Seven Bad Years

Disclaimer.

All likeness to persons, institutions and companies in the story are completely incidental.

Nothing in this story has any relation to reality.

Oh, and of course everything and everybody engaged in any sexual activity is 18 years or older.

SouthernCrossfire is my mentor and editor. He corrected numerous mistakes and typos in this work.

His effort, patience and help made this story much better than what I started out with.

Thank you for all the hard work SC.

_________________

Isaac Manner stood just inside the gate after five long years in prison. Looking out, he saw the reception committee waiting for him. His ex-wife, his ex-daughter, her father, her mother, and his brother.

Isaac turned his head to the guard and asked, "Sir, is there another exit? I don't want to run that gauntlet." He nodded at the small crowd before the gate.

"Don't you want to see your family?" the guard asked, surprised.

"I don't have a family anymore. They all betrayed me. And there is that small matter of a restraining order, though I don't know if it's still in place."

The guard thought for a moment; this prisoner had always been very helpful and friendly. He called to inform the doorkeeper that he would use the back-exit and to Isaac he said, "This way."

The guard walked Isaac through a maze of corridors until they arrived at a small steel door. The guard unlocked it and showed Isaac out.

At half past two, Lydia, Isaac's ex-wife, looked at her watch and asked her father, 'He was to be released at 2, wasn't he?"

When her father nodded affirmatively, Lydia walked to the gate and asked the guard in the lodge at what time she could expect Isaac Manner coming through the gate.

The guard checked his log and replied, "He was released half an hour ago. At his request, through the backdoor."

Tears appeared in Lydia's eyes as she asked, "Backdoor? Why? We were coming to welcome him back. I know he's angry at us, but that angry? He has nobody else. Do you have an address?"

"I can't give you his address Ma'am. He specifically requested to tell nobody and I overheard his conversation with the sergeant. He also said that there is a restraining order in place? Do you want him back in jail after all he's been through?"

Lydia went white. "Restraining order? Oh, shit I forgot all about that."

Meanwhile Isaac was walking at a brisk pace towards the bus station thinking about the past six years. He had plans to make, places to go, and people to meet.

====

Six years ago, Isaac was a happy man, married to Lydia for 18 years and doting on his daughter of 16, called Tommie, short for Thomasina after her grandmother. At that time, he was a forty-year-old software engineer. Able to write his own computer programs, he built self-learning robots as a hobby. He also worked on his so-called "discipline project," re-wiring and reprogramming his security system while adding an independent backup system. It included a hidden uplink to a remote and hidden server/hard drive. The whole system had an independent power source fed by solar roof tiles.

On a whim, he built another secret system in his garden with a 4 petabyte backup, just outside the perimeter of the garden but still on his land. To make it more difficult to overcome, he developed a double camera system hidden in his sound system in the ceiling. Isaac needed a good security system because his one-man company did a lot of work for the government, and he had a ball working on the project anyway.

His house, big enough for a family, was one at the end of a cul-de-sac in Dence together with four other houses. He built a spacious office on the land behind it and still had enough room for a very large garden. Bordering a forest preserve, he bought the lot and built the house outright when he was 20 from the profit he had made with an internet search-engine for software solutions. He developed it and went online with it, where a software giant immediately snapped it up for use in its own intranet.

Isaac was just an average man, 6ft 2in, 190lbs, with dark blond hair and light brown eyes in a friendly face with generous lips and a beard he had to shave in the evening as well when he wanted to go out and be presentable. He liked to cycle and walk but abhorred strenuous exercise. Isaac was shy but once out of his shell he was a caring, charming, witty man and a good conversationalist who could talk about a range of topics. He was also a voracious reader and could speed-read anything in no time flat and, even after years, he could recall articles and passages of books. That came in very handy with his work.

Six years ago, was also the moment that the local Sheriff, Peter Ramsday, asked him to update the program that controlled the traffic lights in Dence. The traffic needed to flow more efficiently in order to keep the pollution in check. That was the moment when everything went downhill for him. When Isaac and Lydia asked the Sheriff to dinner to discuss the progress of the project, the man, on being introduced to Lydia, immediately started to fantasize about the stately woman squirming beneath him in his own bed. It took Ramsday half a year to realize his fantasy.

