The Philanthropist's Danse

by Wornham, Paul

  Larry leaned forward in his leather chair. His voice was conversational, but his words betrayed his deep anger. “If you’d told me last night the deal was off, we might have been able to sort this mess out. It’s not right the penalty was executed and that you gave us no opportunity to stop it.”

  “Larry, I told you already, I operate under strict instructions. Mr. Thurwell left a lot of notes detailing how I should act in circumstances that might or might not occur. Blackmail was one such situation, and my instructions were clear. Freeman threatened to blackmail the family in private, after you had adjourned. Mr. Thurwell’s instructions were to wait until the next scheduled session to inform you. That’s it, no arguments. Is there anything else?”

  Larry shook his head in answer to the question but then changed his mind. “Yes, about this demand that we tell our secrets. What if someone has more than one secret, Bill? How are we supposed to know which one Johnston wants us to share?”

  “They don’t. If they have a lot of skeletons in their closet, they better make the right guess. Otherwise, you will all hear more than you need to, and the process will take longer. I can’t offer any clues. You need to decide for yourself what secret you hold that will satisfy the Old Man’s requirement.”

  “Why did he do it, Bill? Why make us fight over the spoils? Did he tell you why?”

  “No comment, Larry. Maybe you’ll find out, maybe you won’t. It’s not my decision if you get to know the reasons or not. Now, if you’re finished, I need to get organized before we start again.” MacLean accepted the kiss off and left the lawyer’s office, he wanted to find Mrs. Tremethick to see how she was coping with the new turn of events.

  $

  Bethany came across Dennis Elliot in the lobby. “How’s Janice, Dennis?”

  The manservant shrugged. “I wish I knew, Miss Bethany. A nurse took a look at her and kicked me out. Jeremy gave me a coffee in the kitchen, but I can’t sit still not knowing what’s going on. It’s not like Jan to get upset like that. She’s usually the calm one. Something’s wrong.” She nodded and made noises of condolence, but was she useless trying to help a domestic situation she couldn’t relate to.

  She saw Jeremy and called him over. The major-domo complied at once and told them both that Janice was resting comfortably. “Can I see her?” Dennis sounded so wretched that Bethany’s heart almost broke, but Jeremy was professional.

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea, sir. Let her rest. You can look in on her later, when Sarah’s satisfied with her condition.”

  Dennis nodded, chewed his knuckle and wandered off. Bethany watched him go, and only too late she realized she had forgotten to ask the couple to support the family again.

  $

  Freddie watched as Caroline calculated the angles of joining him again. They had failed before, so perhaps she should find a way to get in with the family. Yet if she tried and they rejected her, Freddie might recruit others and she would be left out in the cold with no one looking out for her. The family had blindsided her before when they turned Janice against her.

  It was clear they gave her no credit for her years of service at the Foundation. Hagood saw the moment Smith decided to partner with him again and smiled. He needed at least one more person to avoid a repeat of yesterday, but whom? Freddie was nervous about revealing his secret, but didn’t see how it would affect anyone else who might ally with him. Only the family would care about his secret.

  $

  Larry found Winnie still in her seat. She looked confused and upset. “May I join you?” She looked up and smiled for the first time since the morning session began. “Mr. MacLean, there you are. I suppose I’m not going home now?”

  “I’m afraid not Mrs. Tremethick. Not under current circumstances, but I do have something for you. You remember I promised to think of the times I wasn’t in touch with Johnston?” The old lady nodded, her eyes fixed on the folded paper in Larry’s hand. “Well, I was up late last night and wrote out what I remembered. Here, take this but don’t look at it now, I don’t want others to see. Read it when you can do so in private and let me know if anything sparks any memories.”

  Winnie took the paper, and it disappeared into the large handbag that was her constant companion. “Bless you, Mr. MacLean. I hope it helps both of us.”

