PREVIOUSLY

Viki: You won't have to go through this alone, ok?

Todd: Yes, I will.

Viki: I suppose in some fundamental way, sure. But you do have people who care about you who are willing to close ranks around you and help you through any fallout from this. Ok, sweetheart?

Todd: (Growls quietly:) I don't need anybody.

Viki: You know that's not true.

Todd: No, I don't.

Viki: I'm not going to argue the point with you right now, Todd. I'm here if you need me. (Turns to look out the window with Todd.)

[Scene ends.]

**************************************************************************************************

[Scene: Sun offices, same time.]

Briggs: Miss Cramer?

Blair: Is it done, Briggs? All your comments and edits?

Briggs: All here.

Blair: (Reaching for the paper:) Let's have a look.

Briggs: (Hands them to her.)

Blair: (Looking them over.) Ok. Why this change? (Indicates a section of a page.)

Briggs: It made no sense.

Blair: (Puzzled.)

Briggs: (Gently prompts:) Something must have been left out from your notes.

Blair: (Re-reads section.) Oh, you're right. (Crosses to Todd's desk, gathers her notes, compares.) Ok. (Writes in the missing information.) Here. (Hands it back to Briggs.)

Briggs: (Reads.) Ah. It makes sense now.

Blair: There is still some information that seems to be missing, but since I have been given permission to do a thorough job no matter how long it takes, I have time. Besides, I really want to stick it to Asa but good this time.

Briggs: I can see that, Ms. Cramer. These are all legitimate sources? They all check out?

Blair: I have an investigator double-checking things behind me, and expanding certain aspects of the information I do have that were difficult to pursue further myself. By the end of my investigator's work, I will have everything I need, and have it in order.

Briggs: I will want to look those results over before printing. I'm sure Mr. Manning will want to, as well.

Blair: What is Todd's involvement in this piece, Briggs?

Briggs: (Expressionless.) He's the Publisher of this newspaper.

Blair: Nothing else, Briggs?

Briggs: Not that I'm aware of.

Blair: Why have you had me emailing my notes in to an anonymous email address?

Briggs: I realized that it would be best security-wise to use an indirect email drop system, in order to keep your information secure until the article can go to Press.

Blair: So, to protect me?

Briggs: To protect all the sources for this piece. Once it hits the stands there will be no such protection. I know Mr. Buchanan's hatred for this paper and my boss well enough that this seemed prudent.

Blair: It sounds a bit paranoid for you, Briggs.

Briggs: Just pragmatic.

Blair: In fact, it sounds like Todd's kind of paranoia.

Briggs: Interesting. Except it was my idea to do it this way. Mr. Manning doesn't care how I do things, just they get done, usually. He has taken no interest in this article as yet, but when he sees your notes before we go to Press, I think he'll be very interested indeed. This looks very well done.

Blair: Thank you, Briggs. I'll make the changes and send you the corrected copy in email.

Briggs: Fine. If you will excuse me, I have a million other things to do.

Blair: Dodging bullets for Todd?

Briggs: More like dodging bullets fromTodd, as usual.

Blair: Have fun, Briggs.

Briggs: Is that what you young people are calling it these days? (Chuckles to himself on his way out.)

Blair: (Scoffs at him to herself.)

[Scene ends.]

[Scene: Todd's office, late afternoon next day.]

Todd: I talked with Mel and Sis. It's all set what not to print about me.

Tea: I'm calling RJ.

Todd: What? Why're you calling him? You need a backup for when Asa gets me thrown in jail? Someone to keep you warm?

Tea: Todd! That's unfair! RJ and I are friends.

Todd: And that's all?

Tea: That'sall. Besides, I think when these articles come out we'll need bodyguards. I'm not taking chances, we've got Starr, remember?

Todd: Nothing happens to my kid.

Tea: Exactly, so I'm calling on RJ. Maybe he can provide loyal bodyguards for the duration.

Todd: I'll pay him whatever he needs.

Tea: (Smirks.) I'm sure he'll appreciate that.

Todd: (Irritably:) Call him.

