Back Stories: Skeletons and Dirty Laundry

By Ralph Peluso

The perfect American family with an idyllic fairy-tale life. When hidden secrets start coming out, life gets complicated. Mix in a serial killer, a con artist, and a dominatrix, lives unravel in a heartbeat.

Tommy McDowell--business owner, dedicated husband with a beautiful, dedicated wife and three loving children--had it all. He concealed a different life from her; his adult children hid the details of their lives. And the beat goes on--everyone has something to hide.

When the unfiltered truth peeks out and snowballs, chaos reigns.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 3, 2023
• ISBN: 9781662485671

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Back Stories

Skeletons and Dirty Laundry

Ralph Peluso

Copyright © 2023 Ralph Peluso

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING

Conneaut Lake, PA

First originally published by Page Publishing 2023

ISBN 978-1-6624-8559-6 (pbk)

ISBN 978-1-6624-8567-1 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Blind Date

The McDowells

Richard, a.k.a. Little Dick

Fursona Stalker

Nighthawk Hunting

Hiding a Life

Helpful Daughter

Furry Delight

Trap Set

Sliding to Hell

Bad Behavior Redux

Crashing into the Depths

Something Changed

Make Your Man Happy

Sidepiece Slipup

Soft Heart and Mind

Unleashed

Second Date, Third Base

Time to Move On

Reconnaissance

An Unexpected Detour

Missed Party, Left Crumbs

Date 3, Buzzkill

Just Go with It

But You Hate Polo!

Silence Is Gold

Too Wild a Child

Punch-Drunk and Josie

Poor Choices

Lies and Half-Truths

Now What!

The Dead Speak

The Dinner Reckoning

Another Cleanup

Goodbye, Lil' Sis

Scammer Alert

Angel of Revenge

Coincidence

Mind Your Own Business

Amateur Sleuth

Easy Peasy, Lemon Squeezy

He Is What He Is

Going, Going Gone

Find the Mother Jumper

The Setup

The Setup, Part 2

Nearly Perfect

Greedy Pig to the End

No, No, No

Two Peas in a Pod

All Set

Shots Rang Out

What the Hell?

Not a Clue

That Bitch

You Sneaky Little Dick

Suspect Ensemble

Reunion

About the Author

Man is not what he is, he is what he hides.

—Andre' Malraux

Acknowledgments

To the thousands and thousands of people who intersected only to walk in, out, and through one's life, there is a story for discovery each day. Keep your eyes wide open and look for it. Thank you, strangers and friends.

To my friends who have emerged as authors and have had books published. Our shared inspirations keep us going, Stuart McCusker and Ceil Warren.

To my wife, Janet, who endures through the hours of muddling, writing, and research and all too many middle-of-the-night I got it when a thought strikes.

Blind Date

Jillian

Present time

Damn it! Why did I agree to a blind date? Jillian regretted joining the latest hook-up app. Unlike more traditional dating sites with fake or outdated pictures, you got to know someone through online conversation and questions designed to determine compatibility. Physical beauty was not a consideration, at least not until the second date. When couples went on the first date, their identity remained hidden. Each party committed to wearing a mask.

Jillian, a stylish forty-five-year-old, sat in a posh Asian-fusion restaurant, wearing a floral St. John knit dress. Perfect for this autumn night and ideal for her Botticelli-like body.

I've got to be nuts. I feel out of place in this mask. A cat? Why did I go for a cat? Not a wise pick.

She never anticipated jumping back into the dating scene. She and Tommy were happily married and closing in on their silver wedding anniversary.

Jillian imagined their anniversary as a grand celebration with hundreds of guests. After all, their shotgun wedding was limited to parents and siblings. They did not have money back then.

Then the roof caved in. That was two years ago.

* * *

Their story is one as old as time. High school hormones and a few careless nights. Next thing you know, she's pregnant, and a hurried wedding follows.

A mature senior in high school, Tommy stepped up to his responsibility and found work in construction while learning carpentry. He was a fast learner and ambitious. To make ends meet, Tommy took on side jobs. His terrific workmanship and fair prices won him rave reviews. His customers said, He is a breath of fresh air and especially honest.

Word of mouth spread, and Tommy's remodeling business exploded. Soon, his company employed nearly one hundred people. Even with the expansion, a yearlong backlog existed. People patiently waited though because he was that good.

* * *

The divorce hit the marriage like a tsunami. Normalcy ended for Jillian. Middle-aged, freshly single, now working to make ends meet. With her three adult children now out of the nest, Jillian was never lonelier.

Now here she sat, looking like a fool, waiting for a guy named Dewey. A guy who said he was showing up in a cute furry costume.

