NB Drama - 4. NBD Chapter 4

The door was locked, so I rattled the door, to see if anyone was inside, and a woman appeared, and after a short frown, she smiled as she approached and unlocked the door. “Sir Lewis, I have just got off the phone with the manager of the accommodation, informing me of your arrival in Broome, please come in” the lady said.

Once the door was closed and locked behind me, I was led to a large conference room, where there was a lot of files scattered over it. “My apologies for the mess, I am trying to get in contact with the former airline pilots and stewards to return to us, as per the instructions I received from Mr Louis and Joachim Wagner.

My name is Sarina De Cagnino, I have been the Administration Manager of the airline, when your late husband first established the company as Wagner Air, my condolences on the recent loss of your husband” the lady said to me once we had seated.

“Thank you, I presume from your surname that you have Italian ancestry, and that you are fluent in Italian?” I asked, “Yes Sir Lewis, as well as German, French and Spanish” Sarina replied smiling. “That is good to know, now can you tell me what you have been doing since my husband’s death?” I replied.

“Well sir, I have secured the return of the 6 aircraft, which have been leased out to another company, until later this month, when we take control of them again, and they will be flown here, for a full service and flight test, before we begin flights from Broome to the Chagos Archipelago, and from Broome to the Cocos Keeling Islands, both with stops at Christmas Island.

It was the Wagner twins suggestion that we base all aircraft in Broome, and not start flights from Darwin, until 3 months later, so as not to over spend too quickly” Sarina stated, “I agree with that suggestion, and I would like to add, that the two aircraft flights from Darwin to Broome, be via Kununurra, in the top of Western Australia, and that the flights be just those destinations, with linking flights to the Indian Ocean Territories, using the other 4 aircraft” I said.

“Very good sir, I will do that. So far, I have been able to re-employ the aircraft engineers and ground crew that we had before, and they will be joining us in Broome, before the end of the month, in time for the arrival of all 6 aircraft. I have also secured, long term leases, on a small apartment block, to accommodate all IOA ground and flight crew, here in Broome” Sarina said.

At the end of our meeting, satisfied that everything was on track to restart the flight to the Indian Ocean Territories, I headed back to the accommodation, and started up my laptop computer, so as to send an email. “To the Administrator of Indian Ocean Territories of Australia and Shire Councils of Christmas, Cocos Keeling and Chagos Islands.

Sir/Ma’am, I am emailing you today, to inform you that I will be restarting the flights to all three Indian Ocean island territories of Australia, departing from Broome, and commencing at the start of next month, so as to improve tourism back to the region.

Furthermore, I have a gift of $800,000 for each island region, to help pay for infrastructure improvements to the islands, to make them more appealing to the expected increase of tourists to your regions. I hope that this meets your approval, and I look forward to hearing from you all in regards to this matter. Kind Regards, Commander Lewis Shaw VC, SC, DSC.”

Once I had sent the email, I retrieved my phone and made a call to Kylie. “Hello Lewis, how are things going, I believe you are back on the mainland” Kylie said when she answered the call, “Yes I am back on the mainland, I’m in Broome at the moment, having spent a few days in Kalbarri” I replied. “Oh good, it is good to hear that you are keeping busy” Kylie said.

“Ky, I thought I asked you to tell the GG that I would not accept back the knighthood and life peerage, after what they did to me” I said in an annoyed tone. “I did, by Her Excellency, flat out refused to accept that, and reinstated them to you anyway” Kylie replied.

“Very well, I will accept the knighthood, but not the life peerage, you can tell her that as a counter demand, and that is final, I will be notifying the Rottnest Island Board and the Western Australian Government, of that decision, so they Rottnest Island Board to decide on what to do with the house” I responded.

“Ok, I will pass that on, but she will not be very happy about it, she literally chewed my ear off last time I spoke to her by telephone, and I have this feeling that the IOTA Administrator position is vacant, and she may be thinking about asking you to take it on” Kylie said, which made me chuckle, before I frowned about the last part of what she just said.

“Well you can tell her Excellency that I will refuse to accept that position ever again, and that she can throw me in jail if she likes, but I will not do that job again” I said sourly, “Ok, I hear you and I will pass that information onto her, but she won’t be very happy about it” Kylie responded.

