The Philanthropist's Danse (9 page)

Larry made no indication she’d guessed his next question correctly, but what else did he have to ask? They all wanted the one thing she couldn’t provide, a satisfactory explanation. MacLean understood the exasperation behind the old woman’s words. He paused while Jeremy delivered his sandwich. “I am interested; no… more than interested, I’m
intrigued
by how my friend knew you. I don’t doubt he knew you, and you him. It’s odd that you don’t remember, but I think I’m in a position to help.”

Winnie listened and forgot her irritation at his interruption. “I knew Johnston all his adult life. There were very few times we didn’t stay in touch and most of the time we told each other everything. I’m certain you must have met Johnston during one of the times we weren’t in touch. You say you have never been to America before?”

“Mr. MacLean, I never owned a passport before Mr. Bird fetched me up one. I went to Wales on holiday once, but it rained the whole week. Apart from that, I ain’t been anywhere.” Larry smiled. He found the old woman’s directness charming. He took a bite of his sandwich and thought ahead, becoming excited at what he thought might be some progress. “Exactly, Mrs. Tremethick. If you and Johnston met, it would have been in England, and it would have been during one of the periods he and I were not in contact.”

He stopped talking and realized his mouth felt as if it was on fire. He reached urgently for a glass of water and drank it fast. His face turned red, and beads of sweat glistened on his brow. Winnie looked at him with concern. “Are you quite well?” Larry nodded and poured a second glass of water from the pitcher, unable to answer her until he had drained it. He looked at his sandwich, then at her. “What’s in that?”

She laughed. It was a good natured explosion of mirth that caused the rest of the people in the room to turn to see what was funny. There had been no laughter in the mansion since their arrival, and it was almost an alien sound. MacLean managed a smile despite his discomfort as Winnie drew a big breath and fanned her hand in front of her face to calm herself. Her eyes sparkled mischievously. “I expect that’d be the English mustard, Mr. MacLean. It’s a mite stronger than the stuff you’re used to.”

He put his food down and pushed the plate away, he’d rather go hungry than experience that again. She snorted a little and took a big bite of her own sandwich as she regarded him carefully. She liked this fellow, he didn’t mind being laughed at, and that was something in a man she liked. “If you would continue, I think you had a good idea about how I might have known your friend.”

Larry drank one more glass of water, he was embarrassed that everyone had stared but recognized the old lady’s humor had not been unkind. He gathered his thoughts and continued. “I can pretty well remember the times Johnston and I were out of touch for any length of time. Unless you and he met before he was fifteen, which is unlikely, I should be able to narrow down the times you could have met.

“I’ll make notes of the periods Johnston and I spent apart for extended periods, and give them to you. If you recall anything unusual or eventful during one of those periods, we might figure out when you and he met. Or we’ll know for certain that you didn’t and that this is all a big mistake.”

Larry was excited to have found a way to solve the mystery of the connection between the old lady and his dead friend. They agreed to talk again after Larry delivered the list of dates and finished lunch in companionable conversation.

$

The Thurwells and Camille Jolivet shared a guarded conversation over lunch. There had been a moment of hostility when Camille tried to light a cigarette and Junior objected, but otherwise the four of them strived to maintain a polite veneer throughout the awkward meeting. Philip asked Camille about life in Paris, and she told a vivid, but entirely fictional, story of her life in the French capital. Her tale was of a life she had desired but never known.

Camille knew her half-brothers were trying to determine if she had money of her own, or if she was a gold-digger. It didn’t matter. Her DNA proved she was Johnston Thurwell’s daughter and had every right to share in his wealth. Bethany finally asked Camille a direct question. “Camille, we need to know if you will support the family. There are some people that would like to see us stripped of a proper proportion of our father’s fortune, and we must defend our inheritance.”

The Frenchwoman sat quietly for a moment before responding. “Oui, I see. I think you are correct. Monsieur Hagood is one you fear, non?” Bethany and Philip nodded, but Junior just watched without expression. Camille continued. “I am happy to help you. After all, we are family now, non?”

She smiled as she saw Bethany’s face flicker with annoyance. “I was not as lucky as you. I knew our Papa such a short time, but I too am his daughter. I will always support our family, as long as my family is willing to support me.” With that, she staked her claim to an equal share in the fortune. Junior sat forward, and his voice contained an edge of irritability. “What exactly does that mean?”

Camille knew they needed her more than they despised her. “Dear brother, I mean of course that we all get the same. You want most of the money to go to the family, non? All I ask is for an equal share.” Philip knew the conversation had to lead to this. They had all understood this would be their fate from the moment William Bird confirmed Camille’s claim as their father’s daughter. The Thurwells did not relish the idea of including a fourth claimant. It meant a considerable reduction in their own share. Yet, if they denied Camille’s claim, they risked losing even more.

Bethany was first to agree to Camille’s demand. For her, it was less about money than her father’s decision to hide the French girl from them. If everything she had heard was true, then her father had discovered Camille’s existence only recently. She didn’t like it, but they were no longer children, and she could not understand why he had not told her or her brothers.

