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Chapter Two

Bill Brand looked tired and drawn when he landed on Tracy Island. Only Gordon and Alan were there to greet him, Scott and Virgil having finally stopped complaining about being grounded and given in to the need for sleep. He managed a brusque greeting to the two youngest brothers before turning to Jeff.

"Let's go somewhere private."

With a surprised glance back at his sons Jeff led the way to his office.

"Okay, Bill, what's this all about?"

It was obvious that Bill was under a great deal of stress, but Jeff was even more worried by the fact that his friend seemed to be unable to look him in the eye.

"Bill?"

Bill continued to look down at the floor as he mumbled,

"I've done something stupid, Jeff."

"Go on," Jeff said wondering just where this was going.

"You know that last week I led a delegation to the World Peace Conference? Well, afterwards I stopped off in the Seychelles for a break. It was a spur of the moment decision. I've stayed at Bailey's before. I just thought it would be good to have a couple of days away from everything."

Jeff had never been to Bailey's but he knew the resort by reputation. If Bill had wanted a break after the stresses of the conference he couldn't have chosen a better place. Perhaps he should suggest it to Scott and Virgil, he thought, then realised that he still hadn't discovered what was bothering his friend. Bill was still staring at the floor and Jeff was surprised to see him blushing.

"The thing is, Jeff, I wasn't alone. One of my secretaries was with me. It was stupid, I know. We had separate rooms and I thought we'd been careful, but then yesterday the mail came and ..."

Jeff could see where this was going. He was disappointed in his friend. He knew his wife Sarah well and was godfather to their eldest daughter.

Bill continued. "They've got a video of us. They're threatening to go to the press if I don't pay up."

He looked Jeff in the eye for the first time as his words came out in an awkward rush. "It's not my job or my reputation I'm worried about, Jeff. I'll lose Sarah. I know I don't deserve her after what I've done, but I love her. I only realise how much now that I might lose her. I know I've been stupid – I've never done anything like this before. This thing with Stella – it's all over, I swear. I don't know what to do. I can't afford to pay them. I hate to ask, Jeff, but I need your help."

Jeff frowned. He couldn't believe his friend had been so foolish. For a moment he was ready to tell him to deal with this himself - after all, he'd been the cause of his own problems. But he thought about Sarah and how she would feel if she found out and then he thought about Lucy. He'd been lucky enough to meet the love of his life when he was young and, despite having been a widower for many years, he'd never wanted anyone else. It wasn't that he hadn't had the opportunity to meet someone, but no woman could ever replace his wife. In some ways he'd led a lonely life since Lucy's death, but his sons, his business and International Rescue were all he really wanted. He took a deep breath, thinking the situation over.

"Jeff, there's something else."

"What?"

"They obviously had cameras hidden in the room. Who knows how long they were recording. The tape they sent me - it's just of me and Stella, but if they've got more... Later on - after she'd gone - I put a call out to John about a training programme for the new agents. They may have that too. They could trace International Rescue through me."

Jeff was silent. His expression was grim as he considered the implications of Bill's words.

"What do they want?"

"Twenty thousand dollars. But it won't stop there, will it? They're going to want more."

"We're going to have to find out who's responsible. I assume it's someone who works at the hotel and has access to the rooms. It seems unlikely it could be a guest. Still, everyone who was at the hotel the same time as you will need to be checked out. I don't suppose you want the police involved?" Jeff already knew the answer to this.

"I can't risk it. It will finish me if this gets out, Jeff. If the press find out, any chance I have of working things out with Sarah will be gone. I can't even risk sending any of my own people down there – there's just no one I trust enough. I thought one of our agents might be able to help."

Jeff had been thinking along the same lines. With Bill's agreement he put in a call to England and briefed Penny on the situation. Although she didn't know the owner personally, they had a number of mutual friends. An hour later, Penny had some information for them.

"I spoke to Connie Hyatt and told her what's happened. Oh, don't worry Bill, I didn't mention any names. She was shocked, obviously – and I don't think she's pretending. She agrees with us that one of the hotel staff must be responsible. We're welcome to come and investigate. Actually, it seems that some strange things have been happening at Bailey's."

