CHAPTER 220: Bury The Past

Summer Holliday was working out on her least favourite fitness machine:  The weight lifting chair.  She much preferred running on the treadmill whilst watching the TV but all three were being used so she made do with the "torture chair" as she liked to call it.  As she was facing the doors to Movers n' Shakers gym, she could see everyone arriving and leaving.  One new arrival was smiling at her and walked over in Summer's direction.  This new arrival, a young black woman in a turquoise outfit, seemed to know who she was although Summer was struggling to put a name to the face.

"Hey, Summer.  Hard at work I see" said the newcomer.

"Err...yes.  Hey, is that you, Joanna?  You look so different!"  Summer stopped working out and stood up so she could get a better look.  "I didn't recognise you with that hairstyle"

"It's new...in fact everything you see is new.  I had my hair done and bought this outfit" replied Joanna.

"You look fab, Joanna.  So why the new look?"

"My usual look is kinda...of the streets, you know?  I'm a college girl now and I want to look like I belong on campus.  I take note of what all the students are wearing and I went for this, the hair...I even did my make up to look more with-it.  Whaddaya think?  Does this look collegiate to you?"

"I don't know, I never went to college...unless you count catering college.  But that's totally something Barbara or my friend Suzy would wear.  You look amazing."

Joanna nodded and said thanks.  "I should have come down here first and then had my hair styled but it's the end of the first semester and I'm at a loose end these days; I'm not used to vacations and time off!"

"You worked solidly before going to college?  What line of work were you in? asked Summer.

"Erm...hospitality, kind of..." replied a sheepish Joanna.  "Nothin' spectacular...ah it was a shit business, I'm glad I'm out of it."

"A lot of long and odd hours, eh?" said Summer, innocently.

"Oh very odd...anyway, movin' on.  It's busy in here today! I was hoping for a go on the treadmills."

"Good luck with that!  Clinton, the personal trainer, has his own private mentoring group over there and they've taken over the machines."

Jeremy entered the gym and walked over to the ladies.  "Joanna, hey, you look great!  I like the new look"

"Thanks, Jeremy.  I'm gonna change into my work out clothes but I'll catch you cats later, dig?"

"Cats?  Dig?" said a confused Jeremy.

"I'll explain those words, Jeremy, later..." said Summer, smiling at her friend's innocence about the modern world.

Joanna headed to the changing rooms and then back downstairs to work out with the punching bag.  She preferred doing that to lifting weights because it kept her self-defence technique in good order.  Over the years, growing up and working the streets, knowing how to throw a quick jab to the jaw or stomach came in handy.

Her conversation between herself, Summer and Jeremy reminded her of how much her life had changed in the last few months.  Those two were nice, naive white folks who were pleasant to be around...heck, a lot more pleasant than most people she knew...but what if they found out about her past?  How patient, nice and pleasant would they be if they knew?  Only Action knew who she really was, but he wasn't blabbing.

After the work out she showered, got changed, reapplied her make up and styled her hair.  She was now going to head into town to meet a guy she was interested in:  Pace Tye.

Pace was a fellow university student in his sophomore year and he'd been one of the first friendly people she had met since starting college and she noticed there was some kind of vibe going on between them.  Neither of them had mentioned it to one another and they certainly weren't an item but Joanna did think about him and the way he approached life in a relaxed, open minded way.

She met him down by the Waterside Warble bar, one of her old stomping grounds.  Joanna had mixed feelings about coming back to the streets she grew up in.  But with a new look and a new sense of purpose she pushed her uneasiness aside when she saw Pace.

"Hey, Pace...good to see you" she said, enthusiastically.

"Hey Joanna...or should I say wow?  You look amazing" he replied.

"Oh this little outfit?  It's a recent thing; I'm trying a new look"

"Well it definitely suits you.  So, are you ready for some fun?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm up for a bit of that now the semester is over.  Why did you pick here to meet?  Was it the flea market?"

"Actually I'm here for the music.  Do you like a bit of jazz?  A bit of African, Latin American or a Salsa vibe?"

"I am DEFINITELY up for some of that!"

They strolled along the public square, ignoring the stalls of used and second hand items and made it all the way to where a woman was singing African folk songs.  They paused to catch her act, which was proving popular with the locals.

