Terror on the Beach

by Holloway, Peggy

  After looking in both bags she led me to the bathroom and opened the cabinet under the sink. There was a big bag full of prescriptions. None of the prescriptions had Sarah’s name of them. They were for anything from asthma to heart medication.

  I recognized some of the names but some I didn’t know. We had suspected that several of the victims had been runaways and hadn’t yet identified them. This would help us. There were no driver’s licenses in any of the purses.

  I was going to assign the task to Freddy. He was the best one for computer work. He could use the doctor’s and patient’s names and hopefully identify them.

  We double bagged everything in plastic garbage bags and I called one of my deputies to come pick them up. Judith and I were quiet walking back and I asked her if she felt like having some lunch or at least a cup of coffee.

  There was a crab shack just opened up on the beach on the way and we stopped there and got a table. She ordered an iced tea and I ordered coffee. The waitress brought some little toast squares with crab meat and melted cheese on top and told us they were a free introductory sample.

  The crab toast was delicious and we finished them. We had gotten a table on the porch and after gazing out to sea for awhile Judith took a deep breath.

  “I love the smell of the sea. Robert, I know a psychiatrist who I believe could help Sarah. Her name is Dr. Anna Stevens but all her patients call her Dr. Anna.

  “She did wonders for my twin sister. She retired last year but I think I can get her to take this case when I tell her about it. I need to get back to Houston tomorrow morning at the latest.

  “I’m spreading myself too thin right now and I have one patient in crisis back home. When I get her stabilized and help her transition into therapy with another therapist I’m going to sell my practice as soon as I can find someone I would trust with my patients.

  “I will complete my report for the court today and call Dr. Anna. I am recommending that Sarah be placed in a private psychiatric hospital. It will be a long time before she will be competent enough to stand trial. How does that sound to you, Robert?”

  “It sounds fine and I would like to see Sarah more comfortable in a psychiatric hospital but I don’t think she has any kind of insurance.”

  “Don’t worry about that. I’m so intrigued with this case that I will foot the bill on one condition.”

  “And what would that be?”

  “I want to use her as a case example in my classes. I wouldn’t be using her name, of course. Dr. Anna and I would consult by phone. Well, what do you think?”

  “I think it would be perfect. I’ll need to see a lawyer friend of mine to see how we will handle power of attorney. If she’s not capable of making her own decisions then she will need a guardian appointed. I would like to act as her guardian.”

  CHAPTER 17

  I was able to get the court to grant me temporary guardianship of Sarah. Judith finished her report with her recommendation and went back to Houston the next morning, promising to stay in touch.

  Dr. Anna Stevens had agreed to take on this one last case and her plane was due to arrive five hours after Judith’s plane took off, so I had time to kill in Savannah.

  I always loved Savannah and had planned to take Sarah here for our honeymoon when we got married, if we ever did. I wanted us to stay in the Mulberry Inn. It’s small and beautiful with a cozy atmosphere including a fireplace in the lobby.

  Rather than getting my car out of the car park at the airport, I took a cab to the Mulberry Inn and went to the coffee shop and got a ham sandwich and a cup of coffee.

  I read a newspaper I found on the table and then headed over to the library. I got on one of their computers and went online. I read all about Multiple Personality Disorders and became even more scared for Sarah.

  When I got back to the airport I only had to wait about twenty minutes for Dr. Stevens’ plane to arrive. While I waited I thought about all the relationships I had been in and where they went wrong. I knew I could be controlling at times and the women had all broken up with me because of it.

  Sarah was the first woman I had been involved with who had stood up for herself while at the same time remaining in the relationship with me. But she had never let me get very close and now I understood why.

  She had been traumatized by someone, probably her daddy to the point where she had been afraid of relationships. The fact that she had tried to work on our relationship to the best of her ability made me love her even more.

  While I was deep in thought someone tapped me on the shoulder and I turned around. An older woman stood in front of me. I must have looked surprised at her appearance. She wasn’t what I expected.

  She appeared to be amused by my surprise. She was smiling. “Yes, I am Dr. Anna Stevens. Everyone calls me Dr. Anna. You are Sheriff Kola, are you not?” She stuck out her hand.

  “I’m sorry. I am Sheriff Kola. I’m sorry I didn’t know you’d be…”

  “So old?” s asked, and laughed. “I am 76 by the way, and I look it. I’ve had a good and rewarding life and wouldn’t change anything about it. Let’s get my luggage and get going. I can’t wait to meet Sarah.”

  We didn’t have to wait long for her luggage. She only had one small suitcase and that worried me. When she saw me looking at it she said, “I travel light but I am prepared to stay awhile to help Sarah. If I need anything else, I’ll go shopping.”

  On the way back to Monroe Beach, Dr. Anna asked me some of the same questions Judith had asked and continued to educate me o MPD. As I watched her, and she became animated about her area of expertise, her whole appearance seemed to change.

  She was still an average looking old lady, average height and weight with white thin hair that she wore in a knot on top of her head, and her skin looked like a wrinkled prune from years in the Florida sun. But she was beautiful.

