Brett awoke to the bright morning sun that was streaming into the cabin windows. He was still wrapped in Dirk's strong arms with only a light blanket covering them. He could the smell cool, fresh air blowing in off the ocean. The cabin was cool but their body heat kept them warm and comfortable.
They had slept nine hours without stirring. 'What a wonderful Thanksgiving morning,' Brett thought, waking up in Dirk's arms. 'I never expected a big man like Dirk to be so gentle. I also thought he would be awkward and self-conscious making love the first time, but I was pleasantly surprised. His tender embraces and his passionate kisses drive me wild. Dirk has a natural way about him when he makes love. It's uncanny, and he knows exactly how to turn me on. He has absolutely no hang-ups when it comes to sex. Life can be wonderful at times like this, I wish I could stay in bed with him all day, but that's impossible. This should be a wonderful day for us.'
Brett tried to untangle himself from Dirk's arms but only succeeded in waking him up.
Dirk pulled him back and held him in his powerful grip. He kissed him tenderly on the nose and lips. "Where do you think you're going?"
"I'm sorry I woke you."
"I'm a light sleeper," Dirk said. "It will take me a while to get used to sleeping with you." He kissed Brett again. "This is the way I want to wake up every morning, with you in my arms. You are breathtakingly handsome this morning."
"God, you're wonderful," Brett said."
Dirk reached over and grabbed the KY and a condom. He opened one, slid it over Brett's penis, and lubricated him with KY. "I want you to make love to me, my beautiful Brett."
After their breathing returned to normal, Dirk laid on top of Brett. He smothered him with kisses, and then laying his head next to Brett's, they both fell asleep again.
Dirk awoke, pulled Brett out of bed and led him into the shower. "It's my turn to make breakfast," Dirk said.
"Sounds wonderful," Brett replied, as he began stripping the sheets off the bed. "I think our wedding sheets need a wash."
Dirk laughed and walked back to his own cabin to dress. He went up on deck, cracked the hatches and returned to the galley to make breakfast.
Brett shoved the sheets into the washing machine and sat down at the dining table. "It looks like it going to be a beautiful day," Brett commented. "I've talked to Mother. I told her that we would be over mid-morning to look around before joining her and her guests for Thanksgiving dinner. She has only invited eighteen people this year. It should be nice."
Dirk finished scrambling the eggs and scooped them onto the plates with the home fries and bacon, then carried the plates to the table.
"You are a good cook my love," Brett said. "It's nice to know I don't have to slave over a hot stove all the time."
"I'm so happy this morning to have a wonderful lover like you," Dirk said. "Before we drive over to Harcourt Hall, I would like to go to church this morning to thank God for giving me a wonderful lover."
"You make me feel fantastic," Brett said. "This is a new experience for me and I like it, you make me feel like a new man."
He reached over and took Dirk's hand, looked into his eyes and said, "Will you marry me and be my spouse for life?"
"Yes, I will," Dirk answered. "You have made me the happiest man on this earth and I could not bear to even think of living without you."
"Do you feel that our diverse social background could hurt a long term marriage?" Dirk asked.
"I thought about that early on, but changed my mind when I saw how quickly you assimilated into my social set," Brett said. "It's true you weren't born with a silver spoon in your mouth, but it didn't take you long to learn. Fate has brought us together and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I have you now, and I do not intend to lose you. You are the only person I've ever loved and the only man I will ever marry."
"You're a remarkable person and I love you," Dirk said. "I will always be faithful to you and I will never stop loving you. My only regret is that we can't be married legally and have children together; other than that my love, I know we will be happy."
Brett leaned over and kissed Dirk. "I think we both have a busy day ahead of us. I have to make a few calls first, than its back to the Club, find you a church, and then we're off to Harcourt Hall."
Two hours later, they were driving through the wrought iron gates of Harcourt Hall. They took a more detailed tour of the manor. This time they ended the tour in Brett's second floor bedroom suite.
The windows of the suite faced the front of the manor. The large sitting room was exquisitely furnished with a working marble fireplace equipped with gas logs. Two handsomely carved doors adorned opposite ends of the suite. The door to the right led into a comfortably furnished office/library combination. The door to the left off the sitting room led into the master bedroom. Immediately off the master bedroom was the dressing room, bathroom and a small, compact exercise room.
