Mothers Know Best

MOTHER KNOWS BEST

"Hello, Mom. I'm at work and can't talk long. What can I do for you?"

"Donald Ray, what you can do is you can come and pick up your kid. Your wife dumped him on me and promised to be back over an hour ago. I called and called and called her cell phone and all I get is her damn voice mail. Can you come get her now?"

"I don't understand. Why did she need to drop Billie Jean off with you? She said she was going to be home all evening?"

"You'll have to ask her that. Are you coming or not?"

"I'll be right there." He headed downstairs.

"Finally, getting out of here, Mr. Stamper?"

"Yes, Dominic, clients get pissed off if I'm unprepared in court."

"Well, if I ever need a lawyer, I would want to have you."

"You would have to form a company because I only do corporate law."

"Have a good rest of the evening, Mister Stamper, whatever is left of it."

I headed to my mother's house. Once there, I walked into the house in which I had grown up. From age 13 on, it had just been me and my mother since my father died in a car accident. With the payouts from the life insurance and the company that owned the other vehicle, my mother only needed to work one job to pay the bills. The life insurance payoff paid for law school which my mother would not have been able to afford otherwise. The term 'helicopter mom' was not in use back then, but the descriptor would have fit my mother. Maybe an Apache attack helicopter.

I walked into the living room to find Billie Jean fast asleep on the couch. Mother started in on me from the second I walked in. "You tell that lazy wife of yours I won't do this again. She needs to show up when she says and not turn her phone off. What if I had an emergency?"

"I'll tell her, Mom. Just out of curiosity, what were you doing that you needed Billie Jean to be picked up?"

"My life, that's what. I have a life outside of being a grandmother, you know. I don't have anything special going on tonight, but what I have to do is none of your or her business. If you leave my grandbaby off with me and promise to be home by 9:00, then, by God you better... "

"Okay, Mom. I get the idea. I'll have a talk with Laurie. It won't happen again."

"It better not. She takes advantage of me because Billie Jean is my only grandchild. Now, get your child and get out of here. I may want to go out clubbing later."

I laughed at the thought of my mother in curlers and robe walking into a bar. I had no problem believing she would do it if she wanted to go.

Billie Jean briefly woke up while I was putting her in her booster seat. She asked where her mommy was. I just told her everything was all right and we were going home. She was back asleep before we left the driveway.

On the way home, I knew it was time to confront my wife. She had become very erratic and quick to anger lately. Something was going wrong despite her protestations to the contrary. I realized that I had been too much a coward to poke the bear. I decided to do it -- tomorrow.

I was shocked so see police cars and an ambulance at my house. Yellow tape was being put up. My house was a crime scene! I parked across the street and went towards the house.

I was stopped, "I'm sorry, sir. This is a crime scene. You can't go any closer."

"It's my house! Why can't I go in?"

The officer in charge came over. "You say this is your house? What is your name?"

"Yes, this is my house. My name is Donald Ray Stamper."

"Can I see your driver's license? Your address is on license, isn't it?"

"Of course. Here, look for yourself."

He looked at the license to see that my address on the license matched the house. "It looks like this is your house." He handed it back.

"Now officer, tell me what the hell is going on here. Where is my wife? Has something happened to her?"

"I'm sorry to inform you that the lady in the house is dead. We are keeping the area taped off to prevent contamination of the crime scene."

"Crime scene? Are you saying that someone killed her? Shit!"

"Your wife was killed. We thought the man with her was her husband until you showed up even though his license didn't have this address on his license. You wouldn't believe how many people forget to get their license corrected when..."

"Excuse me, tell me what happened and what is this about a man in my house."

"One of your neighbors called 9-1-1 and reported gun flashes and sounds of gun shots coming from the upstairs bedroom of your home. We investigated and found your wife and the man dead in bed. Neither had any clothes on. Are you saying you were unaware your wife was seeing another man?"

"Hell, yes I was unaware! I am not some cuckold."

"Are you familiar with the name, Dwayne Herndon?"

"I think he worked with Laurie. I guess they did more than work together."

"Do you own a gun, sir?"

"Yes, I have a legally registered Remington 22 magnum. It's locked upstairs in a small gun case. Here's the key."

"Does anyone else have a key?"

