Raquel Santos interview #2

Saturday, July 18, 2020 – 1:50 p.m.

Participants:

• Detective T. Armstrong
• Detective S. Murphy
• Raquel Santos

Detective Armstrong: All right. As you might recall, I'm Detective Armstrong. Here's Detective Murphy.

Detective Murphy: Welcome back, Ms. Santos.

Raquel Santos: Don't you guys have anything better to do than to drag me in here after tossing my place? What's the big idea, having me picked up like that?

Detective Armstrong: Maybe we have a sneaking suspicion you've got something to tell us.

Raquel Santos: Like what?

Detective Armstrong: Ms. Santos, we're getting a little tired of your games.

Detective Murphy: You know, your friend Benito is in a heap of trouble, and we need to know where he was the night Mr. Fontaine was murdered. You can either help us and save yourself or fight against us and go down with him.

Raquel Santos: I told you already. I don't know where the hell he went.

Detective Armstrong: I don't need to remind you, but if you don't help us now, we won't help you later. Like when we pass this on to the D.A. for charges.

Raquel Santos: Don't bully me. I'm telling the truth.

Detective Armstrong: Let's try taking this step by step. The day Mr. Fontaine died, you left work early?

Raquel Santos: The missus chewed me out, and I didn't want to take it. I gave rich bitch Ashley a piece of my mind and walked out. She yells at me all the time. It was nothing new.

Detective Murphy: Well, it must have been pretty upsetting for you to walk out without getting paid.

Raquel Santos: Yeah? So what? I just wanted to get out of there. I was going to pick up the check Monday. I never did get it. They owe me two weeks.

Detective Armstrong: Two weeks' wages is nothing compared with the $15,000 Benito brought home.

Raquel Santos: What?

Detective Armstrong: Benito broke in to rob Mr. Fontaine. Only one problem: Mr. Fontaine's home. He kills him, sets it up to look like an intruder did it.

Raquel Santos: No way. You guys are crazy. Benito never knew about the money.

Detective Murphy: But he did go over there.

Raquel Santos: No. I didn't say that.

Detective Armstrong: Well, then, what did he say?

Detective Murphy: Come on, Ms. Santos.

Detective Armstrong: You came home early, and what did he say?

Raquel Santos: Nothing. He— I came home and told him. I said that rich bitch had it coming to her, and I left work early because I needed to get away from her and all her stupid rich people problems. I said I'd get the money in time for rent. That's it.

Detective Armstrong: And what did Benito say?

Raquel Santos: Nothing. He said I should quit. He's been saying that a long time. I told him to calm down and forget it.

Detective Murphy: Oh, so he was upset?

Raquel Santos: Just the usual. Getting all worked up over— over stupid stuff like that.

Detective Murphy: You said fighting with Mrs. Fontaine was nothing new, so are you saying he was always getting "worked up," as you put it?

Raquel Santos: Whenever I told him about it. I don't talk about work too much. He thinks it's boring. But yeah, I guess it does piss him off. Why are rich people so f***ed up? They're wasting their time. With all that money—

Detective Armstrong: We've heard this one before. You came home. You told him about the argument. He got upset. Did he calm down?

Raquel Santos: Sure. I went to take a shower, and when I got dressed, he said he was going out. He was all dressed up. I figured he was going out with his buddies. How the hell should I know?

Detective Murphy: So he didn't invite you to go out with him?

Raquel Santos: I didn't want to neither. Fridays, my show is on.

Detective Murphy: Okay. What time did Benito leave?

Raquel Santos: I wasn't watching the clock or nothing. 7:00?

Detective Murphy: What time did he get back?

Raquel Santos: Late. I watched the news and went to bed, and he still wasn't home.

Detective Murphy: So you were worried about him?

Raquel Santos: No. I didn't say that. I said I watched the news and went to bed. It was nothing special. He stays out late all the time. When I woke up the next morning, he was crashed out on the couch.

Detective Murphy: He didn't come to bed?

Raquel Santos: No. He knows better. I said, "You come to bed late and wake me up with your alcohol breath, I'll break your balls." I told him, "You come in late. You sleep on the couch." So he did. The last thing I need is him slobbering all over me at 3:00 in the morning and talking drunk talk. No way. Just let me alone.

Detective Armstrong: Sounds like you run a tight ship.

Raquel Santos: Hey, I pay the rent. He can do what I say or get out.

Detective Armstrong: So if you told him to go take care of the Fontaines, he'd do it?