Brett was gazing out the front window as Dirk walked up behind him. He wrapped his arms around him, kissed him on the back of his neck and asked, "Why so quiet?"
Brett leaned back against Dirk. "My mind was racing ahead to all the places I want to show you. And thinking where we will be a year from now," Brett said. "I'm so pleased you want to live here with me."
"I have to hold you like this to make sure you are not a dream," Dirk said. "All this beauty is new and exciting to me. It's obvious to me, from the looks of this home, that your family had a great deal of money to build it, and the taste to make it a comfortable place to live."
Brett turned around and kissed him tenderly. "I pray our marriage will last forever, my handsome mate."
They returned to the morning room where Molly was having coffee. "Mother, we have decided to take your suggestion and move in here with you," Brett told her.
"How wonderful," Molly glowed. "I'm so pleased."
Brett told her of his plans for remodeling his bedroom suite. "We will move in this week. I'll have Robert arrange to have our clothes and personal effects moved from the Islip apartment tomorrow morning."
"Whatever you wish, Brett," Molly agreed. "I'll be driving into Manhattan and plan to spend the next two weeks at the penthouse. My girlfriends want to catch the new Broadway shows and do a little shopping."
This is the nicest time in Manhattan with all the Christmas decorations and everyone in a festive mood. I enjoy the Christmas shopping. There is just so much going on in town," Molly said. "Dirk, you must tell me the ages and sizes of your daughters. I plan to buy them a few things so they will have something to wear when they visit. I hope you don't mind."
Dirk wrote down the sizes. "This is really sweet of you to think of Margie and Catherine this way," Dirk said. "Please let me know what I owe you."
"Don't be silly, my boy," Molly said. "This will be my Christmas gift to your daughters. I am looking forward to their visit. If they are anything like their father, I will love them."
"You are as generous as your son, Molly. I'm really concerned how the girls will act after my divorce," Dirk said. "Linda has a very low opinion of me at this point and is trying to turn the girls against me."
"Don't worry about it, Dirk," Molly said. "All daughters love their fathers. They will always remember the good times you had with them. I know how little girls are. Linda will not turn them against you, no matter what. I'm betting they will enjoy their visits with their dad and his new family. We'll have a long talk about the girls and their future when I get back from the city. I plan to redecorate one of the bedrooms next to my suite, just for them. That will be their room when they come to visit. I'm going to have fun spoiling them and I'll really enjoy it."
"You do whatever you think is best for the girls," Dirk said. "It takes a woman to raise girls; they play by the same rules and understand one another. They already know how to get around dear old dad, believe me."
Molly laughed, "At least you're smart enough to admit that women are smarter than men."
"My mother, bless her heart, made me see the light of day when I was a young boy, and she was right."
"Mother, I'm going to take Dirk around the grounds before dinner," Brett said. "We will be back in time for cocktails." Brett gave his mother a hug, and kissed her on the cheek.
Dirk hugged Molly, kissed her on the cheek and said, "Thank you for making me feel at home."
Three months had passed since they moved into Harcourt Hall. Brett became the Chairman of the Harcourt Oil Company on January 1st, and Dirk took over as President of the Harcourt Marine Company.
After two weeks commuting by train to Manhattan every day, Brett realized that four hours each day commuting into Manhattan was a waste of his time. At Dirk's urging, he purchased a helicopter to make the round trip to Manhattan. The trip took under an hour. They had an all-weather landing area constructed on the lawn of Harcourt Hall, eliminating any local driving time.
On weeks when the weather turned nasty, they both stayed at the Manhattan Penthouse.
Oddly enough, the marine business thrived during the winter season. The boat yards were working full time overhauling the hulls and getting the boats ready for the summer season. In fact, the maintenance part of the business guaranteed them a steady income year round.
