No More Swedish Meatballs Pt. 02

But the sudden silence when the engine stopped running woke the kids up. They clambered out of the car, leaving sand and swimming gear for another day. With a wrench, Karl realized he was now responsible for all of the decisions about meals, and snacks, and school work and play time and fights, and everything else that goes with single parenthood. God help me, I hope I’m up to the task. And tomorrow I have to face the music with Hurst. The peace he’d found in the day of play rapidly receded as the weight of what was to come descended.

“What do you kids want for dinner?”

“Peanut butter and jelly, and ice cream sandwiches,” Kristen said, laughing as she raced into the house. “No, leftover Swedish pancakes,” Elizabeth called.

“Sloppy Joes” Ned suggested, “They’re easy.”

“Why don’t I see what’s in the ‘fridge?” Karl said and another family task put off the discussion they were going to have to have. But everyone felt the mood changing. They knew they’d have to talk over dinner. Elizabeth set the table and Kristen put on the coffee. Ned made sloppy Joes and the girls put a salad together. Then they settled down for their meal. It was Ned’s turn to say grace.

Karl cleared his throat as they started passing food around. “We’re going to be in for some stormy seas over the next few months. I don’t want to pussy-foot around what happed last night. But I don’t know how much you all know about you mother and Max.”

The three kids started to talk at once. Karl put his hand up. “There’s going to be a new rule around here. One person talks at a time. If you want to say something, put your hand up. That way every one gets heard. I’m gonna let Ned go first, cause he’s oldest. Go ahead son, what happened last night, from your perspective.”

“Well, your old friend Max -- I didn’t know you had a friend named Max – came over. From what I gathered, he looked mom up behind your back a while ago. I guess he liked her or something. They got to talking about your work and Max sold your secrets to some committee. He wasn’t getting enough information from mom so he tried to sub…, um, subvert you. You told him to go to hell and take mom with him. He looked Karl in the eye and said “You did the right thing.” Then he shut his mouth.

“Except for a couple of minor points, that sums it up pretty well I think,” Karl said. “You didn’t happen to have your ear to the wall did you?”

Ned just shrugged.

“What about you, princess,” he asked Elizabeth? “What was your take on the situation?”

“Pretty much what Ned said, I guess. I didn’t hear anything else. Is Max a communist? Is mom going to live in Russia?”

“No, Lizzy. Max is definitely not a communist.”

“Uh, Dad? Elizabeth asked, “are you okay. I mean, mom didn’t break your heart or anything, did she. She wasn’t the love of your life, was she?”

Jesus. Kids! No, my heart’s not broken. I’m angry and hurt. But I’m really more worried about how this might effect my job. May as well get all the bad news on the table. “I wasn’t supposed to talk to anyone, even your mother about my work. Tomorrow I’m going to have to tell my boss about this. I might get fired.”

“They won’t fire you dad, you know too much,” Ned pronounced.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you’re working on all that new technology. They don’t have anyone like you. They won’t fire you. They wouldn’t be able to finish their projects and they’d lose their contacts. And if you left, you’d be taking your brain with you.”

Out of the mouth of babes. What a kid! Canny and knowledgeable.

Chapter

The next morning the kids went off to school and Karl headed down to work with a heavy heart. He met up with Jim Philips as he was entering the building. Jim sensed that something was wrong.

“We missed you at work yesterday,” he said.

“Yeah? Sorry. I played hooky. Took the kids to French Creek. We had a great time.” Karl hesitated. Jim had provided a sympathetic ear over the years. Karl wasn’t sure he wanted to dump this mess at Jim’s feet.”

“What’s wrong?” Jim asked. Jim had a sort of sixth sense when it came to the Hansen’s domestic troubles.

“Evelyn’s gone.”

“What do you mean gone? Missing?”

“No. It’s worse than that.” Karl decided to confide in Jim one more time. “Do you have a few minutes? I need some advice.”

“Sure. Let’s get some coffee.”

Karl began talking as they walked to the company cafeteria. They found a quiet corner and Karl told Jim the whole story. At the end Jim shook his head ruefully and whistled. I knew things were bad between you and Evelyn but I never thought…. Jesus! How are the kids taking it?”

“The kids are great. We talked it out last night after our day at French Creek. After all they’ve been through, I’m surprised at how resilient they are. It’s my job I’m most worried about. I had no business talking about my projects with Evelyn. Boy did that blow up in my face!”

“Let me get this straight,” Jim said. “Max – I never met him did I?”

“No.”

