Disclosure

Sanders started to speak, but Fernandez shot him a warning glance, and put her hand on his chest. She said to Walsh, "Has Ms. Johnson made these allegations to you? Because she was the only other one besides Mr. Sanders who was there."

"I’m not free to say. I have the story from very well-informed sources."

"Inside or outside the company?"

"I really can’t say."

"Ms. Walsh," Fernandez said, "I am going to forbid Mr. Sanders to talk to you. And you better check with the P-I counsel before you run any of these unsubstantiated allegations."

"They’re not unsubstantiated, I have very reliable"

"If there is any question in your counsel’s mind, you might have her call Mr. Blackburn and he will explain what your legal position is in this matter."

Walsh smiled bleakly. "Mr. Sanders, do you want to make a comment?"

Fernandez said, `Just check with your counsel, Ms. Walsh."

"I will, but it won’t matter. You can’t squash this. Mr. Blackburn can’t squash this. And speaking personally, I have to say I don’t know how you can defend a case like this."

Fernandez leaned close to her, smiled, and said, "Why don’t you step over here with me, and I’ll explain something to you."

She walked with Walsh a few yards away, across the courtyard.

Alan and Sanders remained where they were. Alan sighed. He said, "Wouldn’t you give anything to know what they were saying right now?"

Connie Walsh said, "It doesn’t matter what you say. I won’t give you my source."

"I’m not asking for your source. I’m simply informing you that your story is wrong-"

"Of course you’d say that-"

"And that there’s documentary evidence that it’s wrong."

Connie Walsh paused. She frowned. "Documentary evidence?"

Fernandez nodded slowly. "That’s right."

Walsh thought it over. "But there can’t be," she said. "You said it yourself. They were alone in the room. It’s his word against hers. There’s no documentary evidence."

Fernandez shook her head, and said nothing.

"What is it? A tape?"

Fernandez smiled thinly. "I really can’t say."

"Even if there is, what can it show? That she pinched his butt a little? She made a couple of jokes? What’s the big deal? Men have been doing that for hundreds of years."

"That’s not the issue in this-"

"Give me a break. So this guy gets a little pinch, and he starts screaming bloody murder. That’s not normal behavior in a man. This guy obviously hates and demeans women. That’s clear, just to look at him. And there’s no question: he hit her, in that meeting. The company had to call a doctor to examine her for a concussion. And I have several reliable sources that tell me he’s known to be physically abusive. He and his wife have had trouble for years. In fact, she’s left town with the kids and is going to file for divorce." Walsh was watching Fernandez carefully as she said it.

Fernandez just shrugged.

"It’s a fact. The wife has left town," Walsh said flatly. "Unexpectedly. She took the kids. And nobody knows where she went. Now, you tell me what that means."

Fernandez said, "Connie, all I can do is advise you in my capacity as Mr. Sanders’s attorney that documentary evidence contradicts your sources about this harassment charge."

"Are you going to show me this evidence?"

"Absolutely not."

"Then how do I know it exists?"

"You don’t. You only know I have informed you of its existence." "And what if I don’t believe you?"

Fernandez smiled. "These are the decisions a journalist must make." "You’re saying it’d be reckless disregard."

"If you go with your story, yes."

Walsh stepped back. "Look. Maybe you’ve got some kind of a technical legal case here, and maybe you don’t. But as far as I’m concerned, you’re just another minority woman trying to get ahead with the patriarchy by getting down on her knees. If you had any self-respect you wouldn’t be doing their dirty work for them."

"Actually, Connie, the person who seems to be caught in the grip of the patriarchy is you."

"That’s a lot of crap," Walsh said. "And let me tell you, you’re not going to evade the facts here. He led her on, and then he beat her up. He’s an ex-lover, he’s resentful, and he’s violent. He’s a typical man. And let me tell you, before I’m through, he’ll wish he had never been born."

Ssanders said, "Is she going to run the story?"

"No," Fernandez said. She stared across the courtyard at Johnson, Heller, and Blackburn. Connie Walsh had gone over to Blackburn and was talking to him. "Don’t get distracted by this," Fernandez said. "It’s not important. The main issue is: what’re they going to do about Johnson."

A moment later, Heller came toward them. He said, "We’ve been going over things on our side, Louise."

"And?"

"We’ve concluded that we see no purpose to further mediation and are withdrawing, as of now. I’ve informed judge Murphy that we will not continue."

"Really. And what about the tape?"

"Neither Ms. Johnson nor Mr. Sanders knew they were being taped. Under law, one party must know the interaction is being recorded. Therefore the tape is inadmissible."

"But Ben-"

"We argue that the tape should be disallowed, both from this mediation and from any subsequent legal proceeding. We argue that Ms. Johnson’s characterization of the meeting as a misunderstanding between consenting adults is the correct one, and that Mr. Sanders bears a responsibility for that misunderstanding. He was an active participant, Louise, no way around it. He took her panties off. Nobody held a gun to his head. But since there was fault on both sides, the proper thing is for the two parties to shake hands, let go of all animosity, and return to work. Apparently Mr. Garvin has already proposed this to Mr. Sanders, and Mr. Sanders has refused. We believe that under the circumstances Mr. Sanders is acting unreasonably and that if he does not reconsider in a timely manner, he should be fired for his refusal to show up for work."