“Cal will have to make house payments and pay Lacy maintenance for Pam. This way he has an income that will enable him to do that, and he has insurance to help pay for Pam’s medical bills through childbirth,” Ms. Dixon explained. “More importantly, he’ll need the breathing space and the temporary financial security this gives him to find another job. Given a decent reference, and given the way Cal has shown he can spin anything, I don’t doubt he’ll be okay.”
She gave me a smile and continued.
“Stated another way, a cornered rat will always fight. A rat with a bolt-hole handy will always run. Your purposes are best served by this particular rat running, and not fighting.”
I thought about what Ms. Dixon had just said. I was smart enough to recognize that I didn’t need Cal or Mr. Fox’s head on a pike at this time. What I did need was to get this behind me. Uncle John had taught me that when you did a deal, everyone had to feel like they got something out of it. If that meant that Cal got to keep his job for a year, so be it. I didn’t want Lacy or Pam to suffer financially from this. From what I’d seen, if Cal were given the time, he would talk his way into another job. That is unless Rigby, Thompson and Associates torpedoed his efforts. I wondered if something similar had occurred in California. My PR agent, Frank Ingram, had said he had information on Cal that Tom Dole admitted they hadn’t uncovered when they hired Cal.
Something that stuck in my craw was that Thomas Fox wasn’t being punished in all this.
“Why can’t we go after Mr. Fox for his part?” I asked.
“I want you to think about something for a moment: if I had screwed up and handed the opposition the smoking gun that wrecked your case, would you be inclined to pay me?” Ms. Dixon asked.
“You scare me enough that I would pay you,” I said, but saw her point.
I think she took that as the compliment that I intended it to be. The more I was around her, the more I realized that I hadn’t been represented by the very best until Ms. Dixon came on board. That wasn’t a slap at Tom or Kendal; Tom had been asked to take over the new Entertainment Division, and Kendal was right out of college. It was inevitable that there would be learning curves, like when they gave away my work product (photos) to clients, staff, and friends. That event had triggered the need for more security. The implementation of the software that tracked access to my files was eventually the other side’s undoing. Well, maybe not Tom and Kendal, but it was obvious someone had to have given Cal access to my files. Ms. Dixon seemed to think that was just something that should have always been in place.
“If I were Cal, I wouldn’t pay Mr. Fox a dime. It was through his negligence that Cal is on the hook for half of my fees and those of IDC. You saw Mr. Fox’s office, or should I say lack of one. If Cal doesn’t pay him, it will be a big hit on his bottom line. Combine that with all the social media you put out about him in regards to the restraining order, plus him losing this case, and you have the perfect storm for him going out of business. Who wants to hire or refer anyone to someone who doesn’t win, especially where the local state’s attorney actually gave a press conference to clear you of false charges? Trust me, he’ll be flipping burgers sooner than you think,” Ms. Dixon assured me.
Her last statement put a smile on my face. I was a teenager, after all, and had a need for instant gratification. The mental image of Mr. Fox in a fast-food uniform would satisfy that need for today.
◊◊◊
We walked back into the conference room. Something I noticed was that since we had been in last time, my picture no longer hung in the entry where their clients were displayed, nor in the conference room. It was a not-so-subtle shot that we’d parted ways.
Pam and Lacy entered the room, and I was surprised when Lacy sat Pam down next to me. Pam still hadn’t made eye contact with me, but when I reached under the table to hold her hand, she gripped it tightly. She then looked up at me and seemed like she was about to cry, so I stuck my tongue out at her, which surprised her. Lacy burst out laughing at me. Pam and I gazed into each other’s eyes, and I knew she’d be okay with her mom there to support her. I still had a burning hatred for her father because of what he’d put us both through, but Pam just wasn’t the type of person to be mean-spirited.
“I’ve read this, and I can tell you right now I have no desire to pay any of David’s expenses,” Cal said.
“I’ve had just about enough from you,” Mom said. “At some point, you’re going to have to grow up and realize that there are consequences to picking on two teenagers. I’m not a teenager, and you’ve crossed the line for the last time. David has tried to hold off his attack dog of a lawyer out of respect for you as an adult. What sickens me as a parent is how self-centered and childish you’ve been.”
“Back off, lady. Your son got my daughter pregnant as soon as she came back from her summer vacation. I tried to keep them apart because I knew that something like this would happen. At some point, he has to learn that his actions have consequences. If you hadn’t raised him to defy his betters, we wouldn’t be in this mess,” Cal said.
“You were there. Both David and Pam said they’d continue to get together with each other. At what point do you back off and let them decide for themselves? That’s right, for you it’s never. I would assume that’s why you punched your daughter, because she wouldn’t bow to your every demand,” Mom said. “Actions do indeed have consequences. Punching your own pregnant daughter, and then publicly blaming David for the black eye you gave her, has consequences too.”
Pam gripped my hand even tighter. Tears were starting to form in her eyes.
“Pam, did your dad hit you?” I asked.
“Don’t answer that!” Cal yelled.
“You shut the hell up!” Lacy yelled back.
Pam looked at me and nodded.
“I hate to ask this, but could you say it out loud?” Ms. Dixon said gently.
“Yes, Daddy hit me,” Pam choked out, and then broke down.
Lacy helped her up, and Lacy and my mom walked Pam out of the room. Cal sat in stunned silence. It seems he’d thought Pam would never say anything. I stood up, and both Tom and my dad jumped up and were on either side of me before I could get around the table. I let them escort me out of the room. As soon as the conference room door closed, we heard Roy Thompson and Cal start yelling at each other.
“You think you can keep him from causing mayhem?” Tom asked my dad.
“If David truly wanted to get to Cal just now, both of us together couldn’t have stopped him. We did, and I think this means he’s grown some inside.” Then Dad turned to me. “Come on David, let’s go find Pam and her mom,” he said, and Tom returned to the conference room.
As soon as the door closed, Tom’s voice joined in the shouting match. I noticed that Ms. Dixon hadn’t left the room. How dumb were those guys, to let her sit in while they screamed at each other?
We found Pam and our moms in Tom’s office. Pam saw me, jumped up and ran into my arms. This was, of course, my worst nightmare. A teenage boy never wants a sobbing girl in his arms. For once, though, I hadn’t caused it. Well, maybe the pregnant part I caused.
◊◊◊
I found out later, from Ms. Dixon, what happened when we left. Roy Thompson had explained to Cal that either he take the deal, or they would help sink him. Cal had shot back that Don Rigby had given him access to the files to begin with. It had devolved into a screaming match until Tom Dole rejoined the meeting.
Tom had gone to bat for me and told them all to accept the deal. Ms. Dixon didn’t tell us what he’d said, but a few minutes later she had the agreement in principle she’d given them, signed by all parties. She came out and found us in Tom’s office.
“It’s done,” Ms. Dixon said when she walked in, shaking her head. "Now I understand why Rigby, Thompson was so anxious to bury this and make it go away so quickly. Don Rigby, the firm’s managing partner, would be in just as much trouble as Cal for deliberately circumventing his firm’s own security procedures and giving Cal access to David’s documents. If this ever got out to the State Bar, he’d be facing potential disbarment himself. He acted to protect his own behind, not just Cal’s."