Chapter 3
The next morning, Marcus brought Cassian the estate access records.
A private geriatric nurse named Paige Benton had visited twice during Cassian’s absence.
Once Wednesday.
Once Thursday.
Both visits were authorized by Lavinia.
Paige had never met Estelle before.
Cassian called her with his attorney present.
The nurse sounded uncomfortable almost immediately.
“I was told Mrs. Morretti had been experiencing episodes.”
“What kind of episodes?”
“Disorientation. Forgetting meals. Wandering.”
Cassian looked at Greta.
She shook her head.
“Who told you that?”
“Mrs. Lavinia Morretti.”
“What did you observe?”
Paige paused.
“Mrs. Morretti was tired.”
“Confused?”
“She missed the date by one day on Wednesday.”
Cassian looked at Dr. Weiss.
The doctor rolled his eyes.
“Anything else?”
“She became frustrated during testing.”
“Had she eaten?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did you ask?”
“No.”
Cassian’s voice cooled.
“What was the purpose of your visit?”
“I was asked to perform an informal functional screen before a physician evaluation.”
“What physician?”
Paige gave him the name.
Dr. Stephen Coyle.
Cassian had never heard of him.
Rebecca Sloan, Cassian’s outside attorney, wrote it down.
“When was that appointment?”
“Saturday morning.”
The next day.
Cassian looked at Rebecca.
She understood immediately.
Someone had scheduled a cognitive evaluation while Estelle was physically depleted.
That still did not prove why.
Rebecca spent the afternoon tracing paperwork.
Dr. Coyle specialized in geriatric capacity evaluations used in estate and guardianship disputes.
Brennan’s attorney had contacted his office two weeks earlier.
Not Lavinia.
Brennan.
When confronted through counsel, Brennan gave a simple explanation.
Their mother had been forgetting things.
Cassian was in denial.
Brennan claimed he was trying to protect her.
He even produced examples.
Estelle had missed a family lunch.
She once called a grandson by another grandson’s name.
She misplaced a checkbook.
She accused an employee of taking a necklace later found in her own drawer.
Normal aging could explain all of it.
So could early cognitive decline.
Cassian refused to pretend otherwise.
Dr. Weiss agreed.
“Your mother may eventually need more support.”
“But?”
“But secretly starving her before an evaluation is not support.”
The word secretly mattered.
Cassian looked at the timeline again.
Food restriction.
Memory questions.
A nurse.
A capacity specialist.
Brennan’s claim that Estelle was declining.
All while Cassian was out of state.
The first subtle clue was there.
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They did not merely want Estelle weak.
They wanted somebody professional to see her weak.
