Down at the Twist and Shout Ch. 03

All characters indulging in sexual activity are over the age of 18. No reality or consequence of action should be inferred from the following story, because it's just a story, where things happen the way I want them to, not necessarily how they would in the real world.

All comment, whether critical, positive, angry, unhappy, unhinged, or even occasionally psychotic are welcome, I read them all, some I read disbelievingly, and the truly nasty for the sake of nasty get deleted.

As before, a little translation of purely Cajun expressions or words is necessary:

Parlangua: Half-man, half-alligator swamp monster

Rougarou: Werewolf, can be kept out of the house by laying 13 beans or small objects across the door; the rougarou can only count to 12, so it can't count all the beans, and will stay there all night counting the beans until dawn drives it away.

Gré-Gré; Magic spell

Marie Laveau: Notorious 19c Voodoo Practitioner

Fifolet: Swamp Light; a burst of Marsh Gas seen at night in the swamps, similar to the European 'Corpse-Candle'; said to lure travelers to their deaths in the swamps.

Père Malfait: Lit. 'Father Bad-Deeds'; swamp-dwelling boogeyman or vampire made of twisted vines, moss, and thorn-branches, who preys on travelers lost in the swamps.

*

My thanks to GrandTeton, who, apart from his patience and willingness to keep editing for me, in spite of the fact I still can't get it right, has also graciously loaned me some of his more iconic characters, and walked me through their participation in this story; that the story works at all is largely down to him.

If you liked it please vote, if you didn't, please tell me why.

Enjoy,

BB1958

____________________________________

Two days after arriving back in Louisiana, rested and relaxed after their short stay with Tante Amice, Johnny's aunt, they were pulling-up outside an anonymous townhouse shaded by a large cottonwood on Englewood Drive in Lafayette; it was a nice house, but nothing stand-out compared to the other, more luxurious homes of the neighborhood. Justine was agog with curiosity, and not a little apprehension at the thought of meeting these shadowy 'trustees' who'd apparently been an intimate part of her life since she was a young girl.

Johnny looked around carefully, then herded Justine up to the front door, keeping himself between her and the street as much as possible as he hustled her inside and quickly closed the door behind him, clicking-on the deadbolt and flipping down the door-stop.

Justine was still trying to take everything in as he led her into a large family room, with a long polished table in the middle of the room, and several people already seated around it. Justine recognized Jerome Baxter, but then her jaw dropped as she suddenly took in who the other female occupant of the room was. Jerome grinned at her expression as she sat down in a daze.

"Johnny, Justine, glad to see you made it here in one piece! Justine, I'd like you to meet..." but Justine blurted out her name before he could say further.

"Moonbeam O'Shaughnessy, Oh my God...!" she breathed, awestruck and almost paralyzed with hero-worship at being in the same room as the world's most instantly recognizable teen supermodel, or, as she referred to herself, the oldest fourteen year-old in the world.

"Relax, Justine, you're among friends, and besides, I'm just like you, really!" smiled Moonbeam, "And call me 'Moon', please; everyone else does."

Awestruck at even being addressed by such a celebrity, Justine hardly noticed the other people drifting into the room and smiling at her as they seated themselves around the table, but a few things began to trickle through the haze, and a bell began ringing 'dead-slow' in her head as certain clues started to add-up; when she turned her head to take her first real look at the room's other occupants, her stomach flip-flopped as the faces in front of her suddenly snapped into focus.

Johnny grinned as he took her hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

"Minou, these here people are your friends, and they been lookin' out for you since your défan papa passed away; Mama and Mister Jerome and these good people made sure everything you got stayed safe an' protected while you growin' up. Now it time to meet them, OK? Jes' be calm, Minou, ain't no-one here gonna bite you."

With that, he looked at the beautiful, dark-haired girl sitting across the table from them, one of the biggest movie stars in the world. Justine's mouth sagged open as almost total shock set in.

"Justy, this here Miss Kelly Delano, I guess you-all likely know of her; she been one o' your trustees since mama passed away. That man sittin' over there, his name Robin, Robin Matthews, an' the blonde lady nex' to him, she your lawyer, an' his wife; her name-..."

But Justine cut in, her eyes wide and shocked.

"Cassie Matthews, I saw her in the movies...oh my God..." When another blonde woman walked in from the kitchen carrying a tray of cups and a coffee-pot, Justine slumped back in almost total shock.

