CHAPTER 217: Things Fall Apart (Downfall part 5)

"Geoffrey, this is the best deal we're going to get and it will save both the family and the business!"

"Screw the business, you all want me to go to prison!" said an uptight and increasingly angry Geoffrey.

"It's for all our sakes, including yours!  It's just a few years in an open prison; everything will be here for you when you get out."

"Will it?  Or will you have all moved on by then?"

"Geoffrey, how could you think such a thing?" exclaimed Nancy.

"Because I know now that I'm the expendable one" he snarled.  He got up and went to his study where he retrieved his car keys and then went downstairs to the garage.  Getting in his car, he drove off with tyres screeching.

His destination was the Landgraab Building.  As he wasn't wearing a business suit the security guards and employees didn't recognise him at first and with all the rumours and news stories going around in the last two days no one wanted to dare speak with him as he headed up to his office.

"Mr Landgraab!" exclaimed his secretary when he entered unannounced.

"Can you leave me alone here, Alice?" he replied.  She gathered up some paperwork and hurried out the door.  Geoffrey looked around at his desk:  Everything had been tidied up.  Standard procedure:  Shred anything incriminating.

He then opened another door and stepped in to the adjacent boardroom.  He did a slow lap of the long table, finishing next to his place at the head.  Looking out the window he surveyed a kingdom he once ruled.

He turned back to look at his old spot at the head of the table and thought that he'd never sit there again.

"You were never serious about retiring, Big Mal...well, that spot's all yours now" he mused to himself.

Behind the Chairman's seat hung the portrait of Gregory Landgraab.  He was not the founder of the company but seen by many as its saviour.

"If it hadn't been for a strange turn of fate, then it would have been my grandfather...Ludwig Osteer...who would have inherited the company from Gordon Landgraab, not Gregory." he uttered with increasing spitefulness to his voice.

"All this talk about keeping it in the family was just a lie!  You lot used me!  I was your gopher, Mal, not a partner.  I kept my end of the bargain!  I agreed to give away my name, agreed to the marriage with Nancy, give up my work with the US government with the promise that this would be mine and now that's happened you're going to take it all from me and leave me to rot in jail!"

Geoffrey was pacing around the boardroom now with the anger gradually building up.  "Criminal activities!  That's a laugh!  Everything we do breaks some law or another...why can't you take the hit for the company, Mal?  You've only got a few years left in you and they'll probably keep you under house arrest in your island home...why should I take the fall?"

He paused as a thought crossed his mind.  "Nancy..." he uttered, softly.  "I do genuinely love her...or I did.  Or did I?  She was...and is...beautiful; not in Cannes, Milan or New York is there a woman who can match her.  But she's running to daddy when things get bad...that tells you where her true loyalties lie..."

He threw his arms up in the air.  "Who am I kidding?  The spark went some time ago to be replaced by...her" and he had a warm, glowing image of a woman who beguiled him.  "Beulah...even the name makes me feel warm.  Those soft, brown eyes, that giggle, the lilt in her voice, the Rubenesque figure...I don't know, there's something about her that enchants me, I can't put it into words.  A mystique, perhaps..."

 "...or those tits!  Oh to feel that flesh, to caress..." and then he snapped out of it.  "What to do?  What to do?  I've got to get out of here"  Before he left the boardroom, he took another look at the painting of Gregory Landgraab but, for the first time in his life, he looked on at it with sadness instead of pride.

There wasn't much time left before the police came calling, time to sort out some unfinished business, he thought.  His destination:  Oasis Springs.

The cheap trailer home was no place for a Landgraab to live, thought Geoffrey, but the simple and faded wood panelling reminded him of his childhood home, which was little more than a wooden shack on the outskirts of Sim City.  He had never been here before, but he knew of it thanks to his private security agents keeping tabs on the occupant who lived there:  His other son, John, the one he, Nancy and Malcolm never spoke of.

Geoffrey walked up the stops to the little rickety porch by the front door and, as there was no doorbell, he knocked on the door.

"Hang on, I'm coming...coming..." came the voice of a stressed out man from inside.  Footsteps were heard approaching the door.  "Listen Bernie...how should I have known that the fat lady was Mayor's wife?  It's comedy!  Everything's fair game..." the occupant opened the door and saw Geoffrey standing on the porch.

"Oh..." was all he could say.

"Hello son.  I'd like to talk with you" said Geoffrey, calmly but stiffly.

"You'd like to talk with me all of a sudden?  Two years of no contact and now, suddenly, out of the blue, plucked from the ether you've decided that you want to talk with me?  How about I slam this door into your face?"

"Please...John!  I need to talk, need to clear some things on my mind.  Just spare me a few minutes of your time!" Geoffrey's voice started to show desperation.  Johnny knew why his father was here ...maybe this would truly be the last time he'd see his father?  The young man relented and ushered Geoffrey inside.

"Have a seat, Dad" he said, motioning towards the couch.  "So is it true you're going to be arrested and put on trial?"

"Yes it is.  Probably by the time I get home the police will be waiting for me."

Johnny took a deep breath.  "It's sad for you and the family but...hey...it's not like you're innocent, is it?  Your past just caught up with you."

"Don't get all high and mighty with me, boy!" Geoffrey exclaimed.  "For years you did well off of the profits of what your mother and I earned; the easy or hard way!"

"OK Dad...cool it!  Yeah I knew the history of the family and how you and Mom worked but that's one reason I left it all behind me!  I'm not like you and Mom, I couldn't bear having to make the decisions you guys made...who should prosper and who should suffer?  Who should live and who should die..."

