Domestic Issues

***Chris and David's apartment***

It is late spring, and Chris is getting ready for work. Bridgit has just called and told Chris that she has been put on bed rest. She was supposed to move into her new apartment this weekend, so she was very upset.

"Bridgit, it is fine. We will get you to your new place, and then you can sit and tell all of us what to do while we unpack your stuff. It will all work out, honey, I promise".

Bridgit thanked her Aunt Chris between the sobs, and Chris tried to calm her down.

"Bridgit, calm down. Deep breaths. You have to stay calm for the baby's sake, honey. I will come check on you after work, ok?"

Chris and Bridgit hang up, and then Chris finishes getting ready for work.

She went and made her and David breakfast, and then they headed to the parking garage to go to work. He helped her put her stuff into the car, and then kissed her goodbye. "Love you more than anyone in the world, babe".

She kissed him again. "Love you too".

They headed off to work.

***Chris and Mary Beth's office***

Chris signed in and put her stuff down. She went to fill her water bottle and came back and started going over case files. Mary Beth came in and signed in. "Morning Lieutenant".

"Morning Mary Beth".

"What do we have on deck today?"

"We have been given the case of child who died in his foster home. Blunt force trauma to the head, coroner says it also could have been a forceful hit, like if he hit his head against the counter or something. He asked for the investigation to dig a little deeper".

"Well, where would you like to start, Lieutenant? Foster home, or talking to the doctor?"

"Foster home. The mother was questioned and released, one juvenile from the home was taken into custody".

"Right behind you". Chris and Mary Beth both grabbed their purses and off they went.

***Foster home***

Mary Beth and Chris pulled up to the foster home where the child lived. They got out and rang the doorbell.

A woman, somewhat small in stature, answered the door, and let them in. She resumed mopping the floor where the bloodstain was.

"Hello ma'am, I am Detective Lacey, and this is Lieutenant Keeler. We are here to investigate the death of Jessie Blackstone. And you don't have to labor on that spot ma'am, the police have a cleaning team that will come take care of that".

She led them to the den. They all sat down on the couch and in a chair.

"Please, ma'am, tell us what happened yesterday".

She took a deep breath.

"I was in the kitchen making dinner. I have 3 kids of my own living here, and I had 3 more foster kids staying here also. Jesse was watching TV, and my son was in here with him. Hunter came in and took the remote, and Jesse wanted it back. They started tussling over it, and Hunter pushed Jesse away very hard, one final time. Hunter yelled out "I am done with you, get away from me!" and he was walking away. As Jesse went backwards after he was pushed, he hit his head on the banister of the staircase. He started bleeding, and I gave him an ice pack, after we got the cut cleaned up. Then he went to lay down in his room, while I talked to Hunter. I am not going to have any tussling in my house. They know that. Anytime there is arguing, they clean up the mess and they go to their rooms and I talk to each of them individually. After I talked to Hunter, I went to talk to Jesse. He was sleeping. So I let him sleep, and I checked on him after dinner. He woke up then, and said his head was hurting. So he ate, and I gave him a couple of Advil, and he went back to sleep. When I checked on him again, I just thought he was sleeping. Next morning, he wouldn't wake up for school".

"Where is Hunter? We would like to ask him some questions." Mary Beth started making notes in her notepad.

"He is at a doctor's office. The police told me that he would need one since he was being detained, so I arranged for him to have the test with the therapist that he has been seeing. After that, I assume they will take him back to Juvenile Court".

"Can you give us the name of his doctor?"

She handed Christine a business card with the name Dr. Lori Olsen on it, and several phone numbers. She pulled out another card and handed that to her as well.

"This is my card, in case you have any more questions. My name is Angela Parker, and that phone number that is circled is the best one to reach me at".

"Thank you for your time, ma'am". Chris and Beth got up to leave. Mrs. Parker saw them to the door, and closed it behind them.

They headed back to the office.

