Chapter 53: A Business Proposition

April 14, 1993, Chicago, Illinois

“What the hell?” I asked to nobody in particular.

“Ma’am,” a police officer said to Valerie, “we’re going to need to search the rest of the house. The warrant gives us permission to do that.”

Valerie nodded.

“We’ll also need to interview each of you. Detectives will be here shortly. Please just stay where you are.”

“Officer,” I said. “May I ask why Mr. Spurgeon was arrested?”

“Production and possession of child pornography. I suspect there will also be sexual assault charges stemming from that.”

His videotapes! Holy shit! One of the girls must have been upset enough to call the police. Or her parents had called the police! And Samantha’s reaction in the garden said she knew that this was coming. Or that something was coming. I pushed that thought out of my head. I’d deal with it afterwards.

About twenty-five minutes later, the detectives arrived and I did a double take.

“Vincent?” I asked in surprise.

“Steve? What are you doing here?”

“Samantha is a friend of the family. I was here for her birthday dinner.”

He nodded, “Willy, you probably should interview Steve. My wife works for him.”

The detective he addressed waved his hand and led me to the dining room and motioned to a chair. I sat down.

“I’m Detective Sergeant Willy Engels. Are you willing to answer questions for me?”

“Am I a suspect?” I asked.

“At this time, I don’t have anything to suggest you should be,” he said.

“Then I’ll answer, though I may decide to call my attorney if the questions make me uncomfortable.”

“Let’s hope that’s not necessary. Would you tell me your full name, address, age, and occupation?”

I gave him the information.

“Do you have a vehicle here?”

“The BMW out front is registered to my company. It’s a corporate lease, assigned to me. The paperwork is in the glove box if you need to see it.”

“Not at this time. What is your relationship with Noel Spurgeon?”

“I know him through the Lundgren Foundation. His firm, Spurgeon Capital, handles my investments. His daughter is living with us while she’s attending Mother McCauley High School and she’ll continue to do so when she attends the University of Chicago starting in the Fall.”

“Why is she living with you?”

“She wasn’t comfortable living at home, and after talking to my wife, who’s a doctor at UofC Hospital, Samantha asked us if she could live with us. Her father was OK with that, and we have a signed statement to that effect because she was only seventeen at the time.”

“And you were here today for what reason?”

“Samantha’s eighteenth birthday,” I said. “She and her parents invited me for dinner.”

“What other interactions have you had with Mr. Spurgeon?”

“I’ve been here for dinner a few times, and also spent the night here a few times, but that was nearly a year ago. I also see him at Lundgren Foundation dinners and parties.”

“Did you observe Mr. Spurgeon’s behavior at these parties?”

“It was pretty normal,” I said. “Nothing really out of the ordinary.”

“Did he dance with teenage girls?”

“He did. But that wasn’t really out of the ordinary. I’ve had a few of the girls ask me to dance over the past year.”

“Were you at the wedding of Ms. Jeri Lundgren and Navy Lieutenant Commander Howard Pointe?”

“Sure. Jeri works for me, just as Detective Captain Grayson’s wife does. And Howard is a close friend.”

“Did you see Mr. Spurgeon dance inappropriately with a fifteen-year-old girl?”

“I saw him dance with several girls,” I said. “But I wasn’t paying close attention to him. I was with my wife, kids, and a bunch of friends.”

“Do you know a miss Shelby Temple?”

I needed to be very careful. What I had SEEN versus what Samantha had told me. I was only going to say what I’d actually seen, or heard directly from Shelby or her parents.

“I do. I met her at a Lundgren Foundation party just after Christmas. She attends a boarding school in France.”

“Did you see Mr. Spurgeon with her?”

“I believe they danced at the party, but I really can’t say anything more because I wasn’t paying close attention to them.”

“Do you know a Miss Sherry Francone?”

That question made me a bit nervous, but I was fully in the clear. I’d never seen her anywhere except that one dance, and I’d been VERY careful about how I treated her.

“Maybe,” I said. “I met a girl by that first name at that same Foundation party. I danced with her, once, at her request. I discovered that she was only thirteen, so I refused to dance with her again. The makeup made her look sixteen or seventeen.”

“What about a Miss Denise Brown?”

“She’s a friend of Samantha’s. I met her at a Lundgren Foundation party; I think it was in September. I danced with her at Samantha’s request.”

