The Lovely Chocolate Mob - By Richard J. Bennett Page 0,101
told her that. Somehow, I couldn’t think of the words fast enough.”
“When you counsel enough people, you learn what to look for, and what to say. I’ve seen plenty of financial ruin, believe me; I’ve lived through it. People sometimes spend to keep from facing reality. They create another world with plastic.”
“Have you given her any options?”
“Yes, I’ve suggested to Helen to get rid of her credit cards. She agreed, and she emptied her purse of them in my office just yesterday. I had a pair of scissors in my drawer, with rounded edges of course, and they both cut them up. Since Helen has the job of paying all the bills, she’ll be doing so with checks and be offline, until all the bills are paid off. This way she’ll see where all the money is going, and they’ll both work to plug up any financial leaks.”
“What else have they decided?”
“Mr. Burke has taken full responsibility for everything, and Helen has shown a renewed interest in her marriage. They’ve agreed to pull out of the country club, which represented a hefty loss, to sell their foreign sports cars, to buy American mid-sized family cars or vans, used, to sell their home to an interested buyer, and move into a smaller house they can easily maintain by themselves for the next 30-40 years. This means no stairs and no swimming pools. They’re still discussing their children’s education, but I have a feeling the ones remaining at home may become home schooled. Mrs. Burke is very sharp, and she’ll be able to educate her kids with no problem. They realize they’re fighting for survival now; they’ve looked over the edge and have almost seen the end of their marriage. I think it’s shaken them up towards reality.”
“Wow, now that is progress!” I said.
“They won’t be working against each other in this area anymore. Hopefully they can keep their financial ship from sinking, and along with it, keep their family together.”
“This makes perfect sense. Miss Planter, you’ve given me hope.”
She smiled at this. “All in a day’s work,” she said. “Just keep writing those checks.”
What a beautiful smile.
The Warning
I drove home that evening, feeling good about the Burke’s progress. Maybe we’ve helped to keep this family in one piece, hopefully not interfering too much with their own decisions. They came to these decisions on their own and wouldn’t blame us for “forcing” them to make the right decisions. Anyway, I was feeling good when I pulled up into my driveway, where I received a call on my cell phone.
“Hello?” I asked. “Mr. Owen, this is an anonymous phone call,” a strangely familiar voice said. “You don’t know me, but I know you and am warning you that the police know about Dr. Franklin Burke being at your home, and you have about 10 minutes before they arrive.” Then the phone went dead.
“Hello? Hello?” I looked at the phone for a number; all it said was “Restricted.” I tried to return the call, but nobody answered.
I ran up to the front door, unlocked it, and burst inside. “Walter! Dr. Burke! We’re exposed! I just got a warning, and we’ve got less than five minutes to clear out; the cops are on their way!”
Dr. Burke said “What’ll we do?“
Walter said, “I’ve got a contingency plan! Randall, get in your car and drive towards town, toward the police.”
I asked, “What’s this going to do?”
“It’ll buy us time,” he said. “The cops are looking for you and Franklin right now; the RV was only on the FBI radar, and knowing government bureaucracies, they probably haven’t coordinated with the local police. I’ll take Franklin with me; the cops will follow you and give a merry chase!”
“What if they start shooting?”
“There are too many video cams out there; they won’t start shooting unless you shoot at them first. Besides, they don’t wanna shoot you; they wanna shoot Franklin! You’re just out for a drive, and you’ll have your radio turned up high so you won’t hear their sirens; that’ll be your excuse. That may buy us a few minutes!”
“My radio’s broken!” I said.
“What about your CD Player?” countered Walter.
“It still works!”
“Put in some rock and roll!”
“I don’t have any rock and roll!”
“Well what do you have? Find something loud! You’ve gotta ignore the cops!”
“Okay, but what then?” I asked.
“I don’t know; I haven’t got that far yet,” said Walter. “Hold onto your cell phone; that’ll be our contact.”