***In the car***

"Well, I guess we need to contact the therapist and see if we can get any insight into his demeanor. And I suppose we need to go interview Hunter himself, and get the official word from the coroner after he completes the more in depth autopsy".

"Sounds good to me, Lieutenant".

***In their office***

Christine put in a call to Hunter's doctor. She agreed to speak with them later in the afternoon, but she reminded them that she wasn't able to answer any questions about what Hunter told her, due to confidentiality laws. Chris started writing up some questions to ask her. Mary Beth contacted Juvenile Hall, and inquired about making an appointment to speak with Hunter that day, but was told that his behavior had caused him to be put in solitary confinement and they weren't allowing anyone to speak with him for the next 12 hours. So she made an appointment for first thing the next morning.

Chris typed up the statement they received from the foster mother, and sent a copy of it over to the coroner.

She looked at her watch. 2:40. "It's almost time to meet with the therapist, what do you say we head out?"

"Right behind you, Lieutenant".

They headed to the car, and then to the therapist's office.

***In the therapist's office***

Dr. Lori Olsen was very endearing and helpful to Chris and Mary Beth. She was able to provide some very telling statements about his demeanor and state of mind.

"How long have you been seeing him as a patient, Dr. Olsen?"

"Ever since he was 3 years old. His biological parents were extremely neglectful and abusive towards him, mentally and physically. He was removed from their care and placed with his first foster family, and they loved for him, and really cared about him and for him. He was thriving, but they started to think that he had a darker side that they weren't sure was healthy. So in the interest of curbing some not so good habits, they sought therapy for him. We did play therapy first, and general therapy second. We have done inclusion therapy, and I have even come and observed him at school, and in the home. When he was 7, his foster family was on the track to adopt him finally. His biological parents were finally sentenced to jail for the abuse he and his siblings suffered, and their parental rights were terminated. So his foster family filed the paperwork to adopt him, and about 3 months into it, they find out that the foster father's job is transferring him out of state. Because they didn't have permission to take him out of state, they had to put him back into the system. So naturally, he had a setback behavior wise, and that dark side grew a little darker. He has gone through about 4 homes since then; and this one was his longest since his first foster family moved away. I was very hopeful that he was learning to manage his emotions and that it was going to be a positive experience."

"Has he told you anything about what happened with Jesse? Anything that could give you some insight in to what his intentions were?"

"All I can really tell you is that I believe him when he says it wasn't intentional. However, I also believe him when he tells me that Jesse dying doesn't really affect him in any way, and that even though he knew Jesse would probably get hurt, he isn't sad that he caused him to die, and he isn't missing him. I expected him to say he wasn't missing him, because Hunter has a very hard time getting to know people, and having and making friends. More than the average foster child".

"In your professional opinion, would you say that Hunter has a mood disorder that makes him act like this? Or would you say that this was an isolated incident?"

"I would say professionally, that he definitely has a mood disorder. I believe him to be sociopathic, as well as completely void of all empathy. I don't believe him to be bipolar, because he stays pretty even, he doesn't snap. He lets things build up and then he does things in a frustrated state, but this incident wasn't like the others. He really disliked Jesse, and I believe he was pushing him just as hard in the beginning as he was in the end, it just so happened that Jesse kept his balance in the beginning and did not do so in the end. When he told him he was done with him and was walking away from him, that's an exit strategy that we have been practicing and working on. He used it effectively, but it didn't much matter in this case".

"Would you say professionally that he had so much anger for Jesse that it would be possible that he intended to hurt him and possibly kill him?"

"Before I spoke with him, I was very afraid that was the case. But after speaking with him today, I am more convinced than ever that it isn't. He didn't act with malice, he acted with careless abandon".

"The law doesn't have a very big gap between the two, Dr. He had to know that pushing him was wrong."

"He understands that it was wrong to push him, and he understands that Jesse died because he pushed him, which caused him to hit his head, but he doesn't understand that it will affect him in any way at all".

