Ep 20. Portrait Of Brenda

The Saint spins a record no disc jockey would play - a record that beats out a rhythm of murder and mystery, with pop singing and meditation as the instruments.An artist named Alan Williams asks Simon Templar, the Saint (ROGER MOORE), to visit him, hinting that he has discovered a large-scale swindle. But Williams is dead, knifed in the back, when the Saint arrives. The Saint's search of the artist's studio is interrupted by a model, Josephine (ANNE DE VIGIER), from downstairs, and together they examine a message which Williams has scrawled in yellow ochre on the floor: "BRENDA's P....A...." Josephine identifies this as referring to the painting of a very beautiful girl, but all she knows is that this is the Portrait of Brenda.The telephone rings. It is a recorded message asking Williams to take his friend to the recording studios. The message is from pop singer Diane Huntley (ANNA CARTERET), and the friend is obviously the Saint, who leaves Josephine to telephone Inspector Claude Eustace Teal (IVOR DEAN) while he goes to meet Diane. Quite unaware that Williams is dead, she assumes that he has told the Saint that she will take him to a meditation session held by a Guru by a Guru (MARNE MAITLAND).The Guru, the Saint surmises, is in some way connected with the racket Williams has stumbled on, and he is astonished to realise how large the sums are that are being donated by 'disciples." The money is collected by the Guru's assistant, Mrs. White (PETRA DAVIES).The Saint, breaking the news of Williams' death to Diane, takes her with him to the artist's studio,and Diane is able to give more information about Brenda, the girl in the portrait. She was a singer who committed suicide - and she was Williams' sister. They shared the same agent, Johnny Fox (TREVOR BANNISTER). When the Saint returns to the studio to investigate, he is surprised by a man named Tony (DAVID PROWSE).They fight, then another man steps in and t