A Woman to Die For

by Erin Wade

  The typing stopped, and Shay realized that she was panting. I can’t believe she can arouse me like this, she thought.

  “Katie, why are you doing this?” Shay typed.

  The green light went out as Katie closed Messenger.

  Shay turned off her computer and went to the kitchen for a glass of water. I won’t sleep a wink tonight, she thought as Katie’s message kept running through her head.

  Chapter 28

  Monday morning Shay was exhausted. She hadn’t slept all weekend. When she wasn’t reading Katie’s messages, she was thinking about them.

  Shay had never been involved with a woman and wondered if their communication on Messenger was normal interaction.

  Katie had texted her on Sunday evening to tell her the meeting with Chandler had been a good one and that she felt better about the upcoming week.

  Shay found herself living from contact to contact with the beautiful brunette with the gorgeous Belizean brows and deep brown eyes. On Sunday she’d had to force herself to pay attention to her patients instead of daydreaming about Katie.

  Shay downed her second cup of coffee and slipped on the jacket that matched her slacks. She was a stunning figure in her gray pantsuit and pink button-down blouse. Her glorious blonde hair and dangling earrings completed a look guaranteed to garner her admiring glances from men and women alike.

  ##

  Chandler, Katie, and Bear were already in the courtroom when Shay arrived. She took a seat on David’s side of the room and cleared her throat to get Katie’s attention. When the brunette turned around and smiled, Shay couldn’t help but grin at her.

  She quickly turned her attention to the parade of people entering the courtroom. Men in suits rolled in boxes of papers. She wasn’t surprised to see that David had retained the most expensive and notorious divorce attorney in the county. Grafton Moncrief was known for playing hardball and stooping as low as it took to win rulings in his clients’ favor. He also had a reputation for being a lowlife, sleezy lawyer. Shay prayed that Chandler would be a match for the ruthless attorney.

  As she watched David’s entourage take their seats on the first two rows, Shay was blindsided by a man who shoved a paper into her hand and said, “You’ve been served, Dr. Shaylor Copeland.”

  Shay opened the document and fought to control her outrage as she realized she had been subpoenaed as a character witness for David. You’ll rue the day you did this, David Brandt, she thought. I won’t lie for you.

  Shay’s thoughts were interrupted as the bailiff announced Judge Laura Wainwright’s arrival. Everyone stood until she was seated.

  Judge Wainwright declared the court in session and addressed Grafton. “It appears you have several petitions, Mr. Moncrief.”

  “Yes, Your Honor, but we also have a request of the court.” Moncrief pranced toward the bench. “We request that the pit bull be removed from the courtroom.”

  Chandler jumped to his feet. “Your Honor, the dog is my client’s—”

  Katie tugged at Chandler’s arm. “Request a recess,” she whispered.

  “If it pleases the court, we request a brief recess,” Chandler said.

  The judge frowned. “Mr. Chandler, we just started. I need your response to Mr. Moncrief’s request.”

  Katie whispered into Chandler’s ear.

  “Your Honor, the dog is for my client’s protection. She was brutally attacked earlier this year and has the dog for her security. I can assure the court the dog is highly trained and will not be a problem.”

  As Moncrief walked slowly toward his table, he suddenly changed directions and charged at Katie. Bear stood, but without a command from Katie he didn’t move.

  “Mr. Moncrief, I will not tolerate your theatrics in my courtroom. Any other attempt by you or your team to antagonize Mrs. Brandt’s security dog will be met with the most severe punishment the court can mete out. Am I clear?”

  “Yes, Your Honor,” Moncrief mumbled.

  “I have examined your petitions,” Judge Wainwright continued, “and find them to be frivolous and a waste of the court’s time, so all are declined. You may present your case.”

  The judge’s decision clearly rattled Moncrief, who was used to intimidating judges—especially female judges.

  “Your Honor, the purpose of our hearing today is to prove to you that Katie Brandt is not of sound mind and is therefore incapable of making the decisions needed to run conglomerates like Brandt Technologies and Face2Face.

