The Philanthropist's Danse

by Wornham, Paul

  “You must realize if Johnston Thurwell wanted you to be here, there has to be a connection. He was too thorough to make a mistake about who you are.” She looked into Freddie’s eyes, which had seemed friendly at first, but she could tell there was an edge under his polite civility. She sipped her coffee. It was hot and better than the tea.

  “I understand you’d expect he’d have invited me for a reason. I don’t blame you, or Mr. Bird, for thinking so. However, I am quite sure I never met poor Mr. Thurwell. I think I’d remember a rich American showing up in Cornwall, but it never happened. I never even met an American before I arrived here.”

  He smiled and leaned forward, but it was only for show, in case anyone was watching. “I don’t know what secret you think you’re protecting, but I’ll find it, lady. So just tell me what it is and I’ll help you get out of here.” She shuddered, his menacing tone frightened her. Winnie pushed back in her chair to try and escape Freddie’s closeness. “I don’t know him, I never did. And if he knew me, I don’t know how.”

  Winnie was afraid of this imposing man, but she was tougher than she looked, a long life on a struggling farm had provided depths of courage she rarely explored. As Hagood leaned in again to whisper, she loudly exclaimed. “I think you’d better go Mr. Hagood, I’ve nothing else to tell you.”

  He stopped, surprised by her outburst and looked around quickly. A few people were within earshot and turned to see what was happening. Dennis Elliot was one of the witnesses. For once he had found a moment to himself while Janice had gone to fawn over Bethany’s grief. Dennis walked to the old lady and cast a suspicious eye over Hagood before he took the seat on the other side of the old woman and put a hand gently on hers. “Is there trouble here ma’am?”

  Winnie turned to look at Dennis and saw a man who might have looked intimidating had he not possessed a defeated air. “There’s no problem. Mr. Hagood was just leaving. And call me Winnie, dear. If you go around calling me ma’am I’m apt to go thinking the Queen’s standing behind me.”

  She smiled with a twinkle in her sharp blue eyes and saw Dennis relax. He looked at Freddie again, aware something had happened, but Hagood was already walking away. Winnie was glad to be free of him, she would do her best to avoid being alone with Freddie Hagood, just to be safe.

  Winnie and Dennis exchanged small talk. He told of his long service as Mr. Thurwell’s manservant, and how he felt like an impostor to be included in a group he would usually be serving. Winnie nodded. She did not belong in the middle of a family battle over the fortune of a man she had never met. She felt Dennis’s attention shift and his eyes flicked nervously over her shoulder.

  Winnie knew the cause of his sudden nervousness. She was old but far from blind, so she was not surprised when she heard Janice’s voice behind her. Dennis stood and introduced his wife to Winnie, who quickly reminded him that they had already met. The two women exchanged polite smiles before Janice looked at her husband and demanded why he was wasting time in idle chat with a confused old woman when he should be talking to William Bird or Junior, working to ensure they would be treated right.

  She shook her head with a loud sigh as he offered no reply and grabbed his arm and marched toward the door. He looked like a schoolboy who’d been caught stealing candy from a dime store, and he gave Winnie a baleful smile as he was led from the room.

  $

  Bethany, Philip and Junior retreated to a corner of the library for a private discussion. Bethany was still in shock, her face was white as parchment. Philip was stunned, but Junior was furious. “That stupid philandering old man, I can’t believe he fell for that French slut’s bullshit.” His voice quivered with anger, and his hands shook with fury. “What are we going to do? It looks as if Bird is supporting her claim to a blood relationship.”

  “He’s probably fucking her, and they’ll split the cash she gets when this is over.” Philip said it in a low voice. He too was shaken by Camille’s revelation, but had fewer doubts his father might have sired an illegitimate child. Junior looked at his brother, surprised. “You might be right Phil, something’s wrong with this whole scenario. Why would the Old Man die without calling for us, why set up this fucking circus?”

