The Philanthropist's Danse

by Wornham, Paul

  Bethany nodded. “It might be worth a look, Bill. What’s the harm?”

  William leaned back in his seat and considered their plan. His instructions were to open an envelope only if conditions matched the descriptions on the label. He had to decide if he should open the In Case of Murder envelope for the actual crime of attempted murder. “I don’t know. It seems like too much of a stretch.”

  The Judge and Bethany remonstrated at such length that he relented and agreed to see what the instructions were. He opened his safe and flipped through the yellow envelopes, found the one he needed and locked the safe again.

  He looked at the others and tapped the envelope lightly against the desk, still in two minds about whether it was proper to open it. “You must agree that if I open this and share its contents, you will not allow the knowledge of what we find to leave this room.” Bethany and Freeman agreed, and each leaned forward in anticipation as the lawyer slit the envelope open.

  The only sound in the room was the soft rustle of crisp paper and the hushed breathing of the three as William unfolded the letter. He read it aloud.

  Bill,

  I hope you never read this, for if you have cause to see these words then something terrible has happened. Let me be clear, if someone is dead, I bear responsibility for having thrown them together under the pressure of the Danse. I don’t accept I could have avoided it. No man can tell for sure what another may or may not do when desperate.

  If you’re reading this, you’ve got a real problem. I can’t change what happened, but I can fix it.

  First, you are to carry out your instructions and see the Danse to its conclusion. Whoever did the killing must be stripped of any share in my money and isolated from the others. Once everything else is done, send them all home but keep the killer at the mansion. There is a sealed note with this letter. Leave it with Jeremy and return to the city. He knows what to do.

  Never discuss the matter with Jeremy and tell any who ask that it was dealt with. Say no more and no less. I would say I’m sorry you have to perform this task, Bill, but considering the obscene fee I’m paying you, just get on with it.

  JCT2

  No one breathed until after William finished reading. He held the sealed note in his hand, afraid to think what was inside. He saw the Judge, wide-eyed and rubbing his chin, while Bethany sat with a stunned look. “Does that mean what I think it does? Did my father just instruct you to have someone killed if they committed murder?”

  The Judge answered. “We don’t know that, with all due respect, Miss Bethany. We have no idea what the second note says. It might say any number of things that are more innocent than what you suggest.” Freeman tried to rationalize it, but he sounded far from convinced. “William, you knew Mr. Thurwell, what do you think it means?”

  William sighed. “I think it means the Old Man wanted an eye for an eye. This whole week was about settling scores, exacting revenge or delivering rewards. It’s why Bethany and her siblings were made to fight to get a single penny of what he would normally have left them as a matter of course.

  “It’s why you were brought here Judge. To be given a chance to share in a great fortune for assisting Philip in Georgia. Each one of you either helped or hurt him, and he threw you all together to fight it out, trusting things would shake out to his satisfaction. Do I think he meant for a murderer to be left behind and disposed of? Yes, I think that is exactly what he meant.”

  Bethany sat in disbelief, and another question occurred to her. “What’s the dance, Bill? He mentioned it twice, is that something that will happen at the dinner?”

  “No, Beth, it’s what he called this week. The Danse, spelled with an ‘s’.

  He took it from the Danse Macabre, the dance of death. It was his notion that he would lead you into a state of chaos as you each would do anything to deal your way into the fortune.”

  “He figured you’d soon forget about the fact he was dead and that the money would seduce you into all manner of contortions to take what you could. He was right, too. The midnight deadline drove all of you to act in the basest manner. Take you for instance, Ron.”

  Freeman could not look up as William continued. “Can you imagine threatening blackmail before you arrived here? No. Yet that’s what you did as soon as you thought you would be left out of the money. The Old Man had no illusions about the nature of his fellow man, even his family. He knew that within hours of learning of his passing, you would all cast aside grief, decency and honor to fight tooth and nail for a portion of a fortune you had no hand in building.”

