“He said that I had some things to tell you?” Richard asked. “I thought he was going to meet us here.”
“I'm just telling you what he said. He asked us to go ahead and for you to start without him, and he said he'd be here in a little while. Is everything OK?”
Richard felt trapped as they took seats in the living room. Three of the McKinneys’ children, all of whom were younger than Tommy, ran through, playing cowboys. Diane instructed the oldest to keep the rest occupied in the den or outside. Then she turned to Richard, obviously expecting him to tell her something important.
Richard looked at Janet, then began. “Diane, I'm sorry. I guess I misunderstood Bruce. I thought he was going to be here to tell you what has happened today, but I'll try to go ahead if that's what he wants. How much do you know about Bruce's business?”
“Almost nothing, Richard. He tends to keep his office work separate from our family, so I'm afraid I don't know very much at all. I wish I did. I've asked, but Bruce has always said I wouldn't understand.”
Richard admitted to himself he had held the same attitude until finding out what a great resource his wife could be. So he started gently, explaining the role Bruce's firm was supposed to play in keeping other people's securities safe in escrow. He then went on to describe the financial pressures on Bruce's company, both historic and immediate, and the solution Bruce and David had enlisted to get them through the tight cash periods.
“Unfortunately, what they have been doing is both wrong and illegal. In the next few days many investors will probably lose about $150,000 worth of stocks, which Bruce pledged to the bank to cover their company's loan. And the regulators will probably shut down their firm, if we have not already done that voluntarily in the morning.”
“So you're saying Bruce is going to lose his company completely and may also be arrested?”
“At this point, Diane, both of those seem probable, although we'll do everything we can to help him—and David—to minimize the negative consequences.”
“Like prison?”
Richard nodded. Janet moved over to sit next to Diane on the sofa and to hold her hand. “And he had you come tell me all this?”
“Apparently. I'm sorry.”
Diane turned to Janet and put her free hand on her own forehead, “It's so strange. It's almost like I knew something like this might happen. He never tells me anything, and money just appears. One minute he has none; the next minute everything is OK. What are we going to do?”
Janet, who was as appalled as Diane, was thinking about the McKinneys’ four young children, and said, “We have some friends in Charleston who went through something similar a few years ago. I know it won't be easy for you. I'll give you her number, and we should call her together. Do you go to church? Can a pastor help?”
Diane shook her head. Her middle boy came in and complained that the others had ganged up on him. “Mommy's busy right now, dear…” Janet could see that Diane was fighting back the tears “…please run outside for a little while and play in the yard. OK?”
Just then Bruce's car turned into their driveway, and in a few minutes he came in through the garage. It was immediately obvious to the three of them that he had been drinking heavily.
“So, did you get it all out on the table, able attorney?” Bruce slurred. Diane was clearly embarrassed, and she rose to stand beside him. “Isn't it great, dear? We're going to lose everything…and all because of attorneys—they delayed the investment, they killed the loan, they wrote the laws. The rest of us get screwed!”
“Bruce, please. Richard is our friend and neighbor. He's just been trying to help,” Diane pleaded.
“Oh, I know how he's been helping! He's been a big help.”
“Now that you're here, Bruce, I guess you want to talk to Diane alone. I've given her most of the details. Janet and I have to get home to have supper with the kids. Will you be all right, Diane?”
She nodded as the Sullivans stood to leave. “Thank you Richard—and Janet. I'm sorry. He should be OK in the morning. I'll call you if there's a problem. And I guess tomorrow we have to start working through the rest of this.”
“Court Shullo is planning to meet you at your office at 8:30 in the morning, Bruce,” Richard said.
“Yeah, yeah. I'll be there. Have a great night, Richard.”
31
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 9 – The last month of summer had begun, and the Sullivans were packing for their two-week vacation with Janet's parents in Vermont. She and the teenagers would delay their normal departure by one day so they could be accepted as official members at Morningside Church on Sunday morning in a special service.
Amy had spent two weeks with her cousin Catherine, who gave birth to a healthy baby girl on Amy's third night with them. Amy had helped their family tremendously, looking after the two-year-old boy and observing childbirth and its aftermath first hand. After a week in their home, she definitely knew that adoption was right for her; she wanted to have her baby, but she knew that she was not yet ready for the responsibilities of raising a family by herself.
Two days after returning from her cousin's home, Amy flew to Cincinnati to visit with the Tomlinsons. On the telephone she reported to her mother that everything was fine, and she was due home on Saturday afternoon.
Richard's original timetable to work on the “911 Live” situation had been delayed by the McKinney and Smith problems, but he was again following up on the summer interns’ research.
Susan was now dividing her free time between Drew and Eric. The Hawkinses were not going to close on their purchase and move into their new home for two more weeks, but the family had packed up in Seattle and were living in an apartment not far from the Sullivans. And the two younger boys almost lived with Tommy; they had all become close friends, including Brent; and Tommy had not even been invited to “do videos” for over a month. Richard and Janet remarked that he seemed like a new person, changed remarkably from just four months earlier.
