Chapter 6 - DR. FELDMAN
Claire agreed to the appointment.
Daniel sounded relieved when she told him.
He believed he was guiding her back into the trap.
He had no idea Rachel would be listening from the room next door.
Dr. Aaron Feldman’s office occupied the twenty-ninth floor of a discreet medical building near Park Avenue.
The waiting room had muted walls, expensive art, and no visible receptionist.
Claire arrived alone according to Daniel’s instructions.
Marcus and two Whitmore security officers remained elsewhere in the building.
Rachel sat in an adjacent rented office connected to Claire through an encrypted audio device.
Claire entered Dr. Feldman’s office at 10:00 a.m.
He smiled warmly.
“Claire.”
She sat down.
“We’ve never met.”
His smile hesitated.
“No, but Daniel has spoken about you extensively.”
That was the first problem.
A doctor supposedly assessing her had already received extensive information from her husband.
“What did he tell you?”
Feldman folded his hands.
“That you’ve been under tremendous stress.”
“That’s vague.”
“Pregnancy can intensify certain patterns.”
Claire said nothing.
Feldman continued.
“Suspicion.”
“Emotional volatility.”
“Feelings of persecution.”
Claire almost admired how smoothly he delivered the words.
He had known what diagnosis he wanted before she walked through the door.
“Did Daniel tell you his mistress shoved me into a mirror?”
Feldman paused.
“He described an altercation.”
“Did he tell you he locked the door?”
“He said he was trying to de-escalate.”
“Did he tell you Vanessa took my phone?”
“He expressed concern that you might contact people while emotionally overwhelmed.”
Claire leaned back.
“So everything he does becomes evidence that I’m unstable.”
Feldman’s tone softened.
“I don’t think that framing is helpful.”
“I think it’s extremely helpful.”
For the next thirty minutes, Claire gave him almost nothing.
She did not accuse Daniel of conspiracy.
She did not mention Thomas.
She did not mention the recovered footage.
Instead, she asked questions.
Who had contacted Feldman?
When?
How many times?
Had Daniel discussed Claire before the mirror incident?
Feldman became increasingly careful.
Finally, Claire asked the question Rachel had written for her.
“Did Daniel ever ask whether your opinion could support a legal determination about my decision-making capacity?”
Feldman froze.
Only for a second.
But Claire saw it.
“No.”
The answer came too quickly.
Claire nodded.
The session ended soon afterward.
As she stood to leave, Feldman handed her a business card.
“Claire, I truly hope we can continue.”
She accepted it.
“I’m sure you do.”
Outside, Rachel met her in the elevator.
“He lied.”
Claire nodded.
“You heard it?”
“I heard everything.”
Rachel opened her tablet.
“We subpoenaed preliminary billing records this morning.”
She showed Claire a line item.
Daniel Mercer had paid Feldman’s consulting company six weeks earlier.
The description read:
Family governance risk assessment.
Claire closed her eyes.
“So he was paid before Vanessa pushed me.”
“Yes.”
Rachel swiped to another page.
“And there’s more.”
Feldman had exchanged seventeen calls with Thomas Keene.
Claire looked toward the elevator numbers.
The conspiracy was becoming less theoretical by the hour.
At the townhouse, Richard was waiting with another discovery.
Thomas had scheduled an emergency Whitmore board meeting for Friday.
The stated topic was Richard’s leadership continuity.
Claire stared at the invitation.
“That’s in three days.”
Richard nodded.
“Daniel’s moving up the timetable.”
“Because he thinks I’m confused.”
“Yes.”
Claire looked at Rachel.
“Then Friday is when they make their move.”
May you like
Richard stood.
“And when we make ours.”