“Anyway, Max wanted you to go to work for his group, the Cabal.”

“That’s what it boiled down to.”

“You had no idea he was sniffing around Evelyn?”

“None. I’d like to kill the cagy son of a bitch.”

“But you think he and Evelyn had an affair before you met them.”

“It sure looks that way.”

“God damn. What a bastard. Where did you meet him anyway?”

“I met him when I was working in Philly. I don’t really remember how we met…. Oh, yes I do. I met him at a lunch meeting when I first started with the company. I mentioned I was looking for a place to live and he told me about the co-op house where he was living.

“You mean he worked here?” Jim asked intently.

“No. He knew someone at the table. I’m not sure who.”

“Go on.”

“Well, that’s about it.

“You and Evelyn never talked about Max?”

“Huh un. There are a lot of things we never talked about.”

“Do you have any idea where he and Evelyn are now?”

“No.”

“It’s pretty important, Karl,” Jim said urgently. “He’s got to be found.”

“What are you saying?”

“Let’s go talk to Hurst.”

“Wait a minute. Why are you coming in on this? Not that I don’t appreciate your help.”

“You gotta know this is bigger than a breach of company security, don’t you. Christ, haven’t you figured it out yet?”

“What are you talking about?” Karl asked, mystified.

“God, you’re such a babe in the woods.” Jim said half-amused.

“I resent that,” Karl said, starting to get angry.

“Stow it. You can get angry later. All this time did you really think we were working for a private company?”

“Sure, what else?”

“All the money and unending support for projects that take decades to fully develop? All the secrecy?”

“Well,” Karl said feeling stupid, “when you put it that way, I guess I must have missed something along the way.”

“Yeah. I’d say so – big time.”

“I’ve been working for the government all this time and didn’t know it?”

“Bingo.”

“Shit. Well hell, why didn’t they come out and say so?”

“They have a need to know policy. As long as you have your head in the projects and are producing they’re happy having you think you work for in the private sector. But this thing’s out of control now. We suspected there was a leak somewhere. We didn’t know where.”

“So who am I working for,” Karl asked angrily. “How do I know I’m not working for people worse than Max’s committee.”

“Trust me, you’re not.”

“How can I when all this has been kept from me for so long.”

“Hey. This is me you’re talking to. Your old pal Jim. Remember me? We’ve been friends for a long time. Have I ever steered you wrong?”

“No, but….

“Come on,” said Jim. “Let’s go talk to Hurst.”

“So he can kick me out on my ass?”

“Do you want out?”

“Hell no.”

“I didn’t think so.”

They made their way through the narrow, windowless halls which some sadistic designer had illuminated with florescent lights and painted a putrid mauve color. No artwork graced the passageway. The ugliness sent a subliminal message to employees to hurry back to their offices and not linger in the halls. Time is money. Karl was dreading the meeting more with each step.

Hurst’s secretary, Kelly, primped a bit and winked at Jim as they approached her desk.”

“Good morning Mr. Philips she said, smiling. I’m sorry, Mr. Hurst is tied up most of today. It really would be better if you made an appointment later in the week.”

“This isn’t something that can wait, dear,” Jim said smoothly. “Buzz Dave, will you please. Tell him it’s urgent. I have Hansen with me. I’m sure he can spare the time.” He gave the woman his most winning smile.

“Well, alright. I’ll see if he has a few minutes for you.” She pushed the intercom button. “Mr. Hurst, Mr. Philips and Mr. Hansen are here to see you. Mr. Philips says it’s urgent.”

“Urgent?” Hurst’s voice squawked through the box. “What’s it about?”

The secretary looked quizzically at Jim. Jim leaned over to the intercom. “Dave? It’s about that plumbing problem we were talking about a few days ago. I think we’ve solved it. But it needs your attention.”

“Oh, is that right? Well, come on in.”

The tidy little secretary ushered them into Hurst’s office. Karl felt like he was in some sort of bad dream, or maybe a play in where he didn’t know his lines.

“Jim, Karl, good to see you, now what’s this about?”

“Well, sir,” Jim started out, “I guess you might say there’s good news and there’s bad news.” He paused.

“What’s the bad news?”

Jim decided to put it all out on the table at once. “We were right. Remember what we were talking about the other day? There has been a breach of security. But the good news is now we know its source.”

Hurst caught on quickly. “I take it Karl’s the source. That is bad news.” He scowled.

Jim and Karl were standing uncomfortably in front of Hurst’s large mahogany desk.

“Sit down, sit down,” Hurst pointed in the direction of a couple of chairs. “No point in standing. This is going to take a while.”

