Betrayed by Scottoline Lisa

Author:Scottoline, Lisa [Scottoline, Lisa]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Mystery & Detective, Legal, General, Women Sleuths, Thrillers, Fiction
ISBN: 9781250027689
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: 2014-11-25T08:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-four

Judy tried to pick up the pace after the preliminaries, like name, address, and employment history, even though she already had some of the information from the personnel file. She was getting a feel for Devi Govinda, a somber Indian-American man in his mid-forties, with a stilted air and round, excessively vigilant eyes behind beaded, gold-rimmed glasses. His glossy jet-black hair was neatly trimmed, albeit thinning, and he was slightly overweight, so that his neck spilled over the stiffness of the light blue collar, which he had on with a worn patterned tie and a nondescript dark suit.

“Mr. Govinda, you work at the Narberth branch of PennBank, is that correct?” Judy continued, trying to find a rhythm to her questions. She’d started the way she usually did, with softballs, so she could get a lot of yesses in response and build a nice momentum. It wasn’t working so far because she couldn’t keep her eyes from straying to her phone or her thoughts from Aunt Barb, lying on the operating table only ten blocks away.

“Yes.”

“And what do you do at the branch?”

“Do you mean what is my job?”

“Yes.” Judy could see that Govinda had been well-coached and also that the cheese Danish wasn’t working its carbohydrate magic. His lawyer, Richard Kelin, was equally silent, a short, squat lawyer from Prendergast Manning, a notoriously jerky firm. He had on a dark suit, an Hermès tie with little orange H’s, and horn-rimmed glasses. His face was pudgy, and his gray-eyed gaze fixed outside the window, even though the view was only of the air-conditioning ducts and fans atop the building next door.

“I am a financial consultant at the branch.”

“Tell me what that means.”

“I’m not sure of your question.” Govinda pursed fleshy lips. “I don’t understand.”

“Sorry, perhaps I could be more clear.” Judy couldn’t find her groove. “What are your job duties as a financial consultant?”

“I sell various banking products to customers who are interested in instruments or potential investments over $100,000.”

“How long have you worked in the branch, in that capacity?”

“Five years.”

“And Linda Adler, the plaintiff, was a financial sales consultant in the Narberth branch, for the past three years. Is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s talk for a moment about the corporate structure at PennBank, just so I’m clear. The Narberth branch is one of fifteen branch banks in the Philadelphia area. Is that correct?”

“Yes, though we call it the Philadelphia Metro Region.”

“Thank you.” Judy made a mental note that Govinda was precise. She’d have to step up her game. The clock on the credenza said it was 9:25, so they were into her aunt’s operation. “And there are no other financial sales consultants in the branch. Is that also correct?”

“Yes.”

“How many licensed financial sales consultants are in the Philadelphia Metro Region?”

“Four others, five total.”

“How many are women and how many men?”

“Four men, one woman.”

“And what are their names?” Judy looked over as Allegra glanced up from her legal pad, then returned to her note-taking. It reminded her of the days when she’d sit next to Mary and they’d write each other notes on their pads.

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