Scapegoat

Theodore Cromwell lll sat before the warming flames and wondered how he got there. Teddy was always eager to please as the junior partner in Bilcome and Run.

“Teddy, can you transfer these funds to our Jamaican offshore account before the end of the day?” Mr. Graft, his supervisor, asked.

“Sure thing, I’ll get right on it,” was always Teddy’s reply.

Theodore Cromwell lll was the employee of the year for three straight years, and things were looking good for the next as well when someone threw a monkey wrench into Bilcome and Run’s plans.

“Teddy, we’re being investigated for double billing and hiding money. Would you happen to know anything about that?” the senior partners asked during their weekly review.

“Gee, sirs, I know nothing about billing, but I regularly make end-of-week deposits to our Jamaican accounts,” the man said.

“So you deposited funds into an overseas bank without questioning where the funds came from?” Mr. Bilcome asked.

“That would be correct. Mr. Graft always had some reason for being out of the office on Friday and asked me to handle it,” replied Teddy.

Mr. Bilcome cleared his throat and said, “Since you signed all the transfers, I must inform you that we must terminate your employment here at Bilcome and Run.”

“But sir, I was only doing what my supervisor ordered me to do,” exclaimed Teddy.

“Failure to do your duty is no excuse to blame others. In addition to firing you, we will forward your name to the authorities investigating the case,” said Mr Run.

Theodore Cromwell lll left his office feeling confused and angry. The following day, the FBI knocked at his apartment and invited him to discuss his duties at the firm.

After a few hours, the agents assured him he was not going to jail and, at most, he would have to pay a fine of two out of three hundred thousand dollars.

“Teddy, do you know what a scapegoat is?” asked one of the agents.

“Sure, someone who is blamed for something but didn’t do anything wrong. Oh, I see,” came Teddy’s reply.

The press had a field day grilling Teddy about the scandal, but in the end, he was not sent to jail, had to pay two hundred thousand, and was suspended for two years from practicing law.

With all his savings used to pay the fine and no way to work, Theodore Cromwell lll found himself homeless.

“Good thing I was an Eagle Scout and know how to live off the land,” remarked Teddy as he headed for a nearby wildlife reserve.

Now, he sits contemplating how a Yale Law School graduate became a homeless forest dweller. He also wonders if he should have deleted all those emails Mr. Graft CC to him discussing with the partners how they planned to hide the double billing in the firm’s offshore accounts.

Good night, Spaceman. Sleep tight, and don’t let the feds bite : P