Page 97 of The Fall Affair

I lifted another packet of papers. “This one? Signed by Marcus Pratt?”

“It’s in your hand,” she said. “Maybe you can tell me.”

I smiled. Her arrogance was going to make this so much more fun. “Actually,” I said. “I don’t need to look. It was indeed signed by Marcus Pratt.”

She shook her head. “Great. Thanks for confirming.”

“Mrs. Ellington, how did you come to hire Mr. Pratt?”

“How did I come to hire him?”

I nodded. “Yes, that’s the question.”

In my experience, it was common for people who weren’t being truthful on the stand to repeat the question—buy some time to think about where I might be heading and if the answer they might give could trip them up later. Essentially, it was like playing liar’s chess, trying to figure out each other’s next move before they made it.

“I…I don’t really remember. I think I got his name from a neighbor.”

“A neighbor?”

I walked back to counsel’s table and lifted a stapled packet of canceled checks. Turning to the galley, I saw that Cass had come in and winked at her before returning my attention to the witness stand and clearing my throat. “I’m going to change subjects for a bit, but I’ll come back to Marcus Pratt shortly.” Nina Ellington’s brows furrowed, and I continued. “You did some construction on the property in the Bahamas, is that correct?”

“Yes, I fixed it up so I could flip it.”

“And who did the work?”

“The work?”

I smiled. She was starting to squirm now. “Yes, the construction work at the property. What was the name of the contractor?”

“Umm…I don’t remember.”

I walked back to the stand and extended a piece of paper. “Your Honor, this is a copy of a canceled check. I’d like to show it to Mrs. Ellington to help refresh her memory. The bank statements and checks were included as part of discovery requests.”

The judge gestured for me to give it to her. “Fine, get on with it.”

I gave Mrs. Ellington a moment to look at the check, then asked, “Can you tell me the name of the contractor now, Mrs. Ellington?”

“Coral Bay Construction, Inc.”

“Great. Thank you. Would you mind turning the check over, please? I’d like you to read the name of the person who endorsed it. The bank in the Bahamas requires the name of the person who deposits the check to sign the back.”

Mrs. Ellington’s lips pursed together to form a straight line, and she very slowly turned over the paper. It was clear she wasn’t excited about doing so. She read the name on the back, and her eyes widened.

I gave her a minute to answer my question, but she stayed silent. “What is the name of the person who endorsed it?”

She swallowed. “Michael Pratt.”

“Huh,” I said and looked over at the jury. “Same last name as the appraiser, Marcus Pratt. Do you happen to know if they’re related?”

“I…I’m not sure.”

“It’s okay.” I smiled. “I can tell you they are. They’re actually brothers. Isn’t that interesting?”

She clenched her teeth. “Not really.”

“I think it is.” I shrugged. “I’m going to pause now and go back to my earlier question about how you came to use Marcus Pratt as your appraiser. Might it have been a recommendation from your builder?”

“I don’t remember.”