A muscle in Brad’s jaw ticked. His gaze narrowed imperceptibly, but Cassie noticed it all the same. A small measure of pleasure drifted through her. Childish as it might be, she liked the fact she’d already gotten under his skin. If he’d thought he would meet the submissive woman he knew in the bedroom, he’d thought wrong.
“Secondly, Your Honor, his client has unreasonably fought every rational proposal throughout every stage of this case. Often, he’s come up with irrational objections that we’ve quickly discovered as false positioning.”
“I see.” The judge turned a page on the report he held. “Is that all?”
“No.” Cassie glanced at Jennifer, then let her gaze fall to Anna, who sat hunched in a chair beside her mother, her eyes as wide as if she stared a hungry lion in the face. Cassie’s heart twisted at the little girl’s haunted expression. “Anna and her mother are extremely close. To assume she’d confide something like this in her father, not her mother, stretches believability. Furthermore, her bedroom joins her mother’s, and Mr. Fischer couldn’t have entered without Mrs. Cooper knowing.”
“That’s presumption, Your Honor,” Brad interjected.
“The whole thing is presumption, counselor.” Judge Larking leveled Brad with a frown. “I will address your concerns when Ms. Blaire is finished.” He glanced again at Cassie and encouraged her with a nod. “Continue, please.”
Oh, that must have burned Brad immensely—to be cut short so bluntly. Cassie choked down a satisfied laugh. He’d learn that domineering antics wouldn’t get him anywhere with Larkin. The man was as disciplined as a Marine. And he expected the same in his courtroom.
“Mr. Fischer is present only a short time each year and resides in New Mexico. He was never brought up on charges, the student’s testimony was proven to be a knee-jerk reaction to failing a test. There’s no founding for these claims and no grounds to assume he’s conducted himself inappropriately with Anna.”
“But it deserves to be investigated, Cassie,” Brad interrupted again, a strange passion in his voice.
“Counselor,” Judge Larkin warned.
Ignoring him, Brad continued. His gaze pinned her in place. “What if he’s right? What if you press through this and something does happen to her? Can you live with yourself if that happens?”
Aware she should sit still and keep quiet, Cassie couldn’t stop her gut response. Before she could control her tongue, she shot back a sharp retort. “Can you live with yourself if you drag her through a series of invasive interviews and psychological analyses only to discover you were wrong? You know your client, Brad.”
“Mr. Steele, Ms. Blaire.” Judge Larkin barked. “You are treading a fine line with my patience.”
Heat raced to Cassie’s cheeks. She broke her deadlock stare with Brad and dipped her head. “Apologies, Judge.”
Brad remained silent, the power of his gaze weighing heavily on her shoulders. She fought the urge to fidget. She needed to stay composed. Anything less would land her in the same position Judge Larkin warned Brad about. But damn it, why couldn’t he see what damage he would bring to Anna? She’d bet everything she had earned in life that he knew his client was manipulating the system just to get his way.
“All right, counselor, since you can’t seem to resist commenting, do tell the Court why you are convinced of this course of action.”
Brad unfolded his muscular legs and rose out of his chair to rest a hip on the corner of his table. “It’s not so much that I am personally convinced, Your Honor. I acknowledge the questionable nature of Mr. Cooper’s statement. But if the possibility remains at all that Anna could have said this to her father, it deserves a formal investigation. And a father’s devotion and concern deserves to be recognized.”
“Devotion!” Cassie launched to her feet, unable to stop her impassioned response. For weeks she’d watched Anna suffer, draw inside herself so far that what remained was a mere shell. “This is his daughter. He hasn’t seen her in over a year! His statement is based on his parents’ desire to spend time with her, not his! Are you that inconsiderate, Brad?”