Hello and welcome to the latest chapter of this story. I had rather hoped to get it up by today and am glad that I was actually able to meet the deadline that I set for myself with regards to it. There is hope for me yet, even though I am finding myself getting rather distracted with other things.

All the same I have to give a huge shout out to Ya Ya and Tinnie who really are the main people keeping me writing this story. Without the two of you, I would perhaps have given up on this story back at chapter 30, so thanks to you both for the continued support. It is you both that keep me motivated to work on this.

YaYa, was glad that you enjoyed the last chapter, I did get the problem places fixed, and thanks again for catching them. I am not always the world’s best at catching mistakes, even when I read this stuff aloud. But, generally it works, so thanks for staying with me on this.

Tinnie, what can I say? Thanks so much for your long and wonderful reviews. I am grateful to you. I have watched a lot of Gene Wilder films during the past weeks, but that’s one I haven’t seen, gotta go back to Amazon, it seems. But, definitely want to see it.

Tom will be back in this chapter, although in a third person sense, but he will be part of what ties all these characters together, which will be explained here. This is a point that Willy tries to drive home. I’m glad that you liked that part where Linda wanted her daughter out of the room for this meeting, and when you read on, then you will see why. I don't think Molly could have handled it.

At any rate, I won’t babble on anymore, I’m going to go ahead and give you chapter 61. Enjoy everyone and please review.

Notation edited, Thanks Tinnie!

Chapter 61: The Truth Emerges

This chapter is entirely from Willy Wonka’s point of view

As soon as the five of them were seated inside the room, Willy looked at Marjorie, his voice somewhat softer than what it had been during their earlier confrontations. “I want to make this perfectly clear,” he began. “What has been happening has affected all of us to varying degrees. There is no one here who has not been hurt, whether directly or indirectly by the actions of the Slugworth family. Most of you know Tom, at least by his name or his connection with me. Right now, he’s in the hospital and although it may surprise you, it is perhaps he who has catalyzed all of these events to happen. He knows what all of you have been through, and it was his friendship and loyalty that brought you here, not me.”

“Now you sound like you’re running for public office,” Marjorie said snappishly.

Tina looked at the woman, offense at her manner clearly showing. “Perhaps you ought not be so critical of him, especially when he’s just being honest.”

“And perhaps you should learn to speak to your elders with more respect,” Marjorie shot back.

Tina flushed and it was hard to tell if the young woman was going to laugh or cry. “I would,” she eventually spoke. “If I could find one who is worthy of respect.” That said, she got to her feet and crossed the room, her arms wrapping around herself as she reached the window and stared outside across the London skyline.

At that moment, Willy looked at Marjorie. “Perhaps now is the proper time for you to know the truth about what has been happening and what your daughter has been through. Perhaps in knowing, you can realize that respect is a two way street. One doesn’t earn it because they are older, they earn it because they know how to reciprocate it.” He touched the notebooks that were on his lap.

Patrick looked at Willy and then at his wife. “Linda and I kept a great deal from you, Marjorie, and all these things William knows is because he’s been tossed into the thick of it for a much longer duration of time than we have. There have been threats made that do concern all four of us.”

“And what about the child?” Marjorie snapped. “It is you who seems to delight in telling me not to forget her, and now you have.”

“No he’s not,” Linda said. “Owen wants Molly to one day take over the business and become an industrial bigwig like him. The only thing standing in his way is the fact that Molly doesn’t want to do that.”

“What does she want to do then?” Marjorie asked.

“She aspires to be a dancer,” Willy said as he looked at the older woman. Before he could speak further, Tina did, her voice soft, but filling the room with blunt undertones.

“A really loving grandmother would know that,” the words filled the room, but her back was still facing them.

“This is none of your concern,” Marjorie shot back. “Perhaps you ought to mind your own business, little girl.”

Inhaling slowly, Tina started to walk towards the door that would lead out of the room. Willy watched, all the while feeling himself inclined to get up and follow her.

What surprised him was that Patrick did follow her. When the door closed behind them, the chocolatier looked at the woman, his eyes filled with anger.

“Somehow I think that it is not going to matter in the slightest what we say to you. You have already made the choice to look upon every person here with snobbish disdain. That young lady just lost her brother, now that may not mean anything to you, but it sure means something to the rest of us.”

“I don’t need a sermon,” Marjorie snapped.

“Oh, well, you definitely need something, because things cannot continue here as they have been,” he said, his blue eyes staring into her brown ones with meaning. “You have not done much of anything that could even earn my respect, much less that of a nineteen-year-old girl who is grieving a monumental loss right now. Do you honestly believe that arrogance is going to resolve the issues that we are all subjected to facing right now?”

