T Is for Trespass

petition for appointment of a temporary conservator was filed a week ago, and after an emergency hearing a private professional conservator was assigned to manage his affairs.”
    “A ‘conservator’?” I felt like a half-witted parrot, repeating her words, but I was too astonished to do much else. I sat upright and leaned toward her, gripping the edge of the desk. “A conservator? Are you nuts?”
    I could tell she was flustered because half of the papers slid from her manila folder and spilled out across the floor. In haste, she bent down and swept them into a pile, trying to talk while she gathered everything together. “It’s like a legal guardian, someone to oversee his health care and his finances…”
    “I know what the word means . I’m asking you who? And if you tell me it’s Solana Rojas, I’ll blow my brains out.”
    “No, no. Not at all. I have the woman’s name right here.” She looked down at her notes, her hands shaking as she turned pages right side up and arranged them in rough order. She licked an index finger and sorted through the file until she found what she was looking for. She picked up the paper and turned it toward me as she read the name. “Cristina Tasinato.”
    “Who?”
    “Cristina Tasinato? She’s a private professional…”
    “You said that! When did this happen?”
    “Late last week. I’ve seen the paperwork myself and it was properly executed. Ms. Tasinato worked through an attorney and she put up a bond, which she’s required to do by law.”
    “Gus doesn’t need some stranger stepping in to take charge of his life. He has a niece in New York. Didn’t anyone talk to her? She must have some rights in this.”
    “Of course. Under probate law, a relative has priority when it comes to an appointment as conservator. Mrs. Rojas mentioned the niece. Evidently, she spoke to her on three separate occasions, describing his condition and begging her to help. Ms. Oberlin couldn’t spare the time. Mrs. Rojas felt a conservator was imperative to Mr. Vronsky’s well-being…”
    “That’s a complete crock of shit. I talked to Melanie myself and it wasn’t like that at all. Sure, Solana called her, but she gave no indication he was in trouble. If she’d known, Melanie would have flown out in a heartbeat.”
    The prim mouth again. “Mrs. Rojas says otherwise.”
    “Isn’t there supposed to be a hearing?”
    “Ordinarily, yes, but in an emergency, the judge can go ahead and grant the request, pending investigation by the court.”
    “Oh, right. And suppose the court does the same nifty job you did? Where does that leave Gus?”
    “There’s no need to get personal. All of us have his best interests at heart.”
    “The man can speak for himself. Why was this done without his knowledge or consent?”
    “According to the petition, he has a hearing deficit in addition to periods of confusion. So even if there had been a regular court hearing, he wouldn’t have been competent to attend. Mrs. Rojas said you and his other neighbors don’t fully comprehend the kind of trouble he’s in.”
    “Well, we sure as fuck know now. How’d this Tasinato woman get wind of it?”
    “She might have been contacted by the convalescent facility or one of his physicians.”
    “So however this went down, she now has total control over him? Finances, real property, medical treatment? All of it?”
    Ms. Sullivan declined to respond, which I found infuriating.
    “What kind of idiot are you! Solana Rojas played you for a fool. She played us all for fools. And look at the result. You’ve handed him over to a pack of wolves.”
    The color was rising in Nancy Sullivan’s face and she looked down at her lap. “I don’t think we should continue the conversation. You might prefer to talk to my supervisor. I discussed this with her this morning. We thought you’d be relieved…”
    “Relieved?”
    “I’m sorry if I upset you. I may have presented it wrong. If so, I apologize. You called, we’ve looked into it, and we’re convinced he’s in capable hands.”
    “I beg to differ with you.”
    “I’m not surprised. You’ve been antagonistic since I sat down.”
    “Stop. Just stop. This is pissing me off. If you don’t get the hell out, I’ll start screaming at you.”
    “You’ve already screamed,” she said tightly. “And believe me, this will go in my report.” While she shoved papers in her briefcase and gathered her belongings, I could see the tears splashing down