The thoughts of all the threats against my career and life seemed behind me. My physical health was rapidly improving and getting back to normal. Just the prospect of having a job again helped me forget that the six month hiatus had cost me over four thousand dollars in medical bills alone. I was looking forward to returning to work, but there was still apprehension about going back into the industrial environment.
Chapter IV
My adversaries.................applied the one means that wins the easiest victory
over reason: Terror and force. ADOLF HITLER
I had not told any RAM personnel or any one associated with our move to RAM that I worked ten weeks for CoSteal corporation. To try to explain what had occurred there would have been futile. As we packed for our journey to Fitville, NY, I was making sure there no records or documents that could be associated with CoSteal or Louisville in my possessions. As I was going through my briefcase to make sure there were no papers related to CoSteal, Anita walked into the bedroom.
She asked. “What are you doing?”
I replied. “I'm making sure there are no papers related to CoSteal that I would have to explain. You know that lying on an application is cause for dismissal. And make sure when you are there that you never say anything about Louisville or CoSteal to anyone.”
“Don't worry.” She replied. “I know better than that. Just to be safe, I'd better check my things too.
There were two things I wanted to make sure of before we left for New York. First, I checked to make sure the CoSteal diary was packed with my valuable papers and second, I took another look at the copy of the sworn statement I had. It still read the same and it was nowhere near what I had testified to. Since I wanted to make sure the sworn statement did not leave my sight, I packed it with the diary in my suitcase. The next day we left for Fitville, NY and RAM.
The first few weeks at RAM were normal. I was always on the alert for coincidences, but none occurred and those questionable incidences that did occur could be readily explained away. On one occasion I went to lunch with Don Slewowski, my first level manager and a couple of coworkers. During the meal I talked about the beautiful mountains on the west coast and the enjoyment I received by hiking through the woods. When I returned to my office, my office partner Osama Ikill, who had not been at lunch, started talking about how beautiful he found the mountains on the west coast when he lived out there. I dismissed his comment as being a true coincident.
The first signs of trouble started when I tried to buy a house. We were working with a real estate agent and found a house under construction that we were interested in. The agent suggested we talk with the builder as soon as possible. That evening Anita, the real estate agent and I went to the office of the builder. The agent introduced us.
“Tom, this is Mr. And Mrs. LaBar.”
We shook hands and the Tom the builder said, “Oh, this is the couple from Louisville.”
Anita and I just looked at each other with a shocked look, and then after a period of silence, the real estate agent nervously commented. “No, no! They are from Chicago and Mr. LaBar has just started working for RAM.”
The rest of the meeting went smoothly, but I left feeling “they”had been present and that Tom or the real estate agent knew more about us than I wanted them to know. Tom's comment was just too much of a coincidence.
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