“First you talk like a politician, now you’re acting like a bloody therapist,” she said.

Willy took a deep breath as he ran his hand through his hair. “How do you expect me to behave?” He asked. “You have concocted this idea that Linda is supposed to be loyal and dedicated to Owen, but he has done nothing but hurt her. You believe that she will always hold some sort of moral obligation to that family, but they are nothing more than a mafia like organization, contaminating the rest of the industry with their poison and lack of regard for others. That same behavior has somehow managed to contaminate you, even if it was never intended, you are no better than Arthur and Owen Slugworth at this point.”

“I am better,” Marjorie said, her voice breaking.

“Prove it,” he said calmly.

“I can’t, it’s not the way I am,” she said as the door opened and Patrick and Tina returned to the room. Tina, instead of speaking returned to the window, her body unmoving and her gaze staring outside.

Willy got to his feet and went over to where she was standing. “Are you alright?”

She nodded as she raised her head and looked at him. “I’m sorry I left so abruptly.”

“I know why you did it,” he said. “Why don’t we sit down and try and resolve this?”

“Alright,” she conceded and allowed him to put a gentle arm around her and lead her over to the couch. Once she was seated, she began to run the envelope between her fingers. “I have to translate this.”

“Are you sure you want to?” he asked.

“That’s why you wanted me to bring it, isn’t it?” she said as he offered a reciprocating nod.

“What is that?” Patrick asked.

“It’s a letter from her brother,” Willy explained. “It was written before he died, and perhaps it will explain what has been happening in a better means than I am capable.” He looked at her and nodded, thus indicating that the floor was now hers.

Tina took a deep breath as she unfolded the pages and began to translate the uneven German script that covered them.

My dear Tina,

This is my last farewell to you, my beloved little sister. With this letter is your knowing that I am no longer here to tell you the truth about my life and the things that I have done. By the time you read these words, I will be gone. Mother and Father will no doubt be notified of my passing, and you will be consumed with questions about my life and why I kept so dreadfully much from you.

The most bitter truth for me to tell you is that I never finished my studies, I did not so much as get out of the starting gate. Several months after arriving in Berlin, I was feeling more isolated and alone than I could possibly have imagined. I eventually developed a terrible addiction to betting and soon after I had lost every last pfennig I had, and I began attending meetings about compulsive gambling. It did not take away the problems and the debts that I owed, but it succeeded in helping me to get away from the tracks once and for all.

Several weeks after that, I encountered a man who introduced himself to me as Arthur Slugworth. He said that he was the President of Slugworth Chocolates Incorporated and that he could do something to help defray my gambling debts if I were to go to work for him. He mentioned having seen me on campus at the college, but claimed to have also witnessed seeing me out at the tracks, where my debts had accumulated. He claimed that he was looking to find what he called ‘new blood’ for his company, but did not go into extensive detail nor I did not feel inclined to inquire.

While he made it sound rather appealing, he kept me in the dark about his true intentions. I was naïve and did not realize how I was behaving until I was too far into this mess to do anything about it. To him, I was nothing more than a person to control, like a pawn in a chess game. I was to him, completely nonessential.

Being somewhat immature, I signed an agreement that stipulated that I would go to work for him. The job was easy, I would go from store to store and observe what candies were being bought and sold and which kinds were the most popular. I was given a clipboard and suit as well as an official looking identification. Through this, I was able to keep track of the statistics as to what kinds of candies were the most popular in what areas. It seemed legitimate and harmless enough, but I didn’t find out what specifically was happening until several months later. This was after I had managed to get my debts paid off. Because of the job and the new income, I was living pretty flamboyantly.

Soon after that, it suddenly became clear that the Slugworth Candies were not doing so well in the shops. In fact the only way that I could think of to even out the odds a bit, was to skew the statistics a little. Of course, after a time, I realized that doing that did not reap the desired results either. Several weeks after starting nudging the numbers, I was sent several sound reels and notebooks for safe keeping.

These contained private information about how they intended to do away with Wonka Industries and see to it that Willy Wonka was to be caught in a frame up and end up in prison. They had a very elaborate scheme set up, starting with Hudson Chocolates in the United States. This, they had managed to pull off without so much as a problem. By using their contacts there, they were able to break into the shipping rooms of the company and destroy countless amounts of chocolate and other assorted candies. These were then sent out without any sort of knowledge of what had transpired.

On these sound reels, there is information listed as to the number of cases of sick children as well as phone calls where the Slugworth people were trying to cover their footsteps. Several kids even died from the consumption of the poisoned candy and after finding out that, I wanted out. Unfortunately, I was already in too deep and there was no way for me to back out without getting carried out. Tina, it had turned into murder and cover ups, and I was stuck right in the middle of it.

