Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 118

"Why do you want to buy it?" Erin asked, following Helen into the room.

"I don't know," I said. "I just like the idea of owning the entire building I live in." I plopped down on the couch along one wall. It was also more comfortable than any piece of furniture I sat on before two weeks ago. I guess only the ultra-wealthy deserved maximum comfort. All the plebs could just get fucked.

"Why buy this plane?" I asked, looking up at the two ladies. "Didn't Colin have one?"

"It's owned by VistaVision," Helen said. "I thought you might prefer one without strings attached. You can certainly afford the luxury without any of the baggage."

She had a point. The last thing I wanted was to have board members or shareholders watching every move I made or wanting receipts. I studied Helen for several long moments, and she didn't shy away from meeting my gaze. This seemed as good an opportunity as any.

"Speaking of baggage," I said, "Colin was supposedly murdered, and I was nearly shot this morning in a coffee house bathroom. Apparently, there's a coup boiling at my grandfather's company-"

"Your company," Erin cut in.

Good

"My company," I repeated without taking my eyes off Helen. "You mentioned VistaVision being the tip of the iceberg. I doubt we'll get a more private place for you to fill me in on some of the details you mentioned yesterday."

"Really?" Helen said, arching an eyebrow. "Here? Now? With all those people waiting just outside?"

"I'm paying them all really well." I looked at Erin. "I am paying them all really well, right?"

"They're all eaming more than you would've made in a month at your old job," Erin confirmed.

I looked back at Helen expectantly.

She sighed. "Alright."

She sighed. "Alright."

She sat down on the other end of the couch, knees pressed firmly together as she smoothed her skirt over her thighs. She was obviously trying to compose herself.

"There's no way you can get to be as wealthy as Colin without exercising some serious influence," Helen said. "Colin controlled a lot of the power in the US through bribes, lobbies, and backroom deals. Not just the US either. He held a lot of sway in other countries as well. He wasn't just a shrewd businessman. He was also politically gifted."

"Okay," I said, waiting for more

"VistaVision was his first company to make it big, but there was no way it would have made him the kind of money he had near the end of his life. Sure, he made a few lucky investments, getting in on the ground floor of computers and the internet, but where he made his killing was brokering arms deals during the Cold War. The details are boring, but by the time the Berlin wall fell, your grandfather had amassed his first billion."

"He used his money and connections in the technology sector to leverage contracts that turned VistaVision from an entertainment industry to one of the biggest entertainment conglomerates we have, expanding his Influence into Europe and the Aslan market."

"Colin had a massive and intricate company structure that kept everything compartmentalized and far away from VistaVision and his public persona. As a result, the Gerrards are known as an industry specializing in entertainment and technology, but Colin Gerrard was responsible for some of the biggest political moves in the past forty years. Harry Whitehurst was his lapdog and practically gave him access to the first Bush administration. He and the Clintons vacationed together frequently. He was on a first- name basis with Prince Charles. The Iraq invasion? The Vice- President was in Colin's pocket. Your grandfather owned twenty percent of Haliburton."

"And you currently own twenty-eight percent," Erin chimed in.

"Jesus," I said, hardly believing what I was hearing. "He wasn't responsible for 9/11, was he?"

Helen shook her head.

"Now that Colin's dead," She continued, "no one is sure what to do. Sure, the companies keep running, but some of the shadier ones lack direction. Colin didn't trust many people, so most of his staff only knew parts of his operation. He was a big fan of making sure the left hand didn't know what the right hand was doing. I'm sure Chandler only has suspicions regarding some of it but is mostly Ignorant. Only three people were close enough to Colin to have anything close to the entire picture."

"I'm gonna take a wild stab at this," I said. "Kelly Maddox was one of them?"

Helen nodded. "She was a close advisor for years. Roger once told

me that he suspected she was his mistress."

"What happened between them?" asked. "Why did Colin fire her?"

"I don't know. Chandler certainly doesn't, but she has friends in high places within your grandfather's organization. The minute he died, people started hearing whispers about her taking over as head of VistaVision."

"Okay, so if Kelly is so bad, what about the other two?"

"Well, one of them was Michael Haley," Helen said.

I glanced at Erin, but she simply returned a blank stare.

"Never heard of him," I said.

"He was Colin's son-in-law. Nina Gerrard's husband."

"Walt. I have an aunt?"

"An uncle, too," Helen said. "Logan. He was the third."

"And I'm just now hearing about them!?" Helen winced from the heat in my tone, but I didn't care. She had withheld a lot of Information, and I had every right to be pissed. "Where are they in all this?"

"Michael's dead, and Logan is in prison."

"The fuck?"

"It gets worse," Helen said, hesitating briefly. "Logan is in prison for the murders of Michael and Colin Jr."

"The fuck?" I repeated, standing up from the couch. "My uncle murdered my dad?"