Expert Witness: A Romantic Suspense Novel (13 page)

Her office phone rang. “Jordan, your three o’clock is here.” Nancy’s voice came over the line.

“Thanks, Nancy.” Jordan got up to retrieve him from the waiting area.
 

A solidly built middle-aged man advanced toward her as soon as she entered the room. Dressed in a checked blazer and coordinating chinos, he looked like he’d walked in straight from a Thomas Pink catalogue shoot.

“Good afternoon,” she greeted him with a handshake. “It’s nice to meet you.” Close up, she could see that he resembled a younger version of his father, though he carried himself with more reserve.
 

“My pleasure.” He gave a curt nod, but the greeting didn’t reach his pale blue eyes.

They made their way back to her office, and she caught a glimpse of Chase as she walked by. He gave the appearance he wasn’t paying her any particular mind, but she could feel his eyes tracking her as they proceeded down the hall. She tried to ignore the warm tingles that instinctively spread down her spine in response.
It’s his job to observe
, she reminded her deluded subconscious once again.
 

Once Keith was settled in her office, Jordan went over her role in the evaluation process and how the information he provided would be used. She then began to discuss his father.
 

“I’ve read the information you supplied to the court in your petition, but I wanted to hear more from you on what you have observed and the reason you filed a petition for guardianship on your father.”
 

“Uh…I’m not sure where to start.” He hesitated then continued. “At first, I didn’t realize how bad things had gotten. I mean, it was a missed bill or meeting here or there. Then I started to notice he wasn’t paying attention at all to the company quarterly reports. Someone would ask him a question, and he didn’t even acknowledge it, or if he did, he didn’t know the answer. He was never that way in the past, so I knew something was wrong.”

“Was there anything specific that led to you file when you did?”

“No, not really. I think I just finally realized I needed to do something to help him. I’ve tried to take over as much of the business as I can, but he still holds the controlling shares. And he said he’s not ready to turn those over to me.” He edged to the end of his seat. “Yesterday, he forgot the password to his accounts, and the secretary had to call me to get it. I know it sounds trivial, but he’s had that password for over thirty years, and he’s never forgotten it once.”

 
“Is there anything you’re worried about happening as a result of what you’re seeing?”
 

“Hell yeah.” His response was forceful. “I’m worried he’s going to end up in any number of bad situations. He stands to lose a hell of a lot of money if someone takes advantage of this. I’m not the only one who’s noticed.” He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. “I can’t believe something like this could happen. He was always the strong one and sharp as a tack. You should’ve seen him after Mom’s death. I never would’ve thought.”
 

“I can imagine it’s hard,” she replied, watching his demeanor.
 

He shook his head slowly, casting his eyes downward. “Yes, it is.” After letting out a long breath, he lifted his head. “And I also feel guilty about being the one to initiate this whole process. I mean, I know I’m doing it for him, but I don’t know if he’ll ever understand that.”
 

She nodded. “The process can be very stressful.” She proceeded to try to gain more specific examples of the alleged impairments before moving toward the main area she needed to learn more about. “You noted that your father was remarkably strong following your mother’s death. How did he grieve?”
 

“What do you mean?” Keith eyed her warily.
 

She treaded forward cautiously, not missing his guarded stare. “How did he cope with her death? Did he ever talk to you about his feelings? Did he seek support from friends? See a counselor?”

“Not really any of those things.” His tone was deliberate and he appeared to be evaluating each statement he made. “He hurled himself into what needed to be done. At first, it was her funeral. When everything was settled, he immersed himself back into the business. His knee surgery and the complications forced him to take a break from the office, but he still stayed on top of things from home. I always came by and briefed him. I had to get his advice on how to handle things.” He threw his hands up. “I mean, he’s been at this longer than I’ve been alive.”
 

She wrote out some brief notes on his interpretation of the events. “Did you notice anything out of the ordinary during those visits?”

“Yes. That’s when I noticed he was more forgetful, and he always said he was tired. He didn’t seem very interested at times, just told me to make the decision myself. He was never like that before.”

“You noted he wasn’t on any pain medications then?”
 

“No, he took them right after the surgery, but not for long. He wasn’t big on medications. He always soldiered through. Kind of a tough-guy approach.”

She nodded then paused a beat before continuing. Bradley’s emotional state following his wife’s death was key to the case, but given Keith’s earlier response, she wasn’t sure how receptive he’d be to discussing it further. Deciding to be delicate but direct, she broached the subject again. “Did he ever seem sad when you visited?”

Keith sat up straight. “What are you asking? I mean, yeah, he was down about the surgery and getting sick afterward, but anyone would be. Especially someone like him, who’s used to running nineteen to the dozen all the time.”
 

“Did he talk about it? Feeling sad?” She raised an eyebrow.

“Of course not. It’s not like he was depressed or anything like that.” His voice rose, and he narrowed his eyes at her. “What does this have to do with anything, anyway? It sounds like a waste of time to me and—” he glanced down at the stainless steel Rolex wrapped around his wrist, “—I don’t have time to blow on nonsense like this.”

She softened her tone in an effort to deescalate his reaction. “Depression can sometimes result in cognitive symptoms, such as difficulties in concentration, memory problems, impaired judgment and problem-solving,” she explained. “The positive aspect is, with treatment, these symptoms can be alleviated. The deficits are only temporary, as they’re not caused by a neurological disorder.” The conclusion remained unstated. If this were the case, there’d be no need for a long-term guardian.
 

