Zero Tolerance Ch. 01

*****

Two months ago Mr. Dyson announced that Clay International Electronics was interested in buying Dyson Electronics. Mr. Dyson said that the deal was dependent on our second quarter results that were due out in one week. Mr. Dyson also said that if Clay International did buy the company we could expect some changes but he didn't think anything would happen immediately.

As it turned out our second quarter results were exactly what Clay International wanted to see and they planned to move ahead with the purchase of Dyson Electronics. When Mr. Dyson informed us of Clay International's decision he invited all 185 employees of Dyson Electronics to a party at his house to celebrate the sale of his company. Mr. Dyson has a big place out in the country with a large swimming pool, lots of big oak trees and beautiful gardens and he likes to show it off.

While Mr. Dyson was ready to celebrate the sale of his company, most of his employees were worried about what would happen to their jobs when Clay International took over.

On Friday, the day before Mr. Dyson's party, I was told that I would have to go to Atlanta Monday for a contract negotiation. It was not unusual for me to be sent out to do contract negotiations but I usually had more advanced notice of an upcoming trip. That evening I was telling Susan about the upcoming trip when she told me that Ed and Linda were going to stop over later for drinks. For Susan and I this visit was a welcome diversion from our worries about what was going to happen after Clay International took over Dyson's. We did talk about the coming take over and our concerns but we also talked about taking the boat out the following weekend and other happier topics.

We had just opened our third round of beers when Ed told us about a purchase he and Linda had made.

"Linda and I were up in Concord Thursday evening and we found this great antique roll top desk. The price was right so I just had to buy it," Ed said.

"He was writing the check before he thought to discuss it with me," Linda said.

"You said you liked it."

"I do like it but it is so big where are we going to put it," Linda said.

"We'll figure that our when we get it home," Ed said.

"Great plan," Linda said.

"I have to go pee," I said and got up. "I hope you two are done fighting by the time I get back."

"You call this fighting? Linda and I don't consider it a fight unless one of us has to go to the hospital," Ed said.

"And it is usually Ed that ends up in the hospital," Linda said.

We were all laughing and Ed said, "That's true."

When I got back from the bathroom they were all silent. I looked at Ed and then at Linda before I sat down.

"I guess the fight ended in a tie," I said. "No apparent injuries to either party."

We all laughed and then I turned to Susan.

"Susan, I almost forgot. I am going to have to go into the office tomorrow to finish some reports that are due next week," I said. "I have to get them done before the party tomorrow."

"Why do they have to be done tomorrow?" Susan said.

"Did you forget already? I will be in Atlanta until Wednesday or Thursday next week," I said.

"Will you be done in time for the party?" Susan said.

"I don't know. We may have to go late."

Ed and Linda went home around eleven o'clock and Susan and I headed for bed shortly after they left.

*****

Mr. Dyson's party was scheduled to start at three o'clock in the afternoon so Saturday morning I got up early and ate breakfast with Susan. As I was drinking my second cup of coffee Susan said, "Before you go into the office, would you do me a favor?"

"What do you need?" I asked.

"Would you remove the seats from the back of my van? I told Ed and Linda they could borrow it to pick up that antique desk they bought."

I was about to say something but Susan stopped me. "It's my van and if I want to loan it to our friends so they can pick up their new desk I don't need your permission."

"I never said you did. I was just going to say that I will take the seats out before I leave for the office." That wasn't what I was really going to say but it was the better part of valor.

I finished my breakfast and then went out to the garage to remove the seats from the two back rows in Susan's van so Ed and Linda would be able to get his antique desk into it. Then I went into the office to finish several sales reports that I wasn't going to have time to do the following week. At one o'clock I was still sitting in my office working on the reports when Susan called and asked me if I was going to be home soon. I looked at the stack of reports I still had in front of me and told her that I had at least another two hours before I would be finished. Then I suggested that she go ahead to the party and I would get there as soon as I could.

It was four o'clock when I finished the last of the reports and headed to my car for the hour-long drive out to Mr. Dyson's house. I was going to call Susan once I got on the road to let her know when I expected to get to the party but like a fool I had left my cell phone at home that morning. I arrived at the party shortly after five o'clock and I went into the house and looked for Susan. There were several people in the house but Susan wasn't among them.

I asked a girl I knew from the accounting department if she had seen Susan.

"I saw her earlier," she said. "She was out in the yard talking to Fred Lydon."

I immediately felt a knot in my stomach. I was going to have to talk to Susan about Fred again and I wasn't going to wait till we got home. I went out into the back yard and looked around but didn't see Susan anywhere. I asked a couple of people if they had seen Susan and one of them told me that they had seen her but that was more than an hour earlier.

I was beginning to get upset. I was sure that Susan wasn't doing anything wrong but not being able to find her was worrying me. I walked around asking people if they had seen Susan and most said that they had seen her earlier but hadn't seen her in a while. I walked over to a guy who was standing watching people in the swimming pool and asked him if he knew Susan and he said that he didn't. Then I asked him if he knew Fred Lydon.

"Yes, I know Fred," he said.

"Have you seen him?" I asked.

"I saw him heading to his car about an hour ago."

I don't know what made me ask. "Was anyone with him?"

"Yes. He was with a tall very attractive blond," he said. "I think they came together."

Suddenly I felt myself begin to panic. Had Susan come to the party with Fred? Had she left with him? I just couldn't believe that she would do that. Not Susan. I spun around hoping to see Susan somewhere in the yard but I didn't see her. I hurried back though the house and out to where the cars were parked and looked for Susan's van. It wasn't there.

I felt all of the energy drain from my body and I felt like I just wanted to go lie down somewhere. I went around to the far side of my car where no one would see me and I slumped to the ground. I put my head between my knees and took deep breaths and tried to calm myself down. There had to be some other explanation for why I could not find Susan. I knew she had come to the party because at least three people had seen her there. I also knew that she had been seen talking to Fred Lydon. I also knew that Fred had been seen leaving the party with a woman that fit Susan's description. These things did not add up to a happy conclusion. Part of my brain was telling me that Susan would not do that to me. She would not cheat on me. The other part of my brain was asking me how I could be so sure that she wouldn't cheat.

As I tried to think of what to do next the term 'zero tolerance' flashed into my head. I pushed that thought out of my head. It would not come to that. I refused to believe that Susan would do anything that would cause me to leave her.

I knew that if she did leave the party with someone she would have to come back eventually because she knew that I would be there soon. The only thing I could do was to go back to the party and wait for her.

To be continued...