"It's damn tough being at the top...you have to understand, John...Johnny.  It...demands...so much of you...so...much...of....me..." he said with his words petering out at the end.

"So why are you here?  For forgiveness?  To confess?  You think I've got a secret escape route to Mexico or something?"

"Quit joking around, Johnny!" snapped Geoffrey.  "Don't use this situation as a basis for a stand up routine!  The reason I'm here is that I don't know if I'm ever going to see you again and despite all that happened....that...'unpleasantness' that drove us apart...you're my son and I wanted to see you, to talk with you once more."

"It was yours and Mom's choice to throw me out and disown me, Dad.  You said that I was no son of yours and you were completely cutting me off"

"I know but things change..."

"Yes, they do, and here you are desperate and friendless by the looks of things.  That's a comedown"

"That's rich coming from you!  You're living as trailer trash playing gigs in half empty nightclubs in between striptease routines."

"My living arrangements are entirely down to you and Mom"

"You couldn't live under our roof the way you were living your life!"

"Now what's that supposed to mean?"

"Well...your lifestyle..."

"Oh come on, Dad, out with it...say what you mean to say."

"Your mother and I didn't approve..."

"Of what?  The comedy or something else?"

"You know what, I don't like to say it..."

"Makes you uncomfortable, does it?"

"You know it does...It's something I'm not used to, I associate it with a kind of degenerate person..."

"I bet you do"

"There you go, being flippant again"

"Flippant?  I'm angry, Dad"

"But you and...him..."

"Skip, his name is...was...Skip"

"I can't understand it"

"You know nothing, Dad"

"But with all the lovely, beautiful young women you were meeting when we took you to all the gala events why him?  I mean, there was young Gabriela Spang..."

"I had her as well, Dad.  I dated them all; all the debutantes, the daughters of your friends...like I said, you know nothing.  Anyway, it' all moot now; Skip's dead, I'm here and you're about to go to prison" Johnny said with sadness in his voice.

"Your grandfather is very keen to bring you back into the family fold" said Geoffrey.

"Oh he does love to control everything and everyone, doesn't he?  Well, he knows where to find me"

"I'm warning you, Johnny, he's sold me down the river and he'll do the same to you"

"Thanks for the heads up but I think I can handle him"

"Now it's you who knows nothing!  Look, you sleep with anyone you damn well please...I don't understand what makes you tick at all...but you're still my son, my firstborn, and I don't want you to end up as something to be cast aside like what they've done to me..."

"Self pity from you, Dad."

"I've wasted my time coming here!" exclaimed Geoffrey, turning red with rage.  "In some ways you're as cruel as your brother but at least Malcolm never turned on me"

"He knows which side his bread is buttered, that's why."

"I know all your secrets...you, Malcolm, your Mom and Big Mal.  I can ruin all of you!" and with that Geoffrey sprang to his feet and walked to the door.  Out of the door window he could see the figure of a woman across the road at the Sneedley residence.  He recognised her at once, how could he fail to do so as he had subtly watched her every move over the last few months?  It was Beulah...maybe she could save him?

"What are you looking at, Dad?" said Johnny, confused that his father had gone from being incandescent with rage to being transfixed by something he could see out of the window.  Johnny got up and moved next to Geoffrey.  He could see George Sneedley in drag again, prancing around in his living room in a bright pink dress.

"Beulah...." gasped Geoffrey.

"Beulah, is that what he calls himself when he's like that?"  said Johnny but Geoffrey didn't hear him.

"She's the only one who I have a connection with now...I must go and see her..." said Geoffrey, his voice sounding disconnected from the rest of his surroundings.

"Her?  Wait, Dad, there's something you should know, I mean really know..." said Johnny but it was too late, Geoffrey was out of the door and running across the road.

"Dad...and George Sneedley in drag?"  Johnny's eyes were wide in astonishment and as he closed the door and retreated inside his trailer he started to laugh.

"Ha-ha-ha!  'I do not approve of you and Skip! It's degenerate!' and you're in love with George Sneedley dressed up as a woman!  Oh my!  HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!  And George calls himself 'Beulah' as well!  Oh this is the best comedy I've ever witnessed!  HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!" And with that, Johnny slumped to the floor, unable to contain his laughter.

Meanwhile Geoffrey ran across the road to Sneedley Burrow; he had to see Beulah, had to lay it all on the line with her.

                                         

Inside George was skipping about, enjoying being a woman.  It wasn't one of his scheduled work days at Affluista Mansion but he wanted to wear his new pink satin dress, which had now become his favourite.  As he frolicked around his living room he suddenly heard a knock at the door.  He froze in panic...Edna!  But Edna wasn't due home from work for another couple of hours and, besides, she had a house key and knew where the spare was hidden outside.  OK, not Edna then so he could bluff it out as Beulah.  He slipped his high heels back on and sauntered over to the door in a feminine way, clearing his throat for when he had to speak as Beulah.

On opening the door he was surprised to see Geoffrey Landgraab.  "Geoffreh!  Oh mah!  What ah surprise, a most pleasant one to be sure."

"Beulah, I have to speak with you...are George or Edna in?" he asked with desperation in his voice.

"No, they're not.  I'm just here doin' some chores for them today." 

"You're dressed very well for doing some chores:  Satin dress, high heels..."

