Chapter Nine

Stephen

Okay. So, I guess that brings up a whole bunch of new questions.

Maddie - It does. We’ve started to jot some of them down for the next hearing.

Trinity - Like what? I hope you don’t mind me asking.

Benji - Not at all. That’s why I wanted us all together, to discuss the different options we have now.

Clint - But you have a recommendation, right?

Benji - I do.

Stephen - Start with that, please.

I wrap my arm around my wife, pulling her closer. I need the comfort of her nearness right now. I’m not sure where Benji is going with this.

Benji - Okay, so there are several different types of evidence.

Maddie - The most common ones are Real Evidence, Demonstrative Evidence, Documentary Evidence, and Testimonial Evidence.

Benji - After the sting operation and the information we initially got, we thought most of the case would rely on testimonial evidence.

Maddie - But with the DNA and the exclusivity of the testing, we’re now looking at Real Evidence.

Benji - Real, as in they have proof of a death.

Maddie - Notice the key word there, guys: death, not murder.

Dave - So you still don’t think they have enough to pin it as a murder?

Maddie - No. DNA evidence only proves death, but it has to be enough material to be treated and tested for decay. A body and further forensics would be needed to determine a cause of death.

Benji - That said, we’re also concerned about how they tracked the truck.

Maddie - No warrant has been produced to show cause for them to look into surveillance, which led to the discovery of the truck. So we’re hoping that will be enough to have the evidence ruled inadmissible and thrown out.

Benji - Moreover, there’s no evidence to show why you were under surveillance to begin with. Yes, I know you all thought from what Mike said that he was undercover, but there’s nothing to suggest that’s true. I believe this was purely a means for drug trafficking between him and Chad.

I hate lying to Benji, but I don’t want to put him in a compromising position right now. It’s better if they believe it was Chad.

Stephen - But how do we argue that without it seeming like we knew?

Maddie - We don’t argue it. We ask them to prove it. They’re the ones who need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt what they’re claiming happened.

Clint - So what are you suggesting exactly?

Benji - We push forward with the following Pre-trial Motions.

Maddie - Exclusion of Physical Evidence.

Benji - The judge ruled that they provide the warrant as documented and requested by COB today. However, as they haven’t, we would argue that the inclusion of the surveillance as evidence was illegally obtained beyond the scope of the investigation.

Maddie - For them to argue that they were within their scope to obtain that surveillance and look into the truck, they would need to disclose that there was an active investigation with Mike Suarez aka Daniel Rodriguez. This would impede them as we could argue suppression of evidence as they knowingly withheld critical information from your defense team.

Benji - Not to mention, we would also have more grounds to bring into character the Detectives on trial for Chad’s murder. They simply wouldn’t want that much publicity on that case.

Maddie - If successful with the request for exclusion of physical evidence, we would then push for the exclusion of witness testimony based on character assessment as mentioned in Pre-Trial motions.

Benji - We would argue the excited utterance came down to Chad’s inability to no longer cover his tracks on his own illegal activity. It was an attempt to deter from his own criminal activity, which is documented by the kill shot Detective Peters took in silencing him.

Clint - I like that, mate.

Benji - Me too.

Stephen - Haha.

Dave - Haha.

Maddie - Another thing I noticed with the surveillance of the truck is the driver appears to be Chad. So I question why they’re adamant one of you four were the last to see him alive.

Trinity - And there’s nothing to indicate why yet?

Maddie - Nothing yet, but we can get into that more in discovery. Just a nagging feeling we might be missing something there.

Trinity - Want a second set of eyes?

Maddie - That would be great.

Benji - Again, we would also push for the motion to dismiss if we could get the real evidence and documentary evidence excluded.

Maddie - In the meantime, though, we continue with the same narrative.

Stephen - All roads lead to Chad?

Benji - Chad, Peters, and Grounds. The key objective here is to always deflect to another suspect. We have to focus heavily on the fact that the only person who had the motive to do this was Chad.

We all nod in understanding.

Benji - Obviously, Maddie and I will keep going over everything before the next mention next week. But if you think of anything else, let me know.

Trinity - We will. And I’ll have a read through these files.

Maddie - Honey, these are copies, right?

Benji - Yeah, they are.

Maddie - I’ll just leave these with you then, Trin, to have a look at?