Linda had agreed to all the terms of their divorce after Dirk offered her a deal she could not refuse. He agreed to give her a lump sum settlement in return for an un-contested divorce and to reimburse her for all legal expenses. He purchased an apartment building in a good neighborhood in her hometown. It was a revenue producing building close to her parents' home in Erie. In return, Linda forfeited her rights to sue him in the future. Naturally, he bore full responsibility for child support, including private schools and all college expenses for the girls.
Molly was the architect behind the divorce settlement. She reasoned that Linda was a practical woman and surmised that she was only concerned with three things in life, to be near her family, the welfare of her children and an income to support her in her old age.
Molly felt that if Dirk could guarantee her those assurances up front, then Linda would agree to the settlement. The apartment building was the ideal solution. At first, Linda and her lawyers were skeptical about the deal until they checked everything out. Assured everything was legitimate, they moved quickly to finalize the contract before Dirk changed his mind.
Molly cautioned Dirk not to expose his daughter's to his new life style until his divorce was final. It was decided that he would take the girls to Disneyland as their Christmas present.
Molly's initial impression of Dirk had not changed. She found him charming, attentive and a generally cheerful person to have around. Dirk liked Molly and they became close friends. He treated her as he would his own mother, with love and affection. It was easy to see how Brett was so attracted to him. He never raised his voice and never showed any outward sign of displeasure, or anger even if he felt otherwise. He was always in complete control of his feelings.
Molly envied her son sometimes, because Dirk could become the ideal companion to a lonely woman like herself, if he were available. He was more of a man than anyone she had ever known other than Brett's father. Dirk reminded her of Brett senior in so many ways, more so than her son.
Molly was sitting in the morning room reading the Sunday Times when Brett walked in and greeted her, kissing her on the cheek, "What a wonderful morning!"
"You're in good spirits this morning," Molly said. "What has made you so chipper?"
"I feel great," Brett said. "Don't you feel that way some mornings, Mother?"
"Dirk is still sleeping and we have some time to talk before he joins us for breakfast."
"You know my feelings about dying, Mother," Brett said. "But like Father, I hate to leave any loose ends. If I should die suddenly like father, I think Dirk will be crushed and will need your strength. He loves this place with a passion and I wanted to ask you to let him stay on if anything happens to me. He loves you, Mother, and I feel that you could help each other."
"I don't know if I could survive your death myself," Molly said. "Why do you dwell on that subject, Brett? Just because your father died at a young age does not mean that the same fate will happen to you. I want you to stop thinking this way."
"Dirk is like another son to me and I have grown very fond of him," Molly said. "Nothing is going to happen to you, and Dirk can live here forever if he wishes."
"That's good. Dirk wants to change his name to Harcourt and I would like to ask you to legally adopt him as a son. This will not affect your estate in any way, but it would help if anything did happen to me. You see, we have a marriage contract. If anything happens to me my estate goes to Dirk and our children."
"Your children, what children, or are you referring to Dirk's girls?" Molly asked.
"Dirk and I have found surrogate mothers to bear our children. We did not want to say anything until it was all settled," Brett said. "The women were impregnated three months ago and we learned last week that everything is going well and we should be fathers in six months. So it looks like you will be a grandmother after all."
"How wonderful," Molly said. "I'm going to be a grandmother at long last. I never thought that would happen. I'm thrilled and I will be delighted to adopt Dirk. He is your spouse and sweetheart. You have no idea how thrilled I am about this; imagine that, grandchildren."
"You do anything you want with your estate, my dear," Molly said. "Now I can build a nursery and start looking for good nurses and a nanny and take care of the babies. This is so exciting!"
"This should keep you busy through your golden years, Mother."
"What do you mean my golden years?" Molly said. "By today's standards I'm middle aged. Having babies in the house will make us all feel younger, mark my words."
Dirk walked in and said, "Good morning, beautiful people. What are you all excited about this morning?"
Brett smiled, "I've just told Mother the news about our children," Brett said.
"You two are very sly. Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Molly said. "When did you decide to have a family?"
Dirk chuckled, "My better half decided we were going to have children and you know I cannot deny him anything," Dirk said. "I wanted him to talk it over with you first because you might throw the lot of us out. But, you know your son; he had to be sure our surrogate mothers were going to produce before he said anything."
