Seven Bad Years

Meanwhile, Isaac finally found the courage to access the backup hard drives. After linking them to his laptop, he started to check how long they'd functioned.

The first record started just after he installed and activated the whole installation. He witnessed in silence how his wife forsook her wedding vows. A few weeks into the records, he saw his discovery and consequent discussion complete with the threat, with him leaving and Ramsday arriving an hour later.

What came next was what almost opened the gates of hell again. Ramsday cooly explained a plot to force Isaac to comply. They would be made-up by a make-up artist as if they were mistreated. Lydia would report to the police that they were assaulted and hurt, and Ramsday would take care of the rest. He would talk Isaac into submission and Lydia would withdraw the report after that. Next came the record of the makeup artist doing his business and someone called Doc signing some documents.

Isaac sat in silence while tears streaked his face. He felt so terribly betrayed. Suddenly he had enough and he fast forwarded the records. He stopped when he saw Ramsday again, sitting in a house well underway into the state he found it. Something triggered his attention. Something in the body language of the men including the prosecutor and the judge attending, made him play that part. He heard Ramsday say, "No. That man has become a liability. He must be stopped from being able to talk. Permanently. Just dump him in the lake with a concrete block around his ankles."

There Isaac stopped watching. He shut the hard drives down and called the woman of the FBI. It took a while but when he finally got through and explained what he had witnessed they were very quick to arrive.

Isaac already bagged the two drives and told the woman. "I need a certified copy of the records of these dates." He handed her a note with the dates and went on, "These records show that I was framed and put in jail despite being innocent. I'm going to settle some scores."

====

Lydia was busy. She worked for the prosecutor now as his paralegal secretary, a job Peter had arranged. She'd survived the whole debacle because she stopped seeing Peter shortly before he went to jail. She felt some guilt about Isaac but if Isaac just had given in...

Since she swore an oath in court, there was no way back, and because of that, she'd already paid a hefty price. Her daughter hardly talked to her for that and the fact that they had manipulated her into cooperating. She'd just finished a letter when the prosecutor and a woman entered the office.

"Lydia, can you step into my office for a moment please?"

When she entered the prosecutor's office, a woman said, "Close the door, please, and be seated."

With a big television screen set up before them, the woman introduced herself as agent Smith from the FBI and showed her credentials. She seated herself and said, "We are reopening the Isaac Manner case."

Lydia went pale. A lead ball started to form in her abdomen. "And that is necessary, why?"

Agent Smith went on. "I think you know why we are here, don't you?"

"Nnno, why?" asked a, now, seriously nervous Lydia.

"I'll show you a few examples of why," was the dry reply and the big screen lit up.

Lydia saw herself sitting with Peter Ramsday and heard herself scheming the framing of Isaac. She fainted.

When she came to her senses again, there was a loud commotion. She opened her eyes and noticed she was lying on the floor. A few feet away, the prosecutor was struggling with and losing badly to the two sturdy men cuffing him.

With scorn in her eyes, Agent Smith told him, "You think you're going to get away with it? Or that judge and that warden? We have months of recordings including plotting a murder with you all in attendance. And it all is perfectly legal because it's all recorded in the house and the owner is the one who handed it to us."

A week later Lydia confessed. Ramsday was visited in his cell and officially accused of enough crimes to put him behind bars for more than the rest of his life.

====

Isaac heard that Lydia was sentenced for making a false report to the police and perjury. He quietly let it be known that he would frown on anything that might happen to the mother of his ex-daughter since this would leave her without family. He went to Ben and told him that he wanted to scare the hell out of Lydia as retribution.

Ben went to work. He said that it wouldn't amount to much but he was going to sue Lydia for $100k per year Isaac was in prison. Ramsday however was to be stripped of his family fortune. He was sued for a million dollars per year Isaac was in jail and for the damage to his house and surroundings. Also, there would be a suit against the city of Dence for compensation for its part in his unjustified imprisonment.

The city authorities were very quick to settle. Ramsday, with his oversized ego thought that the claim would amount to nothing. His lawyer did his thing, but spent as little energy as possible for the case. He was fed-up with the demands from the former Sheriff. In the end the court decided that Isaac's claim was valid and the Sheriff was indeed stripped of his fortune. What helped was that the money was going into the trust fund of Isaac's and Ben's IsBexcon Investments.

