“Ronald was good, not only at his job but to his employees,” she replied. Her tone was politically correct. But it was also sincere. “He made them want to work there. The atmosphere was much more relaxed and friendly when he was at the helm.”
“I see.” Casey allowed a brief silence, hoping Janet would fill it.
She wasn’t disappointed.
“By charismatic I assume you’re referring to Ronald’s personal life.”
“Am I prying?”
Janet shrugged. “It’s hardly a secret. Ronald loved women and they loved him. But it was always mutual. No lines were crossed...except a few hospital lines.”
“No harm, no foul,” Casey responded. “If the women were willing and their work didn’t suffer—”
“I didn’t say that,” Janet interrupted. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “There was an incident some months back. Ronald was sleeping with two women in our department—Valerie Pintar and Francine Ryder. Each knew about the other, and there was genuine hatred between them. Their work went down the tubes. I had no choice but to go to Ronald with the problem. Both women had to be dismissed.”
“But there was no disciplinary action taken against Ronald?”
Janet shifted uncomfortably. “We kept Ronald’s name out of the report—although I think some people thought we should do otherwise.”
“Which people?”
“Conrad and Madeline Westfield.”
Casey blinked. “But they were close friends.”
“That’s why I think they backed down in the end,” Janet replied, picking at her salad. “Conrad had a huge argument with Ronald. I could hear it through the wall that connected our offices. He told Ronald bluntly that he couldn’t go on mixing personal and professional. He said he was uncomfortable looking the other way. Ronald was sheepish and admitted that he’d been wrong. I guess Conrad felt placated. Their voices had quieted before Conrad left the office.”
“What about Madeline? Where did she factor into it?”
“She went to Ronald separately,” Janet said. “Their conversation wasn’t as heated, but she was pretty firm. Ronald said he’d already talked to Conrad and he’d be changing his behavior. That’s all I could overhear.”
Casey went for it. “Is there any chance that Nancy Lexington knew about the affairs or the confrontations between her husband and the Westfields?”
Janet contemplated answering. Then she said, “You’re a private investigator so I know this will stay between us. Nancy was in the administrative wing that day. She was helping out since we were short staffed. I can’t be sure, but Conrad and Ronald were pretty loud. It’s very possible she overheard them. And she definitely saw Madeline go in there. She was right outside the door during that argument.”
More motive stacked up against Nancy Lexington.
“Wow,” Casey replied. “That must have been a tough one for a wife to swallow. I don’t envy her.”
“She knew who she was married to.”
“I suppose.” Enough on that subject. “But I hardly think there’d be any hard feelings when it came to Madeline. She’s such a warm, likable person.”
“Yes, she is,” Janet confirmed. “Everyone in the hospital adores her. When Diana first came to work here, Madeline mentored her in so many ways, so I’m biased. But I’m far from alone. When Conrad and Madeline’s divorce was final, a slew of people stood behind Madeline and offered their help and support. Conrad didn’t have nearly that big a fan club. Then again, he didn’t interact much with the staff. He was either in the O.R. or reviewing his own work.”
“So he was disliked?”
Another shrug. “I don’t think anyone was close enough to him to dislike him. He was resented, mostly by jealous staff members. Personable or not, his talent was unquestionable. But when the merger first came up, there were definite rumblings. Many people thought he was secretly cutthroat about getting that new job.”
“What about Sharon Gilding?”
Janet made a face. “She’s always cutthroat. And about being chief of surgery? I think she’d do anything short of killing someone for that position. Conrad is the front-runner, but she’s right on his heels. God help him if he gets that job—even though I truly believe he deserves it more. He’s been with the hospital longer, and his techniques in cardiothoracic surgery have been published everywhere. Plus, Sharon would run the surgical unit like a dictator. Everyone already hates her—that would put the icing on the cake. An atmosphere like that can’t help but breed negativity and lackluster performance.”
“So there’s no love lost between Sharon and Conrad.”
“None, at least from her perspective. I’m not even sure Conrad is aware of how deep her competitive instincts run.”
“And Madeline? Is she impacted by Dr. Gilding’s personality—more than the rest of the staff, I mean?”