  The judge waived her hand, encouraging Grafton to proceed.

  “We call Dr. Tucker Sandifer of Glencove Hospital to the stand,” Grafton said.

  Sandifer walked to the witness stand. He straightened his expensive suit and flicked imaginary lint from the arm of his jacket as the bailiff swore him in.

  He sat down and smiled at the judge.

  “Dr. Sandifer,” Grafton began, “can you tell us when you first treated Mrs. Brandt?”

  “Mrs. Brandt was brought to me for treatment five years ago, December 29. I remember because it was four days after Christmas.”

  “Had she already been diagnosed at that time?” Grafton asked.

  “Not officially,” Sandifer said. “The hospital that referred her to us thought she was schizophrenic, but she was not.”

  “You were asked to diagnose and treat her, is that correct?”

  Sandifer confirmed that it was.

  “And what was your diagnosis and plan of treatment?” Grafton inquired.

  “After exhaustive testing and psychotherapy, it was determined that Mrs. Brandt has DID—dissociative identity disorder.”

  A titter ran through the courtroom.

  Grafton bowed his head and waited for the room to quiet before continuing.

  “Can you tell us what dissociative identity disorder is?”

  “Yes. Dissociative identity disorders are mental disorders that involve experiencing a disconnection and lack of continuity between thoughts, memories, surroundings, actions, and identity. People with DID often escape reality by assuming another identity when the pressure becomes too much.

  “It can result in a patient exhibiting more than one personality. A rational, prudish, intelligent human can assume the personality of a flighty, promiscuous, silly person, allowing them to escape the responsibility of their decisions and everyday life.”

  “Does Mrs. Brandt exhibit such behavior?” Grafton asked.

  “Yes, sir,” Sandifer replied loudly.

  “Would you categorize Mrs. Brandt as unstable and incapable of making rational everyday decisions?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Your witness, Mr. Davis,” the judge said to Chandler once Grafton had finished his questioning.

  “No questions at this time, Your Honor,” Chandler replied, “but we do retain the right to question this witness at a later time.”

  “Your next witness, Mr. Moncrief?”

  “I’d like to call Nurse Practitioner Sally Preston,” Grafton announced.

  A tall, stout woman made her way to the witness box, took the oath, and plopped down in the chair.

  “Miss Preston, were you the NP in charge of Mrs. Brandt?” Grafton asked.

  “I was,” the woman crowed.

  “Dr. Sandifer has testified that Mrs. Brandt has DID,” he said. “Can you provide examples of Mrs. Brandt’s actions that would support Dr. Sandifer’s diagnosis?”

  “I sure can.” Sally smirked, exposing a jagged, broken front tooth, and jabbed a finger toward her mouth. “See this, Your Honor? Katie Brandt broke this tooth off in an altercation. She’s a wild one.”

  A gasp echoed in the courtroom.

  “Please tell the court what happened,” Judge Wainwright directed.

  “At first, I thought there had been an error putting Mrs. Brandt in the institution . . . um, uh, hospital. Then one day I was dispensing her meds, and she slapped them from my hand and screamed that she wasn’t taking the drugs anymore.

  “Then she began touchin
g me, rubbing my arms, and smiled seductively at me.”

  “She’s lying,” Katie whispered to Chandler.

  “She asked me if I thought she was pretty,” Sally continued. “I said yes, because she is. She asked me if I wanted to make love to her, and I said no.

  “She went berserk, screaming and trying to hit me with her fists. I stepped behind her and wrapped my arms around her, as we’ve been trained to do, and held her until she calmed down.

  “Mrs. Brandt went limp in my arms, and I thought she had fainted. I loosened my hold on her, and that’s when she threw back her head as hard as she could and broke off my tooth. It almost knocked me out. I released her, and she backed into a corner, hissing like a wild animal. It took me and two orderlies to sedate her.”

  The rest of the day was filled with much the same testimony as nurses and aides from Glencove were paraded to the witness box.