"Well, ahm jus' doin' a few light jobs...today isn't mah usual day here, I'm doin' this as a favour for the Sneedleh's before ah....ah..." she had to think up a convincing reason fast.  "...ah have to go somewhere this evenin'"

"Oh...you have plans!" said Geoffrey.  If she was looking this good and was going out this evening then that could mean a romantic rival!  Geoffrey's heart began to sink.

"To...meet someone?" he asked, gulping.

"Well yais...it's nothin' serious, mind.  Just...meeting...a friend?" said Beulah, awkwardly.

Geoffrey was nervous so to calm his nerves he sat down and began to speak.  "Beulah, I'm going to lay it all on the line now...I am totally smitten with you, I have been since the moment I first set eyes on you."

Beulah gulped.  She had suspected some flirtatiousness from him since the beginning but this admission of being smitten!  It took her off guard so she sat down as well.

"Time's running out for me, Beulah...I don't know if you've been watching the news lately..."

"Ah have, and ahm sorry you're in such a predicament"

"It's more than a predicament, Beulah, it's my life at stake!  I'm a desperate man, I've nothing left to lose..."

"Nancy's abandoning me, my family don't care, my name and reputation in ruins.  All I have left is this passion and desire for you, Beulah!  I don't know what it is that draws me to you but you have this intoxicating effect on me."

"Pheromones?"

"Or cosmic fate!  Whatever it is that draws me inexorably towards you, Beulah, I want to now run away with you!  Flee this city, this country and head to Argentina!  I have contacts in Buenos Aires and we can begin a life there, just you and me!  I've thought this out...we need some fake passports but I keep a stash in my safe."

Beulah gulped and began to panic; what to say?  "Ah can't, Geoffreh! I'm flattered n' all that, truly ah am but I can't just leave mah home..."

"What's keeping you here?  You left Georgia to come to Sim City so nothing was holding you back there.  You're a single woman...is it this other man, the one you're going to see tonight?"

"It's not quite like that, Geoffreh"

"Then what?  I am still a wealthy man.  Even on the run I have funds stashed in various caches around the world.  You don't like the sound of Argentina?  Alright, Marrakesh then.  Or Thailand.  Name the place and I'll find somewhere nearby with no extradition treaty where we can live."

"It's not that, Geoffreh...I'm not quite the woman you think ah am" she said, nervously.

"I'd like to get to know all of you, Beulah.  Not as my employee, but as a lover!  Where we go you'll wear the finest gowns, you'll never need to don a maid's outfit ever again...unless it's for fun."

"It's a tempting offer but no..."

"Whyever not?  Don't you feel the same passion?  Oh I've seen that twinkle in your eye, that coquettish smile that covers a darker, sensuous woman.  I can tell you like me..."

"Ah think you've misread mah signals, Geoffreh..."

"Let me show you how much I'm besotted with you...come closer..." he said, inching his way towards Beulah, his hand reaching out to touch her knee.  Beulah squirmed, not knowing what to do.

"Erm...about this other man, Geoffreh..." she said, her voice croaking.

"Forget about him...don't you like this?" he said, gently fondling Beulah's knee.  She found the experience...unusual.

"It's...not...unpleasant...from a tactile point of view it's just that...oh mah, your hand is creeping up my leg just a bit..."

"Let's kiss, Beulah..."

"Geoffreh,  mwaahhh hnnngggh ah ah I need some air...mah, you're a firm kisser that's for sure!  Oh and that hand's gone quite far enough thank you.  Ah think you should STOP before you get a surprise....oh, too late!"

"What...is that?" said a startled Geoffrey.  

"Erm...it's my....Johnson"

"WHAT?"

Beulah leapt to her feet and tore off her wig.  "I can't do this anymore!  Geoffrey, I'm actually George!"

"GEORGE!"

"I know...you see, I like to dress up in women's clothes and it was completely by chance that I bumped in to you dressed like this and we got talking..."

"You're a pervert!"

"Now, now...lots of men wear women's clothing, we're not all perverts...it's just that women get all the nice stuff and we have to..."

"SHUT UP!  Oh my God, you're a homosexual!  Johnny's probably one as well and that must mean...to have lusted after you...oh no, oh dear God..."

"Geoffrey, transvestites are not the same as homosexuals.  I love Edna and if you don't mind me saying so I think your Nancy's a wonderful looking woman...I mean, if I wasn't married I'd be seriously checking her out...OK, this isn't helping..."

"Weirdos...all around me are crooks, drug pushers, sex maniacs and aliens..." Geoffrey started to babble.

"What was that last one?" asked an incredulous George.

"YOU HAVE ALL CROSSED ME FOR THE LAST TIME!  Edna will find out about this!  And I'll tell the cops about all the corruption, the crime, the sordid secrets of EVERYONE!  And then I'll tell the government about...THEM!"

"Look, Geoffrey, let's not act hastily here!  Edna and the world don't have to know...I understand I've lead you on but I was enjoying the flattery from you and, well, working closely with your family meant I could spend more time as a woman.  It's not easy leading a double life..."

"You used me!  Toyed with me!  I bet you were laughing all the time behind my back!"

"I wasn't...I just enjoyed the validation"

Geoffrey got up and started to pace around, then he clenched his fist and bit down on it.  "I touched George Sneedley's Johnson!  Nooooooooooooooooooooo!"

"Geoffrey, we can sort this out.  Actually, can we sort it out another time as Edna will be home soon and it takes at least 45 minutes to completely remove all this clothing and make up.  I'll call you a cab..."

