by Evelyn Guy
“Well, to make the story shorter, Richard and I became engaged,” she continued, while eating her burger. He insisted we get married, even though I was reluctant because of the heredity aspect of schizophrenia. I am sure you are away of that?”
“Yes, I am.” Christine just answered her without elaboration. It was none of this person’s business how she felt about that.
“Well, I made sure that Richard knew about the possibility of schizophrenia being inherited. He didn’t seem to mind. He said he loved me, and together we could conquer anything that the Lord put in our path. He insisted that love could overcome anything at all.”
Christine felt a deep heaviness in the pit of her stomach, as heavy as a huge stone. That was exactly what he had said to her, but she thought she was the only one.
“We got married, and immediately Richard changed. He suddenly seemed very concerned about any child of his having a chance of developing schizophrenia. He refused to even have marital relations with me because, he said, he didn’t want to take any chances. Any preventive method had a chance of failing. He suddenly got even closer to James. He and James were inseparable. If James so much as spoke to one of us, Richard intervened and swept him off somewhere. They were always gone. They went for days on camping trips. James had never seemed interested in camping, but suddenly he was going with Richard for days on end. For a while, we were just glad that James had someone. Of course, I missed having a relationship with Richard, but I could understand it. It still hurt, though.”
“I forgot to tell you, Richard insisted on a prenuptial agreement,” Eileen remembered. “Anything that either of us had would be shared equally if our marriage dissolved. I didn’t think anything about signing it. I had nothing at all. Richard didn’t have anything, either, as he was fresh out of high school, and his family did n’t really have anything. He insisted it was to protect me in the event something happened after we had kids and something might happen between us. He wanted me to share equally in anything he might be able to acquire after he got through college. I didn’t think anything of it”
“Anyway, after a time, James came to me, concerned, he said, about his ability to protect our inheritance from our dad. Dad had passed away two years before this. He had left everything to James and I. Mother had survivorship rights, meaning she would have it as long as she lived, but then it went to James and I equally. James asked me to accept his share of the inheritance, with the idea that I would provide for him as long as his share lasted. We knew by then he could not really hold down a job or anything. I didn’t think anything of it, and accepted. James insisted that we make it legal through a lawyer. We did that. Of course, I didn’t think it mattered, because my mother was very healthy and still quite young. It wouldn’t be either of ours for a very long time.”
Eileen stopped, becoming suddenly very engrossed in her burger and drink. She seemed reluctant to continue. She had not really said anything yet that had alarmed Christine, but she seemed to have something even more revealing to say, something she was obviously having a hard time sharing.
“What has all this got to do with me?” Christine asked. She didn’t see where this was leading.
“Just be patient. I want you to see the whole picture. Anyway, after James had signed things over to me, Richard suddenly quit taking him so many places. He still was close to him, but insisted on their staying home with mom a lot. He got very close to Mom. She had not had to work since Daddy died, as he had left her a large insurance policy. So, she stayed home to care for James. I am sure you realize how much of a full time job that can be.”
Christine nodded without interrupting. She certainly did. She could identify well with the need to spend hours caring for someone with a mental illness. That was why she had little time to herself. Her mother was so high-maintenance.
“Well, soon Richard and mother were inseparable, just as James and Richard had been. They were a close threesome. All three spent time together playing cards and watching my Mom’s old videos. I was there, but I was sort of an outsider with them. Richard became very solicitous. He wouldn’t let my mother cook anything, or get us anything from the kitchen or anything. He insisted on waiting on us all, unaided. We all thought it was very considerate of him.”
Christine thought so, too. She knew how he was. He did that with her mother. It was so sweet the way he insisted on waiting on both of them. Her mom often insisted that the women were to wait on the men, but he insisted he wanted to do it. He felt bad that the two of us didn’t have anyone to see after use, he often said. Christine thought it was very sweet.
“We didn’t understand that he was just setting up the scenario so that no one would suspect anything. It was not out of the goodness of his heart that he was doing this stuff. He had an ulterior motive. We never even thought to question him, until it was too late.”
“What do you mean? What motive? What happened?” In spite of herself, Christine found herself curious and drawn to the strange tale.
“Well, at first no one thought anything. Mother got sick. We thought she had the flu. Richard volunteered to stay with her during the day so I could go on to school. James couldn’t really be depended on. So, we gladly took him up on his offer. That was a big mistake.”
“Why? What happened?”
“Well, we of course could never prove anything. Richard is too slick for that. But, Mother got worse and worse. We tried to get her to go to the doctor, but Richard insisted he could care for her, that she just had the flu and would get better with rest, fluids and the proper care. We went along with it way too long. Finally, I got very worried and insisted that Mother let me take her to the doctor. Of course, Richard was furious. He insisted on going to the doctor with us. The doctor wanted to put Mother in the hospital for further testing, based on her blood levels. But, Richard just sort of took over and insisted it was temporary due to the flu. He overrode our decision. So, we took Mother back home to be cared for by Richard.”
