Chapter 29: Truth Telling

The next morning, Tom lightly knocked then peeked in on Roxanne, still asleep in the guest bedroom after her late night at the construction site. Seeing her resting peacefully, Tom decided not to wake her. He didn’t want any more arguments. Instead, he intended to show Roxanne she could count on him.
He thought about their awkward first meeting and how much had changed between them since then. The only way Tom knew the permit had been stolen was because he’d heard Roxanne cursing and rifling through her office that night.
When she emerged all disheveled, the door squeaking, and she hadn’t bothered with the lock, he suspected something was up. Then he asked her about the permit and the plans, and he could tell she was lying.
After she left him that night, he called Danny. He didn’t tell him what he knew, but instead asked about Roxanne, trying to figure out if someone had a beef with her. When he found out about her father’s debt and the deal with the loan shark, Tom ruled the loan shark out as a suspect. He wouldn’t jeopardize the building project.
With an unknown thief on the loose, he trailed Roxanne the next morning, looking for more answers. The phone call he received was from an informant he paid in the city permit office, confirming Roxanne hadn’t filed the permit. That’s when Tom knew she was in trouble and would be a good candidate for his proposal. He hadn’t expected to fall for her.
So as not to wake Roxanne, Tom closed the doors to his study and called Roxanne’s old boss, Danny. He needed some answers and decided to investigate the source – Baxter. If he agreed to the permit in the first place, why would he sabotage it? And the way Roxanne became distraught the night they saw him at the abandoned building, nagged at Tom. What had he done to her?
“Danny, hello,” Tom said.
“Hey Tom. How are ya? You probably heard about the construction delay. What’s up?”
“Yeah, about that. I heard. You know that time I met Roxanne? You mentioned a city permit official, Baxter?”
“Yeah, Baxter,” Danny chuckled. “He’s a good ‘ole boy. Some of those other officials are a little more by the book, but Baxter can usually be persuaded.”
“What do you mean by that? He can be bribed?”
“Now, I didn’t say that, I said persuaded.”
“Well, he sounds like the guy I need. Where can I find him?”
“He usually hangs out at the Pepper Pub, down on Cooper St. But it’s Sunday, so he’s probably playing golf at the Club at Sterling Ridge.”
“Thank you, Danny.” Tom hung up and considered his next move. Tom knew the club Danny mentioned. It was the country club Ruby belonged to along with a couple of other people Tom knew from high school.
Tom donned his golf attire, a crisp white polo and black pants. If he didn’t find Baxter at least he could work on his long game.
With Blake serving as caddy while another bodyguard stayed at the house to safeguard Roxanne, Tom teed off. He didn’t worry too much about his shots, instead scanning the greens for Baxter. He had gotten a pretty good look at him in the binoculars that night, so he knew he was searching for a man in his 50s with greying brown hair and a full beard.
Tom chipped and putted, sometimes skipping the initial drive altogether. Blake drove the golf cart as they circled around some holes twice, trying to gain a better look at some of the golfers, but there were no signs of Baxter.
They returned to the clubhouse where Tom spotted Baxter with a group of his buddies at a table in the corner. Tom ordered a club soda and sat down at the bar, Blake sitting at the other end. Tom pretended to watch one of the games on the several TVs that hung around the room. He could hear Baxter’s bellicose laughter as he called the waitress, a young girl in her early twenties, darlin’.
Out of the mirror behind the bar, Tom could see Baxter’s reflection, and he watched as the waitress returned and Baxter’s eyes dipped to her chest and followed her backside after she’d left the table. Tom realized that must be what had made Roxanne so uncomfortable. Most likely, Baxter had objectified her, or worse, Tom thought.
Tom took a small sip of his drink. He needed more information about Baxter and his after-hours activities. Why had he been at that building that was supposed to be for sale? All Tom’s people could find out was that the men had been forging some kind of aluminum in an old glass factory.
Tom didn’t have anyone look into it any further because he thought it was a dead end – just some guys trying to use an empty building for a pet project.
Plus, the building had been sold to an investor who planned to use it for commercial warehousing and his investigators said the night crew hadn’t returned.
After talking to Danny about Baxter and seeing Baxter’s cocky attitude, Tom figured Roxanne must be right. There was more to the mystery than a stolen permit.
“Well, well, well,” said Ruby, sidling up to Tom at the bar. “Fancy seeing you here.”
Tom turned his head abruptly, surprised to see Ruby at first, then remembering to smile and be amiable.
“Hello, Ruby. Won’t you join me for a drink? A chardonnay, please,” he said to the bartender.
“You know me so well,” she said and giggled.
He smirked. He didn’t want to have to put on a façade for Ruby right now. He was there on a mission, but he knew it was just as important to treat Ruby well.
“Where’s Roxanne?” she asked.
“She’s at home. You know, morning sickness,” Tom said, then squirmed a little due to his lie. He thought about how easily the lies rolled off his tongue lately.
“It’s none of my business,” Ruby started to say.
“You’re business is my business,” Tom said. He could still see Baxter in the mirror, telling a loud joke, making sure he was the center of attention. Tom wanted to sneer, but he kept his face calm.
“But why aren’t you guys engaged? I mean you’re having a baby.”
Tom faced Ruby. He realized he’d have to explain, which probably meant another lie, and he needed to concentrate to do it. “You know Roxanne and I are big into family. And I want to be that family man, pillar of the community and all that. Roxanne is just a little worried about losing her independence.”
“Well I noticed your parents weren’t at the party,” Ruby said.
“My parents and I, yeah. They’ve been really busy. Traveling. They’re super excited about the baby, though.” Tom internally cringed at all the lies. He couldn’t make it stop.
He caught a glimpse of Baxter and winced. Tom couldn’t believe how he and Roxanne had suffered with the kidnapping and the arrest, and watching Baxter have a good time with his pals maddened him.
He turned toward Ruby again. “Actually, Ruby. Roxanne and I haven’t been together long. We just kind of – I don’t know – we were helping each other out and well…” He shrugged. “You know I don’t have a great relationship with my parents.”
Tom felt relieved to be telling the truth. “I’ve struck out on my own, like those shops and apartments, I wanted to make sure it had a community feel. I want to do more projects like that, blend families with functional spaces.”
Ruby nodded. “I see.”
“But I do want kids.” Tom smiled at a little girl in the restaurant who had whipped cream stuck to her nose. “I want to be a better dad, not just one who pays for things. And Roxanne - she’ll be the fiercest mother bear I know. She’s quite resourceful.”
“I bet she is.” Ruby drained her glass. “You know I’m looking for someone to develop some of my father’s land. We should talk about it soon,” she said.
“I’d like that,” Tom admitted, finally giving Ruby a genuine smile.
“Gotta go. Massage at noon. Toodles.” She toddled off, giving Tom a little wave and a smile.
Tom could still see Baxter’s reflection in the mirror. He was tired of all the lies, all the slinking around. It was time to take matters into his own hands.