  It was like an inner light shown from her and I could see why she had apparently been so successful. Her patients would most certainly open up to her and I was glad to have her for Sarah.

  She told me she owned a Psychiatric Hospital on the beach in Jacksonville, Florida. She thought it would be a good place for Sarah.

  “It is right on the beach and it has everything, a pool and tennis courts. She’ll feel like she’s at a country club. But she will be expected to attend both group and individual sessions. I will be her individual therapist and a woman named Anita will be her group therapist.

  “You can come see her whenever you want. In fact, there are cottages on the grounds where the visitors sometimes stay. Judith is footing the bill and told me that you can stay there as much as you want.

  “I’ve got to warn you, Sarah has a rough road ahead of her and there are going to be times when she will want to end it all and will have to be put into isolation, which is like a plush jail cell, with padded walls and a mattress on the floor.

  “There are going to be times when she is going to hate you for putting her in there. But when it’s over, and she gets to the other side of her pain and misery, she will be a happy and healthy woman.

  “Do you think you can handle all this upheaval? I might want to do some couples therapy with both of you. You are going to grow from this too, Robert.”

  I felt overwhelmed and drove in silence until she surprised me by asking, “By the way, Robert, have you ever asked yourself what it is about you that makes you determined to have a woman who isn’t capable of committing to a relationship?”

  I opened my mouth but couldn’t think of anything to say.

  She laughed. “Don’t worry. You don’t need to answer that. It is something to think about. I can’t help myself. I have to challenge everyone.”

  CHAPTER 18

  Just like Judith, Dr. Anna had wanted to check in and head over to meet Sarah. She was staying at Lily’s B&B and the two women hit it off right away.

  When we got to Sarah’s cell, she was sitting on the cot with her back against the wall. She didn’t even look up when we w
ent in. She acted like she didn’t hear us.

  Dr. Anna looked at me and put her finger to her lips. She then tiptoed over to Sarah and, putting her hands close to Sarah’s ear, clapped her hands. Sarah didn’t respond but when Dr. Anna lightly touched Sarah’s arm, she jumped.

  Dr. Anna smiled at Sarah and patted her on the arm, then motioned me to the side, “I think we just met the little mute boy but not only can’t he talk, he can’t hear. I’m not sure he can see either. No eye contact when I smiled at him.”

  I walked over in front of Sarah and squatted down. She stared straight ahead. The little boy personality couldn’t see.

  I looked up at Dr. Anna, “How could Judith have missed this?”

  “When Judith met him he might have been just mute, he might have cut off the other two senses afterward. My guess is that as more and more things are coming to the surface, more and more of the personalities are going to come out and some of them may even alter. It’s rare but has been known to happen.”

  “Robert, why don’t you get us all some coffee while I try to see who all we got here. I could use a good cup of coffee.”

  “I’ll have to go down the street for a good cup. What we have here is awful.”

  “That’s okay it will give me more time.”

  I hated missing anything and I hurried as fast as I could. Several deputies stopped me on the way out and I almost took their heads off.

  Simon caught me outside as he was coming in and reversed directions. We walked together to TJ’s.

  “I’ll be leaving soon to go back to Atlanta,” he said as he jogged along trying to keep up with me, “Since the case is over I’m being reassigned.”

  I stopped and shook his hand, “Thanks for all your help, Simon. Let’s get together for a week-end fishing trip when all this is over.”

  He agreed and headed back to his motel room to get packed.

  When I got back to the cell with the coffee, Sarah was Sarah and she was saying to Dr. Anna, “The memory lapses are the worst. Am I becoming senile like an old lady?” She put her hand over her mouth.

  Dr. Anna laughed, “It’s all right, Sarah. I am an old lady. You’re not getting senile. So what do you think about coming and spending time with me in Florida?”

  Sarah noticed me, “Robert, thanks for bringing in Dr. Anna. I didn’t think I would like anyone more than Dr. McCain, but I really like her. She wants me to go into a psychiatric hospital. I think it would be better than here, but what about my shop? Did you check with Tory?”

  I didn’t know what to say. I had forgotten to tell Dr. Anna about Tory being murdered.

  Dr. Anna picked up on my discomfort right away and, as I was passing around the coffee, said, “Don’t worry about anything but getting better, Sarah. We are going to work on your memory and then you can worry about everything else.”

  As soon as Sarah filled her mouth with coffee, she spit it out, “Ew, I don’t drink coffee,” She said in a little girl’s voice.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, “Do you want a soft drink?”

  She nodded and once again I had to be errand boy and I was going to miss some more. When I walked through the squad room Freddy stopped me, “What’s she saying in there, sheriff? I know it hurts to admit it but you know she’s snowing you.”

  “Step aside before I knock you aside,” I said and his face turned bright red as he looked around the room to see who had heard.

  I got an orange soda out of the vending machine and went back to the cell. When I went in I noticed Sarah had pulled her hair back into a severe bun.

  She saw me carrying the orange drink and she frowned. “Is that the best you can do? I want a vodka tonic and bring me some cigarettes while you’re at it. This is the weirdest hotel I’ve ever stayed at and I want to be moved to another room immediately or I will check out.”