Tea: A little later.

Todd: (Eyes widen, exasperated.)

Tea: I may do this in person.

Todd: Do it.

Tea: (Ignoring his impatience with a quick look at him.) Does Blair still suspect you about the other article?

Todd: (Mocking, but edgy:) Air Blair? Naaaah.

Tea: Briggs didn't tell her?

Todd: Naaah. He lied through his teeth about it. He must've, he still has his job. (Grins.)

Tea: You're evil.

Todd: Thank you! (Grins.) See, I remembered my manners.

Tea: That's why I love you.

Todd: (Laughs.) 'Cos I remember my manners? You only love me for my money.

Tea: And because you're so good looking.

Todd: (Serious:) I am, aren't I?

Tea: I'm glad you noticed.

Todd: Only sometimes. Sometimes I just use it against people.

[Scene ends.]

[Scene: Dr. Boyd's office, that afternoon]

Dr. Boyd: Hi. Have a seat.

Todd: (Sits across from him.) I had another nightmare recently, this time Tea was there.

Dr. Boyd: Do you remember it?

Todd: Oh, yeah.

Dr. Boyd: Was it another memory?

Todd: (Starts to cry, holding it back with some effort:) I've been crying, just that means I've been crying a lot by my standards. It feels like all the time now. Crying's for girls.

Boyd: You have a lot to cry about. You were put up for adoption, and Peter made you feel like nobody wanted you. He humiliated you, beat you, tortured you for years on end, drove your mother away and told you she didn't love you, he blamed her leaving on you. At least you knew he'd driven her away. He took your childhood from you. You've served prison time for violent crimes, you've been shot more than once and left for dead, you almost died in Ireland, you found Blair with Patrick when you did return, you raped Marty, you were attacked in prison and beaten very badly. I know there's more. You have an enormous amount to grieve over.

Todd: That isa lot, if it were someone else's life. Why do I have to cry, though? Why can't I just break something?

Dr. Boyd: What happened, Todd?

Todd: (Starts crying again, barely breathing:) He raped me! He did it again! He had his hands all over me --

Dr. Boyd: Slow down, Todd. Take a moment.

Todd: (Works to catch his breath and regain his composure, roughly wipes tears away with hands. Looks at his hands in his lap, fidgets with his ring.)

Dr. Boyd: Ok. Now, tell me what you know about this.

Todd: Well, Doc..... I had another serious nightmare, and Tea was there.

Dr. Boyd: I can see it was serious. Was she in the dream?

Todd: (Scowls at him like he's an idiot.)

Dr. Boyd: Oh, so she was there when you were involved in the dream. Ok. What happened?

Todd: She.... touched me..... and..... (looks off into space, avoiding his eyes)

Dr. Boyd: Stay with me, Todd.

Todd: And I started screaming really loud. I couldn't open my eyes at first, and it wouldn't go away if I didn't open them, but they wouldn't open. She kept saying my name and calling to me, and finally I realized that that part wasn't a dream, so I opened my eyes and looked at her as much as I could. And that part wasn't a dream.

Dr. Boyd: Did the dream go away when you could look at your wife?

Todd: (Finally looks at him.) I wish it had. I was caught between worlds, half in the dream and half with Delgado, and doing everything I could to be able to hang onto her while still being sane enough to tell her what I was seeing and stuff.

Dr. Boyd: Were you able to tell her what was happening?

Todd: After a while, but only indirectly. I had to stop screaming first, and telling her to go away. I sort of didn't know who she was at first. I couldn't use the word, but she knew. Then... then I didn't have to tell her. I think it hardly matters what part of his body he used. He had been touching me everywhere. He pinned me down. Whatever he used, it was a mess and, godit hurt! (Voice cracks, he catches his breath with some effort, hugging himself, trying not to sob, squeezing his eyes closed.)

Dr. Boyd: (Waits for Todd to gain some composure back.) He was rough with you, then?