Raquel Santos: What? You're crazy. I would never do that. No way.

Detective Armstrong: It sounds like Benito pretty much does whatever you tell him, and it sounds like you were tired of working for them.

Raquel Santos: You got it all wrong. I'm not that stupid. If I wanted to kill my boss, I wouldn't send my boyfriend. I'd find somebody I don't know. What do you call it? One of them hitmen. And besides, Benito doesn't always do what I say.

Detective Armstrong: Like, for example?

Raquel Santos: Like I always tell him to get a real job. He says he has plans, not to worry about it. Whatever. I've got plans of my own.

Detective Murphy: So when he came home that night, you didn't ever hear him?

Raquel Santos: No.

Detective Armstrong: He wasn't on drugs?

Raquel Santos: How the hell should I know? I don't mess with that stuff.

Detective Armstrong: Does Benito?

Raquel Santos: I told you once, no.

Detective Armstrong: Care to change that statement?

Raquel Santos: No.

Detective Murphy: Okay. So you woke up the next morning, and he was on the couch.

Raquel Santos: Yeah. Pretty messed up too. I mean drunk. I woke him up and told him to take a cold shower and get his lazy ass in gear.

Detective Armstrong: Had he been in a fight?

Raquel Santos: What?

Detective Armstrong: You heard me.

Raquel Santos: No.

Detective Armstrong: You sure about that?

Raquel Santos: Yeah.

Detective Armstrong: Let's talk about making false statements to the police. We know Benito was messed up that night, and I don't mean on booze or dope. We know he was in a fight that night, and he got tagged a few times.

Raquel Santos: I didn't see nothing.

Detective Murphy: Raquel, I don't want this go bad for you. You're not being straight with us.

Raquel Santos: I am. I am!

Detective Armstrong: But you just lied.

Raquel Santos: I know. I— I don't want to get in any trouble.

Detective Murphy: You're digging yourself in here.

Detective Armstrong: We know what's going on. We've been talking to people.

Detective Murphy: When Benito came home, did he have anything with him?

Raquel Santos: No.

Detective Murphy: Did he say where he went?

Raquel Santos: No.

Detective Armstrong: So he came home beat up and passed out on the couch, and when he woke up, you didn't ask him where he'd been? You didn't ask a single question about where he'd been? I find that hard to believe.

Raquel Santos: Get over it. What he does is his business. He wants to get wasted and get in a fight, that's his business. We didn't talk about it. He knows my opinion. I don't mess with that stuff. He knows I think it's stupid. I'd rather save my money for a cruise or something.

Detective Armstrong: So he wakes up in complete silence and takes a shower.

Raquel Santos: Yeah. Okay, he said he went to The Roadhouse and had tequila. I told him I didn't want to hear it. Then he took a shower. Tossed his clothes in the closet. There. Now you have the big secret.

Detective Armstrong: And what happened then?

Raquel Santos: I did the laundry. We ate breakfast. Nothing special.

Detective Murphy: And when did you hear that Mr. Fontaine was dead?

Raquel Santos: I said once before. I saw it on the 6:00 news.

Detective Murphy: Ooh, you watch a lot of TV.

Raquel Santos: What?

Detective Murphy: Well, you watched the late news on Friday, and then you watched the 6:00 news on Saturday?

Raquel Santos: I guess I like to be informed.

Detective Armstrong: You are wasting our time here.

Detective Murphy: So what did Benito say when he heard the news?

Raquel Santos: Nothing.

Detective Armstrong: Nothing?

Raquel Santos: Nothing.

Detective Armstrong: So the night before, he was all worked up over Mrs. Fontaine, and then he didn't comment on Mr. Fontaine being dead?

Raquel Santos: No. He didn't. Some people have respect for the dead. And I'm sick of you asking me these questions, trying to catch me in some lie. It's not going to happen. I'm telling the truth. What do I need to do to let you— get you to leave me alone?

Detective Armstrong: Try telling us the truth.

Raquel Santos: Yeah, yeah. I have already.

Detective Armstrong: What are we going to find when the lab processes your apartment?

Raquel Santos: There's nothing to hide. You're just being racist. Trying to frame the Mexicans. I should sue.

Detective Murphy: So we will find something, huh?

Raquel Santos: You're not going to find anything.

Detective Armstrong: If you won't tell us the truth, what we find in the lab will.

Raquel Santos: Yeah? Well, f*** you. I'm not saying anything else until I get a lawyer.

Interview ended – 2:04 p.m.