Claustrophobic by Bernadette Franklin

Author:Bernadette Franklin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pen & Page Publishing

The cookies interrupted my one-sided discussion of my job, but I finished the tiring monologue before Julian emerged from his study. “Hey, Dad?”

“That call took a long time. What do you have for me?”

“Your second client is currently in hospital undergoing testing to find out if she needs surgical reconstruction around her eye. She instructed her doctor to talk to me, and I’ll be getting a file built for an assault case. I would not be surprised if you’ll be needed to handle issues on the employment front. She refused to attend a private meeting with one of the partners at the firm, and it seems he meant to shove her onto her chair but she fell, hitting the edge of her desk.”

“How’d the monitor and phone get so damaged, then?”

“That’s what she doesn’t know. Neither were broken when she left. She took herself straight to the hospital and called the police on route. She told them she’d been too frightened to stay at the firm. She cleared me to warn you, Chloe. She thinks it would be a really bad idea if you returned to the office. And there were a few things she implied that makes me think sexual harassment is only the tip of the iceberg.”

“Chloe’s descriptions of her work at the firm indicate there might be a problem. Chloe took a great deal of care to dress professionally but present herself as unappealing sexually as possible. Black slacks, white blouse, black jacket, and the jacket would cover most of her blouse, and she was careful never to take it off while at work.”

While I’d done it to look the part of a professional, it bothered me I might’ve unconsciously made a choice to dress myself in that fashion as a method of self-defense. “Alice did dress nicer than me. But I couldn’t afford to dress up for work.”

Julian’s father shook his head. “Well, with so much of your pay missing, that’s no wonder. You’re owed a substantial amount of money. In any case, I’ll have you join me tomorrow, and I’ll be placing a call with a partner at another firm to also be present. Julian, he’s specialized in medical malpractice, and is more than qualified to go over the medical records and help you build Alice’s case. He owes me a favor, so he’ll be eager to consult with you on the issue. I know you’re good, but he’s an expert with medical files, so let him step on your turf enough to make sure her case is as strong as possible.”

“And if they broke things on her desk to make it look like she was at fault, I’ll need all the help I can get. All right.”

“Are you going to go the hospital?”

Julian sighed. “Unfortunately, I need to. She has no way to get home, they have her on painkillers, and she needs someone to help her with the first wave of documentation and the police report. The police are currently at the hospital, and she doesn’t know what to tell them.

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