That left them with one final option, infiltration from the Loch. The Estate stood on the edge of Loch Lomond and had over 2 miles of shoreline. However, no boat could get closer than 200 yards from the shoreline due to thick wire netting protruding above the water-line barring access. The only entry and exit point for boats was via a similar system to the one operated at the main gates, a primary and secondary gate. The water was also littered with sensors and the shoreline was covered by as many cameras. So that option was also ruled out. This job was looking impossible. Conor was beginning worry, seriously worry.
He stared at the buildings just behind the shoreline. That was the only place from which the whole estate could be seen. The driveway from the main gate was over three miles long and the houses could not be seen from any point along the wall. He zoomed in on the main house and wondered what would happen if they just went for it. The pay day could be huge. If a man could spend the money Donald had on security, how much would he pay to save the lives of his kids?
It suddenly came to him, there was one thing missing from the estate. How could he not have noticed it? He scanned the buildings again, the Main House, the Lodge House, the Guest House and the gymnasium. He couldn’t believe it. He even checked the helipad, nothing.
“Guys?” he began to sound positive again.
“Yeah,” they answered. Kevin and Ryan had accompanied him on the boat trip.
“Have you noticed anything missing?”
“Don’t think so. That place is tighter than Fort Knox,” replied Kevin.
“Maybe and maybe not. Fort Knox has one very important feature this place doesn’t have.”
“What?” asked Ryan.
“Guards with guns. Or any guards for that matter,” he said triumphantly.
They both grabbed their binoculars and scanned the grounds. Conor was right. During their surveillance of the estate they had not spotted a single guard. They had been so caught up in the incredible security system that they had failed to notice the lack of the most obvious. It couldn’t be that simple they thought. OK, the alarms would go off but the alarms were only as good as the police who responded to them. A couple of country coppers were no match for them.
“Let’s get back. We’ve got a raid to plan,” said Conor as he continued to scan the grounds for guards.
Kevin spun his seat back round and threw the throttle to full power. The boat powered away and would soon have them back to camp.
Chapter 11
Rachel hit the intercom button.
“Tom! Lela! It’s time for lunch! Come on! We’re all waiting for you!” she shouted.
A minute later, Lela buzzed back to let her know they were on their way up. Two minutes later, they appeared. Tom’s grandparents, who had just arrived, wished Tom a happy birthday and gave him even more presents, although he didn’t know when he would ever wear the jumper with “TOM” on the front or use the handkerchiefs with “TK” embroidered on them.
“So how is it?” asked Donald who could see that Tom was bursting to tell them all.
“Amazing! It’s just so realistic! I mean, we crashed taking off from Glasgow and I nearly sh…”
“TOM!” interrupted Rachel, glancing at her parents slightly embarrassed.
“It really was terrifying!” said Lela taking a seat. “Absolutely terrifying.” She was still shaken by the experience and was glad to sit down.
Tom spent the next twenty minutes detailing his first lesson, eventually pausing to notice the glazed look on everyone’s faces.
“Too much detail?” he asked.
He received a resounding yes. Every time he started discussing planes or any kind of technology, he seemed to lose them. However, before he had a chance to try and translate what he had just said into plain English, his father interrupted.
“I received a very interesting call today,” he announced, grabbing everyone’s attention. They all looked at him, waiting for him to continue. But he remained silent.
“Well are you going to tell us or not?” asked Rachel, the suspense irritating her.
“It was from an old friend whom I haven’t seen for ages and it seems that a conversation we had a few years ago has come to fruition. It’s probably easier if I start from the beginning though.”
“Always a good place,” suggested Rachel.
“Anyway,” said Donald. “About five years ago, a company which had been in operation for over seventy-five years went bankrupt; it was the single largest bankruptcy ever. The impact of its downfall was felt worldwide. Over 100,000 people lost their jobs overnight and over the course of the year that followed, it’s estimated that more than half a million further jobs were lost as a direct result of the bankruptcy. The company had been a very well run and profitable organisation, with a highly respected Chief Executive Officer. But following the untimely death of this CEO, his only son, aged twenty eight, took over the running of the company. Unfortunately, his business acumen up to that point had extended to selling unwanted gifts on eBay. Without taking the time to speak to his father’s Board of Directors, he fired them all and replaced them with a bunch of imbeciles, mostly old friends who’d only bothered to befriend him because of his family’s wealth. The son had complete control and nobody could challenge his authority. It did not take long for him and his bunch of imbeciles to destroy the company. As I said, the impact was felt worldwide. The son was sent to the best schools and colleges but it transpired that he’d dropped out of every course he’d ever started. This catastrophic bankruptcy was the straw which broke the camel’s back. Something had to be done to protect the world from these uneducated, ill-prepared heirs who destroyed decades of hard work and millions of jobs. So, a few of the world’s most powerful men met to discuss the problem and they reached an extraordinary conclusion.” Donald paused to ensure he still had everyone’s attention. He did. They all sat silently urging him to continue.
“A school,” he said simply.
“A what?” asked Tom confused.
“A school,” Donald repeated. “Not just any school, a specialist school to train the world’s heirs in how to become statesmen and business leaders — a super school if you like, strictly by invitation, for which only the children of the world’s most wealthy and powerful families would be eligible.”
“What do you mean by children?” asked Rachel warily.
“Children, as in children, like Tom and Lela. The school will be for ages 13 to 19.”
“Not a university?” she asked.
“Nope, a secondary school,” he confirmed. “It opens in September and Tom and Lela have both been invited to attend,” he added casually.
“OK, rewind and start at the beginning. Only this time, I want names, locations and a damn site more detail,” replied Rachel, not believing her ears and trying to remain calm.
Ten minutes later, a rather sheepish Donald admitted that at the end of the conversation with his old friend, he had pretty much accepted the offer. Also, he had no idea where the school was actually located, other than it was on one of two islands, cloaked in secrecy and he had absolutely no idea who else was attending. However, he did confirm that the old friend was Sam Mitcham, the ex-President of the USA and now Chairman of the school’s Board of Governors. It also transpired that the governors consisted of retired CEO’s and former statesmen and the school had cost billions to develop.
Donald was bombarded with numerous questions which were to be answered before Rachel would entertain any further discussion about a new school for her babies. Donald may have been the undisputed king of the boardroom but Rachel was most definitely the undisputed ruler of the Kennedy household.
With Donald back in his box, Rachel turned her attention to Tom and Lela.
“What time do your friends arrive for your party?” she asked, as though the last ten minutes had never happened.
“In about three hours,” replied Tom, still stunned.
Tom and Lela had an interesting set of friends. Their current school was fairly exclusive, housing both day