"I love children," Molly said. "I'm thrilled that I will have grandchildren running around the house at long last."
"Brett has told me that you are taking our name," Molly said. "Are you sure this is what you want? Have you considered how this will affect your family?"
"I'm not taking my name away from my daughters," Dirk said. "I'm adding my spouses name to mine. In time, my daughters will do the same thing after they are married. Brett has given me a new life and it's only fitting that I take his name for my new life. If anything happens to us, it will make it easer for our children in the long run, now all our children will be Harcourts."
"I'm proud to bear Brett's name. He is my life and our children will make our lives complete. We have given this a great deal of thought and have decided to start a family because we want to continue our line and have someone to dote over us in our old age."
"We hope that you will help us to make this home a wholesome and happy home for our children."
"When you put it that way, how can I refuse?" Molly said happily. "I would be very proud to adopt you as my son."
The next three months were extremely busy for the newlyweds. They spent Monday through Thursday at the Manhattan apartment and the weekends at Harcourt Hall.
The bad weather combined with his heavy workload forced Brett to use their Manhattan apartment more often. It was convenient for both he and Dirk. Dirk commuted by the LIRR three times a week to the Islip office and was back into town by six every evening. The commute was a little over an hour and gave Dirk the chance to catch up on his reading.
They were sitting in the living room after dinner having their coffee watching the snow fall on Central Park.
"I have a surprise for you, my love," Brett said. "As of noon today, you are legally Dirk Devlin Harcourt. I have changed all our joint accounts today. The bank president asked that you stop by tomorrow to sign the new signature cards."
"That is a nice surprise," Dirk said. "I've decided to use Dirk D. Harcourt in the future instead of my surname. Now, my love we are legally married and I feel good about that."
"The adoption papers are being recorded," Brett said. "So my handsome brother and husband, we are legally united. It is comforting to know that we are a family and no one can take our children away from us. Our next step is to fly to Hawaii and get married next month, I've arranged everything and mother wants to be there as well."
"So many things are falling into place for me," Brett said. "I'm finally to the point where I feel comfortable making the tough decisions. I have a spouse who loves me and our children are due in a few months, what more could I ask for? Sometimes I wish I was back at Harcourt Marine working with you again," Brett said. "Life was so much simpler and clear cut. It was much easier to get things done. Every decision at Harcourt Oil takes forever. I never realized how many layers of executives it takes to make a decision; it's almost as bad as congress. So many variables come into play. It's never a clear-cut decision. I've had to discipline myself to limit the discussions to one day, take a vote the next day without further discussions. I think you would be better at this job, sweetheart. Will you promise me that if anything happens to me, you will take over Harcourt Oil and run it?"
"Don't even think that way, baby," Dirk said. "You upset me with these distressing thoughts. You are so much a part of me now; I don't want to go on without you."
"I'd feel the same way if you left me, yet we must be realistic," Brett said. "God determines when our time is up on this earth and we don't have a choice in the matter. You know we will always be together, even through eternity. Always keep that in mind."
"I'm like my mother. I will never marry again," Brett said. "If anything happens to you I will go on as before and raise our children alone. My mother was only in her forties when dad was killed, and she was still an attractive woman, yet she never found another man that could measure up to my father. Naturally, my thinking has been influenced by my father's premature death. We probably will live to ripe old ages. Will you promise me you will see a lawyer and make a will? You have your children to consider now. If you really love me, you will not put us through the hell of litigation if anything happens to you. My will was drawn up when I was twenty-one. Now I update it regularly. I implore you to do the same."
"I promise you I will have it taken care of this week," Dirk said. "Only if you promise me you will get off this depressing subject."
"I have one more thing to say, and then the subject is closed," Brett said. "If I die, I want you to find another mate. Life is for the living and you have so much love to give. It would be a shame not to share that with another person. I would hope that you will always keep me in your heart and in the hearts of our children."
Dirk pulled Brett into his arms and kissed him. "Oh God, Brett, please don't ever leave me, I love you too much," Dirk said. "I know you're speaking from your heart, but I don't want to hear any more of this, please, baby."
"Okay, no more, I promise," Brett said.
"Have you ever heard the name Noel Erickson in your travels," Dirk asked."
