Chapter 20:Who are you?

Lieutenant Randall1 was surprised; Adam had never mentioned that he had children. He

had never seen children playing outside whenever he drove by the Allerton home, or

when he dropped Adam off during the day. He did notice the blinds would be drawn, or

at night there would be no lights on, that the house would always be dark like nobody

else was living there.

They moved from there and were living in the ―in-law‖ apartment of Ron and Louise's

home. Randall arrived at the ‗new' address and began knocking on the door. He had to

knock hard and for some time before anyone answered. Louise opened the door.

―Do you have to make so much noise? Who are you?‖

―Lieutenant Randall, Maplewood police department, ma'am,‖ said the plain-clothed

officer holding out his identification wallet. Louise took her time to read the details,

looking carefully at the picture of the face on the ID and then at the man standing at her

door.

―I don't know why you police can't wear your uniforms these days?‖ Louise said taking

one last look at the ID. ―Scare an old lady half to death, you do.‖

―I'm sorry if I upset you, ma'am. I'm looking for a Adam Allerton. I believe he and his

family live here?‖

―What do you want to talk to him about? Nothing good, I'm sure.‖

―Why would you say that?‖

―It's about his kids, I bet, or the bills? Always in trouble, that man; debt collectors or

government people all the time showing up at the door.‖

―You don't like him?‖

―That's putting it mildly. He'll finish up in jail. He never was going to amount to much.

Tried to talk sense into that girl of mine, but she never would listen to anything I had to

say. She'll finish up in there with him.‖

―Who are you talking to, Louise?‖ Randall recognized Adam's voice shouting from the

back of the house.

―Tom Randall, Adam. I need to talk to you,‖ Randall called out.

―I'd invite you in, but he'd go psycho if I did,‖ said Louise. Randall was aware of the sad,

weary eyes of the woman standing in front of him.

―Why don't you go on inside, Louise,‖ said Adam as he suddenly appeared at his mother-

in-law's side, and then immediately ushering her back into the house and quickly closing

the door after her. Randall had already noticed that the curtains were drawn, and it was

dark inside. It was obvious that Adam did not want him to see into the house, or talk to

his mother-in-law. ―What are you doing here, Randall? On some kind of official business,

are you?‖ Adam's tone of voice was harsh and confrontational.―As a matter of fact, Adam, I am, and you know why, don't you? About your children not

being properly educated in accordance with the law of the state of Eastern Seaboard? You

claim you're home schooling them...‖

―You bastards can't leave us alone, can you? Always chasing us down, always harassing

us. My kids get the best education there is under my tutorship, and they get proper

discipline 24 hours a day from me and my wife, Susan!‖

―Do they, Adam? We'll have to see about that. Now, listen up, you have already been

advised that your children have to be registered for home schooling. That's not done.

Second, as part of the investigation, I'm going to have to see your kids. We get that done,

and I can get on down the road.‖

―No way! No way are you coming in here! I've got two of them down sick and two

coming down with the stomach flu. You want to come in here; you'll need to get a

warrant.‖

Randall looked at his flip board, scribbled a few notes and then flipped back a couple of

pages.

―All lies. That's all you've got there, Randall. I'm going to have my lawyer sue for all

that stuff written about me,‖ warned Adam.

―Yeah, right,‖ said Randall. ―You have quite a history of making it hard on yourself,

Adam. I'm not going to argue with you now, but as you're going to be in touch with your

attorney, anyway, you can give this to him to look over.‖ Randall handed Adam the flip

board and his pen. ―And, sign on the line I've marked with a cross. You have an

appointment along with your family at the CPS offices Monday...‖

―I'm not signing this!‖

―You are signing to acknowledge that you have been served these papers, which you now

have in your hand, Mr. Allerton.‖ Randall reaches behind his back and pulls out his

handcuffs. ―Now, I'm warning you, if you don't sign the paper I'm going to cuff you and

take you in, right now.‖

That was our Adam, his own worst enemy. No matter how often his behavior came back

to kick his butt, he did the same thing again and again. There's that definition of insanity

again? If it was just Adam in trouble, who would care, but it affected all of us around

him, his children especially.

By February 2003, the family had registered for home schooling in accordance with state

law, so there was some reprieve for Adam and Susan. The pressure would build again as

the children's state of health was becoming more and more of an issue with the Dept. of

Social Services where they lived.

Prior to May 2004, Dr. George Mitchell2, board-certified in their state, was the Allerton

children's pediatrician at the Anders Health Clinic. This was where the story began to get

particularly grubby. It was when the worst consequences of Adam and Susan's

unconscionable practices of how they fed and raised their children began to show up in subsequent physical underdevelopment problems and other health issues. Later, when I

was given the document listed in the footnote3, I had to force myself to read it all. The

chronological record was so shocking in its point by point portrayal of my nieces and

nephews' lives that I wanted to throw it away. The children's suffering was made all the

more painful for me when I realized my own part in it, how much I had been in denial of

the extent to which my brother and sister-in-law had maltreated them. I really did try to

do my best. I lived in a false hope that things could change, that Adam was really a good

person who wanted to be a good family man. In the meantime, the children were going

through a living hell.

All of them, for the most part, were small and underweight Dr. Mitchell reported in the

court document. Becky, who was born in November 1996, was extremely emaciated. She

was also behind on her immunizations. The clinic made numerous appointments to see

her, but Adam and Susan wouldn't show up. It was October 1988 when Dr. Mitchell saw

her again. She was still underweight, and her language and speech problems had not

improved.

It was the same for all the children. Keith's height and weight were far below the fifth

percentile, and he was behind on his immunizations. When further medical evaluation

was recommended, Adam and Susan didn't follow through.

Lilly was found to be severely emaciated, and as with all the attempts of the Anders

Clinic to engage Adam and Susan in scheduling and maintaining appointments to address

the children's various medical ailments, their parents failed them.

So, all of this was going on in the two and a half years I was estranged from them. And, it

was, of course, the time when I was preoccupied with getting pregnant again and taking

care of Jack and Abbey. It would be 2005, after Lucas's birth, before I would see them

again. There was to be a lot more to happen in their lives, a steady spiraling downward of

events at an ever increasing tempo, before I would be engaged in an even more active

role than I had been in the years I have storied so far.

A year before Lucas was born, Dr. Mitchell made a report4 of suspected failure to thrive

regarding Katherine, born in July 2003, to the Department of Children, Youth and

Families (CPS) in Maine. Katherine had gained only a few ounces over a four month

period, and she had a heart murmur that was to be checked.

Adam and Susan missed all the scheduled medical appointments set up to monitor the

situation. Not only that, but the Anders Health Clinic had not been able to locate the

family at all. Honest to God, with all that was going on in my life, had I have known

about this I would have found Adam and had him thrown in jail. How can you possibly

treat your children like that? I don't understand it, and I want to throw up almost every

time I think about my rotten brother doing such a thing.