Late one morning Isaac finished the traffic project and he went home to celebrate and take his wife out to lunch. In the driveway he saw a car he didn't recognize. Visitors? .he wondered. He let himself in and was greeted with the sight of Lydia moaning loudly and bent over the back of the couch while the Sheriff plowed her from behind for all that he was worth.

"What the fuck is going on here?" he shouted.

The Sheriff stopped, smirked at Isaac, and pulled himself out of Lydia's snatch.

Then he said mockingly to Lydia, "Ohh, the little man found out. Now I'll leave you two alone while you tell him the rules."

Lydia looked slightly embarrassed but nodded her assent as the Sheriff walked out of the house scratching his crotch. When the door was closed after the departure, Lydia asked Isaac, "Can we talk about this as adults?"

Isaac's shock and grief subsided to make room for an ice cold calculating anger. "I want you out of the house. Pack your bags and leave."

"No. You let me have this one affair. It won't be long anymore. It will be over soon enough. If you don't, the consequences are yours and you won't like them. If you go for a divorce, I'll take you for everything you have and you'll never see Tommie again."

"You're delusional. You can't possibly think that I am going to accept this? Are you out of your mind!"

Lydia sighed. "I was afraid that you would react like this. I love you but need this and it will go over. Don't do this to yourself."

With a glacial control Isaac retorted, "It's you who is doing this to me and you are threatening me? You must know that I don't react kindly to threats. Now I'm leaving and will be back at 6 pm. In the meantime, your lover can fuck you to his heart's content. I will never touch you again. But when I'm back, you better have left."

Lydia opened her mouth, thought better of it, and walked out of the door to the bedroom, head down. Five minutes later, Isaac was in his car again and on the phone with his lawyer to make an appointment. That evening Isaac returned to an empty house, with his anger having changed into sadness and grief.

At 8 am the next day, Isaac's lawyer walked into Isaac's home office. Ben Green and Isaac were good friends so an appointment before office hours was easily arranged between the two.

Isaac held up the pot and asked, "Coffee?"

"Yes, black with a little water. The paint stripper you serve as coffee is way too harsh for my stomach-lining. Now what is such a big problem that you need to see so urgently?"

Isaac told that he found Sheriff Peter Ramsday fucking Lydia and the threats Lydia issued.

Ben looked shocked and more than a little afraid. "Peter Ramsday, shit, that is bad news. He is as corrupt as a rotten corpse but nobody can prove it. He talked Lydia into this and he always has another agenda too. You have to protect yourself. financially and probably physically as well."

Isaac's brain went into overdrive. His friend wasn't easily intimidated so he came up with a quick and dirty solution, saying, "I'll give you power of attorney. You can print the proper documents here and I'll sign them immediately. If everything goes pear shaped, you can handle my finances. I'll give you a thumb-drive with all the relevant information. And you need to start the divorce."

Ben nodded and at half past nine he wanted to leave when there was a loud bang and the door flew inwards. Five police officers stormed in and forced the two men on the ground. "Which of you is Isaac Manner?" one shouted. Isaac, lying face down, mumbled into the rug that he was the man they seemed to need.

"You're under arrest!" the officer said.

"For what?" Isaac asked, stunned.

"As if you don't know. Your wife and daughter pressed charges for abuse and are being examined as we speak."

"Abuse? I abused Lydia and Tommie? No way. I didn't touch them and I haven't seen my daughter at all since yesterday morning!"

Ben butted in. "Isaac, keep your mouth shut. Don't say anything, I will sort it out."

He turned to the officer and asked, "Where are you taking him?"

"Second Street," came the curt reply.

"Careful, Isaac. Don't let you trick into saying things without my presence!" called Ben while they pushed Isaac in the back of the police car.

Ben quickly drove over to his office and locked the thumb-drive in his safe. He told his fiancée, Anna, who was also his secretary, that Isaac was on a collision course with Sheriff Ramsday and had suddenly been arrested for assaulting Lydia and Tommie.

He ran off to the precinct on Second Street. On arriving, he identified himself as Isaac's lawyer and was told to wait by the duty officer.

After an hour, the officer told him curtly that Mr. Manner was transferred to the precinct at Forestlane. An icy ball started to form in Ben's stomach. He got the idea that Ramsday was trying to keep him from Isaac to have more time to force a confession. So, he raced to Forestlane.