Todd: (More quietly:) Very. I bled a little. He'd covered my mouth with his hand when he was doing what he was doing, so I knew Mom didn't hear me scream. I almost suffocated, face down. He pushed my face into my pillow. He made me clean my sheet after by hand and wait until the dryer was done and change PJs, and then put the sheet back on my bed before he'd let me sleep again. He didn't want my Mom to see what he'd done to me. I couldn't sleep, I thought he'd be back again that night. I fell asleep at school and got in trouble for that, too, the next day. He made me promise not to tell or he'd beat me. I got time in the Principal's Office that day. Mom came and got me and I still didn't tell. I hated school.

Dr. Boyd: Are you sure Tea's clear on what he did in that memory?

Todd: The rape?

Dr. Boyd: Yes.

Todd: Ooooh, yeah.

Dr. Boyd: No matter what he used, it's still a rape. How did Tea handle it?

Todd: She tried to reassure me. (Pause.) What helped the most was not what she said but what she did.

Dr. Boyd: What'd she do?

Todd: She took me in her arms and held me all night. I actually slept... in her arms. (Appears stunned, touched, and still in awe.) I've been sleeping a lot more lately, which means at all. This stuff just wipes me out some days.

Dr. Boyd: How did you feel about that?

Todd: I must've felt ok about it, I slept, right?

Dr. Boyd: So you said. (Smiles at Todd.)

Todd: (Looks uneasy.) It was one of the worst nights I've ever had with someone else there, but it was also one of the best. Usually being with someone on a night like that makes it worse. She makes it better somehow.

Dr. Boyd: Peter?

Todd: Yeah. He's made every night of my life bad or worse. I wish I could shake it, but you're right, I can't forget him. If I do, I'll forget to not be like him. So, I can't ever forget what Peter-the-not-so-Great was like, what he did to me.

Dr. Boyd: You said Tea touched you. What was it about that touch that affected you so much?

Todd: I was asleep, right?

Dr. Boyd: So you said.

Todd: You just -- you-you-you don't touch me when I'm sleeping, ok? I was already in a nightmare, it was very late at night. She was late.... I-I was worried. I don't know how I managed to fall asleep on the couch in the first place, but it was fitful. Then she came home..... she touched me.

Dr. Boyd: Was it a point in the dream where being touched would have been bad?

Todd: Touching me is bad most of the time, even when I'm awake. Blair would touch me when I would toss and turn, she says I'd usually settle down, but since Ireland I can't all over again. I couldn't sleep next to Tea at all before I left. I'm trusting Tea a bit more as time goes on and she's trusting me more, so it's not so bad now, but not this night.

Dr. Boyd: This was especially bad timing?

Todd: Apparently.

Dr. Boyd: How old were you when the incident happened?

Todd: (Thinks.) Seven? That's what I told Delgado.

Dr. Boyd: Did you understand it?

Todd: How could I? I was a little kid! How could anyone? I can't even understand it now as an adult.

Dr. Boyd: I meant the act itself, and its implications.

Todd: What implications?! I'm not gay!

Dr. Boyd: Oh! No, I never meant that.

Todd: (Defensive:) Then just what didyou mean?

Dr. Boyd: Implications like how it affects your life now, like your fear of him all along and your fear of yourself, your fear of letting anyone get close to you. All that.

Todd: Oh. I have good reasons to fear myself, everyone knows those reasons. I'm dangerous. Look, I was seven, I didn't understand how that worked. I didn't know how that would work out. I didn't have a crystal ball or a time machine, you know.

Dr. Boyd: None of us does.

Todd: If I had, I could've known Mom would leave and maybe changed things. Been a better son. But I didn't, I wasn't..... so she left anyway.

[Scene ends.]

[Scene: Diner. Next day, late lunchtime. Most of the crowd has gone.]

Tea: Hi, Carlotta. (Sits at the counter on a stool, setting her bag down in front of her on the counter.)

Carlotta: Hi. Are you avoiding Roseanne or something? (Wiping the counter and straightening things up.)