  Bethany wiped a tear from her eye. Bird’s words hurt, but not as badly as the wound her father had opened with his plan. She had acted badly too. She had made deals in bad faith, taken advantage of people with worse prospects than her but, who had treated her father better than his family. “I had no idea he was so bitter. He was so angry at us.”

  Judge Freeman was in discomfort as he reflected on his own actions. “I’m not proud of what I did. I can see how monstrous we have all been. Mr. Thurwell has exacted a price for his money. It’s a heavier price than I would have thought possible. I’ve lost my self-respect.” He stood and paced slowly up and down the office, his face a picture of internalized shame and pain.

  “My God, he played us like puppets. We danced alright, he got what he wanted, I think.”

  William recalled the night he learned his beloved employer was dying. They had begun work to map out the Danse that same night. As the sickness developed and his pain increased, the philanthropist’s determination to make the Danse a tribute to the depravity of greed grew increasingly strong.

  He had pleaded with Thurwell to construct a straightforward will, but he had been resolute in his purpose, and refused. He told his lawyer that a lesson had to be learned. A lesson he had learned too late, at considerable personal cost. The lawyer shook off the memory. His grief would have to wait. “We are no further ahead in our decision about what to do with Philip.”

  Bethany was firm. “Well we can’t leave my brother here, not with the chance Jeremy might dispose of him. Please, Bill. Give him a chance, let him go. I’ll share my money with him, Junior can too. He’ll have no axe to grind if he has money. I beg you, Bill. You too, Judge, please spare my brother.”

  William looked at Freeman, who shook his head slowly. “I don’t know. If we let him go he walks away from two serious crimes. If we charge him, we risk being exposed by a young man with nothing to lose and an opportunity to take revenge on his accusers. I don’t see a way to win here. Perhaps we should let Mr. Thurwell’s wishes prevail.”

  William shook his head. “We can’t do that, Ron. These instructions were for a murder and fortunately, Philip failed to kill me.”

  Freeman was unmoved. “He succeeded in Georgia. We thought it was an accident, but he admitted it was deliberate. That’s murder. It makes these instructions valid. There is nothing explicit that says anything untoward will happen to him if we leave him. Perhaps it only sounds ominous because that’s how we interpret it. Let’s leave Philip here and walk away, I can live with that.”

  The Judge sat back in his seat as if he had pronounced sentence over Philip, but Bethany shot to her feet, her eyes wide with panic. “No, you can’t. I won’t leave him. I’ll stay here and make sure Phil is okay. My father would not want his son killed and dumped in the woods.”

  William decided. “I agree with Bethany. Sorry, Ron, but I can’t do it. We either charge him, or we let him go. He assaulted me, so I think it’s my prerogative to decide. I lean toward letting him go. I don’t like it, but pressing charges makes life potentially too messy.”

  Freeman nodded. “I don’t agree, but I see your point. I won’t argue, for Miss Bethany’s sake. As long as you agree he is released only after the rest of us are already clear of the mansion. I don’t want to be looking over my shoulder for him on the way home.”

  William looked at Bethany. He sensed a resolution was near. “Do you agree, Beth? We c
an release him tomorrow after everyone else has left.”

  She breathed a deep sigh of relief. “Thank you, Bill. I’ll make sure he behaves, I promise. Can I see him now, please?”

  Bird nodded and called for Jeremy to come to the office. As the major-domo arrived, William walked Bethany to the door and instructed Jeremy to allow Bethany a visit with her brother. Ron Freeman stood by the desk and without anyone seeing, took the philanthropist’s sealed note to Jeremy and slipped it into his pocket.

  $

  Philip heard the key rattle in the lock and stood ready to leap. He had been confined for too long and was prepared to try and escape his prison. He waited for the door to open and was prepared to charge whoever came through the door. But he was stopped by the sight of his sister. She stepped into the room, and the heavy door closed behind her. His chance of escape was gone, but he forgot about it as he and Bethany embraced.

