Well I hope you all feel bad for the nasty things you've said about Beth! She's lovely really... isn't she?
Had to edit this one - just spotted something that shouldn't have been there!
Chapter Twenty-Four
Liar...
Beth stared at the phone in disbelief. Whilst she hadn't really expected Byron to believe her, she'd never expected such an emphatic rebuttal. She was wondering what to do next when her phone beeped. Once again the message was from Byron, but this time it was simply a link to a website. Beth waited for the page to load with a strong sense of foreboding; the internet was full of sites about International Rescue – all unofficial, of course – and some of them managed some fairly accurate and insightful accounts of rescues. She'd visited them herself when she'd borrowed Sean's laptop to prove the connection between her family and IR. Now it seemed Byron was doing the same.
Sure enough there was an account of the mudslide rescue, complete with quotes from some of the local rescue workers who had come into contact with the team. Much was being made of the badly-dressed (but still attractive) girl who had appeared for the first time. Beth couldn't help cursing Grandma for ruining her debut, even as she wondered if there was still some way of persuading Byron that the new member of IR wasn't her.
It wasn't going to be possible though. As she read on she discovered that her close resemblance to one of the pilots had also been noticed. No wonder Byron had been so sure of himself. There was no way she was going to be able to bluff her way out of this.
Even as she pondered her next move another message came through: We need to talk. Now
That could be a problem, Beth thought. Even if a nosy cousin or great-aunt didn't overhear her, she knew well enough now that any reference to IR over a telephone line would be picked up and whilst she was sure she'd be able to keep her cool, she couldn't risk Byron losing his temper and landing them both in it. She'd been surprised she'd been able to get away with sending the details of Tracy Industries' inventions to Byron, but her uncle, whilst explaining some of IR's security measures, had assured her that he'd given the inhabitants of the island some privacy when it came to communication with the outside world. She debated carrying on the discussion by text, but decided it wouldn't be practical. Plus she still didn't believe that her cousins – Alan excepted – really trusted her. Penny too would surely be back on her trail once she'd finished her search forTin-Tin's attacker – though she couldn't worry about that now. Even if she deleted all her messages she thought they might still be able to recover them if they ever chose to check her phone. She couldn't afford to do anything to arouse suspicion and, ever the optimist, she thought there might still be a way to work things out with Byron. Hoping to buy herself enough time to come up with a plan, she texted back: Can't talk now. Will explain everything tomorrow.
After a few minutes, the response came. Tomorrow or else! Don't double-cross me – you'll be sorry.
Her hands shaking a little, Beth placed the phone down on her desk. She'd hoped for a rest after all the excitement of that day but now she found herself with another mission and the irony wasn't lost on her. After all her efforts to stay put, now she'd have to find an excuse to get off the island in order to find a telephone.
Back in the lounge Jeff was feeling pleased with himself. Once Beth had left the room he'd begun a second debrief, keen to know how his niece had handled herself. He knew he'd taken a risk in sending her out, but surely there was no better way to show her the realities of a life in IR, whilst helping her bond with his sons. He'd been sure that Alan would support her – he'd noticed his youngest's change of attitude towards Beth lately, assuming that the girl's kindness towards Tin-Tin had a lot to do with it. But it was his other sons who were the issue and he was pleasantly surprised when Scott, Gordon and even Virgil - however grudgingly - admitted that she'd handled herself well.
"It's going to work out, boys," he said. "I don't expect things to come together overnight, but we've taken the first step towards making Beth part of the team."
He was suddenly reminded of something. He'd been none too pleased when Beth had emerged from Thunderbird Two, though he hadn't said anything at the time for fear of upsetting the girl.
"Mother?"
"Yes, dear?" the old lady replied innocently.
Whilst the others tried not to laugh, Jeff suggested that his mother might want to take another look at Beth's uniform.
"We have an image to maintain," he reminded her. "Make sure her uniform fits ready for her next mission."
"Her next mission?" Scott asked. He'd hoped this would be a one-off and that Beth could be given a behind-the-scenes role.
"Well we'll have to work out where Beth can fit into our operation, but I think she did well today. She'll be out with you boys again, soon, I'm sure."
Only Alan expressed any enthusiasm for that idea.
"Virgil?" Jeff asked as everyone prepared to head off to bed. "Would you do something for me?"
"If I can," Virgil said, a little hesitantly given his father's recent erratic behaviour. The last time he'd done his father a favour was at Christmas – and it hadn't ended well for him.