"Johnny, Johnny, look, oh my fucking God, that's, that's... it's, it's, oh God, Johnny, it's Angel Graves-..." she stammered, but Johnny hadn't finished.

"An' finally, las' but not least, this here gentleman's Tommy, Miz Angel's husband, an' your chief financial wizard; he an' Miz Cassie the main reasons you still got everythin' your daddy left you, and then some."

Justine said nothing, her expression one of dazed shock as her eyes flicked from one face to the next, each one more famous than the one before, until finally coming to rest on Johnny's calm, smiling face.

"Johnny...why...how...what's going on, baby? Why are Angel Graves and Kelly Delano, and Moonbeam O'Shaughnessy here? What have you done...?"

Johnny could see the shock and confusion in her eyes, so decided to give it to her straight.

"Baby, I already tole you some o' this; when your daddy pass away, mama and Carlo's daddy, Mister Bruno, converted all his assets to cash, sold all the businesses, an' put the money in banks aroun' the world; Bahamas, Cayman Islands, St. Lucia, Luxembourg, any place they could find to keep it safe. Mama made me your trustee, an' because Mister Jerome advised mama Jane an' used his contacts to help mama Jane hide what was yours an' keep it safe, mama made him 'nother trustee, 'long with Mister Bruno; he love your daddy, they was boyhood frien's, closer than brothers, an' he wanted to make good an' damn sure no gold-diggin' fortune-hunter come along and take it away from you; even his own son..."

Johnny paused, his eyes far away.

"When mama...taken from us, me, an' Mister Bruno, and Mister Jerome, too, we started lookin' for people we could trust to help keep what was yours safe for you, an' that was when Mister Jerome asked Tommy to lend a han'; o'course, where Tommy goes, Miz Angel go too, an' her bestest frien' is Miz Cassie; she a lawyer, so now she's your lawyer. I trust them, Minou, an' so should you; they and Miss Kelly've been doin' a right good job of keepin' a close eye on what's due you."

Johnny paused to take a breath, obviously gathering his thoughts, while Justine watched, hardly daring to breathe, still mind-blown that her Johnny-Bear knew these people at all, let alone that he had become so close to them; that she was even sitting in the same room as these people still seemed like some kind of surreal fantasy...

Johnny glanced at her shocked expression, a ghost of a smile flitting across his lips as he continued speaking.

"Carlo's daddy once tole me, just 'fore he passed away, not to trust Carlo, ever; imagine, his own daddy tole me that, but then, I 'spose he know his son better'n anyone else. Miz Cassie, she your lawyer since mama passed away, she make sure everythin' we done all legal an' above board, 'cept the parts that ain't, but I'll let Tommy explain that, he's good at doin' stuff no-one understand 'til it bite them in the ass..."

Justine followed with rapt attention as the tale of how and why Johnny knew such people, what they had to do with her, and what they were doing here right now, unfolded. It was a story of deceit, deception, legal jiggery-pokery, and downright chicanery, all designed to do one thing; protect her inheritance from Carlo and others like him.

Justine tried to take it all in, but her head was spinning as Johnny, with help from the others, laid out how they'd played the pea and shell game with her finances. She listened as long as humanly possible, but the questions bubbling inside her finally wouldn't be stilled any longer.

No matter how fascinating the deft sleight of hand and smoke and mirror shenanigans Tommy, Cassie, Johnny, and even Jerome had been indulging in, apparently for years, there were still huge blanks, gaps that needed filling.

"Johnny, why is Kelly Delano here? No offense, but she's like, Hollywood, she's...she's...how the hell is she part of this? And Moonbeam O'Shaugnessy? Really? And OK, I know why you say Cassie Matthews is here, but, really? Cassie Matthews, THE Cassie Matthews is my real, actual, no shitting me, lawyer? Again; really? And how about explaining to me again, real slow, just what in the Hell Angel Graves has got to do with me? What's really going on?"

Johnny took her small hand in his big paw and patted it, idly lacing his fingers between hers.

"Minou, Miss Kelly my oldes' frien' in New York, I know her from when I was still jes' deputy back to home, we kind of fixed some trouble down in New Orleans, an' we been keepin' in touch ever since; she one of Baxter-Harkoff's clients too, jes' like Miss Moonbeam, and' when she in New York, I take care of her too; no-one got any sense gonna try anything with her while I'm around!"

