Chapter Sixty Eight

Benji

Just two days ago, Stephen, Clint, and Mia had all taken a polygraph test. They were questioned about their knowledge and involvement in the death of Agent Daniel Rodriguez, also known as Mike Suarez. The results couldn't have been better. The plan had always been to point fingers at each other, to take the blame collectively, and to force the police to divide and conquer.

Then Trinity had her accident. It hurts every time I think about it, and it's why I've never said it out loud, but this head injury might just be the silver lining they were all hoping for. I had figured out long ago who had killed him and why they had all become so protective. But I had also realized that the real force to be reckoned with wasn't Stephen, it was always her.

It's like a game of chess. The queen is always the most fiercely guarded, but she's also the most dangerous. The queen will always protect her king, but without the queen, the king is just a mere mortal.

The game itself mirrors the relationship between the king and queen. The queen is the most powerful piece on the chessboard because she can move in any direction—forward, backward, sideways, straight, or diagonally. Her main role is to protect her king. She has to prevent a "checkmate," which means that her king has no escape and is attacked and defeated by one of the other pieces from the opposition's side.

These other pieces represent unforeseen circumstances, trouble, issues, and all the dramas that happen in a relationship that the king may not be aware of. The queen needs to step up and eliminate these pieces before they attack and destroy her king. As the saying goes, there can be no neck if there is no head, and each must be strong because there can never be completion in the functioning of them being one if the two do not each know their individual roles.

That's why a successful man needs a strong-willed and smart woman who will know what to do when her man is about to get hurt. She acts as a frontliner to avoid issues, and she may even throw the punch just to avoid an even more troublesome issue. She pacifies the rage inside her man's heart, she doesn't allow her man to feel self-pity or any insecurity which may ruin his composure. She is the queen, the protector of her king's emotional side. And boy, did she learn this the hard way.

So when I say the head injury may have been their saving grace, I don't say it disrespectfully to a woman I have immense respect for. I say it because it opened her king back up to doing what he does best—providing for his queen while she watched the wings. And when I suggested to the three of them that it was time for them to reveal who the killer was, I knew the queen would have my back and talk her king through it.

After their polygraphs, there was much speculation coming out of the prosecution's office that this was a blatant attempt at perverting the course of justice. They demanded further testing to be carried out on Trinity to determine the true extent of her injury and her state of mind at the point of trial.

Of course, I was quick to instruct Arlo to argue back that any further testing now would be an injustice to our client who has already been tried for this crime and found not guilty. Any tests done now would not be under the same conditions or times, and as such, they would be prejudiced against her.

The judge ultimately agreed with Arlo, which I had anticipated, but I also knew the prosecution wouldn't stop. So when I picked up the phone and spoke to Trinity about my idea, I already knew the answer, because I already knew the role the queen played. Here I sat now, in the docks as Arlo got ready to ask the court and present Trinity.

Arlo said, “If it pleases the prosecution, Mrs. Gotti has graciously volunteered to also undergo a Polygraph to show cause to the extent of her memory loss.”

The judge asked, “Well?”

The prosecution requested, “Can we have a 15-minute recess to confer?”

The judge replied, “Make it 10.”

We sat and waited as the prosecution gathered their stuff and left the courtroom to talk.

Trinity asked, “Will they accept it?”

I replied, “I don't see what choice they have.”

Trinity asked, “And you are sure this will work?”

I replied, “Have I let you down yet?”

Trinity said, “I don't remember.”

I laughed, “Hahaha, touche.”

She smiled at me as we waited patiently for their return. It wasn't long before the court was back in session.

The judge asked, “Has the prosecution decided?”

The prosecutor replied, “We accept, your honor.”

The judge ordered, “Polygraph testing is hereby ordered for Mrs. Trinity Joyce Gotti to be conducted this Friday at ten o’clock. Case adjourned.”

The judge left and we all gathered our stuff to leave as well. As I walked Trinity out to the car where Stephen and her kids were waiting, I said goodbye and she started to walk over to her family, her kingdom.

I called out, “Trinity.”

She turned around to look at me.

Trinity asked, “Yes, Benji?”

I asked, “Do you play Chess?”

Trinity replied, “I used to many years ago.”

I said, “Well played, Queen.”

She smiled at me, understanding our unspoken words.