The Philanthropist's Danse (17 page)

“One more chance, Larry, or I’ll take you out of the group immediately.” Bird’s voice was flat, there was no room for negotiation, his required task was quite clear. Larry tried to stall. “I… I… Might I take a moment? I need to think.”

Junior snapped. “Get on with it Larry, time’s ticking away, just get on with it. How bad can it be?” Larry looked at his friend’s eldest son and swallowed hard, it was quite a lot worse than Junior suspected.

Bird warned him again, but Larry hardly heard him through his rising panic. “Larry, start talking or you’re out.” MacLean tried to calm himself and took a deep breath. “Fine. I’ll do it.”

“Damned right you’ll do it MacLean. If I did it, you damned well can too.” Larry shot a venomous look at Hagood’s gloating face and clasped his hands in front of him. “I committed an indiscretion in my past. It was not a small indiscretion by any means, and I wronged my oldest friend in committing it.”

William frowned and interrupted. “Larry, speak up so everyone can hear you, or get kicked out, I’m serious.”

MacLean nodded and looked at Bird with an unspoken appeal in his eyes but was met with an uncompromising stare. Larry started over, raising his voice so everyone could hear. “In 1968 I began an affair with Julie, Johnston’s first wife and Junior’s mother. I persuaded her to leave him and she did but after their divorce, I lost interest in her and moved on. I didn’t know Johnston ever found out.”

He drew a breath to continue, but Junior was on his feet, his face deep red and his mouth flecked with spittle. “You prick MacLean. You… you cheap fuck.” Junior was so angry words failed him. Larry looked into his eyes and saw pure rage beneath the surface. “I’m sorry, Junior. Truly sorry.”

“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.”