  She looked over the small decanting area he was in. His cot had been pushed to one side, so Philip could pace up and down without tripping over it. There was a large bottle of water and nothing else. The wine cellar was tantalizingly close, but Philip was only able to look through the heavy iron grille that separated him from his father’s collection of fine wine. She looked through the grid and saw the light reflected from hundreds of bottles winking back at her like underground stars.

  “Yeah. It’s torture being able to look but not drink.”

  Philip sounded tired, and Bethany turned to him. “I’ve got good news for you, Phil. William has agreed not to press charges against you, and the Judge has agreed too. When everyone else has left in the morning, you’ll be sent home too.”

  He smiled, but the look chilled her, there was a streak of malice in his eyes. She didn’t like what she saw. “Listen to me Phil, this is your chance to walk away from this, don’t screw it up.”

  He snorted in derision. “Sure, Beth, I’ll go free, that’s just great. Where am I supposed to go, with no fucking money?”

  “I’ll help you. Calm down, Phil, I’m on your side. I’ll give you some of my money. I got a share, so did Junior. He might help out too, if you ask him.”

  Her brother shot a disgusted look at her. “So I’m to be supported by my sister and brother, if I beg just right. Is that it? I’m to get nothing of my own?”

  Bethany felt anger rise, and she slapped her brother across the face, hard. He was stunned, and a red welt appeared on his cheek where her heavy ring had caught his cheek. “Shut up, Phil. So what if I give you money? Or Junior gives you some? So what? All you ever did was take father’s allowance. You’ve never earned anything, never worked for a living, so what’s the difference if your allowance comes from my pocket? What gives you the right to care about where your easy living comes from? Pride? You never had any before, stop pretending you have any now.

  “The only reason you have no money for yourself is because you’re a spoiled jerk, brother. You admitted you killed a man, and you lost your inheritance because of it. You have no one to blame for your troubles but yourself. If you prefer, I’ll stop helping. I’ll go back to William and tell him to press charges, let you rot in jail somewhere. Is that what you want, Phil? Is it?”

  She breathed hard as she finished and saw hurt in his eyes as he rubbed the cheek that had already been abused by Jeremy’s blow. He dropped his eyes. He was ashamed that everything she had said was true. “Okay. I’m sorry. I need your help, and if Junior will help me out too, I’ll be nice about asking for it. I have to get out of here, Beth. I can’t stand being cooped up like this. Can you do anything to get me out of here before tomorrow?”

  Before Bethany could answer, the heavy door swung open and William stepped into the room, followed by Jeremy. Philip took a step back involuntarily. He was afraid of the major-domo and did not like him too close. Bethany turned to the two men. “Phil was asking if he could get out of here.”

  William was happy to have Jeremy with him as he was haunted by the image of Philip standing over him, ready to stave his head in. “Yes, I can make that happen, at least for a few hours. Philip will join us for dinner tonight. Do you promise to behave, Philip? You will not be allowed any alcohol. Can you give me your word you will behave? If you can, I’ll make arrangements for you to spend a more comfortable night in a guarded room instead of down here. You need not run. I’m sure Bethany told you that we’re letting you go tomorrow.”

  Philip listened with his eyes fixed on the floor. His heart beat fast at the prospect of getting out of his cell. “I’ll behave, you have my word.”

  The lawyer frowned, he would have liked a more sincere tone in Philip’s voice, but it would have to do. “If you mess tonight up, Phil, my deal with your sister is off, and you’ll leave tomorrow in the back of a cop car, got it?”

  Philip bristled. “I gave my word, Bird. If you don’t believe me, just say so.”

  The lawyer nodded. “Okay, I’ll take you at your word. I’ll have you taken to a room, so you can change. You’ll be accompanied at all times. Not because I don’t trust you, but because the others will feel safer knowing you are not roaming the mansion. Accept it as a consequence of trying to kill me and admitting to killing another man.”