Tea: Kind of, yeah. I'm no longer in the mood to put up with her constant nastiness about everything to do with my life. I know she's always been angry at me about her father, my brother Enrique, putting me through Law school when he rarely if ever took care of her or saw her. It wasn't my choice, Enrique chose to live that way and Roseanne got caught in the middle. We were poor, and since Papi could only scrape so much together, and Del was in school, too, and Jose could only scrape so much together; Enrique took on most of the financial burden as the oldest.

Carlotta: Roseanne has always resented you for that.

Tea: I know. No amount of explaining her father's choices would do any good. I benefitted, while Roseanne just plain got screwed after Annarosa died. She blames me for her mom's death, too. I kept telling him she needed her father and not to worry about me. He insisted. I wish Enrique would face Roseanne.

Carlotta: I know. I know what you told Enrique played a part in it, but it really was Annarosa's choice to have that affair with Miguel, and it was between Enrique and Annarosa what they decided. Unfortunately, your brother threw her out because the baby was probably Miguel's, and she chose to drown herself, especially someplace where her daughter would find her body. That part was too cruel of Annarosa, on top of suicide. That has scarred Roseanne for life, and she takes it out on you.

Tea: I accept the blame for telling my brother what Annarosa had been up to, but that's all I can really be blamed for. I was, what? 17 then? I'd been pretty sheltered in a lot of ways, despite Mami's abandonment and despite her death a few years before then, but still. I dunno, maybe because of it. I think Enrique really paid so much of my tuition because of Mami and because he felt guilty and responsible for me, as the baby and the only girl. He never discussed it with me, he just one day said this is what he was doing and I should just not worry about the money and go make something of my life. I had no other way to do this, what was I supposed to do? I did have some scholarship money, but it didn't go very far. There are parts of this story I don't think you know.

Carlotta: I thought I knew the whole thing.

Tea: What you probably never knew was that Miguel went after most of the young women within a roughly 5 block radius of our building that he could, Annarosa was the oldest. Most of them were girls like me, my friends, around 15 to 18, mostly 16 and 17.

Carlotta: Did Miguel Enriques go after you, Tea-ita?

Tea: He tried to. I was walking home from Monique Velasquez's house after dark, and he followed me a little, taking me aside and trying to get me to go with him to his place and have sex with him. I kept telling him no, and after a few minutes or so, I heard footsteps. I began to panic, but I kept my wits and checked to see who was coming. It was Enrique, he'd been to a friend's house and then went for groceries and was coming home the same way I was. He saw Miguel cornering me and bothering me and heard me say no, so he approached us.

Carlotta: So, he knew Miguel was bothering you?

Tea: Yes. The upshot this time was they argued a bit and Enrique told him to leave me alone or he'd make certain everyone knew what he was up to, he'd tell all the parents, plus Miguel's wife. Most of the girls knew who he'd gone after by then, and some had let him seduce them and gotten pregnant.

Carlotta: Did he tell?

Tea: Not until later. Not until the girls started to tell their parents, usually only once they were showing.

Carlotta: Did Miguel go after Annarosa before or after this incident?

Tea: After.

Carlotta: Do you think it was Miguel's revenge?

Tea: I've never been sure, but I've thought about that many times.

Carlotta: So you think this was deliberate?

Tea: Yes. We all knew each other, what else could anyone reason?

Carlotta: I guess I've been trying not to judge anyone in this awful situation.

Tea: The other thing you probably don't know is that Roseanne may have heard Annarosa and I arguing months later about Miguel. A few days after that, Annarosa was dead, found by Roseanne and the whole neighbourhood. Anna was pregnant and my brother was sure it was Miguel's. Annarosa refused to get an abortion, of course, and Enrique didn't want another man's child. Do you know why Annarosa told me she'd let Miguel seduce her?

Carlotta: To make your brother jealous?

Tea: Yep, and just plain to get his attention off working all the time.

Carlotta: He did it for Annarosa and their daughter.

Tea: I know. During the argument, I'd thought I'd heard footsteps running away from us after Annarosa had been blaming me for the trouble between my brother Enrique and her, and blaming me for the end of her marriage. I've always wondered if it was Roseanne's footsteps.

Carlotta: And that's the real reason Roseanne blames you?

