The Philanthropist's Danse

by Wornham, Paul

  “Miss Thurwell. Dennis and I supported your father in everything we did, over many years of service. I hope that will be remembered, when the time comes.” Janice saw no reason to be shy about what she expected. Dennis and she both knew further employment with the Thurwells was not in their future. They needed as much of the Old Man’s money as they could get.

  Bethany smiled but was annoyed at the housekeeper’s shrewish response to her genuine thanks. She hid her irritation and patted the housekeeper’s arm to reassure her. The women parted, and Janice returned to her husband. “We did well voting with the family, Dennis. Keep it up and we’ll be looked after, I’m sure of it.” Dennis nodded but seemed distracted. She poked him in the ribs. “What the hell is the matter with you, Dennis? You look like a boy who just lost a puppy, not a man on his way to a fortune.” He looked at her, and she was shocked to see his eyes were moist. It stopped the rising tide of her invective, but there was no sympathy in her heart, she was ashamed of him. Janice shook her head in contempt and walked away to refresh her coffee.

  Dennis watched her go, relieved. He was frightened at how easily the Thurwells had gotten rid of the Judge. Dennis had almost voted against the motion. He had been undecided how to vote when his name had been called. He figured his employer invited all of them to the mansion for a reason and Dennis thought that gave everyone a claim to the Old Man’s money.

  To throw a person out with nothing seemed to go against the philanthropist’s wishes. In the end he simply copied Janice’s vote, and now he realized how close he had come to making a costly error. He worried that he and Janice might face the same fate as the Judge and it terrified him. He needed money to pay his debts, perhaps enough to escape his life and wife. He saw the old lady looking at him and gave her a polite smile. She returned it, but neither spoke, each was lost in their own thoughts.

  Winnie had watched the Elliots terse conversation and could tell there was tension between them. The husband’s shoulders sloped, and he wore a permanent hangdog expression in stark contrast to his wife, who seemed energized by recent events. Winnie observed without judgment. She had seen plenty of couples fall apart. Both her children were in second marriages. She wondered if Janice knew her husband hated her, or if she had stopped paying attention to him so long ago that she had no idea her marriage was over. She folded her hands in her lap and waited for the session to resume. She did not understand why another break had been called. None of these people would last a day on a farm if they needed to take a break after every twenty-minute conversation.

  $

  William had telephoned the Judge in his suite, but the call had not been picked up. Jeremy confirmed he had seen Freeman enter his room, but said that he had refused to answer the door. William would have to wait until the close of the day’s business to talk to the Judge. It was another problem he didn’t need. He had plenty to do already. He set his fresh coffee down carefully on a coaster and nodded a greeting to Mrs. Tremethick as he shuffled papers to get the group’s attention.

  The last to return to their seats were Freddie and Caroline, both of whom looked nervous. Bird turned the meeting over to Larry MacLean, and the room instantly hushed. There was palpable tension in the room, but Larry needed a technical question answered and turned to the lawyer. “Bill, we have eleven people left, we want to know if the super majority requires eight or nine votes.” The lawyer had anticipated the question a week ago. “You need nine votes, we round up any fraction. You need nine for the next vote and then eight when you have ten people left, and so on. Clear?”

  MacLean nodded and shot a glance toward Junior, who was upset but managed to keep his mouth shut. They had argued about the math, but it was Larry who had correctly anticipated the answer. The ruling made their job more difficult, but they had removed the Judge and could do the same again. Their major disagreement had been over whom to target.

  The family decided not to target Winnie Tremethick again. She had survived Hagood’s motion and Larry asked the others to keep the old lady around to give him an opportunity to figure out her connection to their father. Bethany worried that trying to remove Caroline Smith might be an issue for the Elliots, who may see the removal of an employee as a precursor to their own rejection.

  Larry knew Freddie was the logical next target, but was concerned about the risk if they lost. Hagood was a vicious opponent who could cause a lot of trouble if he survived a motion. When they agreed to go after him, Larry hoped the voting would be as straightforward as the motion against the Judge.