When the singer finished a song, Pace offered to buy Joanna a drink from a nearby food stall.  As he did so she looked around her old neighbourhood.  It had cleaned up a little in recent months but that was probably because of the market and the live music; the city council had somehow cleared away the low lives and homeless for one day.  She noticed a wishing well nearby; that was new and something she had never seen before.  She had a nickel on her so, on a whim, she tossed it into the well and made a wish.  "I wish I won't foul things up with Pace" she said in her mind.

Pace returned with the drinks and handed one to her.  "Enjoying the vibe?" he asked.

"Sure.  Music's good...the drink's real good and the company's not bad either" she said with a smile.

"Here's to school vacations" he replied, raising his glass.  "What do you have planned?" he asked.

"Nothing yet...I'm open to suggestions" she said, flirtatiously.

"I'd better get my thinking cap on" he replied.  Shall we sit down...somewhere away from the crowd?" he suggested.  Joanna nodded and they spied a graffiti covered bench near the basketball court that fitted the description.

Pace began to chat "You know...we meet up nearly every day on campus but I hardly know a thing about you."

"And you're also a bit of a mystery to me" she replied.

"OK, I'll give you the brief autobiography.  I'm from Philly originally.  Dad's a mechanic, mom's a full time mom, I have two annoying sisters and about a billion relatives whose names and birthdays I'm supposed to know off by heart."

"A real big family, eh?" Joanna said, smiling.

"Yep...so I absolutely love the tranquillity of campus life and having my own space...which is why I'm going to spend most of the vacation here in Sim City and only pop back to Philadelphia for a couple of days towards the end."

"So hopefully I'll get to see a bit of you before you head home" she said with a smile.

"That's my hope as well.  So, what's your story?" he asked.

Joanna drew a deep breath.  "Well, I was born just a few blocks from here, actually.  My family is...well, non-existent.  Both parents are dead.  I had one brother but....he died as well..."

Pace's face went from smiling to sad.  "Oh, I didn't realise..." he said, almost apologetically.

"It's not like I've been forthcoming with this stuff since I arrived on campus.  I'm still coming to terms with some of it as well...but...on the positive side, I had a wealthy great uncle who left me a small fortune in his will"

"Get out of here!" he exclaimed.

"It's true.  So, I quit these streets, moved to Willow Creek and enrolled in college." she said.

"Wow...just wow.  That's a helluva backstory.  I knew you were interesting from the first moment I met you." he said, admiringly.  Joanna, however, deliberately left out the sordid part of her past.

"Fancy another drink or something to eat?" Pace asked.

"Sure...I'm getting a little hungry now" she replied.

The two walked back over to the food stalls and Pace ordered a couple of burritos and sodas but as he was doing that, a man in a loud pink suit approached Joanna.

"Say...I recognise you from somewhere.  I'm sure we've met before" he said.

They had.  This guy was once a client.  Worked in advertising and was a sex addict.  He threw a private party for some clients and hired some prostitutes...Joanna was one of them.  It paid well enough but he and his friends were boorish drunks.  He couldn't manage it on the night he had so much to drink...

"Maybe...or maybe you have me mistaken for someone else?" she replied, coldly.  Pace had returned.

"Hey there..." Pace said, his quizzical gaze flitting between Joanna and this random guy.

"Hey Pace, thanks for the drink." she replied.  "I'm sorry, I can't help you" she said to the man before walking off with Pace.

Pace said nothing about the guy and didn't ask Joanna either.  He carried on having a conversation with her as if nothing had happened.  Joanna wondered if he was either genuinely so cool it didn't matter or else he didn't want to make her uncomfortable by asking her who that man was.

They eventually ended up at the Waterside Warble bar and Joanna thought the date was going well.  

"You must be very familiar with this bar..." said Pace.  "...I didn't know you're from the Spice Quarter and that you had a rough upbringing.  Had I known I'd have taken you somewhere a bit more upmarket and different."

"Not to worry...it's cool just hanging out.  You know, I don't know another guy like you?" she said.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" he replied.

"Oh it's all good, baby, it's good."