“It’s not as bad as it could have been sir,” Jim said quickly, coming to his friend’s aid. “And it’s been plugged. No danger of further leaks. Now what we need to do is assess the damage.” He looked at Karl. “Why don’t you tell Dick what happened.”

Jim and Karl took seats and Karl started to explain. As in the past, he found Hurst a surprisingly empathetic listener. Hurst let Karl speak, interjecting only a question or two. The morning sun filtered in the wide glass window on the left of Hurst’s desk filling the room with early summer sunshine. Karl spoke haltingly embarrassed by the facts he had to disclose. He didn’t try to paint a pretty picture of his domestic life with Evelyn. It was a sorry tale to his ears. He felt like a cuckolded fool.

There was a silence in the room when he finished. Hurst sat, leaning far back in his swivel chair, his fingers pressed together by his mouth. He thought long and hard before speaking. Karl felt like he was waiting to be smitten by the sword of Damocles .

Hurst looked at Jim. “Like you said, it’s bad, but not as bad as it could have been. At least we know now where the leak was. We can backtrack and determine what has been disclosed.” He stopped talking for a minute. Looking piercingly at Karl he asked “you didn’t talk to Evelyn about your work in Dayton? Not at all? Ever?”

“No,” Karl was happy to be able assure Hurst on that point. “Absolutely. Not ever. She wasn’t curious about trips, thank God. She was threatened by them thinking we might end up living in Dayton, so she stuck her head in the sand in that respect. She’s like that. If she’s scared of something she pretends it doesn’t exist.”

“Well, that’s one good thing. And now we’ve identified Max as the agent. We can put a flag out on him. We’ll know what to if he surfaces. But he’s obviously going to be well protected.”

“You knew about this ‘Cabal?’ Karl asked, surprised.

“Oh yes. We’ve known about them for a long time. Now, you’re going to have to be thoroughly debriefed. That’s going to take a few days. Jim, I want you in on this. Put a team together. I’m sorry, Karl, it’s not going to be very pleasant, but we have to know as much as possible what you’ve told Evelyn about your work over the years.”

“Jesus,” Karl said uncomfortably. “What are you talking about here? I’ve already told you as much as I remember.”

“Karl,” Jim said gently, “there’s a way of going about things to obtain information you might not know you have.”

“Interrogation, you mean,” Karl said harshly. “Christ, you guys are as bad as Max’s group.”

“No,” Jim said, “we’re not. You have no idea. Our techniques are fairly benign. We’re your friends.”

“So you say. God damn it, I’ve known you for so many years and I don’t think I know you at all.” Karl was miserable. His whole world was turning upside down.

“Just be glad you’re not in Evelyn’s shoes,” Hurst said.

“Oh, Jesus. I hadn’t even thought about that. Do you think they…? They won’t kill her will they?” Karl wanted to cry. He hadn’t even considered what Evelyn might be going through. Poor damn woman. All she wanted was a little adventure. In retrospect he decided he had the better end of the deal.

“I don’t think they’ll kill her,” Hurst said. I’m sure they’ll be able to make use of her,”

“Christ.” He didn’t want to think about it. At least not now. “What about the kids? They’ve been through a lot already. They’re going to be scared to death if I disappear for a few days.”

“They can stay at my place. They get along well with my kids. I’ll call Wanda before we leave and ask her to pick them up after school.”

“Does Wanda know about your double life.”

“She knows a little. She knows I’m not just a company man – that there are other aspects to my job.”

“You’ve got a keeper there, Jim. I wish Evelyn was a bit more like her.”

“I know. She’s a good kid.”

“How long is this going to take?” Karl asked. “And what happens next?”

Jim and Hurst looked at each other. “Three days, maybe four,” Hurst said. “It depends. Afterwards? I do see any reason why you shouldn’t continue with the work your doing now. Your check’s going to start coming from Uncle Sam though, now that you know about us.”

“What agency exactly am I going to be working for?”

“It doesn’t really have a name,” Jim said.

So, we’re pretty much finished here, aren’t we?” Hurst asked. “Jim, where do you think the debriefing should take place? Princeton?”

“Yeah,” Jim replied. “That makes sense. It's close to home. I’ll get a team together. We can be there in time for dinner.” Jim stood up. Karl followed suit, feeling awkward and out of place. He stuck out his right hand for Hurst to shake.

“I can’t tell you how sorry I am this happened,” he said as Hurst clasped his hand. “You’re taking it rather well. I thought I’d be out of a job.”

