Ralph Hinkley sat in his home office looking over fiscal reports from the last quarter. As Director of Special Education for the region, his work often spilled into Sundays but he didn't mind; he loved every minute of it. He sipped at some rich cocoa brought to him by his teen-age daughter, who doted on her dad. She had her mom's beauty and brains.
Ralph had "filled out" in that contented American way and his signature curly hair had been tamed. Small crow's feet and laugh lines accentuated his handsome features. Life had been good to him.
His eldest son, Kevin had finished his Ph.D. in education and was making a name for himself. His wife was a highly respected person, active in the community and raising millions for worthy causes. He was contented.
Judge Davidson-Hinkley was across the hall in her den, catching up on some recreational reading but starting to doze in the embrace of a cushy couch. From his vantage point, Ralph could see his beautiful wife's head slowly nod toward her chest. He smiled, thinking of joining her for an afternoon snuggle but found the corners of his mouth begin to sink.
A feeling which he had not experienced in many years rippled through his stomach. It was unmistakable and therefore he was not surprised when his sound system abruptly flipped on of its own accord.
"To…Ralph…we…must…speak…this…message…to…you…Please…bring…
Mister…Max…well." The halting message blurted as the digital tuning bounced around.
Ralph heaved a sigh and rubbed his face.
"I wish could." he stated quietly. How long had it been since Bill had gone AWOL? Had it been five, eight…? No! It had been ten years! Time presses forward and events fade together, even hurtful ones. He missed his off beat companion. He pulled out the crumpled yellow note he had received so many years ago and laughed at himself for keeping it at his desk as a treasured souvenir.
Ralph had it memorized, but read it one more time: "I'm leaving. Don't look for me. I got to do this, kid. Sorry for no good-bye. Kiss the warden for me. Be good."
Melancholy sunk into his otherwise peaceful afternoon. Once he was told by a Tarot card reader that his life would end with a very long trip into the great unknown. A safe prediction. Doesn't everyone's life end that way? But for it him it had another meaning. Was this tug a foreshadowing of great ride he had anticipated? He hoped not, at least not yet, while he was in his prime. He did not want to leave his family or his work, especially when he was really having an impact on the lives of many wayward young people.
"I don't know where he is and I don't know how to find him." Ralph said futilely to the speakers. "No more suit, remember?"
Ralph's flat-screen came out of sleep mode. His browser popped into Virtual Earth and he watched the rapid zooms into a sparsely-populated area of mid-northern United States. The printer began to churn out the GPS coordinates and maps, pin-pointing exactly where Bill had sequestered himself.
"Would ja look at that? We really could have used this stuff in the old days." Ralph commented thinking of using the suit to try to "vibe" the locations from possessions or bits of clothing. Time had brought many improvements.