Chapter Fifty-Three-Keeping up with the Joneses
"It is difficulties that show what men are."~ Epictetus
**Author's Note: I actually grew up on 94 Charlevoix in Clawson, Michigan, so this place and this house are very real. It's interesting to stroll down memory lane and re-visit my childhood. Happy reiding!
It was over an hour later and Spencer was in the quiet town of Clawson, Michigan. Clawson was a quiet, humble place where knowing your neighbor was almost a given. Spencer drove down Main Street, taking in his surroundings. There were shopping strips, restaurants, a grocery store, nothing out of the ordinary. The highlight of the street was a Dairy Queen, which had been in the town for generations.
It was next to a small, three business shopping strip. Spencer couldn't make out what the other two places were, but the one in the middle was a locksmith. The strip was made of brick and had a walkway as well as a wheelchair ramp. It was a charming sight and to further demonstate that this business did in fact specialize in the making of keys, a large one was nailed next to the door. Spencer found that amusing and knew Lila would as well.
The Dairy Queen was within walking distance of Charlevoix, so Spencer decided he had time to stop for a quick treat. He wasn't sure if it was appropriate to stop for an ice-cream break while in hot pursuit of a family annihilater, but he reasoned that what Hotch didn't know couldn't hurt him. He parked in the small parking lot, walked up to the building and ordered vanilla ice cream with raspberry sauce. He sat at white table with a striped umbrella, looking around as he favored his treat. There were four other tables and next to him was a young couple with their children.
They appeared to be around the same age as him and Lila and their son appeared to be around two. Their daughter appeared to be around a year and both children were completely enamoured with their ice cream. The little girl was holding a vanilla cone, smearing the sweet treat on her adorable, chubby face. As her mother cleaned her off and her father walked off to get more napkins, the little boy lowered his strawberry cone so the golden retriever at the neighboring table could have a lick. Spencer chuckled at the sight and hoped his own child wouldn't get any ideas.
With his sweet confection now devoured, Spencer rose from his seat, disposed of his garbage, and walked back to his car. He climbed in and pulled out of the driveway, resuming his journey. Charlevoix was on the right side of the road, right after the carwash and an empty office building. Spencer turned onto the street and it wasn't long until he was at his destination. The house was the middle one on the right side of the street and was as quiet and non descript as the others on the block.
The house was ranchstyle with brown siding and a white porch with a ramp as opposed to stairs. The front lawn was perfectly mowed and there was a colorful flower garden as well. On the far right of the garden was a statue of the Virgin Mary underneath a small white arch. Spencer parked on the street and climbed out, continuing his silent observation. On the sidewalk was a colorful confection of colors, obviously made by sidewalk chalk.
There were two vehicles in the driveway: a tan Sudan and a dark blue van. Spencer walked up the driveway and looked into the backyard. There was a simply fence with a large white archway with green vines teisting around it. In the backyard was a swing set, sandbox, above ground pool, large slide, and playhouse. There was a large tree in the neighboring yard and it was leaning slightly into this one, causing leaves to fall.
Beside the patio was a miniature pine tree and next to the playhouse was a garden. Spencer could see rows of tomatos, green peppers, cucumbers, carrots, and green beans. He could also see an elderly couple sitting on the porch in their patio chairs, which were pulled up to a table with an umbrella. They were sipping lemonade and conversing quietly with one another. Spencer stood quietly at the gate, observing them until the gentleman noticed him.
He picked up his cane and walked towards Spencer, his movements stilted. The man appeared to be around 5'7 with a slight pooch in his abdomen. He had thin whitish grey hair and liverspots all over his body. He wore thin framed glasses, short sleeved, pale blue linen shirt, and khaki pants. He adjusted his glasses as he looked up at Spencer.
"Yes? May I help you?" he asked.
"My name is Supervisory Special Agent Dr. Spencer Reid and I am with the FBI," Spencer said, showing the elderly gentleman his badge and ID. "I understand that your daughter and her family live with you, is that correct?"
