"Ben, I understand feeling like you want to avenge the wrongs you believe were done to your family. I won't waste my time breaking down all the lies your father and uncle told you about their relationships with Denny and Shirley. I will say that they were very smart about it; they mixed in just enough truth to make their lies sound believable. You have spent half your life being driven by a hatred born of the lies of jealous mediocre men."

Ben snarled, "I don't believe you!"

Alan snorted, "I know. It doesn't matter. This is what matters: You are through here. And I don't just mean Crane Poole and Schmidt. I mean you are through not only in Boston, but in Massachusetts, too. You will be blacklisted from working at any law firm, large or small, in the state. I will see to it personally."

Denny had regained his breath enough to speak. "I will see you disbarred! Alan, why don't we call the police on this son of a bitch?"

Paul Lewis, who had been standing near the door with his mouth open, finally spoke up. "I don't have the details, but has this young man broken any laws?"

Shirley shook her head. "No," she said, "Thanks to Alan, he wasn't able to put his plans into action. He can't be prosecuted for what amounts to, at this point, wishful thinking." She rubbed her forehead and moaned, "After all these years, to have Dewitt's nonsense intruding on my life again! It's almost too much to bear." She looked so stricken that Carl moved toward her, knelt down and hugged her.

"Ben," Alan barked, "You have three days to clear out and take your father with you. And don't think I won't know if you don't leave. I have a network of…specialists, shall we say, that I employ when I need to make use of their various talents. The private investigator who dug up this information for me is one of them."

Ben looked Alan up and down. Green eyes snapping with fury, he sneered, "And what are you going to do if I stay in Massachusetts? Kill me?"

Alan leaned forward with a feral grin that matched his dead fish – eye stare. Ben actually backed up a step. "I won't kill you," he intoned icily.

Ben blanched.

"Just leave," Shirley ordered, "Just leave now, while you still can."

Paul opened the office door and signaled the two guards. "Escort this man out of the building and make a note that he is never to be allowed to enter again."

They watched him go and sighed with relief when he and the guards stepped onto the elevator. Paul looked at the small group and said, "Well if all the excitement is over, I have work to do."

"Thank you for your help, Paul," Alan said. After he left, Alan sat down next to Denny who was still slumped dejectedly on the sofa. "Denny, I'm going to call Dave. I think you should go to the house to get some rest."

"That's a good idea," Shirley agreed. "Alan, I think you should go with him. Denny, I don't want to see you here the rest of the week. Alan, what does your case load look like this week?"

"Not to worry, Shirley; Jerry and Katie are familiar with all my cases as is Clarence."

Carl had let go of Shirley and was sitting on her desk. "Good. Take some time off to look after him," he said softly.

Pulling out his cell to call the chauffeur, Alan replied, "I intend to."

BLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBL

Denny had been unusually quiet since Ben was escorted out of the building. He didn't speak on the ride home and barely acknowledged his household staff. Alan asked Olympia the cook to prepare lamb chops, asparagus and roasted red potatoes, one of Denny's favorite meals, for dinner. He had Rodeo retrieve a fine Merlot from the wine cellar.

They ate in the dining room; or rather, Alan ate and watched Denny mostly push his food around the plate. He did eat a couple of bites before getting up and heading upstairs. Alan opted to finish eating before joining him. French fries and a beer just aren't enough to take me through to bedtime.

He walked into the master bedroom to see Denny sitting at his small round bistro table sipping a glass of scotch. Wordlessly, Alan poured himself a drink and sat across from the older man. He swallowed some of the liquid and felt it going down his throat like a hot river. "Are you planning on ever speaking again, Denny?"

Denny looked out the window. "We're alone, Alan. You can say it now."

Brows furrowed in confusion, Alan replied, "I can say what now? I don't understand."

The older man took another sip. "You can say 'I told you so' now. That I was an ass to get taken in so completely. That I'm a gullible old fool whose Mad Cow…no, whose Alzheimer's has affected his judgment yet again." He rubbed his reddening eyes and seemed to age before Alan's eyes.

"Mr. Crane, I'll have you know you are casting aspersions on my best friend and I don't appreciate it," Alan remarked in what he hoped was a mood lightening tone of voice. I've never seen him look so defeated! "Denny, look at me." After a few seconds, he did and Alan said, "Denny, he deliberately set out to beguile you. He said whatever he thought he had to say to get on your good side. We're all attorneys; we are all well trained in presenting ourselves the way we want people to perceive us."

"And we're all trained to sniff out bullshit! The moment you met him, hell, even before you met him, you knew something wasn't right! You tried to tell me, but I wouldn't listen. I thought you were just jealous." He lurched up from the chair so fast, it fell over. "Why didn't I listen!" Denny picked the chair up and went over to his bed and plopped down upon it. "How am I going to trust my judgment about anything?"

Alan picked the scotch decanter up from the table and went to sit on his side of the bed. He leaned over and refilled Denny's glass and then refilled his own. After he put his glass and the decanter on his night stand, he toed off his shoes, pulled off his tie and began unbuttoning his shirt. "Denny, I'll admit that sometimes you act impulsively when perhaps a little more thought would be prudent, but if it were not for your impulsive actions, I would never have come to work for Crane Poole and Schmidt. From what I've heard from Shirley and seen for myself, not listening to anyone has been a Denny Crane trademark for years."

Denny decided to follow Alan's lead and get ready for bed, too. As he undressed and changed into his silk pajamas he said, "Now that you mention it…When you put it that way, it's in my nature to be stubborn."

Alan leaned against the headboard and grinned. "Indeed. You didn't listen when everyone, including your father, told you your client was guilty of murder. You didn't have Mad Cow then. Toss me my nightshirt, please."

"You're right, Alan! Ben got past my BS monitor, but that doesn't mean that I'm losing my mind. My last doctor's appointment showed the Mad Cow hasn't progressed yet."

Alan slipped on his nightshirt and slid under the covers. "Exactly. No one is perfect; just because that sleaze flew under your radar doesn't mean that's always going to happen. I trust your judgment, Denny. I always have."

Denny got into bed and held his left arm out until Alan moved closer and placed his head on his chest. He rubbed his back and said, "I should have trusted your judgment, Alan. You are the only person in my life who looks out for my best interests. Even Shirley, as much as I love her, looks out for Carl's interests ahead of mine."

"Well, he is her fiancé after all."

"So what?" He reached behind him to turn out his light. "You want to watch TV or just go to sleep?"

"We've both had a day, Denny. Let's go to sleep. Goodnight."

"G'night," Denny said. He started dozing off and then a thought occurred to him. "Alan?"

"Hmmm?"

"I bet you he wasn't even a real Republican."

Alan laughed and settled in closer. As he started to be pulled down into sleep he thought, Denny's going to be okay. And if Ben wants to be okay, he'll not call my bluff. Ever.