  Bored with the repetitive testimony that sounded rehearsed, Shay looked around the courtroom. A figure in a black hoodie slumped on the back row. She wondered why the person was interested in the trial.

  At the end of the day, Judge Wainwright recessed the court. “We will reconvene at eight in the morning, at which time you will be able to cross-examine the witnesses, Mr. Davis.”

  “Thank you, Your Honor.” Chandler stood, took Katie’s elbow, and led her from the courtroom.

  David rushed to Shay. “I’m so glad you’re here,” he said, beaming at her. “It means a lot to me to have you sitting behind me.”

  “David, I asked you not to subpoena me as a character witness. I fear it won’t bode well for you.”

  “Only Grafton will question you,” David assured her. “Just tell the judge what a wonder doctor and boss I am. That’s all.”

  “What if Katie’s attorney asks me about us?”

  “He won’t,” David replied. “He’s not that smart. Grafton is eating Chandler’s lunch.”

  Shay nodded and said nothing.

  “May I take you to dinner?”

  “No! This was stressful,” she said. “It’s more nerve-racking than surgery.”

  David laughed. “I agree. I’ll see you in the morning then.”

  “I have no choice,” Shay grumbled. “You did have me subpoenaed.”

  Chapter 29

  Shay’s phone started ringing before she reached her car. Katie’s face appeared on the screen.

  “Hello,” Shay said.

  “Where are you?” Katie demanded.

  “Getting into my car,” Shay replied. “Are you okay?”

  “Can we go somewhere quiet for dinner, somewhere we can talk? Would you come to my place? I want to get out of these heels and into something more comfortable.”

  “Of course. I’m headed your way now.” Shay was surprised at how her mood had lightened and how much she looked forward to seeing Katie. She had questions. The testimony she’d heard in the courtroom had left a queasy feeling in her stomach.

  Katie and Bear were walking on the sidewalk around the apartments when Shay pulled in. She sprinted to catch up with them. She couldn’t help scanning Katie’s back from head to toe as she approached. It’s a sin for a woman to look that good in a pair of jeans, she thought, chuckling to herself as she drew closer to the pair.

  Shay called out to them, and Katie turned to face her, smiling from ear to ear. Bear bounded to greet her. Shay dropped to one knee and hugged the big dog as he rested his head on her shoulder.

  “I envy him,” Katie said, laughing. “He gets hugs.”

  Shay stood. “I can remedy that,” she murmured as she pulled Katie into her arms.

  Shay was surprised by the way Katie clung to her. It took her a few seconds to realize the brunette was crying.

  “Baby, it’s okay,” Shay whispered, kissing the top of Katie’s head. “Everything’s going to be okay.” She held the petite woman until the sobs ceased to shake her body.

  “I couldn’t stand you hearing all those lies,” Katie whimpered. “I swear, Shay, I didn’t throw myself at that horrible Nurse Ratched. She . . . she tried to—”

  The sobbing started again.

  “I don’t care what anyone says,” Shay said softly. “I know what a wonderful person you are. That’s all that matters.”

  Katie sniffed, trying to stop her tears. “Can you walk Bear while I go inside? I need to fix my makeup.”

  “I’d love to, but would you like us to accompany you?”

  Katie smiled weakly. “No, just give me a few minutes to pull myself together.”

  Bear frolicked in front of Shay, running back from time to time to nuzzle her leg with his broad head. “You are such a handsome fellow,” Shay said as she scratched behind his ears. “You did good in court today.”

  Bear bounded away, happy to be outside. They walked around the complex and returned as Katie locked the door to her apartment. The big dog ran to Katie and assumed his place at her side.

  “You’re beautiful,” Shay said as the brunette walked toward her.

  “Thank you. You’re not bad yourself, Doc.”

  Katie held up a zippered padfolio. “I have some things I’d like to discuss with you over dinner.”

  “Okay. Any place special you’d like to go?”

  “Let’s go to Little Brother’s, the Italian restaurant on Warren Street,” Katie suggested.