"I don't remember hearing that name before," Brett said. "Should I know him?"
"No, dear. The reason I asked is because I have an appointment to meet him on his yacht tomorrow morning," Dirk said. "He's interested in trading up to a larger yacht. He wants me to look at his yacht in the morning. He keeps it moored at his club on the Hudson River. One thing for sure, I'm not looking forward to walking around on an ice encrusted deck tomorrow morning. Our investigators have pre-qualified him for whatever he wants to spend. With that kind of rating, I thought perhaps you knew him."
"Who does he work for?" Brett inquired.
"He is president of the Noel Erickson Division of MacDonald-Stevens Corporation. Have you heard of them?"
"Sure I know of the MacDonald-Stevens Corporation, they are one of our competitors in certain areas."
"According to the report, MacDonald-Stevens Corporation is owned by two men, Duncan MacDonald-Stevens and Andrew Stevens, the third."
"I know a Drew Stevens quite well. He is an old friend of the family. He is the chairman of GW Stevens, but I was unaware he was the Stevens in the MacDonald Stevens Corp. Drew is a member in the millionaires club," Brett said. "I'd like to talk to Noel Erickson some day to learn more about MacDonald-Stevens. It's hard to find out too much about a privately owned company like that. They keep everything under wraps."
"I'll find out what I can," Dirk said. "You seem preoccupied about something. Do you feel like discussing it?"
"There is something going on at my firm that I find disturbing, but I can't seem to track it down," Brett said. "I've not been on the job long enough to know the executives well enough to put my trust in any one of them. My instincts tell me that the company is being screwed. Too many deals have been going sour lately to be a coincidence, and I do not believe in coincidences anyway. There has to be a leak somewhere and I plan to dig until I find out who is behind this."
"On the surface everything seems fine, then all of a sudden one problem after another develops, it blows up in our face. We had to walk away from several projects that looked promising."
"Have you talked to Molly about this?" Dirk asked.
"Not until I have something concrete to go on."
"Look, baby, you have a sixth sense about these things. My suggestion would be to call your mother and compare notes on the executives she trusts. Then hire the best internal security people you can to investigate the leak. Hell, it's your company on the line! If you want, I'll use my contacts to find a good firm to handle this thing for you."
"Your right, I'll call Mother. I owe her a call anyway." Brett reached his mother at her West Palm Beach residence. They talked for over an hour. Dirk had dozed off with his head resting on Brett's shoulder. Brett said goodbye to his mother and kissed Dirk.
"Sorry I dozed off, honey," Dirk said. "You're so warm and cuddly, I fell asleep. What did Molly have to say?"
"Mother agreed with you. She suggests I talk to Jim McGowan or Joel Kline. She felt the majority of our people are loyal, but then money and power have been known to corrupt otherwise scrupulous men."
"Why don't you go ahead and find an agency that can do the job?" Dirk said.
"Consider it done," Brett said.
"Great! I never realized how much easier life would be with you around," Brett said. "You have woven your magic on me and I like it. Let's go to bed."
The morning traffic was moving at a snail's pace over the icy roads. Dirk hired a limo for the day to get around town. He did not intend to drive his Mercedes in this kind of weather. He arrived at the Hudson River Yacht Club ahead of time for his eight o'clock appointment with Noel Erickson. The security guard told him that Mr. Erickson was on board and gave him directions to Noel's mooring."
As he approached the yacht, he saw a man waving at him to come on board. Dirk held onto the safety line as he boarded the Jason.
"I thought sure you would cancel this morning," Noel said. "It is a cold, nasty day to be looking at a boat."
"No problem, Mr. Erickson."
"Please call me Noel. I called your office earlier and they said you were on your way."
"How about I take a walk around first, then we can talk?" Dirk said. He made a fast inspection of the yacht from stem to stern, and returned to the heated lounge and removed his heavy coat.
"Would you like a cup of hot coffee, Mr. Harcourt," Noel asked.
"Please call me Dirk, and a cup of anything hot would be welcome. He sat at the galley table and opened his briefcase.