  Freddie knew what was coming and that he was powerless to stop it. His effort to form a voting group to counter the family had been delivered a fatal blow with Freeman’s elimination. He was not surprised when Larry rose to speak. “William, I have a new motion for consideration. I propose the immediate removal of Freddie Hagood, without compensation.” He spoke in his clear, deep voice as he looked directly at Hagood. Freddie returned the stare but showed no emotion.

  The lawyer entered the proposal into his computer and asked for a second. Philip seconded and William began the roll call. “Mr. Lawrence MacLean?”

  “Yes.”

  “Mr. MacLean votes aye.”

  “Mr. Johnston C. Thurwell III?”

  “Yes.”

  “Mr. Thurwell votes aye.”

  “Ms. Bethany Thurwell?”

  “Yes.”

  “Ms. Thurwell votes aye.”

  “Mr. Philip Thurwell?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Mr. Thurwell votes aye.”

  “Ms. Camille Jolivet?”

  “Oui.”

  “Ms. Jolivet votes aye.”

  “Mrs. Janice Elliot?”

  “Yes.”

  “Mrs. Elliot votes aye.”

  “Mr. Dennis Elliot?”

  “Yes.”

  “Mr. Elliot votes aye.”

  “Mrs. Caroline Smith?”

  “No.”

  “Mrs. Smith votes nay.”

  “Ms. Elizabeth Freah?”

  “Yes.”

  “Ms. Freah votes aye.”

  “Mr. Frederick Hagood?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Mr. Hagood votes nay.”

  “Mrs. Winifred Tremethick?”

  “Yes.”

  “Mrs. Tremethick votes aye.”

  William tallied the results, nine votes to two. He looked at Freddie, who was already rising from his seat. “I know. You’ll call me. I’ll be in my room.” He buttoned his suit coat, smiled at the group with a look that suggested he would happily gut any one of them like a fish and left with his head held high.

  An excited buzz echoed through the room. Bethany, Philip and Junior smiled widely, and gave each other congratulatory looks. Relief was all over MacLean’s face. Bethany thanked Dennis for his vote, and he accepted her gratitude with a smile, but no comment. She thought he showed more class than his wife had earlier.

  Caroline Smith was unhappy. She had tried to leave Hagood’s diminished group at the last recess, but he bribed her with the promise of an extra million dollars on top of whatever she took from Thurwell’s fortune. He’d said he could secure another vote to make them safe, so she had accepted his offer. She had been dreaming of the riches she would enjoy, but either Hagood had lied or his other vote had betrayed him. Now she was the only person left at the table who had voted against the family twice.

  She needed to save herself to survive the next inevitable vote. She looked at the recently vacated chairs of the Judge and Freddie and felt close to despair. If the next motion was to remove her, it would be nine to one against. She needed to change two minds, fast. She saw Janice Elliot smiling and knew what she needed to do. If Smith had any hope at all of making it through the day, it was with the Elliots. But how to persuade them to keep her in the game?

  Chapter Twelve

  William informed the group he needed some time to organize the aftermath of their votes. He had not expected Hagood to be so easily outmaneuvered, it w
as out of character for the ruthless businessman. Bird needed to get to his safe and open a yellow envelope.

  The dying philanthropist had considered many scenarios that might arise from the group’s deliberations, including the possibility that Freddie Hagood would be tossed aside without compensation. Thurwell had left a stack of sealed yellow envelopes with handwritten instructions for his lawyer. Each could be opened only if the circumstance described on the envelope occurred.

  William had no idea of the envelopes contents, only the conditions that required him to open each one. One envelope concerned Freddie Hagood and Bird needed to read what the Old Man had to say immediately.

  $

  Caroline was relieved when the lawyer called another break. She needed time to speak to the Elliots. She looked for the housekeeper and was alarmed when she did not see her. She stood and turned to head to the lobby but was startled to find Janice standing behind her. “We need to talk.”