  He smiled and found the old girl charming. They chatted about the surprises of the morning. She told him that while she didn’t agree with what the Judge had done, the family had to take some responsibility for trying to send him away with no share. MacLean wouldn’t have agreed with her assessment yesterday, but today she seemed like a pillar of wisdom. It would have been easier and cheaper for everyone to share the whole fortune. He could not undo what had been done, but he could do his best to rescue a bad situation. He patted the old woman’s arm and excused himself. He had to find out how Philip and Bethany had made out on their missions.

  $

  Larry found it remarkable that the family had unexpectedly increased in size from three to four and how quickly the events of the past twenty-four hours had bonded them into a tight group. Junior, Philip, and Bethany would have ostracized the French girl in any other circumstance, yet here she was at the heart of the family unit. Philip grinned and gave two thumbs up to show Betty’s support was solid. They looked at Bethany, who shrugged. “I don’t know. I saw Dennis in the lobby, but he was too distracted and Janice hasn’t come out of their room since her meltdown. I’ll ask them later.”

  When Junior spoke, there was something about his voice that made them stare. “I could go and see her, if you think it would help.” He had a faraway look in his eyes, and Larry wondered if he had been drinking.

  Beth shook her head. “No, I said I’d take care of it and I will.”

  Her brother looked irritated but said nothing else. Larry watched the exchange and wondered why Junior would offer to see Janice. He had acted strangely all morning. His hysterical laugh had sent chills down MacLean’s spine. It had sounded inhuman. Larry suspected the stress of having their settlement pulled out from under them had rattled Junior. He wasn’t good under pressure which was why he had never been given a permanent portfolio in the family business. Instead, Junior was shuffled in and out of meaningless meetings as the token Thurwell. Larry decided to keep an eye on Junior in case whatever it was that disturbed him was something other than stress.

  $

  William entered the conference room and saw his guests waiting. There was palpable tension in the room, and when people looked at him, few of them could look him in the eye. They knew he had read their darkest secrets, and it bothered them.

  He knew each of them dreaded the revelations that would come in the next hours. Some secrets would seem harmless in the light of public scrutiny while others may change lives or fracture relationships forever. Only time would tell, but it was up to William to get them started down that road. He called the meeting to order, and it took no time for them to take their seats.

  William noticed two empty chairs. “Where are Judge Freeman and Janice Elliot?”

  Dennis raised his hand, as if he needed permission to speak. “Jan’s in our suite, sir. She took a bit of a turn after the last session.”

  William frowned. Janice had spit in the Judge’s face, but he had no idea why she was so upset by his blackmail. Everyone who had been part of the first day’s agreement had cause to be angry at Freeman, but she was the only person to react so viscerally. William waited, but no one spoke for the Judge. He was irritated and did not bother to cover it.

  “We can’t continue until everyone is here. The idea is to share your secrets. Each of you has to reveal your secret to the entire group. All of you, at the same time.”

  “But the nurse said Jan should rest-"

  Junior interrupted Dennis. “For God’s sake man, go and get her. We don’t have all day, there’s a clock ticking in case you forgot. Go get your wife, or I’ll do it for you.” He finished his sentence with a leer and again Larry wondere
d about Junior’s state of mind. What was it with him and the housekeeper this morning?

  Dennis flushed deep red and went to fetch his wife. As he left, Freddie Hagood also rose and headed for the door. “Where are you going, Freddie?”

  Hagood stopped and looked down his nose at William. “I’m going to get the Judge. You did say we’d need everyone.”

  The lawyer nodded, but Larry was on his feet. “Wait a minute. We should let Jeremy get the Judge, someone neutral. Who knows what Freddie might say while we’re not in earshot?”

  “For God’s sake MacLean, I can say whatever I want to him, whenever and wherever the hell I like. If you want, come with me. See if I care.”

  Hagood turned on his heel and left the room. Larry moved to follow him, but then changed his mind. He would stay. He needed to keep an eye on the family more than he was interested the Judge. A long as Larry held his group together, he could control the agenda.

  $

  Dennis slipped into his suite and waited until his eyes adjusted to the darkness. Three narrow shafts of sunlight poked through chinks in the heavy curtains, and dust motes moved lazily through the light. He found Janice still in bed and assumed she was sleeping. He padded across the carpet and her voice startled him. “Dennis, is that you?”

