The Philanthropist's Danse

by Wornham, Paul

  “You broke up their marriage, you monster. You ruined my life, and all this time you let me blame him. I should kill you—”

  “Enough. Junior, that’s enough. Let him finish.”

  Junior glared at Bird, but sat down and bored his eyes into MacLean as if he wished he could kill with a look. He had blamed his father for the divorce. No one had ever suggested his mother was the reason for their break up. She must have told her ex-husband of the affair, either to get her divorce, or sometime before she died ten years later. He had found out about his friend’s betrayal and had never said a word to Junior.

  He saw MacLean’s weary face, the so-called great family friend who turned out to be nothing more than a cheat and a liar. He’d had the nerve to remain friends with the man he’d cuckolded and later even beg for money. Junior’s chest burned with deep rage, but he waited for MacLean to complete his confession.

  “I thought I loved her, I really did. Julie was a special woman, and I thought Johnston never treated her well enough. In the end, though, it was I that did her the most harm. I caused the breakup of my best friend’s marriage. That is my secret. That is my shame. I’m sorry.” Larry’s head drooped as he finished. He felt old and tired and wanted to be anywhere but in the room with Junior and the rest of the family.

  William Bird shook his head at Larry, but acknowledged his secret was shared. “Thank you Larry. You get to move on to the next session.”

  Bethany looked at the person she thought she knew so well just twenty-four hours earlier and realized the man she called ‘Uncle Larry’ was almost a total stranger. She shook her head and looked at Junior. He had always been screwed up about his parent’s divorce. Thurwell’s second wife, Bethany and Philip’s mother had never made room for Junior in their family.

  Larry MacLean had caused the break-up and the knowledge tore Junior up inside. As a boy, he had transferred the love he withheld from his father to his kindly Uncle Larry. The double betrayal was astounding, and Junior found breathing difficult as he tried to comprehend it.

  William asked if the group wanted a break. Larry looked relieved and stood to leave when Junior’s voice stopped him in his tracks. “Don’t move, MacLean. We’re not jeopardizing any more of my father’s money so you can slink off and feel sorry for yourself. Sit down, all of you. We’re ending this circus today, sit down and let’s finish.”

  Larry meekly returned to his seat and tried to ignore the judging eyes on him.

  $

  Bird watched the drama play out, he knew a break would be necessary at some point, but he had no desire to contradict Junior when he was volatile. He brought the focus back by reaching into the glass and selecting the next name.

  “Judge Ronald Freeman. Please share your secret with us, sir.”

  Freeman took a breath and started talking. He saw no reason to delay after watching MacLean’s self-destruction. “You may remember I said I had previously met William Bird. It happened that Mr. Bird came to Macon to negotiate Philip Thurwell’s release from jail. He had been arrested following a traffic accident. What I did not mention was that I refused Mr. Bird’s request. I had no reason to intervene in the case, which the police department was still investigating. The accident was far more serious than Philip described, a young man died at the scene and manslaughter charges were possible.”

  There was a hiss from Junior, who shot a look at his younger brother. “You told us that you totaled your Porsche, Phil. You killed someone?”

  Philip shrugged, but Bethany knew her younger brother best and noticed a tightness in his face, Philip was hiding something. She turned back to the Judge who glowered at Junior for interrupting him.

  “I refused to go along with Mr. Bird’s request. In fact, I was more determined than ever to see justice served. Unfortunately, shortly after my refusal I found myself in an impossible situation and regretfully agreed to Mr. Bird’s demand that Philip not be charged. In exchange, I would receive financial support for my political career.”

  Freddie Hagood listened intently, he had guessed most of this, but it was interesting to hear it firsthand. He interrupted Freeman. “Bill blackmailed you, Judge? Is that what happened?”

  Freeman nodded and sent an accusing glare at William Bird. “I was coerced into dropping the case, but I accepted the offer of political support.”

  Freddie looked at the lawyer. “Is that true, William?”

  The lawyer held Hagood’s gaze without flinching. “I did what I had to do to get Philip out of there. The Judge had a family member that provided some leverage.”