“Well that is tough cookies, that is that last time I wish to discuss that matter” I said, “Ok my friend, please don’t shoot the messenger, I must go, I have just been paged, take soon, bye” Kylie said and she ended the call.

I wondered if I should steer clear of the Indian Ocean Territories, until a new administrator is found, as I could easily keep myself busy in Broome for the next few months, and that is exactly what I decided to do, and I contacted the administration manager, to let him know that I would be staying on for at least a week or more.

Over the next few days, I received emails from the Shire Councils of Christmas Island, Cocos Keeling Islands and the Council of Chiefs at Chagos Archipelago, all stating they all welcomed the injection of funds to improve infrastructure in their region, as well as the return of the regular flights from Broome and Darwin, to help boost Tourism.

The email I sent to the IOTA administrator we redirected to the Office of the Governor General of Australia, and I received an email from the GG a week after the others. “Dear Sir Lewis, Her Excellency has stated that she is very disappointed that you have refused to accept the reinstalment of your life Peerage, and regretfully, she has accepted your decision on that matter.

She states that she is equally disappointed, that you will not consider taking on the vacant position of IOA Territory Administrator, for what I must agree, you did an excellent job in the position in the past, both in Chagos Archipelago and more recently the whole of the Indian Ocean Territories of Australia. Her Excellency understands your resentment on what happened to you, regarding the incident in Singapore, and so she also regretfully, accept that you will not accept the position once again.

Thank you for restarting your airline flights back to the region, which Her Excellency is sure, will dramatically improve life for the people of the Indian Ocean Territories, and for all of your public service in the past. Kind Regards, Private Secretary to the Governor General of Australia.”

I received another unexpected email, this one coming from Claremont, a western suburb of Perth. “Dear Sir Lewis, as you are now aware, we have lost our beloved employer, Sebastian, due to a high-speed crash in the Swiss Alps. My nephews and I, have spent the last few days packing up the house in London, in preparation for it being put on the market, and flying home to Perth, where Sebastian has provided us with a lovely home.

Although I am now retired, my nephews at such a young age, are left somewhat with no job, and so I am asking if you would consider taking on Wyatt and Xavier as your staff, we understand that the wages will not be as high as what Sebastian offered, the boys just want to find a happy place to be employed, and you were the first person who came to mind. We look forward to hearing a response from you soon. Regards, June Cooper.”

I was aware of the exact amount that Mrs Cooper and her two nephews were paid, which was well above the average salary, with Mrs Cooper receiving 45,000 pounds per annum, plus superannuation and 5 weeks holidays per year, while the two lads received 32,000 pounds per annum, plus superannuation and 4 weeks holidays per year.

Converting that to Australian dollars, that is about $60,000 Australian per year each for the lads, which I felt was a little too steep. After doing some research, and seeing that the minimum wage for personal assistants is $40,000, and it can be as high as $70,000, and working out what my income will be from current income from the accommodation businesses in Kalbarri and Broome, I worked out that I could afford to pay them no more than $55,000 each.

Although it was a significant drop in their wages, it was all that I could offer, and I sent a response to Mrs Cooper’s email, with the offer of a job for both of her nephews, but at the reduced amount. I was a little surprised when I received a reply from her less than ten minutes later, saying that the lads have accepted the job at the wages offered, and asked for details of when they would start, and where they would be living.

After some thought, I decided that it would be best to make Denham, as my home base for now, as it is only a 2 hour direct flight to Broome, and a 1 ½ hour direct flight to Perth, although I had not checked out the accommodations that I now owned, I did a quick check of the Oceanside Village, and I booked two deluxe villas at the back of the property, for a period of two months, starting from late next week.

Once I had done that, I went to the front reception and asked to speak to the manager, and I was directed to the back of the reception area, where the manager was on the phone, but on seeing me, he quickly ended the call. “How can I assist you sir Lewis?” he asked me.

“I will be staying only a few days, as my plans have changed, as I stated before, I wanted to reduce the number of vehicles available to VIP Guests, instead of selling one Trailblazer and one Colorado, I want them both trucked down to my other holiday accommodation property in Denham, as that will be my main base from now on” I announced.

“Very good sir, we have a local trucking company that make weekly journeys from Broome to Geraldton, leaving on Mondays, is that suitable time to send them next week?” the manager stated, “Yes that will be fine, and I will fly out from here to Denham on Wednesday, next week” I replied.

