My company was contracted to service TVs and audio equipment sold by a major retailor in Melbourne with a chain of stores around Australia and in other parts of the world. During ww2 the Soviet Union became allies against Nazi Germany which continued for a period after the war ended enabling freer interaction with other countries. It was these circumstances that enabled the managing director of Byer during his visits to Russia to invite a group of politician's and businessmen to his house in Melbourne. It was a private matter and not subject to the Australian intelligence services, but Margaret thought otherwise and wanted copies of the recordings etc. during the meeting. The extract's begin just prior to the meeting taking place.

Extract #1
 
"Thank you for passing my name to your friend Margaret, she'll be calling soon. I still haven't finalized the catering yet for Monday evening, but from the conversation I had with her on the phone I think she'll be just the person to sort the problem out for me."
Will swallowed hard, Margaret had wasted no time. "I'm sure she can, they've been catering for government functions for a long time now."
He increased his pace as he headed for the study to set up the Hi-Fi amplifier and once again fill the rooms with music, then cramming himself into the projection room he flipped the latch and commenced to copy the tapes. Their journey through the record heads seemed to take forever, but it was only minutes before it was all over. After a quick check to see that the copy had been successful, he put the tapes back into the drawer and returned to the study.
At least now he could partially relax, spend the time waiting for Margaret, and check out the best place to record the commentary on Monday night. The monitoring circuit in the projection room was an ideal point to tap in the miniature wire recorder. His hands trembled at the thought of the classified copies of the tapes on the dubbing machine making his efforts clumsy and amateur. To the uninitiated, it was just another recorder, but that explanation gave him little consolation.
Margaret suddenly appeared with Mrs. Byer. She was carrying a small briefcase and dressed to kill, the quintessence of an efficient businesswoman. "I'll see that everyone is here two hours before the gathering to set up, leave it up to me."
Mrs. Byer nodded her head in agreement. "I'll leave you with Mr. Bonner, you'll probably want a word with him before you go."
"Thank you, yes. I'll call in and see you before I leave."
As Mrs. Byer disappeared into the living-room Will looked across at Margaret. Her composure had noticeably slipped, and a terrified look came over her face. Grabbing her by the arm, he led her into the projection room and took out the box of slides, putting them on the bench. Her eyes were transfixed on the box but she was standing like a stone statue. Will squeezed her arm and she looked up at him. "Just pretend that you've come back from holiday’s and you're looking through your slides. I'll be outside should anyone appear." She smiled nervously as he closed the door.

Extract #2

His day went extremely well and arriving on time he walked through the house on his way to the study to find that his anticipations were well founded. He had been met by security at the front door and people seemed to be everywhere. Women waitresses were busy setting up the catering, and some politicians had already arrived, partaking of drinks in the large living-room. There was no sign of Margaret.
He was carrying a small suitcase containing instruments and hand tools, but the recorder was in his pocket. The telemetry unit to remotely set the recorder in motion was disguised amongst the instruments and the start button located under the carrying handle. Adam had done a superb job getting it all set up.

All that remained was for it to perform, and the thought of it caused him to momentarily cross his fingers.
The study was deserted and Will's anxieties halved, but rose again hearing a noise coming from the projection room. Opening the door Mr. Byer was obviously getting set up to do the commentary from there. This was something he had not anticipated, thinking he would be out in the auditorium during the event.
"You're Brenner?" "Yes Mr. Byer."
"My wife told me that you would be here in case we had trouble." "Is everything functioning?"
"Yes, you've done a good job, thank you."
Will backed out into the study and closed the projection room door. He pictured the temporary connector he had fitted down below in the projector cabinet. There seemed no way that he would have the opportunity to attach the recorder. Mr. Byer would probably slip away to see his guests before starting, but it would be too risky without a genuine reason for being in the room should he get caught.
He looked at his watch discovering that he still had a good thirty minutes before the showstarted. Margaret suddenly appeared, dressed like a model again, and he felt like a hobo standing next to her. She beckoned him into a small ante- room that was deserted and closed the door.
"Is everything set up?"
"No, we have a problem." Her face fell. "What sort of problem?"
"The room's occupied by Mr. Byer. I can't get in to plant the recorder." Her facial expression changed again, this time to one of panic.
"I've got to have that commentary, you'll have to do something and quick!" The tone of her voice was demanding and Will didn't like it.
Taking the recorder from his pocket he thrust it towards her. "If you want it so badly, you do it!" She recoiled, realizing that she'd done the wrong thing.
"I'm sorry Will, the pressure is getting to me again, I know you'll do your best.
Can I be of any help?"
"No you can't, but I'll find a way. Be up at your house afterwards." She nodded and left the room.
 