Tea: I think so. She's never come out and said she heard us, but it makes the most sense of all this anger and blame to me. If Annarosa blamed me, why shouldn't her little girl?

Carlotta: Maybe you're right. After Annarosa's death, Enrique sent Roseanne to live with her Abuela, but she always felt somehow exiled. She had always had this crush on Cris, and it's grown into quite the obsession. It's like she's stalking him, trying to keep him from leaving her, too. Like your brother. Jessica is not thrilled.

Tea: I know, Jess has tried to be friendly with Roseanne, but she's always trying to get Cris into compromising situations in order to break them up so she can have him to herself. She's so like Annarosa it's scary, not just that she looks like her mother.

Carlotta: I know. One of these days, Roseanne is going to go much too far. (Sighs.) Anyway, can I get you something for lunch, mija? Are you hungry?

Tea: Yes-please. I should have a light lunch, but I'd love one of your wonderful burritos to go.

Carlotta: Everything?

Tea: Everything. (Grins at Carlotta.)

Carlotta: (Smiles back.) Coming up, mija.

Tea: Carlotta, I'm glad we talked about this. This is such a big family secret it felt good to be able to finally discuss it openly with you.

Carlotta: I used to try to stay in the middle and out of taking sides, but now I see what you've been saying for so long, and I'm alarmed for Roseanne. I'm not sure I like what I'm seeing at all. I'll go get your lunch ready.

Tea: Gracias, Tante Carlotta.

Carlotta: (Smiles at Tea and gets involved in preparing the order.)

[Scene ends.]

[Scene: Club Indigo, midday, 2 days later.]

Tea: (Entering, crosses to bar.) RJ.

RJ: Tea, do what do I owe this occasion?

Tea: Just a quick visit, I'm afraid. I have a huge favour to ask you.

RJ: Name it, and I'll try to fulfill it.

Tea: Ok. This must be kept quiet until things hit, ok?

RJ: Ok.....

Tea: We're gonna need bodyguards very soon.

RJ: Why?

Tea: Controversy, once again.

RJ: Lemme guess: Todd's got a hot story coming up?

Tea: He's seen the notes of the journalist and he thinks it's going to explode. We just don't want our family to get hurt.

RJ: What do you think might happen?

Tea: At the very least we'll be mobbed by Papparazzi when this comes out. We need people to run interference and ward off violence. Can you assemble a crew?

RJ: How much am I working with?

Tea: Name a price.

RJ: Ok. I'll get back to you in about... gimme a day, I should have it set up. That good?

Tea: Should be fine. I gotta go. Call?

RJ: You bet. Office?

Tea: Mhm, or home. Ok. Thanks, RJ.

RJ: Anytime.

Tea: (Leaves.)

[Scene ends.]

[Scene: Penthouse livingroom, 2 days later, morning.]

Todd: (On phone, standing at his desk.) Viki? Me.

Viki: (In her Banner office, sitting at her desk.) What's up?

Todd: Here's the deal: Tell Mel he can use the parts we talked about, but only those. Also: I want this printed in the early edition of Thursday's Banner.

Viki: Why so specific?

Todd: I have a plan.

Viki: You're not scooping me?

Todd: No.

Viki: You must be ill, I was so sure you'd leap at the chance to gain the upper hand on this one.

Todd: No. I'm after bigger fish.

Viki: Should I know about this?

Todd: So you can scoop me? No! I got work to do, Sis. Later. (Hangs up on her.)

Viki: (Makes a face at the phone in her hand, hangs up.)

Todd: (Dialing again:) Briggs? We go to press with the expose' in two days. Yes, two days! Yeah, I'll be in in a bit to go over it. Later. (Hangs up. Dials again:) Blair. Me. Who else?!... Well, get out of bed, then!.... Yes, now! Your article goes to press in two days. Get ready.... I'll beat you over there at this rate. My office, 30 minutes, Blair! (Hangs up. Smiles to himself.) Man I hate her, but she's a good journalist. (Grabs a few last minute things and takes off out of the apartment at a run, slamming the door behind him firmly.)

[Scene ends.]