"My wife does... did."

"Where have you been the last few hours, sir?"

"I guess you think I killed her. I mean, them. I have been working late at my office this week. You can talk to the security guard."

"Please understand, we have to look at all possibilities."

Just then I remembered Billie Jean. "Excuse me, I have my young daughter in the car. I need to get back to her."

"Do you two have a place to stay?"

"I guess I could go back and stay with my mother. Can I go in and get some of my and my daughter's clothes and stuff?"

"If your stuff is in the master bedroom, you won't be allowed there or the kitchen. You can, however, go into your daughter's room and get her things."

"How long do I have to wait before I can get any of my things?"

"A few days."

"How can we get in touch with you?"

"Here officer, I'll write my cell number on the back of my business card. I'll have to take off work a few days. I can buy enough clothes for that."

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry for your loss."

"Yeah."

I took my daughter back to my mother's house. I put Billie Jean to bed in what was my old room. Mother and I stayed up and talked. Mother has a tendency to problem solve for other people. She spent most of the time helping figure out what to do with Billie Jean so I could get back to work. I told her that I had a case that was too far along to pass off to someone else. I rationalized that I could use the work to help me deal with the shock I was suffering.

Mom agreed to take care of Billie Jean. I went in to work. My boss tried to convince me to take off some time but didn't resist too strenuously my declaration that I needed to finish the case I was working on. I said I would take off time right after that trial. I tried putting off the police who wanted me to come in for more questioning, but the minute the trial ended, I wound up going directly from the courtroom to the police station.

*****

"Okay officer, I know the husband is usually a prime suspect. In my case, I'm a husband whose wife was having an affair, who was a weak alibi, and is a lawyer, so it looks pretty bad for me. All anyone would need is the weapon with my fingerprints. You won't find that because I didn't kill them."

"Do you have any more evidence to prove where you were at the time of the murder?"

"About 7:00 I called for Chinese food. They delivered it about 7:40 at the guard station. I went down to retrieve it. I suppose you have talked to the guard."

"Yes, we have. He corroborates your meal order and leaving time. There's still a lot of time you were alone."

"It is what it is. If I had known I would be accused of murder, I would have worked out a better alibi. Do you have other suspects? If he had other affairs, how about those women or their husbands?"

"We have been given some possible names and are trying to track those people down now. Let's get back to you. Do you own a gun?"

"Yes, don't you remember? I showed it to you that night."

"The Remington you showed me was not the murder weapon. The case you gave me the key for is large enough for another gun. Do you have any other guns?"

"No."

"It seems difficult to believe you didn't know of your wife's affair? Apparently, she had been seeing the man openly for almost six months."

"I knew something was wrong with how she was acting. I supposed it was all my late hour and weekend work. Maybe I wasn't home that much to notice. When I was home, I tried to spend it with the kids as much as possible. I kept telling Laurie that my weird hours were necessary until I made junior partner. But I was suspicious enough that I had planned on confronting her soon to see what the matter was."

"With her dead, there's no need for that now, is there?"

He was trying to prod me into anger and making a stupid statement. "Look, I need to make funeral arrangements for my wife's body. I've been so busy the last few days that I haven't had a chance. I'll be home the next few days if you need to talk again. It is okay for me to go back in my house now, right?"

"Yes, forensics had cleared the property."

I called the office and went on leave. I dropped by our attorney's office we had used to draw up wills and advance directives. She told me that the life insurance company would not consider payment until I was acquitted or no longer a suspect. I planned to use the life insurance to be the foundation of Billie Jean's college fund just like my dad's death had for me. All of our assets were in both our names, so everything was accessible to me.

I went to my mother's house to be with my daughter and plan what to do about a funeral. I had not seen much of either of them since the incident. My absence gave my mother implied permission to act in my and Billie Jean's best interest.

"I've been telling Billie Jean that her mother is on a trip. We'll have to figure out another story. I called her parents and let them know about Laurie's death and all the ugly circumstances."

"How did they react?"

"Like any parent would. Denial. Anger. Crying. Swearing. They asked if you did it. I told them to go fuck themselves and send someone to get her body from the morgue. I didn't think we wanted a funeral here since the word is out on her cheating, thanks to your nosy neighbor."