Trinity - No problem, hun.

Benji - In fact, if you all can have a read at some stage, there may be further insights you can give me.

Clint - Will do, mate.

The rest of the night was spent with our friends, several bottles of wine, and plenty of smoke to help us all relax. I couldn’t help but smile at my wife as she sat on my lap, engrossed in the files Maddie had given her.

Stephen - You’re kind of cute sometimes, you know.

Trinity - Why’s that, baby?

She doesn’t even look up, just continues reading as she cuddles into me closer. I wrap both my arms around her.

Stephen - Give me a kiss.

Trinity - In a second, baby, I’m just reading.

I guide her head to me as she continues to try and read.

Trinity - What?

Stephen - Give me a kiss, my little bookworm.

She leans into me and kisses me softly before going back to what she was reading. Several pages later and about twenty minutes later, my wife suddenly sits up in my lap.

Trinity - I found it!

Stephen - Found what, baby?

Benji - Does she ever stop?

Stephen - Never, mate. She would have kept going until she found what she was looking for.

Maddie - What is it, hun?

Trinity - It’s the forensic reports. They’ve established a time frame for death. It indicates that it was before the surveillance sighted them in the truck, drawing a conclusion that he was dead before being put in the vehicle.

I watch as Benji gets up and comes to sit next to us, looking over the files with Trinity.

Benji - Damn! That’s it! That’s why they targeted you four! The surveillance shows when Dave and Chad arrived. It also provides a death timeline, suggesting he was dead before the truck got there. By tracking the timeline, they’ve linked it back to you four being the only ones there.

Maddie - Babe, you know what this means, right?

Benji - Yeah, honey, I do.

Maddie - You have to call him tomorrow.

Benji - I will, honey, I promise.

I watch the two of them share a silent conversation with their eyes.

Stephen - What’s going on?

I watch as Benji removes his glasses for a moment, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Maddie - It’s okay, babe, I’ve got this. Guys, there’s no way they could pin a time of death so accurately without a body. That means one of two things: either we need to dig deeper because they have the body, or this report needs to be independently reviewed. It’s too inconsistent.

Trinity - How so?

Benji - The time of death. You couldn’t accurately determine that without a body.

Clint - Or it’s all bullshit.

Benji - I was going to say fraudulent, but that works too.

Stephen - Haha, so what now?

Maddie - So, getting that surveillance for illegal monitoring is even more crucial now.

Benji - We also need to talk to this forensic specialist and get our own team to look at these times, Maddie.

Maddie - I’ll make the calls tomorrow.

Benji - Thanks, honey.

After a few more drinks, everyone starts to leave. After we see them out, I roll a joint for us and help my wife take out the trash. I love how smart this woman is. I can’t believe how easily she was able to help piece this together.

While she’s carrying the dishes into the kitchen, I go upstairs and draw a bath for her with her favorite oils. I set candles all along the back of the tub, and some around the bathroom itself. As I’m getting things just right in the bathroom, I hear her in our bedroom, so I quickly finish. When she realizes what I’m up to, she comes to me, hugging me tightly as I start to kiss her softly on the lips. I can still smell her sweet perfume, filling my senses.

I start to undress her as we’re still locked in a deep, passionate kiss. She lets out a soft sigh and lets her head fall back, exposing her neck. I can’t help myself, I have to kiss and lick her beautiful, sexy neck and ears. As her clothes fall off and pool around her ankles, I’m still captivated by her presence, intoxicated by her sexy smell, and getting harder and more excited by the thought of getting to taste my wife soon.

I have to touch myself and give my throbbing cock a few strokes. I lead her to the bathtub and help her in, telling her to relax for a bit while I clean up the kitchen.

Trinity - Thank you, baby. I love you.

Stephen - I love you too. You’re amazing, you know. I don’t know how you do it, baby, but you keep on amazing me. What you did tonight was incredible.

I bring her another glass of wine and hand her the joint I rolled, then check on the kids again. I finish the dishes, lock the doors, close the blinds, and turn off the lights before I head upstairs.

As I reach the doorway of our ensuite, she gives me that sexy little smile, raises her hand out of the water, and points her finger at me, motioning me to come to her. As I approach her, she hands me the bath sponge. I start to wash her back.