"Yes, yes that is correct. What is this about?" the elderly man asked.
"I need to talk to Sharon and Bill about their previous landlord, Gloria Harrison," Spencer said. "are they here right now?"
"My daughter isn't, but Bill is. Here, come in," the man said, opening the gate for Spencer.
Spencer entered the backyard and the man identified himself as Donald Williams and his wife as Martha. Spencer said hello to her and the threesome entered the house. As soon as they walked in through the back door, there was a staircase leading to the basement. Martha excused herself to go into basement to start laundry. On the other side of the hall was the bathroom.
Artwork and homework completed by the children were proudly displayed on the walls. Spencer and Donald walked down the hall and into the kitchen. The kitchen was decorated like a 1950s diner, complete with black and white tiled floors and large records on the walls. To the left, Spencer could see a door, which led into one of the two bedrooms. The kitchen flowed into the dining room, which was painted mauve with white trim.
There was a round table and chairs and a china cabinet in the corner. On the left side there was a door, leading into the final bedroom. The dining room flowed into the living room, which was painted forrest green with white trim. In the living room was a couch, two arm chairs, entertainment system, coffee table, and fireplace. Spencer could see a man sitting on the couch with two children, but could hear others in the background. Donald walked back to the counter, where he was in the process of preparing dinner. As he placed slices of cheese onto pieces of white bread, he called out for his son-in-law.
"Bill! You have company!" Donald called, placing the other slices of bread onto the sandwiches.
Donald was placing the sandwiches on the griddle when Bill entered the room. He was about 5'10 with dark brown hair, blue eyes, and an average build. He was wearing jeans and a faded black t-shirt. Spencer introduced himself to Bill and asked if there was a spot where they could talk. Bill suggested the front porch and led Spencer through the rest of the house.
When they entered the living room, Spencer saw the five children. They looked up and eyed their visitor with interest. Spencer was equally interested in them and his heart immediately went out to the Jones family. The two dark haired children on the couch, a twelve year old girl and a ten year old boy, appeared to be developmentally normal. Two of the other children, an eight year old boy and a six year old girl, were both in wheelchairs.
There was another child in the room, a golden haired little boy playing with toy cars on the floor. Spencer watched as the child lined the cars in a perfect, single file line. He tapped his finger on each one and moved his mouth, as if counting them. He moved his finger back and forth and lifted his other hand, pulling at his hair. The girl went over to him, moving his hand away from his head. Bill nodded to the children and began the introductions.
"That is my oldest daughter Chelsea and my youngest son Aidan," Bill said. "Dylan is my older son," he continued, nodding to the ten year old, who was staring at Spencer with curiosity. "my other daughter is Melanie and my other son is Liam. Kids, this is Spencer. We're going to talk outside for a while, so if you need anything, Nannie and Papa are here."
"Are you a lawyer?" Chelsea asked, sitting on the floor so she could play with Aidan.
"No, I'm not. I work for the FBI," Spencer said, showing her his badge. "why did you think I was a lawyer?"
"Because Daddy has been talking to lawyers a lot lately," Chelsea said with a shrug.
"Let's go outside," Bill said, opening the front door so he and Spencer could go onto the porch. The two men sat in their chairs and Spencer turned his so he could look at Bill.
"Why have lawyers been making frequent trips here?" he asked.
"It's because of that bitch Gloria Harrison. She not only forced me and my family out of our home, but she's been out to destroy us as well," Bill said, rage burning in his eyes.
"Let's start at the beginning. When and why did you move into her home? Were there problems from the beginning and if not, what caused them?" Spencer asked, his tone neutral, although his profile antenna was on high alert.
