More of Chapter Five

Charlene knew Joe’s perceived lack of drive by Suzan was was one of the many issues Suzan pointed out in arguments. Joe had tried to defend himself to Charlene at lunch more than once about that issue.

Charlene tried to listen to Joe objectively but that was impossible. She was in love with Joe even with all of his many faults that Suzan had often commented on to Joe about.

Charlene saw Joe as nearly perfect or perfect enough for her. Charlene sat and waited impatiently for her father to come on the line.

“This is the law office of Barnaby and Storm, how may I direct your call?”

“This is Charlene, Betty. Is my father available? I need to talk with him.”

Betty knew the reason for the call. They were usually for some kind of financial assistance from Charlene’s father. Betty felt bad for her boss but kept quiet. The was his troubled daughter and Betty had woes of her own.

It wasn’t her money or place to interfere. Betty thought that Charlene was immature and perhaps even a little devious in her fealings with her father.

Betty knew that Charlene’s mother and father had taken her for several mental evaluations years ago when some troubles emerged in high school. Charlene had a large variety of friends. Some were great students and athletes while others seemed to be from a different world or planet.

At one point she had done everything possible to destroy her health, put her personal safety at risk by putting herself in danger often and tried to destroy her relationship with her parents. She had put herself in danger often using drugs and alcohol. She knew people who would do anything for a fix or a few pills. She had access to any number of people in her circle of friends who would or could kill for another person for a little or no reason or a small amount of money. There was no doubt that she had a wild side but why was the larger question.

She had used many illicit drugs to stop the many storms growing in her head as she reached puberty. The psychologists suggested that here family life was a part of that, but not the complete reason for her actions.

The thought that some of her friends from the past might be able to murder someone had haunted her in her lucid moments. There were a few back then that even she was afraid of, like Tony Black. “Was that even his real name,” she wondered.

Now she understood that one of them might be valuable at some point in the near future. She wasn’t sure how they might be useful yet, but she needed to reconnect with a few old friends, or so she thought.

Her parents had been told by a psychiatrist who examined Charlene years ago at school that she might have a border line personality disorder.

He had read several reports from her school and her short but interesting police file. She had some difficulty maintaining her temper at times and acted out at others.

Her parents found another well respected psychiatrist and had him meet with Charlene. He met with her and her parents several times and after examining her often, he put together a Mental Status Report on her. He found her to be Schizophrenic or show signs of Schizophrenia.

After reading several articles on mental health over the years and having many other mental evaluations of her and this latest clinical review, Nick was pretty sure the diagnosis was correct.

Her parents had even taken Charlene to another very prominent psychiatrist in the city before this latest evaluation. That psychiatrist-patient relationship was still on going.

Charlene’s psychiatrist had talked to her parents more than once over the years since she had graduated from university about her condition. Charlene had certainly had her ups and downs over the years along with one complete breakdown.

“I’m sorry to say that she might even be a sociopath, Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter,” the doctor had told the two parents on one visit years ago. It nearly broke her father’s heart. Nick remembered part of the conversation verbatim.

“Perhaps she should be placed in a facility for some in-house treatment for a year or so.”

“She is my daughter Doctor Taylor. It is our responsibility to watch over her and to take care of her when necessary. What could an institution really do that that might help her and to take care of her when necessary. What might that institution really do that might help her more than myself and her mother?”

“That’s a fair question,” the doctor answered. This is not a perfect science and we are still searching for clues that might lead to cures for issues like your daughter faces.

Perhaps a new medication would be better than being placed in custody and care in a mental facility. We could give that a chance.

I’ve been doing some reading on a few new drugs coming to the market as we speak. Let’s try one of those for a while and see what happens,” the doctor suggested. “Are you up for that?”

NIck’s heart jumped at the thought of a possibility of a decent, normal life for his daughter.

This was one rare instance of the two parents making a joint decision for Charlene’s well being. They both agreed that this was a better decision than putting Charlene in a facility where more damage might be done. “Who knows what might happen to her in there?” her parents both wondered.

Things had seemed to improve since that meeting over two years ago and now that she was on some new medications.

The flashing light on Nick’s desk reminded him to push button four on the phone in front of him.

“What’s up Betty? I’m in the middle of something.”

“Your daughter’s on line four, sir.”

“Thanks Betty, I”ll talk with her now. Put the Hansons on hold please.”

All the thoughts and memories of Charlene’s problems and psychiatrists visits flooded Nick’s brain as he waited for Charlene to speak.