Lydia was indeed scared to death by the claim from Isaac. She was in jail. She had no job anymore. Her house would be foreclosed because she couldn't pay the mortgage anymore and where would she find $550,000? Somehow in jail, they didn't abuse, or hurt her otherwise. It was worse in a way. She was completely ignored by her inmates. They turned away when she tried to talk. She had a cell of her own because nobody wanted to be in her neighborhood and rather slept on the ground elsewhere.

Lydia heard talking about the investment program and when she asked what that was all about, one of the guards cynically replied that lots of inmates owed her for screwing her ex-husband into jail. Otherwise, the IsBexcon funds would never have been founded. In her misery she forgot all about it again.

Soon after Ramsday was having a fit when he heard that Isaac was awarded his claim for 5 and a half million dollars and another $500k for repairs He screamed that he was going to kill Isaac and put the two women in a Russian whorehouse. Not long after he got visitors at night again.

This time they weren't so gentle and Ramsday kept on screaming but now in pain.

====

Isaac had been out of prison now for a year. K2 had joined him in the free world and they became fast friends. Isaac's house was completely repaired to its former glory. The decoration however was still a bare minimum. Meanwhile he silently bought all the houses that came up for sale at the cul-de-sac.

That night he went to bed but needed to close his window minutes later due to a terrible storm that started raging over the land. He looked out, shook his head and looked again. He saw Laura and Tim huddled in the doorway, drenched and shivering. He got angry. He took two rain capes, used sometimes by the workers and ran down oblivious of himself getting wet.

"What are you thinking?" he shouted, "You're catching your death! Here, pull this on and get up at the house!"

Laura looked like she was going to refuse but another look at Isaac and she thought better of it. When they were safely in Isaac's house she looked guiltily at the ground and said softly, "Sorry. I panicked and I didn't think."

Isaac immediately defused and replied gently, "Sorry that I shouted. That's what worrying about people does to me. What happened?"

"The fuse box exploded."

"Ok. I'll have someone look at it tomorrow. Tonight, you can stay here. I'll change the sheets of the bed so you and Tim can sleep there. I'll sleep on the camp-bed tonight. Tomorrow we'll have a look at your house. And please, no arguing."

Isaac found some t-shirts and showed Laura the bathroom and told her and Tim to get a hot shower. He took his camp-bed to his office to take a rest, when he heard a soft noise. He turned around and saw Laura standing in the doorway. In a flash he noticed the softly swaying unfettered breasts and the bare well-formed legs. To hide his embarrassment, he asked a bit gruffly, "Do you need anything I can help you with?"

"Yes. you big dolt. I need to thank you. So can I give you a night kiss?" Laura said blushing.

She gave Isaac a soft kiss on his cheek and asked, "Why on earth did your ex throw you away? And in the way she did on top of that."

"Beats me. Anyway, I left it behind knowing she's behind bars."

Laura sat abruptly and that didn't go unnoticed too. Her breasts shook notably within her t-shirt. Isaac stood and said, "I'm willing to tell you the reader's digest version but you need something more decent to wear. You'll find my dressing gown next to the door in the sleeping room."

Laura blushed and ran away this time showing her buttocks and her legs again. A few moments later she returned rather more decently dressed.

Isaac told her how he as a hobby designed and installed the backup security systems and that he had hidden them so well that they weren't found by the criminals. The "outside system'' had been accessible via the internet, that was exactly what happened in jail and was the undoing of drug trafficking and the Sheriff. The other system was hidden in the house and not accessible for Isaac and to be honest he had expected that it was destroyed and thought nothing of it until he saw that his office was virtually untouched and only used as a dump.

"On the hard drives, I found, among other things, the proof of my innocence," he concluded.

Finished, he sent Laura off to bed. Tomorrow would be a busy day.

The next morning a contractor came by to check the damage on Laura's house. With him came K2, so Isaac introduced Laura to Fabian. Her small hand completely disappeared into his big paw. Next came Timothy, with them shaking hands, too. Fabian buckled his knees and said, "Careful, that hurts, you're stronger than you think."