  “Yeah, it’s me. How are you feeling?” He sat on the edge of the bed and looked at her. He struggled to understand his feelings as he saw her afraid and vulnerable. He had long fallen out of love with his nit-picking wife, but this fragile version of her reminded him of the affectionate person he’d thought he’d married.

  Dennis felt his resentment and anger fade and was surprised to see his own hand reach out and touch her cheek. Janice recoiled, and her voice regained its familiar edge. “What are you doing, Dennis? For Christ’s sake, I don’t need your sweaty hands all over me.”

  He sighed as the tender moment faded to dust, and he opened the drapes. The room flooded with bright sunshine and Janice groaned and pulled a blanket over her head, cursing him. Dennis’ temper flared, he’d had enough. He was angry for his moment of weakness, how could he forget what she was and how she treated him? He tugged the blankets off her roughly. When he saw her, he gasped and sat down on the bed, hard. “What the hell? Janice, what happened to you?”

  Her back was criss-crossed with angry red scratches and peppered with bruises. She tugged at the sheet to hide her body and buried her head in the pillow. She cried something he didn’t hear. He rolled her over gently. “What happened, Jan? Where did these marks come from?” He could see she was frightened, there were more bruises on her wrists and he let go of her arm, afraid of hurting her. Janice’s eyes squeezed shut, and she hugged herself as tears began to flow. “Talk to me Jan, who did this to you?”

  Janice lay on the bed and looked up at her husband and wondered why he could not have been this strong all the time. If he’d been a real man she never would have wanted to leave him, never would have gone to Junior’s room. Last night would never have happened.

  Now Dennis was upset, and she could see anger in his eyes, but not at her. Dennis wanted to know who did this to her, and for a brief moment she wanted to tell him and see Junior suffer. She sniffed and wiped her eyes, she could see a better way to use Dennis’s anger and get back at Junior. “If I tell you what happened, you must promise to do what I say, nothing more. I mean it Denny. If you want to help me get the man who did this, you have to do what I say.”

  Dennis’s face reflected the rush of emotions that ran through him. Part of him quailed at the return of his carping wife, but a larger part was filled with rage that someone had hurt her. Something bad had happened to her last night, and Dennis suspected the Judge had something to do with it. It would explain why she spit at him.

  He balled his fists as anger filled him at the thought of the Judge violating his wife. Dennis would kill him. He’d choke the life out of the prick. “Did that goddamned Judge do this? Is that what happened?”

  Janice shook her head and knew she had to get her husband under control. “Promise you’ll do what I say, Den. We’ll get revenge and our money. More money than we were promised yesterday. A lot more.” He stared, bewildered at her sudden coolness. She had been beaten yet was talking calmly about money and revenge. All he wanted to do was to kill someone for touching his wife. “I don’t know Jan. Tell me why I shouldn’t just kill whoever hurt you?”

  “Don’t be a moron Dennis. Listen to me. I’ll tell you what happened, but you have to understand that taking his money is our best revenge. Better than you going to jail for a few moments of satisfaction. Better than jail for him for what he did to me. Now, are you ready to help me, or do I shut my mouth and let you imagine what happened?”

  Dennis sighed, she was implacable, and he couldn’t resist her overwhelming personality. If he had ever possessed the ability to stand up to her, he had surrendered it with a thousand small concessions during their marriage. “Fine. I’ll do what you want. But tell me the truth.”

  Janice allowed herself a smile, her first that day. She would get her revenge on Junior. She patted the bed for Dennis to sit with her and started talking. “I took a call last night, after you fell asleep. It was Junior. He wanted to talk about money. He said he had a proposition for me.” She saw her husband’s eyes narrow at the mention of Junior, but he said nothing and she continued. “I went to his room. I don’t know why I did, so don’t ask. I knew better, but I was so happy about us becoming rich, I wasn’t thinking.”

