Page 53 of Sinner's Sacrifice

“What about this other woman?” Benson asked.

“She’s willing to testify, but if you treat her like you treated me, she won’t.”

“She’s got to stand up for herself when she’s a witness. The defense won’t pull their punches.”

“She’s a traumatized woman who has been horribly scarred by this guy. Some of the cuts he made on her are still open and infected. She’s going to need medical care for weeks.”

“Does she even have an address?”

“Yes,” Yvgeny answered. “As of today, she’s employed at my hotel in the housekeeping department. She lives in employee accommodation onsite.”

“You gave her a job and a place to stay?” The lieutenant sounded shocked.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because she needed it and she’s willing to work for a better life for herself.”

“You do not have a reputation as a humanitarian,” Benson said, holding his hand up, palm out. “No jury is going to believe you’ve given this woman a home and a job out of the goodness of your heart.”

“You think too short term,” Yvgeny told him. “And with too small a mind.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Benson asked, his face red.

“I’m not a nice man,” Yvgeny admitted. “I can and will be ruthless in my protection of my people and property. People like the man we brought you today are bad for business. Left alone, their actions can drive customers and even other businesses away. I will not tolerate such an obviously depraved individual committing crimes of such a heinous nature anywhere near my people and property.”

Yvgeny sat back. “Also, you’re only talking to certain people about my reputation. Other law enforcement, people you’ve arrested for a variety of reasons, and informants who use information to leverage against their own crimes.”

“So what? Those opinions don’t count?”

“They have a vested interest in keeping your interest away from them and on someone else. I donate large sums to a variety of charities every year. I provide my employees with benefits far and above what most people receive, and I’m flexible about schedules for single parents.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Benson looked at Sam. “Are you getting these benefits?”

“Yes, full medical and dental. Covers braces, glasses, dentures, everything. He even has an employee pension plan, no matter how many hours you work a week.”

“How do you afford that?”

“Low employee turnover, low levels of employee sick time, and high productivity,” Yvgeny said. “If you treat your people right and respect them for the work they do for you, you make more money in the long run.”

Benson looked at him like he’d been speaking a foreign language. “Are you fucking kidding me? You sound like one of those business gurus who smoke way too much weed on weekends.” He turned away and put his face in both hands for a moment. “God damned medical and dental benefits.”

Benson got to his feet. “I’ve got to make a couple of calls. Don’t anybody leave.” He strode out of the room, closing the door behind him.

“Leave, stay. I wish he’d make up his mind,” Yvgeny said.

“I don’t get it,” Jim Davis, one of the junior members of the team, said.

“I think,” Nika said slowly. “Lieutenant Benson came into this meeting with incomplete or even incorrect information from some other source.”

“What other source?” Baz asked.

“That’s the important question, isn’t it?” Yvgeny asked.