Marah read his message. She shifted in her seat.
“Luke, we just took custody of Scott – if I go every week and review the protection techniques, I know she’ll pick up on them! Please . . . give me that time,” Marah pleaded.
“Marah, how long have we been working with this family?” Luke asked.
“Over a year, but, Luke – when we first took custody, Renee learned fast. She was motivated then, and I know she’ll be motivated now . . .”
Shayne leaned forward. “Marah, I confronted her gently in session – I’ll give you a copy of my notes – and she confirmed that Tom had begun his pattern of tearing her down again. I started reviewing what we’d worked on, but it was too late – she lost ground fast just before Tom attacked Melissa.”
Luke spoke. “So, you’re saying that Tom began, at the least, emotionally abusing Renee again, if not beating her physically? Did you see any marks or injuries on her?
“She came to one session wearing large, dark sunglasses that she refused to take off during our session. I reminded her that one of my few rules about sessions was that I needed to be able to see her eyes, or I’d end it right there. When she took them off, she had a small mouse under one eye – so, yes, he did start hitting her again. I asked her if she had filed a complaint with the Laurelville police, and she said she couldn’t, or he’d go back to jail and lose his job. He made her quit her job as an educational assistant when he got out the last time, she she wasn’t bringing anything into the household. She felt ‘stuck,’ according to what she told me.”
“Did you see either Melissa or Scott before Melissa was killed?” asked Marah.
“I went to the apartment for a family session. They were shadows of themselves. Quiet. If I can use a literary description, they were ‘solemn little mice.’ I did see something highly unusual from Melissa – she wanted to play with a doll during our session and Renee told her ‘no.’ Melissa got rebellious, went to her room and got the doll anyway. It was like she was asserting herself and her own boundaries, despite what Renee told her. I watched both parents and didn’t see anything that would indicate she was in any danger – Renee gave up and let her bring the doll into our session. I’m wondering if Melissa might have tried to do the same thing when she tried going outside the day she was hurt and killed – saying, ‘It’s sunny outside and I wanna play, so I’m going outside.’ Before she . . . died, she was becoming a spunky little girl, and she may have tried to use what I taught her about speaking up for herself – at the wrong time on the last day, unfortunately,” Shayne said.
“You think she might have misread Tom’s mood or body signals?” Luke asked.
“It’s possible – she was only three, and even though she was learning fast, she still needed to realize when it would have been too dangerous to stand her ground against him. Ironically, it would have been much safer for her to run next door to a neighbor and let them know that daddy was getting really mad again.”
“Shayne, in your latest sessions with Renee, did you see her continuing to use what we had taught her about protecting herself and the children? Or did you see her giving up to Tom’s demands?” Marah asked.
“Frankly, it was getting much harder for her to stand up to him and intervene for the children. I found I had to review more frequently with her why and how to do so. We went over the ‘cycle of violence,’ and I asked her what stage she and Tom were in – she said they were in the ‘honeymoon’ stage. Obviously, that ended pretty fast. In hindsight, I am thinking Tom was actually in the ‘fantasizing’ and the ‘build-up’ stages because of how fast things appeared to go down. If he’d been in the ‘honeymoon’ phase as Renee had said . . .”
“We would have had more time to intervene,” Marah said.
“Do you think she was lying, either to you or to herself?” Luke asked.
“To both herself and me. She’s still very dependent on him. And she sacrificed the kids to hold onto him,” said Shayne, looking straight at Marah.
Marah, looking at Shayne, caught his look and the message it contained – You know as well as I do that she made the conscious choice to give that child up to hold onto an abusive monster. Looking into his solemn blue eyes, she returned a message of her own – She was thinking from a position of fear – that doesn’t make her a monster.
Setting her pen flat on the table as a preface to her words, Marah said, “A new custody time frame would still give us nearly a year to work with Renee. If we need, we can terminate Tom’s parental rights to Scott. I want that time to work with Renee so she can get stronger and be a more effective . . .”
