Book 5: Another Way

Episode 20

© by William Arthur Holmes

Kaylie never talked about her father, but the man had called a few months prior to say he’d emigrated to the Azores. He apologized for abandoning her but said he had no choice. When he asked her to join him there, she shouted, “How dare you abandon us then call — how many years later? — wanting a reunion!”

She hung up on him. But, after everything that happened recently, reuniting with her estranged father didn’t sound so bad. The only problem was that she had told her mom about his call. She didn’t say which island he was on, but it was a small chain. Anyone who went looking would not have much trouble finding them.

~ ~ ~

No matter how annoying some people found him, Dobie was not someone who any sane person would obsess about. Unfortunately, Charonne was not sane. His therapist — referred to as Dr. Alyssa at her own urging — once had him take a psychopathy test. On that test, the lower the patient scores, the better. Zero is best, 40 is worst. Charonne scored 33 and was quite proud of it. Dr. Alyssa was concerned, but the Colonel said the concept of psychopathy was created by psychiatrists to justify their existence and take their betters down a peg or two.