  “You took advantage of a young girl’s poor judgment.” Freeman snapped.

  Freddie was still interested in the details. “So your secret is that Bill Bird blackmailed you into letting Phil walk from a car wreck that killed someone? How did you do it, exactly?”

  “I called in a favor. I didn’t want to, but the Chief of Detectives owed me and I called it. The police had already determined there was no DUI, and the victim was a known felon. It seemed like there was little actual harm if we let it slide.”

  Freeman saw looks of disapproval as the others listened to his story and he felt the need to defend himself. “Look, it’s not a perfect system. In fact, it’s swamped. Chances are that Philip would have gotten a fine, if that. So I did little more than expedite the process. Yes, I was blackmailed into getting the case dropped and yes I accepted political help in return, but I’ve seen worse abuses.”

  Freddie turned away, embarrassed for the Judge as he tried to justify his behavior. Others looked at Bird with disapproval. William didn’t care to make excuses, he had done what his boss wanted and he had gotten it done fast and easy. That was all that mattered, not the judgment of people who all carried dirt of their own. Freeman sounded defeated as he asked the lawyer to pass him to the next session. “Am I done? There’s nothing more to tell.”

  “Yes, Judge, you will continue. It’s time to select the next person.”

  $

  “Johnston Thurwell III. Junior, you’re next. Please tell your secret.”

  The philanthropist’s eldest son felt his heart quail. He had dreaded this moment from the moment he heard Freddie Hagood’s secret. He swallowed and darted a quick look at Bethany. “I want to say, in my defense that I didn’t know then what I know today. If I had known, if I could have seen the truth, things would be very different.”

  Philip groaned. “Just get on with it, brother. It’s not like you’re the only scumbag at the table, is it?”

  Junior looked at his brother and sighed, he was right. There was nothing to do but tell the story. “I sold Thurwell Industries’ information to our competitors. Freddie himself paid me a lot of money. Today I just found out he and my father were in secret partnership. Which means father knew of my betrayal.” Junior’s head dropped as he talked, felt small and weak, like he used to as a boy.

  “How could you, Junior? How could you sell us all out? Why, for money?” Bethany was unable to keep the contempt from her voice. She had worked hard to make the business successful and was shocked to discover her brother had sold them out, undoing the work of thousands of good people. “Why Junior? Tell me why you did it.”

  Junior lifted his head and looked at Larry MacLean with pure venom. “I hate you Larry. I spent years trying to take revenge against my father and all the time it was you that I should have punished. You ask me why, sister? I hated father. I blamed him for dumping my mother and making me feel like a second-class kid when you and Phil came along.

  “You were so close to him, and I was never included. I plotted my revenge, and when I got to where I could hurt the Old Man, I acted.” Bethany and Philip shook their heads, Junior’s rant hit a nerve, yet Junior still sounded petulant as he spoke of his boyhood. Junior looked at Freddie with desperation in his eyes. “Did you tell him? When I came to you with my offer, did you tell my father?”

  Hagood smiled, but there was no compassion in his eyes. “Yes, of course. As soon as you
called me, I told your father. The funny thing was that if I had not been working with your father, I would have told you to get lost. I’ve no interest in being used as a pawn in family squabbles.

  “Johnston told me to both pay and encourage you. He used you, Junior. When I sent you to meetings, you were being played. Your father made sure you only saw information he wanted leaked. You sold falsehoods and misinformation to his competition, and we made a rich profit from your efforts to ruin him. “We used to laugh about how much money we made from your treachery. He always knew you were a weak kid, which is why you never got a proper job.”

  Hagood laughed as he mocked Junior, who flushed crimson. Junior wanted to say something to get back at Freddie, but withered under the other man’s cruel laughter. A fat tear rolled down Junior’s cheek and landed with a splash on the table in front of him. He wiped at it with his sleeve, his mind numb as he tried to process how badly he had been misled about his mother’s divorce and how his revenge had been turned against him. “I need a break. William, a break now, please?”

  Freddie Hagood pre-empted Bird’s answer. “Suck it up Junior. Larry didn’t get a break, why should a family traitor get to hold up our progress?”