“Dr. Clayton, I get where you’re going now, but my father is a strong man and in our family we support one another. I would’ve known if he was depressed. In fact, I resent this entire line of questioning.” Pointing a finger in her direction, he leaned forward in his chair, closing the distance between them. “I’d heard you were a busybody when you were assigned this case. My friend, Dave Buckman, told me you sided with his wife in their custody case. Did him in good. I tried to request someone else, but it seems you have an in with the judge here.” He shook his head and mumbled under his breath, “Knew something like this would happen if you weren’t removed.”

She was a little taken aback at his quick change in attitude, but she remained calm. “Mr. Lancaster, I can’t discuss any other cases I have or haven’t worked on. However, I can assure you that I conduct a thorough and ethical evaluation. I’m sorry if I’ve offended you with the questions, but the information you’ve given me has been helpful in assessing your father’s current condition. An accurate opinion on his current state and need for a guardian is all I’m providing here.”

 
Keith stood up and glared down at her. “Well, I think you’re barking up the wrong tree in this case. My father is as far from depressed as you can get. I’d think twice before I’d go putting that kind of thing in a report,” he said. “Now, are we done here?”

“We are.” Jordan got up to walk him out, but he was storming out of her office before she even got to the door. She followed behind and watched him exit without a word to anyone.
 

Chase was already heading toward her. “Hey, do you have a minute?”
 

“Sure. Come on in to my office.” Her voice wavered slightly and her heart rate was still beating to eighth notes. She was baffled from the unexpected turn the interview had taken. He’d been reserved and then defensive as the interviewed had progressed, but the underlying anger and resentment had caught her unaware.
 

As soon as they were behind closed doors, Chase rested his hands on her shoulders. “Are you okay?” he asked, his eyes reflecting concern.
 

 
“Yes.” His apprehension touched her. She squeezed her small hand over one of his large ones and gave him a wan smile. “Did I mention that sometimes this type of work can get pretty emotional?”
 

The gesture didn’t assuage the worry evident from the deep creases on his face. “What happened? Did he threaten you in any way?” He didn’t release her from his hold but stepped back while he scanned her from head to toe.
 
His gaze settled back to her eyes.
 

She struggled with how to respond. “Not really. He did mention that I shouldn’t put something in a report. And he was very angry. But he didn’t threaten me directly.”

He gently released her. “It sounds like enough of a confrontation to report to Detective Larson,” he said. “Any potential leads need to be examined so we can track this guy down.”

“But this only happened today—” She stopped herself, Keith’s words echoing in her head.
 

He hadn’t wanted her on the case. She concentrated in an effort to remember the date she’d been assigned the case. It’d been the week prior to the attack. The timeframe fit. Her chest tightened.
 

Chase squinted his eyes. “What is it? I can tell you thought of something.”

“You’re right,” she acquiesced. “The petition is public record anyway. I’ll give him a call when I get done today. Right now, I have to get to my next eval.”

“Okay. I’d rather sooner than later though. You don’t finish today until six, and he may be gone by then.”

Jordan almost asked how he knew, but then she remembered that Nancy always gave him a clean copy of her schedule without any client information on it. “Good point. Let me get going here, and I’ll call him while this next client is completing some of the independent testing.” A sinking feeling took root in the pit of her stomach. She didn’t relish the idea of discussing any cases with the detective, even if the information was public record.
 

“Hey, don’t look so glum,” Chase said, opening the door for her. “This is only temporary.” He rubbed her back as she walked by.
 

“I know. But this is one of those days where six p.m. can’t come fast enough.” She couldn’t wait to curl up in a pair of PJs and relax tonight. Maybe even uncork one of her better bottles of wine. But until then, she still had one more evaluation and a call to the detective to complete.
 

“I guess I shouldn’t mention that it’s only Monday?”

She looked over her shoulder to see him raising his eyebrows at her, his expression innocent. She threw a smirk back at him, not fooled for a minute by his chaste appearance. “Don’t even go there. Or my PJ night may involve a continuous stream of
Lifetime
Movie Specials.”

The corners of his mouth turned down. “That sounds bad. I think I’ll heed your warning.”

“Smart man.” She was now genuinely smiling despite her earlier disappointment.
Damn, he’s good
.
True to her word, while her client completed the self-assessment portion of the evaluation, she left the testing room to call Detective Larson.
 

“Detective Larson,” he answered.
 

“Hello, Detective. This is Jordan Clayton.”

“Hello, Dr. Clayton. What’s going on?” he asked.

“Nothing else has happened,” she said, grateful that wasn’t the purpose of today’s call. She informed him she’d been assigned to a guardianship case recently. “Though it’s not unusual to have emotions running high in these cases, I did have contact with the petitioner today. He seemed very angry at both my assignment to the case and the questions I asked him. Again, I’m not even sure it’s relevant, and it certainly isn’t unusual, but I wanted to let you know, just as a precaution.”

“Sure. What’s the name?”

She let out a breath. “Keith Lancaster is the petitioner. Alleged incapacitated is Bradley Lancaster.”

A momentary pause followed by a chair squeaking into a new position ensued. “Do you mean Bradley Lancaster as in Lancaster Incorporated?” the detective asked.
 

Jordan massaged her temples with her fingers as she fought off the tension building in her forehead. High-profile cases were treated like any other at her office, but unlike other cases, name recognition would always be a factor in these. Of all the cases she had right now, this was the only one in which it was guaranteed that the identity would be immediately recognizable. And it was the case she’d had to make the call on. “That’s the one. Do you know him?”

Detective Larson whistled. “Enough to know there’s money involved in that one. Bradley Lancaster is a huge supporter of local law enforcement. Always has been. He’s also well respected. A stand-up guy from what I’ve heard.”