"What's been going on?" Jeff knew Connie Hyatt by reputation. She had been a popular jazz singer for many years and was a personal favourite of his. A year ago she had married her third husband, Max Bailey, a wealthy businessman who owned a large, luxurious hotel in the Seychelles. Following his death six months later, she had retired from music and taken over the running of the place herself. It had always been popular, renowned for its plush accommodation and top of the range facilities, but with Connie in charge the resort had become the destination of choice for the rich and famous. Bailey's was well-known for its excellent entertainment and Connie still occasionally sang for the guests.

Jeff let his thoughts drift back to a night twenty-five years earlier. Exhausted by the demands of parenting two young sons, he and Lucy had persuaded his mother to babysit for a long weekend. They'd spent the last evening in a smoky jazz club, enthralled by the performance of the young woman who was making quite a name for herself. Later, Connie's songs playing softly in the background, they'd taken full advantage of the final night's break from their boys. Lucy had discovered she was pregnant a few weeks later and Jeff was almost certain that Virgil had been conceived that night.

"Jeff?" Penny's voice brought him back to reality.

"I'm sorry, Penny. You were telling me about Connie's problems?"

"Yes, over the past few months there have been a number of incidents: just minor damage at first, plus a number of thefts, both from guests and from the bar and restaurant. But lately it's become more serious. A guest was hurt when a balcony railing gave way. One of the cleaners was electrocuted by some faulty equipment. Then last night one of the lifeguards was found badly beaten. There was also a fire in the staff quarters and one of the hotel musicians has gone missing."

"What do the police say?" Jeff asked.

"They're mystified. They haven't been able to question the lifeguard yet. Of course if they don't know about the blackmail they may not be able to ask the right questions anyway. They haven't been able to catch the thief and as far as the other incidents go, there's no evidence of foul play so they seem inclined to blame poor maintenance on the part of the hotel. Connie disagrees, of course."

"So, it looks as though someone has a grudge against Bailey's. What about the two men involved in the trouble last night, Penny? Do you think they're involved?" Jeff asked.

"It would seem too great a coincidence otherwise, don't you think?" Penny replied. "Connie is sending me their details – perhaps John could look into them for me."

"You know, I've been thinking," Bill suddenly interjected. "It's hard to believe I'm the only one to be caught out. If they've bugged all the rooms there could be a lot of anxious people with a lot to lose. Maybe someone else is trying to find our blackmailer too. In which case they might have already been dealt with. I could be off the hook." He seemed brighter than he'd been since he arrived, though Jeff's response soon brought him back down to earth.

"But the tapes of you are still out there somewhere. We can't take anything for granted, Bill. International Rescue isn't safe just yet and neither are you. What do you think, Penny?"

"I agree, Jeff. I've decided to go and investigate myself." Penny said. "Parker and I leave for Bailey's in the morning. How much time do we have, Bill?"

"They want the money by tomorrow afternoon. Jeff is going to give it to me," he looked shamefacedly at his friend, "but I can't believe that will be the end of it. Even if they give me the tape there's nothing to stop them having copies. I'll never be safe until we catch them."

"And of course we need to make sure that they don't know anything about International Rescue. Jeff, Bailey's is a big place with a lot of staff. I could do with some reinforcements on this one. Shall I call on some of our local agents?"

"Actually, Penny, I know a couple of boys who need a change of scene and who might be ideally qualified to help you out." Jeff smiled, thinking things had worked out nicely. He'd get Scott and Virgil away from International Rescue for a while but his boys would still be able to feel useful. Plus it would save him from having to listen to their constant complaints about being grounded.

They discussed details for a while then Penny signed off, promising to get back to him once she'd spoken to Connie.

At dinner the boys noticed that Bill wasn't his usual cheery self, but Scott and Virgil were too annoyed to give it much thought. After the meal they prepared to head to the lounge to continue sulking in comfort, but they were stopped by their father who asked them to join him in his office. With a quick glance at Bill who avoided his eye, instead staring fixedly out of the window, Jeff told them the whole story.