  Bethany uttered an exasperated sigh. “Stop cussing, Junior. We’re not going to swear our way out of this mess.” He looked at his sister with open disdain. “So, Daddy’s favorite girl has decided to get involved. Welcome to the party Beth, it’s about time you woke up. We’re getting royally screwed here, sister. If you don’t get your pretty little head out of your ass, you might find your half-sister is shopping with your inheritance by the end of the week.”

  Bethany stared at her brother, stung by his blunt cruelty. She wanted to slap him, but something in his words rang true. She looked at Philip who just watched them fight, something he had enjoyed before he was even old enough to understand their words.

  “What do you think, Phil? Do you have any wisdom to share other than that William might be sleeping with this French girl?”

  Philip considered for a moment, sat forward in his chair and the others copied his movement until they sat in a tight circle, their heads almost touching. “All I know is, none of this adds up. I could understand if the Old Man gave up on me, or Junior, but not you Beth, you were his favorite. What did you ever do to him?”

  Her lips trembled at their mention of her close relationship to their father. Bethany’s eyes filled with tears, but she fought them back. She drew on the flicker of anger inside her gut for strength. “We have to take control. If we don’t take it, someone like Freddie Hagood will. And then, dear brothers, we’ll be well and truly fucked.”

  She looked at Junior with a faint smile. “We need 75% to get a motion passed. There are twelve people in the room, so we need nine votes. We can count on Larry to join us, it won’t cost much, he doesn’t need any of father’s money.” Junior and Philip listened closely as Bethany continued. “I’m sure we can get the Elliot’s support. Dennis will surely back our claim and Janice will too, for a fair price. That gives us six votes. So, who else can we recruit?”

  She discounted Hagood and the French girl and shuddered as she forced herself to consider an awful choice. “We could get the whore. It would be cheaper to bring her in than have her working against us, don’t you agree?” The brothers shrugged, they had less of a problem with Betty than their sister did. They agreed Betty could be number seven. Junior nodded as their plan came together. “Seven is a good number, but we’re still two short.”

  Bethany’s mind cleared as the act of dealing with their problem pushed her grief from being foremost in her thoughts. “With seven people voting our way, there’s a good chance we can persuade two more to get on board, if we play this right. We should try to get rid of someone and see who joins us. I say we give that old woman what she wants and send her home. No one knows her, she’ll go quietly.”

  Junior interrupted. “So when we get the group down to eleven people we’ll only need eight for the next vote, assuming that Bird rounds down.” He sounded excited, and Bethany picked up the thought. “That means we only need to convince one more person to join us, and we can get rid of another person. But who should we target next?”

  Philip had anticipated her question. “Freddie Hagood or the Judge should be next. Either is capable of organizing against us, so we need to remove them fast. Also, it will be a lot easier to deal with Frenchie once we have all the power.”

  Bethany turned to her younger brother in surprise. “Phil, you’re as scheming as we are.”

  “I’m not stupid Beth, just uneducated.” He smiled his most charming smile and she felt a wave of affection wash over her. She could become extremely frustrated with Philip, but then he’d do something unexpected and flash that smile, and she’d fall helplessly in love with him again. Junior broke into their tender moment. “Okay. I like the plan, now let’s figure out how we’re going to get it done.” Their heads lowered into a tight circle again as they quietly plo
tted.

  $

  Larry MacLean chatted with Caroline Smith in the lobby. She was a woman he admired for her achievements, but could not bring himself to like. Smith was full of barely concealed excitement at the exposure of Thurwell’s illegitimate daughter and of the Georgia Judge’s questionable intervention in a case against Philip. Her gossipy exuberance was unattractive and surprised MacLean, who had never seen her so animated. He realized she was thinking only in terms of her share of the money.

  MacLean looked for a way out of the conversation and saw his chance as Betty Freah arrived beside him. She brushed his arm lightly and smiled as he greeted her. Caroline glowered, she was unhappy at the interruption. MacLean made a grand show of introducing Betty and the two women greeted each other politely but did not exchange handshakes. Betty looked up at MacLean. “How are you, Larry? It must be hard for you, losing Johnston so unexpectedly.”

