DECEPTIONS
by Spense
CHAPTER TEN
Schaeffer Bradley was not a happy man. He had a problem. It was a problem that bothered him to such an degree, that here he was, sitting on a plane en-route to Tracy Island on the day before Christmas Eve, rather than sitting home with his family. He would have much rather been home listening the Christmas carols, sipping eggnog and enjoying his family than here. Actually, he would rather be anywhere else than where he was headed right now.
It was December 23rd and all hearings and proceedings in the matter of Alan Tracy and the CPS office had stopped for Christmas, and wouldn't resume again until the 27th. Jeff Tracy had returned to Tracy Island, as there was nothing he could do in town until hearings resumed. Schaeffer Bradley had gone home to his family, tying to enjoy the holiday, all the while knowing his friend and employer would not be. But there was still a problem. A rather large one at that.
The Tracys were lying to him. All of them. It was exceedingly obvious with Gordon and Virgil. There was no disputing that both of those two were covering something up. He knew the investigators had picked up on it to some extent, although probably not as much as he had. He knew both boys far too well. John was also hiding something. He was far more subtle about it, but the deception was still there. However it was Jeff himself that worried Schaeffer the most.
He knew Jefferson Tracy very well. They had been good friends through some of the best and worst moments in their lives. Jeff had been his best man at his wedding. Jeff was also named guardian for his two young children if anything happened to either he and his wife. He remembered the births of Gordon and Alan, and had helped out watching the other children during those times. He just couldn't get over the feeling that Jeff was hiding something.
The thing that frightened Schaeffer most was that he was terribly afraid that the state's charges might be true. All he knew about the Tracys told him that the accusations couldn't possibly be accurate. That each of them as an individual, and the group as a whole were just absolutely incapable of abuse. To believe any one of the Tracys guilty of child abuse was about as possible as the sun rising in the west tomorrow. But the evidence was strong, and each of the family was lying to him in some form or another. As tough as an attorney as Schaeffer was, this was personal, and he felt like his world was coming off its axis.
Schaeffer had to find out. His integrity demanded it. This might be the end of a twenty plus year friendship, but he had to know. And he wasn't going to take no for an answer.
The pilot landed the plane on the short runway with precision, and taxied over the where an oriental gentleman was waiting. Schaeffer should have known that his arrival would have been noted. Jeff was always very thorough.
The attorney didn't speak except to greet Kyrano. He sat silent as the Jeff's long time retainer drove him toward the house in the golf cart. There were going to be no pleasantries today. He was here as an advocate for Alan, and he was going to get some answers.
Jeff stood up as he entered his study. "Schaeffer! What brings you here?" The smile faded as he registered the look on his old friend's face. "What's happened? What's wrong? Is it Alan?"
"Jeff, I need some answers," Schaeffer said heavily, dropping his briefcase and crossing his arms. He stood directly across from Jeff and met his eye boldly. "You and your sons have been lying to me and to the investigators during these meetings. I need to know why. Because if it's something to do with Alan, and he is being abused, I can't keep representing you." Schaeffer laid all the cards out on the table bluntly. "Not and be able to live with myself."
He paused, and took a deep breath. "I don't want to believe it is. But Jeff, I've sat in those hearings, and there are far too many inconsistencies. I see them, and the CPS investigators see them. And if it isn't about Alan, then I still need to know, because I can't help you if I don't know all the facts."
Jeff was silently at his friend for a long moment longer, his face impassive. After a bit, he seemed to come to a decision. Then, he reached out to his desk and pushed a button. "Boys, I need you up here right away please." Turning back to Schaeffer, he finally spoke to him as his sons appeared from various directions.
"I assume that this will be under attorney / client privilege?"
"Of course," Schaeffer said with a sinking heart. He felt cold in the pit of his stomach. Part of him really didn't want to know whatever it was that Jeff was about to reveal. He was afraid. Demons hid in many unlikely places.
He looked at the three Tracy sons who ranged themselves in a loose line across the side of the room in front of the mural depicting the family. Scott, Virgil and Gordon were all in casual tropical dress. At first glance, they looked for all the world like playboys on a vacation. But the tense stance of each belied the first impression. Schaeffer had known them all since they were young children, and he had never seen them quite this way. They looked tough as nails and remarkably intimidating. 'What was going on?'
Jeff's voice pulled his attention back again. "Schaeffer, I also have to ask you that anything you see and hear here will never leave this room. Not only as my attorney, but also as my friend. I need your word." Jeff looked at him with a mixture of sadness and the same steely eyed determination that his sons were projecting.
Schaffer felt a trail of fear down his spine. This was a side of the Tracy family that he'd never seen. Oh, he knew Jeff was tough. Between the moon walk and Tracy Enterprises, as well as raising five strong minded sons on his own, the man had an incredible amount of strength. But he'd never seen any of them like this. They were protecting their own somehow, and Schaeffer suddenly realized that he was, for all intents and purposes, alone on the island with them. He hesitated.