  Smith nodded, and they left to find a place to talk privately. As soon as they were seated, Caroline wasted no time. “You can see where this is going, they are going to get rid of everyone who’s not family.” Janice waited for Smith to reveal her intentions before saying anything.

  “They tossed the Judge and Freddie aside . Who’s to say I’m not next? Or you and Dennis? We can’t let them get rid of anyone else without a share. Do you agree?” Janice thought for a moment. She had the same concern, but not to the same degree. She and Dennis had voted twice in support of the family, Smith had not. The housekeeper saw Smith was impatient for a reply. “I agree things cannot continue as they are, but I don’t believe Dennis and I are immediately threatened, unlike you.”

  Smith opened her mouth for a retort, but Janice held up a finger and quieted her. “However, if you were voted out, the family would be tempted to do the same to the rest of us. So I agree, we have the same interests, at present.”

  Smith realized she needed to revisit her appraisal of the housekeeper. She had thought of Janice as a simple servant with no grasp of the situation, but she had been wrong. Janice had worked out the problem, through cunning or guile. Caroline needed to be careful. If Janice suspected she and Dennis were to be used, it could end badly for her. They were the two votes that could keep her in the money, perhaps the only ones she could get. Janice knew she needed to keep Smith in the group, but she did not have to give away her support freely. “I guess you want Dennis and I to vote against the family, if they try to remove you?”

  Caroline nodded, but Janice had more to say. “My question to you is why would we? If we support you, we have to vote against the family. That may not be good for us. We need the money, Mrs. Smith. We don’t have high-paid jobs. So why should we risk our future for you? You never said one word to Dennis or me when you called at Mr. Thurwell’s home. We didn’t matter, except if your coffee was cold. So, Caroline, why should we risk anything for you?”

  Janice was pleased with herself. She had never cared for Smith. She had seen the way the career woman tried to get the Old Man to notice her. A button carelessly undone on her blouse, darker lipstick, her flirty laugh and light touches. Smith was like a lot of women in the Old Man’s world, they wanted money and influence, and they’d earn it on their backs if they had to. Janice had tried to seduce Thurwell once, to no avail. But she was always aware of attempts by other women. Women like Caroline Smith.

  Thurwell had insulated himself from temptation with his arrangement with Betty Freah. There wasn’t a social climber or would-be wife that didn’t hate the whore for it. Smith understood the unspoken question. “Okay Janice. What do you want?”

  “I want a million dollars, in addition to whatever share we get. If you agree, you’re safe. They need eight votes, and they can’t get them without me and Dennis.” Smith listened as the cunning housekeeper laid out her demands. Janice had anticipated that she and her husband might be approached for their votes and had prepared for this conversation. Caroline had no choice and the women shook hands on their deal.

  $

  William retrieved an envelope from his safe. The scrawl on the front was plain enough, ‘For Freddie, if he gets nothing.’ He slit the dark yellow envelope and read the short note. He was stunned by what he read, but he was also obedient to his late employer. He reached for the telephone and dialed Hagood’s extension.

  Hagood answered immediately. “Bird? Is that you?” William opened his mouth to tell Hagood the news when the other man took the breath from him. “How much do I get Bill?” The lawyer read the number out. “How did you know you’d get anything Freddie?”

  Hagood chuckled. “You don’t need to concern yourself with the how or why Bill. Your job is to do what you’re told. And you’ve been told to pay me, right?” Bird confirmed his instructions. He was shocked the Old Man wanted his rival to be rewarded with a large settlement. “It says I’m to process your payment when the others are done, and shares are decided. You are required to remain at the mansion until it’s over, I’m afraid.”

  He heard Hagood grunt assent and continued. “It says there are some conditions to this money and that you know some of them. You have me at a disadvantage Freddie, it seems I don’t know as much as you.” Hagood laughed, and Bird wondered if he was being laughed at. “You have no idea how much I know Bill. You’d do well to remember that. I’ll be a good sport and stay up here in my suite. The pay is worth a few days of my time. Have Jeremy send up a good bottle of champagne, I feel like celebrating.”