  “I love their parmigiana,” Shay said. “Old Italian recipes . . . and they have a house wine that’s out of this world.”

  “You’re such a cheap date,” Katie teased. “House wine, really?”

  ##

  They slipped into the circular booth and scooted close to each other so both could see the papers Katie was spreading out on the table.

  They ordered the house wine and sat silently as the waiter poured it.

  “Mmm. You’re right.” Katie held up her wine glass to toast Shay. “This wine excellent.”

  “I’m glad you like it,” Shay said.

  “Grafton handed us a new witness list as we walked out the door,” Katie explained as she thumbed through the stack of papers. “Here it is.”

  She scanned it and then inhaled sharply. “You’re testifying for David?”

  “They served me a subpoena in the courtroom today,” Shay explained. “He wants me for a character witness. I told David not to, but he did it anyway.”

  “Why wouldn’t you be a character witness?” Katie asked.

  “It doesn’t make sense,” Shay said. “If I tell them that David dated me and spoke of marriage without ever letting me know he was already married, that can’t bode well for him.

  “Also, I treated you in the emergency room and know firsthand about the beating he gave you and the rape. If Chandler treats me as a hostile witness and questions me along those lines, it will destroy David’s good-guy image.”

  “Hmm. Good point,” Katie replied. “Did you explain that to him?”

  “Yes,” Shay said. She didn’t add that David said Chandler was too stupid to question her about anything but her character evaluation of him.

  “Will it upset you if Chandler treats you as a hostile witness?” Katie placed her hand on Shay’s arm.

  “Not at all,” Shay responded. “I warned David what might happen if he subpoenaed me. Who else is on his witness list?”

  “Detective Beverly Wyatt, one board member of Brandt Technologies, and a few more character witnesses.”

  “May I see your witness list?” Shay asked.

  Katie pulled a sheet from the stack of papers and handed it to Shay. The blonde doctor studied it for some time and then said, “May I suggest some additional witnesses?”

  “Any suggestions you have will be welcome,” Katie said.

  “Add Maudine Trent and your sister Beth. Have Chandler subpoena the records of Glencove, St. Peter’s Hospital, and any other facility that treated you for broken bones or cuts and bruises, and the police report I filed after the attack. Request all the financial records from St. Peter’s pertaining to
your case. David wrote them off instead of filing for the insurance payments. I suspect that was to cut down on any paper trails.

  “The only reason Grafton would bring Detective Wyatt into court is to contradict the allegations that David attacked you and reinforce his contention that your wounds were self-inflicted. She said she had handled you several times.”

  “Yes, she took me back to David every time I escaped,” Katie grumbled. “I don’t think she likes me much. I may have bitten her once . . . or twice.”

  Shay couldn’t suppress the laughter that escaped at the thought of petite Katie biting the five-foot-nine detective.

  They dined and shared a second bottle of wine as they discussed the case.

  “We should go,” Katie said with a sigh. She drained the last of her wine from her glass. “We have an early morning tomorrow.”

  ##

  “Would you mind walking around the complex with Bear and me?” Katie asked as Shay parked her car.

  “I’d enjoy it,” Shay said. “I need to clear my head before I get back into the car alone. We really should stop at one bottle of wine.”

  “I know, but I do enjoy your company.”

  “Katie, we need to discuss your messages,” Shay said, hesitant to broach the subject of the late-night missives she was receiving from the scientist.

  Before Katie could reply, Bear crouched and made a menacing sound as a figure approached them. Shay moved in front of Katie.

  “Don’t come any closer,” Shay commanded. “The dog isn’t on a leash.”

  The man stopped. “I just need to deliver this to Mrs. Brandt,” he said.

  Shay walked up to the man and accepted the envelope. “Are you Mrs. Brandt?” he asked.

  “I’m Mrs. Brandt,” Katie declared, moving to stand beside Shay.

  “Then my job here is completed.” The man gave them a mock salute and scurried off.

  “What is it?” Shay asked as they walked toward Katie’s apartment.