With that sorted, I returned to my unit, and prepared to send an email to Wyatt and Xavier. “Dear lads, I am very pleased that you will be joining me, as I have always enjoyed your company. As of late next week, I will be setting up my home base in the town of Denham, as I own holiday accommodation there, and I have already reserved a two-bedroom villa for you both, that will be next door to my villa. I will arrange for you both to fly to Denham in a chartered flight on Saturday next week. Regards Lewis Shaw.”

Next, I did a google maps search of Fowlers Bay, Denham, and all that I saw was a few tracks that lead to a sort of point, just 22 kms south of town. I guessed that it was just a patch of ground that Sebastian had bought, with plans to build something there in the future.

What I was not aware, is that since the Google maps recorded that view, the property had some large changes made to it, including a garrison fence and a double garrison gateway along the eastern boundary, that goes from North to South, and goes all the way to the low tide mark in the water, which is made of steel with a thick poly coating to fight rust and corrosion. The boundary is 1.2 kms from the main Shark Bay Road, along a gravel access road,

What originally was planned to be an environmentally friendly research and visitors centre, on 170,000 square metres or 42 acres of rare freehold land, has become a large cyclone code private home, right near the foreshore, with unlimited views of Shark Bay.

Built along side a small hillside, to give it wind protection on one side, with views of the small bay, the square shaped house is raised 2.5 metres off the ground, and has a large square open courtyard in the middle, with a double garage, under each side, and a large entry foyer in the front, with a large staircase leading to the upstairs living area.

At the back on the ground floor, is a large store room and maintenance workshop, plus a power generator room in one corner, and a desalination plant in the other corner, behind the house, set into the hill are 4 large storage tanks to hold plenty of fresh water.

The whole of the roof is covered in solar panels to provide all the power required to run the house. Upstairs, is a wide- open living area, that is nearly the full width of the house, and has commanding views of the bay in one direction, and overlooks the central courtyard in the other direction, with a veranda leading off the living area.

Above the courtyard, which is a large landscaped tropical style garden, with plenty of large palm trees, ferns, hibiscus and other tropical shrubs, that surround a peanut shaped swimming pool, with a 1.5 metre-high, stone wall and a cascading waterfall.

Hidden behind the wall is the pool pump and filtration system, to keep the pool running smoothly and looking clean all the time. To the left of the living area, is a large office and library, with a private lounge and a huge master suite, with a private balcony in the corner. On the right side is the formal dining room, butler’s pantry, food stores, the large kitchen, and a laundry, with a small balcony in the corner.

From the balcony, along the back of the house, is a passageway along the front, that faces the central courtyard, and this leads to a large bedroom, a private lounge room and a 2^nd large bedroom, with a large shared bathroom. After spending a few more days having meetings with Sarina, regarding IOA, I spent my last two days in Broome just relaxing, and doing some sight-seeing.

On the Wednesday morning, a chartered flight collected me from Broome, and flew me south to Denham, and a taxi collected me from the small airport, and drove me into town to my accommodation. This time the receptionist did not recognise me or my well-known name, especially when I did not include my full title, and so I checked into my villa accommodation, which was surprisingly very comfortable.

It was quite warm outside, so I elected to stay indoors, where it was a lot cooler with the air conditioner going, as I began to unpack, I notice that the bed looked like it had not been made properly, so I took a closer look around the villa, and saw that the bathroom was not clean, with used towels hanging on the towel rack.

I was furious that I had been checked into a villa that had not been cleaned, and I stormed down to the reception office, to make a complaint. I wish to speak to the manager immediately, I demanded, as soon as I entered the reception foyer. “I am sorry mate, but the manager is away in Perth on business” the receptionist replied, “Well then I wish to speak to the duty manager then” I responded, getting angrier by the minute.

“I am sorry mate, but she is away also, on a shopping trip to Geraldton” the receptionist responded, “This is not good enough, who is in charge then?” I said, “that would be me mate, now what can I do for you” the receptionist replied, “First thing you can do is stop calling me mate, I am not your mate, I am a paying guest, and secondly my villa has not been cleaned, as the bathroom is filthy, there are used towels in there, and the bed also has used sheets on it” I stated, trying to calm down a little.

