No Deposit No Return

There is no sex in this story. Sorry.

Thanks to the Hip and Knee doctor for editing assistance.

*

He wasn't at all what I envisioned a police detective to be like. He certainly wasn't that big or impressive and he sweated a lot. Every time I saw him he had a bag of corn nuts in his hand and was eating them one at a time. He wasn't unfriendly or intimidating, but he was hard to warm up to.

"Mister Fromuth. We can't let you got until tomorrow morning. There is nobody around on a Sunday evening to do the paperwork." Samuel Greene was trying to be professional and friendly at the same time. It didn't work.

I had been sitting in a holding cell for three days, and now he tells me I have to stay another night. The whole thing was a convoluted mess. I never should have been here in the first place. I guess they were anxious to pin the murder on somebody. Unfortunately, I wasn't good enough for them.

All I could do was look across the table at him and shrug my shoulders. Hell, I didn't really want to get out anyhow. I was disappointed when they told me that I wasn't going to be charged. The bastards were sending me home. I was being returned to my wife and my family. Returned? Returned?

No Deposit/No Return. I felt like an old soda bottle.

"The good news is that you get to order your supper tonight from Steak-Out. The money comes from a different fund now. You can order anything that you like."

I gave him a weak smile. "Sam. Will you be here in the morning?"

"Sure. Why?"

"Well I was hoping that you could give me a little help with this release thing."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I am going to be totally free, right?"

"Yeah. No strings attached."

"Is there some way that you can let me go without turning me over to my family?"

When Sam Greene laughed, little beads of sweat bounced off of his forehead. "You mean that you want to sneak out the back?"

After I nodded, he shook his head. "She really hurt you didn't she?" I nodded again.

"I'll tell you what, John. You figure out what you want and I'll figure out a way to help you get it. Is that okay?"

I had a chicken dinner that night and was the envy of all my fellow guests. After killing a fried apple pie, I spent the rest of the evening rehashing in my head what had happened and trying to plan for my future. The rehashing seemed to work fine, but I had no idea what my plans were going to be.

I worked at the Northeast Regional Ace Hardware Distribution Center. I spent my whole day loading and unloading trucks. It wasn't real demanding, but I enjoyed it and the pay was adequate. I kept my family fed and raised two fine boys on that salary. Todd was sixteen and Jeremy was a year younger. My marriage and my life was great up until three days ago, when I was arrested.

The arrest was pretty clean and straight forward, but when I found out the circumstances surrounding the arrest, things got complicated. Actually, I complicated them on purpose. However, that was not my intent at the time.

I was in the warehouse doing my normal job at my normal shift time when the police arrived. My supervisor pointed me out and I was immediately handcuffed and led out to a Black and White. This was all in front of my fellow workers. By the time that I reached the patrol car, everybody in the building was aware of what was going on. Of course, I had no idea. Being a law abiding citizen, I followed orders like a little puppy dog and didn't ask any questions.

That was when I first met Sam Greene. He was a little stern at first; no nonsense all the way. By the end of the day, his demeanor started to change.

We went through a couple of minutes of interview formalities before things started to get interesting.

Sam Greene was quite interested in where I was all morning. He didn't seem too happy when I assured him that fifteen men could verify that I had never left the warehouse. I was trying to be polite and cooperative until he dropped the bomb on me.

"Do you know a man named Thomas Esterly?"

"He is not a friend of mine, but I do know him. Why?"

"He was killed this morning at eleven o'clock in the Holiday Inn parking lot. His car blew up."

"Why am I being questioned about something that happened to Thomas Esterly? I haven't seen the guy in over fifteen years."

"What was your relationship with Mister Esterly?"

"There was none. He was an old friend of my wife's before I met her. I met him a few times, but never on a social basis."

"What was the relationship between Mister Esterly and your wife?"

"Detective Greene, you are starting to piss me off. Laura and Tom Esterly were a couple for a few years. I met her about six months after they broke up. I never questioned her about her relationship with him. I suggest that you talk to her."

"We already did that Mister Fromuth. We talked with her for two hours earlier today."

"Why?"

"You wife was with Mister Esterly just before he was killed. She was at the crime scene when we arrived."

All of a sudden I didn't like the way the conversation was going. I had a good marriage. My life was perfect. Laura had never given me cause to think otherwise. Of course, it might have been my fault, because I wasn't looking for anything. That was because I had never suspected anything. Tick-Tock. Tick-Tock. My brain was working at last and I didn't like the conclusions that I was coming up with.

Since I had not responded, he started talking again.

"The security cameras at the Holiday Inn show Mister Esterly and your wife going into room 311 at 9:45 and coming back out at 12: 30. Your wife returned to her car and Mister Esterly to his. When Mister Esterly attempted to start his Mercedes, it exploded. Your wife was far enough away so that she wasn't hurt."

"Can I have a cup of coffee?"