  Hagood hung up, and Bird stared at the phone with a bemused expression. He was still astonished as he called Jeremy with Hagood’s order. The major-domo could tell something was wrong, and asked if the lawyer was okay. He said he was fine, but his mind was a jumble of unanswered questions. He had no idea why the Old Man would want to reward his rival. He had not understood why the man had even been invited. Now he realized Hagood always knew he would get some money, as if it was guaranteed. Bird had questions but unless Freddie felt like explaining he may never get answers.

  He slipped the handwritten note back into the envelope and placed it back in the safe. He needed to reconvene the group. There was plenty of time for further discussion before dinner. He didn’t think the group would need an evening session if they continued as they had started. Bird assumed they would attempt to wrap up the business today and avoid the midnight penalty. He hoped it would be over soon, for all their sakes.

  $

  Junior sat with Bethany and Philip in the dining room where they sipped tea and discussed their successes. Larry sat with Camille one table away and chatted about her transition from Parisian to New York life. Junior suspected Larry was flirting with the French girl, and it looked as if she was flirting right back.

  Junior shook his head in disbelief as his brother finished a thought about Caroline Smith. “She’s voted against us twice, it’s obvious she made a deal with Freddie. Why should we care about her? Let’s dump her like we did the Judge and Freddie. I bet we can get rid of the Elliots for cheap too.”

  Philip stopped talking as soon as he caught Bethany’s sharp look. He heard the housekeeper’s voice behind him and his face reddened as he realized Bethany’s warning had come too late. “How cheap do you think we might be, Mr. Philip? I’m especially interested, since that’s my future you’re talking about.” Bethany stepped in quickly. “I think Philip was only suggesting your share would be smaller than ours. He just worded it poorly, right Phil?”

  Her brother nodded, he had no idea how to extricate himself from the moment. Janice looked unconvinced and stood with her arms folded. It made her appear stern, but she did it to stop her hands from trembling with fright. Bethany offered Janice a seat at her side, which she accepted after a sufficiently dramatic pause. Philip stuttered anything that came to mind, his voice as small as it was when he was a boy. “I’m sorry Janice, really sorry. I really didn’t mean anything by it, you know.” Junior told him to shut up and compounded the image of Philip as the little boy who me
ssed up.

  Janice ignored Philip and turned back to Bethany. “I came to talk to you. To all of you.” There was anger in her voice, but she controlled it. Bethany took the role of spokesperson, just as she did for her father’s business whenever the shit hit the fan. She used her kindest voice but was careful not to sound condescending. “What did you want to say Janice?”

  The housekeeper paused again. She was enjoying the family’s discomfort. Her timing could not have been better. She had arrived just in time to hear Philip’s indiscretion and the family was put on the back foot before they even realized they were in a negotiation. "I have information for you. Information that will save some of your precious money.” She shot a look at Philip, and he blanched under her direct glare.

  Bethany nodded. “I’m sure we’d be grateful for any information you have.” She was not prepared for Janice’s frank reply.

  “A person has offered money for our votes. For Dennis’s vote and mine. This person wants a share of your father’s fortune, and they want Dennis and I to help them get it.” Junior swore a nasty epithet before remembering his sister’s earlier admonition and he immediately apologized to Janice. She waved it off, she heard worse every day of her life.

  Bethany knew where this was going. “This person would be Caroline Smith?”

  Janice did not acknowledge the guess. “I want guaranteed money before I tell you anything more. Dennis and I were loyal to your father, but we’ve lost our jobs and our home, so this is as serious for us as it is for you. We want a fair settlement or we’ll take our chances and our votes elsewhere.”

  Junior balked, suddenly furious. “That’s goddamn blackmail. You can’t demand to be paid to tell us something we might find out ourselves, you ignorant bitch.”

  Janice shrugged. “As you wish. Good luck keeping your inheritance.” She stood and walked toward the lobby, but slower than her usual pace. She smiled when she heard Bethany hiss at her brother, followed by the scrape of a chair and the rapid click of heels behind her.