Walkabout

"It's all good Shirl, let's tuck in. I've had a busy day and lunch was a long time ago. By the way, you wouldn't happen to have some of that delicious red we had at dinner the other day?"

Once the paper plates were passed around and the wine poured, they each did indeed tuck in. The pizza was still hot and it was from their favorite joint.

It wasn't until Andrew was biting into his third piece that he finally said something. "Ok Papa, enough buttering us up. Tell us the news."

Tom looked at his son, proud didn't begin to describe it. It went deeper than that, Andrew was smarter than him, savvier in some ways, and a thoroughly modern man. Plus he was ready to take over. Yup, pride didn't begin to cover it. So he wasn't surprised that Andrew had sensed that something was up.

"Ok, I'm afraid I have some bad news. I have been meeting with Marsha Parsons yesterday and today. She is the wife of the CFO of Gail's company. She flew out from Chicago to bring me the news directly that your mother and her husband William have been carrying on an affair for the last six years. They apparently are having their last hurrah on this trip."

"Papa that can't be true!! Mom loves you to the moon and back. Why, you guys have been happily married forever. I've always admired the way you guys are together. I had hoped to be as good to Shirley as you have been to mom. Please tell me this is some kind of dark joke." Andrew was clearly distraught and Shirley had started to tear up.

"I'm afraid it's all too true. While I haven't seen any of the pictures or video myself, I have reviewed the summary report and read some of the notes from the field operatives. Marsha, Mrs. Parsons that is, has had private eyes on the case from the beginning. There is no mistake; they spend the whole week your mom is out there shacked up. Here, I brought along a copy of the summary, I thought it might help if you saw that."

Tom handed over the pages, and Andrew and Shirley read them together.

"I didn't bring any of the actual evidence mentioned in the report. I gave all that stuff to Aunt Barbara; she has instructions from me to fully engage with Marsha's lawyers as they deal with the legal stuff. She and I met with CC this morning to bring this to his attention. Having two senior executives canoodling opens up a whole world of possible trouble for Adelicus."

"Holy cow Papa! This could get really serious; I can imagine this could turn into a huge mess for Mr. Adelicus. I know they do business with the government. Heck they even have overseas operations. The CFO could have his hands in all kinds of things. Wow."

"Tom you don't suspect Gail of anything illegal do you?", Shirley had a very worried expression.

"Shirl' right now I don't know what to think. Mrs. Parsons dumped this on me first thing Monday morning and I've been in reaction mode since then. She's had six years to get used to the idea, I've hardly had 48 hours."

"Papa, are you going to divorce mom? You don't seem all that broken up about this."

"You know I hadn't gone that far yet. I guess all my professional training kicked in. I've been working on understanding the scope of the problem and damage control. I suppose I'll get around to consequences eventually." Tom was going to keep his cards close to his vest as much as possible. If he was going to stay in control everybody was on a need to know basis, even Andrew.

"Have you talked to mom? Are you going to confront her when she gets back? This is so unsettling."

"These last few years when she travels we don't talk much on the phone. Since she's a couple hours ahead in Chicago she just texts me good night. I usually see that as I'm sitting down to dinner at home. Now I know why she stopped calling me, she's been busy." Tom forced his emotions down; he didn't want to start reacting now in front of the kids.

"Papa, Andrew and I will be here for you. Maybe this will all blow over and you two can repair the damage that's been done to your marriage. Have you thought about counseling, or a therapist?"

"Like I said, I haven't gotten to consequences or next steps yet. But those are good ideas; I knew I could count on you guys. Now how about another glass of this red? And by any chance do you have any dark chocolate in the house?"

Previous Wednesday Morning: September 9

Just as Mrs. Parsons was walking up to Janet to announce herself Julian passed her and knocked on the door frame to Tom's office.

"Hi Pops, delivery for you." With that he handed Tom a half-size manila envelope. "It's all in there just as you requested."

"Thank you Julian, this means a great deal to me."

"Like I said, anything for you Pops. I got the boys to put a rush on this so they worked on it overnight." Julian took his exit and Janet ushered Marsha into Tom's office. Tom put the envelope in his top drawer.