  There were mutters of agreement and William made it official. “No break. Not until we get to lunch. Sorry Junior, but you refused Larry’s request for a break and I’m going to be consistent.”

  He felt some small sympathy for Junior. The man had carried his childhood anger into adulthood and in the last hour had seen that both the source of his anger and his attempts at revenge had been misdirected. Bird recognized Junior’s qualification to move to the next session and picked the next name from the glass.

  $

  “Janice Elliot. Janice, if you please, move us forward and share your secret.”

  She seemed surprised to hear her name. She looked at William, then at Dennis. Her husband gave a slight nod. “Mr. Bird, my secret is a shared one. Dennis and I have the same thing in common, I think we should only have to say it once, for us both. Would that be okay?”

  Bethany was surprised, she had an interest in what her father’s servants had to say and was increasingly nervous about more potential bombshells. William looked from Janice to Dennis and conceded the point. It would save time to have it told only once. “Go ahead, I don’t care which one of you tells it, or if you share, but make it as brief as you can, please.”

  Dennis nodded and took over, a small kindness to Janice. It was the second time in a few hours she had been pleasantly reminded of the man she had once fallen in love with. “Jan and I were asked to do something for Mr. Thurwell. He told us that we’d do it for loyalty, not payment, but he promised eventually we’d share in his estate. Which is why we’re here, I guess. “Mr. Thurwell discovered a betrayal that wounded him enormously. We helped him get retribution.”

  Bethany’s face was a picture of barely controlled fear as she interrupted. “Who? Dennis, who was he angry with?” Dennis looked at her strangely. It was as if she suspected he was talking about her, but as far as he knew she was guilty of no betrayal.

  He pointed at the philanthropist’s oldest friend. “Mr. MacLean was the target. The first Mrs. Thurwell died ten years after their divorce. A package arrived for Mr. Thurwell. There were letters written by Mr. MacLean to her and pictures of them together. What caused the most hurt to Mr. Thurwell was a letter she had written to him while they were still married, but she never sent. In it, she told him of her love for Larry MacLean and she, well, let’s just say she was not shy about sharing intimate details.” MacLean turned white as a ghost as he listened to Dennis. He had discovered the method by which his dead friend had learned of his illicit love affair.

  What worried Larry was Dennis had mentioned retribution, but Larry could recall no harm caused to him. He listened fearfully as Dennis continued. “Jan and I agreed to help Mr. Thurwell. He had paid for our wedding and was always good to us. We hated to see him upset. It took some time and a few payoffs before we found what we needed, a weak link in Mr. MacLean’s life. Once we found that one loose thread, Jan and I went about unraveling it.”

  MacLean was angry. He knew no action had been taken against him, which meant Dennis was a liar. “Bullshit Dennis. You never touched me. Julie died over twenty years ago, and Johnston was my friend until he died. This is just crap you’re peddling to avoid telling something embarrassing about yourself.”

  Dennis shrugged, and Janice took over the narrative. “Mr. MacLean, you make the mistake of assuming the package Dennis spoke of arrived directly after Mrs. Thurwell’s death. In fact, he only received it a few years ago. When her old apartment building was renovated, a package was found hidden in the walls and was forwarded to the building’s owner. Mr. Thurwell still owned the building. It was a coincidence he ever got it. It lay there a long time, unremembered and unwanted. When he received it, it was unwelcome even then. His hurt was awful, and his rage was terrible to witness. So, you see Mr. MacLean, it’s only in the past few years your betrayal was uncovered, and Mr. Thurwell began actions against you.”

  MacLean shook his head, not believing them. The only thing that had happened recently was his idiot brother blowing the family trust. He still thought the couple was lying. “Go on. What did you do? You and Dennis, in this absurd fantasy of yours, what did you do to me?”

  “I’ll let Dennis talk about it. It was his idea, after all.”

  She nodded at her husband, who smiled and turned to MacLean. “Mr. Thurwell wanted to take your life apart, Mr. MacLean. He knew he couldn’t do it without first making you dependent upon him. So we stole your family’s money. Or, to be more accurate, we had Robert, your brother, give it to us.”