 
Mr. Byer was still in the projection room, and the available time left to plant the recorder was getting critical. Some of the politicians were already seated in the auditorium. He stood gripping the mini recorder in his pocket so tightly, that he had to force himself to relax, thinking the pressure could crack the case. The loud speaker sprang to life. It was Mr. Byer testing the microphone in preparation for starting the commentary. Only five minutes remained and he had no other choice but to enact a last resort.
Opening one of the equipment drawers he took out his wire cutters and cut the supply to the amplifier in the projection room. Mr. Byer's voice fell dead in the middle of his sentence. He could hear him frantically tapping the microphone to try and get it started again.
Quickly retiring back to the small ante-room he waited for the panic stations to begin and he didn't have to wait long. Raised voices could be heard in the corridor outside, calling out his name. Stepping out, the first person he saw was Margaret.
"Thank God you're here Will, the sound has gone dead in the auditorium and everybody's getting frantic!"
Will stood for a second savouring the moment and then couldn't help but let a broad grin appear on his face. "Well, fancy that happening!"
Margaret's mouth fell open. "You crafty devil, you've engineered it!"
Will headed for the projection room leaving her with a look of amazement on her face. Mr. Byer was frantically pulling and pushing every plug in sight.
"What's wrong Brenner, everything's gone dead!"
"Might I suggest that you go and see your guests in the auditorium and tell them that you're nearly ready to start. By the time you've done that I'll probably have things fixed."
The instant he had left the room Will dropped to his knees and attached the recorder, switching it on manually, there would be no need for the transmitter. He was back in the study splicing the cut wires when Mr. Byer returned. "Is the news good or bad?"
"It's all good Mr. Byer. I've effected a temporary repair, but after you've finished in the projection room later, I'll have to do a permanent job before I leave." This would give him an excuse for being there later, to retrieve the recorder.
 
With a look of relief on his face Mr Byer rushed back into the projection room. The auditorium doors closed and the commentary started. Walking back to the dining-room area Will stood just inside the doorway, watching as the caterer's were putting the final touches to the buffet. Margaret was bending over one of the tables.
She looked across the room at Will, an enquiring look on her face. He nodded once and Margaret removed a small handkerchief from her jacket and proceeded to mop her brow with it, acting out a motion of relief. It was now only a matter of waiting until he could pick up the recorder later.
During the drive back to Margaret's place he had plenty of time to reflect on the happenings of the last few days. Apart from the excitement, prior to the show getting started that evening, everything else had gone without incident. But what could arise now that the information had been gathered? If ever it was leaked out and traced back to him, he would be in severe trouble, so would Margaret, consequently, she would have to handle the information with kid gloves. This line of thinking sent a shiver down his spine.
She had arrived back and changed into more casual clothes. Will passed over the recorder. "It was a close call tonight Will."
"It's always a close call. Every minute is a close call when you're waiting for something adverse to happen."
"I know that only too well now."
"You'll keep a tight rein on that information won't you? I don't want to find myself in trouble later on."
"I can assure you that won't happen, I wouldn't want to be implicated either." "Now that it's over and you've got what you want, perhaps you can leave me
alone for awhile."
"It all depends, but I won't bother you unless it's urgent." Will knew that he could now rely on her and he left it at that.
At 2 a.m. he crept quietly into the house via the back kitchen door, stopping by to see Mark and Louise before going to bed. He looked down at them fast asleep. The whole weight of what he was doing became painfully evident. He knew that when the organization were placing demands, they were not getting his full attention.
Totally exhausted mentally, he slipped into bed hoping beyond all his dreams that he could be blessed with a period of normality