The Trust

Part 28: Apples and trees

The park is silent except for some low Christmas music playing somewhere, and I feel like a giant spotlight is on me. For a moment, my courage fails.

But these are my friends and neighbours. I can't do anything to help my family, but maybe I can save the town. At least, that's what I thought at the time.

"Don't give this man one cent," I yell. "He's a fraud!"

"Darcey, no!" I hear my Uncle Jack among the uproar I cause. People are shouting; angry faces are all around me.

"Listen to her." Jake's voice is deep and commanding. The noise quiets.

"A week ago, Rob was dying and begging his family for money. Now look at him, he's fine. How can he be a billionaire who can't afford his own medical bills? He's promised my family millions and so far they haven't seen a penny!"

The crowd erupts again with shouts of anger and fear. I'm called everything from a liar to a shit disturber. There are calls to drag me out of there and for the first time in my life, I'm scared in my own hometown. I feel Jake's arm around my waist pulling me to him in case there is trouble.

"Calm down, everyone. It's okay." My uncle on the screen puts both hands out as if soothing squabbling children, but his eyes are furious. "Don't let the bitter ramblings of this one ruin our celebration. She's angry because I've disinherited her."

"Liar." I want to shout it but my words come out as a whisper. My face burns with the injustice of it. I think about that day at the beach when we put my father in the ocean, the contempt I had for my Dad. How I admired Uncle Rob, the successful one and wished he was my Dad instead. I say a silent prayer of apology to my father. Yes, he was a troubled soul, but he wasn't pure evil like this bastard.

"Darcey, you've got it all wrong. We've got our money." Uncle Jack comes out of the crowd. "Stop this nonsense, right now." Disappointment is in his eyes.

I can't believe what I'm hearing. "You all got $250,000?" I ask my family, who cowers behind Jack.

"Well, no," he admits, looking at the ground. "Rob never said we'd get it all at once. But we all received an instalment, for Christmas."

I nod, furious. "An instalment. Let me guess — some small amount to keep hope alive. What was it, five hundred dollars?"

"A thousand," my mom says, hands on her hips. "Darcey Marie, you stop this foolishness right now! You're embarrassing the life out of me," she hisses.

"You're all being played, don't you see? He takes large sums of money from some of you and distributes it around to the rest, to make him seem wealthy and like he's legit. It's a total Ponzi scheme. Look it up on the internet, for Christ's sake!" I'm boiling over with rage. It's like a bad dream I can't wake from.

"Get her out of here!" There's a rough hand on my shoulder, and before I know it, Father Jake is in a shoving match with the guy standing next to us. He backs off once he sees the collar.

"I'm going," I scream over the noise, finally finding my voice. "But let me all tell you something first. There is no Grey Towers, just like he's no billionaire!" I point a shaking finger towards the screen. "Only a greedy opportunist, happy to take food out of the mouths of families and children in this town—"

"Darcey. That's enough now." Uncle Jack shakes his head sadly and walks away. I can't stand to see the sadness in his eyes.

"I think that's enough drama for tonight," the voice on the screen says. "See folks, when you're from a small town and you do well, unfortunately even your own family wants to take you down." His voice is oily smooth, his tone one of kind exasperation. "Yes I am sharing my fortune with my family, of course I want to include them. Darcey came to me and wanted twice as much of a share as everyone else. I had to turn her down, of course."