astonishing!’
‘Yes.’
‘Well, I doubt the Chief is really out of it. Just lying doggo, waiting to make his move.’
‘Against his successor?’
‘Let’s hope so. Spelling is all mouth and no trousers. Complete phoney.’
She smiled. Her father’s forceful opinions meant that he had never stood a chance of rising in the Service, although the operations he conducted against the KGB along the Iron Curtain for twenty-five years were textbook studies, celebrated for their panache and cunning. He had once summarised it thus: ‘They relied on my judgement to keep myself and others alive in the field, but when I got back to London I was expected to let others think for me. I couldn’t get used to it.’
‘What about the operation itself,’ she asked. ‘Any advice for me?’
‘You know it all, Isis. Probably more than I do. The first thing you must realise is that these men know they’re in enemy territory. They’re like we were during the war. We couldn’t trust anybody in France and these holy warriors will suspect everyone they come in contact with. They will have had training in anti-surveillance techniques, so don’t fall into any dry cleaning traps. If they’re taking a particular route every day they’ll get used to the sights along that route and will know what is normal. They will also build in a couple of observation spots along the way so they’ll be able to tell when they’re being followed. Apply all the same rules if cars are involved, only more strictly.’
She nodded. She knew most of it but there was no stopping him now.
‘What you need to do is to learn the place thoroughly before you start the watch. There wasn’t a street I didn’t know in Stockholm or Vienna during the Fifties. I could have been a tour guide in Istanbul. This is very important: you can’t just go to a foreign town and blend into the scenery without knowing the place like the back of your hand. Take care with your clothes, too. Study what the women wear locally. There’re always slight variations of fashion between towns on the continent. A particular shop may be popular and you will need to get one or two items from there. If you need cover, a job to help you get close to your target, choose this very, very carefully. It’s important to keep your flexibility, so don’t rush into his local café and get yourself work as a waitress on the grounds that he visits the place twice a week. You won’t learn anything that way and you’ll tie yourself up. Other opportunities will present themselves.’
He stopped and examined her with fierce compassion. ‘Isis, you know these men aren’t playing things the way we used to. If we were spotted it often didn’t matter. It was part of the game of cat and mouse. But these men are utterly ruthless - they butcher air stewardesses without the slightest qualm; they think nothing of killing thousands of people one fine morning. They’re different from what we had to face - much, much more dangerous. But remember, you’re different too. You’re one of the few people who know the full extent of the operation against them. If you fall into their hands, they may work out that you have a lot to tell them and that is not an enviable position to be in.’ He put up his hand to stop her interrupting. ‘Of course I know there will be others with you, but from what I gather your people are nothing like as good at field craft as we were. Not interested in the detail, no preparation. You’ll have to watch your colleagues as closely as you do your own behaviour. I don’t want some berk from Vauxhall Cross on the phone telling me you’ve been killed, do you hear? You’ve got to use your own judgement.’
He slapped his hand against his thigh and then rubbed his knee. ‘It’s not much fun, this business of getting old. I’ve lost the feeling in my legs sitting here. I’m going to have to move.’
She helped him up. They stood on the Cup and Ring Rock and he
‘Yes.’
‘Well, I doubt the Chief is really out of it. Just lying doggo, waiting to make his move.’
‘Against his successor?’
‘Let’s hope so. Spelling is all mouth and no trousers. Complete phoney.’
She smiled. Her father’s forceful opinions meant that he had never stood a chance of rising in the Service, although the operations he conducted against the KGB along the Iron Curtain for twenty-five years were textbook studies, celebrated for their panache and cunning. He had once summarised it thus: ‘They relied on my judgement to keep myself and others alive in the field, but when I got back to London I was expected to let others think for me. I couldn’t get used to it.’
‘What about the operation itself,’ she asked. ‘Any advice for me?’
‘You know it all, Isis. Probably more than I do. The first thing you must realise is that these men know they’re in enemy territory. They’re like we were during the war. We couldn’t trust anybody in France and these holy warriors will suspect everyone they come in contact with. They will have had training in anti-surveillance techniques, so don’t fall into any dry cleaning traps. If they’re taking a particular route every day they’ll get used to the sights along that route and will know what is normal. They will also build in a couple of observation spots along the way so they’ll be able to tell when they’re being followed. Apply all the same rules if cars are involved, only more strictly.’
She nodded. She knew most of it but there was no stopping him now.
‘What you need to do is to learn the place thoroughly before you start the watch. There wasn’t a street I didn’t know in Stockholm or Vienna during the Fifties. I could have been a tour guide in Istanbul. This is very important: you can’t just go to a foreign town and blend into the scenery without knowing the place like the back of your hand. Take care with your clothes, too. Study what the women wear locally. There’re always slight variations of fashion between towns on the continent. A particular shop may be popular and you will need to get one or two items from there. If you need cover, a job to help you get close to your target, choose this very, very carefully. It’s important to keep your flexibility, so don’t rush into his local café and get yourself work as a waitress on the grounds that he visits the place twice a week. You won’t learn anything that way and you’ll tie yourself up. Other opportunities will present themselves.’
He stopped and examined her with fierce compassion. ‘Isis, you know these men aren’t playing things the way we used to. If we were spotted it often didn’t matter. It was part of the game of cat and mouse. But these men are utterly ruthless - they butcher air stewardesses without the slightest qualm; they think nothing of killing thousands of people one fine morning. They’re different from what we had to face - much, much more dangerous. But remember, you’re different too. You’re one of the few people who know the full extent of the operation against them. If you fall into their hands, they may work out that you have a lot to tell them and that is not an enviable position to be in.’ He put up his hand to stop her interrupting. ‘Of course I know there will be others with you, but from what I gather your people are nothing like as good at field craft as we were. Not interested in the detail, no preparation. You’ll have to watch your colleagues as closely as you do your own behaviour. I don’t want some berk from Vauxhall Cross on the phone telling me you’ve been killed, do you hear? You’ve got to use your own judgement.’
He slapped his hand against his thigh and then rubbed his knee. ‘It’s not much fun, this business of getting old. I’ve lost the feeling in my legs sitting here. I’m going to have to move.’
She helped him up. They stood on the Cup and Ring Rock and he
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