He seemed a little annoyed at my request. I interrupted his concentration flow. I needed a short break to clear my head. I just found out that my wife of eighteen years was unfaithful. My whole life was built around her and the children that I had had with her. Everything was falling apart. No, I hadn't killed Thomas Esterly, but I sure wish that I had. The rest of his questions would be superfluous.

Sam Greene left the room for a moment and came back with cups of black coffee from a machine. It was crap, but I needed a moment to think, so I sipped at it for a while.

"Detective Greene, can I assume that my wife has verified all this information or did she have some kind of alternative explanation?"

"No, Mister Fromuth. There was no other explanation. We showed her the evidence and she collaborated all of it. She met Mister Esterly and they did indeed spent well over two hours in room 311, together."

"I know that this is not a part of your investigation, but was this the first time that they had met or had they been together before this?"

"Mrs. Fromuth did indicate that she and Mister Esterly had been meeting monthly for at least three years. She had no idea who would have wanted Mister Esterly killed. Of course you understand why you are our primary suspect?"

I finished the coffee in one last gulp. My body seemed to shiver at its' bitterness. At the moment, it suited my mood.

"Why would she admit all of this?"

"Honestly. I think she was scared to death. It seemed that they usually arrived in the same car. Today she had to do some type of shopping, so she decided to meet him there. If they had followed their normal routine, your wife would be dead also. I think that she knew that."

"Well, I guess I better tell you everything so that you can wrap this up."

"What do you mean?"

"It was me. I parked my truck in the back of the warehouse and snuck out without anyone seeing me. I placed the bomb under Esterly's car and then returned to work. I was gone less than thirty minutes, so nobody even missed me."

"Are you willing to sign a statement attesting to that?"

"Of course."

An hour later, I was settled into my own private cell. Most of the other guests had to share, but killers got the private rooms.

So why would I do such a stupid thing? It was simple really. I was a quiet guy, but I was proud. How I felt about myself was important to me. Of course that meant that how other people felt about me was important also. This situation had changed all of that in a flash.

It was evident to me now that my wife did not hold me in very high esteem. I believed Detective Greene when he said that Laura had been having an affair with Thomas Esterly for three years. Not because of some information that I had, but just because she would not have made up something like that for any reason and neither would he. Not only did I not want to live with her anymore, I didn't even want to see her. I was sure that she would have a logical explanation for everything, but I didn't want to hear it. The best way to avoid her would be to go to prison.

My relationship with my two sons had always been great. I never did anything that would embarrass them or make them feel that I was not a great father. Right now, I did not feel like a great father. I was a cuckold. My wife, their mother, had openly admitted to sleeping with another man. There is no way that this information would not get to them. I realized that there was no way that I could look at my sons and hold my head in the air after this happened. She humiliated me in front of my boys. She took away my manhood in front of my children. How could I face them without feeling as if I let them down? My best course of action was to announce to the world that when I found out what was going on, I took action to stop it. I killed the son-of-a-bitch that ruined my marriage. That way my sons could at least have some pride about how their father handled the situation. In reality, I wished that I had actually done it, but it would be better than nothing if I could at least get the credit for it. As it was, I did not want to face my sons any more than my wife.

There was no way that I could go back to work. I played cards and bowled with all these guys. If they knew that my wife had been stepping out on me for three years, I would never live it down. The humiliation that I would have to endure would be more than I could stand. So there was no way that I could return to Ace Hardware.

The situation with my family would be exactly the same. I didn't want to confront any of them. There was no explanation for what Laura did to me that would not make me look like a wimp. My only hope was to go to jail and forget all of them.

The plan was to avoid a trial by accepting a plea. According to the movies and TV, they always offer you a plea to save the expense and trouble of a trial. All I had to do now was wait for the arraignment.

I didn't care what happened to me, but I refused to stand and face a bunch of people that I knew and look like a cuckold loser.

One of the nicest things about my incarceration was that I could refuse visitors. I was more or less forced to talk to the public defender who was assigned to me, but I refused to see my wife or my brother, Will. Other than my lawyer, I spent most of Friday alone. They gave me a newspaper and the stories of Thomas Esterly's demise were all inclusive. I was named as the alleged killer and Laura was clearly identified as the Holiday Inn whore. My sons must be so proud.

It appeared that Esterly had made himself a small fortune in the real estate market and had also married well.

Sam Greene stopped by after the supper meal.

"John, I have one quick question and then I'll let you go. Where did you get the black powder that you used to make the bomb with?"

"There was a gun show at the Lancaster Fair Grounds last summer. I got two cans of it there, but I don't have a receipt."

I knew something was up as soon as I answered him. There was a big smile on his face as he walked out of the cell area. I am not sure, but I thought I saw him wink. I thought the answer was pretty good, because the boys and I had actually gone to that gun show.

Saturday started off slow. After lunch, two guys from the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms office in Washington showed up. I didn't like them and refused to talk with them unless my lawyer was present. It was the weekend and they couldn't find my public defender anywhere. They left after a few hours, but they didn't seem to be too devastated. The rest of the day was uneventful except for a very short visit from Sam Greene. He just looked in and asked me if I was okay. I nodded in the affirmative and he smiled again and left.