As I squeeze the sponge over the front of her neck, the water cascades down between her breasts. I can’t help myself, I need to touch her with my mouth. As I’m kissing and licking her neck, I run my hands down her sides. I can feel the goosebumps forming.

She arches her back and raises up out of the water. As she does this, I put my hands at the small of her back and hold her up as I start to kiss and lick her stomach. I run my tongue around her navel and a soft moan escapes her.

That’s when she takes my head in her hands, with her gentle touch, she guides me where she wants my mouth. I kiss her inner thighs, one at a time, leaving a trail of tongue as I go back and forth, pausing at the center to kiss her soft, wet mound.

This time I dart my tongue across her clit and make it swell a little. She holds my head firmly as she lets out a strong sigh. And of course, this excites me even more.

So I start sucking on her clit which in return brings louder moans from her begging me not to stop. I dart my tongue in and out of her pussy a few times, then run my tongue all the way to her asshole and dart that a few times.

As she begs for more, I go back to her beautiful pussy and continue to eat that tasty meal that waited between her legs for me. I was kissing, licking and sucking on her pussy until she couldn’t take it anymore.

And finally, she releases her juices for me to lap up like the dog I am for her.

She finally pushes me away and asks for a towel. I shake my head and reach for the towel. She tells me to dry my face and give her a few minutes. I do.

I go to the bedroom and light some candles and pull down the shades. (No show for the neighbors tonight. She’s all mine.) I go to the fridge and get some strawberries and the rest of the wine so I can indulge in my wife tonight.

I light the last bit of our joint to smoke before bed and turn around after setting on some music for the mood, and catch the silhouette of her soft curves in her tiny little panties and a lace see-through night top I bought for her and she knows is one of my favorites on her.

She still takes my breath away. As she moves closer to me, I am spellbound by her entrance. As she reaches me, she pulls me towards her and takes a long draw on the joint before putting it out. We lock in a kiss for a short moment.

She breaks our kiss by pushing me onto the bed. She slowly moves over top of me, smiling as she runs her fingers around her own nipples to make them hard. She gives them a pinch to remind me who is in control here.

She circles both her breasts with her fingers, then down the center of her stomach, putting her head back with her eyes closed as she reaches her inner thighs.

She goes back to one of her nipples and pinches and squeezes it as she rolls it between her finger and thumb as she’s rubbing her clit making little circles with her own hand. Finally, she reaches under herself and releases my hot, throbbing cock.

As she glides onto me, my arousal is nestled behind her. She begins to move back and forth against my body. I arch my back, tightening my abs, pulling her right onto my toned stomach. The sensation of her wetness against my skin is intoxicating. She’s found her release this way before, rubbing her sensitive spot against me. I arch my back again, pulling her closer, and in the process, I tear off her panties. She lets me taste her.

I grasp her hips, ensuring she doesn’t escape too soon. It isn’t long after I start kissing and licking her that she can’t take it anymore.

She lifts herself up and begins to move faster and faster against my face. Her moans grow louder and louder. She throws her head back one final time before her climax washes over me. She slides back down my body, leaving a trail as she kisses me deeply.

She reaches for my arousal, finding it still hard, hot, and pulsing.

It twitches as she gently strokes it with her fingertips. As she works her way down my body, she leaves soft kisses in the wake of her tongue. She’s driving me wild now. And she knows it!

As she reaches my arousal, she pauses for a moment to look at me and flash that smile that always melts me, before she licks the tip. She runs her tongue up and down the length of my throbbing arousal, circling the head with her tongue, licking the slit.

I can’t take it anymore and pull her back onto me. As she positions herself over me, she grabs hold of me and gives a few strokes before letting me inside her.

She’s in total control and I love this new side of my wife, the fiery desire she exudes as she takes control of my body completely. She starts off slow at first. But once I’m fully buried deep inside her, her rhythm starts to speed up. She has her head thrown back, her fingers gripping my chest as her body shakes.

We climax together, the best we’ve ever had, before she collapses on top of me. We fall asleep with me still deep inside her. I wake up a little while later with her still on top of me, her fingers tracing patterns on my chest.

I wrap my arms around her tightly, pulling her closer to my body. Just to love her so. I kiss her beautiful face and whisper goodnight.

Tomorrow is another battle waiting to happen.