well be right, for once.’ He rose from his chair again and crossed the room to a window. Gazing out, he continued, ‘I’ve spent most of the morning on the telephone with X. He’s just met Mr Churchill and some of the top chaps from MI6. Knowing the kind of things we teach here, the prime minister felt we might be able to put our skills to good use.’
Loki raised a hand.
‘Yes, Mr Larson?’
‘If we know Renard’s an enemy agent, then why don’t we just charge in and arrest him?’
‘I wish it was that simple. Unfortunately there are complications. Renard has friends in very high places. And through his father’s business connections he counts many in our government as valued friends, so we have to tread carefully.’
‘In any event,’ said Walker, ‘a cautious approach is best. After all, we don’t know how many people Renard may have recruited to assist him. So, it’s one step at a time . Best to watch him like a hawk and be ready to pounce when the right time comes.’
‘And that’s what we need you three to do – watch Renard like a hawk,’ said the brigadier. ‘We think he’s either about to try and make a run for it, or he’ll pass the blueprints to an accomplice who’ll courier them all the way back to Berlin.’
I glanced round to Loki and saw him grinning. Like me, he was relishing the opportunity to get away from Mulberry for a while, to join the real world and see some real action!
Walker expanded our briefing: ‘As well as a large house in Belgravia, Renard has an apartment in Bournemouth.’ He held up a map. ‘It’s right there,’ he said, pressing the tip of a fingernail into the paper. ‘Number twenty-three, Cranford Mansions. For the past few weeks he has been spending rather a lot of time there. That’s somewhat surprising given that Bournemouth’s not very popular during the winter months except for troops on leave. But it’s an easy half-day’s travel from Worth Matravers, where the blueprints were stolen. No coincidence, I can assure you! Tomorrow you will be driven into Bournemouth and dropped off. There is a café called the Cadenza opposite Renard’s block of apartments. We want you to wait there and watch. If and when he emerges, follow him. Not too close, mind. We don’t want him getting suspicious. See what he gets up to. Then report back. That’s all. It couldn’t be simpler. No heroics involved.’
‘What if we discover one of his contacts? Do we follow them as well?’ I asked.
‘That’s up to you, Finn,’ said the brigadier. ‘The key objective is not to let Renard out of your sight. So keep your eyes peeled. But play it by ear: we don’t just want him, we want everyone who’s aiding him. They’re as much enemies to this country as he is.’
‘How do we report back?’ asked Loki.
‘You will be relieved of your duty at midnight. A car will pick you up outside a building called the Pavilion. Naturally we’ll drive you round the town centre first so you can get your bearings. And, as well as a map, we will give you a telephone number you can call should there be any trouble.’
‘
Trouble
?’ Freya asked.
‘Renard is extremely dangerous. We have to assume he is utterly ruthless,’ the brigadier replied. ‘If nothing else, this should be a good opportunity to put what you’ve learned into practice. No slip-ups, mind, or you could jeopardize Véronique’s cover.’ He examined his pipe before tapping out the ash into an ashtray. ‘Splendid! That’s all for now. We’ll reassemble at o-nine-hundred tomorrow morning for a final briefing.’
We all stood up, saluted the brigadier and left his office fizzing with excitement. We were about to embark on our first real work as secret agents. Sergeant Walker headed back through the hall behind us. Freya had a question for him. ‘Renard’s his codename, you said. What name does he usually use?’
‘His real one,’ Walker replied. ‘Félix Mouton.’
Mouton!
I gasped. Suddenly I
Loki raised a hand.
‘Yes, Mr Larson?’
‘If we know Renard’s an enemy agent, then why don’t we just charge in and arrest him?’
‘I wish it was that simple. Unfortunately there are complications. Renard has friends in very high places. And through his father’s business connections he counts many in our government as valued friends, so we have to tread carefully.’
‘In any event,’ said Walker, ‘a cautious approach is best. After all, we don’t know how many people Renard may have recruited to assist him. So, it’s one step at a time . Best to watch him like a hawk and be ready to pounce when the right time comes.’
‘And that’s what we need you three to do – watch Renard like a hawk,’ said the brigadier. ‘We think he’s either about to try and make a run for it, or he’ll pass the blueprints to an accomplice who’ll courier them all the way back to Berlin.’
I glanced round to Loki and saw him grinning. Like me, he was relishing the opportunity to get away from Mulberry for a while, to join the real world and see some real action!
Walker expanded our briefing: ‘As well as a large house in Belgravia, Renard has an apartment in Bournemouth.’ He held up a map. ‘It’s right there,’ he said, pressing the tip of a fingernail into the paper. ‘Number twenty-three, Cranford Mansions. For the past few weeks he has been spending rather a lot of time there. That’s somewhat surprising given that Bournemouth’s not very popular during the winter months except for troops on leave. But it’s an easy half-day’s travel from Worth Matravers, where the blueprints were stolen. No coincidence, I can assure you! Tomorrow you will be driven into Bournemouth and dropped off. There is a café called the Cadenza opposite Renard’s block of apartments. We want you to wait there and watch. If and when he emerges, follow him. Not too close, mind. We don’t want him getting suspicious. See what he gets up to. Then report back. That’s all. It couldn’t be simpler. No heroics involved.’
‘What if we discover one of his contacts? Do we follow them as well?’ I asked.
‘That’s up to you, Finn,’ said the brigadier. ‘The key objective is not to let Renard out of your sight. So keep your eyes peeled. But play it by ear: we don’t just want him, we want everyone who’s aiding him. They’re as much enemies to this country as he is.’
‘How do we report back?’ asked Loki.
‘You will be relieved of your duty at midnight. A car will pick you up outside a building called the Pavilion. Naturally we’ll drive you round the town centre first so you can get your bearings. And, as well as a map, we will give you a telephone number you can call should there be any trouble.’
‘
Trouble
?’ Freya asked.
‘Renard is extremely dangerous. We have to assume he is utterly ruthless,’ the brigadier replied. ‘If nothing else, this should be a good opportunity to put what you’ve learned into practice. No slip-ups, mind, or you could jeopardize Véronique’s cover.’ He examined his pipe before tapping out the ash into an ashtray. ‘Splendid! That’s all for now. We’ll reassemble at o-nine-hundred tomorrow morning for a final briefing.’
We all stood up, saluted the brigadier and left his office fizzing with excitement. We were about to embark on our first real work as secret agents. Sergeant Walker headed back through the hall behind us. Freya had a question for him. ‘Renard’s his codename, you said. What name does he usually use?’
‘His real one,’ Walker replied. ‘Félix Mouton.’
Mouton!
I gasped. Suddenly I
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