"So professionally speaking, did you find him fit to stand trial?" Chris looked at the doctor directly.

"No, I did not. I don't think he understands the legal system, or that his actions have resulted in legal consequences".

"Thank you for your time, Dr." Chris and Mary Beth both shook hands with her.

Chris and Mary Beth head to the car.

***In the car***

Chris and Mary Beth climb into the car, and put their seatbelts on.

"Well, I don't think he should be held responsible. I mean, it's not like he meant to do it, so there is no malice. He needs anger management and continued therapy, but I see no prison to charge him with murder or manslaughter". Mary Beth always had a soft spot for the kids.

"You have to be kidding. He pushed a kid, and the kid fell and hit his head, and later died. Sounds like an open and shut case to me. Not murder 1, but definitely involuntary manslaughter or aggravated assault".

"No Chris. A kid like that doesn't need to be locked up, that's not going to do him any good. Plus, he won't exactly be locked up with royalty here, so that's not going to help with his temperament. Jail time is not the answer here, Christine. He would be just fine on probation, with the proper supervision, with someone who loves and cares about him who is making sure that he gets the therapy that he needs".

"He will have to learn to adjust like everyone else who goes to prison. He did the crime, he has to do the time. Simple as that. Would Jesse have fallen and hit his head if Hunter hadn't pushed him? Highly doubtful. However, let's say he would have. He would have to have been pretty out of control to fall and hit his head hard enough to do the same damage that was done by Hunter pushing him into the bannister."

"But one accidental motion and some physics doesn't make him a murderer Christine".

"It doesn't guarantee him a slap on the wrist either, Mary Beth".

"Remember when you were drinking, and we were at the 14th, and we were at your father's wake in Flannery's, and you spilled a drink all over Lieutenant Samuels? Did he run out and have you prosecuted for vandalism? No, because it was an accident. You see? You weren't charged with anything, and this boy definitely shouldn't be charged with murder. I am sure that once you wrap your brain around it and remember your drinking days, you will see it more clearly".

"What's that supposed to mean, you think I can't understand things because I had a drinking problem once upon a time?"

"That's not what I said, and you know it, Chris."

"You say a lot of things, Mary Beth, without saying them. And whatever I did when I was drinking, well that's in the past and I cannot change any of that. But I'll be damned if I am going to be criticized for it, because I changed. I busted my ass on the 12 steps and read the book more times than I can count. I deserve some credit for that instead of judgement for my behavior before it".

"I wasn't say-"

"And furthermore, just how do you come to the realization that just because he didn't mean to do it, he should be set free? I am sure that there are plenty of people in Attica right now that we could go talk to and ask them "When you shot your victim, did you mean for the bullet to actually go in them, and kill them, or were you just trying to scare them? Do you have any idea how many criminals would be walking the streets if they had offered that excuse and the court had believed them?"

"No, you are right. I am wrong. As always." Mary Beth turned to look out the window.

"Well, that was unnecessary. What are you trying to insinuate, that I am always right and you are always wrong?"

"No, I am not. I am saying that you always win the argument, but mainly because I would rather drop the argument and live in peace instead of spending all my time yelling at you".

"And there we go again with the insinuations. Let me tell you something. If you really think that all you and I do is argue, and yell and that I cannot be trusted to investigate a case because of behaviors I exhibited in my past, then perhaps you should look into finding a new partner that you would feel more comfortable with".

With that, Christine put the car in park, got out and slammed the door. Mary Beth sat there in shock as Chris walked inside.

She climbed out of the car, and went inside and went to the bathroom to freshen up. She was only in there a few minutes, and then she went to their office. The lights were off, and Christine's desk was clean. Mary Beth grabbed her computer bag, and signed out. She noticed that Chris had signed out as well. Mary Beth walked outside, to the parking lot, and saw that Chris' car was gone.

She felt a little empty inside, as she walked to the subway. She couldn't help but feel like this might be the end of an era…..

To be continued…..