"Good morning Marsha. Again let me thank you for having given so generously of your time this week. I think we'll be able to wrap up our involvement this morning. With the visit to my lawyer, informing CC, and your preparations, I think we can let things play out as you planned. I'm confident that we've done all we can at this point and I can take a few days for myself to decompress and do some thinking."

####

"Hi Barbara, can I come by this afternoon? I have some things I want to talk over with you."

"Sure Tom, any time after 2pm. I can stop whatever I'm working on to meet with you."

"Perfect, see you this afternoon, thanks."

---

"I guess I've got several concerns, first how to keep me and my money from getting dragged into the lawsuit that Mrs. Parsons is bringing against Gail. I mean, I don't want to be sitting next to her on the defense side. She made this mess; she's going to have to answer for it.

"Second, I want to take a little vacation and I'm going to need funds to cover it. And Third, I want to make sure none of this blows back on the company. Gail and I are the majority stockholders."

"Ok Tommy, we have to go with what the law and practice is in Ohio. Do you guys still have separate bank accounts and file taxes separately?"

"Yes, to both. I have my own checking and savings. We have a joint account for things like household expenses, and the mortgage used to come out of there. But as you know the house is paid off now."

"Is the house in both your names?"

"Actually it's in a Trust, with Andrew as the beneficiary. In fact you drew up the paperwork. Did you forget?"

"Nope, I didn't. I'm trying to keep you focused, so I have a checklist of topics I need you to consider. Who does your taxes? Does Gail still do her own?"

"Charlie Sanchez does mine, Gail still does hers. I've been with Charlie for about twelve years now. Before that Gail did mine too."

"We know that Baker & Co is a closely held corporation with you and Gail as the major shareholders. Andrew and a few employees have some stock which shouldn't be a problem. What do you mean you're going to take a little vacation?"

"I'm going walkabout - I need some time and space to figure out what my next step is going to be. Do I stay with Gail, or divorce, or something else. I'm thinking I should be away for a few weeks. To do that I'm going to need to be able to access my funds without my location being traced. I really do mean I'm going no contact. I'll figure out how to communicate with you this afternoon. What I want to do is move my money around so nobody knows where it is, except you."

"Hmmm, that could be a bit tricky. Since the lawsuit against Gail has already been filed, moving money around might get you into trouble with the court. On the other hand, your accounts are already separate. Hmmm, let me think about that."

"I'm willing to risk it. I don't want to be traced or found until I decide to resurface. And since you're my lawyer any communication with you is privileged. I'm heading to the bank right after this, I don't think I'll need any more money than what I already have, but I may. Maybe if I do I can talk with you, have Andrew pull some from the general fund, you take possession, then transfer that to my new account. That way my privacy is protected."

"Ooooh, see now that's even a grayer area. I don't really like that."

"It will probably be a while before the lawsuits really get under way. When and if we have to disclose my assets as part of discovery or whatever, we can cooperate then. All this is just a temporary measure to give me some breathing room."

"Ok, ok. I guess I can work with that. Oh, and I did chat with Mrs. Parsons' Chicago lawyers this morning. I guess I should have lead with that. Anyway, they said they're not comfortable in your joining her suits, but that they'd cooperate with any action you want to bring. You know, share information and so on."

"See that's exactly the kind of thing I need to be thinking of during walkabout. Do I want a pound of flesh from ol' William? After all I am the injured party. Although I'm thinking that by the time Marsha Parsons is done with her husband he might just end up under the freeway in a cardboard box. Won't be much to get after she's done with him."

"Here's a thought, how can we find out what's in the suit against Gail? That might be useful information."

"That should be fairly easy to find out, after all its public record. I'll ask the Chicago lawyers on Monday after Gail has been served. They'll probably just send me a copy."

"Ok sis, that about does it. Give me a hug; I'll be leaving in the morning. I'll talk to you later today or tomorrow about the accounts and contact info. Luv you." And after a hug, Tom started his journey.

Previous Thursday mid-day: September 10

-----

As he sat waiting for Janet and Andrew to arrive, Tom wondered if when he'd get a chance to eat at Paoli's again. A sad thought, but his mind was made up. He was going walkabout and only time will tell.

