“None.” Matthew gently closed his eyes.
Dolores was puzzled, “Then why?”
Then she realized something and asked, “Was it due to money?” However, she was unsure as so
many years had passed without any incidents concerning money. Then why would something occur
now because of money?
“In the past, there wasn’t anyone to threaten me with.” Matthew felt her forehead and asked, “Do you
still have a fever?”
Dolores shook her head and then nodded, “A little, I’m feeling much better.”
“I have some affairs that I need to go and settle. Have a good rest.”
Matthew lifted the blanket beside Joshua and got her to lay down and said, “Take a nap. I’ll be home
soon.”
Dolores noticed that he looked very tired and haggard. Her heart ached for him. Actually, he must be
feeling terrible since his father had just passed away and Joshua was kidnapped. Now at least
Joshua’s safely home.
She said tenderly, “I’ll wait for you.”
“Okay,” Matthew replied and covered her with the blanket.
He stood up when she closed her eyes. He took another look at Joshua before stepping out.
Jasmine stood up when she saw Matthew coming down the stairs. She grasped her hands nervously
and said, “How’s Jos?”
Matthew acknowledged and Jasmine was extremely relieved.
“Can I take a look at Jos?” Jasmine softly asked.
“He’s asleep. Perhaps later.” Matthew said and left the house. Jasmine quickly nodded.
Boyce called just as Matthew left.
Boyce was amid the interrogation. The nanny who was taking of Joshua and the driver were both
witnesses. There was a need to do the investigations properly.
However, Benjamin and that woman would not cooperate and refused to admit that they had kidnapped
Jos.
“Are you really coming over?” Boyce asked.
He could handle these but Benjamin was a Nelson who was instigated to commit such a serious crime.
Would Matthew’s presence make things worse?
Matthew said that he would go and ended the call. He then drove himself to the police station.
Boyce was in the interrogation room and Bruno went out to receive Matthew. He led Matthew into the
station and said, “Mr. Shawn is leading the investigation. We started as soon as we came back.”
Matthew nodded as they walked through the lobby and towards the interrogation room which was
located at the back of the police station.
They were soon at the interrogation room which was partitioned in two. One half was used for the
interrogation while the other half was an observation room.
There were two officers in the interrogation room. One carried out the interrogation while the other
transcribed.
Matthew entered the observation room and observed the interrogation.
“I did not kidnap anyone. I just picked up my nephew’s son back to my place for a day. Is that a crime?”
Benjamin refused to admit it, just as the other woman.
Boyce showed the driver and the caretaker’s photograph and said, “According to their statements, you
did kidnap and demanded a ransom.”
“What evidence do you have?” Benjamin gambled that the police did not have any credible evidence
which was why he was so defiant.
“I demand to see my lawyer,” Benjamin demanded.
Boyce leaned forward and asked, “Don’t you know?”
Benjamin looked at him cautiously and asked, “What do you mean?”
Boyce laughed and baited him, “That woman who instigated you had already confessed. She said that
you were the one who planned this. She said that you had harboured a discontent against Matthew
which resulted in the kidnapping to extort Matthew.”
“She said that?” Benjamin glared his eyes. He raised his eyebrows and did not believe Boyce.
“Of course! She even said that you forced her to do these and she had no choice to do it. She said that
you coerced her to do all …”
“Impossible! She was the one who instigated these. She said that I was treated unfairly by Matthew.
Even kidnapping Joshua was her idea. I would have acted long ago if I had such thoughts. Do I need to
wait until now?” Benjamin was unable to think clearly under pressure.
He lived a life of luxury all this while and did not know how to handle such situations.
“So you admitted that it was a kidnap?” Boyce laughed.
“I did not.” Benjamin denied it again.
Boyce pointed to the video cameras on either side of the table and said, “This is an interrogation room.
Your every movement, every word is being recorded. Your denial is too late.
Benjamin became agitated and yelled, “I was duped by her.”
“She said that she was coerced by you and now you said that you were duped. Who among you is
lying?” Boyce continued his interrogation.
Although he had the authority, he could not misuse it. He also could not let his personal feelings get
into the way of official matters. However, he could not let this matter rest so easily. Joshua was hurt by
them and he had to use some interrogation tactics against them. For example to turn the two suspects
against each other.
“Of course it is her!” Benjamin was so angry that he wanted to stand up. However, he was handcuffed
onto the chair which was bolted to the ground, and could not stand up.
“Don’t be agitated. I can let you ask her.” Boyce ordered for the woman to be brought in. Boyce then
walked over to Benjamin and released him from the seat. Then he said to Benjamin, “Between you and
her, I tend to trust you more. After all, you are Matthew’s uncle. If you harboured any ill intentions, you
would have acted much earlier and not waited till now to do at this age, am I right?”
Benjamin rubbed his wrists and looked at Boyce. It seemed that Boyce was siding with him but then
again, what Boyce said did not sit well with him.
What did Boyce mean by ‘at this age’? He was not young but neither was he that old.
Soon the woman was brought in and Boyce said to the transcriber, “Let’s leave.”
The transcriber closed the book and left with Boyce.
“Benjamin.” The woman still regarded Benjamin as her saviour. When Boyce interrogated her, she did
not say anything and refused to admit that it was a kidnap.
She grabbed onto Benjamin’s elbow and said, “Quickly call the lawyer to bail us out of here.”
Benjamin pushed her away and said coldly, “Even if the lawyer comes, he will only bail me out!”
The woman was stunned and looked at him with her eyes wide open, “But I’m your woman…”
“My woman?” Benjamin scoffed, “Did you think of that when you betrayed me?”
She was stunned and asked, “When did I betray you?”
“Act?” Benjamin pinched her chin and asked, “Are you still acting? Didn’t you tell them that I kidnapped
Jos? Didn’t you say that you were coerced by me? You really know how to deflect the responsibilities.
Are you trying to push all these onto me?”
The woman was stumped. When did she say all these?
“You, are you mistaken?” The woman tried to explain, “I did not…”
“Still won’t admit it? On one hand, you act so loyally to me while on the other hand, you try to push all
the blame onto me.” Benjamin said.
“I did not.” The woman shook her head and begged, “You must believe me.”
“How can you make me believe you?” Benjamin pushed the woman away in anger. The woman lost her
balance and struck her head against the door as she fell to the ground. She winced in pain and sat
miserably on the ground.
Inside the observation room, Matthew and Boyce were watching on the screen what was happening in
the interrogation room.
Boyce looked at the woman wincing in pain and scoffed, “Isn’t it interesting to see them going after
each other’s throats?”
62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda