Ten

CHAPTER 10

Cassandra quickly recounted the events of the night, leaving nothing out. Jessica listened intently, her expression growing more incredulous by the minute.

“Marriage proposal?” Jessica said, after Cassandra had finished. “And a million dollars a month? That's crazy.”

“I know,” Cassandra agreed, sinking into a chair. "But think about it, Jess. If I marry him, I'll be able to get closer to him. I could find out what really happened to my parents. Maybe even gather enough evidence to bring him down."

Jessica frowned, crossing her arms. "That's risky, Cass. Very risky. You're talking about living with a man who could be a murderer."

“I know the risks,” Cassandra said firmly. "But this might be our best chance. I can't let what he did go unpunished."

Jessica sighed, running a hand through her hair. "If you're sure about this, then I'll support you. But you have to be careful. We need a plan."

Cassandra nodded. "A plan. And I need you to help me stay grounded. Remind me why I'm doing this, and help me keep my cover."

Jessica nodded, her expression serious. "Okay. We'll figure this out together. But anyway, why aren't you home? It's almost morning."

A sigh escaped Cassandra's mouth, she really didn't want to think about it for now. "I'm sure Aunt Marry and Uncle Lionel would be peppering me with questions if I went home. I'll stay here tonight."

“That's fine if you're not bothered by the sound of sex next to your room.”

"What?!

****

Cassandra skipped going back home and chose to go to the police station that morning. She asked Jessica to drive her even though she was half-drunk. Unfortunately, they were friends. And Cassandra couldn't take Jessica to jail for that. There was a promise Cassandra had to keep for Jessica.

“Hey, Cass?”

Cassandra turned around. She greeted Detective Martinez politely. “Good morning, Detective Martinez.”

They then walked together. Martinez was one of Cassandra's superiors on the force, so Cassandra needed to manage her gestures as they spoke.

“Did you hear that Mr. Foster's autopsy results are out?”

Both of Cassandra's eyebrows shot up, she wanted to display an enthusiastic expression in front of her senior. "Really? Maybe I'll take a look at it right after this."

"I heard you don't want to get involved with Antonio Franches. Do you know him personally?"

Cassandra mumbled for a while, before she finally answered, “I'm just trying to focus on one point of concern before it gets too big. I think Cale Callaghan is still covering up a lot of things that will lead us to important people in the city, Detective."

Martinez nodded, she let her short white hair follow the movement of her head. "You're right. I'll leave the investigation to Alex. He seems enthusiastic, do you think Alex and Antonio are personally involved?

“I'm not sure about that.”

After that conversation, Martinez decided to break the pace. He pointed to his room and said, “I'm going into my room. Let's meet later this afternoon at the hospital."

“I'll let you know if I'm coming, Detective.”

This investigation was not over yet, and Cassandra needed to see Cale Callaghan again. Their interrogation was already scheduled and Cassandra would face Callaghan with her lawyer this time.

In the interrogation room, Cassandra sat across from Cale Callaghan. She brought her lawyer, Susan Sameh. A lawyer from India.

“Good morning, Mr. Callaghan, you seem to be in good spirits today,” Cassandra said pleasantly, which was actually an insinuation because Cale managed to bring a lawyer to face the police. Cassandra extended a hand, trying to be friendly to Susan. “I'm Detective Baker.”

“I already knew that,” Susan said, she rejected the handshake given by Cassandra. "Can we just get to the point? My client is innocent, he's not embezzling funds, or involved in a murder case."

"Yep. I've told him that many times, but Detective Baker is hard to tell." Cale looked smug, he pointed at Cassandra confidently.

"The autopsy results are out and I'll go over them. But we'll focus on your case, an embezzlement. Do you think 2 trillion is a small amount of money, Mr. Callaghan?"

Cale rolled his eyes lazily. "I already told you, I didn't do that. I only repaid the capital I borrowed from Antonio Franches and I forgot to write it down in the financial records. That's all."

Cassandra smiled. "Unfortunately, the audit team already checked the finance team in your company and they all agreed to say that they didn't know about it. You took the money in secret, Mr. Callaghan. Not even a single finance team came here to help you, did they?"

Cassandra saw Cale Callaghan shift uncomfortably in his chair. Her courage faltered, and she knew that she had made a mistake. Susan Sameh, however, remained calm, her sharp eyes never leaving Cassandra's face.

“My client has nothing more to say on this matter,” Susan interjected. “We are here to clarify her innocence, not to accuse her without any real evidence.”

Cassandra leaned forward, her tone unwavering. "Mr. Callaghan, your financial records show significant discrepancies. 2 trillion in missing money is not something that can just disappear. And your relationship with Antonio Franches raises even more questions."

Susan opened her mouth to object, but Cassandra held up a hand. "Look, Mr. Callaghan. We can make this easier for you. If you cooperate, maybe we can work out a deal. Tell us what you know about Antonio Franches' operation."

Cale's eyes flickered with uncertainty. He looked at Susan for reassurance, but she remained silent, her expression stern. Cassandra sensed a rift in his resolve and pressed on.

"Think about it, Cale. Antonio Franches won't protect you. He'll throw you under the bus when he needs to. Help us, and you might be in a better position."

Silence hung in the air, heavy and tense. Finally, Cale leaned back in his chair, his shoulders slumping. "I... I don't know much. But I can tell you this: Antonio has connections everywhere. Politicians, businessmen, even law enforcement. He uses them to cover his tracks and keep his hands clean."

Cassandra nodded, her mind racing with the implications. "We need specific information, Cale. Names, places, anything that can help us take him down."

Cale glanced at Susan, who nodded reluctantly. “There's a warehouse on the outskirts of town,” he said. "That's where Antonio handles most of his... less-than-legal business. Deliveries come late at night, and it's always heavily guarded. If you can get in there, you might be able to find something. But I'm just warning you, that... he's a dangerous man and I'm serious about that."