Philip threw his hands up. “Whatever. She’s got every right to want an equal share, right? If it was one of us, we would demand the same thing.” Junior looked at his brother and sighed, but there was no point arguing a lost cause. Camille was his half-sister at least as much as Philip and Bethany were also his half-brother and half-sister. The philanthropist had been married twice, and now they knew he’d fathered children by three women. That the French girl had only just been revealed to them did not make her inconvenient existence any less real, and Junior knew it. It was more important to secure another vote than to deny her claim.

He was forced to accept it, but he didn’t see why he had to be graceful about it. “Fine. You win Ms. Jolivet. I agree you’ll get an equal share with the rest of us, as long as you vote with us. If you cross us or in any way undermine our ability to get our rightful inheritance, the deal’s off, get it?” Camille smiled broadly, she had won. The wealth she had craved since she discovered her father’s identity would soon be hers. She pulled a solemn face. “I agree. We are together, a family. I am glad to know you wonderful people at last. We will succeed together, I am sure of this.”

She offered her hand across the table, and Junior gave it a brief shake. Philip was far more gentlemanly and kissed the back of her hand in the European way. Bethany offered a tight smile, and they exchanged an awkward sisterly hug. Camille felt Bethany shudder as she kissed her cheek and smiled at her discomfort.

$

Judge Freeman watched the family from his solitary position. He was angry, disappointed and afraid. He could see what was happening as he looked around him. Freddie was talking to Caroline Smith, recruiting another person to his cause. Larry MacLean and the old woman were talking. He was probably recruiting her into the family bloc.

Freeman was worried about Hagood’s alliance. He suspected they were badly outnumbered. Betty Freah and the Elliots sat together, but there was no conversation, not even between the husband and wife. Could Hagood get those three? He was certain that if Hagood suspected any of them had anything to hide that he’d use it to blackmail them into joining him. The man was ruthless and Freeman hated him for sniffing out his secret.

The prostitute might be a target. She was the only one doing anything overtly illegal, but everyone knew of her relationship with Thurwell which undermined Freddie’s ability to use it against her. The Elliots probably felt some degree of loyalty to the dead man’s family and would be tough for Hagood to recruit. The more Freeman ran the numbers, the less happy he became. For the second time in his life, he had been coerced to act to benefit a wealthy man against his better judgment, and he hated it.

If Hagood did pull off his alliance, Freeman’s reward would be tainted with the knowledge he would always be looking over his shoulder for Hagood. He shivered. His career was in jeopardy and his chance of leaving this place with money was slim. He might even face disgrace and perhaps jail if his interference in the Thurwell case was revealed. He saw few good options and grew increasingly nervous as the clock ticked toward the start of the next session.

W
illiam Bird signaled Jeremy to return the guests to the conference room. As the family walked in together, Bethany hurried to catch Larry and update him. “We’re set Larry. Camille is with us. We have five votes.”

“Good. We should try a motion this session. Let’s test our allies and see how others may be aligned.”

Junior interrupted, and his voice was full of malice. “Let’s lose the Judge. I don’t know why he’s here and I don’t like him. I don’t care what he did for Phil. It doesn’t justify his taking our money.” Larry saw no reason to object. “Okay, then we’ll see if we can pull this off. I’m interested to know how the Elliots will vote. My guess is they’ll do whatever you do as a family as it’s their best chance for a payout.”

Ron Freeman was on his way back to the meeting when he caught a look from Philip Thurwell. The look turned the Judge’s heart to stone. Philip had a triumphal look in his eyes that Freeman knew held no good news for him. He looked around for Hagood. He must warn Freddie to defend him. He saw Caroline Smith looking into a large mirror, adjusting her hair. Freeman stepped quickly in her direction, and she saw him in the mirror. “Judge Freeman, how are you?”

He ignored the pleasantry. She cared about the price of tea as much as she cared how he was. “Where’s Freddie? I need to talk to him.” She raised an eyebrow and, admired herself one last time before turning to face the Judge. “I don’t know where he is, but I do know that we will all be in the same room soon. You’ll see him then.” She offered a thin smile. She didn’t know much about the Judge other than that Freddie had recruited him into his group, but the man seemed flustered about something.

“It’ll be too late once we get in there. We have to delay the meeting.” She snorted. “I don’t think you’ll enjoy much success getting Bird to delay again. Remember there is a penalty at midnight and people want a quick result. They won’t take kindly to another delay. We’ll talk after this session, and you can tell Freddie and I all about your concerns then.” She waved him off as if she were royalty dismissing a subject.

He followed her into the large room where everyone already waited. Freddie seemed relaxed, and Freeman hoped that perhaps there was nothing to worry about. If Hagood was calm, perhaps it was because he had enough votes to protect his people.