Soon after that, it became pointedly clear that the Slugworths would stop at nothing to get someone inside of Mr. Wonka’s factory and do the very same thing. They not only wanted to put him out of business, but they wanted to destroy his integrity, just as they had done with Hudson Chocolates.

Mr. Slugworth then approached me soon after and informed me of his plan as to how we could infiltrate Mr. Wonka’s factory. He invited me to come to Buckinghamshire, England and meet with his nephew, Owen, and start helping them to plan for Wonka’s demise.

I ended up at the Wonka factory several days after that and had somehow managed to sweet-talk my way inside. The cover was a façade, as I was disguised as a worker for the city. I was to give him a notice about a gas leak. For some reason, it had worked and I found myself inside a storage room where countless shipments of candy were awaiting transport. I fiddled with the thermostat a little, but seconds later, a man who resembled Arthur Slugworth in appearance only, managed to catch me in the act and had me forcibly removed from the factory grounds.

It had been enough, though, because I knew where the shipping room was and was able to go back to my employer and disclose that information. Soon after that, I discovered that Arthur Slugworth wasn’t interested in me at all, he wanted my best friend, Erich, for the job. By some cruel twist of fate, he had found out that Erich was working towards a Masters degree in Chemistry, and he would have been able to help the Slugworths go through with their plan without even messing with the thermostat inside the Wonka factory. Unfortunately for them, Erich carried a high moral standard and wanted no part of this. He even tried to convince me to go to the police.

I didn’t want anyone else to get involved in this mess and I knew that what I had done could have landed me in jail. I actually tried to help Arthur Slugworth destroy Willy Wonka. Even after that incident, neither the man who caught me, nor Mr. Wonka filed charges against me. Perhaps they had no real proof, I have no idea at this point.

Several days later, I returned home and took the notebooks and the sound reels and hid them in the far corner of my basement. When I started getting threats of bodily harm from Owen Slugworth for my insubordinate behavior, I got scared. Not knowing what to do next, I went and found the stuff, boxed it up in order to take it to the post office, and with this letter, I am mailing it to you. I didn’t know what else to do, and I feared that if Mr. Wonka were to know what I had done, that he would never have listened to me anyway. The Slugworths are dangerous, and I would not put murder past them.

Tina, I am sending you these things in the hope that you will either get them to the police or, better yet, somehow get them to Willy Wonka. I am completely certain that he would know what to do with them if he had them. I know that any chance of his believing in me is remote, but I remain hopeful that he will see the sincerity in your words and actions.

Please believe me when I say that I didn’t want any of this to happen.

I was living a double life for so long, and I had no idea how to get out of it. Perhaps my death is the only way that I will actually be able to make any sort of difference here. The truth is not a nice thing, but neither are innocent kids being caught in the crossfire.

Today, I am nothing more than a puppet on a string, and if there is a way for me to break free of that, then let this is it.

Checkmate, Mr. Slugworth.

Love,

Your Brother,

Maximilian Schröder

As she finished the letter, she looked at Willy, her eyes filled with tears. “He didn’t mean any harm…” she whispered as she dug in her pocket for a tissue.

When she could not find one, she suddenly felt a handkerchief abruptly being pressed in to her hand and when she opened her eyes, she could see that it had come from Willy. As her gaze met his, she could see that he was regarding her through those same empathetic blue eyes.

“I know,” the chocolatier said, his heart feeling as though it was a lead weight beating in his chest. He could see so much insecurity in the young German woman and knowing that she was not guilty for what her brother had done, he tried to find the words he wanted to say next. “It was brave of you to tell us what was in that letter.”

“You’re not angry with me,” she asked as she handed the letter to him and watched him slip it into the small stack that still rested on his lap.

“No, I’m really proud of you for having the courage to do what you just did,” he said. “The police now have the sound reels and notebooks he mentioned in the letter, and I can well imagine that when this letter is officially translated, Slugworth will find that his days of freedom might actually be numbered.” He looked at Marjorie, but instead of speaking, the woman was looking down at her lap. He was somewhat relieved by the fact that she was, for once, remaining silent.

Patrick got to his feet, and looked at his wife. “I kept a great deal from you, Marjorie. It was because I was trying to protect you, but I don’t think you need protection anymore. Perhaps some of the people here need protection from your tactless words and actions.”

Marjorie raised her head and regarded the man who was now seated next to her. She took a deep breath as her next words emerged. “No one here thinks very much of me, I can tell.”

