Desperate Measures

I left the house early Sunday morning and stayed away all day. I found all sorts of ways to kill time, without spending a lot of money. When I got home at about six, I found the house empty. Angela left me a note. She had taken the girls and gone to visit her parents in Tennessee. There was no mention of when she might be back. Most of their clothing was gone. It looked like she was planning for a long stay. I think I was relieved.

First thing in the morning, I stopped by Seymour Schlamp's office. Seymour was a little sneaky, but as a lawyer, I liked him. He had already gotten the DNA results from the lab, by overnight mail. I think that was Jilly's idea. There was no doubt. My rapist was Frank Parrella. I explained to Seymour why I had a copy of the test results sent to him. He said under the circumstances, it was a great idea. I gave him a copy of the tape where officer Parrella threatened me. I told him about the affair that Parrella was having with my wife, and gave him times and dates.

At ten o'clock, Seymour and I were in the District Attorneys office. Two impressive men came into the room with folders and clipboards. After introductions, they started to explain that they would not be able to go ahead with the case because the DNA evidence was missing. Seymour started to laugh and I was having a hard time keeping a straight face.

"Gentlemen, under the circumstances, we had anticipated that the DNA results would fall through the cracks, so we had several duplicate copies sent. I know that it is a little unusual, but it looks like it was worth the effort, wouldn't you say? I think it is important to see that justice is done, don't you?" Seymour slid two copies of the DNA results across the table to the men who were supposed to representing me. "The original was filed at the courthouse at 9 am. These are just working copies. I was afraid the original might get lost again."

Seymour was good. That is why I hired him. The District Attorney and his assistant both sighed and sort of slumped in their chairs. "You knew it was Frank Parrella before we walked in this room, didn't you?"

Neither one of them answered the question. After a few seconds, the DA began speaking. "Why would Frank Parrella, a distinguished and decorated, officer do this? I am sorry but this is inconceivable."

Seymour smiled from ear to ear. "Officer Parrella was having an affair with Mister Briscoe's wife, Angela. This had gone on for several months. His partner can verify it. When Mister Briscoe confronted his wife and ask her to stop, she immediately told Frank Parrella. Officer Parrella and his partner then stopped Mister Briscoe with their squad car and officer Parrella threatened to send Mister Briscoe to jail if he didn't drop the subject."

The District Attorney leaned back in his chair and smiled. "That is the biggest bunch of bull crap I ever heard. There is no way you can convince me or a jury that this ever happened."

I finally had enough. I held my hand up to Seymour, indicating that I wanted to talk. I leaned over the table and looked the DA straight in the eye. "You are supposed to be on my side. This is the second time in ten minutes you inferred that I was a liar. If you do it one more time I will hit you and the city with a whopper of a lawsuit, with tons and tons of media coverage. Sit there, shut up, and listen. When the tape is done, I expect an apology from both of you."

I pressed the play button on my recorder. Seymour sat back and smiled.

"Who the hell do you think you are asshole? My relationship with your wife is none of your business, and I'd advise you to keep your nose out of it and your mouth shut. If you make any more smart remarks to Angela, I will see to it that you get a nice little stretch at Greaterford. I am sure some of the fellows up there would love to have you as a cellmate. Do I make myself clear?"

I sat back and let Seymour take over. "Do you recognize Frank Parrella's voice, or do we need an expert to verify it for you? Maybe Internal Affairs would be interested in this case?"

I got an immediate apology from both gentlemen. Seymour and I excused ourselves and got up to leave. "Call me when you get your shit together, and we will talk again." Seymour was good. "Also, before the end of the day, I would like a restraining order to keep all uniformed policemen away from Mister Briscoe. The situation appears to be ripe for retaliation." The two suits just sat and watched us leave.

Jilly and I had a great time at the Olive Garden that night, She wanted me to go back to her place for a nightcap but I chickened out. Maybe next time, I told her.

Somehow, the whole story was leaked to the local newspaper. They did not cover up any of the names of the people involved, including Angela. It didn't matter much since she wasn't there and I doubted she would ever return. It did, however, matter to Frank Parrella's wife and his two brothers-in-law. Frank got the crap beat out of him and he would not say who did it. I always wondered if they beat him for cheating, or for having sex with a man. Either way, the results were the same.

Things were not looking good for Frank. In the end, he was forced to take a plea. He got five years but avoided the publicity of a trial. He was to serve it at GW, which is Greaterford West. That is where they sent the white-collar criminals and dirty cops. In the general population, Frank would have big problems. Which brings me to my old friend Charlie. Some idiot hit on Charlie's wife a while back, and he found himself in the hospital. Charlie ended up doing his time at GW because they had a brick masons school. He was spending two years in soft confinement, teaching a bunch of cons how to lay brick and block.