Kristen continued to attend Morningside Church, as did the Bryants and the Hawkinses. She usually sat by herself, and though she was always friendly, she did not try to push herself on any of the other couples. Richard noticed that he began looking for her when he walked into the sanctuary before each Sunday's service, and he occasionally heard a small voice whispering, “Watch out.”
McKinney and Smith had closed its doors the day after the two owners made their admission to Richard. There had been a series of articles in the daily newspaper, relating each day's new revelations of fraud and wrongdoing. Richard noticed that there were soon companion pieces written by a reporter in San Francisco, Peter Dowling, who was apparently following the same debacle with Far West Securities. Richard asked Mary to cut and save all the relevant articles.
The McKinney and Smith families pulled together as best they could under the circumstances. They had changed to unlisted telephone numbers after Diane received a threatening call from an investor who lost his savings because of Bruce's crime. The men's days were filled with motions and filings and pleas and depositions. The two wives dodged reporters outside their homes for the first week until the novelty wore off. And the children received taunts at school. After two weeks, even though Richard's firm was doing its best to keep the costs down, it was apparent that they would have to sell their homes to pay their mounting bills. Diane put in an application to teach that fall, since her certificate was still good for one more year.
It was Wednesday evening, and Richard took Janet out for their traditional pre-vacation dinner together, since they would not see each other for almost two weeks, after Sunday morning, until he flew up to Vermont to join them.
After ordering, Janet said, “I took Diane McKinney to lunch today, to get her out of the house. Susan stayed with her kids. She says their marriage is just kind of on automatic pilot. Bruce comes home after all the legal proceedings, obviously depressed, has a few drinks, and doesn't say much. She says he looks terrible and he won't communicate. She
has no other means of support, other than a possible teaching job this fall, and she doesn't know what to do. He only addresses issues on a crisis basis, like the need to sell their home, which they apparently listed for sale yesterday.”
“What a mess,” Richard said, reaching out for her hand. “And, literally, but for the grace of God and your good sense, there go I…we. Has Diane talked to Sally Coker in Charleston?”
“Yes, that first weekend. But the McKinney marriage appears to be different, not as strong. Sally and I have talked, and I think we should invite the Cokers to fly in right after we get back from Vermont. They can stay with us, and maybe over a weekend they can help the McKinneys—and the Smiths. And maybe we can all go to church together. Richard, it's so obvious that Bruce and Diane need God in their lives and in their marriage, especially now. But I don't know how to tell her.”
“Try saying just that. I've talked to Bruce a couple of times in the office about what God has done for us, but he bristles. I think we're almost too close to them. I like your idea of inviting the Cokers. Maybe they'll listen to people from hundreds of miles away who have been through something similar…But, look, as concerned as we both are about them, I didn't bring you here just to talk about the McKinneys.”
Janet smiled. “And why did you bring me here?”
“I feel like we've had a crazy three weeks—a crazy summer, really, starting back with the ‘911 Live’ night and Amy's news—and I just wanted to take a quiet moment before you and the kids leave to tell you how much I love you and how much you mean to me. I've never been as happy as I have been the past months—since I asked Christ into my life—and I know that our marriage is a big part of that happiness. And I just wanted to tell you.”
“Thank you, dear,” Janet replied, squeezing his hand across the table. “I can't tell you how much you mean to me either. And how much you've changed. And I've changed, thank God. And what about Tommy? He seems so much happier. Glenn Jamison has filled in the few cracks in his self-esteem that you've missed. Even Susan has a stronger inner peace. As you said once, how did we manage to live before God found us?”
“How sweet! You both make me sick!” Nepravel screamed, only six inches from Janet's face. “Isn't He wonderful! Isn't life grand with God! Well,” he sneered, turning to Zoldar, who was hovering next to Richard, “let's see how he does one-on-one with the Holloway woman in her apartment. And if she doesn't bring him down, we'll just have to ask Mr. McKinney to get rid of him! You witch! See how your life looks with a husband in disgrace—or dead! Come on, Zoldar. Are the voices planted again in Richard?”
“Yes, and if these believers continue to cut back on their prayers for each other, as has happened over the summer, our voices should build up well over the next few weeks.”
“Good. It's almost time to break this ‘superstar’ and get him out of the way of our plans,” Nepravel concluded, as they moved off to load down Bruce and Diane McKinney with more worries and despair.
“There's one other thing, Janet,” Richard said. “While you're in Vermont, I'm going to try to schedule a meeting with the network honchos, plus Tom Morgan from The Foundation for the Family, assuming that all of our research is finished and written up. So before you go, you probably should say something to Bill Shaw.”
“You mean offer to resign?”
Richard nodded. “You should tell him that I intend to meet with Network, and that my goal is to stop or to change ‘911 Live.’ Under those circumstances, you should give him the option of accepting your resignation.”
Janet took a deep breath and exhaled. “I know I sounded brave at Tom Spence's house a few weeks ago. And I'll do it. But I hate to lose my job. I like what I do.”
“I know. And you're very good at it. In all the confusion that night at the station, I don't think I told you how proud I was, watching you handle all of those assignments and people. And if you want me to stop this, I will. I can't imagine this show on TV as it's now formatted, but I'll stop working on it if you say so.”
