reason I kept everything quiet was that Uncle Bill told me that if I went to the cops, he’d deny everything, and he’d not only personally destroy me, he’d get custody of you and send you to the worst military school in the country. He said he’d make your life a living hell.”
“That flaming asshole.” I shake my head slowly from side to side. The anger’s draining from me. I don’t even know what I feel right now. “He… I thought he cared about us. I mean, he used to invite us to holiday meals and take me to the country club…”
“That was a warning to me. He was continually reminding me of his power over us.”
God, that must have been horrible for her. She endured all of that, for me.
“He paid for me to go to private school,” I protest, dazed.
“No, he just bullied me into letting you think that. I actually used some of the money from our share of the company profits to pay for your school. I wanted to have you go to public school, but that motherfucker said people would figure out we were broke.” She shakes her head, her eyes burning with anger. “We desperately needed that money; I was literally juggling bills every month.”
Someone’s snatched a rug from underneath me, and I’m falling and falling and falling. “I cannot freaking believe this,” I husk.
“Believe it. The day you turned eighteen, I called up his wife and told her about his mistresses.” Her mouth turns up in an angry smile. “He called me up screaming and threatening, but he’d lost his hold on me, because he couldn’t get custody of you.”
“Did Henry know?” I ask, feeling ill.
“As far as I know, he was unaware that Dad and Uncle Bill ripped the company off. I do know that he seriously considered quitting when our parents were still around, and he only stayed for our sakes.”
Alice shrugs. “Anyway. When you turned eighteen, in addition to telling his wife what he was up to, I told Uncle Bill that I was going to go to the board and demand that they send in a team of auditors, and he got hysterical. Screamed, threatened, cursed me out, begged, then finally crumbled. Turned out he’d still been ripping off the company, he was just being more subtle and taking a lot less. Do you remember I worked in the finance office for several years? That was why. I forced him to pay it all back to the store, and I also made him agree to have an outside firm review our accounts so he couldn’t get away with it anymore.”
“Oh, he’s still getting away with it.” I feel sick. “That’s the only reason he’d be fighting so hard to keep us from going public. It all makes sense now. I let him convince me that it was just because he was afraid of change, because he was so loyal to my father’s vision, but I should have seen right through him. Going public would be hugely profitable for all of us – it would make him a mint, and that that man is greedier than King Midas. The only reason he’d be fighting it is because he knows he’ll be exposed.”
“I hope that’s not the case, Blake.” Alice looks distressed. “If he’s still been ripping off the store, he’s been very clever about it. And I should have told you the truth a long time ago.”
“Everything you did, you did for me. From now on, if you ever need to tell me anything, please do, and I promise I will hear everything you have to say.”
“Well, then hear this. You don’t spend enough time with us, and you throw money at the problem and bury us with gifts just like Dad did, but I’ve told you a million times that’s not what we want. All we want is to see you more, and we can’t always come to you. It would be nice if you’d visit us sometimes.”
Tears fill my eyes, and my throat burns with every breath I take. “I will be there for every holiday from now on.”
She nods. “I will hold you to that, and impose horrific guilt trips on you if you go back on your word.”
I manage a smile. A shaky one. “I’d expect nothing less.”
“One more thing. Don’t shoot the messenger. I mean, don’t blame Winona for this. It must have taken a lot of courage for her to come directly to you.