Chapter 1: Dr. Lilith Crane

Dr. Crane---I have worked with battered wives and rape victims, so I have seen man’s inhumanity to man. But never before had I seen such depravity as Mr. Lincoln and his sons had displayed towards Bobby and his wife. If the decision had been left to me, all three would be in jail! But all I could do was offer to help them deal with the trauma they had been put through. It was no surprise when Sue called and asked if I had time to talk to her. Sensing the urgency and stress in her voice, I gave her an appointment for the next day.

Sue arrived about 15 minutes early and my secretary had her fill out all the necessary paperwork while she waited. The patient I was treating finished her time on the couch and left by a private door to the hall. I try to keep my sessions as private as possible.

I welcomed Sue into the room and offered her a seat in front of my desk. After greetings were out of the way, I began, “Sue what would you like to talk about?”

“Everything that happened to us ... err me, I guess. I’m having trouble, you know, getting back to normal with my husband, Bobby. I need someone to talk to. A woman should be able to understand what I am going through, Bobby just does not seem to understand.”

“That’s what I’m here for, to listen to your feelings and help you through them. Talk, I’m listening.”

“I know you and the board listened to the tapes and saw the videos that the private investigators provided you, but there was more, lots more! Things that were not recorded or videoed. Some things they did to me that I did not even tell Bobby!”

Sue started to cry so I handed her a box of tissues. I suggested that she might feel more comfortable lying on the couch. She agreed and moved to the couch as I dimmed the lights. She slipped off her strapless heels and laid back. Her short dress rode up to her mid-thighs, revealing her shapely long legs! Then she started her story.

“Each one of them were different.