  Larry’s mind reeled. “You’re lying. Johnston was helping me. I asked for help, and he never hesitated.”

  Dennis shook his head. “No, sir, I’m telling the truth. Your brother owed money to bookies all over the country. Let’s just say I have a bookie or two in common with Robert. Mr. Thurwell set me up with a lot of cash. I was to become Robert’s friend and that’s what I did. We gambled together, but I kept pushing up the stakes and encouraging him, until eventually Robert was in debt to some very bad folks. “Then we acquired some pictures of Robert with a hooker. Jan did a good job taking pictures and Betty provided the girl.”

  Larry looked at Betty Freah, who sat with a stone expression. “Betty? You were in on this? But I introduced you to Johnston for Christ’s sake. You owed me.”

  She scoffed. “You killed any loyalty I owed you when I found out what you did to your best friend’s marriage. You prick Larry, how could you sleep with your best friend’s wife? What you got, you had coming, I was happy to help JT out.”

  MacLean shook his head, unable to believe the plot they had worked against him. “Okay. Robert’s an idiot. I know that about my brother, but if what you say is true and you took my family’s money, why would Johnston help me? It makes no sense. There are too many holes in your story Dennis, I’m not buying it.”

  Dennis chuckled. “Robert MacLean owed a lot of money to a loan shark he thought was involved in the local mob family. He believed it because that’s what I told him. He was scared and desperate. We showed Robert pictures of him snorting coke from a hooker’s thigh, and some that were a bit more sordid, too. Then we told him to pay his debts in full, or the last thing his kids would see was pictures of their father up to his naked balls in coke and girls. “It was like turning on a spigot, the money flowed from your trust so fast that, in less than six months, we had it all. Robert was given enough to disappear, and all Mr. Thurwell had to do was wait for you to come looking for a handout.”

  Larry shook his head, it couldn’t be true. Yet he had not been able to reach his brother since his lawyers called to tell him there was a problem with the trust. He looked at Dennis again, grasping for anything to make the man a liar. “Then why would he help me? It makes no sense.”

  Dennis nodded and passed off the story to Janice
. “You were lucky Larry, that’s what happened. You’ve lived beyond your means, even after Mr. Thurwell started helping you. He was waiting for your debts to grow, for you to finish digging a deep enough hole, then he was going to cut you loose and watch you fall. Your time was coming too. You know how much you need his money. You’re about done already. But Mr. Thurwell died before his plan was completed. I don’t know why you’ve been given a chance to save yourself by being included here, but I’m sure Mr. Thurwell had his reasons. Like I said, you got lucky.”

  Freddie Hagood whistled. “Goddamn, Larry. I thought the man was tough as a rival before he took me out, but you reaped the whirlwind Larry. Damn.”

  Larry’s heart pounded in his chest. He accepted what the Elliots said was true. He had been living too high. Even cutting allowances to the rest of his family had not been enough to stem the tide of his accumulating debt. When Bethany asked for his help, he had seen his chance and demanded a large share. He looked now at Bethany, who looked away. Larry knew he would be lucky if he saw a penny of the Thurwell fortune and panic filled him. He was ruined. He heard Bird passing the Elliots into the next round, their secret successfully shared at his great cost.

  $

  Judge Freeman watched the undoing of Larry MacLean with the same morbid interest of a person watching a bad car wreck. His attention had been caught by something said at the end of the last exchange, when Janice suggested her employer had not had time to remove MacLean from this group before his death. Freeman had an excellent ability to follow complex arguments and to pay attention to details, an invaluable tool for a Judge. There was something so jarring in Janice’s statement, he knew instantly she was wrong.

  Whatever else the dead Mr. Thurwell had been, he was not careless. If Thurwell had plotted as carefully as he had to bring about the ruin of his treacherous friend and to plan the blackmail clause the Judge himself had triggered, it was unlikely he had forgotten to disinherit MacLean. Something else was going on, something Thurwell had not shared with his loyal servants.