Page 52 of Zero Divergence
“And that’s when Vincenzo really rocked our world,” Royce said.
“I can feel more gray hairs coming in as you speak,” Mendoza said dryly, folding his arms over his chest.
Royce grinned. “Good thing you have our thoughtful gift to fall back on.”
Sawyer leaned forward in his seat, drawing Mendoza’s attention. “Let the record show I had no part in the decision. No one consulted me or asked for my opinion, and I did not contribute money.”
Mendoza laughed. “Noted.” He looked at Royce and circled his fingers in the air, urging him to get on with it.
Royce sighed, hoping the bus Sawyer threw him under was one of the smaller types like the one Daniel rode to preschool instead of the heavy, double-decker kind they used for big-city tours.
Royce aimed a good-natured glare at his partner, then continued. “According to Vincenzo, a guard at the county jail had secretly recorded Vivian and Humphries engaging in sex while he was incarcerated, which Schultz’s PI uncovered. Recording devices aren’t permitted in the rooms where the attorneys meet with their clients since whatever they talk about is confidential. I don’t know who made the recordings or how, and we only have Vincenzo’s word that they exist, but I believe him.” The anguish and disgust had been real.
“Audio or visual?” Mendoza asked.
“Both,” Royce said. “Vincenzo instructed Schultz to destroy them and insisted the PI destroy his copies too. After the meeting, the senator called Ms. Gross, and they argued. He told her he’d use the recording against her if she didn’t sign the papers. She was adamant her affair with Humphries had been brief and had ended before she and Vincenzo rekindled their relationship.”
“The senator claimed he was too hurt to believe her or even listen. The argument escalated into whatever Blakemore overheard. They hung up, and Vincenzo encouraged Schultz to keep digging.”
“Christ,” Mendoza said, scrubbing a hand over his head. “Could this get any more complicated?”
“Yes,” Royce and Sawyer said at the same time, trading quick smiles.
“Not long after we arrived, Vincenzo kicked Schultz to the curb, but insisted the file he’d brought with him stay,” Sawyer informed the chief, nodding at the file he’d placed on Mendoza’s desk. “There are photos of Ms. Gross and Franco Humphries kissing in what appears to be the doorway of a motel room. The image has a time stamp from Thursday of last week, but we all know how those things can be manipulated. Vincenzo claims the photos were taken two days after the argument where Gross had told him she was no longer seeing Humphries.”
“Interesting,” Mendoza said, studying an enlarged photo of Gross and Humphries embracing. “Let’s start building a timeline. Tuesday, Vincenzo and Gross argue about the sex tapes. On Thursday, Gross meets Humphries in a room at The Honeyhole Suites.”
Royce snorted and Sawyer coughed when they realized the chief recognized the popular motel that rented rooms by the hour and identified it by the nickname it had earned over the years. The establishment was popular among sex workers and high school kids alike because they didn’t ask for ID before handing over keys to a room. Royce had attended more than a few parties there back in his wilder days. He wasn’t the only one it seemed.
Mendoza grinned wryly. “I was young once too, fellas.”
Royce didn’t feel brave enough to ask how Sawyer knew about the place, and Sawyer surely didn’t want to hear about his adventures with the Mason twins.
“When did Schultz share the photos with Vincenzo?” Mendoza asked, steering them back on topic.
“Schultz had emailed the photos to Vincenzo as soon as he received them from the PI on Thursday night. He brought the print versions with him today,” Royce said.
“Did Vincenzo contact Gross about the images?” Mendoza asked.
“Vincenzo told us he hadn’t wanted to believe they were true because a part of him had held out hope Ms. Gross had been telling the truth, but the irrefutable proof said otherwise,” Royce said.
“So, he just decided to let things go?” the chief asked. “It doesn’t sound like Vincenzo to me.”
“Rather than confront Ms. Gross about the photos, he decided to let Schultz handle things from there on out,” Sawyer said. “Instead of breaking off his engagement with Ms. Fairchild like he’d planned earlier in the week, Vincenzo told her he had the ammunition he needed to expedite the dissolution. He was confident Gross would give in without a fight.”
Mendoza tipped his head to the right. “Yet, he ended up spending the night at her house on Friday night.”
“We’re getting there, Chief,” Royce said.
“Get there faster,” Mendoza quipped.
“Gross called Vincenzo on Friday morning and said she needed to speak to him urgently,” Sawyer said. “He told her all communications needed to go through their attorney, but Gross told him she wasn’t calling about their divorce. She needed his professional opinion on how to handle a sticky situation regarding new evidence she uncovered which shed a different light on a client.”
Mendoza’s entire body tightened, and his nostrils flared. “Which client?” he wanted to know.
“Gross refused to say over the phone and asked if Vincenzo would meet her at her home. He claims she sounded rattled,” Royce replied.
“Vincenzo told us he hadn’t intended for them to have sex and had only wanted to make sure she was physically safe, so he could end their affair for good,” Sawyer said. “He’d brought small copies of the photos taken outside the motel room as an insurance policy.”