"This yacht is in fine shape, but I would like to have one of my engineers take a look at it later to come up with the numbers. However, I assure you we will pay you top dollar for the Jason," Dirk said. "We also have several sale options you can choose from. You can trade the Jason in against a new yacht, sell it on your own, or let us sell it for you on a commission basis."
"I need a larger yacht for my family," Noel said. "Which option would you suggest?"
"The quickest and most painless way is to trade in against a new yacht. We'd both do a little better on the consignment deal if you are willing to wait. It's all a trade off really, we will go along with whatever way you wish."
"Let me think about that a bit. Now, let us talk about my new boat. What do you have for me?"
Dirk had done his homework. He made his presentation on the ideal yacht for Noel. The yacht would have everything Noel wanted and then some. It made the Jason look pale by comparison. When he finished the presentation, he showed Noel a video of the yacht that he thought Noel should consider. The builder was one of the best and everything he designed was first class.
"Well, what do you think about that yacht?" Dirk asked
"I want that yacht, or one just like it," Noel said. "How long do you think it will take to build?"
"You may be in luck there," Dirk said. "There is a similar hull already built. The principal had a stroke and he may be up for selling the hull. If you are serious about it and give me your word on this deal, I think I can swing it."
"Go ahead, make the deal for the hull," Noel said. "You have my word on this deal."
Dirk called the yacht builder and spoke to the sales manager. He learned that they represent owners who are willing to sell their contract if they can recoup their costs. Dirk told him he had a buyer for the hull and wanted him to send the contract via email. Dirk informed the manager that his customer was with him and he would like a confirmation of this agreement ASAP. Dirk gave him his email address and told him they were standing by for the email confirmation. Dirk hooked up his notebook computer to the telephone line.
"We will wait for the email, Dirk said. "You realize we are talking serious dollars for this package."
"I trust you, Dirk," Noel said. "Draw up the contract and I'll sign it this weekend. My friends have nothing but praise for you, and about your business ethics."
"I appreciate that, Noel, and don't worry, I'm in this business for the long haul," Dirk said. "If you are satisfied with our service, I'd appreciate it if you would mention that to your friends, if they ask."
"I like the way you do business," Noel said. "I'll sit down with your designers and make any changes in the interior when you set it up. Let me know if I can ever be of help to you. Don't hesitate to ask."
"There is something you may be able to help me with," Dirk said. "I'm looking for a top notch industrial investigation firm that specializes in corporate security."
"Funny thing you ask," Noel said. "One of our Divisions specializes in that business. I'll jot down Mike Lee's office number on the back of my card. Tell him I recommended him, and explain your problem. I'm sure he will help you out. Mike is president of our Industrial Securities Division, and a super guy."
"So you're the brother that's running Harcourt Marine now," Noel asked.
"Right, my brother decided to run the oil business and leave me to run the boat business," Dirk explained.
"I see you're wearing a new wedding band. How long have you been married?"
"We've been married over three months now."
"Do you have any kids?"
"Two daughters from my first marriage and we are in a family way now."
"That's wonderful," Noel said. "I plan to have some friends over for our monthly gourmet dinner on Saturday. Why don't you bring the contracts and your video presentation over on Friday evening and plan to spend the weekend? I'm anxious to show my new toy to the family."
"I'll arrange to have my appraiser over here tomorrow and we will put the numbers together. I'll have contracts for you by Friday."
"You don't mind giving your presentation again for my friends on Saturday, do you?"
"Not at all," Dirk said.
"Good! It's settled than."
"We would like to come," Dirk said. "But before I accept, you should know my other half is Brett Harcourt. Brett and I are a couple. If that is a problem, I'll understand."
"Absolutely not," Noel said. "Clear it with your other half, and if you can make it, call my other half, Scott MacGregor, and let him know. He will give you directions and answer any questions you have. I leave for Europe this afternoon and won't be back until Friday afternoon."
"We have a great group in our gourmet club and always manage to have a fun time. You might want to tell Brett that Mac and Drew Stevens are members of the club. Who knows? Maybe you'll sell a few more yachts before the weekend is over."
