Chapter 37
Arthur was a crafty son of a bitch, if he didn’t say so himself. Even holed up in a hospital bed.
No vicious rich bitch was going to do him in. No siree. The heart attack had scared the bejesus out of him, but it wasn’t going to keep him down for long, and it certainly wasn’t going to keep him from suggesting a way out of this infernal mess they’d found themselves in.
Of course, Clara and Trevor had insisted on repaying the loan for him, and even Chase and Evan had offered him financial assistance. His pride didn’t want to agree, but given the timeframe, he didn’t like his options. Why didn’t they understand that he didn’t want anyone to technically own his paper besides him?
Journalistic integrity was sacred in his business, and even though he knew they wouldn’t interfere in the way the paper was run or what stories it pursued, people on the outside might wonder about it. Especially after his Op-Ed and the other articles about the museum. He’d finally drilled that concept through their heads with the help of his son, Alan. Of course, his son would have done anything he’d asked given his condition, and Arthur was glad he would be staying for an extended visit.
Young Trevor had finally suggested another solution. He would find another bank to give the paper a loan, and at a better interest rate, which would help offset the impact of the loss of their main advertiser until they found new clients, which Tanner had made his primary job in the interim.
That was a solution Arthur could live with, and both he and the crew of people eager to throw millions his way had all breathed a sigh of relief.
With that problem resolved, he’d turned to their other concern. Stopping Sin City for good and getting J.T. back to Dare Valley where he belonged.
The people he’d summoned were hovering around his hospital bed—Caroline, Trevor, and Evan Michaels. Clara was there too, of course. She was justice with her shining sword these days, and he loved it. The brat was mostly gone for the moment, but he hoped she’d be back.
“Andy is going to have our hides for interrupting your rest,” Caroline told him, sitting beside Clara in one of the chairs Trevor had hefted over.
“He’s a nuisance, but a good doctor,” he said, fussing with his gown. “It’s so thin you can see through it.”
“Good thing you have such a gorgeous body,” Clara said with a smirk. “Now, talk.”
“Evan, we’re going to need something really special tech-wise. You rigged up some tech solutions to stop Chase from working after his fall, so I’m hoping you can put something together for what I have in mind.”
Trevor crossed his arms, his whole stance calm. Too calm. His brother’s disappearance was weighing on him, and Arthur didn’t blame him. No man should ever feel like his only option was to disappear. Of course, Arthur knew Trevor would find J.T. No one could hide from that man for long.
“What exactly do you have in mind, Uncle Arthur?” Trevor asked.
“There’s little to do in this bed but think, and since it’s freezing cold and noisy from all the other patients’ moaning, I didn’t sleep one wink last night.”
“Which is why you look like hell today,” Clara said, reaching for his hand.
He liked holding hands with her. She’d stayed by his bedside all night, snoring softly in the chair. He’d almost laughed. Imagine purebred Clara Merriam snoring.
“Thank you, my dear,” he said. “Now let’s get down to it. This Newhouse woman needs to be checkmated, and I have an idea how to go about it.”
“I’m already looking into the collusion with the bank and your main advertiser,” Trevor said. “I’m going to nail her and her father. Don’t worry.”
“That’s going to take too much time, and who knows what you’ll find. I’ve always found that banks and rich businessmen cover their asses well. Haven’t you heard of the savings and loan crisis?”
Evan nodded. “Good point. What do you have in mind?”
“What’s the one thing Sin City has in her repertoire?” he asked.
Everyone was silent, and then Clara met his gaze. He knew she’d guessed his plan.
“Her reputation,” Clara said.
“Righto,” he said, reaching for the plastic cup filled with water. “Excuse me. Throat is dry.”
Caroline stood and rushed to help him, and he waved her away. Dammit, he wasn’t that much of an invalid.
“I’m getting out of here in a jiffy,” he told them.
Clara simply raised her eyebrows. Andy and his cardiologist had agreed he’d be in the hospital for another four days given his age and condition. That pissed him off, but he’d thought it might be worse. Of course, he knew the insurance companies wanted people out as soon as possible, so perhaps that would work in his favor.
