CHAPTER 11

Barry Lockett quickly built a file on Witness Two, Debra Fisher.

She had married her high school boyfriend, had two children who were now adults and had worked at Palin Accounting for fifteen years before she resigned. Her husband had several charges of drunk driving and public disorderly conduct. There were also several reports of domestic violence at their home, but no charges were ever laid. Both of their children had left for college in another state. It didn’t appear to be a happy domestic situation.

When digging deeper, Lockett found that Fisher and her colleague, John Tilly, had been on many work trips together, and there were photos on social media of their joint attendance at many conferences. It didn’t take much to connect the dots.

When Hennessy called Debra Fisher, she found an excuse to end the phone call almost as soon as he said his name. Hennessy warned her that her private information could be exposed to the world if she didn’t agree to meet, but still, she ended the call. She called back an hour later, agreeing to meet if her sister, a family law attorney, could also be in attendance. Hennessy agreed.

The square two-story white building in Mount Pleasant was hidden behind a row of thick oak trees, blocking out the view from the street. Hennessy parked his red pickup near the front door and exited his car into a thick wall of humid air. He wiped his brow and stepped inside the cold building. The air conditioner was pumping above the door, providing a blast of cold relief from the humid conditions. He greeted the receptionist, and she led him down the wide hallway to a spacious meeting room. The meeting room was the same as the rest of the building—devoid of life, flair, or interest. Plain white walls and a wooden table. No artwork, no potted plants, and no signs of any character at all. The black leather office chairs were new, but their style didn’t match the much older table. Hennessy sat at the end of the room, and a minute later, Debra Fisher entered. She was followed by her sister, attorney Georgie Green.

Hennessy stood, and they shook hands.

The two women were clearly sisters—the same short height, the same full body shape, and the same shuffling walk. They had the same flat nose, green eyes, and chin. Debra’s hair was shorter and darker, and she looked like the younger sister. The women also dressed alike—black skirts, white shirts, but different colored jackets. Once the pleasantries were completed, Green sat at the head of the table, and Fisher next to her.

“First, I’m not sure why we’re having this meeting.”

Green leaned her elbows on the table and clasped her fingers together. “Debra is not listed as a witness on any court documents in Mr. Palin’s criminal trial. And while I might be in family law, I know the procedures for criminal law. You have five redacted witness names for a reason.”

“Mrs. Fisher is a former employee of my client,”

Hennessy said. “That’s why I would like to talk to her. That’s all. I’m not inferring that she’s one of the redacted witnesses.”

It wasn’t the truth, and everyone in the room knew it.

“Do you think I’m one of the redacted witnesses?”

Fisher asked. Her voice was soft, but her facial expression was cold.

“I’m not here to talk about whether or not you are a redacted witness.”

Hennessy shook his head. “I would like to discuss your employment with Palin Accounting. You were employed by the firm for fifteen years, and I would like to know what you saw during that time. I’m talking with all the former employees, and that’s why I requested to speak with you.”

“And what specifically would you like to talk about?”

Green asked.

“Mrs. Fisher, I’d like to know about your relationship with Mr. John Tilly.”

Debra sat back, shocked by the question.

When she didn’t answer, Green answered for her, “They worked together.”

“Is that all?”

“We were…”

Fisher crossed her arms over her chest. “We were close friends. We’d worked together for five years, and when you work with someone that closely, you get to know them well. We had to travel to several conferences together, but that was normal work behavior for two senior people in the firm.”

“I must warn you, Mrs. Fisher, that any relationships you had in that firm will be talked about in open court. The information stated during the trial will be publicly available, and there will be questions about your relationships with all the staff at Palin Accounting. It will be essential to the case that we examine the depth of those relationships.”

Debra looked at her sister. Green nodded. “Mr. Hennessy, we agreed to this meeting in good faith. We didn’t come here to be threatened about exposing personal relationships that have nothing to do with the corrupt behavior of Mr. Palin.”

“Relationships have everything to do with this case. Two staff members had access to all the reports of Palin Accounting, and both quit on the same day. If those staff members were also in a close personal relationship, their behavior needs to be put under a microscope. That’s the process, and that’s how trials are conducted.”

Fisher’s mouth hung open. “But I didn’t do anything.”

“Are you implying that Debra was complicit with Mr. Palin’s corrupt actions?”

Green’s tone was firm. She was in attack mode—shoulders tightened, eyes narrowed, fists clenched. “Because if you are, this meeting is over.”

“I’m not implying anything. I’m asking questions to get to the truth.”

“You have the truth,”

Green snapped. “Mr. Palin stole money from the Foundation to fund his retirement. You know that, and I know that. The evidence against him is overwhelming and any suggestion that Debra had anything to do with it is fanciful, and quite frankly, it’s a cheap move. I expected better than that from a lawyer of your experience.”

Hennessy had hit the right buttons. Green could throw all the insults she wanted. It didn’t matter to Hennessy. The meeting was having its desired effect. He could see the shock on Debra’s face. When he let the pause sit in the room, she started biting her fingernails, staring at the table in front of her.

“Debra, do you have anything that you want to tell me?”

Hennessy softened his tone. “It’s best to put this information on the table early.”

“Don’t say anything,”

Green cautioned her, but it didn’t work. “You don’t have to talk.”

“It was all Bernard,”

Fisher whispered as she bit her fingernails. “Always was. We discovered his crimes when he left for a conference earlier this year, and he asked me—”

Green held out her hand to stop her sister. “I mean… one of the staff members, to update some information in one of the files. That staff member looked at the file and saw that what he was running wasn’t legitimate. It was clear he was transferring money from the Foundation and keeping it in Palin Accounting. When looking deeper, it was clear nobody in the Foundation knew about his actions.”

“That’s enough. You’ve said more than enough for this meeting,”

Green stopped her sister from going into any more detail. “If you wish to have a deposition with Mrs. Fisher, you’ll need to do it through the proper channels. I believe the judge has said you can depose the redacted witnesses via email. We came to this meeting in good faith, and all you’ve done is throw ridiculous allegations our way. This meeting is over.”

Green stood and then directed Fisher to do the same. Fisher moved slowly, overwhelmed by the allegation that she might be involved. Before she reached the door, she turned back to Hennessy.

“Bernard Palin is a terrible man. He deserves whatever is coming to him.”