"Every month a different couple hosts the dinner. The rules are that the host must plan and prepare the dinner from scratch without any help from the staff. We can only use our staff for the actual serving and washing up, but the host must prepare everything else. It's a lot of fun."
"I'll call Scott this evening and let him know if Brett can make it," Dirk said. The email was received. Dirk gave Noel his copy. "It's official, you now own a new yacht, Noel," Dirk said. "I'll have your contract in hand on Friday." They shook hands on the deal and he left the Jason.
Dirk made better time returning to the apartment. The roads were salted and the sun was melting the ice. Dirk made the call to Mike Lee. He explained the situation and arranged for the three of them to have lunch at the Plaza. He called Brett and told him about the meeting with Noel Erickson and about the party.
"We'll skip the charity benefit at the Metropolitan for Saturday and reschedule our meeting with the architect," Brett said. "I wouldn't want to miss this weekend at the Erickson's. It will be like old times, sweetheart, working with you on the weekend."
Dirk was already seated at his regular table when Brett and Mike Lee were escorted to the table at the same time.
"Dirk, this is Mike Lee," Brett said. "We both arrived at the same time. Mike, this is my partner, Dirk Harcourt. If no one objects, let's keep this on a first name basis."
Mike said, "Brett, I would like you to start from the beginning and tell me about this conspiracy that's taking place in your company, and what in particular aroused your suspicions. Take your time and don't leave anything out, even though it may seem trivial to you."
After the waiter took their order, Brett told his story. They were having their coffee by the time he had finished.
Mike asked him to elaborate on several points as he jotted down items in his notebook. He asked Brett for a roster of his board members, his executives and his plant managers.
"I anticipated your request," Brett said. "Here is a folder that contains the names and the photos of all the upper level management in my company. In addition, I have circled the names of the two executives my mother trusts."
Mike asked, "Have you confided in these men yet?"
"Not yet."
"That's good," Mike said. "Don't mention this to them or to anyone at Harcourt Oil until I can come up with some answers. Brett, I'm not going to mince words. I think you may have a serious problem on your hands. Based on what you have told me, I'm convinced there is a conspiracy going on at Harcourt. Our people are trained professionals. No one will suspect they are being investigated. If you can swing it, I suggest that you not pay our fees through Harcourt Oil. We don't want any questions asked about our services."
"That's not a problem," Brett said. "You can bill Harcourt Marine for your services."
"I must warn you in advance that our services will be expensive and this type of investigation will take time, since we don't have anyone on the inside, other than yourself," Mike explained.
"I'm willing to spend whatever it takes to get the job done."
Mike said, "Betty Chen, will be your contact agent. She will hand deliver a notebook computer to you this evening and she will instruct you in its use. We will use that to communicate from here on."
"Your new security agent is Ian Ramsey. He will contact you later today. Ian will be responsible for your safety. Please follow his instructions. Naturally, everything you tell us will be kept in the strictest confidence. The same client privilege rules exist with my agency as does with your lawyer, or doctor. You must be completely candid with me for your own good. It is our job to protect you from now on and to find the bad guys."
Brett said, "I understand."
"Good. Am I correct in assuming that you and Dirk are a couple?"
"Yes, and we have no secrets from each other. Dirk is a member of my family and has my complete trust."
"Ian is one of my best men. He will know the score, so don't feel uncomfortable around him. He will devise a good cover for himself that you both can live with. He is a good man, graduated from the Naval Academy and was with Naval Intelligence and the CIA before I recruited him for my firm. Somewhere along the line I'll need access to the personnel files on all your executives, and any videos or photographs that you have available, besides those you have already provided. Betty Chen and Ian can work with you on that. We also need to clear your household staff."
"Well, gentlemen, I want to thank you for lunch and we'll meet again tomorrow morning. I will bring along a letter of agreement for you that will explain the services we will be providing."
Later that evening, Dirk called Scott MacGregor to confirm that they were accepting Noel's invitation for the weekend. He learned that Scott was having a surprise birthday party for Noel on Friday evening. The affair was formal and he knew that Noel would be disappointed if they did not attend. Scott apologized for not being able to devote the entire weekend to them, but this surprise for Noel was planned months ago. He felt they would have a good time anyway.