40. His Wife #2
“Because there are many power-hungry people in this city who I am sure would do surprising things to get the two most powerful men out of their way.”
“Are you referring to anyone in particular?” Morelli asked, leaning forward. I shrugged.
“No. But I’m sure you’re aware of plenty. In fact, I know my father has reported many hate crimes against him since he became mayor. Politics can bring out the worst in people.”
The door opened briefly after a knock, and a young officer stepped inside, holding a file. I forced my face to stay relaxed when I recognised the file Max had put together with all the new information we’d found at Sani’s Sanctuary.
“Sorry to interrupt, Detectives.”
They both glanced up, annoyed. “What is it?”
“New evidence from the inquiry team.”
They exchanged confused looks and got to their feet. “Please excuse us, Signora Buccini. We will be right back.” They paused the recording and left.
The lawyer and I shared a brief, subtle smile and sat in silence, waiting for their return.
When they entered the room, they looked far less composed than before.
Morelli dropped into his chair a little too forcefully, biting the inside of his cheek as Detective Ferri tried to hide his surprise at the evidence they’d just been given.
“Mrs Buccini, we are going to play a recording. We’d like to hear your thoughts.”
Ferri pressed play, but my stomach had already dropped the moment he said recording.
Sani’s deep, husky, sexy-as-sin voice filled the room, and I briefly closed my eyes because it hit me just how much I missed him.
I hadn’t seen him for nearly twenty-four hours, and I was experiencing serious withdrawals. It was insane.
I tried to contain my rage when I heard how heavily edited it was. Half the conversation was missing, especially the parts where Sani said he’s never hurt my father and that he believed Callum was the man behind everything.
“Thoughts?” Morelli inquired, resting his hands on the table.
“How did you get that?” I frowned, pretending to look utterly confused.
“It was sent to the station anonymously.”
“That’s so weird,” I said, shaking my head and glancing at the lawyer who looked a little flustered himself.
“This is, um, quite embarrassing,” I sighed, flicking my hair behind my shoulders and exhaling a shaky breath. The detectives exchanged a quick glance before focusing on me. “That… Sani was helping me with something. An… audition.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, firstly, that was taken out of context. Those sentences weren’t even said in that order, and were missing lots of discourse in between. See, Detectives, I’ve always wanted to be… an actress.”
They blinked at me.
“But I’ve never had confidence in my acting abilities and thought I shouldn’t even try.
However, Sani encouraged me. He said we should role-play and practise acting so I could gain some confidence.
That was a scene we were doing — a criminal lord and his captive.
I recorded it on my phone so I could study it later and reflect on my performance.
That’s why I’m confused as to how it ended up in your hands and being portrayed as something it’s not. ”
My heart had never raced so fast as I held their distrustful gazes. If they believed even a word of that, maybe I should take up acting seriously.
“Do you still have the original recording?”
“I don’t.” I shook my head. “I deleted it because I thought my acting was terrible.”
Ferri snapped the folder shut. “Thank you for your time, Signora Buccini. We’ll be in touch if we need anything else from you.”
That’s it? I wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad sign. I reached out my hand towards them. “Wait! When can I see my husband?”
“A decision will be made in the next few hours.”
“A decision?”
“Whether the evidence we have is sufficient to make a formal arrest, a judge will need to validate it before the option of bail can be discussed.”
I swallowed and nodded, standing as they saw us both out. “Thank you, Detectives. I hope you find who is really behind this. My father deserves justice.”
They gave me a curt nod before walking away.
I strolled out of the station with Big-T and the lawyer by my side, met with a barrage of paparazzi and journalists who had caught wind of my location.
Big-T immediately tried to shield me from the oncoming cameras and media vultures, guiding me towards the safety of the car, but I halted, digging my heels into the ground.
“Wait,” I breathed, an idea sparking. If Callum could address the city, why couldn’t I?
I spun back around and stormed over to them as they all huddled around me, thrusting microphones in my face.
I couldn’t even concentrate on a single overlapping question being thrown my way, so I simply raised my hand and waited for them to all shut up.
When they finally did, I felt the excitement radiating from them. This was the story they wanted. The mayor’s daughter. The accused man’s wife. The woman caught between two worlds and two men.
I straightened slightly and gazed directly into the lens of one camera.
“My father is still in intensive care, but the doctors tell me he is stable and that they are hopeful he will make a full recovery. I am so grateful to all of the wonderful medical staff who saved his life.”
A few reporters started scribbling quickly.
“Many people were injured in that explosion, and their families deserve answers just as I do.”
“Do you believe your husband is guilty?” Someone shouted from the back.
I searched through the crowd before I said with absolute conviction, “No. My husband, Santino Buccini, was standing on that rooftop when the blast happened. In fact, he was seen moving towards the stage just before. He would never do anything that would put my father, myself, or his own life in harm’s way. ”
“Why is he being detained then?”