Pace turned to look at Joanna and he had a smile on his face but with his eyes narrowed as he took a good look into her face.

"You know, I get the feeling that there's a lot going on with you...I mean layers, depths, even secrets" he said.

She smiled wryly at what he said.  "I don't know about the former, but definitely the part about secrets.  But then, don't we all have them?" she replied.

"Yeah...and, hey, I don't want to pry into anything that makes you uncomfortable.  I guess what I'm trying to say is that those secrets, the life path that led you here...it makes you fascinating to be around.  That's a compliment, by the way..."

"Yeah, I know" she replied, smiling at him.  "Maybe, in time, one day...if we're still friends...I might share some things about me but I want to move forwards, you know?"

"I hope we'll be friends for a very long time" said Pace.  "And I dig the moving forwards thing"

Talk turned to the next semester but the vibe between the two of them was still good and Joanna liked Pace a lot and could see herself becoming romantically involved with him but she was also aware that she had never been in a proper romantic relationship with anyone before and that was still gnawing away at her from the inside.  

The day was drawing to a close and Pace got up from the bar.  "I'm sorry, Jo, but I got to do a small favour for a buddy who's moving house at the crack o' dawn tomorrow so I need an early night and I've already had waaaayyy to many of these!" he said, pushing the empty drinks glass away from him.  "I really liked being with you today and I hope we can see more of each other during the vacation."

"I would like that too...and sorry if I've been all evasive and..."

"Don't sweat it, Jo!  I get it.  I really do.  Now you have a great rest of the evening and I'll give you a call."

She got up from the bar as well and they both hugged each other.  It was a close, firmly held hug that lasted beyond just being friendly.  With this hug with this man she felt something she had rarely ever experienced:  Secure.  

"You take it easy" said Pace as he left.

"You too" she replied and that was all that was necessary to say.  The softness in their voices communicated a lot more than mere words.

Pace headed off but Joanna wasn't ready to leave yet.  She returned to the bar where the barmaid took one look at her and said "the same?"

"Yeah, just one more" replied Joanna.

"Cute guy.  Are you going to see him again?" said the barmaid as she poured Joanna a drink.

"I hope so...I hope I don't screw things up with him." Joanna replied.  "I gotta lotta baggage..."

"Don't we all?" replied the barmaid.  "If we let that get in the way we'd all die lonely"

"I guess...I've done some pretty bad stuff..."

"Was it by design?"

Joanna paused before answering.  "By someone's design, not mine, although it took me a long time to break away from it.  I could have stopped myself earlier...could have..."

"But you have now?"

"Yep...turned my life around and then he enters into it"

"I hope he's worth it"

"He just might be.  Better than all the others, at least.  You got a fella?"

"I had...a husband as well.  He got killed in Vietnam."

"Oh man...here I am feeling sorry for myself and..."

"Don't sweat it.  We all have something from our past to deal with but it looks like you might have found some hope."

"As long as I don't foul up..."

CHAPTER 219: Sideshow

 "Ah, Action...sit down.  Have you heard the news?" asked Captain Amos when Action arrived for work that morning.

"About Geoffrey Landgraab?  Sure, who hasn't?  The news can talk about little else right now." Action replied.

"And how are you about it?  I know you have history with that family"

"I'm a professional, Chief.  I was lead on the Malcolm Landgraab drug bust but I think I did a pretty good job on that one."

"You did.  I need to know where your head is right now.  Geoffrey's death is a whole new level."

"I know, Chief.  So what's happening with the case load?  I take it there's the fraud case and now Landgraab's inquest."

"FBI and the IRS are handling the fraud, it's out of our hands now.  Yes, his death will be investigated but preliminary reports suggest Landgraab died of a heart attack."

"Do you want me on that one, Chief?"

Captain Amos leant back in his chair and didn't respond immediately.  After taking a breath he just said "No, I've got other cases for you, Action.  Schuster's lead on the Landgraab death."

"But sir, I just said I'm a professional...my feelings about the Landgraabs don't..."

Amos cut him off "I know.  You're not being assigned to Geoffrey's death not because I don't trust you; it's because you already have an ongoing murder investigation with the Tom Green case and some loose ends of the Goth burglary.  Schuster's next senior in the detective division."

