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Amateur sleuth psychologist tries to discover
if a patients death is suicide or murder |
Taken For Granted Chapter 1 “One fewer for group today: Grant’s dead,” Babette St. John announced as a matter of fact and handed Kelly Anderson a cup of coffee. “Huh?” Kelly muttered, then sipped her coffee to clear her head. Babs never expressed much emotion with her words so Kelly wasn’t sure if she had just heard bad news or good. “Offed himself sometime yesterday. Didn’t bother to leave a note so you won’t have much to discuss with the others today. I don’t think they know yet, not from what I overheard at the coffee pot anyway.” She was gathering up handouts for the morning nutrition group as she spoke. “Grant wasn’t suicidal,” Kelly said, “He wasn’t doing great, but he wasn’t showing signs of suicidal ideation.” “Well, what can I tell ya?” Babs replied without looking up from her task, “I’ll go get them started with group while you get settled.” Kelly had been running New Horizons since it opened six months ago. She had a masters in psychology with a minor in activities therapy. New Horizons was an experimental program funded by Sparrow University of health Sciences. The University’s outpatient counseling clinic referred patients if they required more than the single forty-five minute hour per week allotted by the University clinic. New Horizons offered full and half day sessions that included groups on nutrition, stress reduction, arts and crafts, vocational exploration and group counseling. In addition to groups each patient also received two one on one counseling sessions per week with Kelly. Grant Michaels, twenty-seven year old construction worker on disability, had been Dr. Phil Martin’s patient for six weeks prior to being referred to New Horizons. He had attended four one-to-one sessions with Kelly during the two weeks he had been a patient at New Horizons. He was diagnosed with depression after having to give up a career in construction work due to a permanent arm injury sustained in a mugging. ************************************ Dr. Phil Martin officially heard of Grant’s suicide at the Friday afternoon directors meeting. Kelly attended as director of New Horizons, Dr. Martin as the director of outpatient clinical services. Kelly spoke with Martin regarding Grant because he was familiar with Grant’s case. “I just don’t believe he was suicidal. His score on the Beck’s Inventory had improved to the mildly depressed range,” Kelly had reasoned. “He was making good progress. Something’s not right about this. What’s your take on it?” she asked him. “Well, you know as well as I that once someone has decided on suicide, it relieves them of some stresses and they do make improvements. Unfortunately these improvements don’t change the outcome once the decision has been made. It just happens, Kelly, and there is nothing you or I can do to prevent it.” He tried to sound sincere and reassuring. The meeting came to order and ended further discussion. That night he thought about Grant and Kelly. He hoped she wasn’t going to be trouble. He would have to watch her. |