“No, Richard, we both know the Lord wants us to fight this. And I also know, deep inside, that He is in charge of everything, from our family to where I work. So, as He tells us, I will trust in Him. And I'll talk to Bill in the morning.”
THURSDAY, AUGUST 10 – “Hello, Richard. This is Kristen.”
Richard swiveled around in his chair and glanced out at the morning sun reflecting off of the other tall buildings in their central downtown district. The wrong mental image of Kristen leapt into his mind, which had not happened for three months. He was surprised, but he let it linger, knowing that it was a mistake, but doing it anyway. Sort of like innocently savoring the memory of an old movie he would never see again, he heard a voice say.
“Hello, Kristen. What can I do for you?”
“I see in the MLS computer that a house that must be right next to you on Devon Drive has gone on the market. It lists the owners as the McKinneys. Isn't he the one involved in that securities mess with the other firm in San Francisco? I may have a family who's interested if the home is in good shape. Can you tell me something about it?”
“Sure, I'd be glad to.” And he did.
“I'm glad you've been coming to Morningside Church,” he continued, when their discussion about the McKinney house was concluded. A small voice kept telling him to hang up, that he was playing with fire, but a louder voice said he was a strong Christian now, and he should be able to talk to Kristen, particularly about their church, with no problem.
“I'm enjoying it too. There are many nice people there every Sunday, and the service is very moving. The Hawkinses have also enjoyed it. By the way, thank you again for your help on that sale.”
“It was our pleasure. If you'll be there, Janet and I, along with about sixty others, will become members of the church at the late service this Sunday.”
“I plan to be there. That's great, Richard. Congratulations.”
“Thanks. We've really enjoyed the new member classes. They've confirmed again much of what I had heard in the follow-up to the prayer breakfast.”
“Isn't it about time for Janet and the kids to leave for vacation? Vermont, isn't it?” Kristen asked.
“Yes, in fact right after the service. They'll be gone for two weeks…” Richard felt a tingling in the back of his neck as he continued “…and I'll be ‘batching’ it for ten days.”
She laughed. “Well, maybe I'll have you over for dinner, just for old times sake.”
She finally crossed a line where he would not follow, not yet. “I don't think that would be such a good idea, Kristen. But thanks…Let me know if I can help you with the McKinney house. Unfortunately, they need to sell it.”
“OK. Thanks. I'll call you.”
“Bill, can I see you for a minute?” Janet asked from his office door.
“Sure. What's up? Are we going to switch the times of the local and national news again?”
She smiled. “No. Not that. We'll leave them alone for at least six months. But I do have something I want to tell you.” He motioned to a chair in front of his desk and put down his pen.
“I imagine that Tom and Connie have been in to talk with you about the possibility that they and others might resign their jobs if ‘911 Live’ goes on as planned,” she began. He nodded.
“Well, Richard was also really disturbed by what he saw that night here, and he'll probably be calling Network to ask for a meeting in New York to discuss possible legal action…” Bill Shaw sat up and stared at Janet “…against the show. No one is paying him to do this. He simply believes it's right. And so do I, by the way.”
Bill swore. “When will you people ever quit?”
“I'm not sure we've even started yet, actually,” Janet replied. “But, anyway, he and I think I should offer to resign, effective immediately, so that you don't have to worry about a potential conflict of interest on my part.”
Bill swore again. “Why won't you leave this thing alone? What did we all do with ourselves
before Network invented ‘911 Live’? I mean, are you bored here?”
Janet sat back in her chair and answered in a quiet voice, “No, I like it here. I just think the show is wrong—dead wrong.”
“I know. I know. I've heard it all before. Look, aren't you about to go on vacation?”
“Yes, for two weeks, starting Monday.”
“Fine. Fine. Take three weeks if you have to. Don't resign. Just go on vacation. Tell Richard to do whatever he's going to do while you're away. And if I have to fire you, I'll call you,” he ended with a smile.
“Thanks, Bill. I really want to stay. And so do the others. I hope we can work out something so that's possible.”
“So do I. Believe me, so do I. Now go do some honest work for the last day and a half you're here!” And he made a motion towards the door.
She returned his smile. “It would have been terrible if that guy had shot you in the car. You're getting soft in your old age.”
After she left, Bill picked up the telephone and called Bob Grissom in New York.
Bob was therefore not surprised on Friday when he read a phone message slip asking him to call Richard Sullivan. I guess I better find out what's on his mind, he thought, as he picked up the phone.
Richard reminded Bob of his relationship to the station through Janet and asked if Bob's wounds had all healed. Bob responded in the affirmative and asked about Tom Spence and Officer Higgins.
Once the pleasantries were out of the way, Bob said, “I heard from Bill Shaw that I should expect a call from you about ‘911 Live.’ Something about legal action?”
“Not necessarily,” Richard said, hating to start out on the defensive. “I'd just like to meet with you and one of your in-house attorneys to discuss some ideas we have to improve the show, so legal action won't be necessary.”
“Look, I don't like being threatened, and particularly by an attorney whose wife works for one of our affiliates.
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