“I am sorry mate, err Sir, it should have been completed by now, I will have to go and check to see what had happened” the receptionist answered, “Yes you do that, as it was something you should have checked before allowing me to enter the villa” I snapped, and the receptionist stopped walking and faced me.

“Sir, we are a small business, and we are trying our best, if you are not happy, you are most welcome to try elsewhere” the receptionist said, “I will do just that, and I will also be complaining to the owners of your business about this shit place” I said, as I began to leave, “You are most welcome to do that, but as far as I am aware, the property owners are a Swiss company from Zurich” the receptionist replied, and I didn’t bother to respond, and just walked out.

Gathering my unpacked luggage, I walked out of the accommodation village, and made my way down to the Shark Bay Waterfront Apartments next door, where I was pleased to find accommodation available for myself and my two new staff members when they arrive.

Once I settled into my executive suite, I picked up my mobile, and not bothering to see what the time is, I called a number that I knew by heart. A sleepy Joachim answered the call, “you do realise that it is the middle of the night here, don’t you?” he said. “I don’t care what time it is, I have just left accommodation from hell, which is meant to be top class holiday accommodation here in Denham” I snapped.

“Oh, Lewis, is that you, what is wrong?” Joachim said as he struggled to wake up properly, “You tell me, I travelled from Broome to Denham today, expecting to find good quality accommodation, and I am checked into a villa that has not even been cleaned, with used sheets still on the bed, and used towel in the bathroom. The receptionist is in charge of the whole place, because the manager is away in Perth, and the deputy manager is away shopping in Carnarvon” I stated.

“Shit, that is not good, I am sorry Lewis, I was not aware that this was happening. Just before the property was handed over to you, they had a completed change of management, and I was assured that they were good quality management, a husband and wife team.

Give me the number of the accommodation, and I will inform the receptionist, that the property is now owned by a Western Australia owned company, and that the new owner is coming to Denham to inspect the property, and see what happens then.

Give them two hours, and go back there and introduce yourself as the new owner, and let’s see what kind of response you get, I will call you back in the morning my time, to see how it went” Joachim said, “Ok, and I am sorry for snapping at you Joachim, and the number is…” I answered, “that is ok brother, you are entitled to do that, especially when things are not going well for you, at this early stage of new life, good night” Joachim replied before ending the call.

I only waited an hour, before I walked over to the other accommodation, and there was no sign of anyone in the reception area, and after waiting ten minutes, I was about to leave when the telephone rang, so I leaned over the counter and picked up the phone.

“Oceanside Village, Denham, good morning” I said into the phone, “Who is this and where the hell is Erica” the caller demanded, “I am a guest, who has been waiting here in reception for over ten minutes with no sign of anyone about, and I was about to walk out when you called. Can I leave a message?” I responded calmly and politely, just in case it was a guest enquiry, by I suspected that it was the manager calling.

“Tell Erica to give me a call on my mobile, it is her boss speaking” the caller replied, before he ended the call abruptly. I put the telephone down, and looked around and spotted the receptionist approaching, with an arm full of dirty laundry, and not looking too happy.

“You again, what do you want?” she said to me as she dumped the dirty laundry, in a pile on the floor behind the reception counter, “Well I came to speak to you, and I have been waiting for fifteen minutes now…”, “More like five, what do you want, I am busy” the lady said interrupting me. “While I was waiting for fifteen minutes, I answered the telephone a moment ago, and if you are Erica, your boss wishes to speak to as soon as possible” I said.

“Shit, what does he want now” she cursed, as she picked up the phone and dialled a number. “Erica here dad, what is the problem” I heard her say before she listened, holding the phone away from her ear a little as the boss, who I had now established is her father was shouting at her.

“Yea, I had this guy check in today, and the villa wasn’t ready, and he wasn’t too happy about it, especially when he demanded to speak to you or Mum, and I informed him that you were both away. Dawn didn’t turn up again, and since that guy checked out, I have been trying to get the villas cleaned, ready for new guests” the receptionist replied, and I decided that I had heard enough, and I stepped forward and grabbed the phone out of the receptionist’s hand.