Action returned to the squad room where he put the latest bits of evidence and clues on the crime map.  Witnesses on the day saw a woman, wearing a blouse and jeans, cute, red head...Action instinctively knew who the killer was:  Leanne McGregor.  She had gone to ground though and no one knew where she was.

He turned to the other detectives in the room.  "Hey, any of you got any leads on McGregor?"

"If we had you'd be in the loop, Action" said Cole Michaels.

"Yeah, she's public enemy #1 right now so it's not like any of us are slacking" added Schuster.

"You've got the street contacts, Action, aren't any of them coughing up info about her?" asked Michaels.

Action sighed.  "No..."

A uniformed officer came into the squad room.  "We've got an incident down at Britechester U.  It's kicking off and they need anyone not busy down there, now"

Action got up and holstered his .38 service revolver.  "I can't act on anything until we get some information about the whereabouts of McGregor.  OK, I'll bite...give me the details, officer."

Action wasted no time in getting to the campus.  Apparently there was some kind of disturbance, a clash between students.  "Hippies and radicals vs the John Birch society, no doubt" Action thought as he sped through the city to the university.

When he got there he found a fight in progress.

"Alright!  Break it up!" he said, brandishing his badge.  The two young men at the centre of the fight ignored him so Action grabbed one of them by the shoulders and physically flung him to one side before pushing the other combatant away before he could put the boot in.

"The name's Action...Sim City PD...and I haven't had my mid-morning coffee yet so don't make me even angrier.  Calm it right down, keep your distance and tell me what's going on."

He noticed a young, fair haired man standing on the sidelines and scowling.  "What are you looking at?  Are you involved in all this?"

The man shook his head and stepped back from Action.

Action pointed to a young man who was wearing red shirt and had a black, rockabilly hairstyle and sideburns.

"You, Elvis...what's your name?" asked Action, forcibly.

"Frederick Mouser" replied the man in a haughty tone.  Action wrote that down in his notebook.

"What's the beef you've got going with Beach Boy here?"

"It's Julian, officer" interjected the other combatant, who had long blonde hair.

"Ooh, Julian.  Julian what!"

"Julian Lydon...with a y"

"With a y...OK, Julian with a y, you wait here whilst Frederick explains why you two are creating a public disturbance."

"He's a dirty liar, a con artist and a thief!" said Mouser.

"Wow, that's a list of crimes..." Action replied.

"He's hyping it up, officer!" interjected Lydon.  "I never said I was taken, Freddie.  You chose to believe that...I just didn't deny it, that's all.  And unless we've re-introduced chattel slavery without me knowing you can't steal a person."

The penny dropped with Action.  "Ah, you're fighting over a girl!  Presumably you, Miss?"

"Anahi Loh" said the pretty Asian girl standing with the group.

"Are you going to book them, officer?" asked the fair haired bystander.

"You still here?  Buzz off, no onlookers"

The man sulked off, grumbling all the way.  Action looked at Miss Loh and there was a hint of recognition there.  Where had he seen her before?

"OK, Elvis and Beach Boy..." began Action.  "I'm letting you off with a caution; but in future keep your fists to yourself when squabbling over a woman."

"Is that all, officer?" asked Mouser.

"That's all" Action replied.  Mouser walked off but Lydon couldn't help himself.  

"That's right, Freddie!  You run!  You run away!" he called out.

"Knock it off, bucko!" said Action, tersely.  

Lydon left as well and that just left Miss Loh.  "Are you alright, ma'am?" he asked.  It bugged him that he knew her from somewhere but couldn't place her.

"Thanks officer...those two are just college jerks.  I find each one amusing in their own way but they take these things way more seriously than I do."

"Both of them think they're alpha males.  You know, I never forget a face and I'm sure we've met before." 

"Yeah, I get that sense as well." she giggled.  "I've never fallen foul of the law before so you can't have hauled me in to police headquarters."

"Maybe it's social.  Where do you work?"

"At the Landgraab Corporation.  I'm a secretary there."

And that's when the penny dropped:  Action had met her before, but at the time he was in disguise as a maintenance worker.  Now this was awkward..."

