No, but the jury needed reasonable doubt.”
“I wasn’t at the Double G Bar the night Trent and Sam had their argument, but Trent said that Sam told him she was leaving him for Walter Winston.”
Benson pointed a finger at her. “Another point that Ackerman could have pursued. Since Walter is dating Peggy Hartwood, it would give Peggy a motive to kill Sam.”
Ariel’s pulse shot up. “Did you put her on the stand?”
“I think you mean to ask ifAckermanput her on the stand. No, he did not, but before you condemn him for being lax, our public defenders are way overworked. He wouldn’t have had the time to look into everyone.”
She’d heard that, but how many cases could he possibly have? Wildwood didn’t have that much crime, despite their town being the county seat.
“Preston mentioned that the killing might not have been about Samantha, but rather about my brother and something he was involved in.”
“Again, that wouldn’t be something I would have brought up. My job is to prove the defendant is guilty. Is the system totally fair? No. And for that, I’m sorry.”
What a shame that Trent couldn’t have afforded someone as competent as Benson Granger.Gah!Did she really think that? Okay, maybe she did. He was very good at his job.
CHAPTERFIVE
“That was an unexpected evening,”Benson said as he tossed his car keys on the entry table.
“Unexpected but nice,” Preston added.
“Nice, perhaps, but I had to work hard to keep from showing my sharp nails and teeth. All I could think about during dinner was making love with Ariel. Is that sick or what?”
Preston slipped out of his jacket, placed it over the chair, and sat down. “It’s not sick. We are werewolves. We have found our mate. That’s natural animal behavior. We can’t help but respond like that when we’re around her.”
