The BennettsRyan swallowed slowly, forcing himself to control his composure.“Of course I’m cooperating,” he said, his voice steady though his jaw was tight. “But I will not be tricked into saying something false. The truth is, I did not hit my wife, and I won’t admit to something that didn’t happen. End of story.”Just then, a knock sounded at the door. The room stilled, every pair of eyes shifting toward it before the handle turned and the door swung open.Ryan’s lawyer stepped inside with purposeful strides, his briefcase in hand, his tone sharp the moment he spoke.“Officers,” he said curtly, his voice laced with irritation. “I was thoroughly disappointed to get a call from the Bennetts that you pulled them in here and decided to question them without their counsel present. Why did you force them back here without me?”The air in the room thickened. Officer Perez responded calmly, his expression unreadable.“We didn’t,” he said evenly. “They volunteered to give us some informatio
The BennetsOfficer Perez’s expression stayed flat, unyielding.“Well, no,” Ryan pressed on quickly, “I didn’t tell her because I’m not an idiot. Would you have told your wife? Would you tell your wife if you were to cheat on her now? Would you tell her you got your mistress pregnant...”Perez’s eyes narrowed. “I wouldn’t cheat on my wife.”The words hit the room like a slap. Ryan gave a strained laugh, a dry chuckle that didn’t reach his eyes. The officer’s face softened for only a heartbeat, then hardened again.“Anyway,” Ryan continued, forcing calm into his voice, “what I’m saying is, I didn’t tell her. She found out. That’s what we’ve been fighting about. And now she’s doing all of this to hurt me. She’s twisting it, making it into something it’s not. Ariana....she’s just a girl who was my sister’s friend. That’s all.”"That's not all, Mr Bennett, now, is it?" The officer asked, tone steel.Ryan spread his hands, pleading now, his voice quieter but no less insistent. “Going back
The BennetsRyan’s head snapped up, his voice rising in defiance. “So, you’re saying that I hit her?.” His tone was sharp, almost mocking, challenging the officer.Perez didn’t flinch. “No,” he said evenly. “We would like to know what happened to your wife. If you’re not the one who hit her, then we would like to know who did?”Ryan blinked, his composure cracking for the first time. “I don’t know, okay? I don’t know. Why don’t you ask her?""You left here with your wife, Mr Benet.”Officer Perez’s expression didn’t change. “We would like to know what you think about it.”Ryan shifted in his seat, his voice pitching higher. “I don’t know! We were going home. We had a little argument. As always, she went overdramatic, told the driver to stop the car. The driver stopped. She got out of the car....And then she started running around on the road, doing a whole scheme” Ryan went on, his voice rising in frustration. “I tried to help her. She was being manic at the time. So anyway, I get sc
The BennettsAfter Mrs. Bennett finished, Officer Perez nodded slowly. “Thank you for your statement. That will be all for now.”Mrs. Bennett rose, smoothing her jacket, but her eyes were still sharp and calculating as she walked out. “I expect my son to be treated fairly,” she muttered under her breath, more to herself than anyone else.Ryan followed soon after, his shoulders tense, eyes flicking nervously around the room. Officer Perez gestured for him to sit in the chair opposite the desk, pen and notepad ready.“Mr. Bennett,” Officer Perez began, his tone firm but professional, “we need to go over the same incident, from your perspective. Everything that Monique reported… your actions, your words, everything. Do you understand?”Ryan nodded, swallowing hard. “Yes, sir. I… I understand.”“Good,” Officer Perez said, his tone clipped and professional. “That's great, let’s start with your wife. Do you know why your wife came to the police here? Do you know what this is all about?”Rya
The BennetsBack inside, Mrs. Bennett leaned back slightly, folding her hands on the table, keeping her expression calm, almost concerned. “Officer Perez,” she began slowly, “Monique… she has always been headstrong. Independent. But recently, she’s been....” She paused, letting the words settle. “I just wanted to make sure that the truth was understood, that you hear it from a third party before… before assumptions are made.”Perez tilted his head, pen hovering over his notebook. “Go on,” he said evenly. “What truth exactly? And assumptions about what?”“Well,” Mrs. Bennett continued, choosing her words with care, “Monique came to the police today, yes....but she was upset, confused. She may have exaggerated what happened at home. That’s all I’m saying. There’s context here, things you won’t hear if you only listen to her.”Perez nodded slowly, eyes narrowing slightly. “So, you’re implying she might not be fully honest about the events she reported?”Mrs. Bennett’s lips pressed into
The BennetsRyan frowned, not liking the direction, but he knew his mother’s tone well. It was the voice she used when she was plotting, when she already had the next ten steps mapped out in her head.“So you want me to play nice with her?” he asked, almost disgusted at the thought.Mrs. Bennett turned her head slowly, pinning him with a look. “Do you have a better plan? Because if you do, I’d love to hear it. Otherwise, yes, you smile, you nod, you let her think she’s clever. You make her comfortable, and then you take control of the situation. That woman thinks she’s protecting Monique. She thinks she’s giving her courage. Let her think it. Then we use it to our advantage.”Ryan clenched his jaw, pacing a few steps away before turning back. “I can’t stand the way Monique looks at me now. Like she’s not afraid of me anymore. Like she has options. I swear, Mother, I can’t....”Mrs. Bennett cut him off sharply. “You can. And you will. Because this is bigger than your temper, Ryan. If M