“What happens if we carry on, business as usual, without disclosing what we know, little as that actually is?” Remington asked.
“Obfuscating what you do know is tantamount to going to Las Vegas and betting the farm. If nothing happens for the remainder of the retreat, TITO wins. However, if one of the non-insider Thriller Jubilee participants winds up dead, or missing, TITO may not survive the resulting possible claims of a causative lack of transparency, if not an outright self-serving cover-up. Consider, if you will, two recent examples of what can happen when an organization is not forthcoming. As you may know, Michigan State University and a number of gymnastics governing bodies failed to disclose what they knew, or had good reason to know, about a U.S. women’s gymnastics team doctor who was possibly sexually abusing huge numbers of our young women gymnasts. The University of Southern California did likewise in the case of one of its student health center gynecologists who allegedly was sexually abusing dozens of USC women students. The gymnastics team doctor has been convicted and sentenced to life in prison. The fate of the USC doctor is presently unclear. However, of more significance to TITO, these organizations, and their insurers, have ended up having to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to settle class action lawsuits brought against them on account of their lack of candor.”
The room was conspicuously silent. Nevertheless, the uncomfortable gestures and looks of his audience told Brooks that those listening to his remarks were fully aware of these recent events.
Brooks resumed: “By the way, if you decide to adopt the latter ‘hear-no-evil, see-no-evil, speak-no-evil’ approach and are asked where your missing speakers are, you might simply answer that you don’t know, which I gather is the case, but that you are investigating. Which I suggest should also become the case, if it isn’t already. You might still be on thin ice, but I think this is preferable to making up excuses about those who have gone missing so far that you know are not true.”
“I have a question for you, Judge Brooks,” Lewis intervened. “So far, your remarks have been directed at what we should be saying about what we know. How about what we should be doing about what we know?”
It occurred to Brooks that Lewis was feeling the heat of his remarks because she was the one out there on the firing lines, having to make excuses to participants for the absence of those speakers who were not showing up for their assignments. “A good question, Ms. Lewis. Actually, I think the answer to your question breaks down into two parts. Let me speak first to the subject of security. I will then ask Detective Lotello to speak to detecting, what might be done in the way of something more proactive.”
Hart interrupted. “We’ve been going at this for a while now. Would anyone like to take a break for a few moments?”
No one seconded that proposition. Brooks had worn them out, but they seemed fully invested in the discussion and wanted to continue unabated.
“Okay then,” Brooks said. “Security. It would appear that someone on the island has it in for those who have disappeared, or for TITO itself. Perhaps both. You are probably dealing with a frustrated author unhappy with how his or her writing career is going and who blames his or her lack of success on someone else. Anyone else. Perhaps everyone else. Of course, it’s always someone else’s fault, never the culprit’s.”
“Amen to that,” Remington, who had decades of teaching writing under his belt, seconded.
“The island of Punta Maya is woefully unequipped to deal with anything like this. Starting tonight, you should employ a buddy system for all TITO directors, officers, and founders. No TITO leaders should ever be alone over the course of the remainder of the retreat. When not at a public activity, your executives should always be in pairs. That includes room assignments. Perhaps not ideal, but it’s only for another few days. The inconvenience should be worth it for the safety it should achieve. And pray that no tragedies spread to other Thriller Jubilee participants. There’s nothing practical to be done about this possibility unless you are prepared to disclose what has been going on and to recommend a buddy system for everyone attending the conference and remaining on the island.”
Brooks observed that several of the TITO officers and directors were beginning to grow impatient, if not exasperated. Interesting how these folks are more disposed to teaching others than being taught. Or maybe they were just feeling put upon and crowded at the thought of a buddy system. I don’t think I can hold their attention much longer.
He quickly turned to the strategy he had briefly discussed with Lotello only moments before attending the meeting, going on the affirmative and attempting to find the perpetrator. “Let’s turn to the second aspect of Ms. Lewis’s question, what we might do to become proactive rather than merely reactive. Pursuing cut-throats is a topic in which Detective Lotello is far more versed than I; I would like to ask Detective Lotello to speak to this subject.”
All eyes turned from Brooks to Lotello, who assumed the mantle. “Assuming our perp is a disgruntled writer, a quick count shows that we have on the order of five hundred active authors here at the retreat. There is no way to examine five hundred possible suspects. If TITO wants to go on the attack, the numbers must be strategically and quickly pared down. We need some elbow grease, and a lot of luck. TITO should assign several of its most capable and trusted personnel to contact the home offices of Lasko, Llewellyn, and Simpson to find out, literally overnight, who each of those three enterprises have possibly offended in, say, the last three years. Admittedly, this is very subjective. More art than science. Hopefully computer databases in the three organizations will contain this kind of information. This will require several persons because it’s too much for one person in the short time we have. Can you provide the trusted staff for this, Ms. Lewis?”
“Absolutely. I have staff who are trusted and known to the companies we need to contact. Given the time change between Punta Maya and New York, and with any luck, we should be able to have this data by tomorrow morning local time.”