[Scene: Camera shows: The Sun's front page, two days later. Under a picture of Asa Buchanan gesturing angrily at the camera in a candid well-cropped one-shot, under The Sun's logo:]

By Blair Cramer
The Sun staff

        In one of those odd moments of internecine warfare, in the cyclical
struggle for ownership of this paper The Sun has once again come under
hostile attack.  Once again, Texas oilman Asa Buchanan has made a bid to
buy The Sun from its Founding Owner and Publisher, Todd Manning.  This
reporter has uncovered an interesting scheme, along with some very 
interesting personal background on Asa Buchanan.

        It seems a few years ago, Asa Buchanan lost $30 million to his 
ex-wife, the former Mayor of Llanview, Alexandra Olanov, and her lover
mobster Carlo Hesser (aka his brother Mortimer Bern).  It has come to my
attention that Mr. Buchanan faked mental illness in order to entice Ms.
Olanov back into marriage with him and to regain this $30 million.  The 
plot included his British butler, Nigel, and included such things as 
dressing Nigel up in a little boy's style Western outfit, like a cowboy, 
and calling him his "Little Buckaroo".  The butler was also required 
to refer to and call Mr. Buchanan "Grand Pa-Pa".  This plot ultimately 
failed, and Buchanan Enterprises lost the money.

        In his ongoing personal fued with Mr. Manning, Mr. Buchanan has
made more than one bid to buy out or outright steal this business out
from under Mr. Manning, including bringing multiple legal actions against
Mr. Manning.  None of them has so far been successful.  In this case, Mr. 
Buchanan sent one Max Holden to speak originally with myself, Blair Cramer, 
at The Sun office of the Publisher to entice me to sell out my portion of 
the newspaper to him.  He was clear to me that the money for this was being 
provided by Asa Buchanan.  Mr. Holden's bid failed as a result of my staunch 
refusal to sell.

        I alerted Mr. Manning.  Soon afterwards an anonymous tip came in
to our Editor and part-time publisher, Mr. Charles Briggs.  Charlie Briggs 
passed the information on to me, and upon further research, I discovered a 
series of dummy corporations, some in fields unrelated to media in a 
discernible manner, and almost all of them of recent incorporation.  Some 
were subsidiaries of each other, for example, Atlantic Radio Network of 
New Jersey is owned by Cross Media of Michigan and Illinois (the Illinois 
office closed just before the recent purchase of ARN).  ARN had been 
failing, and Cross Media, which had also been failing, suddenly found 
itself with an infusion of cash from an anonymous benefactor about four 
months ago.  This enabled them to buy out ARN.  On paper, both companies 
have full staffs, but on visiting those offices, they are not much more 
than storefront operations.  Currently, the radio station studios are 
being rented out as recording studios for musicians making their own 
demo recordings and hoping for a big break.  After the initial buyout, 
most of the previous staff had been summarily let go.

        One of these corporations, Forestry Media, has an odd assortment
of wares it manufactures and distributes.  They manufacture or OEM and
distribute under their own labels, a variety of products ranging from
woodpulp for the paper industry, baked snack foods, food packaging,
paper maker/supplier to the Print Media, and forestry preservation concerns.  
They are located in Washington State, about as far from Llanview, 
Pennsylvania as you can get.  Cross Media of Michigan is a dummy corporation.  
It literally only has a storefront, and only four employees, some office 
furniture, and a bank of phones rounds out most of their holdings in a 
rented space.  When they were bought up, they sold their building and 
fired most of the staff.  They now lease the storefront in a depressed 
area of town and other than the small income from ARN and the income from 
the sale, after debts, they have little income to pay a larger staff and 
have gone into telemarketing. 
 
        The deeper I was able to dig in this chain of companies, the more 
substantial they were.  The next find was Print, Inc., a supplier and 
manufacturer of inks for the mass printing trade, and supplier of oil.  
Therein lies the best clue of all.  The next corporation down the food 
chain bears the name of its founder, Jeb Stuart.  Jeb Stuart is Asa 
Buchanan's middle name.  Jeb Stuart, Ltd. is an oil company, pumping crude 
from its wells to its refineries and then selling it as fuels and lubricants 
and so on.  It has offices in Texas.  It also has offices on the island of 
Malakeva, and is run by one Pamela Stuart.  Pamela Stuart was once married 
to Jeb Stuart, aka, Asa Buchanan.  