The ice was broken. They went inside for a coffee where Fabian whispered to Laura, "Don't drink his coffee without water."

Laura giggled back, Ï know. This morning I was shocked wide awake by what he calls coffee."

The contractor came back with bad news. Laura's house was, due to neglect, almost uninhabitable. Laura started to cry. Isaac immediately was all business. "K2 can you put a lock on my bedroom and give Laura the keys?"

He looked at Laura and asked, "Who is your landlord?"

"My ex," hiccupped Laura, "and he doesn't want to sell it to me."

Isaac looked back at K2. "Take care of that too, will you? Nicely, and have it evaluated before you offer the asshole a price."

Laura looked surprised and asked, "Why the lock?"

"Because, according to the neighbors, I'm still beating women up. How late do you have to work?"

"I don't have to work today. They pay me a pittance, and they want me for 150%. With what they pay me, I just barely get by and I can't get another job, again, because of my ex."

"What kind of work are you doing?"

"I studied organization and business. I majored in both and now I'm a secretary in a pool with other secretaries and those are willing to give more 'service.'"

Isaac was thinking on his feet. He liked this woman, who fought for all she was worth to take care of her son while consistently being sabotaged by her ex-husband, very, very much, and he needed a secretary. His workload was growing quickly and he wanted to have some more quality time for himself, so he asked, "I need someone to assist me, full time. The workload is growing over my head and if I don't watch out, I'll become a prisoner from my own trust. Would you like to work for me? Here in this house, or even from your own house when it's repaired?"

Laura flushed and felt warm. Stuttering, she replied, "I don't have any references and I need to be able to take care of Timothy."

Feeling Laura struggling with the decision, he gave one more push. "If you work from this house, I'll arrange a room for Tim. His own little office and, when needed, I'll help him with his homework." Isaac waited for a moment and softly said, "Come on. Take the plunge. It will set you free and I'll benefit as well. I get to work with someone I already know and like.

"You like me?" Laura asked, very surprised.

"Why else should I take care of you like this? If you were just a neighbor, you would be having a room in a long stay hotel. Now, please, say yes. The details are for Anna and Ben to figure out with you."

Laura jumped in Isaac's arms, and gave him a hug and a kiss on his cheek. "When do I start?"

"Now? I suddenly feel the need to decorate my house and do lots of other things. You will stay here for the duration of rebuilding your house, I hope?"

"Yes and Timothy will be delighted too but first I need to resign from my old job. Can I use your phone?"

Meanwhile, Timothy had discovered an old robot, which Isaac had made as a hobby; it was one of the few things they'd found undamaged in the house. He came running with it in his hands to Isaac. Tim gushed, "What is this? Who built it?"

Isaac happily smiled at the boy when he replied, "I did. Let's find some batteries and the remote so you can have a go with it outside."

Ten minutes later the little robot bumbled over the driveway accompanied by the happy shouts of an eleven-year-old boy. As he did, Isaac arranged a sitter for Tim and an hour later he and Laura were on their way to a big shopping mall.

"I resigned. They weren't happy and offered me a raise and more work," Laura said.

"Ha!" Isaac replied, while navigating the parking lot. "I hope it's too little, too late. What are they offering?"

Laura looked at the man beside her and noticed a glimmer of apprehension in his face. She thought, He really does care! She felt herself getting warm and for a very long time spontaneously a little wet in a very different place than her mouth. Laura decided to tease a little and asked, "What do you have to offer?"

Isaac didn't miss a beat. "You start with four thousand a month net, free rent and my undying gratitude."

"Done!" Laura happily shouted, "But free rent? You don't have the house yet."

"Don't underestimate the negotiation skills of Fabian. And no, no, no, he really will ask nicely."

====

Two weeks later Laura was amazed at how fast and efficiently the crews of ExConv worked. She already was moving some of her belongings back to her, now rent-free house, but she did it with a little sadness. Laura was growing more than a little attached to the sometimes gloomy man.