Sunday afternoon Sam came back and we spent some quality time together. That was when everything came crashing down.

"John. It took us a couple of days, but we finally put all of the pieces together. I didn't appreciate the way that you tried to mislead us, but I understand why."

I sat quietly, waiting for him to say more.

"The ATF boys were able to figure out everything about the bomb that killed Thomas Esterly. They were even able to identify the guy who probably had built the bomb, and they were right. It was C4, John, not black powder. Yesterday evening, they picked up the professional bomber who built it, named Frank Donato, in Philadelphia. Phone records indicated that he had been in touch with Silvia Esterly, Tom's wife, thirteen times in the last few weeks. Silvia Esterly withdrew twenty-five thousand dollars from her bank account last Wednesday. She refused to say what she did with it."

Well that pretty much killed my plan. I sat and listened for the next hour as Sam Greene outlined everything that happened. Laura would have been collateral damage. Silvia Esterly would have been just as happy if Laura had been in the car with her husband.

And then it was all over. I was waiting for Monday so that I could be returned. No Deposit/No Return. That damn phrase kept echoing through my head like an Amy Winehouse song. A jail term would have left me with a smidgen of dignity. Now I had none. I was being release to a cheating wife, two sons, who I was sure lost total respect for me, and a job that I was too embarrassed to return to. I could no longer face my family or my friends. The sad part was that I had nothing to do with any of it. I was the victim. No Deposit/No Return. What the hell did that mean anyway?

Sam was a man of his word. I could see Laura, Todd and Jeremy in the lobby as I was checking out. Sam took me aside and we left by the garage entrance. He had waited until the banks would be open so that I could get some cash. I left what was in the checking account, but took twenty-two thousand dollars that we were saving for the new house. My new detective buddy then drove to the Ace Warehouse so I could pick up my truck.

Sam and I shook hands. I had my truck and a few bucks. I decided that there was nothing at the house that I couldn't live without. He went back to face my wife and kids while I hit the highway south.

My first stop was in Knoxville. After a nice supper and a cold beer, I turned on my cell phone. I had thirteen messages from Laura which I deleted, and then called Todd.

"Dad. Is that you? Where the hell are you?"

"I'm okay. Are you alone? Can you talk?"

"Yeah. Mom is in the bedroom. She has been there all day. Jeremy is here with me."

"I am sorry son, but after what happened, I just couldn't force myself to come home. I hate to have to leave you guys, but you are both pretty grown up and I think that you can handle it."

"We are fine, dad. Mom is a wreck, but she is not getting a whole lot of sympathy from anyone, including us."

"You guys are going to have to take care of things for a couple years. I'll send some money as soon as I can."

We talked for a few more minutes. Things with my sons were not as bad as I had anticipated. It seems as if they were on my side even though I took off. I slept better that night than I had expected.

I was in Huntsville by noon the next day. I rented a small mobile home and had a warehousing job through a temp agency the next day. By the end of the next week, I was offered a steady job. I was over-qualified and underpaid, but it appeared to be steady work and the future prospects looked good.

I was getting things set up so that I could begin sending money home for the boys. It all came to a halt when Todd called. Todd and Jeremy had moved out of the house and were now living with my parents. Jeremy and Laura had an exchange of words that ended up with Jeremy getting slapped repeatedly by his mother. He defended himself, but did not strike her back. Todd very carefully explained that it was not Laura's fault. Laura was trying to convince the boys that what she did was justified in some fashion. Todd did his best to keep his temper, but Jeremy blew up. It appears that he called his mother every name that I had wanted to. Eventually, he reached the point where Laura could not take it anymore.

In a fit of anger, Laura screamed that they should have just left with their spineless father. Todd and Jeremy moved out the next morning.

Two days later, my dad arrived in Huntsville with my two sons. I had no trouble trading my small rented mobile home for a larger one. Dad stayed for a couple of days and then went back home.

Todd had the presence of mind to pick up their school records before they left, so there were no problems getting them started locally. The biggest difficulty was getting the two of them to decide on what kind of car they were going to get. I think Todd won out because Jeremy didn't have his license yet. We never heard from Laura. She never contacted my parents either.

Over the next year, I got two nice promotions with raises. We moved from the trailer into a small rental house. Todd had a girlfriend and a part-time job. Jeremy had his driver's license and a car on jacks in the back yard. We shared the housekeeping jobs, but I got stuck with the cooking.

I was at work when I received the divorce papers. I never got an explanation or an apology. I really didn't want one.

I would love to tell you what dreadful things happened to Laura, but I can't. She was gone from my life and I had no intention of letting her back in. I am sure that she is sitting in a comfortable chair or bar stool someplace wishing me good riddance. Just thinking about it, brings a smile to my face.

Sorry Laura. You lose. No Deposit/No Return.