Geoffrey was still biting his fist and sobbing so George went to pick up the telephone and make the call.  Suddenly, Geoffrey barged past him and ran out into the street.

"GAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" he said, wailing as he ran off.

CHAPTER 216: Big Mal (Downfall part 4)

 

"Thank you, Leonard, you can drop me off here"

"Would you like me to wait for you, sir?"

"No.  I'm staying here for a while.  You can go home now, thank you and here's a little bonus for you" the old man sat in the back of the Cadillac limousine reached in to his jacket pocket and pulled out a wallet.  He handed the chauffer a $20 bill.

"Thank you, Mr Landgraab"

The old man, whose full name was Malcolm Landgraab III, stepped out of the car and watched the limo drive off before he strode purposefully towards Affluista Mansion.  Once it had been his home and now he had business there...

"Mom, a big limo just pulled up outside our house...who is it?" said Malcolm Landgraab IV.

"It's your grandfather" replied Nancy.

"Oh...this is going to be...interesting" the youth replied.

Nancy went dowstairs to answer the door, Malcolm Sr did not look happy.

"Daddy!" she said, enthusiastically.

"Nancy..." he said, walking straight past her and in to the mansion.  "I find myself being dragged from my retirement in Sulani to deal with this mess you've found yourselves in.  Where's Geoffrey and the boys?"

"Geoffrey's at the company building and Malcolm's here" she replied.

"And Jonathan?" asked Mal.  Nancy looked downwards and said nothing.

"Oh, we still don't talk about Jonathan, is that it?" said Mal, gruffly.  "Fetch Young Malcolm, here, what I have to say affects him."

Young Malcolm was not far away and heard everything his grandfather had said.  He took two steps to make his presence known.

"Grandpapa" he said, in a flat tone.

"Drug dealing, eh?" said Mal.  "Is that your 'independent business' is it?"

"I applied the lessons of business that you taught me, Grandpapa:  See a market, exploit a demand..."

"You forgot lesson number 3:  Don't get caught" said Mal.  "Who is this Suzy Kent?"

"A muck-raking journalist..."

"They're all muck-raking, boy.  Is there some personal connection between you and her that's gone sour?"

"What?  No!  I've met her twice in person but she's one of those moralistic busy-bodies, thinks she's clever and oh-so moralistic.  I can have her dealt with, Grandpapa."

"Like you dealt with your former business colleague?  I know what you've been up to; I have my spies in the company who keep me informed.  You've outsourced your problem solving to Them, haven't you?"

"They have methods we don't..." Malcolm began to explain but Mal cut him off.

"I know that!  I've dealt with them long enough but you always keep them at arms distance!  I never let them get inside my head...please tell me you haven't let them inside your mind!"

"No!" Malcolm said, lying to his grandfather.  He thought the old man just didn't understand how powerful he could be with the Visitors' help.  Malcolm had seen what he could do with his followers that day at the Orchid A-Go-Go club when he got them to stare down Suzy Kent or Humphries or whatever that witch was called now.  

"Good to hear...you NEVER let them inside there.  You must maintain the power dynamic with them:  They need us, need our resources and can't save themselves without our help so you don't let them gain advantage over you.  I think you turning to them for help in dealing with your problems risks inverting that dynamic, young Malcolm.  Your father shares the same weakness, unfortunately..."

"They can be very persuasive, Daddy.  You've not seen things from where we're standing right now but they've become...more demanding of late." said Nancy.

Mal didn't directly respond to what Nancy said.  He looked between his daughter and grandson and then spoke.  "One thing remains unanswered:  How did this Suzy Kent know about our activities and family history?"

"She obviously bribed or cajoled my former business associate, Madelyn Buchanan...backstabbing bitch that she is!" exclaimed Malcolm.

"That Buchanan woman only knows about your drug dealing, Malcolm.  Did either of you two bother to read Kent's article?" asked Mal.  Nancy shook her head.

"Why would I waste my time reading that nonsense?" said Malcolm, contemptuously.  

"Because it's very revealing, boy!" snapped Mal.  "She mentions Dirk Landgraab starting the company, our family history and makes reference to my father and where he found his wealth!  No one outside of this family knows about these things so where did she find this out from?  Hmm?  Any guesses....apparently not."

"Let's bring her in and use the machine on her, Grandpapa"

"I agree with Malcolm; we can break her will in a few hours" added Nancy.

"This family is facing massive fraud allegations and two murder enquiries and you want to add kidnapping to the list.  YOU TWO ARE NOT THINKING!" Mal bellowed.  He took a moment to calm down whilst the others stood by, not saying a word.

"Right.  This is not a time to double down on what has got us to this point" Mal started to explain.  "We need to consolidate, close ranks and not pour gas on the fire.  This Kent woman can wait for now.  What do we know of your whistleblower, Jeremy Saint?"

"He's middle management, we thought we could trust him...he underwent security checks and we had him subjected to the machine for treatment." said Nancy.

"And why would you do that if you trusted him, eh?  Why brainwash someone who's already on your side...unless?" said Mal.

"Well...because...we had to groom him for our purposes, Daddy." 

"But you said you trusted him..."

"Eventually.  But...but..."

"He's friends with Suzy Kent, Grandpapa" interjected Malcolm.

"Well, well, well, he's friends with Suzy Kent.  And you let this man rise through the company ranks, knowing who his close associates are."

"But we used the machine on him to make him hate her and another friend of his:  Detective John Action."