"Ah, maybe it was at one of Mrs Landgraab's police fundraising events" he said, hoping that would suffice as a cover story.

"That must be it then"

Action saw an opportunity to get some information about the Miss Loh on the sly.  "Terrible news about your boss.  What's the mood amongst the staff?"

"It's hit us all hard, officer.  First the fraud allegations and now Mr Landgraab dead.  He took fitness very seriously, you know?  Often went for runs during office hours, worked out, a perennial at the health spa and he always ate sensibly.  He must have had a congenital heart problem."

"Must be.  Anyway, thanks for remaining calm whilst those loudmouths were sizing each other up.  Stay safe." he said, with a wink, before walking off.

On the drive back to Precinct 13 he thought about what Anahi Loh mentioned.  Must have been a congenital heart defect.  Only Geoffrey Landgraab had access to the best doctors in Sim City...in America.  Surely they would have warned him about overdoing the exercise?  He'd seen Geoffrey many times running around the city, working out at the gym and yes, you can overdo things but then again, you can manufacture the circumstances to overdo things as well...

Back at headquarters, he went straight to see the Chief.  

"Have we got the coroner's report on Landgraab's death yet?" he asked, pointedly.

"Action, I told you you're not on that case."

"Have we or have we not?"

"Yes, it's in.  Died of heart failure, probably brought on by spending too much time in the sauna."

"Pretty strange for someone who's health conscious, don't you think?" said Action.

Chief Amos drew a deep breath before answering "This case has nothing to do with you, Action.  Now get back to your existing case load!" he snapped.

Action went back to his desk feeling frustrated but he got through to the end of the shift.  He had an idea though:  Go to the Perfect Balance Spa, where Geoffrey died, and do a bit of investigation himself.  But he would require some assistance and he knew exactly who to enlist.

"Bibi, what are you doing for the next couple of hours?" she asked his forensics colleague with a broad, warm smile as if he was giving her an offer she couldn't refuse.

"But you're not on this case, Action" said Bibi.

"I know that but Schuster needs all the help he can get." Action replied.  "Besides, don't you feel a bit put out that you're not involved in such a high profile case either?"

"I work on whatever cases the Chief deems necessary.  I do not let emotion get in the way" she said, haughtily.

"Anyway, you're here.  Let's go and check out the sauna....in a professional capacity!" said Action.

They went upstairs to the sauna; any members of staff who were puzzled by the sight of Action and Bibi looking around in great detail were shown his police badge.  He had managed to bluff his way into access of whatever he wanted to see there, even though this wasn't his case.

"Well, Bibi, this was where Landgraab fell and died.  What did the crime scene report say?" 

"A Miss Judith Ward noticed the door to the sauna rattling and she went over to investigate closer.  She thought someone might have been inside so she summoned an attendant who tried to open the door but found it was locked...."

"From the outside?" interjected Action.

"Ja.  There is no way to lock or unlock this door from the inside of the sauna.  The attendant went to fetch the key and on his return unlocked it and Geoffrey Landgraab staggered out and collapsed right there."

"Where's the thermostat?" asked Action.

"Here, inside this control box..."

"Which is also on the outside of the sauna, not the inside."

"But you need another key to access the box.  You suspect foul play?" she asked.

"He was a man with a thousand or more secrets about to go to prison, it would be worth someone's time to silence him." Action replied.

"But whom?"

"Take your pick from at least a dozen suspects.  But whoever it was they had access to the keys to this sauna and the thermostat."

"But, Action, you're not working on this case, right?"

"But...you're not working on this case....RIGHT?"

CHAPTER 218: Geoffrey Must Go

 

In the early hours of the morning of the 18th August 1966, Geoffrey Landgraab snuck out of Affluista Mansion and headed on in to the city to the Perfect Balance Spa.  He knew that in a couple of hours he would be in a meeting with his legal team and they were going to recommend he hand himself over to the police before they came and got him.  The reasoning was that he would appear to be cooperating with the hope of a reduced sentence.  They would even give him a script to say, one that was prepared by his lawyers operating under Mal Landgraab's authority.