"Hi guys, thanks for coming." Janet and Andrew were both a bit cautious, Tom hadn't really seemed himself since Monday. The news from Mrs. Parsons really had shaken each of them.

Frankie came over and, "Andrew, Janet, great to see you guys. Andy, are you all set to take over the shop once the old man is gone?"

"If only he'd leave! I can't get him to stay out of the office. But I've been taking over more and more of the daily management and so he's free to sit at home as much as he wants. Before I forget again, howz Frank Jr. doing. Last I heard he had two girls."

"Here let me show you pictures." And Frankie proceeded to scroll through a boat load of pics of the two little blond girls.

"Ok everybody, what can I get you? Andy, how about a Coke, or a Pepsi, or a Ginger Ale?" Frankie had a twinkle in his eye.

"I'll have an Arnold Palmer. And I'll keep my money in my wallet you old trickster."

Tom and Frankie went way back to when Andy and Frank Jr. were in grade school. They had lived a couple of blocks over from the Bakers, and the boys went to the same schools. Right up thru High School.

At one BBQ at Frankie's house when the boys were in High School Frank Sr. put out a challenge to the young people.

"Ok everybody, gather around. I hereby challenge any and all of you to be able to tell the difference between a Coke, or a Pepsi, or a Ginger Ale. I got ten buck say you can't do it."

Andrew was the first to step up and lay down his money. Frankie motioned to his wife, "Hon, you blindfold Andy while I pour the sodas." Frankie put some of each of the flavors into those clear plastic party cups with plenty of ice.

"Ok, here's the first one." And he handed Andrew a cup, all the rest of the kids were watching carefully, alert for some trick.

"That's Coke for sure." A groan went up from the crowd - that first one had been Ginger Ale.

Frankie handed the second cup to Andrew, "that's Ginger Ale." Another groan from the crowd. "What's happening, I can tell the difference. You guys are fooling with me!"

After the laughter died down Frankie handed Andrew the third cup. "Ok, that's Coke again." Another groan from the crowd. Andrew whipped off the blindfold and looked around. He hadn't gotten any of them right.

One by one, all the kids who had a ten put down their money. And only one girl got them all right. Nobody else could tell the difference.

Frankie praised the girl who could do it, "The only other person I've ever met who could do it was my wife." And he gave the Mrs. an affectionate kiss.

"You know guys, I get people come into the bar all the time asking for a specific brand of vodka, or scotch. I give them what they want, but occasionally I do this taste test with various brands, I've made a ton of extra cash with this bet. And with the soda one too. Let that be a lesson to you."

---

Tom smiled at the shared memory; Janet had heard the story and smiled too. Tom wondered where the days went. Oh well, no use getting maudlin, time to get a move on.

"OK you guys, let's order lunch and we can chat a bit about what's going to happen next. I've got an appetite; I think I'll have the crab pasta."

Then when they'd gotten a few bites of their lunches, "I know it's a couple of months early, and under some stressful circumstances, but working together you two will certainly be able to carry on. And Julian is also there if you need him. I need some time away, to regroup, to decide what my next steps are going to be. And no don't ask me, I don't know what I'm going to decide. I just know I gotta get away for a bit."

"Papa, what happens if mom goes off the deep end when she finds out you're gone? I'm not sure I'm qualified to deal with that."

"I wouldn't worry too much about that. Your mom is a strong woman, and very smart. You don't get to her level in the professional world without having some backbone. But as a backup plan you always have Aunt Barbara. Reach out to her for whatever you need. If it's a real emergency, she'll know how to reach me."

"So let me tell you some of what is going to happen. After lunch, I'm going to get in a cab and disappear. Don't try to find me; I'll be totally off the radar. I got me some, ahem, credentials so that Tom Baker will stop leaving a paper or electronic trail. I'll leave my wallet, phone, and keys in my desk. Andrew please get my car back to the house when you can."

"Wow, it sounds like you've got it all planned. How long will you be away?"

"As I said, I really don't know. But as a guess I would say several weeks. The revelations from Mrs. Parson's Investigators have totally scrambled my brain."

-----

And now for the big test, he called for a cab and asked to be taken to SFO. He had brought his large roller bag to the office with him and left it stowed in the trunk of his car. If anyone had been looking, he looked like any other exec being ferried to the airport, all normal. He paid the cabby in cash when they got to the airport, so no paper trail.