“Perhaps we would think far more of you if you would at least thank William for his hospitality, apologize to this young lady for your behavior towards her, and hold off on judging our daughter,” Patrick said firmly. “You have a lot of explaining to do regarding the abuse you have subjected Linda to. I will not renege on this, Marjorie, and I think this time you know that.”

“Are you going to leave me, Paddy?” Marjorie asked.

He shook his head. “No, but when all this is over, you’re going to need help and this is something that I will adamantly insist upon.” He looked at Willy and received a reciprocating nod.

The chocolatier nodded. “I agree, but I want to emphasize that when I started in this business, I had no idea that I was going to be targeted or eventually find myself tangled up in a web of deceit.”

“Should we call the police?” Linda whispered.

“I think that’s perhaps the prudent choice,” Willy said as he patted the papers that were now resting on his lap. “Now that we have all these things, it would be wise for us to do something.”

“Shouldn’t we wait for Tom to get back before we do anything?” Linda asked. “He’s in Buckinghamshire right now, and if we act, it could put him in mortal danger.”

“Ridiculous,” Marjorie muttered.

“Actually, it’s not,” Willy said with a nod of his head, but stood up with all the items in his hand. He cast a glance around the room, and looked at the four people who were seated there. “Tom was the man who caught Tina’s brother in the shipping room, and I do remember that day. We didn’t file charges against him, and it was because he was a kid in trouble, and we both knew it. Of course, our shipments were safe, but in the future we always called the city for verification before letting professed workers beyond the factory gates.”

Linda looked at him. “I remember Owen talking about it after it happened. He was so angry, I thought he was going to explode from absolute rage. And I remember hearing him on the phone talking with his uncle about trying to blackmail this American kid living in Germany.”

“Erich?” Tina whispered.

“It could have been, I don’t really know. I never heard a name being mentioned, but I do remember him getting pretty angry about it,” Linda said.

“How would you know all of this?” Tina whispered.

“She knows it because she’s married to Owen Slugworth,” Marjorie said.

Tina took a deep breath, but instead of finding the words to speak, she simply nodded.

“Listen everyone, I’m going to take these things back to my office, and then in a little while it should be time for dinner. Tina, perhaps now we should go ahead and contact your parents so they won’t worry about you.”

Awkwardly, Tina stood up, her gaze meeting Willy’s as she started walking towards the door. He followed her to the door and opened it before they stepped out into the hallway.

Once the door closed, he looked at her. “I’m grateful to you,” he began.

“Why?” She asked.

“You made it easier for me to explain what was happening to Marjorie and Patrick,” he said.

“What’s the story with that old woman?” Tina asked. “Pardon me for saying so, but she’s not a very nice person at all.”

“She’s not very cordial to anyone,” he said. “She’s Linda’s mother and I don’t think she likes me very much either. In fact, she doesn’t even know that her daughter and me are…” his words trailed.

“…dating,” Tina whispered.

“Yes, although we have not really been on an official date yet,” he said honestly. “Linda is in the process of divorcing Owen Slugworth and we’re trying to keep our feelings under wraps, if you will.”

“Maybe everything will work out,” she said with traces of doubt in her voice. “I think she’s very lucky to have you, though.”

Willy smiled. “Thank you, Tina, that means a great deal to me.”

She shrugged her shoulders, but after a while, she spoke. “Willy?”

“Yes?”

“Did you know that Linda’s mother had come out of one of the rooms when…” her voice trailed off. “…I remember how she was standing there and looking down at me.”

“Was that when you were crying?” He asked.

“Yes. The thing is, I looked up and saw her briefly standing there. I think she thought that you were my boyfriend or something,” she shook her head. “I guess she doesn’t think that men and women can be friends without, what’s the English word for a…romantische Beziehung?”

“A romantic relationship,” he translated.

Tina nodded. “That’s it. Anyway, what I want to say is I like that we’re friends.”

“I am too,” he said.

“Would you think me wrong for saying that I’m sort of afraid to call my parents and tell them where I am?” She asked after several moments of silence passed between them.

“No, I wouldn’t,” he said shaking his head. “But, something tells me that you are not just afraid of calling them, but of what might happen when you do.”

She nodded. “What if the Slugworths go after them because of the package?”

“If that happens, then we’ll do whatever we can to stop them, Tina,” he said.

“How?” She asked, but looked up at him, her face now streaked with tears. “How many more people have to die before this nightmare is over? After we talked on the phone, I was so scared of being alone. Every thing that happened today has felt like something out of a movie. I don’t know what more I should do.”

Willy took a deep breath. “You can’t do anything more than what you’ve already done, dear lady.”

She closed her eyes for several moments but allowed him to lead her towards his office.