“Marah, regardless of a new time frame, her time behind bars is going to make that a moot point. She’s also facing murder charges, don’t forget. Shayne just told us that she made the choice to stay with Tom even though he had begun to abuse and manipulate her, rather than escape to the women’s shelter with the children. The D.A. is going to make that a part of the prosecution case against Renee – meaning she’s going to face a significant sentence behind bars. Scott will be an adult by the time she gets out,” Luke said.
“Luke, she froze out of fear. She still needs our support. I’m not giving up on her,” Marah said stubbornly.
The meeting stalled at that point, so Luke decided they would pick up at that point when they had more information. As everyone stood, Shayne asked Marah if she had a few moments to spare.
“Come to my office and let’s talk,” said Marah.
In her office, Marah sat behind her desk, making it a barrier. They discussed the Jones case and Shayne spoke about his thoughts on the parents’ actions. Marah took notes, nodding to indicate she was listening to him. Silence fell as Shayne shut his notebook.
“Will you have dinner with me on Friday night?” he asked.
“No. I won’t. We’re mental health and helping professionals working on cases we hold in common. It’s important for me to maintain professionalism.”
“Why?”
“ . . . It’s the best policy for me. It’s my preference,” Marah said, with a short tone to her voice.
“But . . . we’re not in supervisory . . .”
“Mr. Michaels! I told you – no! Please leave. I have too much work to do to keep answering the same questions over and over,” she said, with anger sending sparks out of her yellow-hazel eyes.
Shayne, focusing on her unusual eyes, noticed that they communicated her emotional state.
“Okay. I’ll let you know if anything develops on my end, regarding the Jones family.”
“Thank you. I’ll walk you out to the front office.”
***
That night, Shayne drank a chilled beer after eating dinner. He thought about his wife, testing the fact of her death against his feelings, much as someone would push his tongue into a sore tooth. While he felt a nostalgic love for her, the old pain didn’t rip his soul apart as it had in the past. His thoughts moved to Marah and her insistence that they “keep things professional.” His instincts told her that their work wasn’t her only reason. As he thought, he acknowledged that he had been rejected by other women. His professional knowledge tipped him off to the fact that Marah was hiding behind her profession as a way of avoiding entering a professional relationship. She’s antsy about men in general, not just me. Someone hurt her – she’s assuming that we’ll all hurt her, somehow. I need to find a way of showing her that she’s wrong, that I’m not out to hurt her – not intentionally, anyway.
***
In her own small, well-kept home, Marah fed Daisy, her daughter, then sat on the love seat with her, snuggling and reading several of Daisy’s favorite books to her.
“Okay, Lovebug, it’s time for your bath. You spent a lot of time outside and you are dirty! Come on. Let’s get some water into the tub and wash all that dirt off and bring my little Daisy back!” In the bathroom, she added lukewarm water to the tub and helped Daisy undress. After bathing her, Marah dried her and helped her into her pajamas. As she helped D
aisy brush her teeth, she forced her mind away from Shayne yet again – she had been pushing him out of her mind all afternoon long.
“Pick one more book, and make it a good one! I’ll read to you, then it’s lights-out.” After reading the book, Marah tucked Daisy in and gave her a soft kiss on her forehead. In the kitchen, she heated water for some tea and thought about her ex-husband, remembering the serial affairs he had embarked on before and during their marriage. Musing on the hurt she had endured, she muttered to herself, “That’s it. If I’m not going to be hurt like that again, I need to rule out any relationships. Period.” She was surprised at the sadness she felt at this thought. Sipping the hot tea, she chalked the sadness off to the realization that, to protect herself, she was giving up on relationships. It’s a natural reaction, Marah. You’ll get over it, eventually.
Chapter 3
After her realization that she would have to rule out romantic relationships, Marah threw herself into mothering Daisy and into her work. Because of Melissa’s murder, the Jones case took up the bulk of her work time and she found herself meeting with law enforcement, legal and mental health professionals, advocating one more chance for Renee. Each meeting focused on Renee’s possible mental state and even her mental health in the days before Melissa was killed.
