Charley smiled at him. “The Cave Killer will never find me out here in the country.”
Owen opened Charley’s door, and she carefully alighted, keeping the floral piece intact. Owen held a fancy carafe of wine as Sully rounded the truck. From the back seat, Sully removed the sweet potato casserole Charley had baked. Apparently, cousins Colton and Cooper were in charge of the arriving guests because the double doors of the house swung open wide.
“Happy Thanksgiving!” the cousins both called at once.
“Happy Thanksgiving!” the adults called back.
Sully couldn’t remember a better Thanksgiving. Even when his mom was alive, their festivities had been small. Today the gathering was anything but small. Warm greetings echoed from all corners of the huge house as they entered the large, open living room.
Having Charley on one side of him and his dad on the other at the dining room table where the centerpiece was the elegant Tiffany glass turkey surrounded by roses matching the reds, oranges, and golds of the glass, made Sully happy and proud. With Chase at the head of the table, Jade and their children flanked him. Cooper Brevard sat next to his buddy, Colton Cooper. The opposite end of the table found patriarch, Grandfather Coop, with beloved girlfriend, Tammy Dalton, on his left. Seated across from Tammy was her granddaughter, Tracy Dalton Cooper. Sweet little Carly Cooper sat between parents, Cash and a very pregnant Tracy. Derek’s mother had flown to Texas for the holiday season to visit her brothers, but the rest of the Brevard family, Chloe, Derek, Abilene, and Austin sat opposite Sully, Charley, and Owen.
With every head bowed, a prayer was offered by Coop andamensechoed from this close-knit gathering of family and friends. Sully wasn’t sure how many turkeys had been cooked, but there was no end to the white meat, dark meat, and drumsticks. Great conversation, soft giggles of children, and mouthwatering food flourished around the long table. Cups ofcoffee and glasses of wine for the adults were offered along with a variety of desserts including pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and cranberry cheesecake. Milk, juice, and cupcakes decorated like turkeys thrilled the kids.
Sully’s thankful heart was as full as his stomach as he helped carry empty dishes from the grand dining room through an archway into a kitchen half the size of a basketball court. Coop and Tammy had been lovingly shooed into the living room where a fire crackled in the hearth. After the children had helped with whatever had been asked of them, they eagerly followed their grandparents. The other adults had the kitchen and dining room back in shape in no time.
“Severely restricted facial expression is called a flat affect,” Jade, who was a mental health therapist, was saying to Charley as the two of them stood at the granite island in the kitchen. Sully immediately knew they must be discussing Lerfeld. “It results from a decrease in the ability to express emotions in one’s voice, face, and physical movements.”
“What causes it?” Charley asked as Sully stopped beside her.
Jade replied, “Schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorders, and Parkinson’s disease are often associated with a flat affect.”
“You mentioned a decrease in physical movements, Jade,” Sully said. “Would that include the way a person walks? Like the swinging or not swinging of arms?”
“Yes. It can definitely include ambulation,” Jade said as Owen joined them. “Sometimes, but not always, people who walk without moving their arms are mentally ill.”
“Right. Making note of people who walk without moving their arms is taught at Colorado police academies,” Derek said after he and Chloe had entered the kitchen.
“Are schizophrenics dangerous?” Charley asked.
“They can become violent during acute onsets of psychosis due to hallucinations, delusions, or hearing voices,” Jadeexplained as Chase joined them. “Or if they go off their neuroleptic drugs, which are antipsychotic medications, or if they mix in illegal drugs or alcohol, tendencies of aggression typically worsen.”
Owen nodded and added, “Of all the mental health diagnoses, schizophrenia has the strongest correlation with homicide. Among patients who have murdered their relatives, for example, more than fifty percent were schizophrenic.”
“Yes, I’d agree with those statistics,” Jade said. “Within five years of a schizophrenia diagnosis, one in fifty people will commit suicide. One in ten men will commit some type of violent offense. For schizophrenics, the risk of dying prematurely is eight times greater than the general population.”
His thoughts centering on Lerfeld, Sully felt his gut tighten.
“About one in seven prison inmates and one in four people in jail are seriously mentally ill,” Owen said. “Up to four percent of incarcerated individuals are schizophrenic.”
“Who are we talking about?” Chase asked with a frown of concern.
Sully glanced at Charley and replied, “Charley might not completely agree, but I think something is off with Leon Lerfeld, the guy who works in her flower shop part-time.”
With a smile at Charley, Jade said, “Caregivers, family members, friends, and neighbors can benefit from education on symptoms of a schizophrenic patient in order to effectively communicate with the person when crisis management is crucial during a psychotic event.”
“What can you do if a schizophrenic person is having a psychotic event?” Charley asked.
“Stay calm,” Jade said.
“Call 9-1-1,” Owen and Derek replied.
“Speaking of staying calm and calling 9-1-1,” Cash began as he and Tracy entered the kitchen from the direction of the guest bathroom, “Tracy’s water just broke.”
“Are you okay?” Jade asked.
“Yes,” Tracy said, both hands on her rounded belly. “We do not need to call 9-1-1.”
“She’s been having light contractions all day,” Cash told them.