"So much for figuring out a way of honoring her appropriately."

"Appropriate would be to bury the bitch's body without a casket and piss on her grave. At least that was my first thought."

"When did you become so harsh, mother?"

"It started when you were 13 with what I had to do after your father got killed. You better learn to be harsh, too. You have a daughter to protect. There is nothing more important in parenting than to protect your child."

"But how do you tell a little girl about her mother dying while having sex with a man not her father?"

"Certainly, not the whole truth, at least yet. 'Mommy's had an accident and has gone to heaven.' Something like that. You know that her other grandparents will want to see her and keep a relationship with her. We need to tell them what we are going to tell Billie Jean about Laurie's death. Conflicting stories will harm her."

"I hadn't thought of that. Mom how do you feel about helping me raise Billie Jean?"

"I'll do what I can as long as I can, but you better be looking for Wife #2 as soon as possible. Plus, I wouldn't mind a couple of more grandchildren."

"Mother! Don't I get time to mourn?"

"Your wife betrayed you, son. You should not waste much time on mourning her. Have you kept up with any old girlfriends from college or high school?"

"I'm going to try and forget you asked that."

"The sooner you move on the better it will be for you and Billie Jean. That's all I'm saying."

Whenever I called the detective in the case of my wife's and Dwayne's murder, he would say they are not close to arresting anyone yet. He said I would probably be called back for questioning. Evidently, all suspects were back in play.

I went to Dwayne's burial, but not his funeral. There were not too many people there. I hung around after the brief ceremony. His wife came up to talk to me afterwards and asked, "Are you that slut Laurie's husband?"

"Yes."

"Why are you here? To gloat over my husband's death? You didn't even know my husband, did you?"

"No, I didn't. I came to meet you and personally apologize for my wife's causing part of your misery."

"You wanted to meet me? You wanted to apologize? Why, did you know what they were doing? If you are anything like her, you probably are one of those weirdos that want to talk me into a revenge fuck. Or maybe you just want to take your revenge on my husband by suing his estate for interfering in your marriage that will leave less for me and my son?"

"Whoa, where did that come from?"

"I'm sorry, my emotions are raw right now. My anger comes from the frustration of a woman who found out her husband was killed fucking some slut with a small child who now has to figure out how to get on with her life. I want to kick my husband in the balls, but since he's not here, I warn you if you hope to have any more kids, don't stand in range of my foot."

"Warning acknowledged. May I ask, how old is your child?"

"We have a son who turns five next week. Nice 'Happy Birthday- present' his Daddy gave him. He refuses to believe his father is dead, calls me a liar. He still says his Daddy is coming home for his birthday party. I see years of therapy in his future."

"I haven't told our three-year old daughter her mother is dead yet. She's begun to ask more and more about where her mother is and when she's coming back. A couple of times, I tried to tell her, but I couldn't keep from crying. My tears aren't from the loss of a wife, but from my daughter's loss of her mother."

"It's too bad our kids became collateral damage to our spouses' lust. By the way, are you still a suspect? I know I am."

"Yes, I was told I would be questioned again. I didn't realize you were a suspect."

"I was at a meeting in another town. They say there was enough time where I was alone that I could have killed them and returned. By the way, my name is Gretchen."

"Donald."

"Can't say that I'm pleased to meet you given the circumstances, Donald."

"I don't blame you. I'm not sure about a lot of things right now. For example, I would like to say to you, 'if there is any way I could help you' which is what the people at funerals say instead of just 'sorry for your loss.' My question is sincere, is there anything I could do for you?"

"Well, you could buy our house."

"I wasn't expecting that. You moving or downsizing?"

"Reducing debt. My job income won't cover our household expenses without my ex-husband's income. We had a 15-year mortgage, so our monthly mortgage payments are really high, but we could afford it with both our salaries. That's my biggest monthly expense."

"I'm in no position to buy your or anyone else's house. It will be hard enough for me to be able to afford the house we're living in. I don't have much equity in it, but we got a 30 year, really low interest rate mortgage, so the payments aren't too high. I would have to pay more in rent if I got another place."

Gretchen smirked, "Well, my son and I could move in with you to save money. Wouldn't that set the tongues wagging. 'Widows of dead spouses unite. Were the two couples actually wife swappers before killing off their spouses?'"