        The last company in the roster is Llanview's very own Buchanan
Enterprises, run by Llanview's very own oil baron, Asa Buchanan.  This is
the source of the funds with which Mr. Holden approached this reporter to
try to buy this paper out from under the Founding Publisher, Todd Manning.

        Nice try, Asa.

By Mel Hayes, Banner Editor in Chief
Number 3 in a series.

        What happens to a child whose abuse is never reported, yet 
adults around that child other than the abuser are well aware of the
abuse?  The abuse continues, perhaps until the child dies.  The autopsy
will often note the healed and new fractures, the healing and new bruises
and perhaps cuts and swellings, but often not report that the child was
beaten by a parent, or thrown down the stairs by a babysitter, unless
the infant was shaken and even then it might not be properly reported.

        What if that child survives to adulthood?  Does the abuse have
any sort of affect on the growing child survivor?  Yes.  Aside from the
possible physical damage from untreated or repeated bone fractures, and
the possibility of organic brain damage from repeated blows to the 
child's head, there are the cognitive effects and the psychological 
effects of such trauma.  Many of these children suffer from Post 
Traumatic Stress Disorder that goes completely unnoticed, indiagnosed, 
and untreated.  It manifests in many differing ways, especially among 
children, but it is in part a cognitive and in part an anxiety disorder 
and can be treated.  There is also the possibility of Dissociative 
Disorders, which is the subject of part of this current article, and 
which PTSD is now being seen as the "gateway disorder" of this type.

        The definition of trauma is any experience out of the ordinary 
that is overwhelming and for which there is no established way to cope, a 
severe and overwhelming shock.  Sometimes this is one event, many times 
it is a series of repeated events.  Daily beatings, parents fighting 
every night, these are common things for an abused child to experience, 
yet they are shocking and traumatic.  This is not confined to the 
children of the poor.

        There are two high profile local cases among the wealthy, one is
some years old and yet still current, and the other is more recent.  The
older case is of the Founding Publisher of The Banner and his daughter, 
the current Publisher, Victoria Lord Buchanan Carpenter.  Victor Lord was 
a very demanding man, as is catalogued rather thoroughly in the biography
written by Mrs. Carpenter's late husband, Sloan Carpenter in his book 
"Lord of The Banner".  He was so demanding of his child, he resorted to 
abusive measures to mould her into his successor, even to the extent of 
sexual abuse.  Sexual abuse is an odd extension of mere physical abuse, 
it combines whatever other abuse is being employed to control and 
intimidate the child with bodily manipulation and or usually forcible 
bodily invasion.  This is usually even more devastating and destructively 
thorough-going than either emotional or physical abuse considered 
seperately or combined.  Being a child means being trapped, especially 
when things go bad.  It means being vulnerable and in danger.  It means 
being dependent on the kindness of the adults around you to survive to 
adulthood.  

        Sometimes survival means falling to pieces in order to stay 
strong and to cope until the bad things happening blow by or finish with 
you.  That is where Dissociative Disorders come into the picture.  While 
not required for such disorders, sexual abuse is often a part of the 
child's experience.  Sometimes the child doesn't remember much or any of 
the events they were not present for or not quite present for, and thus 
are spared the fear or pain stemming from the original events.  Sometimes 
the child goes for many years without really falling apart, until 
something terrible happens and they break up.