"Boys, you understand this goes no further?"

Scott and Virgil both nodded in agreement. Both were glad to have something to occupy their time while they were resting.

"So what do you want us to do? Pretend to be guests and snoop around?" Scott asked.

"Not exactly," said Jeff, "Penny will be there as a guest. But it seems that the culprit may be on the staff. That's where you two come in. You're going to work at Bailey's, boys. Scott, you can easily get by as a lifeguard. Virgil – the hotel needs a pianist and someone to play with the band."

"What? I'm not good enough for that."

"Of course you are. Anyway, Connie will soon tell you if she doesn't think you're up to it," Penny said.

"Tell me?"

"Yes, she'll be calling in about five minutes to hear you play," Jeff informed him.

"What? I can't audition now. I haven't prepared anything. I haven't warmed up. " Virgil's nervousness at playing in front of anyone other than close friends and family was legendary and Jeff had deliberately given him little time to worry.

"Just play anything, you'll be fine," Scott assured him as they headed for the lounge.

"Fine won't be good enough, Scott," Virgil muttered, diving to his piano and frantically searching through some music, throwing page after page recklessly onto the floor. His father took it all away from him and sat him down on the stool.

"Just play whatever comes into your head. Penny's already played her some of the recordings you did for her and she liked them. She just wants to hear a live performance."

Connie Hyatt turned out to be an intimidating woman in her early fifties who was obviously as much at home running a business as standing in front of an audience. She had always had a reputation as something of a diva and it was immediately clear that she would stand for no nonsense. Whilst grateful for the prospect of help, she was obviously not prepared to allow amateurs to spoil her resort's reputation. More nervous than ever, Virgil took a deep breath before beginning.

Sure enough Connie was impressed with Virgil's impromptu audition. When he finished she nodded appreciatively, then said unexpectedly,

"Well your playing's certainly good enough. Let's have a look at you then."

With some surprise Virgil approached the vid-screen, feeling a little self-conscious as the woman scrutinised him closely before nodding,

"Yes, I think you'll do very well. Now then, what about your brother? Come on, let's see if you're up to scratch.

Scott submitted himself to the same process as Virgil, exchanging a bemused glance with his brother. It wasn't exactly unusual for women to be checking him out, but most managed to do it with a little more subtlety. However, he was unprepared for her next request.

"Shirt off, please – after all, you'll be spending your time at the pool." Virgil turned away to hide his laughter as Jeff, despite his surprise, instructed Scott to comply. Scott looked embarrassed as Connie indicated that she liked what she saw.

"Okay boys, I think you match up to my hotel's standards. My secretary will send you all the information you need and I'll see you in a couple of days."

She suddenly added with a smile,

"Oh, by the way, thank you. I don't know exactly what's going on but I know it's going to ruin my hotel if it's not stopped. I'll give you all the help you need."

"Leave it to Penny and the boys, Connie," said Jeff, ending the call.

"What was that all about?" Scott asked, pulling his shirt back on.

"Oh, Scott," smiled Penny. "It's obvious you've never been to Bailey's. Connie's very particular about her hotel's image. Every member of staff is exceptionally attractive – it's one of the selling points of the resort. How do you think it manages to attract such a clientele? Of course, it's a pity one can't say the same for some of the guests."

"Well," said Jeff, trying to focus on business, but unable to hide his glow of fatherly pride, "It looks as though you're on, boys. It's just what you need. You can have a break from the old routine, recharge your batteries and you'll still be helping International Rescue. So how about we tell your brothers what's going on?"

The others were intrigued and, in Gordon's case, a little jealous.

"Shouldn't I go as the lifeguard?" he asked. "I'm a better swimmer than Scott."

"Yes, but people might recognise you and wonder why Gordon Tracy, Olympic gold medallist, is slumming it as a lifeguard," Alan pointed out. "Whereas no one will know who Scott is. Anyway, he can pose by the pool just as well as you. He's only there to watch the girls and show off his muscles."

"Yeah," said Gordon sulkily. "So why do you think I want to do it?"