“Did you see Noel Spurgeon dance with her?”

“I don’t recall about that night, but I did see them dance at Jeri’s wedding.”

He asked me about six other girls, but I didn’t recognize any of the names.

“Have you, at any time, seen any women under the age of seventeen in this house?”

“No. Other than at Lundgren Foundation functions, I’ve only seen Samantha’s friends when they visit her at my house. And those friends who’ve come to my house are from Mother McCauley, and all of them are at least seventeen.”

“Have you noticed any video recording equipment in the house?”

“Besides the security system? Just a couple of VCRs.”

“Have you been in Mr. Spurgeon’s study?”

“A couple of times, yes.”

“Did you notice anything odd?”

I thought back and shook my head, “No. It’s similar to my study at home. Bookshelves, a nice desk, comfortable chairs, that kind of thing.”

“What can you tell me about Miss Spurgeon’s relationship with her father?”

“They were never close, and other than with respect to his business, he really didn’t have much to do with her. She was given free-rein to do what she pleased. He bought her a brand new Corvette for her seventeenth birthday; she has her own horse, and a pilot’s license. She has access to some kind of prop plane she flies as a pilot, as well as the corporate jet.”

“How would you describe her?”

“Until recently? A spoiled brat. She’s changed since she came to live with my family. We pretty much required her to live the same way we do, which for her means holding a part-time job, doing chores, and being responsible to the adults in the house for where she goes and who she’s with.”

“Why did she come to live with you?”

And this was where I pretty much had no choice but to sell Noel Spurgeon down the river. I’d make a half-hearted attempt to avoid answering, but I wasn’t going to lie.

“Because she didn’t like living at home.”

“For what reason?”

I knew that question was coming.

“She wasn’t comfortable bringing her friends here.”

“Why was that?” he asked, predictably.

“Because according to Samantha, her dad hit on every one of her friends. It’s one of the things she complained bitterly to me about. And what drove her to want to leave home. She couldn’t have friends at home without her dad hitting on them. And that made her very uncomfortable.”

“I understand that Mr. Spurgeon has homes besides Chicago. Have you been to any of them?”

I shook my head, “No. I know about them from Samantha, but I’ve never been to any of them.”

“To your knowledge, was Mrs. Spurgeon aware of what her husband was doing?”

“If you mean with regard to what the officer said before, I have no idea,” I said. “The topic obviously never came up in my conversations with her.”

“And Mr. Les Newman? Do you know if he was aware?”

“Again, I have no idea. I’ve only spoken to him briefly when he’s greeted me at the door, or when I’ve called here on the phone.”

“Do you know his exact role?”

I shook my head, “No. I know he drives and acts as a bodyguard, and I think he’s responsible for the security system here, and he also acts like a butler. You’d have to ask Mr. or Mrs. Spurgeon what his exact duties are.”

“You mentioned horses and a light aircraft. Where are those housed?”

“The horses are boarded at a farm in Plainfield. The light plane is, I think, at DuPage airport. I’ve never seen the plane Samantha flies. She took lessons at that airfield, I believe.”

“OK. I think that’s all I need at the moment. Will you be available for more questions should we have any?”

“Sure. Let me give you my card. I’ll write my cellular number on the back as well.”

I took a business card from the case in my suit-coat pocket and wrote my cell number on it, then handed it to the detective.

“Wait here, if you would. You’ll be free to go once we finish searching the house.”

“Thanks,” I said.

It was nearly an hour before anyone spoke to me again.

“Steve?” Vincent Grayson called out.

“Yes?”

“I think we’re done. You’re free to go. Are you taking Miss Spurgeon with you?”

“I think that’s up to her,” I said. “Is her mom under arrest?”

“No. And I have to say I’m pleased that you don’t seem to have any involvement here.”

“Not beyond being Samantha’s friend and having my investments with her father’s firm. Let me go see what she wants to do.”

I went to the great room where Samantha was talking quietly with her mother. The police were carrying out containers that were marked ‘Evidence’. One of the Sheriff’s deputies told Valerie that they were finished, and they left.

“I need to call Noel’s attorney,” Valerie said.

She left Samantha and me in the great room.

“Are you coming home with me?” I asked.

“Yes. Let’s wait until my mom decides what to do.”

“Are you OK?” I asked Samantha.

“Yes.”

“Are you going to explain?” I asked.