  I don’t know if it was the stress of the last few days or what but, to see Sarah acting like a duchess or a queen or whatever she was supposed to be just cracked me up. I laughed and laughed until Dr. Anna quietly said, “That’s enough, Robert.”

  It had the effect of a slap that gets someone out of their hysteria. I could feel tears gathering in my eyes and Dr. Anna came over and gave me a hug.

  “Robert, I want you to meet Elizabeth,” she said. Then she said under her breath, “Whatever you do, don’t call her Liz.”

  I walked over and shook her hand, “Don’t worry, Elizabeth. We are arranging a much nicer room for you.”

  “I don’t want a nice room, I want a suite. I’m surprised at this establishment offering someone like me a room like this. I am a proper lady after all.”

  “Of course,” I said, “How clumsy of me.” I never really thought about it before but how someone acts can change their whole appearance. This woman I was seeing now was one I didn’t think I would have been attracted to.

  The child, Beth I would love as a daughter, she was so sweet. The little boy, I didn’t know much about. And the only thing I knew about Twoon was that he was a monster, although I had never met him.

  Before we left the cell, Sarah came back out and we said goodbye. Dr. Anna said she had to make a call to Ocean Sands, the psychiatric hospital in Jacksonville, Florida to see when a bed would be available.

  Dr. Anna wanted to walk to the B&B so we could talk but she didn’t say anything. When we got almost there I stopped and asked, “Have you met Twoon, Dr. Anna?”

  “No, I haven’t and that’s got me both worried and puzzled. Judith told me she was worried that the Twoon personality was trying to be the dominant personality since he had begun coming out more and more during the murders.

  “But she hasn’t met him yet either. I need to talk to your deputy who brought her in when she was Twoon in the morning. Can you set that up, Robert?”

  “Yeah, what time?”

  “Is eight too early?”

  “No, he’ll be there when I tell him to.”

  When we got to Lily’s she hugged me and invited me to supper.

  “We’d love to have you and you know I always cook enough for an army. We’re having beef stew with homemade biscuits and sweet iced tea.”

  She was making my mouth water and I thought it would be a good time to talk some more to Dr. Anna so I agreed.

  Lily ran her bed and breakfast more like a boarding house. She served three meals every day because she loved to cook. She charged so much for the rooms that she could afford to feed everyone.

  I think she liked to pretend all her guests were her family. She had no family of her own. As the meal progressed I could see that Dr. Anna and I would have to talk after supper, so I joined in the “family” get together like it was Thanksgiving.

  After supper Dr. Anna and I took our coffee out on the porch. She sat in a rocker and I sat on the swing.

  “What’s bothering you about the Twoon personality, Dr. Anna?”

  “It’s the fact that only your deputy has actually met him. Both Judith and I are usually very good at drawing out all the personalities of a person with MPD. In fact it’s so easy sometimes there’s a danger in the patient creating another personality during the therapy.

  “Creating new personalities has become the defense mechanism the patient with MPD has gotten so good at using that, during the therapy process, more will develop.”

  I thought about this, “But Dr. Anna, if psychotherapy is to enable the person to heal, how is creating more personalities going to help them?”

  “This is the best analogy I can come up with right now. Suppose you have built a barricade made of big rocks to hide behind to keep yourself safe from some enemy. Now suppose that the enemy is no longer a threat but you see someone coming toward you that you believe to be a threat.

  “You’ve learned to pile on more bricks to protect yourself, so that’s what you do. Say the person coming toward you only has your best interest at heart. Maybe they’re going to bring you food or medicine to help you.

  “They start tearing down your wall of
bricks to get to you to help you, but you’re scared and feel threatened, so every time they take a rock down, you put two up.

  “Eventually, you become so tired because they are taking the rocks down faster than you can put them up. Despite all your work to protect yourself, they finally get to you with food or medicine or whatever you need.

  “If you had understood they were going to make your life better, you would have let them tear down your wall of rocks right away and you could have gotten what you needed. But you have been hurt too badly in the past and you can’t trust them no matter how much they tell you they will help you.”

  “So, for an MPD, new personalities are their rocks as you talked about in the analogy. So what, you have to first get Sarah’s trust before she will drop her defenses?”

  “That’s exactly right. As far as I can tell she created this personality, Elizabeth, as an adult to help Sarah. But there’s one main thing that’s worrying me about this Twoon personality.” She stared off into the night like she was trying to decide how to say what she was going to say.

  “How long have you been a policeman? I understand you were on the police force in Atlanta before coming here? How long have you been a lawman all together?”

  “About fifteen years all together.”

  “How many serial killers have you come across during that time?”

  “Personally this was my first one but I’ve studied about them a lot.”

  “Isn’t it true that most all of them think they are invincible and will never get caught? In fact, from what I’ve read, don’t some of them try to taunt the law and challenge them to catch them if they can?”

  “Yeah, all that seems to be true. Sometimes they will send notes to the police giving them hints to make the game more challenging.”

  CHAPTER 19

  We had talked sitting on the porch until very late and Lily had kept the coffee coming. I thought I wouldn’t be able to sleep with the stress of the case plus all the coffee, but I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.