The Tailor's Razor

9. Mephisto

On sunset
An obscene mansion, Sands Point, Long Island

Conveyed through the nauseatingly rich suburbs of Nassau County Taylor and Madison whispered a half-baked plan into each other's ears. Nearing Jim's home Taylor looked out the window; it looked like the American Dream on steroids with bright lawns and white picket fences at every turn. But there was enough faux-Tudor architecture to remind Will that he was in a former colony still enamoured with a fever-dream of the motherland. It all looked so fake.

Jim's mansion was your typical two-storey Monticellan palace set back on a quarter-acre block whose value had been inflated by the placement of a foundation oak on the lawn. It wasn't so crass as to be disgusting, but to Taylor it seemed like it would be more suited to the garden of a Sussex estate, rather than the heartland of democratic America. Still, it was a fabulous old house with a little porch that glowed in the darkening night.

Paying the exorbitant fare the lovers stepped out of the cab, Will shouldering the duffle bag as he slipped into a shadow with Mahdo in tow. He vanished, the lawn crunching beneath his shoes for a few moments before he left Madison entirely.

Breathing deeply she walked the length of the track to the front door, stepping in without a knock. She knew the place well; she'd half grown-up here and still kept a few of her trophies on the wall. It was a weird feeling, seeing them glint in the light as she stepped silently past.

She swung the door to the den wide open, catching her uncle unawares. His neck shot up, furious that he should be interrupted, till his eyes bulged at the sight of her.

"Madison... what are you doing here?" he asked softly, rising from the desk, "I thought you were still in the Virgin Islands..."

He trailed off as he heard the door to the garden opening. He stiffened at the sight of a giant, black dog hopping in, followed by Will with his sawn-off shotgun.

"I know," Madison growled.

Buttoning his jacket the old man said brusquely "I wasn't going to insult your intelligence," throwing his arms wide he flippantly asked if they had come to execute him, "Walk me off to the back of the garden and blow my brains out? An eye for an eye?"

"I'm not so cold as you," Madison breathed.

"I gathered as much from the personal touch," he thumbed his hand at Will, "But you can't bring yourself to hold the gun, either."

"Will give me the gun!" she snapped, but Taylor stood still.

"Think this through, girlie," he said gently; to shoot Torquil the man-child would have been pathetic, but Jim Hourman was asking for it, daring her to bloody her hands.

"I'm not going to kill the bastard," she stared into his uncaring eyes, "Tessa! Tessa!"

Jim's eyes rounded, "This is between you and me."

"This is about all our family!"

"Jim, honey," a very regal old dame came in through the door, "I- oh Madison darling! Why-" Mahdo barked and she noticed Will, "Oh God!"

"Don't worry Tessa," Madison held her auntie, "He's with me."

"What do you mean!?"

"Jim will explain," Madison flicked her wrist at the big man, but he remained silent, "Jim had Dad murdered."

"The girl's lying, she's got no idea!" he stepped towards the women but Taylor came in closer, freezing him in place.

"Don't lie to her."

"Madison, you've had a shock," whispered Tessa, trying to hide behind her niece, "But please tell your friend to put away his gun."

"Tell her why you did it!" Madison hissed.

Jim looked to his wife, trying to recall any dirt he had to blackmail her testimony, before explaining "His reforms were going to bankrupt us. I tried to reason with him but he wouldn't listen. He was going to destroy American institutions and put hundreds, thousands of people out of work! He left me no choice!"

Tessa looked overwhelmed, leaning against Madison.

Will couldn't help himself, "Yeah by making the companies more accountable he was destroying the American way of life. God forbid you might be expected to be honest once in a while."

"Shut your face, boy!" Jim rounded on Will, taking great strides towards him, "I bet you won't even use-"

Jim's head snapped back as Will shoved the barrel of the gun in his puggish nose. However shocked Tessa was she cried out at the bloody face of her husband, dropping to her knees to hold him.

"Dickhead," Taylor shook his head.

Madison, for her part, was fighting back tears. Sliding down the side of the wall she sat down, patting Mahdo's face as he came sauntering over.

"You've gotta tell me, Jim, how could you do it? I'd die before I let anything happen to my brother," she winced as Mahdo licked her face.

"You do what you have to."

Tessa wailed and threw her husband aside, "You're pathetic!" she cried, storming to the far side of the den where she buried herself in one of the hungry sofas.

Alone and bloody, but not so pathetic as his minion Torquil, Jim touched his broken nose gingerly, "So what do you want to do with me? You going to turn me in?"

"No," Madison said immediately, holding out her empty hand, "But do you see this? It's your soul. It's not much, but it's mine," she closed her fist, "When you killed your brother you forfeited the right to it, so that now it's mine to do with as I please. When I need you to do something, you'll be there, do you understand? When I whistle, you bark. C'mon Will, I can't look at him anymore. Leave him to the tatters of whatever he's got left."

Taylor followed Madison and Mahdo out through the door; the dog looked up at her with nothing but love and admiration so that, despite everything, Taylor felt jealous. But out in the cool night air, beneath the last purple light, Madison finally broke, letting the tears run down her face. She didn't weep or sob, just let them stream down her cheeks and into the smile she held in defiance.

"Ooh... that felt good," her voice faltered beneath the wet sound in her nose.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, well... y'know." she forced a laugh, "Man... we should have told that taxi to wait for us. I can... we can walk to Manhasset, it's not very far and I know a nice little hotel... Will?"

"Yeah?"

She slowly shrugged, opening her hand and tangling her fingers up with his, "It's this way."