"Paint Beth's portrait. We'll need to set up a link for her." He indicated the wall of hidden vid-screens.
Strangely enough it was Alan who objected to this. "Tin-Tin hasn't got a portrait," he observed.
Jeff sighed. The last thing he wanted was to antagonise the one son who'd wholeheartedly supported him.
"Fair point, Alan. Virgil, could you paint both the girls for me?"
"Guess so," Virgil said. He didn't sound terribly enthusiastic though. Tin-Tin's portrait wouldn't be a problem – he'd painted her before - but the prospect of spending hours alone with his cousin didn't appeal. Even after today he had too many doubts about her to make him even remotely happy about the situation.
"Thanks, son." Jeff put an arm around Virgil's shoulders. "I know it will all work out."
"Sure it will," Alan told him. Jeff looked hopefully at his other sons but there was no reaction. He gave up. They'd come round eventually, he thought.
"Get some rest, boys," he told them. "Scott, I want you to draw up an induction programme for Beth. Have a word with Penny – Beth should have the basic agent's training too."
As much as it pained him to think of Beth becoming a real member of IR, Virgil couldn't help but be cheered by that request. Between Scott and Penny Beth was going to be worked harder than she could ever imagine. From the slow smile spreading across his brother's face he knew Scott was already thinking of ways to push his cousin to the limit. Maybe she'd just give up and go home...
Beth spent most of the night lying awake working out what to say to Joel Byron. The next morning she suggested to Tin-Tin that the pair of them should take a trip to the mainland since she'd need to buy a few more clothes now that she was staying on the island. She'd been so sure the girl would jump at the chance that she hadn't bothered drugging her. But Tin-Tin couldn't help panicking at the prospect.
"No! Not while he's running around out there."
Biting back the urge to tell the girl to pull herself together, Beth set about trying to reassure her. "Tin-Tin, he's not going to come after you. Come on, it might be good for you, help you get your confidence back."
"No! I'm not leaving the island!" With that the girl was gone, leaving Beth cursing her lack of foresight. She should have guessed how Tin-Tin would have reacted. After all, she'd spent long enough listening to the girl expressing her fears about mixing with strangers. It wasn't like her to misjudge people like that - she'd obviously been more shaken by Byron's discovery than she'd realised. Now she had to find another way to get off the island.
"What was all that about?" Jeff asked, coming out onto the terrace. "Tin-Tin nearly knocked me over just now."
Beth explained.
"That's bad," Jeff said. "She's no nearer making it up with Alan either, is she?"
"Well, I'm doing my best," Beth said. She'd actually tried to put in a good word for her cousin the night before, but Tin-Tin still didn't seem too keen on any reconciliation. Not that Beth particularly cared either way – although it could give her the opportunity she needed...
"Actually, Uncle Jeff, I've got an idea..."
An hour later, Alan and Tin-Tin were in the jet giving Beth a flying lesson. Beth enjoyed it, though she would have found it easier to concentrate if she hadn't been constantly distracted by thoughts of the difficult conversation she had ahead of her. As they approached the mainland she found herself growing increasingly tense. It didn't help that Alan kept grinning and winking at her and she had to fight the urge to slap him. Tin-Tin was quiet. She was more than happy to help her friend learn to fly, but she didn't see why Jeff had insisted that Alan accompany them.
"She's doing well, isn't she?" Alan said to Tin-Tin. "We're only ten minutes out from the airport. How about we run through the landing procedure?"
"We're going to land?" Tin-Tin was suddenly tense.
"Sure. Why not?"
"Because..." The girl suddenly realised she'd been set up.
"It'll be fine, Tin-Tin," Beth reassured her.
"I'll keep you safe," Alan promised. "We'll just go into the terminal, get a coffee or something, then go back home."
There was nothing Tin-Tin could do. She threatened to stay in the plane, but when Alan insisted he and Beth would be getting out she decided it would be better to stick with them rather than risk waiting alone. At that moment she hated the pair of them - Jeff Tracy too!
Twenty minutes later they were in the terminal building, though Tin-Tin was unable to hide her fear as she anxiously scanned the crowds just in case he was there.
"See, Tin-Tin," Beth told her. "It's okay. No one's going to hurt you."
"Let's get some lunch," Alan said, taking Tin-Tin's hand. As angry as she was with him, right now she needed the security he offered and she didn't pull away, causing Alan to grin at Beth in delight.