He grinned at Kelly, who smiled back, before continuing.

"She my friend, Minou, an' she one o' your trustees because I trust her. Miss Moonbeam too, she been one of my clients since Day One, she know me, I know her real well, she a frien' now, not jus' someone I work with, an' I trust her because I know how trustworthy an' honest she is; she's mom, she got kids too, she carin' and concerned for their future, jus' like she care about yo' future. They both care 'bout you, an' I trust them both to do right by you, jus' like I trust ever' other person in this room."

Kelly reached over and took Justine's other hand.

"Justine, don't you believe him; Johnny saved my life in New Orleans; he taught me there's a world out there I knew nothing about, and how to survive in it. He's a good man, the best I know, and he loves you deeply; you're so lucky to have someone like him in your life, he'll make sure you have the best life there is, he'll keep you safe, and he'll never let you down; when Johnny B's got my back I feel safer than I would with a platoon of marines, and you should too; he's the best of the best, believe it..."

As she said it, Justine saw the look Kelly gave Johnny, one quick glance, but it was enough to feel the sudden gust of longing and sorrow that she could never be in his life, no matter how hard she wanted it to be. Suddenly, Justine felt very close to Kelly Delano, and a pang of sorrow for her tragedy, Hollywood superstar though she was; with the pick of the Hollywood elite ready to fall at her feet, and the most eligible men in the world poised to do her bidding, still she'd managed to fall in love with a man who'd never feel the same way about her, who'd never even know.

"Johnny, you haven't told me why I still need trustees; surely I'm old enough now..." said Justine, hoping to cover her confusion amid the welter of emotions Kelly's words, spoken and unspoken, had stirred inside her.

Johnny grinned at her, and Justine shifted in her seat at that grin; she'd seen it before, usually just before he shoved a wet dishrag or a handful of ice cubes down the back of her panties, so she braced for impact.

"Baby-girl, I already tole you how Mama, Mister Bruno, an' Mister Jerome, with help from Miz Cassie an' a few other people, sold-off all your daddy's companies, stock options, shares, negotiable bonds, everythin' he owned or had a share of, an' deposited it all, for when you ready an' all growed up, in offshore tax-havens aroun' the world; right now, you worth maybe fifteen million dollars an' change, mebbe even more, I ain't been following too closely what Miz Cassie been doin'. You cain't trust one man or one bank with all that; things happen, banks fail, people get greedy, so we set up a board of trustees an' put your money all over the place, a little here, a little there, so you don't lose it all if somethin' happen; for now, the chairman of your trustees is Miss Cassie, an' she set up the whole thing so no trustee can financially benefit from the trust, jus' you, jus' like mama Jane wanted."

Justine sat stock-still, the words 'Fifteen million dollars' once more circling around and around in her head. Johnny squeezed her hand, bringing her back down to reality with a bump, clearing her head enough for her to ask some questions that might help her make sense of this whole crazy situation.

"Johnny, you didn't answer me before; is this why Angel Graves is here too? Is she one of these 'trustees' you say I have?"

Before Johnny could answer, Angel spoke up, a big grin on her face.

"Most people call me Angie, Justine. Like Johnny said, where Tommy goes, I go, but I'm no trustee. I could never deal with the paperwork. I'm just here to make coffee when Moon's tired of being asked, though it's not as good as hers, of course, and to provide the comic relief, and Birdie, sorry, 'Robin' is here because it never hurts to have a big guy hanging around in back! Besides, he likes to watch Cassie and Tommy play the kind of brain-games that would make Einstein faint with envy; believe me, they have ways of tying things up that a kitten and a ball of string couldn't manage in a million years. You have some strong allies sitting around this table, so relax, dear, they'll do right by you."

Justine shook her head dazedly; she knew she was supposed to be rich; hadn't Johnny told her that way back when they first ran from New York? But that was one thing; now, these people, superstars and darlings of the world's media, somehow they were part of all this too; had been for years. How could she have been so unaware?

Of course, the answer was staring at her; they'd deliberately kept her ignorant, and for one tiny second she felt a tiny spark of resentment, just as quickly quenched at the realization that if she'd known, Carlo would have found out, and he'd have taken it all, or at least tried to.