"Clearly that didn't work otherwise HE WOULDN'T HAVE TURNED OVER OUR COMPANY SECRETS TO THAT SAME DETECTIVE ACTION!" Mal yelled.  "Incompetence!  You should have had Saint monitored at all times!  The machine can only break a person's will for so long...we haven't figured out how to make the brainwashing permanent yet.  Was this all your idea, Nancy?"

"No...it was...it was..."  she began to speak but found it difficult to say the words.

"I can guess...it was Geoffrey's idea." said Mal.  "Leave us, Malcolm, your mother and I have to have a discussion in private."

"Mom...I'm so sorry about my role in this but I can explain!"

"Later, perhaps, son.  You leave your grandfather and I to talk."

"Is the upstairs lounge still there or have you converted it into something else?" Mal asked Nancy.

"It's still much the same as the last time you were here" she replied.

"Good." said Mal, heading straight upstairs.  Nancy followed him.

As soon as he had reached the top of the stairs, to the only room on the third floor, he sat down in one of the lounge chairs.  Nancy felt anxious about what her father wanted to say to her and, in a defensive action, went and stood by the easel where she had begun a figure painting only the day before.  She couldn't sit down with all the nervous tension she felt.

"You're looking well, Nancy.  Very well.  You've kept yourself in good shape, I can see you maintain your looks and it hasn't escaped my notice that you've had some 'enhancements' as well."

"Thank you...Daddy" said Nancy, nervously.

"Geoffrey looks tired by comparison.  Based on what I see of him in the news." continued Mal.

"He has a lot to deal with"

"Yes, I'm sure he does.  Are you still committed to one another or do you find yourself heading in different directions?" 

"Father!  Everything's...fine" said Nancy, shocked.  She didn't mention her growing suspicion that Geoffrey was infatuated with their cleaning lady.

"I want to see how the land lies around here" said Mal.  "You see, there will be some changes soon..."

"Changes?"

"I'm afraid, Nancy, that we can't just ride out the crisis out this time.  Too much information has been leaked now and not even our army of extremely well paid lawyers can make it all go away."

"But they'll mitigate the damage, certainly" said Nancy.  "The police and press don't know even a fraction of what we do.  My side of the company is still functioning well and hasn't been implicated."

Mal shook his head.  "What is needed is a scalp to throw at the authorities.  We need a fall guy..." he said.

"We've got a couple lined up; middle manager types who have done some 'delicate' work for us in the past and who will we will compensate handsomely..." replied Nancy.

"No.  That won't do." said Mal, coldly.  "It's an election year in the city, the D.A. is desperate to get a win in a big case to help his gubernatorial chances.  The press won't settle for a middle manager being thrown to the wolves either.  Someone higher up needs to take the fall.  Someone with the Landgraab name..."

Nancy went pale and started to feel nervous.  "Not Malcolm!  Not my boy!"

"What young Malcolm needs is firmer guidance and coaching.  One day the company and all that's in it will be his.  He is the future." said Mal.  "You are the present.  Geoffrey is the past."

"You mean one of us must go on trial..." said Nancy, gulping.

"Geoffrey must" said Mal, blankly.  "It was on his watch that all of this has happened.  He made serious errors of judgement.  You have always been headstrong and impetuous, my dear, so I hold you to a different standard.  Geoffrey has been logical, methodical and calculating over the years but his touch has deserted him recently.  Can you not see that?"

"He has let things slide...father, I believe Geoffrey might be having an affair with one of our staff"

"That wouldn't surprise me.  It's common with the modern executive with all their reliance on gadgets, secretarial pools and opportunities to stray more than in my heyday.  I have thought about this hard, Nancy, and I don't want to have to do this but I feel I must for the sake of everyone else."

"What will happen to the rest of us?" asked Nancy, with trepidation.

"You will be kept out of this and continue to help run the company.  I will come out of retirement to act as interim CEO and Malcolm will be kept on a shorter leash but will be gradually given more responsibility and put on the correct path.  And we must come to an accommodation with Jonathan..."

"No, father!  He is not part of this family anymore!  He will not take one step into this house!" said Nancy, defiantly.

"I don't know what happened between you and him but he's going to be put under immense pressure by our enemies and the press to spill the beans about our family and as things stand he has no incentive to be kind to us!  I will figure something out with him"

"You don't know what he did!" declared Nancy with venom in her voice.

"Whatever it was it's nowhere near as bad as the situation we find ourselves in now!"

"That is my plan, Nancy, and we will stick to it.  As for Geoffrey, I will make sure to mitigate the trouble he will go through."

At that moment Malcolm had appeared at the top of the stairs.  "Grandpapa" he said "there's a Visitor at the door."

"Tell them to go away" replied Mal.

"No...I mean a Visitor."

Mal realised what young Malcolm was referring to and he nodded and said "I'll be right down"

When he got to the front door he found a solemn looking young man lurking out the front of the house and Mal figured this was the Visitor in question so he approached him.

The young man spoke first.  "What we have heard concerns us greatly, Malcolm Landgraab the Third"

"Ugh, why can't you people ever use contractions?  Call me Mal Landgraab so you don't confuse me with my grandson...and to save time as well."

"You have returned from your retirement, Mal Landgraab, we are troubled by what we have observed in the newspapers."

"I'm here to sort the matter out so you have no need to worry"

"But we do worry, Mal Landgraab.  We have an arrangement."

