Kat finally arrived at Connor Whitehall’s office just before five. She brushed past the receptionist and blew straight into Connor’s office.
“You have to help me. I’m positive Hillary’s trying to poison Harry.” She plopped down in the chair opposite his desk and just as quickly stood again.
Connor faced his computer screen. He swiveled around and eyed her. “Well, hello to you too. That’s a pretty strong accusation. Are you sure?”
Kat recounted her suspicions about the orange juice and Hillary. “The only problem is—it’s gone. The only evidence I’ve got are these shards of glass.” She didn’t mention the pesticide because she wanted to be sure before laying an accusation. She’d check out Garden Heaven first. Maybe she could find out who bought it.
She handed him the cardboard box with the broken orange juice carafe. It contained several inch-sized pieces of the glass along with part of the plastic handle. “I think she’s trying to kill him.”
“You need more proof than this.”
“The proof is in the motive, Connor. She’s desperate for money and tired of Harry. She wants him out of the way. So she can get whatever’s left of his estate.”
Connor shook his head. “Not enough. If these pieces of glass were analyzed for fingerprints, what would they show? Probably yours, Harry’s, and Hillary’s. Exactly who you might expect to be pouring a glass of juice. You need something more substantial to prove Hillary had a hand in this.”
“But how? I’m at my wit’s end.”
“I don’t know exactly. But I’m confident you’ll find a way. You’ll have to. The hospital will likely recommend the police file charges against you.”
“Suspicions aren’t facts. There’s nothing that points to me either.”
Connor waved her away. “Harry’s around you all the time. You prepare his meals, and by your own accounts, Hillary is never around. Proximity is enough to make you a suspect. Which leads me to the next issue. I’m not a criminal lawyer. Should they go ahead, you’ll need a good one to represent you.”
“I can’t believe this. I’m the only one taking care of Harry—watching out for him. And because of that, I’m accused of poisoning him!” Kat jumped from her chair. “It’s not fair!”
Connor motioned her to the chair. “Calm down. You haven’t been charged yet. Yes, the medical staff is pursuing that, but it takes more than just their suspicion to actually lay a charge. I’m just preparing you for what might come next.”
Kat sat down. “But they’re completely overlooking Hillary. Why aren’t her visits supervised? Shouldn’t they supervise all visits as a precaution?”
“Probably, but no one has given them a reason to do so. And somehow the doctor already suspects you. Did you poison him?” He peered over his glasses at her.
“Of course not!” Kat jumped up, knocking over a glass of water on the edge of the desk. “How could you even say such a thing?”
“I apologize, but I have to ask.” Connor stood and grabbed a golf shirt off his coat rack. He sopped up the water with the shirt and dropped it on the floor. “You really need to calm down, Kat. This doesn’t help matters.”
“Sorry.” Connor was right. “And sorry about the water.”
He waved her off. “I brought one of the doctors to see Harry today. He certainly seems to be getting better in the hospital.”
“That’s because Hillary can’t poison him while he’s there.” Kat leaned forward and rested her elbows on the desk. “I know how crazy it sounds. Even I can’t believe Harry’s been poisoned. But I didn’t do it, and whoever did needs to be stopped. Why does the doctor assume it’s me?”
“You’re the obvious suspect. You brought him to the hospital. You said yourself you’re taking care of him. Harry’s with you at the office all day and after hours, too. Almost all the time.”
“It has to be that way. Harry can’t be left alone, Connor. You’ve seen his condition.”
“I know. But you can understand the doctor’s suspicions. She has to err on the side of safety where her patient’s concerned. Anyways—I did have a chance to talk to Harry about his mental capacity. He insists he’s perfectly fine.”
“Of course he’s going to say that. He can’t see what’s wrong.” Kat felt a lump in her throat. It was all a vicious circle.
“He did agree to a medical assessment, though. To ‘prove those doctors wrong,’ as he put it. I’ll try to have it done before the end of the week.”
“He can’t wait that long. He’s now destitute, Connor. Pretty serious consequences for a family squabble. No one takes financial abuse seriously. Why?” Hillary might not have held up Harry at gunpoint, but she robbed him just the same.
“It’s not that they don’t, Kat. It’s just that the onus of proof is on the victim.”
“A victim who can no longer take care of himself? That’s so unfair.” Kat felt helpless. She couldn’t do anything about the house, since Harry hadn’t been proven incompetent at the time of the title transfer. The forged signature was a possibility, but charges and a court date were in the distant future. By then Hillary would be long gone.
“Surely the police can do something about this.”
“Kat, you said yourself, there’s no concrete proof.”
Kat threw her arms up in the air. “He lost his house, Connor. His bank account has been emptied and he’s got loans he’ll never be able to pay. Hillary’s now on his house title. She’s driving a Porsche and wearing the jewelry he paid for. Look at who’s benefitting. How obvious does the motive have to be?”
“I know. But the courts are black and white. You already know this. You need to build a case, with proof that she took the money without his knowledge or consent. Or prove he was unable to give his consent because of his mental incompetence. Don’t let emotions cloud your judgment.”
“But he doesn’t have the capacity to understand what she’s doing. She’s ruined him.”
“That may be. But we can only move forward—after he’s been assessed as mentally incompetent.”
“So everything to date is lost? His money, his house, everything? I can’t believe this. How can the law be so unfair?”
“It might seem unfair. But we can’t go back and question his mental incompetence at some point in the past. There was no objective assessment of his condition at that time. No matter how you recall his state of mind. Without a qualified medical doctor’s opinion, it’s just a matter of opinion.” He patted her hand. “I’m sorry. I really am.”
Harry’s money was gone, and now his health was in jeopardy. What did it take to stop Hillary? If no one was going to help her, she’d do it the hard way. The only way to prove her innocence was to prove Hillary’s guilt.