  Dennis opened his mouth to speak, but she silenced him with a finger on his lips. “No, just listen, Dennis, please. When I arrived, he said he could arrange to give me more money. I didn’t understand at first, I thought he meant for both of us, that we could get more money than we had been promised. But he didn’t mean that Denny. Not at all.” She took a deep breath to calm herself.

  Dennis was completely engaged in her story, he had no suspicion she was making it up as she told it. “He told me he’d give me a larger cut than you, if I would leave you and go with him. Junior promised to give me your share of the money Denny, if I ran away with him. He said he’d wanted me for a long time. I said no, of course, I’d never betray my husband. I tried to leave, but he grabbed me. I fought him. I fought as hard as I could Denny…but… he was too strong and I was so scared and I got so tired. I’m so sorry.”

  She cried, and her body shook with deep sobs that wrenched at Dennis’s heart as he tried to make sense of what she said. He was shocked, but it was easy to believe Junior was capable of both the offer of money and the assault. Dennis knew he was going to kill Junior. Janice felt his hand tighten around hers and saw her husband’s jaw stiffen. She had to calm him down, this was going far better than she could have expected.

  “Dennis. Dennis, look at me. Remember your promise. We get revenge by taking his money, Den. Not by hurting him, not physically. Beating him will achieve nothing, he’ll recover, and you might go to jail. If we take his money, it will burn him forever. Help me take his money Denny. I know how to do it.” Dennis saw the resolve in his wife that had crushed his spirit. At least this time it was directed at a different target. She made sense, but even so he had no idea how he could not beat Junior to a pulp when he saw him.

  He closed his eyes and breathed slowly. Okay, he’d play it her way. If they got more money, he would be able to escape more easily. Dennis felt like a traitor for thinking about deserting her while she was covered in bruises, but one look in her eyes told him that while her body may be beaten, her spirit was as strong as ever. He had to find a way to escape her, but first he and Janice would take every dollar they could from Junior. Dennis had loved the Old Man. He’d been a loyal and true servant and had been deeply saddened to learn of his employer’s death.

  But the great man’s family was a different matter. They could rot in hell as far as Dennis Elliot was concerned. He stood and looked down at his wife. “Get dressed Jan, if we don’t get started soon I’m likely to run down there and cho
ke that prick out of existence.” He reached out a hand and helped her out of bed. He took a seat in the living room while she showered and dressed and did everything she could to make herself as attractive as possible.

  Her first strike against Junior would be to show him that he had not broken her. He nearly had, but that was before she figured out a way to get back at him. That she had diverted her husband’s anger with a fabricated story was no problem. Dennis would do as he was told, he always did. She’d leave him and start over to forget this whole sordid business. Janice thought about the beaches of Southern California, that’s where she’d go. Where it was warm and no-one knew her. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror, a happy smile that was accompanied by eyes as hard as flint. If Junior had seen her at that moment, his heart would have quailed.

  $

  Freddie knocked on the Judge’s door and was surprised when it opened immediately. The Judge was dressed in a new tailored suit that Freddie admired at once, it was not easy for big men to wear formal clothes, but the Judge had it nailed. “It’s time to rejoin the rat race, Judge. I thought I’d come and collect you and take a moment to talk.”

  Freeman leaned on the doorway. His head almost touched the top of the doorframe and Freddie took a half step back, his neck hurt to look up at the big man at close quarters. “Judge, you delivered us another chance at some money. I can’t say I’m impressed by your methods, but I can’t say I blame you either.” Freeman said nothing, he just listened. “We need to do the secrets thing, but then the scramble for the fortune is back on. I think we need each other again Judge, don’t you?”

  Freeman grunted. “I don’t see why I should align myself with anyone. It did me no good last time around.”

  “That was unlucky. I should have seen it coming. Freeman, before they threw you out yesterday you voted against the family. They won’t forget that, or forgive it. And that was before your clumsy blackmail threat voided their agreement. Unless you see a way to protect yourself, I’m afraid you’re options are limited. Very limited.”