The Judge’s mind raced as he heard the session called to order and saw Larry MacLean rise. “Ladies and gentleman, I propose a motion for a vote.” William and Freddie looked up in surprise. Freddie had expected the meeting to begin with a discussion about how to split the money, not a vote. William wondered if it were possible the family had already formed a large enough group to force motions. He heard Larry ask a question. “We can propose any motion we like, as long as it is seconded, right Bill?” The lawyer nodded.

“Good. And our decisions are binding, provided we achieve the super-majority, correct?” Bird nodded agreement again, and MacLean smiled. “The family and I believe there are too many people present that have little or no business being included in the Thurwell fortune and we propose to do something about it.”

The Judge shot a concerned look at Freddie, who returned the look with surprise on his face. Freeman’s panic rose as he saw Hagood had not anticipated this turn of events. Larry looked around the table, making eye contact with each person as he continued. “There are family members, lifelong friends and devoted servants here today. There are others whose presence we do not understand, but are willing to try and understand. But we have already decided about the Judge and my old friend’s rival.”

Freddie sat impassively and knew he was unable to avoid what was coming, even as MacLean delivered the proposal. “The family moves that we remove Judge Freeman from this group, with immediate effect and without compensation.” There was silence as William Bird asked for a second to the motion and acknowledged Junior’s raised hand. William looked at Freeman. “Do you have anything you wish to say before the vote, Judge?”

Freeman sat wide-eyed and mute, too shocked to formulate a defense. Freddie Hagood interrupted, he had one chance to save his ally and he appealed to the lawyer. “William, is it entirely within the spirit of this meeting to have a person removed without any share at all?” The Judge looked at William Bird as a desperate hope rose in his breast.
Surely the motion is not within the rules
?

But Bird dashed his hopes. “Whatever is carried by super-majority is within the rules, Freddie. The entire fortune can go to one person, or no one, if it is the will of the majority. To reject a person without a share is well within the authority of the group.” Bird looked at Freeman once more. “Judge, speak now, or we’ll vote without hearing from you, sir.”

Ron Freeman tried to gather himself, he needed to be persuasive. “This is a hasty motion, and I oppose it. Mr. Thurwell invited each of us for a reason, reasons that are in some cases still unclear. I believe we should wait until we understand why our benefactor invited each of us here.” He paused but saw no sign of support. He became desperate. “Or, perhaps it’s not necessary to know the reasons. Perhaps we should just agree that the family can take most of the money, and the rest of us will share the remainder?”

He saw Freddie shake his head, and Caroline dropped her eyes as he made a desperate plea to be saved. He felt the burn of humiliation in his gut. He realized he was begging white people for the crumbs from their table. He closed his eyes, no longer able to look at those who would decide his fate. “That’s all I have to say. Do what you will.”

William repeated the motion as he opened his laptop. “We have a motion to remove Judge Ronald P. Freeman without a share of Mr. Thurwell’s fortune. Please record your vote as I call your name.”

“Mr. 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?”

“Hell yes.”

“Mr. Thurwell votes aye.”

“Ms. Camille Jolivet?”

“Oui.”

“Ms. Jolivet votes aye.”

“Mrs. Janice Elliot?”

Bird looked up when no vote came. The housekeeper looked at Bethany, decided something and cast her vote. “Yes.”

“Mrs. Elliot votes aye.”

“Mr. Dennis Elliot?”

“Yes.”

“Mr. Elliot votes aye.”

“Mrs. Caroline Smith?”

“No.”

“Mrs. Smith votes nay.”

“Judge Ronald Freeman?”

“No. Of course not.”

“Judge Freeman votes nay.”

“Ms. Elizabeth Freah?”

“Aye.”

“Ms. Freah votes aye.”

“Mr. Frederick Hagood?”

“Nay.”

“Mr. Hagood votes nay.”

“Mrs. Winifred Tremethick?”

There was a pause and everyone looked up at the old woman. Her vote would determine the Judge’s fate. She saw them staring, and it made her extremely uncomfortable. She heard the lawyer ask again. “Mrs. Tremethick, you must vote.”

She offered Freeman an apologetic look before she whispered. “Yes. I’m sorry.”

“Mrs. Tremethick votes aye.”

William made a show of reviewing the count, but he knew the result. Everyone knew. “The motion is passed, nine votes to three. Judge Freeman, sir, please return to your suite. I’ll contact you later about the arrangements for the rest of your stay.” Freeman was numb to his core. He walked unsteadily from the room, unable to look at anyone. He need not have worried about making eye contact, no one dared look at him. As the doors closed behind Freeman, Bird broke the silence and recommended another short recess.

$

The family gathered together but wasted little time celebrating their victory. They whispered about whom to target next. Junior was excited and whispered Hagood’s name. Larry was voicing agreement when Bethany noticed Janice Elliot standing close by, trying to listen without seeming too interested.

She stepped away from the others and greeted the housekeeper warmly. “Janice, thank you for supporting us, it’s so important to us that only those closest to my father should share his wealth.” Janice smiled at Bethany, but her instinct was to remain wary. She had voted against the Judge with the goal of the family giving up a fair share for her and Dennis. She heard Bethany thanking her, but found her words ambiguous.

“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?”