"My arrangement with you was made through John, I shall speak with him"

"John Tom O'Connor has returned home, Luke Kendall is now in charge.  My name is James Sprague and I act as liaison"

"Well, you go and tell Luke that I have things firmly in hand.  Oh, and in future, under no circumstances are you to involve my grandson in your schemes."

"He came to us, Mal Landgraab."

"Nevertheless, if he tries to contact you again, say no to him.  And then refer the matter to me.  Do you understand?"

"I understand, Mal Landgraab"

With that bit of business done, Mal returned to the mansion.  Now the next pressing bit of business was to wait until Geoffrey came home.

Geoffrey arrived in the early evening, exhausted.  He found Malcolm doing his homework in the kitchen.  Usually when he arrived home his son would greet him with a shrug or indifference as he had his head buried in either homework or some personal project of his own.  This time Geoffrey found Malcolm to be more attentive when he entered the room.

"Hi Dad...we have a guest with us." said Malcolm.

"Oh yes, who?"

"Grandpapa"

That news wasn't warmly received by Geoffrey, although he did his best to hide it.  If Big Mal was here, it must be serious and Geoffrey knew why:  News of the scandal had reached Sulani already.

"Where is he right now?" asked Geoffrey.

"I'm here, Geoffrey my boy" came Mal's voice as he entered the kitchen.  "Geoffrey, good to see you.  How are you bearing up?"

"As well as can be expected.  How much do you know?" asked Geoffrey.

"Virtually all of it."

"OK then, well at the moment I'm trying to keep a lid on things the best I can" said Geoffrey.

"Isn't it a bit late for that?" said Mal, knowingly.

"What do you mean?" asked Geoffrey, suspiciously.

"Sit down, Geoff..." said Mal, motioning Geoffrey to one of the dining chairs.

"I'm not going to sugar coat this..."

"That's not your style, Mal"

"For sure.  It's like this, Geoff.  This is the biggest challenge this company has ever faced since the Civil War.  Things got ugly back then with Congressional hearings, threats of indictments and the company being ruined over war profiteering.  I needn't bore you with the details, you know the family history.  We're in those times again even though the charges levelled against the company...and the family...are different."

"We just have to ride it out, Mal.  I've got top men...top men...in the legal department..."

"You don't have to tell me, I hired half of them in the first place.  Now listen here, Geoff, you've done a lot of good work here since I retired.  For many years before that you were my right hand man..."

"I thought you didn't want to sugar coat things..."

"I'm just stating a fact.  You were groomed as a young man to be in the inner circle of this family; I know it was hard growing up without much whilst your cousins were living in mansions, I get it.  You had ambition and I saw the potential in you.  And you've done well in keeping Nancy in line whenever she gets impulsive and threatens to wreck everything through her greed.  But you've lost your touch in the last couple of years.  No, let me finish.  Jonathan gets banished, Malcolm indulges in crimes far beneath his station in life, Nancy is once again making decisions based on pure emotion and not sense and you're turning increasingly towards the Visitors for help.  And I know about you and the cleaning lady"

"What?  I've not cheated on Nancy with her!  Honest, Mal!"

"Maybe not yet but it's on your mind.  I know also that Nancy's been going to fancy events without you.  But bigger than all that is the witch hunt that is forming amongst our enemies and I can tell you let things slide, which has led to the current mess.  You let a fashion journalist, a negro cop, a mild mannered functionary and a home brewing drug dealer who works for a pornographer get the better of you.  Stop me if I say anything that isn't true, by the way."

Geoffrey said nothing.

"I've come up with a plan that will save the company and protect the family.  I will not see Nancy and Malcolm out on the streets in poverty or being humiliated."

"But as for me..."

"As for you, someone has to take the fall.  There's no other way.  It has to be someone prominent and close to the top, if not the top.  It has to be you"

"What's your plan for me?  I get arrested and go to prison for the rest of my life?"

Mal shook his head.  "Not the rest of your life.  Plead guilty to the fraud, blame the murder attempts on some fictitious flunky who doesn't exist but who we'll say has fled the country and Malcolm does community service for his part in the drug dealing.  As you said, you have top lawyers:  We can get that sentence down from life to 20, I'll make sure you are sent to an open prison and you'll be out in 7 to 10 with a very handsome renumeration for your loyalty and dedication to the family."

"That's it?  That's the deal?" exclaimed Geoffrey.  "I'm paying for the mistakes of others here!"

"Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown, Geoffrey.  You nearly cost us the kingdom:  In less enlightened times they'd cut your head off for treason.  You're lucky:  Take the hit, bide your time and you'll be out to enjoy retirement."

CHAPTER 215: EXPOSE (DOWNFALL PART 3)

"Our top story this morning...Police have seized documents at the Landgraab Corporation building in the ongoing investigation into fraud and murder allegations connected to that company.  There have been no arrests so far but police say that given the strength of the evidence they have so far it won't be long before some, or more, people in the company will be arrested.  Police also refuse to confirm or deny rumours that members of the Landgraab family themselves will be taken into custody..."

"Suzy, darling...come and see this!  It's all happening with the Landgraabs!" said Neil

She walked over to the sofa where he was sitting, watching the TV.

"Jeremy..." she said, softly.

"What's that?" asked Neil.

"Jeremy.  He must have found something really incriminating.  This is huge...when they say 'murder' that must relate to the attempts on Madelyn Buchanan's life and that murder case Action is working on.  That's going to drag Malcolm Landgraab into the investigation.  Wow.  This is it, Neil, the unravelling of all that family has been doing."