“Great,” Lotello continued. “This should produce three lists, because each of these offices has no doubt turned away many interested client prospects for one reason or another. We then have to eliminate from each of these three lists all persons who are not here at Thriller Jubilee. We next want to see if Thriller Jubilee registrants appear on more than one of the reduced lists, perhaps on all three reduced lists. There is no assurance that this exercise will produce any manageable number of suspects. Or any suspects at all. Let alone the actual culprit. It’s a crapshoot, plain and simple. But it is an educated one, if TITO doesn’t simply decide to throw its hands up in the air and do nothing, certainly a risky alternative.
Lotello turned his gaze to Brooks, signaling that he was done.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I think that’s it,” Brooks said. “Not perfect. But we are confronted with a situation that unfortunately is anything but perfect. Detective Lotello and I recommend that you assemble the rest of your directors, officers, and founders tonight, make the decisions you need to make, and get cracking, whatever it is you decide. One other important point, perhaps the most important of all: You folks are trained to deal in fantasy, in entertainment. Detective Lotello is trained to deal in reality. With bad guys who are real. That’s a whole different kind of discipline from the make-believe world in which each of you so admirably works. If you decide to develop the referenced lists, they should immediately be turned over to Detective Lotello. No one else should approach any of the people on the lists you assemble. Keep in mind that any one of those persons may be a dangerous sociopath—a killer—who won’t likely hesitate to kill again if backed into a corner. Any questions before we take our leave?”
Brooks could see that the four TITO leaders appeared numb, shell-shocked. He watched Hart make a quick visual survey of the other TITO executives. He was about to speak when Connor raised a question. “The gymnastics organizations and USC got in trouble because they chose to turn their backs on misdeeds carried out by persons they knew a
nd for whom they were obviously responsible. Aren’t we free from that kind of vicarious liability given that we are hardly responsible for the actions of our unknown killer?”
“Assuming our wrongdoer does not turn out to be an agent of TITO,” Brooks responded, “you make a credible distinction, Mr. Connor. Regrettably, however, those who might choose to file suit against TITO, as well as their lawyers, won’t likely appreciate that distinction. Nor may the judge or jury that decides any such lawsuit. It is also not a huge stretch of product liability law to hold TITO unconditionally or absolutely liable for any harm suffered by any Thriller Jubilee participant. Especially if it is found that TITO did not do everything within its reasonable power to protect those participants, including being fully transparent and forthcoming about the disappearance of the three Thriller Jubilee speakers already missing. And, Mr. Connor, that’s just the possible legal response to your parry and thrust. There is also a moral response to your position. I was hoping to avoid this point because it is somewhat presumptive and condescending on my part, and I would have preferred not to be judgmental. However, since you have raised the point that you have, I now feel obliged to respond further, although I do so reluctantly …”
Connor cut Brooks off. “Me think you doth protesteth too much, Brooks. You have not hesitated to speak your mind so far. I have no expectation that you will stop now.”
“Very well. Thank you for setting my conscience at ease, Mr. Connor.
“Moments ago, we discussed several instances in which entities and/or their insurers have had to pay out hundreds of millions of dollars for concealing unpleasant facts which they knew, or at least had reason to know. USC and its gynecologist were one such example. You offer the distinction that the gynecologist was an employee of USC and that senior executives of USC had elected to sit on complaints about the doctor brought to their attention, whereas the culprit here at Thriller Jubilee is not likely an employee of TITO. I hasten to emphasize ‘likely’. You can’t rule out that possibility, which would dismiss your proffered distinction.”
Connor rolled his eyes, but held his tongue.
“Setting aside that, so far, TITO has not been forthcoming or transparent with what it knows, or suspects, there is indeed a deeper issue. I’m sure you are aware of the scurrilous admissions scandal that has rocked our country and a number of its finest institutions of higher learning. I refer to this terrible circumstance as ‘Parent-Gate.’ Perhaps someone would like to copyright that expression. If so, you have my blessing.”
Brooks observed that his attempt at a little levity had bombed. Parent-Gate indeed. It’s probably a good thing I didn’t say anything about how pressing my bladder is at the moment. Eloise is my go-to humor filter and editor. But I didn’t have the chance to consult with her in advance of these extemporaneous remarks. In the case of referring to any body parts or bodily fluids, I know how she feels. I just don’t know why. Okay, let’s focus and wrap this discussion up. I think we’ve constructively covered a lot of ground, but the night is no longer young and there is much that awaits us all.
“Many of these institutions—USC, in particular, which has demonstrated a disturbing pattern of insensitivity—have argued that they are mere victims of outside malefactors and a few bad employee apples in the barrel who accepted bribes. If transparency were the only issue, the universities playing this victim card might have an interesting argument. However, transparency is only the tip of the iceberg, a subset of a much more serious problem. I believe we have to peel back the transparency argument to get at the root problem: a serious decay in the moral fiber of our country today.
