“What about other enemies? Did Braxton have anyone gunning for him that you’re aware of?”
Kisha opened her mouth to say something, but stopped and rubbed her chin.
“What?” Jason asked.
“Well, I was about to say that Dr. Waters was probably the most beloved physician in town, which is true. He was. But . . .” She trailed off and took a drink.
“You thinking about that malpractice case?” Teresa chimed in.
“What malpractice case?” Jason asked.
Kisha scrunched her face. “Don’t tell me you don’t know. You’re a lawyer. I would have thought Braxton or Jana would have said something to you about it.”
“I hadn’t talked to either of them in years. Can you fill me in?”
“Well . . . ,” Kisha began, leaning closer to him. “Trey Cowan, quarterback of the football team, broke his leg in the last game of his senior season. Had offers from everyone. Ranked a five-star prospect by Rivals and 247Sports. Anyway, Dr. Waters did his surgery, and something happened after the procedure. A complication. Trey wasn’t able to play ball again, and his family sued Dr. Waters. The case took two weeks to try, and the jury came back with a defense verdict.”
Jason wasn’t surprised. “Has there ever been a medical malpractice plaintiff’s verdict in Marshall County?” he asked.
“No,” Kisha said, her eyes wide. “And that was one of the big talking points heading into the trial—whether the Cowan case was going to break that streak.” She took a sip of her cosmo. “It didn’t.”
“Those cases are hard to win,” Jason said. “Especially in small counties that revere their doctors.”
“You really didn’t know?” Kisha asked.
“No,” Jason said.
“Well, Trey went from being a town celebrity to an afterthought. He walks with a limp and works for the city. His family . . . is kind of rough.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean Sand Mountain.”
“Ah,” Jason said.
“The mom, Trudy, lives out on Hustleville Road right in the heart of meth country.”
“You mean Sand Mountain SlimFast?” Jason asked, remembering the colloquial expression for the illegal Marshall County export.
“Damn right.”
“Is Cowan connected to Tyson Cade?”
Kisha cut her eyes at Teresa, who squinted back at Jason and spoke in a cautious tone. “I really don’t know. I hear a lot of things at the Brick, and I can’t imagine there not being some connections, but if there is, it’s not something that either one of them publicly acknowledges.” She hesitated and took a small sip from her drink. “The thing is, Jason, that a lot of folks think Dr. Waters screwed up. There’re rumors that he was hooking up with his CRNA and they were having an argument during and after Trey’s operation.”
“What?” Jason asked.
“True,” Teresa said. “I mean that there were rumors of a spat between them, not that there actually was.”
“And the complication?”
Teresa nudged Kisha’s elbow, who seemed to be champing at the bit to take this part. “He got an infection, which is a known complication,” the reporter began. “But the plaintiff’s lawyer argued that if Dr. Waters had done proper follow-up and timely ordered antibiotics, the infection would’ve resolved without issue.”
“Who was the plaintiff’s lawyer?”
“Local guy named Sean Calloway. He was in over his head. First med mal case.”
“And the defense attorney?”
“Knox Rogers. You heard that name before?”
Jason had. Rogers had a reputation for being one of the most skilled civil trial lawyers in the state and made his reputation trying medical malpractice cases. “He’s good,” Jason said.
“They won on a causation defense,” Kisha continued. “In other words, even if Dr. Waters was guilty of negligence, his failure to follow up didn’t cause any harm. The die was cast after the surgery. And Sean hadn’t gotten any causation experts.”
Jason sipped his club soda. “So the Cowan family had reason to be pissed off at Braxton. They’re from Sand Mountain. And they might be hooked up with Tyson Cade.”
“I’d say it’s possible but unlikely.” Teresa’s voice was firm, matter of fact.
“Why?”
“Because Trey’s a good guy. I see him down at the Brick quite a bit, and he’s a sweetheart. Not the sharpest tack in the box but not a bad actor.”