Love's Blood by Clark Howard

Author:Clark Howard
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: MysteriousPress.com/Open Road
Published: 2020-05-15T00:00:00+00:00

31

May 1974

Frank Columbo got his daughter out of jail as fast as was humanly possible. He sped to the jail with a fat roll of currency and a list of lawyers’ phone numbers. His little girl was not—repeat not—going to be kept behind bars. Upon her arrest and a review of the charges against her, Patricia’s bond had been increased to twelve thousand dollars. Her father counted out twelve hundred dollars in cash, which was the 10 percent required to get the bond posted. Patricia was ordered to appear in the Schaumburg court in four weeks, on May 22, 1974, at 1:30 P.M. The court date was one month before her eighteenth birthday.

Frank Columbo was wholly supportive. “Don’t worry, honey,” he assured her. “I’m gonna fix this up. I’m gonna take care of this. We’ll get this thing straightened out, don’t worry about it.”

Mary was supportive too, though less unconditionally. “Patty, for God’s sake, cosmetics! You work in cosmetics!”

Michael, of course, was awed. “How does it feel to be a jailbird, Patty?” he asked excitedly, though not in front of their parents.

“Not funny, Michael,” his sister said soberly. Patricia made Michael promise solemnly never to steal. “It would really hurt Mom and Dad if you ever did anything like that.”

Somehow, she never thought of herself as hurting them, only making them angry.

Frank Columbo telephoned Helen Makin at home.

“Mrs. Makin, this is Frank Columbo, Patty’s father. I’m trying to settle all this mess that Patty’s got herself in and I was wondering if you would consider withdrawing the complaint about your checks?”

“Well, I—I don’t know, Mr. Columbo,” Helen said. “I’m not at all sure that would be the right thing to do.”

“Look, Mrs. Makin,” he reasoned, “Patty’s not a bad kid, I think you’ll probably admit that; you’ve worked with her, you know she’s not bad, not really. I’d like to straighten this mess out, you know? Now I realize that you’ve been put to a lot of inconvenience and I know you’re probably mad and upset about the whole thing. But how about if I write you and your husband a nice check to kind of make up for all your trouble—”

“Mr. Columbo, I understand what you’re trying to do for your daughter,” Helen Makin said, “and I respect your feeling as a parent. But if you simply buy Patty’s way out of this situation, you could be doing her a great deal more harm than good.”

“What do you mean?” her caller said. “I don’t understand.”

“Look,” Helen told him, “the job I have in that drugstore is only temporary. I am a teacher by profession, and I’ve had some training and experience counseling young people. Patty has some serious problems, Mr. Columbo.”

“Problems? What kind of problems?” he asked.

“I don’t know what kind of problems they are, not specifically,” Helen Makin said. “But I sincerely believe she needs some professional help.”

“Like what?” Frank Columbo’s tone was bracing a bit.

“A psychologist,” Helen said bluntly. “Maybe even a psychiatrist.”

“A head doctor, you mean? A shrink?”

“Yes.

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