“I submit to you that USC and the other academic institutions are not mere victims. With any modicum of oversight, what has happened in Parent-Gate would never have happened. Could never have happened. So, I reject the notion that the universities involved were mere victims. They were all guilty of a callous lack of morals, to have discovered the improprieties they could and should have known. Unless TITO undertakes the kind of investigation that Detective Lotello has outlined this evening, I think the arguments TITO may advance in the face of any further incidents will fall on deaf ears, legally and morally.”
Connor did not show any signs of buying what Brooks was selling. At least he was not admitting that he was. Whether as a matter of stubbornness or genuine belief: “Thanks for nothing, Brooks. I’m afraid we’ll just have to agree to disagree.”
Brooks had said what he wanted to say. He saw no reason not to let Connor have the last word. He seemed to need that. Brooks didn’t. Well, not always.
And now to wrap it up, Brooks thought to himself. “Again, lady and gentlemen, the hard part is choosing what course of action you wish to pursue. These are ethical and business decisions for TITO’s board, nothing that, in the final analysis, Detective Lotello and I can help you with, other than to state the obvious: talk it through, weigh the respective risks and rewards, decide what you are going to do, and then accept and live with the results. Don’t procrastinate, and don’t second-guess your decision, neither of which will serve any useful purpose.”
Silence blanketed the room. Hart shook his head. He said to Brooks and Lotello, “We are grateful to you both for putting all of this in perspective. We have a lot to consider, and perhaps undertake, tonight. If you’ll excuse us, we’ll get to it. We’ll be in touch in the morning, possibly very early in the morning.”
THOSE TWO INTERLOPERS DEFINITELY know their shit. They’re good. But I’m better. Nothing in that meeting I hadn’t anticipated. Thought through. Planned out. Next up: what TITO’s so-called leadership decides to do. And how I respond. More damn fun than a barrel full of monkeys.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Day Two, 10:00 p.m.
THE MEETING, PART TWO, took the better part of an hour, but the entire TITO leadership, close to twenty in number, were all there in the same TITO suite. Except two who were nowhere to be found, not in their rooms and not answering their cells. Hart wondered what the hell that was all about. Shit. Do we have two more TITO executives who are now unaccounted for?
All present already had the background. They just needed to hear about the meeting, part one, with Brooks and Lotello.
Hart began by asking if anyone knew anything about the two directors Lewis had been unable to raise. False alarm: they had been seen an hour ago strolling along the water together. Apparently just wanted to be off the grid for a while. Perhaps a different kind of buddy system!
As president, Hart led the assembly through everything covered in the meeting with Brooks and Lotello. It didn’t take long. The decisions came quickly and were virtually unanimous. Connor had insisted that protecting TITO’s economic viability and interests, and its ability to continue advancing the arts, were more important than any individual who might yet be harmed by the unknown assailant.
They were going to play it close to the vest. The idea of disclosing everything that had happened—or possibly had happened—was just too … painful. They would gamble that no one else would disappear, that the killer—if there was one—was not a person for whom TITO would bear any responsibility, and that TITO could therefore logically distinguish itself from the gymnastics organizations and USC.
But it was agreed that there would be no more lying. If someone outside TITO leadership asked the tough questions, the answers would be that TITO didn’t yet have the answers. As Remington, sensitive to his founder status, put it: “We will close ranks and tell the truth. We don’t presently know what the facts are. We are doing what we need to do. If and when we learn more, we will promptly share it.” As anyone who looked closely might have noticed, Remington’s mustache seemed to be twitching.
“Business as usual then,” Hart added. “Let’s hope to hell we get through the final three plus days without any more problems. But no second-guessing and no recriminations, no matter what happens. And as is our customs on all matters of importance, we close ranks and our decision is considered unanimous.”
“Lisa, how do we come up with a hopefully short list of suspects?” Hart asked her.
All eyes were immediately focused on Lewis. “I’ll get three of our most trusted volunteers lined up and cracking. We do have one thing on our side. It’s six hours earlier in New York than it is here in Punta Maya. With any luck, we’ll have our lists put together first thing in the morning, local time. We’ll sort through the information within a couple of hours after we receive it. I’ll get with Brooks and Lotello on whatever we come up with.”
The buddies paired up and were off to quietly make the necessary room adjustments.
“THANKS FOR LETTING ME KNOW, Ms. Lewis. Good night.” Brooks hung up the phone.
“Awfully late for social calls, Cyrus,” Eloise said.
“Just letting the registrants know about a last-minute change in tomorrow’s schedule. I think I’ll read my book for another hour. How about you?” Good thing Eloise couldn’t hear Ms. Lewis describe the real purpose for the call.
“Almost finished with mine. Fortunately, I have another three on my ebook reader.”
DAMN SKIPPY! JUST LOVE all this spyware. Think of all the snooping Silicon Valley is doing. Now me too. Just like I … had the seat at the table I wanted! Got a couple of surprises I’m about to spring on these fools. We’ll see how cocksure TITO is after they discover what tomorrow brings.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Day Three, 7:00 a.m.
Brooks-Lotello Collection Page 79