At the counter, he told that duty officer that he was here for Mr. Manner and the waiting game was on again. When that officer told him that Isaac was not there but at the station on Second Street, Ben had enough. He took out his cell, paged through his contacts, and pressed the speed dial for a friendly judge. He explained to the judge what happened, who was involved, and that they were giving him the runaround. The judge told Ben to put the phone on speaker.

In a clear voice he asked, "Mr. Green, is the officer on duty in the vicinity?"

"Yes Sir, the officer is listening, now together with his superior."

"Good. Gentlemen, this is Judge Orlanda speaking. It seems that the police are obstructing the lawyer of Mr. Manner in talking with his client. Is that correct? Three transfers before noon are somewhat rich."

"No, Sir, it's just a clerical error. Manner is at Second Street," the officer stammered while thinking, Damn, damn, damn. Sheriff Ramsday can kiss my ass next time. I'm not going to be at the receiving end of the wrath of this judge!

"Hmm. When Mr. Green arrives at Second Street, he will have access to Mr. Manner without any delay. Understand, Mr. Green gets to talk to an unharmed Mr. Manner the moment he steps into the precinct. That means no bruising, no falling down the stairs, accidents, and no interrogation without his lawyer present. Do I make myself clear, gentlemen? Now for the books, your names, ranks, and badge numbers, please."

Both men were profusely sweating despite the air conditioning. When the phone call ended the supervisor offered to escort him to Second Street. There he found Isaac sitting in a cell waiting for Ben. Ben took his recorder out of his case and pushed the red button.

"Isaac, did they try to 'interview' you?"

"Yes, they tried. They also tried to intimidate me. They threatened to use a baton if I didn't confess that I assaulted Lydia and Tommie and did them severe bodily harm. I told them to do what they need to do but that I won't say anything without my lawyer present."

"Did they treat you well?"

"They didn't treat me at all. I haven't had a drink since they took me here and I wasn't allowed to go to the bathroom. Then all of a sudden it stopped; I could use the bathroom and got a cup of foul tea. I'm afraid that I'm in for something bad."

"Sorry, Isaac, I'm afraid of that, too. This is all too well thought out. Did they move you to another precinct?"

"No. I've been here since my arrest."

Ben took a deep breath. "I am going to refer your case to a colleague. Mostly I am a family-lawyer. I am going to handle your divorce. My colleague is far better suited for this spiel. Is that ok with you?"

"Yes. That's alright. Don't forget to use your power of attorney."

====

Six months later in court.

Isaac didn't stand a chance.

Photographic evidence was presented, together with the statements of Lydia and Tommie and two women Isaac never heard of who told that Isaac was prone to violent tantrums. Isaac couldn't produce an alibi for that evening because the hard drives had crashed suddenly during their examination. He didn't want to disclose his back-up system that was independent from the one they sabotaged. He might need it in the future.

The prosecutor painted him as a bad father and a worse husband who mistreated and abused his wife and daughter. During all that time, Lydia and Tommie sat uncomfortably staring forward. Isaac thought that they didn't look very healthy but he couldn't care less. He, himself, sat stoic in the dock waiting for the ax.

The jury lapped it all up and found Isaac guilty on all charges. Finally, the judge issued the sentence. Isaac was sent to prison for the duration of five and a half years with deduction of the pre-trial detention. With luck he would be free in three and a half, but Isaac counted on the full five because of the tentacles of the Sheriff. When the judge presented the sentence, he heard Lydia gasp. When he looked at her, he saw that she had become ashen and his daughter was bawling her eyes out. The only one grinning like the proverbial Cheshire Cat was Peter Ramsday.

Back in his cell he got a visitor. The only thing the woman said when she handed him a fat envelope was, "You have been served."

Isaac handed the envelope over to his lawyer and asked him to pass it to Ben Green. When alone a despondent Isaac sagged in onto himself on the hard bench.

====

Two weeks into his prison sentence

Ben came to visit Isaac to talk about the divorce. The envelope contained the divorce papers and adoption documents to sign for Tommie to be adopted by Peter Ramsday. Isaac signed them without a second thought though it hurt like hell. Then he looked over Lydia's demands with Ben. The house, half of their savings, 5,000 dollars a month for five years, and a trust fund for Tommie's study.