"My family and I moved into her house two years ago. I was transferred from my office in Traverse City to one in Flint, so we had to move. I worked as a drug rep for a pharmeutical company distributing anti depressant medications. Sharon didn't want to live in Flint, though, because she felt it was an unsafe city in which to bring up children. She also wanted out kids to experience small town living and Frankenmuth is as small and charming as you can get. We looked at a few places and ultimately decided that the Harrison house was the perfect one for us. There was plenty of space for Chelsea, Dylan, and Aidan to run about and the neighborhood was quiet and peaceful enough for Liam and Melanie's well being."
Bill look down and rubbed his face before continuing. "I'm sure you noticed three of my children are...different."
Spencer nodded before saying: "Yes, but I'm sure their disabilities don't make you love them any less and they certainly don't make your children inferior in any way."
Bill continued as if he hadn't heard that response. "Four years ago our family seemed perfect: Chelsea and Dylan were in school full time and absolutely thriving. They were incredibly smart at an early age and were always ahead of their peers in terms of their development. Liam and Melanie were also coming into their own and their little personalities were starting to shine through. Then everything changed.
Sharon and I started noticing that Liam wasn't as coordinated as children in his preschool class. He was forever dropping things or tripping over his own feet. We tried to write this off as a lovable quirk, but other symptoms started to emerge. He had an extremely difficult time getting up from lying or sitting positions, so either Sharon, myself or one of the older children had to help him up. His preschool teacher also stated he was behind his peers developmentally and suggested we have him tested for mental retardation.
We took him to his peditrician and not only was he diagnosed with mild retardation, but..." Bill downcast his gaze and looked away, as if unable to admit what Spencer already knew. "...but with Duchenne's muscular dystrophy."
"Was this the same time you discovered Melanie had Cerebal Palsy?" Spencer asked gently.
Bill nodded and continued talking. "Melanie was exhibiting some of the same symptoms-lack of coordination, stiff muscles, tremors and walking gait. She was also drooling excessively, had difficulty swallowing, sucking, and speaking. We asked Dr. Smith if Melanie could have the same affliction as her brother, but she said that particular type of MD is only found in boys. She examined Melanie and diagnosed her with Cerebral Palsy, as well as mild retardation.
We did all we could for them, but they deterroriated quickly, especially Liam. Children with Duchenne's muscular dystrophy are usually between the ages of ten and thirteen before their require a wheelchair, but he was completely wheelchair bound by the age of six. Melanie can walk short distances with a walker, but as of last year started spending most of her time in her wheelchair. Walking as little as five feet can wear her out.
Sharon and I agreed that we had more than we could handle and decided not to have anymore children, despite the fact we originally wanted five children. Shortly after Liam and Melanie's diagnosises, I agreed to have a vasectemy. I had one, but by then it was too late. Sharon was already pregnant with Aidan. I know this sounds horrible, but we and to think long and hard about whether or not we wanted to bring this child into the world."
"I don't think that sounds horrible at all, Bill. You and Sharon were given devastating news about two of your children and you were upset and frightened, which is completely understandable. There is nothing wrong with having doubts," Spencer said gently, his thoughts immediately wandering to Lila and their baby. He wondered how they would react if something was wrong with their child.
Bill shrugged and continued speaking. "Ultimately we decided to have the baby. We'd always wanted five children and we hoped this child would be developmentally normal. We thought he or she could help Chelsea and Dylan care for Liam and Melanie after we passed on. Aidan seemed normal at first, but everything changed. He didn't start walking until he was two and a half and even at three doesn't speak very much. He doesn't make eye contact or respond to his name and resists affection of any kind. We took him to Dr. Smith and she diagnosed him with Autism.
Sharon and I were both beyond devastated and completely overwhelmed. We hadn't even come to terms with Liam and Melanie's disabilities and now we had Aidan to contend with. We were both working full-time and realized one of us had to stay home with the children. Since I was making the most money and the children were already on my health insurance plan, we decided Sharon would be the one to stay home. Things were going as well as could be expected until that bitch Gloria came into our lives.
