Trafford Publishing: The Baker Decision

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The Baker Decision

by Ernie Rocha

374 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #05-1504; ISBN 1-4120-6593-3; US$30.00, C$34.50, EUR24.64, £17.25

The main theme of the story is how Hal Crawford climbs the corporate ladder and becomes Vice President in charge of Marketing at World Oil Co., a wholely-owned subsidiary of World Marketing Industries.

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About the Book

The main theme of the story is how Hal Crawford climbs the corporate ladder and becomes Vice President in charge of Marketing at World Oil Co., a wholely-owned subsidiary of World Marketing Industries. Its president, Felix Baker, presides over the Board at W.M.I. and influences the board members to sell the subsidiary World Oil Co., but before Felix Baker makes his final decision to sell Word Oil Co. Hal Crawford as a new District Mgr. is involved in a truck driver's union strike. When a plot to end the strike fails the strike comes to an abrupt end. During the strike Phil Sanford, the New York Region Mgr. was attacked, but because Hal Crawford intervened and saved Phil from possible death Phil elects to retire and nominate Hal to be the next New York Region Mgr.
In the meantime Sandra White, Phil's secretary, falls in love with Hal and marries him. One year later Sandra is six months' pregnant and while driving to Connecticut to visit her parents she is forced off the road by an oncoming truck and crashes through a guard rail and lands in Lake Meadow. A young man, Carles Vasques, who was fishing nearby immediately dives into the water, hoping to save the woman from drowning. Sandra lives but her baby is born dead. When Carles visited Sandra in the hospital he told her about a stranger who helped in the rescue. If it wasn't for the stranger getting the car door open, she may not have been saved. A few days later while Sandra was visiting the scene of the accident she met the stranger, Mark Strong, and in conversation made it very clear to him that she wanted him as a friend. At another meeting she noticed Mark's gold ring with it's black cross.
Finally, Hal discovers the Dan Maxwell has a plan to defraud the company, using his executive authority. However Maxwell is caught and asked to resign. Hal was then chosen to replace him as the new Vice President in charge of marketing. Maxwell was convinced it was Hal who informed on him, and now wants revenge. He made a contact with a contract killer to have Hal Crawford killed.
In the meantime Sandra had been doing volunteer work at Hillside Orphanage and had met an eight-year-old girl, Judy McNicolls whom she grew very fond of and spoke to Hal about adopting her. Hal agreed after he met her.
Meanwhile Felix Baker had convinced his Board to sell World Oil Co. When Hal got the news he decided to call Sandra at the orphanage and give her the bad news. When Hal called, the orphanage was on fire. With all the confusion Sandra had noticed Mark had just arrived. Mentioning this to Hal, Hal hollered back over the phone, "Does Mark Strong wear a gold ring with a black cross on it?" "Yes he does" Sandra answered. Hal screamed, "Marks' a killer!" However Sandra was disconnected and didn't hear her husband's words or panic. She immediately ran outside and met Mark and both ran inside the orphanage, hollering and searching for Judy. Hal got a police helicopter to fly him to the orphanage. When they got there Hal saw his wife and Judy and Mark Strong on the roof. Then he saw Mark throwing Judy off than pushing his wife off. Hall jumped from the helicopter to the roof and was now facing Mark Strong.
Mark screamed at Hal, "It was an accident!" Hal and Mark started fighting and then Hal hit Mark with a punch causing Mark to fall back through the hatch door opening and into the stomach of fire.
When Hal finally jumped off the roof and discovered that Sandra and Judy were alive and safe he felt reborn. But when Sandra asked Hal "Where is Mark?" He told her he had to kill him in self-defense. A police officer standing nearby and hearing Hal's comment asked Hal to make a complete statement to the police about what happened on the roof. After a complete investigation by the police department was concluded, Hal's killing of Mark Strong was declared for Hal to be in self-defense, and he was innocent of any wrongdoing. Mark's strong words, "But whatever, you're dead no matter what!" gave the detectives the idea that Mark Strong the bomb would surely kill Hal Crawford.
There is a surprise ending to this story and the reader must read the entire story to appreciate what the writer endeavored to accomplish.

About the Author

At 17 I enlisted in the United States Navy during World War II, but within a matter of months the war ended and I spent my entire navy career in the Hawaiian Islands and on the Marshall Island, Kwajalein. Because all my time served was over seas I earned an early Honorable Discharge from the Navy.
Upon my return home I attended St. John's University Teacher's College in Brooklyn, New York, and upon my graduation in 1950 I went to work in the beverage industry selling soft drinks. Eventually (six years later) I turned to the oil industry, endeavoring to establish myself with a bigger company and for the next 32 years worked in Tidewater Oil Company, giving me excellent exposure to all phases of marketing that afforded me the knowledge to write The Baker Decision. It wasn't until I retired that I got the idea to create a fiction story that would be plausible, believable, and realistically seem very real. The entire novel came from my imagination. Nothing in the novel relates to my own experience or to the people I worked with. This is truly a fiction story that borders on the edge of reality and believability.
In 1958 I married my present wife Barbara, and during our 47 years we had four children, providing each with a college education.
During my career with Tidewater I was transferred to Rutland, Vermont as their new District Manager then five years later took another transfer to Worcester, Massachusetts. Again, the title remained the same but the District was much larger, covering portions of four states. My wife and I settled in Holden, Massachusetts. Where we have lived for the last 37 years.

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