With this bunch on her side she couldn't think that he'd have got very far with it. It was a moment almost of epiphany; Johnny had been perfectly right to distrust Carlo, he'd been right all along; even his own father had warned Johnny about him. The sound of Jerome clearing his throat caught her attention, as it did Johnny's.

"Johnny, the main reason I asked for this meeting was to introduce Justine to her trustees, but also to clarify a few things. Now that Justine and Carlo are getting divorced for sure, we had to take steps to make sure Giancarlo Pellini never sees a penny of her inheritance; under New York law, he could conceivably be able to lay claim to a sizeable chunk, if not half, of everything Justine stood to inherit, or at least tie it up for years while lawyers scrabbled and squabbled over it, just so she couldn't get to it; Bruno never wanted that to happen, and I certainly didn't, either, so we have a way to cut him and his scheming out of the picture for good."

He paused, to let what he was saying have time to sink in, and get them ready for what was coming next.

"John, the best way around this is to remove you as a trustee; we already have paperwork in-hand to show you relinquished that duty on Justine's eighteenth birthday, and then we can transfer all her funds to you, with yet more paperwork in-hand to prove incontrovertibly that the transfer to you was made after her legal majority, but before she married Carlo. This will have the effect of retrospectively removing the possibility of Carlo being able to make any kind of claim in the future if and when the marriage fails."

He paused again, seeing the rebellion rising in Johnny's eyes, so he plowed on, hoping to get to the point before Johnny boiled over.

"It will also prove beyond doubt that we ceased being her trustees the instant that transfer was made; no paperwork, no minutes of meetings, no records of any kind will exist beyond the date Justine passed her trust over to you five years ago. The only records that will remain will prove incontrovertibly that you became the sole owner and possessor of all Justine's funds the day after her eighteenth birthday. You take ownership, we fade away into the background, and Carlo Pellini and his shysters will be left scratching their heads. "

Johnny was stunned; no, this wasn't going to happen, it belonged to Justy, not him, he wasn't going to help himself to everything so many people had worked so long to keep safe for her, it wasn't right...

Tommy shifted in his seat, causing Johnny to look in his direction.

"Johnny, please, listen a minute before you fly off the handle. Any trust can be broken if you put enough time and effort into it. Mind, it'd take a lot to bust this one up, but Cassie says it could be done. So we looked for something that wasn't just 'might be okay'.We looked for something ironclad 'will work whatever happens', and you're it. The only person in the world we'd trust with this is you; you and Justine are a couple, inseparable, and we all know you'll only ever do what's best for her. By giving you ownership of all her funds back in the past, before she ever married Carlo, he and the slickest lawyers he can hire aren't going to be able to pry a thin dime out of her. We all know you wouldn't act less than honorably when it comes to protecting her interests, and while we all here know who and what you both really are to each other, at the end of the day, legally, if push came to shove, you'll still be her brother, not her spouse, and they won't be able to touch a single cent of 'your' money. Think of it. Carlo tried to marry money, but she gave it all away before she married. Oh I want to see his face when he finds out!"

Tommy started to laugh, and even Johnny grinned as he thought of that glorious sight, relaxing as the sense of what Tommy said trickled through. Only one thing troubled him, though.

"OK folks, I understand what you done, and why, but Miz Cassie, you can explain why am I not a trustee no more?"

Cassie leaned forward and patted Johnny's hand.

"Think, Johnny; if you were still a trustee, you wouldn't have been able to benefit financially from the trust, in fact, we wouldn't have been able to do what we needed to do to protect Justine's inheritance; we couldn't have assigned it all to you. By retrospectively removing you from the Board of Trustees, we could legally sign-over all of Justine's investments and trust funds to you, at her request, of course, properly documented, and drop out of sight. Let me explain something."

Cassie leaned on the table, her eyes on Justine and Johnny.

"John, your mother wanted to make the trust as watertight as possible, so she included a couple of strange, but perfectly legal conditions; the terms of the trust are interesting, with self-perpetuating trustees, zero remuneration, and complete freedom to invest, with no 'cautious investor' rule, but she also included the direction to the trustees to make payments of principal and interest to Justine or as directed by her whenever she deems fit but not as directed by anyone else, even a court, unless she delegates the right to receive the proceeds of the trust to you, John. If that happens, since you're of full age the trust ends, we disappear, and everything is yours, free and clear of any possible claim from Carlo."