        Such is the case with Victoria Carpenter's younger brother, Todd
Manning, the Founding Publisher of the rival paper The Sun, here in 
Llanview.  Todd's case is somewhat different than his sister's.  Todd was 
put up for adoption as an infant and raised in Chicago by a man not too 
unlike their biological father.  Victor Lord only acknowledged Todd in 
his will, Todd's existence was unknown by his siblings until Peter 
Manning's death and the eventual discovery of Todd's identity.  Peter 
Manning, by all accounts, was a monster to everyone, but most especially 
to women and to his son, Todd.  Peter Manning's office secretaries 
usually didn't last long, but they developed a secret network among 
themselves to keep tabs on the boy as much as they could.  There was no 
one to report the abuse to, but the first secretary set the precedent 
followed by all her successors that there be a secret record of it kept 
by them.  If anything dire happened to the baby as he grew older, they 
would be able to report that there had been abuse by Mr. Manning of the 
boy.  There are report after report kept by these secretaries from the 
day Peter Manning announced his wife Barbara and he had a newborn son, 
until after Todd left for college.  They tell a harrowing tale of abuse 
from Todd's infancy onward, yet apparently only scratch the surface.

        Peter Manning was a very powerful man, in part due to funds he
received secretly from Victor Lord to support Todd.  He was abusive and
vicious to everyone around him, but especially the women.  How he ran a
business at all amazed his employees.  There are anecdotal accounts from 
Todd's college years when he was in some well-publicized legal trouble 
of Peter tearing him to shreds in public for the slightest thing and at 
least one mention of Peter publically striking Todd also in front of 
witnesses.  Yet, even in Llanview no one stopped Peter Manning.

        Todd's legal trouble in Llanview began long before the rape of
Margaret Saybrooke.  They began the moment Todd Manning was adopted.
The son of Irene Manning and Victor Lord, Todd was given to Irene's
cousin Peter and his wife Barbara, because Victor already had had two
other illegitimate children (even though he had secretly married Irene
before their daughter Tina was born, Todd is the youngest).  He did not 
want another, and so he forced Irene to give the child up at birth.  
It seems that no one wanted this child.  Bitsy, as Barbara was called, 
did her best until Peter's abuse of her drove her out when Todd was nine.  
Peter's abuse of Todd escalated, until one night when Todd was fourteen, 
Peter Manning raped Todd Manning for the last time.  Todd nearly killed 
him that night, interrupted by Todd's Football Coach bringing Todd a 
present.  It was Todd's 14th Birthday that same night.  (This is a matter 
of grim public record.  Todd Manning was on trial last fall.  During 
the testimony this hideous secret was very reluctantly revealed by him.)

        Although not an excuse, child abuse does have an often heavy-
handed influence on the later behaviour of the child and adult.  When 
accused falsely of murder last summer, Todd Manning seems to have gone 
into a kind of shock, snapped, shattering into four additional and 
distinct other people and losing himself for some months.  It has never 
been clear why the death of Georgie Phillips had such an effect on Todd 
Manning, but upon discovering her body he began a precipitous decline 
that lasted most of a year and eventually resulted in his departure and 
disappearance under very painful circumstances on the night of his 
wedding, for some months.  A devoted father and husband, Todd Manning 
left his child, his wife, and his business behind when he fled.  (His ex-
wife took the Publishing job over in his absence, as she had in the past 
when he had been believed dead overseas.)  On his return, he has resumed 
his position as Sun Publisher.  The first person he wanted to see was his 
sister, although at the time he had lost his memory and remains unclear 
as to how he found his way back to her home.

        In the case of Victoria Carpenter, she had also shattered, and it
was one of her alters who it was later discovered had smothered Victor
Lord to death when he was recovering from a stroke.  Victoria had no
memory of it and after accusing her step-mother, Dorian Lord-Hayes of the 
crime for years, it was revealed during the then Dorian Lord's murder 
trial on the accusations of Victoria Lord, that Victoria Lord had been 
responsible for the death of Victor Lord in a fit of momentarily 
uncontrollable rage at his abuse and the opportunity of his helplessness 
to kill him, as an alter, Tory, or perhaps the alter Jean Randolph, 
emerged for the task.  It was never quite clear which one had done it, 
but this was ruled as Self Defense and she was let go.  

Next in the series: "Child Abuse and the Courts: Issues of Safety and Custody."

Mel Hayes is a Banner correspondent.
melhayes@llanview.TheBanner.com