We both laughed. I was beginning to like her.

"Look Gretchen, here's my card with my cell phone on the back. If you need to talk, call me. I think we can have more empathy for each other than most anyone else."

"Actually, I might want to take you up on that. I need someone to take the trash to the curb on Thursdays." Damn that was an infectious grim.

She walked away from where I was standing. I sincerely doubted she would ever call, but I sincerely wished she would.

My mother and I told Billie Jean that her mother had gone to heaven to help God. Hey, it seemed to help her accept that her mother was not coming back. My mother stayed a few days to help Billie Jean transition back to a newly motherless house. We took her back to her daycare, and they reported very few problems with her. I was relieved.

*****

INTERVIEW WITH THE POLICE

"Mr. Stamper, you remain our prime suspect. In fact, you may be arrested soon. Co-workers in your wife's office said that your wife had told everyone that you two had an open marriage. Maybe you got jealous anyway. I've seen it before. We have determined that you had ample time to leave your office through the back, go home and shoot both parties and get back without the guard knowing. So, we have motive and opportunity. Given that it could be a crime of passion, the DA is willing to make a plea deal."

"I am not admitting to a crime I didn't commit. I'll take my chances. See you in court."

"If you didn't kill them, what can you tell us that would prove your innocence then?"

"Just this: My word. I didn't kill my wife."

*****

I got a call not too long after from Gretchen. "I've been cleared as a suspect. I think they're going to arrest someone. What have you heard?"

"It's probably me. They think I did it or rather, it's easier to frame me than anyone else."

"I won't tell. Did you do it?"

"No. Did you?"

"I guess I deserved that. I'll return your offer. Can I do anything for you?"

"Would you and your son like to join me and my daughter on a trip to the zoo tomorrow?"

"Sure."

The kids were having a great time and Gretchen tried to brighten me up. I appreciated her effort, but all I could think of was that I would soon be behind bars just like the animals I was looking at.

Gretchen finally said, "Do you really think they will be able to convict you?"

"Even though I don't handle criminal law, I know that innocent people get convicted and guilty people get set free all the time. At least my firm is lending me our best criminal attorney."

"When do you think they will arrest you?"

"I'm supposed to turn myself in tomorrow morning."

Gretchen was in thought for a while. "Since I may not see you for a while, are you interested in that revenge fuck now?"

"I sure am, even if it's a pity fuck."

"Hey, for me it's a selfish fuck. After over a month with no sex, I'm very horny right now. Let's go back to my place. I think our kids will sleep well after all this walking and excitement."

We went to her place and started kissing. The spark just wasn't there. We both agreed we needed more time before being able to be intimate with someone else. Gretchen asked for a rain check.

*****

My lawyer believed that the case against me was flimsy. He postulated that the DA was going to try and scare a confession out of me in exchange for a lighter sentence. I said no deal and he agreed.

The trial was very weird. The DA made a full-frontal attack with lots of emotion and said with absolute certainty that he would prove I was the killer who had known about my wife's cheating and had planned their execution. It was no crime of passion, according to him, just cold-blooded murder.

My lawyer's opening statement was concise: "Bullshit." He sat down. The jury was all abuzz. His one word had completely reversed the mood in the courtroom from 'lynch the bastard' to 'we need to hear both sides.'

The District Attorney weaved the story. My wife and I wanted to spice up our marriage. I had a woman in mind to seduce and wanted my wife to agree to an open marriage so she would let me with no penalty. Laurie's co-workers confirmed that Laurie told them that was the deal. As it turned out, my seduction was not successful, however my wife did find someone. We argued over ending the deal before I devised a plan to kill both my wife and her lover. Using my registered gun would have been too obvious so I bought a gun off the streets. I told my wife that I was working late and that she should invite her boyfriend over. I supposedly arranged for my mother to take the kid. Once I knew they were together, I came into the house and killed them both. I took the cash, cards and jewelry to make the police think it was a burglary gone bad. On my way out, I broke the glass to the kitchen entrance door to make it look like someone broke in. There was plenty of time between the Chinese food delivery and checking out later to have snuck home, killed them and returned. I had no gunshot residue which only meant that I was smart enough to have worn gloves."