The long silence drew out. His world tilted even more. "All right," he finally agreed.
"Thank you." Jeff turned to his sons. "Schaeffer knows that we've been lying to him. He wants to know why, and about what. I'm going to tell him."
Although Schaeffer couldn't see any change in the silent line of young men, Jeff Tracy apparently did. He nodded once to his sons, then reached down and pressed a button under the desk. To Schaeffer's amazement a state of the art hand identification system pad slid out.
"Activating Command and Control Center," Jeff stated as he pressed his hand firmly to it.
Schaeffer was completely lost by this point. He had no clue what was going on. He expected a revelation, but he wasn't sure what this was. Then suddenly he was losing his balance and the room began to move. "What the . . . " he exclaimed as he regained his footing. He watched in amazement as Jeff's study disappeared into the rotating floor, only to be replaced with an unfamiliar array of sophisticated computer equipment.
He glanced again at the boys. Virgil stood with his arms crossed, a tight smile of mirthless satisfaction on his face. Gordon was grinning outright. Both young men wee clearly enjoying his discomfort. Scott, on the other hand, was stone-faced and tightlipped.
It was then that the discomforted attorney noticed the portraits that had replaced the mural on the wall. Five familiar faces attired in the flight suits that everybody around the world was familiar with. Schaeffer raised shocked eyes to meet Jeff's expressionless face as he stood in the middle of the impressive array like a king overseeing his kingdom.
Schaeffer opened his mouth, then shut it again. He looked once more at the portraits, the faces he thought he knew so well now completely out of context. He tore his gaze away once more and returned to look at Jeff again. "And John . . . ?" The one face on the portraits not currently in the room.
In response, Jeff's finger hit one of the multitude of buttons on a panels in front of him. "Base to Thunderbird Five, come in John."
' . . . Thunderbird . . . ' Schaeffer's dazed mind supplied.
A familiar voice answered even as John's image appeared in the oversized monitor on the desk. Schaeffer took in the unfamiliar communications room, and John, attired in an International Rescue ('International Rescue!') flight suit.
"Thunderbird Five – go ahead Base. Hi Dad . . . Whoa!" He broke off, startled, as he saw Schaeffer.
Jeff echoed Virgil's tight smile. "Schaeffer came and accused me of lying to him. He wouldn't accept anything less than the truth, and I wouldn't expect any less of him. It was time to show him what we'd been covering up."
"Hello, John," Schaeffer finally found his voice.
"Hello, Mr. Bradley," John replied politely, although clearly uncomfortable.
"Jeff . . ." Schaeffer began.
Jeff took pity on him. 'Sit down, Schaeffer, before you fall down." As the attorney dropped dazedly into a chair, Jeff looked over at his sons, as he too sat down.
"Lighten up, boys. He's just doing his job."
Virgil looked incredulous. "Dad, he really believed . . .," he began before Jeff cut him off.
"Of course he did. Think about it. How could he not? The evidence is damming and with the three of you lying your fool heads off, what do you expect?"
Virgil threw up his hands and let it go, heading for a chair. Gordon had already sunk onto one of the couches, openly enjoying the older man's surprise.
Scott however, did not sit down. "Are you happy now?" he asked Schaeffer bluntly.
"I don't know what to think," the attorney answered honestly. "Who else knows?"
"Only Anne Marie Watkins." Jeff answered, naming his long time assistant based in the New York flagship office of Tracy Enterprises.
"Anne Marie, of course," Schaeffer said thoughtfully. His brow furrowed suddenly, and with a quick change of subject, he asked, "And how is Alan involved?"
"Alan is in the first stages of training." Stopping suddenly, Jeff looked at Scott in mild irritation. "Sit down, son, and stop looming over Schaeffer."
Scott subsided, and with a grimace, dropped into a chair, still scowling.
"Alan is working on the simulators and occasionally goes along to observe and assist with crowd control."
John spoke up from the vidphone. "He's also spending time with me, learning the communications end."
"And his black eye?"
"Gordon hit him by mistake. He and Alan were trying to get survivors onto Thunderbird Two, usually a danger free operation. One of the survivors panicked, and Alan got caught in the crossfire." Jeff shrugged.
"You don't let him . . ." Schaeffer began before Jeff cut him off abruptly.
"Of course not! He won't be part of the team until he's of age. Then the choice is his. What kind of father do you think I am?" Jeff asked incensed.
"Calm down, Jeff. I didn't mean anything by it," Schaeffer said soothingly.
"You did a few minutes ago," Gordon's voice muttered darkly.
Virgil ignored his brother and commented, "Unfortunately, not everybody sees it that way."
"Well, now you see the problem, don't you?" Scott said harshly.
Oh yeah, Schaeffer saw the problem all right. What a can of worms. He looked at Jeff, who was staring at him knowingly, watching his friend's quick brain process all the new information, and file it in place.
"Oh yes," Schaeffer said grimly. "I see the problem all right. A myriad of problems." This was not the answer he'd expected, and he wasn't at all sure whether it made things better - or worse.