“Anyway, I think it’s time to visit Sin City and make a video recording of it. That’s where you come in, Evan.”
“I’m happy to be of help, sir,” the young man said.
“I was planning on paying her a call already,” Trevor said, his jaw set.
“You’re too tough and intimidating,” Arthur said. “She won’t make a wrong move with you. But with an elderly lady and J.T.’s so-called ex-girlfriend? Play it right, and I think she might say something she wouldn’t want to come out later. I would pay her a visit, but I’m not sure she’d lower her guard, what with me being a journalist.”
“So you think Clara and I should go?” Caroline asked. “I might deck her.”
“Me too,” Clara said, grinning now. “I’ve never wanted to hit another woman before, but I’m feeling very protective of my new boyfriend here.”
Arthur didn’t correct her, but they’d have to find a different term. He was almost eighty, for heaven’s sake.
“I appreciate that, my dear,” he said. “I figure between the two of you, you can get her to say something incriminating.”
“She does a lot of charity work, right?” Caroline glanced at Trevor. “Has she ever raised money for cancer research and the like?”
He lifted his shoulder. “I don’t know, but it’s easy enough to check.”
Caroline was starting to smile, and it was good to see. She’d been walking around hunched over, like she had nothing to live for, what with J.T. leaving. Poor girl.
“We could get her to say she doesn’t care about cancer,” Caroline said.
Clara clapped. “Yes, and that she hates the ‘little’ people. Trevor, we’ll need a list of her charities. I’ve met debutante philanthropists before. Most of them only raise money to make themselves look good. Fundraisers are just excuses for rich people to get together and party and have their pictures in the paper.”
“Not mine,” Trevor said, acting affronted. “My, you are cynical, Clara. But I like it.”
She gave him a cheeky wink.
“I like this idea,” Caroline said. “But what about doing this without J.T.’s consent? He never wanted to go this low.”
“Caroline, we talked about fighting dirty, and you said—”
“I know,” she said softly. “I just don’t want him to get…well, mad at me. Us.”
“Good point,” Evan said, suddenly looking uncomfortable. “He already turned down my suggestion—at Trev’s prompting—about recording his calls with her and trying to get her on record saying something incriminating.”
“J.T. doesn’t get a vote anymore,” Trevor all but growled. “He’s not here. Plus, the stakes are higher after what she did to Uncle Arthur.”
Arthur considered the point. “J.T. might be uncomfortable, but Trev is right. He’s sitting this one out on some deserted island. I’m willing to do whatever that takes. Even if he gets a little mad.”
“Me too,” Trev said.
“Me three,” Caroline added like he’d hoped.
“How long before you find J.T.?” he asked Trevor.
He scoffed. “He thought he could stop me by buying six different plane tickets.”
“Did he dump his phone?” Evan asked.
“At the Denver airport,” Trev said. “I have other ways.”
“I can help you with some new tech my company cooked up,” Evan said. “You just can’t tell anyone. Homeland Security might get upset.”
“I’d appreciate any help you can give,” Trevor said.
Arthur stared at the two men. “You two would be terrifying if you ever worked together. Okay, so we have a semi-hatched plan. I’ll leave it to you to execute it. Meredith and Tanner have banned me from any newspaper work, so I’m stuck here with nothing to do. Trevor, Meredith has a pretty good list of Sin City’s charities. When you ask her for a copy, I’d love one as well.”
“I’ll read it to you while you rest on the sly,” Clara said, smiling conspiratorially. “You must be the only man alive the doctors have banned from reading.”
“Now the medical community is encouraging ignorance! It’s outrageous.” He was going to have to write a series of articles on hospitalization and the state of the medical community in this country.
“Calm yourself,” Caroline said. “Uncle, do you really think Sin City is going to trip up?”
“That’s what happens when you fight dirty,” he told her, noting the tension in her face. “You have to go for it.”
“Then let’s get down to it,” Caroline said.
Ah… He loved seeing that Hale spirit in the younger generations.
It was what gave him the strength to keep going.