“Are you the manager? What is your name please” I asked, “Who do you think you are, interrupting a call with my staff” the manager roared to me, down the phone-line? “Did you or did you not receive a phone call from a Mr Wagner in Switzerland approximately one hour ago?” I asked. “Yes, and what do you have to do with that, it is none of your damn business” the manager responded.

“Mr Wagner is my brother in law, my name is Lewis Shaw, the new owner of this property” I said, as I watched the receptionist closely and her face suddenly went very pale as she realised her huge mistake earlier.

“You and your wife have exactly 12 hours, that is till 11pm, to get your scrawny arses back up to Denham, or you can forget about your jobs here or any hospitality management job anywhere in Western Australia” I said, before slamming the phone down hard.

“Right now, Erica, I want you to pick up that dirty linen and deliver it to the laundry, then you will knock on every villa door that is occupied, and inform the guests that due to maintenance issues, the property is closing down as of 12 noon tomorrow, until further notice, and they are to be given a full refund, when they leave. When you have done that, you are to come back here and assist me with checking out any guests who wish to depart right away.

There will be no more guests checking in until further notice, and I will deal with any phone enquiries that come in, also any staff that you have working today, are to come to reception at 2pm today for a staff meeting” I announced, and Erica immediately grabbed the laundry and dashed out.

Once the reception desk was clear, I walked to the front door, closed and locked it, and turned the sign to say that we are closed, before walking behind the reception desk, which was a real mess.

By the time that Erica returned, I had worked out the booking system on the computer, and I checked the accounts section of the database and I didn’t like what I saw.

“Erica, who does the accounts for this business?” I asked nicely, “that would be Uncle Dan, my Dad’s brother, he comes up once a month from Perth, and for food and accommodation he spends 4 days taking care of the books” Erica responded, “I see, and who is responsible for doing all the banking for the business?” I asked, “that is Dad, he is the only one allowed to do the banking” Erica replied.

“Erica, I see some major issues, with the management of this business, and if you can assist me with sorting it out, I will guarantee you keep your job, but you must keep what you learn a secret from your parents, and uncle, as there is a good chance that they will be prosecuted for their dodgy mismanagement of the business” I said to the receptionist, and Erica nodded her head in agreement, “Yes, Mr Lewis, I would like to keep my job here” she said softly.

“Good, now tell me, how many staff work here, and what are their names?” I asked, “Well there is usually two housekeepers that to all the guest accommodation cleaning, and some of the general use areas, they are Dawn and her sister Patricia.

We have a new cook, who started last week, and he does some wonderful cooking, his name is Ewan, from Adelaide, and we have one groundsman, Matthew, who does all the gardening, maintenance and keeping the swimming pool clean, and between Mum and me, we do the front desk area, and serving in the restaurant, which is only open for breakfast and lunch” Erica replied.

“How many of the staff are here today? I asked, “Just Matthew, Ewan and myself, as Patricia has been off with the flu” Erica replied. “I see, well that is not your fault, that is called bad management practices, can you get me all the contact numbers for all of the staff that are not at work today please, and I want you to make the calls, before handing the phone over to me, and where bank does your Dad bank the money in” I asked.

“That would be the Bendigo Bank, the only one in town, near the corner of Denham Road on Knight Terrace” Erica replied. Grabbing my phone, I headed out the back door, and around to the main street, and I walked the two and a half blocks till I located the police station, and entered.

“My name is Lewis Shaw, owner of the Oceanside Village, a property in town and a property 22 kms south of town which I am yet to inspect, and another property in town. I wish to report suspected fraud and stealing from the business” I said to the one police officer at the front desk. “Yes, Sir Lewis, I am aware who you are, I have seen your face in the media a number of times, but I was not aware that you owned property here in town” the officer who held the rank of Sergeant responded.

“Good, that resolves one issue. As you may be aware, my husband passed away recently, and my twin brothers in law have handed over control of all properties and assets located in Western Australia to me. Now, I have met Erica, and I am aware of her parents being out of town at present, I have had a quick look at the computer and asked Erica a number of questions, and come to the conclusion that there is some dodgy business happening.

I request that you investigate this matter as soon as possible, I also ask if you would mind accompany me to the local bank, so I can get some questions asked about the business bank account” I asked the police officer, “about time something decent happening around here, this is quite a small and uneventful town, during the off season, which is about to end soon” the officer replied as he grabbed his hat and followed me out the door.