  With that, the lawyer left and Jeremy followed, pulling the door shut behind them. Philip looked at his sister and saw her watching him closely. He struggled to suppress the anger he felt at being treated like a common criminal. He would wait, he would behave, he had to get out of here and forget this place. He realized he had been given a second chance and for once he decided to take it and not screw up.

  He turned to his sister and took her into a hug and whispered. “It’s alright Beth, I’ll be good. I just want to go home.”

  He felt her draw closer, and she cried into his shoulder. “Thank you, Phil. We’ll work it all out, just the family. You’ll be okay.”

  After a few minutes, Jeremy opened the door and told Bethany it was time to go. He beckoned for Philip to follow. “It’s time for you to get ready for dinner, follow me.” Philip left the cellar without a backward glance and meekly followed the major-domo to his room. He kept his promise to his sister and behaved, but mostly because he was terrified of Jeremy.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Jeremy checked to see that everything was ready for the formal dinner that would bring the Danse to a close. A vast table dominated the dining room. It was covered in a pristine white cloth with creases that looked sharp enough to cause injury. All the trappings of the philanthropist’s immense wealth had been brought out for the occasion, and the table was laden with heavy silver candelabras and cutlery.

  The meal would be five courses of the best cuisine, prepared on site by a New York celebrity chef who had been paid a handsome sum to be ready at short notice for the drive north. The guests would eat in style, and each course would be served on Thurwell’s finest porcelain.

  The major-domo was satisfied everything was perfect. He looked at the large chair at the head of the table wistfully. It would remain empty tonight, but each course would be served there. It was Johnston Thurwell’s traditional place and where Jeremy had overseen many formal dinners. Some of the world’s richest men had dined here, as had powerful politicians and leading thinkers of the time. The Old Man had been a consummate host, able to make everyone feel welcome at his country estate. Tonight there would be no gregarious host, only an empty chair.

  Place cards printed on expensive card stock with an embossed Thurwell crest indicated the seat each guest would occupy. Jeremy had argued with William about changing Philip’s position, so he could be controlled if things went awry, but Bird would tolerate no changes to the philanthropist’s instructions. Jeremy had instead adjusted his staff to compensate and placed a burly waiter at the station nearest Philip. Not even the attentive lawyer would notice the subtle change, but Jeremy would feel more relaxed knowing he had the ability to control Philip quickly should the need arise.

  He picked an invisible speck from the tableclot
h and headed to the kitchen to let the chef know everything was on schedule. In thirty-five minutes, the first course would be served.

  $

  William cursed as he fumbled his bow tie for the third time. He looked at his reflection and tried to remember in which direction he was supposed to fold the black silk. He hated formal attire and thought he looked ridiculous in a tuxedo. The lawyer knew many clumsy men who could put on evening wear and be transformed into elegant creatures who moved with grace and confidence. He was not one of those men and knew it, he always looked a little unfinished.

  Thurwell had threatened to haunt him from beyond the grave if William dared show up at the dinner wearing a clip-on, so the lawyer lifted his chin and tried to recall what to do with his hands. He watched his fingers fumble the fourth attempt and threw the tie on the bed in frustration. He would have Jeremy help him. There was nothing in the rules that forbade getting some assistance.

  William’s impatience was a symptom of his nervousness. He had tried to dissuade the Old Man from a formal dinner, but unsuccessfully. William had two tasks to perform at the dinner, he was its host, and he had to read a letter. His uneasiness came from the fact that he had no idea what the letter said. It was sealed in his safe and could only be opened in front of everyone. It had been the last thing the Old Man had written before he became too weak to continue. William remembered the moment his boss had grabbed his arm and handed it to him. His grip was a mere shadow of its former strength, but his eyes had been fierce with determination as he instructed Bird what to do with the letter.

  William looked at his watch. Jeremy had found the valuable timepiece outside the boathouse and had returned it that afternoon. He was due to meet Jeremy in the dining room in a few moments. He took his tie and headed to his office to collect the letter before meeting the major-domo to throw himself upon the man’s mercy for a decent knot.