"And your article is going to hit the newsstands any day now..." he said, looking knowingly at her.

"The significance isn't lost on me..." she replied.  "I might get called in to be a witness"

At that moment the telephone rang.  "That might be the D.A. now..." said Neil, half joking.  Suzy went to pick it up; she had a knot in her stomach through nerves.

"Hello...Suzy Humphries speaking" she said.

"Hey, Suzy...it's Alan Cuffe here..." said the voice at the other end of the line.  Suzy let out a sigh of relief that it was Alan and not the authorities.

"Alan, nice to hear from you, it's been ages since we last spoke."

"It has, Suzy; far too long.  Say, have you got some free time today to drop round the mansion?  I want to talk with you about...recent developments.  I don't want to say more over the phone, you never know who's listening."

"Erm...I'm due in the office today but I can swing by your place this morning.  Sure."

"Great.  See you then." and he rung off.  Suzy turned to Neil and shrugged her shoulders.

"That was Alan Cuffe of all people" she said.  "Wants to see me about 'recent developments'"

"How did he sound?" asked Neil.

"Quite positive, almost happy." she replied.

"Could be a good sign...another who's happy that the Landgraabs are getting their just desserts." he said, turning back to watch the news.

Suzy grabbed her handbag and house keys and kissed Neil just before we left.  "I'll see you later, darling.  I'll head straight to Alan's and then to work." she said.

She rang the doorbell but instead of a butler appearing at the door it was Alan Cuffe himself.  He was smiling and seemed genuinely pleased to see Suzy.  

"Suzy, wonderful to see you, just wonderful.  Come inside...actually, let's go out the back to the garden because it's a beautiful day" he said, welcoming her enthusiastically.

"I see you're in fine spirits, Alan" she noted.

"I am feeling very well thank you.  As you may have heard I had to go into a private hospital to undergo some treatment brought about by overwork, stress and some fever the name of which I can't pronounce.  Ha-ha.  And Madelyn and the Kittens have been taking very good care of me in the interim."

"I bet they have..." said Suzy, knowingly.  There's nothing Alan loved  more than to have all his Lothario Kittens, in their skimpy cat outfits, fawning all over him.

Suzy was impressed by the garden.  "It's mainly a project of Madelyn's" he said.  "I'm not much of a horticulturalist but she is"

"So I've heard..." said Suzy.  During her research into Malcolm Landgraab, Madelyn's name was often mentioned in relation to drug cultivation and sales.  It made sense that she 'grew her own'.  "It's lovely out here, Alan, and I can see a painting in progress on that easel.  Do you paint?"

"I do.  Something I've taken up recently in order to help my state of mind.  I know your husband is a very talented artist who has found some success."

"Neil is so gifted as a painter...and, yes, his work is now selling enough that he was able to quit his day job.  He paints mainly landscapes...that view over the lake and the mountains here must provide plenty of inspiration for painting." 

"I paint mainly nudes" he said.  Suzy was not at all surprised.

"Did you want to see me about something specific, Alan?" Suzy asked.

"Yes.  As you know I own a significant stake in your magazine, Hey Wow.  When your article about the Landgraabs was read by the editorial board there were....shall we say 'mixed' feelings about whether to publish it or not.  The key issue in the sceptics minds were what the legal ramifications for the magazine would be if the Landgraabs sued."

"I can assure you, and the editorial board, that everything I wrote in that article has a credible source."  said Suzy.

"I'm sure it does, Suzy.  That's why I'm confident the magazine would win if it went to court.  I think the Landgraabs have overstepped the mark in trying to silence me and my close associates and the city would be better off if they had their wings clipped.  That is why I'm going to personally foot the bill for the legal defence of the magazine...and you."

Suzy was taken aback and didn't respond immediately.  Eventually she managed to say "that's very generous of you, Alan."

At that moment Madelyn Buchanan appeared and she too seemed happy to see Suzy.

"I'm so glad you were able to come" she said.  "As you can see, Alan and myself are entirely at ease with...recent developments." she said, trying to sound cryptic but Suzy knew she was referring to the troubles the Landgraabs were currently going through.

"Have you spoken with Detective Action, Madelyn, about his recent investigations?" asked Suzy.

"That there have been two attempts on my life, specifically?  Yes he has.  Sadly, we can't rest easy until this McGregor woman is behind bars but at least her paymaster might soon be." replied Madelyn.

"The article Suzy wrote is damning evidence against Malcolm, that's for sure" said Alan.

Madelyn looked at Alan and nodded approvingly.  There was something in her expression and body language that outwardly seemed calm but betrayed an underlying anxiousness as well.  You're still concealing something, Madelyn... Suzy thought.  

She also suspected that Alan was unaware of Madelyn's secret that she was holding back.  She may be his right hand woman, a confidant and much of the reason why the Lothario company was a success but whereas she knew all of his life, he had still much to discover about hers...

Suzy didn't want to dig deeper at this stage.  Alan's offer of legal protection if the Landgraabs threatened to sue was very generous and his influence in getting her article to be published couldn't be understated.  To now dig up dirt about the goings on of his personal assistant would be ungenerous of her after Alan had been so helpful.  Unprofessional conduct for a journalist?  Maybe.  But Suzy felt that Madelyn's secrets didn't have the same amount of maliciousness and destructiveness of the Landgraabs'.

"Well, I must be getting to the office now.  Alan, Madelyn, thank you so much for your hospitality and generosity.  Goodbye."