Beth smiled indulgently. "Why don't you two go? I'm going to have a wander round. I'll catch up with you later."
"But..." Tin-Tin watched in despair as Beth disappeared into the crowds. Furious that she'd not only been tricked into leaving the island, but also into spending time alone with Alan, she had no choice but to accompany the young man as he led her towards the restaurant.
Beth waited a couple of minutes before heading for a row of phone booths. First she sent Byron a message: Calling you now. DON'T mention IR!
He picked up on the first ring.
"About time! What the hell do you think you're playing at?"
"Okay, listen. We need to be careful. No names. No mention of you-know-what."
"This conversation is going to be all about 'you-know-what'."
"Yes, but if they pick this up we're both in trouble."
"Honey, you're already in trouble. We made a deal, remember? Lots of cash in return for information. My company makes a fortune and you get revenge on your beloved uncle."
"I know. But it's not that simple anymore."
Byron laughed. "You're telling me. So, you found out all about it and then what? Did you have a better offer? Or did you have a change of heart? I certainly didn't expect you to be out in the thick of things yesterday. Did me a favour though – I'd never have known you were trying to fool me otherwise."
"I was going to tell you," Beth lied. "But I didn't have any real evidence until yesterday. And you're right – I started to see things differently once I was actually out at the disaster zone."
"Spare me," Byron said. "As far as I'm concerned, our deal still stands. You know what I want. Now there's nothing stopping you getting it."
"And if I don't?"
"If I don't get the information I want, then I might just have to tell your dear old uncle exactly what you used to do for a living."
"He knows," Beth told him, hoping he'd believe her. "They all know."
"Really? Come on, he'd have had you off the island like a shot if he knew."
"Really. My cousins found out. There's still a picture on the agency website. You might want to have a word with them about that by the way. I thought you paid them to get rid of any evidence they had."
"I did... So the old guy's seen a picture and he still thinks you're wonderful?" Byron sounded cynical. Beth was thankful for Tin-Tin's theory about her uncle's likely reaction.
"He realises how desperate I was. In fact, he feels even guiltier for abandoning me when I was young. The whole thing actually worked in my favour. You can't use it against me."
"Maybe not, but that's not all I have on you, is it? What's he going to say if he finds out that you were working for me? That you've already stolen some of his secrets? That you've been drugging him for the past few weeks?"
"But you can't tell him about all that without incriminating yourself," Beth reminded him.
"I could tell him it was one of my executives," Byron told her. "I could come out looking like the good guy in all of this."
"I'm not sure you'd get away with it," Beth said. "Remember, I've got your private phone number, your personal email address... I think I could convince everyone that you were the one who set it all up. There's bound to be some way to link you to the agency. You don't know what you're up against." Beth was thinking that between them, John and Penny would expose Byron in no time. Not that it would be much help to her, of course. If he went down, then so did she. But she was determined that wasn't going to happen.
There was silence for a while.
"So what's your plan? I fade into the background and you enjoy a life of luxury with a bit of added excitement every now and again?"
"Well it sounds good to me."
"Do you really expect me to sit back and do nothing?"
"I don't think you have a choice."
"Okay," he said slowly. "I might not be able to get to you. But I can still tell the world what I know."
"You don't have any proof. It'll be your word against theirs."
"Do I need any? Once the names get out there I don't think your lot are going to be able to keep their secret for long. The press will expose them in no time."
"So you'll be the one to reveal the big secret. But you'll lose everything the moment you do."
"Really? How do you work that one out?"
"Come on, think about it. Whose side are the papers going to be on? I'll tell them everything – including how we met. My uncle will be even more of a hero than he already is. You'll have more headlines than you could ever have imagined – but you'll be the villain in every story. Taking advantage of an international hero... playing on his grief for his dead wife... and all at a time when he was fighting cancer. The whole world will hate you."
"You'd lose everything if that happened," he pointed out.
"Oh, I'll do alright out of it. My story's got to be worth a fair bit to the tabloids – not to mention all my inside information... You'll be finished. Your business will go under. No one's going to want to trade with you – not when they could be dealing with the founder of... you know what!"
"You've worked it all out, haven't you?"
"Well I've had time to think about it. You have to see you don't have a choice."
"That girl who was attacked-"
"Now that's definitely going to get you sent to prison," Beth pointed out. "You really don't want to go down that road. Anyway, the man's long gone isn't he? Even if you find him again I can't see him agreeing to go to jail just to help you get back at me. Face it, there's nothing you can do."