Things were okay for a while-she was polite enough and only came over to collect the rent check each month. Due to our childrens' disabilities, she even had a ramp put in and special seats on the side of the staircases inside so Melanie and Liam could have access to the whole house. Everything seemed to be going well until one day out of the blue Gloria handed us eviction papers. Sharon and I demanded an explanation, but she wouldn't give us one. She said she wanted us out by the end of the month or she would make life exceedingly difficult for us.
I told her we couldn't leave so quickly because we had our children to consider and that our family couldn't live in just any house, due to our younger childrens' disabilities. Gloria said that she wanted us out of her house and that she didn't care about 'our retarded children and that wasn't her fault that Sharon and I had such lousy DNA.' She also said that it was only a matter of time before Chelsea and Dylan were 'as fucked up as the rest of us.'
When she said those things about my kids, I just...the anger was just too much to hold in. Before I knew it, I had her pressed up against the wall and I was shaking her, screaming every obscenity imaginable. Sharon pulled me off of her and Gloria ran outside and called the police. The police arrived and arrested me for assault. I ended up spending six month in jail and lost my job and all of my benefits.
Sharon and the kids couldn't afford to live on their own, so they had to move in with her folks. I felt so helpless, so emasculated, knowing that I couldn't provide for my family and that they had to depend on her parents' social security checks just to eat. Sharon had been out of work for a long time, so it took her over four months to find a job and it's half of what she made before she quit working. I'm trying to find a job, but no one wants to hire someone with a rapsheet, and they sure as hell won't rent to someone like that either. Sharon and the kids tried to find a place when she got a job, but whenever they called Gloria for a reference, she made damn sure no one would give us a place. Sharon and I are trying to sue Gloria for wrongful eviction and I'm trying to have my record expunged, but that takes money, which is something we don't have much of at the moment."
"Where is your wife right now?" Spencer asked.
"She's at work. She works full time as a real estate at Edwards and Goodman Real Estate Services and part time as an administrative assistant for a businessman named Nathan Rogers."
"Where were the two of you last night?"
"Sharon was in a meeting and I was at the hospital with Liam. He had Pneumonia and was in the hospital for two weeks. We...we weren't sure if he was going to make it. Sharon's folks stayed home with the other children while I was with Liam. We just got home this morning."
Bill looked dowm and Spencer gave him time to compose himself. "Were you made aware that Gloria's son and his family moved into your house shortly after your eviction?"
Bill nodded. "During my assault case, my attorney was talking to the neighbors and one of them told him."
"Do you know who that was?"
"Sheila Norris. She and her family live in the house on the right. They're good people and their kids got along so well with mine. The older ones loved baby sitting and the little ones loved coming over to play."
"Did your children ever play with the Smith children?" Spencer asked.
Bill shook his head. "Sharon and I would see them occassionally in the hall or office, but none of our kids are in the same grade. Chelsea and Dylan are significantly older than the Smith children and Liam and Melanie are in special education classes."
"Aidan and Shannon are the same age," Spencer pointed out.
"Maggie told Sharon that Shannon was going to some daycare center in town. Aidan is in a special school for autistic children."
"With all due respect sir, aren't those schools...expensive?" Spencer asked, wondering how a family struggling to make ends meet could afford such a considerable expense.
Bill nodded. "I wondered how we were able to afford it as well, but Sharon told me she was able to get financial assistance to make it possible."
"What is the name of the school?"
"'Hope for the Future.' It's located in Bloomfield Hills on Long Lake Road."
Spencer asked Bill a few more questions before ending the conversation and thanking Bill for his time. The two men rose from their chairs and put them back in their proper place. As Bill walked back inside, Spencer walked to his car, saying a silent prayer for the Smith family, as well as his own. As he climbed into the car, he felt his cellphone ring. He pulled it out of his pocket and answered it.
"Yes Hotch?" Spencer said.
"I need you back at the camground now. There has been another murder."
"Yes sir. I'm on my way, sir."
Spencer hung up, placed the phone back in his pocket, started the car, and began his voyage back to Frankenmuth.