Within the hour Suzy had arrived at the offices of Hey, Wow! and found a flurry of activity there.  Photographers, advertising reps, printers, staff writers and about a half a dozen gophers were all scurrying around the place.  One of the sub-editors called Suzy into his office the moment she arrived.

"Suzy, sit down, I have to brief you on what's going on today" he said, motioning towards the sofa opposite his desk.

"What's up?" she replied as she sat down.

"You.  You're what's up"

"What's going on?  It seems like everyone is on panic stations" she said.

"They are.  It seems your article is causing a stir and the issue's only just hit the news stands.  We've got press from all the major newspapers and TV networks pestering us for a comment and...an interview with you."

"Wow." she said, shocked.

"Yeah, 'wow' just about describes it.  Now the editor has said that you're not to do any interviews until we've checked things through with our legal department first.  You're to lie low here, in the office, until it's time to go home.  You don't answer the phone, you're not available and we'll bring lunch to you so you're not ambushed by reporters if you go out."

"So what am I supposed to do in the office all day?" she asked.

"You were hired as a fashion journalist...do some fashion journalism for a change!" he said and with a wave of his hand he dismissed her from his office.

As she went back to her desk she saw Gillian, a teenage aspiring model, parading around the photo studio.  A few months ago Suzy had provided her with contacts in the fashion industry in exchange for information about Malcolm Landgraab.  It seemed Gillian had put those contacts to good use because she was here modelling clothes for the in-house stylist.

"OK...give me more, sweetheart!  Give me your left!  Now your right!  Turn and look over the shoulder!  Look up!  Look down!  Great!  I'm loving it!  Now I'm spent...OK, Gillian, take 5.  Sharon, I want my coffee now!  SHARON!"  Today's photographer had a voice that bellowed throughout the office and Suzy wondered if he would end up shattering a window.  Gillian stepped away from the backdrop and lights and came over to greet Suzy.

"Suzy!  Hi there!" she said with a big smile all over her face.

"Gillian, you're looking great.  How's this gig going?" Suzy replied, looking all around the photo studio.

"Oh this is the best!  I'm going to feature in next month's issue!  Suzy, thank you so, so much for giving me a start in my dream job!"

"That's alright.  You've taken to it well"

"Gillian, love, we need you in the next outfit:  Number 6" called out the photographer.

"Oops, that's me!  Gotta go!" said Gillian to Suzy.

"Well, I'm meant to help out here so I'll be hanging around.  See you after you've changed.

"OK, give us more attitude, Gillian...challenge the camera...defy it!" said Suzy, trying to coax a particular look out of her.  "That's it!  That's what we're looking for!"

"OK, Suz, I've finished the roll" said the photographer. 

"Perfect, Gillian, you're a natural." said Suzy.

When the work day ended, Suzy went to leave the office building by the main front door but she could see that there were reporters out the front, presumably there to try and doorstop her with questions about her article.  She was worried and hesitated about going out through that door as other work colleagues were pestered by the reporters as they left.

There was a noise behind her.  "Psst!"  Suzy looked around and saw Neil standing at the other end of the reception lobby.  "Suzy...this way, we'll get you out via the loading bay!" he said in a loud whisper.  She didn't hesitate to take him up on the offer of escape.

"Neil, what are you doing here?" she asked as he maintained a 5 foot lead on her, checking left and right to see the coast was clear.

"The TV news has been running a LOT of stories about the Landgraabs and you made the midday news.  I knew the press would be down here like a pack of wolves trying to catch a wounded deer so I thought I'd act as your bodyguard."

"It's greatly appreciated, love!" she said, admiringly.

"I say we don't head straight home; the press are probably camped out there as well.  We need to lie low for a few hours, go somewhere where they'd never think of finding us..." said Neil.

"Do you have anywhere specific in mind?" asked Suzy.

"The Romance Festival!" he declared.

"This is a great idea...no press and only a handful of middle aged couples; as it always is.  Absolutely the worst place for a single person under the age of 40 to meet another single person." said Suzy, giving Neil a kiss out of appreciation for his concern for her and quick thinking.

"Hey, we met at the Romance Festival" He protested.

"Oh yeah...so we did.  But how random was that?"

"Not random...providence!"

They got some exotic food from a vending stall and sat down to eat and discuss things.

"The article gets published tomorrow..." said Suzy.

"Great publicity for Hey, Wow...and you of course.  Are you ready?" asked Neil.

"I've been ready for months now.  The more I've learned since the beginning of the year, the more I've been horrified by what that family has done...not just recently, but for the last 150 years.  But I feel I've barely scratched the surface in this investigation." 

"More about the Landgraabs?  We still don't know what's underneath that mansion nor what Gregory Landgraab's role in it all was."

"Not just that...the book alludes to dark secrets of the Feng family.  Once the fallout from the Landgraab article settles you can be sure two smart cooklies like Lily and Victor Feng will have their guards up."

"That's for another day to think about..." said Neil, raising his glass in cheers.  "Hey, there's the Goths over there and...do my eyes deceive me?  They're smiling and having a good time!"

"They are smiling!  I've never seen Mortimer smile before and I've seen him twice and the Humour and Hijinks festival where he did not even crack a grin.  I wonder what they're so happy about?"

"A rival gone?  Or at least going?" suggested Neil.

Mortimer noticed Suzy and Neil and he looked at them both.  He just stared for two seconds and then smiled, nodding at the pair.  Suzy nodded back in acknowledgement.

"I think you maybe right, Neil" she said.