  She had always liked Larry, it was he who had introduced her to JT and therefore, he’d been in large part responsible for her change in fortunes. He’d been a terrific lover too. She’d enjoyed their times together before JT insisted she drop her other clients. Thurwell’s demand had upset Larry, and he’d argued with his friend about his possessiveness. Betty had provided a subtle solution by persuading a friend of hers to cross paths with Larry at a party, after which he didn’t seem to mind losing Betty quite as much. MacLean had learned about her scheme not long after and laughed at her skillful manipulation of his wandering eye.

  He smiled at her genuine concern for his feelings. He knew she had developed a bond with his friend, even if she was strict about keeping it businesslike. Caroline was angry at the interruption. “What do you care what Larry feels? It’s a bit early to be looking for a new client, don’t you think?”

  The disgust in her voice was palpable, and Larry turned sharply, but Betty put her hand on his arm and shook her head. “Let it go, Larry, she’s not worth it.”

  Betty turned away from Smith and looked at MacLean, who was torn between honoring her request and defending her anyway. Caroline made any decision irrelevant when she turned on her heel and left, muttering about the ’cheap whore’ as she strode away. Betty winked. “That went well.” Larry laughed, took her by the arm, and they went in search of fresh coffee.

  $

  Judge Freeman sat alone in a corner of the dining room, chewing on a bran muffin as he mentally reviewed what had been said during the session. He hoped he’d avoided implicating himself in anything illegal. Though he knew his actions must appear suspicious, he hadn’t given any facts that could be used to condemn him. He considered how a campaign manager might spin the story if it leaked, and thought with luck he might still have a realistic shot at a political career.

  He became aware of being observed and found Freddie Hagood watching him with interest. Freeman, like many others at the mansion, had been unable to fathom why Thurwell would invite his lifelong rival to share in his fortune.

  Freeman raised an eyebrow that Hagood took as an invitation to join him. “Macon’s a nice part of the world, Judge.” Hagood spoke slowly, his manner was relaxed. “I’ve heard your name before. Some influential people think you have a pretty good shot at getting into the Governor’s office.”

  Freddie smiled, but Freeman’s guard was up, his courtroom instincts warned him there was danger close. “I thank you for saying so, Mr. Hagood. I certainly hope to serve the people of Georgia in whatever capacity they see fit to bestow upon me.” He smiled his 1000-watt smile, the one he had flashed on the college football field after a win or on the courthouse steps after a successful case. Hagood stirred his coffee, carefully placed his spoon on a folded linen napkin and watched for a moment as a dark stain grew on the pristine white material.

  “I think we both know your political career is already over, even before it’s started. You’re dirty. You didn’t admit it in there, but you said enough for a man with my resources to find the truth. You took money from Thurwell to let his son go. I’m not buying it was a simple vehicle accident either. I’ll find out your story, you can be sure of that.”

  Freeman’s mind whirled. He had recognized Freddie Hagood when he first saw him arrive. Everyone knew HBN, his business network. Information was the man’s stock-in-trade and Freeman knew Hagood could make good on his threat. He had given enough away for a man with Hagood’s resources and determination to uncover everything.

  In Macon, at William Bird’s behest, Freeman had manipulated a young prosecutor until he dropped the charges against Philip Thurwell. But there had still been a body in the morgue. The community held a public funeral and later there had been some media fuss about an unexpected but large life insurance payout. While Freeman was sure it would be hard to track the money back to Thurwell, he had no doubt a man like Hagood could do it.

  Freeman’s large frame appeared to deflate in front of Hagood’s eyes. “I suppose a man like you could find something unsavory about anyone he chose.”

  Hagood smiled, an expression that reminded the Judge of a snake eyeing its next meal. The businessman sipped his coffee to give Freeman more time to squirm. “Sometimes you need to dig deeper than others, but there is always something in a man’s past that they’d rather keep secret.” Freeman felt the full weight of Hagood’s accusing stare and could not hold his gaze.