A few minutes later we were outside the bank, and I stopped and pulled out my phone and dialled a number, “Hi, it is me, can you possibly come up to Denham asap, and unofficially assist the local, the accommodation business here has some dodgy managers, and I would appreciate your help” I said when the call was answered.

“Yes, I will do anything for you, and you know it. I am currently in Geraldton, just finishing up a case here, and we have a government jet here for our use, so we will be there late this afternoon” Kylie replied, before ending the call. The police sergeant looked at my, questioning what the call was about, and I smiled.

“My best friend is a AFP officer, currently in Geraldton, so she will be here to unofficially assist you in any way she can” I said to the police sergeant, “You think that it is that serious?’ the officer asked, “Yes, I am afraid so” I responded as I led the way into the bank, before the officer stepped up to the counter.

“Gloria, I am glad you are here, I have come on official business, this gentleman”, “Yes, I know, Sir Lewis Shaw, I have been following the media reports, welcome to Denham, Sir, and how can I help” the bank teller said interrupting the officer. I looked at the police officer, and he gave a slight nod.

“As you may be aware, my husband died recently, and I have acquired all property and asserts in Western Australia, which includes the Oceanside Village, and another property out of town. With her parents out of town, I have asked a few questions to Erica, and looked at the computer records, and I suspect dodgy practices, I would like to see the bank records for the Oceanside Village please” I asked.

“Usually that would require a court order, but since I know what you say is true, and both Frank and I recognise your face, I see no need to go through that, please come into the office, and I will get a printout of everything for you” Gloria replied.

“Just for the time period, since Erica’s parents took over as managers of the business, is all I need thanks” I said, and we were led through the security door and down a short hall to an office, where we sat down.

Ten minutes later Gloria returned, not looking too happy. “Firstly, I was away on holidays in Perth when this account was opened, and a temporary replacement from Perth filled in while I was away, and from what I have found, I would have to agree with you, that it looks very dodgy. I suggest we call in the Federal police on this matter” Gloria stated, and the Sergeant gave a short laugh.

“Already done, Sir Lewis here has a best friend who is an AFP officer, currently in Geraldton, they will be here later this afternoon” the Sergeant said smiling, and Gloria smiled too. “Nice to have best friends in the right places, I have put a stop on the account, so nothing can be withdrawn.

Now where exactly are Mike and Beverly?” Gloria stated, “they have 12 hours to get back here, or they won’t have any job when they return, or anywhere in WA, he is in Perth, and she is in Geraldton, shopping, oh and you better get his brother Dan too, as he has been doing the book keeping” I replied.

“I better but a call out to have them arrested, in case they try to run” Frank said as he dashed outside, “I am sorry that this has happened to you, so soon after you lost your husband, I will be sure to make some calls to head office, about the fill in manager” Gloria stated, Can you hold off on that, as I think my best friend AFP officer Kylie would like to ask you some questions before that is done” I replied, just as my mobile rang, and the caller ID said it was Kylie.

“Speak of the devil… Hello Kylie, what’s up” I said into the phone, “Hi, did the police up there, just put a call out for the arrest of Michael and Beverly Parker, and his brother Daniel?” Kylie asked me, “yes, why is that?” I replied, “After you called earlier, I did a quick check on our system, and they have been caught doing fraud in other states over East, and are wanted for questioning in Queensland” Kylie replied.

“Oh boy, that’s not good, ok well I will let the Police Sergeant know, we are at the bank at the moment, and we have been given access to the account” I replied.

“Tell him to hold off on any other action, until we arrive there, we will be landing in just over an hour, see you then, bye” Kylie said and she ended the call just as Frank walked back in. “Kylie already knows of your call for their arrest, and has requested taking no more action until they arrive in an hour’s time” I said to the police sergeant.

“Yes, I have a request to pick up four AFP agents from the airport in one hour, oh and I just realise that we have another problem, Erica has two siblings, both attending the local school” Frank replied. “That would be Michael Jnr and Dean, aged 9 and 11 years old” Gloria said, “How old is Erica?” the sergeant asked, “She is 19, and she is Beverly’s from her first marriage” Gloria replied.

I have two vehicles, that should have arrived from Kalbarri, I can assist with collecting Kylie and her team” I said to Frank, “Ahh, so that is who owns them, they are parked out the side of the station, I have the keys for them” Frank said to me, and I just chuckled.