“She froze. She had seen Tom’s moods in the past and she knew what was coming. She opted to try and get him to cool down. I had told her that the time period right before an abused spouse escapes a violent relationship is the most dangerous for her – she knew that, so it’s a given that she would choose to wait until things were calmer in the home. Look. Scott’s only 18 months old. We can identify, home study and license a relative and put him into long-term kinship care. Once Renee is released from any prison sentence she may – may – receive, they can live under the same roof again. Juries are unpredictable – they may say that she wasn’t an accomplice to Melissa’s murder – we don’t know what’ll happen,” Marah said during one lengthy meeting.
Shayne nodded. “Even though I worked hard with her to get her to understand the cycle she and Tom were in, she did freeze. She’s human. Ms. Wilkes is right – there’s no saying what any jury will decide and she could be freed and able to take care of Scott. It’s a given that Tom’s going to spend many years behind bars, so he’s effectively out of the picture. That gives DFCS and me more time to make Renee stronger.”
Marah looked at Shayne, stunned. While his chiseled face was solemn, his sky-blue eyes held the light of hope and certainty that he could achieve his goals with Renee.
“I understand your position, Marah, and I know that you hate to give up on your clients. I’m going to have to break the stalemate here. I don’t want to make the decision today. It’s still early in this case. Scott continues in foster care and the legal system will move forward on Renee’s and Tom’s cases. Shayne, I want you to complete a psychosocial assessment on Renee. I’ll have Marah write a letter, formally requesting that your agency interview and assess her situation. I’ll use that to make a final decision regarding TPR or continuing to work with the mother,” Luke decided.
Marah exhaled silently, relieved that Luke had seen her position.
Later that day, Marah answered a text from her best friend, Riley Michaels, Shayne’s sister. Riley had invited her and Daisy to go to the Farmer’s and Crafts Market that weekend.
Marah: Yes, Riley sounds good. What time?
Riley: Starts at 8. How about getting together @ 9? Get the best merchandise! Lunch after?
Marah: We’ll be ready! Pick us up @ 9.
Riley: Got it. C U!
***
Marah’s busy schedule left her little time to relax. While the Jones case took the bulk of her time, she still had responsibilities to the other families in her caseload – she worked on home visits and court reports. As a result, she got home at the end of every day, wrung out and ready to drop. By Friday, she was ready for a relaxing weekend.
She and Daisy met Riley as promised, visiting the different vendors’ booths at the Farmer’s Market. Marah bought some small items she needed for the house, a small toy for Daisy and bags of fresh vegetables and fruit. While she was paying for the fruits, she was shocked to see Shayne ambling through the different booths.
“Marah! Riley! Hey, how are you?” Shayne hugged his sister and gently shook Marah’s hand. Squatting down to Daisy’s level, he shook her small hand, smiling at the little girl – except for her vivid green eyes, she was her mother’s miniature. “Hey, all treat everyone to coffee – Marah, how about some hot chocolate for your little girl?”
Marah felt trapped – despite her earlier decision, she still wrestled with her attraction to the tall, blonde therapist. She didn’t want to create a scene, so she smiled slightly and said, “Sure. Daisy would love hot chocolate this morning – it’s on the cool side today.”
As the foursome sat at a small, round table, Marah was shocked to find she actually enjoyed the time with Shayne. She wasn’t sure if it was the relaxed atmosphere or Shayne’s ability to make others relax. She was just grateful she didn’t have to cover for any negative feelings. At the end of the day, she took a tired, sticky Daisy home and put her into a tub of warm water for a bath. As she shampooed her daughter’s hair and bathed her, she was surprised to catch herself humming a favorite song.
“Mommy, it’s been a long time since you sang! Are you happy?” Daisy asked with a grin.
“Yes, punkin, I am! Did you have fun today?”