I paid a visit to Charlie's wife, Josie. Their daughter, Sarah, finished high school and was accepted at The Dental Hygienists School in Boyertown. The only problem was she needed six thousand dollars tuition. With Charlie in jail, the family had to depend on Josie's income. I knew all of this beforehand, so I came prepared. I gave Josie a check for the tuition and a sealed envelope. I asked her to give the envelope to Charlie next time she visited.

Seymour had prepared and mailed divorce papers to Angela, at her parents' home in Bristol. I gave her custody of the children and monthly child support but no alimony. Her infidelity was well documented and Seymour had it covered. Jilly and I had discussed the possibility of me trying to get custody, but we both agreed that I was too unstable to be an effective father. I did get along quite well with both of my daughters and sometimes felt that I was closer to them than their mother.

Jilly and I were kindred souls. Wow, that is deep. She is the only girl that I was ever with that made me feel comfortable. I didn't tell her all my secrets, and she didn't tell me her secrets, but we bonded somehow. Since Angela was gone, and would soon be out of my life permanently, I felt no qualms about sleeping with Jilly. She moved into the house with me. The house was a rental so it would not come up as a problem during the divorce. She wasn't a very good cook, but she was good at almost everything else. We ate out a lot. There was a very mysterious air about Jilly. I would discover it later.

Angela signed and returned the papers almost immediately. She asked for nothing and did not even get a lawyer. In three months I would be free. I didn't have to stick around till the end. Jilly and I spent a lot of time discussing relocation possibilities. We wanted it a little warmer but not too warm. We decided that no snow, would be nice, but we still wanted four seasons. Getting a transfer with my company would be no problem. Jilly could find work just about anywhere. Huntsville, Alabama seemed perfect for us. It was close to Nashville and Chattanooga, and the taxes were great. A nice house could be purchased for half the price of most other places. We both gave notice and started getting ready.

Before we left I found out that Frank Parrella had been severely beaten in the kitchen pantry at Greaterford West. Officials speculated it was some sort of revenge by inmates he had been in contact with previously. He was kicked in the groin so badly that his bladder and testicles were permanently damaged.

I got a nice letter from Charlie thanking me for the help I gave Sarah. He thanked me for Josie also. I didn't say anything to Charlie, but Seymour was working on getting him a sentence reduction.

Up until that point, things were working out just as planned. We were not expecting a phone call from Angela's parents.

"Ted. It's Mary, Angela's mother. I am sorry to bother you but we need help. "

"What kind of help? What is the matter?"

"Angela is not taking care of the girls. She is not getting anywhere near them. She claims they are demonic and mad at her because of what she did to you."

"That doesn't sound normal."

"She refused to tell us what exactly she did to you that they are upset about. If fact, she pretty much refuses to talk about anything. We really do need your help."

"Other than that is she Okay?"

"No. She sits in her room all day with the door locked. I have to take her meals to her. She seems to be afraid of her own daughters."

"What do you want me to do?"

"You have to come and take the girls. We can take care of Angela but not the girls too."

"Okay. We'll be coming through Bristol on Saturday. We will stop and pick them up. Have everything ready."

"Thanks, Ted. We appreciate that."

I explained to Jilly, that I was not cut out to be a parent. With my quirky personality traits, the girls would grow up to be as freaky as I was. On the surface, I appeared normal, but inside, I am far from it. It was not fair to expose two innocent girls to that type of environment. After several hours, she decided we had to give it a try. Jilly would be a stay-at-home mom. For some reason, I got the feeling she had expected this.

We got a one-year lease on a small house just West of Huntsville. The Internet is a great invention. Our furniture and things would arrive shortly after we got there. Bristol was right on the way. Jilly was nervous about meeting the girls. I was nervous about having to see Angela. Things, however, did not work out as expected. I failed to tell Jilly that my daughters were a little bit unusual. They were not normal little girls, any more than their father was a normal man. It was something that I tried to ignore but was always aware of.

Angela's parents greeted us with a sigh of relief. We entered the house, and when Angela saw me, she immediately ran to her room and locked the door. I guess I was worried about nothing. I decided to leave it at that. Jilly was standing in the living room when my two daughters approached. They looked at each other for several seconds and then a big grin came across all three faces. I felt as if they had a private joke, and I was left out of it. I was, however, very pleased with the initial meeting. The girls walked over to Jilly and each of them put their arms around her legs, something they had never done with their mother. Jilly put her hands on each of their heads and smiled.

"Jilly, I would like you to meet my daughters, Lilith and Sibyl." I had a strange feeling that the introduction was not necessary. I think the next few years of my life will be very interesting.

Lilith --Demon of the night from the Babylonian Talmud.

Sibyl -- A woman endowed with the spirit of prophecy from the ancient Romans and Greeks.

Jilly -- A cute little redhead.