Tom got out and walked around a bit and then went down the escalator to the arrival level. He jumped on the first Hertz shuttle that came by. Exiting with the rest of the arriving passengers he waited in line. At this time of day there were only three people ahead of him. It probably only took about ten minutes for him to be facing the young man behind the counter.

"I'd like to rent something a little sporty. I've got some time before my meetings start on Monday and I want to drive up to Napa for some wine tasting."

"Do you have a reservation sir?"

"No, I don't. This is kinda a spur of the moment idea. I was going to visit friends but it turns out they're not available so I have the weekend to myself."

"I've got a Challenger available. It's $64 per day plus mileage."

"Excellent, I'll take it. I hear that baby really moves."

"Yes sir, may I please have your credit card and driver's license."

Tom turned up the tunes as he crossed the Bay Bridge. He was glad he'd taken this car; the feeling of its power was like a tonic. And hopefully the black color wouldn't attract too much attention. He kept it under 70 the whole way. He stayed on Highway 80 just cruising along, thank goodness he'd found an oldies station.

He figured it would take about two hours to get to Sacramento. The Four Points was just down the road a bit from SMF so he would be able to make his morning flight with ease. So far his plan was working really well. Hah, he just realized he'd been calling this phase his 'get outta Dodge plan' and here he was tooling down the road in a Dodge Challenger. He hadn't planned that but chuckled at the coincidence.

The Four Points wasn't a four star, but he'd stayed there one time while he and Andrew had visited a client in the Capital. It was clean and near where he could get some decent food. He didn't need much else. So he settled back into the seat and enjoyed the drive. Tom loved to drive; he didn't get to do it much stuck behind a desk. But now, now that he was free with no plan - maybe he'd do a bit more driving.

That would come later. He needed to get to his destination without being detected so he could relax and decide what he was going to do with the rest of his life. But no thinking about that now; there would be plenty of time for introspection once he got there. For now he needed to stay focused on the mission - get outta Dodge undetected.

Checking in was easier than the car rental desk had been. The lady at reception barely even looked at him as she scanned his card. His room was indeed nice and the water hot as he washed off the miles. Not for the first time he wondered how places like this kept their towels so fluffy. And thus scrubbed he donned some casual clothes and out to the car again.

He remembered an Indian restaurant somewhere nearby; damn he couldn't remember the name. Luckily his phone would tell him.

Friday, again: September 11

Gail was only out for a couple of minutes, by the time the emergency medical team arrived she was trying to sit up. They checked her blood pressure anyway and left her in the care of Andrew. An airport attendant got her into a wheelchair for the trip to the car.

"Come on mom, let's get you home. Did you just have your carry on, or did you check a bag?"

Gail hardly heard Andrew but she did manage to answer that she just had the rolling bag. The next thing she knew they were pulling into the driveway of her home. She had completely zoned out. Andrew had the garage opener programmed into his car so it was a short walk from there to the kitchen.

"Have a seat mom, let me get you some water."

In the middle of the table propped up against the flowers was a picture of her and William's first afternoon. Gail reached for it and held it in both of her hands as if she was holding a death notice. She was staring at the picture, unable to tear her gaze from it.

Shirley came in from the patio where she'd been waiting for them to return from the airport.

"Hi mom, how are you feeling? Andrew texted me that you fainted."

That seemed to bring Gail back to the present and, "Oh my god, what have I done!?" She let go of the picture and covering her face began sobbing. Great wracking sobs shook her.

Andrew and Shirley exchanged a glance, "Mom, Mom! Let's get you upstairs and into the shower. You'll feel much better once you've washed away the airplane schmutz." Shirley got her up from the chair and guided her up the stairs. Andrew followed with Gail's bag, which he threw on his parent's bed. And then he exited their bedroom, closing the door behind him.

About twenty minutes later Shirley came back downstairs. "I got her showered and made her take one of her sleeping tabs. She's in her bed curled into a ball, muttering to herself. She kept asking me where your dad is - she sounds so pathetic. 'Where's my Tommy', over and over. She's a mess."