Ben grinned but said nothing until he produced a small high frequent buzzer to prevent snooping. Finally, Isaac was bewildered and said, That's all? So, if I sign this, they leave me alone and can't go back on it?"

Ben, still grinning, replied, "Yes. That's correct."

Isaac was still for a moment. "The house was mine before we were married. So that's an absolute no-go. It stays mine. Please have it boarded up and put a fence around it. Shut down the water but keep the power on. And since the asshole is going to adopt Tommie, he can pay for her study. Can you do that? Five times twelve times $5k makes $300k, is that correct? Just pay it as a lump sum and half of our savings is about 700k? Offer her a round million and tell them to accept the lump sum. No house and no trust-funds. Otherwise, go to war and make it as ugly as possible."

Ben gathered his things and told Isaac he would make the counter offer. Just before he shut down the buzzer he asked, "Didn't Lydia know about the investment fund?"

Isaac answered, "I mentioned it once in a while, but never actually told her how big it is. By the way, did the city already pay for the upgrade of their traffic light software? I think not, so If I were you, I would remind them. That money, about $175k, is your fee. I might need you again in the future."

Ben went home both sad and happy. Sad that his friend would be disappearing for another five years in prison for something he hadn't done. Happy because he finally could afford the house that he and his fiancée had set their eyes on. First, though, came finagling that $175K out of the municipality; Ben knew they legally owed it but would probably do their best to avoid paying.

The next day Isaac found himself in his new 'home.' After the obligatory speech from the warden, he was shown to his new place to stay. When in his cell, he was confronted with the biggest man he ever saw. He was told that K2 was the biggest bully of the prison and that, they promised, he would be given a warm welcome.

K2 was concentrating on writing something on a piece of paper. Isaac took it all in and politely cleared his throat. K2 growled at him, "If you ever tell the rest I can't write properly, you die a very painful death."

Isaac was stunned and asked, "Nobody took the time to teach you?"

K2 looked up, surprised. "You're the first to ask that. I have had to work since I was eight."

"What are you trying to write? No offense intended."

"A letter to my gran. She's having her 87th birthday next week."

"Can I help? If you dictate what you want to write I will write it down."

"No! I want to write it myself!"

"I wasn't finished. When I'm finished writing, you can write it over."

"That's a good idea!" shouted K2 enthusiastically and slammed his shoulder.

"Ouch, careful. I'm not a mountain. Would you like to learn to read and write? I can teach you if you want."

The mountain of a man, whom everybody was afraid of, had tears in his eyes when he said, "Yes, I would like that very much but if you tell the others..."

Isaac replied quickly to defuse the situation. "Why should I? You're trying and that's making me try to help you. Anybody who tries deserves help. My name is Isaac, and you are?"

"I'm Fabian Small. Don't laugh! But everyone calls me Kay-Two. I don't know why but call me K2."

"The K2 is the second highest mountain in the world. It is, by far, also the most dangerous mountain in the world. Far more dangerous than Mount Everest. I think you have a reputation to uphold Fabian." Isaac smiled when he said that.

With that the ice was broken and K2 dictated his letter for his gran. Isaac wrote it down in big block letters and K2 copied it without too much difficulty. Soon after the lessons began.

====

Two weeks in detention, Isaac was called. He had visitors but wasn't expecting anyone. Before he went to prison, his brother, on the one visit, scolded Isaac and told him he didn't want anything to do with him anymore. The only other person he expected to visit was Ben, who wasn't scheduled to visit him until the next week. Isaac walked into the visitors' room and saw at a table at the back his soon-to-be ex-wife and daughter. He walked up to the table with the guard close behind and sneered, "Come to gloat? Now, here is your chance!"

He turned, told the guard, "I'm done. I want to go back to my cell please," and walked out again.

He heard Lydia wail behind him, "Isaac, please wait!"

He just walked on and the door closed behind him. Isaac turned himself to the guard and asked, "Sir, is there any way to prevent this from happening again? They placed a restraining order on me and now come to rub it in? I definitely can do without such visitors."

The guard told Isaac that he would talk to the warden.