Secretly, Jillian hoped to get lucky.

I pray Dewey doesn't dress like a puppy. Would he really wear a costume that crazy? Maybe I should stand him up.

The McDowells

An American Family

Before the divorce

As he did every Sunday after services, Pastor Neill greeted each family as they left the church.

Mr. McDowell, can I have a word with you?

Certainly, pastor.

Sorry for the inconvenience, Jillian. My, has your family grown. Beautiful. Your family has graced our community for nearly twenty years now. I will keep him only a minute.

Thank you, pastor.

I'll meet you in the car, Tommy said.

We are beginning a capital campaign to renovate the athletic building. Can we count on your generosity once again?

Absolutely. How much for, say, a McDowell Field House?

Of course, if you're the anchor donor.

You got it, pastor.

You are part of the bedrock of this community.

Tommy took pride in being all that and more. A former Catholic and card-carrying member of the Knights of Columbus, he pulled his family from that church. The stories of widespread child abuse littered the news. He lost all trust in the priests. The Vatican leaders to him were solely responsible. Priests—we entrust our young children to their care, and this is what we get. Dirty secrets, cover-ups, and no accountability for the long-term trauma.

Episcopalian services were different. Rather than using guilt to enforce God's laws, they transformed hearts and community through Jesus's love. They were diverse in values, traditional in worship, and dynamic in serving the needs of our greater community. St. Gregory's was a great place for openness and inclusion.

Tommy served as president of the brothers of St. Gregory, an active men's ministry. A Gibraltar-type rock with deep pockets and long arms when asked.

Three terrific children, a nice income, and plenty of savings—life was good for Jillian and Tommy. They planned to combine their silver anniversary party and lost honeymoon. Tommy made all the travel arrangements to the Greek Isles. Jillian dreamed about nothing else. They were the American family with a life everyone envied.

What Jillian did not notice were the changes in Tommy. In recent years, he grew distracted from their relationship. Boys' trips and night outs occupied more of his free time, ultimately replacing Jillian and Tommy's date night. He spent hours alone, in reflection. And Jillian didn't understand his new obsession with the movies To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar and Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

Friends asked about Tommy's frequent absences at neighborhood events. Jillian answered, Business calls. She gave that answer no thought. Jillian believed it true and unequivocally trusted her husband. No one questioned anything about Tommy or their relationship.

Richard, a.k.a. Little Dick

Present time

That's right. I sold the company. The deal closes in forty-five days… A ton, that's what I net, a ton… What am I going to do? Relax, enjoy retirement, travel… Best lawyer ever, the bitch didn't get a cent… Iron clad, she picked her poison, a buyout of her interest at the time we split… What am I going to do with life-changing money? Change my life. Not sure what that will entail, but I'll figure it out.

That conversation occurred between Little Dick and his best bud of five years ago.

Unbeknownst to his friend, none of what Little Dick said was true. He was setting up his now best bud for a very large bridge investment.

* * *

Richard, how long before we get there? Tiffany asked.

Quite a while, Tiff. Why?

Weather report says a storm is coming.

Hmm, tell you what. Let's cut today short and make port in St. John. Then hunker down.

Good.

Are you going to put any clothes on before our guests come up for breakfast?

Why? You didn't mind yesterday when we all swam bare ass. Didn't think you noticed. Your eyes were all over Holly.

That's different.

How?

Well, we were all wasted.

Everything then, including me, looks better with a clear head. Tiffany pirouetted and finished with a slow stripper-like hip roll.

Did I hear someone call my name? Holly emerged from the deck below. Tiffany, nice moves. I think I'm overdressed.

I hate clothes, Tiffany quipped.

Richard's eyes burned a hole in Holly, who posed on the top step in a micro beige string bikini, cut to her pubic bump. He'd come to the conclusion that Tiffany was fun, but the time to move on had come. Holly turned him on now. Only problem, Holly was with his new best bud as was Tiffany not too long ago. She came on to me like a relentless storm and has never let up. Too nosey for her own well-being.

Richard went through best buds and current squeezes like a hot knife through butter. Artie, like the others, would end up on the collateral damage trash heap after Richard lightened his wallet a tad. Richard already started to forget about Tiffany.

Holly pulled the strings. The bikini fell without a sound.

Ta da!

During the prior night's drinking and doobie fest, Holly shared that Artie no longer did it for her. The admission ignited a spark between Richard and Holly. During the moonlight, skinny-dip session, she took a gamble.