  Freddie shifted in his seat. “Judge, your problem is you’re basically an honest man. You’re not used to having to act innocently, I think most of the time you are innocent. But you did something to earn yourself a place at this table. Johnston Thurwell brought you here to share in his fortune. When I see a random act of generosity like that, I get curious. I’ve seen smaller sums of money turn up a body or two before now. Is there a body in your story Judge?”

  Freeman said nothing as his dreams of a future in politics dissipated like smoke in the wind. “What do you want, Hagood? What do I have that you want?” He sounded bitter, and he felt that way, his dream of becoming Georgia’s first black Governor was over because of a spoiled, rich white boy. He knew if Hagood followed up on his story he would be found to have acted inappropriately, at best. Freeman had few options, but he might still be able to walk away from the mansion with a small fortune as consolation for his lost future.

  “Why, Judge, I want what you want.” Hagood warmed to his subject, he had overpowered the large man with only a mere suspicion of wrongdoing. “A man like me appreciates the long-term benefit of a loyal friendship with a successful politician, especially an untainted man like you.”

  Freeman saw that the way out of his troubles would be at the cost of being indebted to a ruthless businessman. He looked at Freddie, and a spark of hope rose in his chest. He might yet become Governor, and later, if he could find a way to negate Hagood’s power over him, he would reclaim his independence. “I suppose that’s true. I could see where you might derive a benefit from such an arrangement.”

  Freddie smiled broadly clearly enjoying himself. “Oh, there’s more to it than that, Freeman. I need your cooperation here and now, at this meeting.” Freeman was made to wait as Freddie finished his coffee before continuing. “I expect the Thurwells to deal with the problem presented to them by their father’s unorthodox method of determining their inheritance. They will do their best to eliminate troublesome members of the group. People like me. People like you, perhaps. So it will be good for me and good for your future if we support each other.”

  Freeman thought about it and saw that Hagood made sense. The Thurwell family might try to eject him with a tiny slice of the fortune, or worse, nothing. They would eject anyone they considered a threat to their rightful inheritance. Hagood owned a business empire and a vast fortune. He did not need more money. If the Judge was thrown out, he’d have no money, and would still face Hagood’s threat to dig into events in Macon.

  Freeman weighed his limited choices and saw the inevitable path. It was better to leave this place with a share of the fortune than with no money and no future. He
swallowed his anger and ignored his conscience for only the second time in his life as he reluctantly agreed to Hagood’s terms.

  Jeremy stood at the coffee bar and watched the two men part. He wondered what had been discussed. Whatever it was, it had been one-sided. Freddie Hagood walked away from the Judge looking like a contented cat while Ron Freeman slumped in his seat and resembled the remains of an unfortunate canary.

  Chapter Eight

  The Thurwell’s agreed Bethany should represent the family to recruit Larry to their cause. She waited in the library, alone with her thoughts. Her grief seemed manageable now she was following a course of action. Philip had gone to find Larry to send his father’s old friend to Bethany, so they could talk in the privacy of the library. Junior had agreed to mingle to lessen any suspicion of a brewing plot.

  Philip found Larry in the lobby with Betty and noticed how close they stood to each other. He approached them with a friendly smile. He liked Betty and thought his Old Man had deserved the time he spent with her. She saw Philip nearing and muttered something that made Larry turn. “Phil, how are you holding up, son? This day becomes more bizarre by the hour.”

  “I’m fine, Uncle Larry, but Beth’s hurting. Could you talk to her? She’s in the library. Perhaps you could take a shot comforting her?”

  Philip saw MacLean’s immediate concern. He would do anything for Bethany, so persuading him to visit her was an easy sell. Larry excused himself to Betty, thanked Philip for keeping her company, and walked with quick strides to the library. Philip and Betty strolled around the perimeter of the lobby and chatted easily, pausing only when they reached the doors to watch the raging storm outside. Another ten inches of fresh snow had wedged into the corners of the entrance, and the day was eerily dark for the mid-morning hour.