“Sorry about that Sarge” I said to the police officer, as Gloria handed over printouts of the account. “One last thing, I think Erica has been the main carer of her siblings, as their parents spend most nights at the pub drinking” Gloria said.

A few minutes later, at the police station, Frank and I were looking through the bank accounts, and there was no mention of it being part of Wagner International as the owners. 50 minutes later, I drove the Trail Blazer, and Frank drove the Colorado to the airport, which is 8.5 kms north east of town, and we only had to wait 3 minutes, before the business jet landed and taxied to the parking apron.

Leading the way, Frank drove onto the parking apron, and parked about ten metres from the plane, and I did the same. “Hello Kylie, have a pleasant flight?” I asked, as she appeared from the plane, carrying a large duffle bag, and dressed in her work uniform. “Bumpy the whole way, my colleagues were not too happy about it, and I am team leader on this new case, which is now official ours” Kylie replied.

“Kylie, this is Sergeant Frank Wells, Sarge this is my best mate, AFP Officer Kylie know-it-all Sanders” I said making the introductions, and Frank chuckled, “Just Kylie Sanders will do, nice to meet you Frank” Kylie said, giving me the evil eye, before shaking hands, and introducing the rest of the AFP team.

“Nice wheels, who’s is it?” Kylie asked as she loaded her bag into the back of the Colorado, as did her colleagues.

“Mine actually, excess vehicles from the business in Broome, that I had trucked to here, and arrived yesterday” I replied, as I climbed into the driver’s seat of the Trail Blazer, with Kylie sitting in the front passenger seat, while the others joined Frank in the Colorado.

When we arrived at the police station, Frank lead the AFP team into the small meeting room, where they set up laptop computers, and phones, before coming out to the front office where Frank and I were talking. “We have Michael Parker in Custody in Perth, but his wife is either somewhere around Geraldton or in transit, either to Perth or back here, and we are looking for his brother too” Kylie informed us.

“You have use of the Colorado, while you are here, I am heading back to the Oceanside Village, to try and organise things there, and I will have accommodation available for your all while you are in town” I said to Kylie, before leaving the police station, and driving back to the accommodation.

Letting myself in through the back door of the administration building, there was no sign of Erica, but I saw a man approaching, who looked like he was the groundsman. “Are you Mr Shaw? I am Matthew, the groundsman” the man said as he entered the back door.

“Yes, I am Lewis Shaw, nice to meet you, are you a local?” I replied, “Yes, I am, nearly twenty years I have been here, and are you Sir Lewis Shaw, former IOTA administrator, and husband of the late Swiss Billionaire?” the groundsman asked, and I chuckled, “You are well up to date with your info about me, now tell me what you know about what is going on here” I replied.

Five minutes later, Matthew had stated that he suspected something dodgy was happening, but he had no idea that Wagner International, were the owners of the property, and that the two sisters who have been cleaning for the past 8 months have had multiple complaints, regarding their cleaning standards.

“Do me a favour will you, and call all the top accommodation places in town, starting with the accommodation next door, I need up to six cleaners for a period of 3 days, tell them, that I will pay the cleaners $30 per hour, and give the accommodation places $200 for each cleaner that they provide, once you have done that, call the two sisters, tell them that they are fired, and that I will pay for their bus fares, back to Perth from the roadhouse on the main highway” I said to Matthew.

I walked out the back door, leaving Matthew to make all the phone calls, while I headed over to the small restaurant, across the driveway, and entered via the back door, where I found Erica talking to the chef. “Mr Lewis, this is our chef, Ewan Hunter” Erica said making the introductions.

“Erica, I understand that you have two younger siblings, I am making you Duty Manager, effective as of now, Matthew is in the office making calls to get more cleaners, can you keep up with things in the laundry, until all the villas are properly cleaned, then you can knock off for the day, so you can take care of your siblings. I will take over in reception at 2pm, and with your new position, you will get to stay in the managers house.

I suggest that you start packing up your parent’s belongings, as one is already in custody, and the other will be soon, I also suggest that you say nothing to your brothers, about what is happening to their parents, and don’t even trying to contact your mother, step father or uncle, or you will be in very serious trouble” I said to Erica, before she left.