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The Foolproof Cure for Cancer
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    By
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    Robert T. Jeschonek

    *****
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    More Mystery and Crime E-books by Robert T. Jeschonek
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    6 Crime Stories
    Crimes in the Key of Murder
    Dancing With Murder
    Â  The First Detect-Eve
    The Other Waiter
    Who Unkilled Johnny Murder?
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    *****

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    The Foolproof Cure for Cancer
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    " I ' ve had cancer three times, " said Mr. Mayflower, teeth gleaming in a magnificent grin. " Each time in a different part of my body. Each time incurable and inoperable by the standards of so-called modern medicine.
    " And I stand before you now without a single malignant cell in my body. The cancers are not merely in remission. They are gone forever. "
    As Tom Porter listened, he felt hopeful in spite of himself. In his search for a cure for his wife, Sydney, he had been down countless dead ends before, like a rat blundering through a maze with no exit...but he was still a sucker. His features were fixed in an expressionless stare, but underneath, he listened with all the goggle-eyed raptness of a child hearing the story of Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.
    Maybe there was a chance. After all, now he was dealing with Ignatius Yawheh Mayflower, the famous Billionaire Samaritan.
    " How were you cured? " said Tom, shifting in his chair.
    Mayflower winked and reached for the jewel-studded cigarette case on the glass-topped patio table. " I ' ll never tell, " he said, drawing out a skinny black cigarette, " but I have no doubt we can do the same for Sydney. "
    Tom watched as the Billionaire Samaritan put down the case and lit the cigarette. Though he had read that Mayflower was at least ninety years old, Tom thought the billionaire didn ' t look a day over sixty. Mayflower had a mane of pure white hair, but his face was smooth and tanned. His tight, black turtleneck revealed a frame that was lean and muscular instead of shriveled and knobby.
    With a sigh, Tom gazed out at the vast, sunbathed gardens fanning out below the mansion balcony where he and Mayflower sat. " I hope you ' re right, " he said. " We ' ve had so many disappointments. "
    Mayflower leaned over and patted Tom ' s forearm. " I won ' t let you down, " said the billionaire. " You must know that, if you ' ve been reading Good as Gold . "
    Tom nodded. Good as Gold , Mayflower ' s nationally syndicated newspaper column, was what had brought him here in the first place.
    Mayflower received letters from readers in dire straits--the more dire, the better. Once a week, he picked the people he wanted to help and printed their letters in Good as Gold , along with an offer of help for the lucky few. The requests he granted could be anything from a hundred dollars for a pair of glasses for a poor child to a couple of grand for a struggling senior center or community library.
    Tom had never seen a letter from someone begging for a miracle cancer treatment, but he had sent one anyway. Sydney had given him the idea, saying wouldn ' t it be nice if her problem could be solved so easily, and he had sent a letter even though he knew she hadn ' t been serious about it. He had never expected to hear back from the Billionaire Samaritan, had never believed it was more than a lark...and sure enough, his letter had never appeared in Good as Gold .
    But to his surprise, he had gotten something better. A personal invitation to Mayflower ' s mansion, and a plane ticket.
    He ' d come, of course, because he ' d had nothing to lose...and Mayflower was telling him everything he wanted to hear. It was filet mignon to a starving man, and he devoured it.
    Even though, in his deepest heart of hearts, he didn ' t really believe the billionaire could save Sydney.
    " I don ' t mean to sound ungrateful, " said Tom, " but I can ' t help wondering. This miracle treatment...why haven ' t I heard about it? It ' s pretty big news, I ' d say. "
    Mayflower chuckled, puffing out sweet-smelling smoke. " Have you heard the saying ' Money can ' t buy everything ' ? "
    Tom