In an act of symbolism, which felt right to Geoffrey, he headed for the sauna; there to purge out of his system all the contaminants.  They would be forced out of his pores and he could begin again, fresh, clean, pure.  Ever since he was a boy he had dreamed of making it to the top and he had genuinely achieved that but all the poisons, the vices and greed had seeped into his body and soul.

He sat there, pondering his life's journey:  Born to an impoverished minor branch of the Landgraab family, he remembered when he was a boy on a hot, sunny day in 1928 and his first visit to Affluista Mansion; the family home of his richer cousins.  He was awed by its opulence and splendour as well as being bowled over by a precocious little girl who teased him and fawned over him in equal measures.  His wealthy, pampered and pretty little cousin; Nancy.  That was the life he wanted.  He latched on to Big Mal Landgraab, his wife and Nancy and as soon as he was old enough he got a job in the mail room at the company, had his education paid for by Big Mal before the war came.  Then it was off to the War Department (Mal had made sure Geoffrey avoided the draft) for "vital work" before coming back, settling down, taking a management role at Landgraabs and marrying Nancy.

"Well, I suppose you had a good run there...more than you could have expected" he mused to himself as he basked in the warm memories.  Two sons...maybe Johnny will come around one day when he inevitably fails as a comedian, he thought.  And Malcolm; yes he's taken some wrong turns but he's smart, he's charming (when he wants to be) and he knows what he wants in life.  He'll do well, he'll be a great CEO in 15 to 20 years.  Geoffrey would be out of prison by then...1981...we'll probably be flying around in jet packs on Mars and living on pill food by then.  A Landgraab owned colony on Mars...what a dream!  He thought about all the acts of revenge he could take whilst in prison on everyone but he thought of the longer term picture.  Just another link in the great chain:  Dirk, Malcolm I, Gordon, Gregory, Big Mal and now him and, eventually, Nancy and Malcolm IV.  "I did my bit; took success and made it more successful." he muttered.

But as Geoffrey finally made peace with his fate, other forces were in action.  Geoffrey knew too much, he was now a liability.  Whether it was Big Mal's bribery, Nancy's criminal activities, Malcolm's little drug empire, Johnny's romantic entanglements, George's crossdressing, trying to undermine Victor Feng's election campaign or his links to The Visitors...it was decided by one, or more, of them that Geoffrey had to go.  They had followed him, discretely to the spa, and watched him go in to the sauna room.  Without anyone noticing, the door was locked from the outside and the thermostat turned up to full...

Very soon Geoffrey started to notice that the sauna was getting too hot and unbearable to be in.

He was feeling very woozy so he got up and went to leave but found the door was locked!  He pulled it hard a few times but it wouldn't budge.  All the while the exertions made him feel worse and his breathing became laboured.  He tried again to wrench the door open but it still wouldn't give so he gave up and started pounding on it and crying out for help.  The room was so well insulated with its thick wooden walls that no one could hear him and whoever tampered with the door and thermostat had also put a "CLOSED FOR MAINTENANCE" sign on the outside of the sauna as well.

Geoffrey was about to pass out, his breathing now very laboured and his heart muscles were tightening.  "HELP....HELP...ugh...no...not...this...way..." he said, still shaking the door as he slumped to his knees.  

Even though his cries for help weren't heard on the outside, one of the patrons of the spa had noticed that the door was rattling.  It wasn't often that the famous movie star, Judith Ward, noticed anything that wasn't about her but on this occasion she had, as she was trying to avoid a paparazzi photographer and had darted down the corridor that led to the sauna to give them the slip.  She saw the door rattling violently and went to fetch a spa employee who could see what was going on. 

"What's that sign doing there?  There's no scheduled maintenance of the sauna today!" said the employee.  He took it down, and called out "is there anyone in there?" but got no response.  Finally he took out a pass key and unlocked the doors to the sauna.  The moment he did that, Geoffrey staggered out, went a few paces and then collapsed to the ground in front of Judith Ward.

The spa employee was a qualified first aider and bent down to help Geoffrey.  "Sir, sir!  Can you hear me?"

"You...win..." gasped Geoffrey before giving out his last breath.

More people had gathered to see what was going on.  It was Liberty Lee who was first to ask the question "Is he dead?"

"I'm afraid so, Miss.  Geoffrey Landgraab is....DEAD"

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.