Chapter Three

Benji

It’s Sunday morning and I swear it’s too early for my phone to be ringing. Especially considering I’d only been asleep for a few hours, having brought home a stunning woman last night.

I fumble around my bedside table, finally locating my phone. The screen lights up with Stephen’s name.

“Your retainer just went up,” I say, answering the call.

“Done. Name your price,” Stephen responds.

“Fuck! How bad?”

“Detective Peters was just here. He arrested Trinity for murder.”

“I’m heading to her now. I’ll call you when I can.”

“Thank you.”

I glance over at Maddison, still fast asleep. I decide I want her to stay right there. I’m going to need some stress relief when I get back, and after last night, I definitely plan on seeing her more.

“Maddie, I have to go. Urgent call with work. I’ll try not to be too long, but please don’t move. Stay here, sleep, and I’ll be back when I can.”

“Mmmm, okay handsome,” she murmurs.

I kiss her on the forehead, get dressed, and race out the door.

Once I’m in my car, I call Stephen back.

“Hey,” he answers.

“Okay, fill me in on what we do know, mate.”

Stephen explains that not long after he woke up, their doorbell rang. When he opened the door, Detective Peters and six other cops were standing there.

They wouldn’t tell Stephen why they were there, just kept asking for Trinity. Trinity heard the commotion and came out. She chose to surrender peacefully, not wanting to upset her kids. All Stephen knew from hearing her Miranda rights was that they’d arrested her for the murder of Mike Suarez. That name again. But when we searched, we couldn’t find anything on a Mike Suarez or his disappearance.

I rush to the precinct and meet the duty officer.

“I’m the legal counsel for Mrs. Trinity Gotti.”

“Take a seat and I’ll speak with the arresting officer.”

I wait for twenty minutes before Detective Peters comes out.

“How can I help you, Mr. Ramirez?”

“I believe you’re holding my client. You’ve been doing so for over an hour and yet, oddly, I haven’t received any phone call from her yet. Why would that be, Detective Peters?”

“Nothing to be concerned with, Mr. Ramirez. Your client hasn’t been questioned. We were just getting everything ready.”

“Well, while you do that, you can take me through to my client, so we also can get things... ready.”

He shrugs his shoulders but has the duty officer take me through to Mrs. Gotti. Once I’m inside, I advise the officer their services are no longer required and I get an update from Trinity, as well as explain the process.

I feel for her. They’ve used shitty tactics in arresting her on a Sunday, knowing I won’t be able to do much until court opens tomorrow. But that just makes me more determined to hit them where it hurts.

After I’ve explained as much as I can to Trinity, I head back out to speak with Detective Peters.

“So, what are the charges?”

“Murder, Mr. Ramirez.”

“Of?”

“Mike Suarez.”

“Right, and you have a file on this Mike Suarez? Background, character profile?”

“We will have it ready for arraignment.”

“So, this will be ready for me tonight then, so we are adequately prepared for arraignment?”

“Of course.”

“And the body? When will that be available for our forensic team to go over the evidence?”

“The body?”

“Of course. Generally, when you charge someone with murder, it implies there is a dead body.”

I watch as the detective looks thrown off by this. Not a normal reaction, I note to myself.

“All initial discovery will be made available with the arraignment file.”

“Very well. I look forward to dancing, Detective. Oh, and just remember, I have sighted my client and will do so tomorrow once your prosecutor has been assigned. So, I expect nothing but the best treatment tonight.”

“This isn’t a five-star resort, Mr. Ramirez.”

“Indeed. However, as you have noted, she is now in your custodial care. So, if anything happens, I will actively pursue the CPD. I look forward to those files later.”

I head back into the room and advise Trinity of what I’ve managed to find out. I let her know I need to get everything ready but I’ll be back first thing in the morning for her.

“If anything happens tonight, you demand a call straight away to your counsel and you ring me, okay? Other than that, not a word.”

“Thanks, Benji. Tell my family I love them, please.”

“Of course.”

I head out of the precinct and notice it’s midday. No wonder I’m starving. I get in the car and quickly ring Maddie.

“Hey,” she answers.

“Gorgeous. Want me to grab some food on the way back? You’re going to need the energy.”

“Haha, is that so? Sounds good and I’ll see you soon.”

“Get undressed and wait in my bed for me.”

“See you soon, Benji.”

I hang up and call Stephen to give him an update.

“Benji? How is my wife? Is she okay?”

“She’s fine. She said to concentrate on the kids and she’ll see you tomorrow.”

“So, who is Mike Suarez?”

“He’s a DEA agent.”

“Fuck. Mate, you need to give me more than that.”

“Mike was working with me for nearly two years. When I told the boys I was getting married and shifting my focus to the clubs to work more family-friendly hours, he flipped out. Hell broke loose and, well, he took Trinity almost hostage in our property.”

“Okay, don’t tell me all the details. Remember, I have an oath to the courts. Just tell me what I need to know to work this case against her.”

“Right. Well, we don’t even know if Mike was his real name. But he and Chad no longer work or live here.”

“Interesting. Okay, I can work with this. I’ll have their brief they’re presenting to the prosecutor’s office, so I’ll touch base later. Be ready early tomorrow morning so we can head in for her arraignment.”

“Thanks, Benji.”

After hanging up, I decide to grab some Mexican food on my way home to Maddie. Tomorrow is going to be a long day, and tonight, even longer. I have a ton of research to do. So, I need to make the most of my time with Maddie this afternoon. I need to relax, to unwind.

Once I get home and we’ve had our fill of food, I take Maddie back to bed. I need to let out my frustrations, to clear my mind. About an hour after Maddie leaves, I get a notification about the discovery file. I brace myself, settling in for a long night.