“Later,” she said quietly.

Her mom returned about five minutes later.

“His attorney is heading to the Glencoe Police Station. Given the charges and the probable bail amount, he’s likely going to be there overnight.”

“Are you OK?” I asked.

“Yes, you kids can run along if you want. I also called my sister. I’m going to her house for the night. I’ll lock up when I leave.”

“What about Les?” I asked.

“He was arrested as well,” Valerie said.

The way she was responding made me even MORE suspicious.

“Let’s go, Steve,” Samantha said.

I followed her to a room just off the foyer where our coats and hats were. She retrieved my car keys from a hook on the wall, and we went out the front door. We got into the car, and I pulled out of the parking spot onto the drive and we left the property.

“I think you need to clue me in,” I said.

“Figure it out. What was today?”

“Your eighteenth birthday,” I said.

“And what happened?”

“Holy shit! Your dad signed over control of Spurgeon Capital to you in the event he was unable to run the company. Jesus, Samantha!”

“Yes. As of the emergency board meeting that will certainly be held tomorrow, I am Spurgeon Capital.”

“What about your mom?”

“She gets a $30 million parting gift from me for divorcing my dad and not interfering in any way. That’s a fare better deal than her pre-nup, obviously.”

“And you get the company free and clear?”

“It’s not quite THAT easy, but I will control it from a legal standpoint. The trouble will be keeping the investors. We’ll lose some. My dad had a number of personal relationships, but I won’t change any fund managers or analysts or traders. Business as usual. The tricky part will be avoiding the SEC investigation that is certain to follow. When someone like my dad is arrested, for anything, everyone suddenly gets suspicious. A press release will go out in the next two hours saying that the board will meet and ensure continuity of management.”

“Damn,” I said. “Start at the beginning.”

“Are you sure you want to hear the whole story?”

“Am I going to be happy at the end of this story?” I asked.

“I think so. It started when I found my dad’s videotapes. You remember I told you about them?”

“Yes.”

“Well, he had no way of knowing I knew they even existed. Les knew about the tapes, but he was loyal to my dad so he’d never talk. And he got some attention, if you know what I mean.”

“I get it,” I said. “Just tell the story.”

“I knew my dad had been fooling around with my friends, and other girls, for a long time. He always used the same guest bedroom with them, and one day, when I was fifteen, when he and my mom were in Boca, I started snooping. I found a VCR in the closet, and that led me to find a camera hidden behind a mirror. I didn’t find any tapes, but I was sure he’d made some. Why else have that setup?

“I went to my dad’s study and looked everywhere but couldn’t find anything. Then I remembered he had a safe in the basement, encased in the concrete foundation. That’s where he kept Mom’s really expensive jewelry, some gold and silver, and some important documents. I didn’t know the combination, but it didn’t take too long to figure it out.”

“His anniversary or birthday?”

“My birthday. I got it on the seventh or eighth try. There were no tapes in the safe, but I found a strange key. You know, one of those old ones with the long rod and the teeth, not like the modern ones. I had no idea what it went to, but I started hunting in the basement. I didn’t find anything, so I went up to his study. It took me two days to find the keyhole in the back panel of one of the bookshelves. When I turned the key, the bookshelf could be swung out. Behind it was a closet. I opened the closet and there were at least a hundred videotapes, probably more.

“All of the tapes had dates and girl’s names. A small number of them had two names on them. I picked two of them, one with just one name, and one with two, and took them to the TV room in the basement. I told you I watched them and kind of got sick to my stomach. It was gross seeing my dad fuck my friends, but I couldn’t turn them off. When I finished watching them, I put everything back. I wasn’t sure what to do, and I didn’t tell anyone.

“When I turned sixteen, my dad told me about the succession plan and how it would work. It was clear he wanted me to marry so he could pass the company on to a guy, and ultimately to a grandson. I was pissed because I felt I could run the company and didn’t need some guy to run it for me. I realized my dad’s attitude towards girls - that they were playthings - applied even to me. So I started to hatch a plan.

“I needed a couple of things. Someone who could guide and mentor me, but who wasn’t part of my dad’s circle. Someone who would tell the police what happened. And someone who could help me navigate the legal issues. You were the guide and mentor. I confess that I picked you and pursued you with that in mind from the very beginning. That was the actual business proposition you agreed to in exchange for my virginity. You just didn’t know it.”