"It seems you've won," Byron finally said. He didn't sound happy.
"You haven't lost out completely," Beth reminded him. "Enjoy the profits from the information I sent you. It's not a bad return for your investment. Oh and you can keep the money you would have paid me – I don't think money's going to be a problem for me from now on."
She hung up, her hand shaking slightly. Had she really got away with it? Would Byron really sit back and do nothing? She'd expected him to put up more of a fight... But then everything she'd told him had been true. His hands were tied and he knew it. There was no way for him to expose her without damaging himself. It looked as if her luck had held again.
Byron laughed as he put the phone down. The conversation had gone exactly as he'd anticipated. All he'd really been doing was testing her out, seeing just how much of a hold she thought she had over him before he decided on his next move. He wondered how she was feeling now. Did she really believe she'd beaten him? She was right, of course – he'd be in a lot of trouble if she talked. It made sense for the pair of them to keep quiet and put it all behind them. But he couldn't do it. He couldn't let her get away with what she'd done. One way or another he'd make Beth sorry she'd crossed him – and he'd get what he wanted from Jeff Tracy too. It wouldn't be easy, but he liked a challenge– especially one which promised money and revenge at the end of it.
Beth had made one big mistake, he thought. She'd believed he wanted to expose the Tracys as International Rescue, when he'd already decided against that course of action. No, what he wanted was what he'd always craved: International Rescue's superior technology and the financial rewards it would bring to his own company. There had to be a way to use what he knew to his advantage. If only he had definite proof, some kind of leverage to use against Tracy...
He was still pondering the situation an hour later. Try as he might he couldn't think of any way to get proof of the Tracy family's connection to IR which didn't involve Beth. When Angie appeared at the office door he couldn't help snapping at her. It didn't help that he couldn't talk to her about Beth's betrayal, knowing her response would be a simple I told you so! She'd never trusted the girl.
"What?"
Angie regarded him coolly. She was used to his moods so there was no offence taken. Even so, things hadn't been the same between them since she'd criticised the scheme he'd hatched with Beth, the one which had led to an innocent girl being attacked. Whatever had wound him up this time, he didn't seem inclined to tell her about it, so after a few moments she simply passed on her message.
"Your ex-wife wants to talk to you."
"Which one?"
Angie refrained from pointing out that only one of the three was still on speaking terms with him – and then only because of the child they'd brought into the world.
"Cassandra."
"Great," Byron spat. Like Angie he knew there would only be one reason why his ex would want to speak to him. "What's the brat done now?"
"Nanny trouble, apparently. She wants you to give her a call."
"Fine," Byron sighed, reaching for the phone, wondering if he should tell her to sort things out herself this time. After all, it wasn't his fault the boy was spoiled and defiant – no wonder most nannies walked out within weeks. He rarely saw him, never called him. He didn't even particularly like the boy. Not that anyone other than Angie and Cassandra - and, probably, little Joey himself – was aware of the fact. Mindful of his public image, Byron always professed his disappointment at yet another failed marriage, his love for his son, and the hope that the boy would follow in his footsteps and one day take over his business. But frankly it wouldn't bother him if he never saw the kid again.
He thought once more about Jeff Tracy. No pretence there when he spoke of his love for his sons. Not that it happened often, but on the rare occasions the man gave interviews the one thing guaranteed to provoke a genuine flash of emotion – the man must be one hell of a poker player, Byron thought – was a question about his family. The answer would be brief and uninformative, but Tracy couldn't help showing his obvious pride as he talked about his sons.
Byron followed this train of thought for a while. Even before he'd met Beth he'd been trying various ways to infiltrate Tracy Industries and find a way to bring down his rival. He'd done plenty of research but the man seemed unbreakable. He'd only seen him show unrestrained emotion on three occasions: on his return from the moon, at his wife's funeral – and after his son's rescue from kidnappers.
Byron pulled his hand back even as he was reaching for the phone to call his ex-wife. An idea was finally beginning to take shape and he turned to his laptop. He kept all his research on Tracy there and he pulled up the file which contained footage of the press conference Jeff had given after he'd been reunited with Virgil. He watched it again then sat back thoughtfully. It would take a lot of planning but it might just work... He'd known all along that the man's weak spot was his love for his sons. Now he would use that against him – because one way or another Byron was going to prove that the Tracys were International Rescue, use the knowledge to get his hands on some of their technology – and, perhaps most importantly, pay Beth back for her betrayal.