“Over the next few weeks, Mother got so weak she couldn’t get out of bed without assistance. One day, Richard went out somewhere. We never found out where he went, but he was frantic to go take care of something. He made me promise to not take Mother out of the house while he was gone. He seemed so insistent that we not take her to the doctor or anywhere that it made me suspicious. I promised him, but as soon as he left, I got Mother in the car, with James’ help. It was very hard to get her to the doctor. She couldn’t walk, couldn’t talk, and was almost comatose. The doctor immediately put her in the hospital. She died within minutes after being admitted to the hospital. They wanted to do an autopsy, but Richard had returned and forbade it. He had papers where Mother had made him her power of attorney. He claimed she had a religious objection to autopsies. She didn’t. I know she didn’t. He just didn’t want something to be found out.”
“What do you think he was hiding?” Christine asked nervously. She was afraid to ask, but she had to know. Richard was spending a lot of time with her mother, even without her being there. She never thought anything of it, but now, she didn’t know.
“Well, like I said, we could never prove it. But, I think he poisoned my Mother some way. James didn’t believe me at first, but then he finally decided it was true. He had signed all his rights to his property to Richard. Of course, when Mother died, I got my half, and Richard got his half. I had decided by then to divorce him. I was also going to contest his taking James’s part of the estate. But, when I tried to do that, he threatened to have James put away forever. He could do it. He knows how. It is too great a risk. James and I decided we would be fine on just have the estate. It turns out that Daddy had a huge insurance policy, he had made a lot of money in his business, and he also had taken a huge policy out on Mother. She had kept it up all those years. Richard had convinced her to name his as beneficiary to the policy because he would be taking care of me and James if anything happened to her. She had done that. I knewabout that, but didn’t realize how large it was, or that
he would do what he did. At least, do what I think he did.”
“So you can’t really prove anything, can you?”
“No, and I can’t pursue it any further because of the danger to James. But, I know in my heart he did it. Mother was healthy as could be when he started hanging out with her. It is just so strange that she suddenly get so sick. And, the fact he didn’t want an autopsy was telltale, too. I just know what he did. I don’t know how he did it, but I know he did. Has he started taking time with your mother yet? I mean, excessive time?”
“Yes. He has. But . . . ”
“That’s the first sign. Is your mother getting mysteriously ill?”
“It’s hard to say. My mom is sickly anyway, beside the mental illness. She is often ill. Sometimes, I believe she is not really ill, but just feels that way due to her moods and stuff. So, it’s hard to tell.”
“Okay, I know you are not convinced. I don’t blame you. But, just be careful. Notice what he does when he is with her. Don’t let him cook for her. Don’t let him wait on her too much.”
“It’s already too late. He does that all the time. He says it is because I have had to wait on her so long. He wants to give me a break, he says.” Christine was almost mumbling because she was deep in thought.
“It may not be too late. Just stop what he is doing. But, you mustn’t let him know that you know. Most of all, don’t let him know I have talked to you. He will go after James if he gets mad at me. You can’t let him know. But, just please watch him at all time. Make sure he doesn’t have an opportunity to do to your mother what he did to ours. Talk to your mother about her business, too. Make sure she hasn’t changed her insurance or bank accounts or anything lately.”
“She doesn’t have any life insurance. We don’t exactly have a lot of money.”
“Well, make sure if she gets some that you are the beneficiary. Of course, if he talks her into getting insurance, and you two get married, then he will still benefit. He is dangerous, I tell you.”
Christine didn’t know what to think. On one hand, it seemed that Eileen was accurate in her account. However, it also seemed that she didn’t have any proof of anything. Maybe she had a paranoid mind, since her brother had schizophrenia. Paranoia was one symptom of schizophrenia. Maybe she was ill and that was why she believed that. That must be it. Richard didn’t do anything. Eileen was suffering from the schizophrenia and was imagining that he did all that. That would explain it all. She would just be careful, and watch him all the time he was with her mother. It would be okay, she would see.
“Thanks, Eileen, for sharing that information with me. I will check into it, and watch him closely with my mother.”
“You think I am sick, don’t you? I was afraid of that. Well, I want to assure you I am not sick. I don’t have schizophrenia. What I am saying is true. You have to believe that. As long as you are on te watch, then it will be okay. All I wanted to do was make you aware of the danger. Like I said, I can’t prove it to anyone else, but I know it in my heart. So, if I have convinced you to be watchful, then maybe I have helped save someone else. I don’t mean to cause you any trouble or distress.”
“How do you know you don’t have schizophrenia? How do you know you are not being paranoid? My mother thinks her fears and hallucinations are very real. How do you know, and how do I know, that you aren’t hallucinating, or suffering from paranoia?”
“Because, my brother is not really blood related to me. He is adopted. I stand no more chance of having schizophrenia than you do. Well,” she said with a small chuckle, “I guess I have less chance, since your blood relative has it.”
Christine suddenly had a cold fear in the pit of her stomach. Richard often stopped by to see her mother after he got off work. He should be off by now. Was he there? Did Ms. Mabry go home and leave him with her mother, alone? She would have no reason at all to suspect him of anything. She thought he was a fine young man, just as the rest of them did. So, she wouldn’t have any reason not to go home and leave him with her mother.