Their working relationship was firmly established, with their day starting with an hour of cardio and fitness training. It was a routine Isaac had picked up in prison under the tutelage of Fabian, leading him to become a very fit man and he wanted to keep it that way. Laura struggled with the workout at first but was already noticing a difference in her condition. The job, she found, was challenging at times, but like the workout, she was learning to handle it, too.

A few nights later, Tim announced that he had a new math teacher. Laura thought nothing of it, only half listening to the happy chatter of her son. She was thinking about Isaac and if there was a way to show her feelings for him when she noticed a car in her driveway. She wasn't expecting guests so she watched for a few moments. The driver didn't get out, but then her attention was drawn to Timothy, who was enthusiastically talking about him building his own robot, with the help of Isaac, of course.

Half an hour later, she looked again and saw the car was still there, the driver still in the seat. Wondering why, she went out to investigate, walking up to the driver's side and knocking on the window.

====

Thomasina Manner, a.k.a Tommie, had landed a job as a math teacher at a school in the neighborhood where she used to live. When her mother was sentenced to prison for, among other things, perjury, Tommie had to stop her study of 'artificial intelligence' and get a job. That's where she heard Tim enthusiastically talking about building a robot and she felt a pang of jealousy. She used to do that with her father before her mother lost her mind and hooked up with that creep.

Later that day when she was writing invitations for the 'parent-teacher' talks, she looked up Tim's address and her world lurched sideways. Could it be my father helping Tim? Did my daddy return to that house, after all what had happened there? she thought. She had to find out.

An hour later, she sat in her car with a small pair of binoculars looking at her father sitting in front of his house. She was appalled at how much older he looked than the morning she'd left for school and said goodbye for the last time. She couldn't hold her tears back but was afraid to go up to him.

Her mother had written Isaac a letter once, just after he was released, to beg for his forgiveness and ask if they could be friends in the future. Isaac's answer came via his lawyer to her lawyer. "Only if you can give me five and a half years of my life back. Otherwise stay away."

Suddenly there was a knock on the window. Tommie was shocked out of her reverie and, teary eyed, lowered the window. The woman looked at her saying, "You are definitely not ok. Come inside so you can calm down a bit. Now, you're not fit to drive."

Tommie, mentally off balance for the moment, let the woman lead her inside. There she was greeted by Tim. "Hello, Ms. Tommie. Why are you coming to visit us?"

Laura was thunderstruck but kept her wits. "I'm Laura Wenstad, and you are?"

"Thomasina Manner, I teach Tim math at school. Please, call me Tommie."

A light bulb went off in Laura's mind. "Manner? You mean?"

Tommie nodded and said sadly, "Yes, my father. I haven't seen him in more than six years." And slowly she sagged to the floor.

Laura pulled her up and sat her on the couch. She told Tim to get some water and then added, "Tim, please, go to your room so we can talk."

Tim obliged immediately and Laura turned to Tommie. "We need to talk. But first, you are in no state to drive so you stay here for the night. If there's one thing I've learned from your dad, it is to help when help is needed."

Tommie sighed in relief now that, finally, she had someone to talk to, even if it was a stranger. She looked at Laura questioningly, and Laura understood her implied question. She said, "I know most of it. The one thing that your father never mentioned was your role in it, only that you were adopted by Peter Ramsday."

Tommie shook her head furiously and said, "I was never adopted! I refused and, in the end, they gave up. When I realized what they had done to my dad, I stopped talking to my mother and when that asshole tried to walk into my room unannounced while I was dressing, I kneed him in the balls. I left that house when I turned eighteen; I couldn't call it home anymore. Shortly thereafter Asshole and Mother split."

Laura had to process this information; Isaac was convinced that his daughter had been adopted. She said after a while, "I think that we must find a way to convince your father to let you into his life again. I want him to be as happy as he can be. He still has a picture of you in a drawer in his desk, you know?"

The tone in which Laura delivered her little speech made Tommie take a good look at her as she realized the truth. She touched Laura's hand and said lightly, "We've known each other for a very short time, but one thing is blatantly obvious to me. You love him, don't you?"

A despondent Laura blushed and answered with sadness in her voice, "Yes, but I don't know if I have any chance with him."

"Maybe I can help you there if I tell what I know of my father from my own experiences and from what my mother told me before she had her brain damaged by that asshole Sheriff."