Tom was a grave robber, who along with his partner Jack, dug up an ancient cemetary looking for valuable artifacts to sell to the Megakat City Museum of History. He didn’t believe the cemetary was cursed, and ignored Jack’s constant whining. When the two dug up the Pastmaster, Tom attempted to take his pocketwatch, and was shocked when the gnome sprang to life. Nonetheless, Tom decided they could sell the Pastmaster to the museum, “watch and all,” and along with Jack attempted to capture him. However the two were attacked by a pair of skeletal zombies brought to life by the sorcerer; after one zombie grabbed his pickaxe away from him, Tom turned and fled the cemetary along with Jack.
Tom is described differently in the final draft of The Pastmaster Always Rings Twice‘s script, as wearing an eyepatch and having a bite taken out of one ear.