Chapter 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.”
“On it,” Nicholas confirmed as his fingers flew over the keyboard, typing in the search.
It took only a few seconds before several hits came back. Nicholas tapped on the links one by one so they could read the underlying information.
“That’s all related to the trial,” Nicholas said. “It’s no surprise that their names come up in the same context. That doesn’t prove anything.”
Again, he thought back to the night of the party. Judge Norton had been the guest, whose plus-one had canceled. He remembered now why.
“The migraine, that’s it,” he murmured to himself.
“What migraine?”
“At the party, the judge said that his wife Sandra couldn’t come because of a migraine, and Elizabeth Preston mentioned that Sandra had had those migraines ever since college. She would only know that if—”
“—if they went to college together,” Nicholas completed his sentence.
“Exactly. Find out what their maiden names were.”
A few more searches on the internet, and they had the maiden names of Elizabeth and Sandra.
“Now check what you can find on their connection,” he demanded.
The hits were plentiful.
“They were sorority sisters,” Nicholas said, pointing to the monitor. “After college they stayed close. Here’s the wedding picture of James and Elizabeth Preston.”
Benjamin leaned in and looked at the photo. He read the description below it, which listed the members of the bridal party.
“Sandra was one of the bridesmaids,” he noted.
“Yes,” Nicholas added. “They go way back. Look at this.” He tapped on another link. “That looks like a vacation photo of the Prestons, and that’s Sandra again. This time with a man by her side. I don’t know about you, but that looks like a young Judge Norton.”
Benjamin nodded. The resemblance was uncanny. “That’s him. You’d only go on vacation with people you consider your friends.”
“Absolutely. And they look tight.”
“They definitely do. And as a close friend of the Prestons, Judge Norton should have recused himself from this case.”
“If he was an ethical kind of guy, yeah, he should have,” Nicholas agreed.
Benjamin pointed back at the picture of Judge Norton. “That was their plan B. They had the judge in their pocket in case something went wrong at the trial. He had influence on what kind of evidence to allow or not allow. He could overrule any objections by the defense.”
“Looks like an unfair advantage to me. At a minimum, he should face ethics charges,” Nicholas suggested.
“You wanna bet that he knew that the security video was a deepfake?”
“I’d put money on that.”
“As soon as we nail the Prestons, he’s going down too.”
“I’ll put together all the info we have so we can present it to the D.A.,” Nicholas offered.
“Thanks. I’ve gotta speak to Catalina. Call me if you find anything else.”
“Will do.”
Benjamin hurried out the door and headed for the elevator to the parking garage. He pulled out his cell phone and tapped on Anita’s number.
She replied instantly, sounding slightly annoyed. “It’s five in the morning. The judge isn’t in yet.”
“I know that. But I’ve gotta speak to Catalina now.”
“They don’t allow visitors at this time.”
“You’re a police officer. You can get in. I have evidence that the security video that shows Santiago breaking into the Prestons’ safe is a deepfake. The Prestons doctored it. And Judge Norton is dirty. He’s a close longtime friend of the Prestons.”
“Fuck! You sure?”
“A hundred percent. I need to speak to Catalina. She needs to know. Now.”
“Alright, give me half an hour to get to the jail on 7th Street.”
“I’ll meet you there.”
He disconnected the call and headed for his car.