“I have to go,” Christine said suddenly, rising to leave. “Please call me tomorrow. I want to go over something with you. I can’t right now, though. I have to get home right now.”
“He is with your mother, isn’t he?”
“I don’t know. He often comes by after work. He gets off before I do. Ms. Mabry was with mother today as she didn’t feel too well. Not physically, but mentally. But, Ms. Mabry won’t have any reason to suspect him of anything. So, she will probably leave her with him, and not be watchful. I have to get home.”
“You go ahead. I will call you tomorrow. We will discuss what to look for. I will help you catch him if you want. However, he will probably find some way to thwart your effort to catch him. He will probably threaten your mother or something. So, we have to devise a plan. I’ll call you tomorrow. You go on home now. Hurry.”
Christine rushed out of the mall. She drove as fast as she could without speeding all the way home. She was very nervous. However, not nearly as much as when she turned into her drive and saw Richard’s Explorer sitting in the driveway.
“I’m home, Mom,” Christine called out. Her mom was in the kitchen. She heard Richard’s voice. She rushed into the kitchen to check on them.
“Hey, Honey. You’re home. I’m just sitting her visiting with these two beautiful ladies. Now that you’re home, I’ll visit with three beautiful ladies.”
“Hi, Richard. What are you three doing?”
“We were just having a cup of tea. You know how your mother loves her tea. I made all of us a cup, and we are just finishing it. Do you want a cup?”
“No, thanks. I just had a soft drink.” She walked around to her mother, kissing her on the forehead and trying to check her condition without being obvious about it.
“I’m going to go, Christine, now that you are here,” Ms. Mabry said.
“I told her she could go ahead and leave when I got here. But, she said she didn’t have anything pressing to do. And, she wanted to share a cup of tea with us.”
“Thanks, Ms. Mabry. I really appreciate your staying with Mom. It relieves my mind for you to stay with her when she is feeling bad. I hate to leave her.”
“By the way, where did you go?” Richard asked after Ms. Mabry left. “I thought you were off work today? Did they call you in?”
“No, a friend wanted to meet me at the mall. We hadn’t seen each other in a while.” Christine hated being deceptive with Richard, but didn’t fully trust him, now. Anyway, Eileen was a friend if she really prevented her mother being harmed, if there was that chance. And, they had never seen each other, so truly hadn’t seen each other in a while. Christine knew she was just rationalizing things. But, she hadn’t really told an outright lie to him.
Christine never left her mother’s side the whole time Richard was there. It wasn’t that she thought he would do anything, but she had just enough doubt after talking to Eileen that she couldn’t feel comfortable leaving him alone with her mother. It was just a precaution.
Richard didn’t seem to mind that he didn’t get any time with her mother. Christine wondered if he really had any intent to harm her mother, since he didn’t seem to care if he was alone with her or not. He might just be trying to make her get complacent before he tried anything. It was just so confusing to try and determine if he was really dangerous or not. She would just have to be careful. She would let things remain as they had been until she had reason to doubt him.
After Richard left, Christine went in to talk to her mother. Her mother was again not doing too well. She was complaining of physical symptoms, but seemed to be mentally agitated as well. She often got that way when she was getting sick again. Christine knew that her mother had not been taking her medicine exactly as she was supposed to. Richard could get her to take it every time, but she often resisted taking it for Christine. She had always been proud that he could get her mother to take her medicine, but now she was a little worried about it. That just meant th
at her mother was more susceptible to him doing something harmful to her.
“Mom, have you been taking your medicine?”
“I forget sometimes. That is why I feel so bad, I guess. Richard got me a herbal remedy that is supposed to help, but it doesn’t make any difference. I guess I have missed too many pills. I will try harder to remember. I am sorry. I know it makes it hard for you when I don’t take it.”
“It’s okay, Mom. We can work together to remind you. I am sorry. I have been so involved with Richard that I sort of neglected you. I won’t let it happen again.”
“It’s okay, Christine. You are supposed to get involved with your own life. I need to try and make a life of my own. You will be gone one day, when you get married. I need to learn to be independent.”
“Mom, promise me something. Don’t take anything Richard tries to give you. Don’t let him fix your meals or things to drink. Promise?”
“Why, Christine. He is very helpful.”
“Just don’t for a while, okay. Humor me.”
“I don’t understand why. Richard loves doing things for me. I like visiting with him.”
“That’s okay to visit with him.” Christine hoped that was true. “But, for right now, just don’t let him cook for you. I don’t want to overburden him. He needs to just visit and that is all. Promise me, Mom.”
“I promise. But, I don’t understand why. I will do it because it seems so important to you. Christine, I never in my life wanted to hurt you. I know I have, over and over. But, I didn’t want to, ever.” Her mother started to tear up. Christine grew emotional at her mother’s tears, but she also knew that sometimes her mother got that way when she was off her medicines.
“Mom, another thing. Don’t tell Richard what we discussed. Don’t let on that you are not eating or drinking anything he fixes. It will only hurt him. Wait until I find out some more information.” Christine didn’t want to say too much to her mother, but didn’t know any other way to get her to be careful.