“Yeah. That man was nice. He likeded you.” Daisy giggled, seeing her mother’s sudden blush.
After dinner, when Daisy was asleep, Marah pulled out a cross stitch project. As she stitched, she felt herself slipping into a familiar, Zen-like calmness. Her thoughts flowed as she worked on the colorful pattern.
The following Sunday, Marah’s happy mood continued. She and Daisy worked on an art project, laughing with each other as small pieces of colorful art tissue paper stuck to their fingers. While she made dinner, Marah grabbed a stool and set a silicone bowl with hot vegetables in front of Daisy. Scooping butter into the vegetables, she gave the spoon to Daisy, showing her how to mix the melting butter into the vegetables.
***
Marah strode into work the following day, feeling relaxed and happy – the weekend had done its magic on her, enabling her to get badly needed rest. She was grateful for this when Luke knocked at her office door, entering and sitting in one of the chairs.
“Marah, we’re at a standstill with the Jones case. I see your points and I understand where you’re coming from. I also see my viewpoint, because it looks like Renee will be incarcerated for several years. Scott needs a resolution – he needs a forever family. I’m going to call the senior social work consultant and have him come down to Laurelville so we can discuss this and a few other cases we have. I don’t want to force you to choose TPR, okay? I see everyone’s positions – they all have merit. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have to make a decision either way. I’ll call Shayne Michaels, because we will need his professional input. Isn’t he starting his assessment of Renee soon?”
“Next week, from what he told me. I’ll see how quickly he can write up his report once he’s done,” Marah said. She leaned back, thinking. “So, you do see merit in my position?”
“Yes. But the consultant will make the final decision. Either way,” Luke said.
Marah had been hard at work, clearing her large backlog of paperwork, when Luke knocked at her door again.
“Shayne will have his report ready by the end of next week, and the consultant can be here then. I’ve set it for a week from this Friday – 10 a.m. Write up your position and make copies – I’m sure they’ll become a part of the court record,” Luke warned.
“I will. Thanks,” Marah said, writing the meeting down in her planner. She also added the meeting into her Google calendar. After Luke returned to his office, Marah played with her pen on her desk, thinking. Coming to a decision, she walke
d to Riley’s office down the hall.
“Hey, Riley, do you have time for lunch? I have a problem,” Marah said.
“Work-related? Why not have lunch at my place?” Riley suggested.
***
At Riley’s apartment, the two friends discussed the Jones case, with Riley taking the devil’s advocate role. As they talked and discussed the case, Marah was better-able to see Luke’s position. As the friends strolled back to their wing, Riley asked Marah about Shayne bumping into them at the Farmer’s market.
“I had a lot of fun, and Daisy did, too. I needed this past weekend – I was worn out on Friday,” Marah said. Neither woman realized that another social worker lingered close behind them, listening to their words.
Charlotte Smith frowned as she heard Marah’s mention of Shayne Michaels. When he’s been here, I’ve seen him looking at me. He’s not attracted to her, Charlotte. He’s attracted to you. You’re fit and you’re beautiful, so no worries. I just might go to the Farmer’s Market. If he’s there, I’ll get to see him. Later that afternoon, as she took a short work break, Charlotte stopped in Marah’s office to visit.
“Hey, what do you think of Shayne Michaels? Do you think he’s . . . attractive?” Charlotte asked, struggling to maintain a casual attitude.
Marah gazed at her tall, thin coworker in confusion. She felt a tiny niggle of suspicion, then reminded herself that, if anyone else was interested in him, it was nothing to her. Shrugging, she spoke.
“He’s good at his work – he’s very intuitive about people, and any clients we have in common benefit from his skills. As far as my knowing him, the better my professional relationship is with him, the better it is for any clients we have in common. I’m really swamped, Charlotte – if you don’t mind?” Marah picked up her computer mouse and indicated a tall pile of paperwork.
Her Imperfect Life (Sweet Love & Kisses series) Page 2