The waves gently rolled to shore. Tiffany and Artie danced to classic Motown tunes on the beach. Holly waded backward toward Richard. Their bodies met. She took a deep breath and considered the bold move.

The dark water was a perfect cover. She planned to execute an unseen taboo. She desired a guilty pleasure even for a moment. At the right angle, if she pressed against Richard, he'd slide into her effortlessly. She wanted him. Enjoyment just for a second or two, then she'd pull away. Her body tingled at the thought. It wouldn't really be cheating, she concluded. A tiny slip in and out didn't count as an affair. Only a little slipup.

Richard, a.k.a. Little Dick, already plotted his exit from Tiffany. All her questions about his money. It was time to jettison her. Now, all he needed to do was decide when to make a move for Holly. Boy, he'd screw Artie two ways, financially and stealing his woman.

Artie's head popped up from below deck. What did I miss?

Fursona Stalker

Dewey

Present time

Dewey selected his favorite, a sly fox, full-body costume for the date with Jillian. This was his go-to outfit. The girls found it irresistible. His success rate in this furry get up was 100 percent—not measured in scoring for a one-night stand. Dewey viewed success as committing a violent crime and then moving on without a trace of evidence for the local police.

Dewey was a ghost in the world of social media. Everything about him led to dead ends. The new avenue of anonymous hook-up sites made fulfilling his twisted needs easier. He created accounts using aliases from fake social security numbers, dead people, and some who never existed.

Tonight was no different. Set up the victim. Gain their trust. Strike in a small city with a low violent-crime rate. Translation—not the most advanced police resources for this type of crime. Taxpayer dollars weren't spent on one-off crimes that happen a few times a decade.

Decide when to do the evil deed, then get out of Dodge.

Not so long ago, going to a hook-up dressed in fur would set off red lights and alarms. That is no longer the case. Thanks to mainstream enlightenment toward fetishes, all that has changed. Nearly five hundred thousand Americans admittedly are furries.

* * *

Initial public portrayal of furries from Vanity Fair to CSI and Dr. Phil focus on the kinky sex aspect. The animal suits amount to a huge turn on for sexual deviants.

Documentaries peppered the networks about the furry community. Their elaborate and expensive costumes are no longer seen as freaks. The strange porn-like aspect of the fur domain still exists, but furries are now just another growing lifestyle oddity within a more inclusive mainstream.

* * *

Dewey saw it like this, a shroud that helped women escape their inhibitions. When you meet someone for the first time and she likes your character, it's like winning the golden ticket at Willie Wonka's.

Dewey had a good feeling about tonight.

Nighthawk Hunting

Tommy

Before the divorce

From the time of his first high-school communal shower, Tommy never gave a second thought about walking naked among of group of young men. He didn't stroll into crowded shower rooms but pranced in like a proud rooster. Reticence or shame wasn't an issue. Proudly, he showed off his body. Tommy admired the more endowed boys, never worried about an extended stare. As a star athlete, no one questioned which team he played for.

Tommy was a normal guy living a normal life. Started dating his sweetheart in sophomore year. He pinned her a year later. Under her royal-blue graduation gown, she sported a secret. A baby bump known only to Tommy and her best friend. Married before reaching drinking age. The couple lived paycheck to paycheck but he always made ends meet and provided for his family.

Not yet thirty-five with three children, Tommy never saw a way to get ahead. Additional weekend shifts robbed time from his family with no discernable improvement in quality of life. Taxman got more than his fair share.

After wrapping up a kitchen renovation one Saturday afternoon, Tommy stopped for a drink at Rusty's, the local bar. A bit of barstool advice changed his life.

Dude, with your mad skills, go out on your own. Use weekends for that. You'll make more money. And you can take advantage of tax write-offs, Rusty, the all-knowing owner-bartender, told him.

I don't have the first clue how to do that.

What?

Start a business.

I'll point you in the right direction. This is the number for my accountant and business advisor. He can guide you. He knows all the ins and outs. In return, he'll want your bookkeeping and tax business. He's a good guy and fabulous at what he does. But Gil is a smidge different. Call him.

Tommy did exactly that. Rocking and fidgeting in his chair, Tommy waited in Gil's anteroom as he wrapped up a call with a client. He was unsure what to say or ask for. God, I am going to sound like a moron.

When the office door opened, Gil pounced out, arm extended. Sorry to keep you waiting.

Tommy clasped his hand with a firm grip. No problem. I'm Tommy.

Come on in and take a seat.

Tommy cooperated.

Gil inquired, How can I help you?

You got an extra few grand a month.

Loudly, Gil hooted. Like I have not heard that one. First, tell me about yourself and your family.

Tommy did that. Within minutes,