“No. Shit happens. At least that’s what I’ve learned over the years. Goddamned women. Your work is very important, Karl. Don’t ever forget that. I’ll see you in a few days.”

Karl preceded Jim out of the office. “That went better than I expected. I really thought he was going to hand me my head on a block.”

“No. Your head is much too valuable,” Jim said with a laugh. Let’s get some lunch.”

After lunch the two men stopped off at Jim’s office before heading out to Princeton. Jim made some calls to coordinate the debriefing in Princeton. That done he said, “last thing: I have to call Wanda to let her know what’s up and tell her to pick up your kids after school. Are there any messages you want to give to the kids?”

“Yeah. Let me think. They’re gonna have to leave a lot of cat food out for Felix. And water. They know how to lock up the house. Couldn’t we stop off at the house before we go to Princeton. I’d really rather tell them myself.”

“Huh unh. No. We’ve got to get a move on. It would have been better if you’d called me the minute Evelyn left. It’s easier when the facts are fresh. We’ve lost a lot of time already.”

“I didn’t know that,” Karl said defensively. “The kids needed me anyway. Maybe my priorities are a little different than yours.”

“Don’t get testy on me,” Jim said easily. “I understand. But for now you’ve got to do things our way. Alright buddy?”

Karl sighed in resignation. “Alright. I made my decision when Max asked me to join the Cabal. But I’m getting tired of being pushed.”

“You’re going to have to put up with it a while longer. That’s just the way things are.”

“Goddamn Evelyn, anyway. Let’s get the show on the road.”

They made the trip to Princeton in Jim’s new convertible. It was a pleasant journey considering the circumstances. Jim and Karl chatted companionably on the way about inconsequential matters. Mostly they talked about the kids – how fast they were growing up and what colleges they were looking at for the boys.

“Does Jim, junior know what you do – I mean what you really do in the company?”

“Are you kidding? Of course not. It’s not that he’s not trust worthy. I just want him to have as normal a childhood as possible. What ever normal is. My childhood certainly wasn’t normal. Was yours?”

“Sure. If screwed up is normal. I know what you mean though. That’s why Evelyn and I stayed together for so long – to try to give the kids a normal childhood. But good God, with the way we fought each other and Evelyn’s drinking habits, I guess we struck out there. Then Max has to waltz in with his fucking Cabal, no pun intended, and thoroughly screw things up. I don’t know. Maybe it’s for the best. Poor little Kristen thought it was all her fault. She said she’d wished Evelyn and I would get a divorce three times and that made it happen. Then she had this terrible nightmare about Evelyn taking them away and the world coming to an end with atomic bombs and tidal waves. I didn’t realize how traumatized she was by our fights. What kind of a father does that make me? She made me promise I wouldn’t let Evelyn take her if she comes back.”

“I hope you can keep that promise,” Jim said worriedly.

“What do you mean?” Karl asked

“What if Evelyn goes for custody? Have you given it any thought?” Jim replied.

“I haven’t had time to take a breath, much less think about the future. You think she’ll try?”

“I don’t know. Anything’s possible. You ought to be thinking about it anyway.”

“Yeah.” Karl gazed out the window at the green rolling hills. It seemed like yesterday they’d been white with snow. What were they going to do about Christmas this year? And next? “Time sure flies.”

“Thinking about Christmas?”

“How’d you know that?” Karl asked, surprised by his friend’s sensitivity.

“It’s not hard to follow your thoughts. I was wondering the same thing. You’ll keep up the tradition, won’t you?”

“I guess. So much else has changed. I think it’d be hard on the kids if we didn’t’ make the effort. It’s going to be hard though between thoughts of Evelyn and memories of my mother. Jesus, we carry a lot of baggage around with us don’t we?”

“You got that right. We’re almost there now,” Jim said as he made a right hand turn off the main high way. They passed through the quaint little college town without slowing down. “There it is,” Jim pointed to a beautiful stone mansion on the side of a hill about two miles outside of town. He turned into the gravel driveway and pulled up to the house. There were a couple of other nondescript cars in parked in the circular drive. “Looks like we’re the last to arrive.”

“How bad is this going to be?” Karl asked Jim with some trepidation,” as he got out of the car.

“Not too bad. A cake walk. You’ll see. You’re doing this voluntarily. Not hiding anything – at least I presume…”

“No. Of course I’m not hiding anything. I’ve already told you as much as I remember.”

“Well, memory’s a funny thing. Sometimes it needs some help.” He unlocked the massive oak front door and ushered Karl inside.