in great detail and I reckon I can squeeze two or three CX reports out of it if I cut it with some stuff I've read in the Economist. You?"
"Steely, Philip. Ver y steely. I'm getting a bullet proof vest from stores because I think the Cubans might try to shoot me."
"I can understand why they would."
"It's a complicated provocation thing. Covert ops." He tapped his finger to his nose again.
"I thought we didn't tal k about the Increment in front of our MI5 colleagues?"
"It's not really that."
"Don't tell me any more. I don't want you to have to kill me. And what are you up to John? I know we can count on down to earth sensibleness from the policeman mentality of K4 to balance the rather SIS blue sky tendencies up here. Yourself excepted Michael."
Michael grunted and turned back to the papers he was reading.
"I wanted to talk to you about a man," said John.
"I see," said Philip. "Does your vetting officer know about this? Still strictly off limits for such as we."
John ignored the comment. "Maksim Leonov. First Secretary at the Embassy. From the nomenklatura - father is a middling party official somewhere in the Urals. But Maksim feels that he is special and supremely undervalued by his proletarian ambassador. "
"Source for this is?"
"KING material."
"I don't know all your MI5 codenames. Telephone intercepts?"
"Yes."
"Well it's a good start. We like Russian d iplomats who feel undervalued."
"I know. There's more."
"Oh?" said Philip. He hung up his coat.
"He is immensely venal. He likes expensive suits and watches."
"Even better." Philip sat down and said, "So how do we get alongside him?"
"That's your job isn' t it? I provide you with the bullets and you shoot them."
"So cocky for one so young. It's a good job I like you. Seriously, any ideas?" He cocked his head encouragingly at John.
"I read in KING that he's due to go and get measured up for a suit at Anderson & Sheppard."
"Glad he can afford it. Want a coffee by the way?"
"Well, I wasn't going to. But why not? White, no sugar."
"Very lower middle class of you. Disappointing. I thought you'd be more fiery and Scottish and demand whisky."
John said, "You take yours black of course."
"Of course. I only buy Arabian beans." John knew Philip was teasing. He watched while Philip poured new coffee into the filter paper of the percolator. Michael got up. "Giles and I have a meeting to go to." Giles put down the copy of Tatler he was reading. "Yes, and then I'm going to get my bullet proof vest."
After they left Philip said, "Glad they've left. I don't know how Giles can drink this over brewed gloop. I'm sure he was brought up to better things."
Philip poured the coffee and presented John with a mug and said, "Seriously, Leonov sounds promising. Thanks for the lead. Tell me when he's due at the tailors and I'll arrange to be there. It will be a nice excuse to get an expensive suit at the Firm's expense."
John snorted. "Our Office would never run to that."
"No, but then they are a bunch of unimaginative flatfoots."
"As yours are a bunch of over privileged cowboys."
"Touch é, Johnnie. Ever thought of coming over to us?"
John laughed. "Implying?" He shook his head. "I'm not posh enough. Not my world."
"And this is?"
John shrugged. "It pays the mortgage."
"Indeed. If you need one of course." He sipped his coffee. "So the plan is that I'll go and bump Leonov and see if there's anything going. If so, we'll need to tighten this up and draw up an Indoctrination List."
Sunday, 22nd February, 1985: John and Karen arrived in Hampstead and parked on a side road near the Heath. Karen took baby Eilidh out of her car seat and handed her to John, who, with great care, placed her in the baby sling so that she hung sleepily, head lolling against his chest. Something rankled however, and she moved her head back to look at him with her blue eyes in a questioning and not wholly approving way
"Steely, Philip. Ver y steely. I'm getting a bullet proof vest from stores because I think the Cubans might try to shoot me."
"I can understand why they would."
"It's a complicated provocation thing. Covert ops." He tapped his finger to his nose again.
"I thought we didn't tal k about the Increment in front of our MI5 colleagues?"
"It's not really that."
"Don't tell me any more. I don't want you to have to kill me. And what are you up to John? I know we can count on down to earth sensibleness from the policeman mentality of K4 to balance the rather SIS blue sky tendencies up here. Yourself excepted Michael."
Michael grunted and turned back to the papers he was reading.
"I wanted to talk to you about a man," said John.
"I see," said Philip. "Does your vetting officer know about this? Still strictly off limits for such as we."
John ignored the comment. "Maksim Leonov. First Secretary at the Embassy. From the nomenklatura - father is a middling party official somewhere in the Urals. But Maksim feels that he is special and supremely undervalued by his proletarian ambassador. "
"Source for this is?"
"KING material."
"I don't know all your MI5 codenames. Telephone intercepts?"
"Yes."
"Well it's a good start. We like Russian d iplomats who feel undervalued."
"I know. There's more."
"Oh?" said Philip. He hung up his coat.
"He is immensely venal. He likes expensive suits and watches."
"Even better." Philip sat down and said, "So how do we get alongside him?"
"That's your job isn' t it? I provide you with the bullets and you shoot them."
"So cocky for one so young. It's a good job I like you. Seriously, any ideas?" He cocked his head encouragingly at John.
"I read in KING that he's due to go and get measured up for a suit at Anderson & Sheppard."
"Glad he can afford it. Want a coffee by the way?"
"Well, I wasn't going to. But why not? White, no sugar."
"Very lower middle class of you. Disappointing. I thought you'd be more fiery and Scottish and demand whisky."
John said, "You take yours black of course."
"Of course. I only buy Arabian beans." John knew Philip was teasing. He watched while Philip poured new coffee into the filter paper of the percolator. Michael got up. "Giles and I have a meeting to go to." Giles put down the copy of Tatler he was reading. "Yes, and then I'm going to get my bullet proof vest."
After they left Philip said, "Glad they've left. I don't know how Giles can drink this over brewed gloop. I'm sure he was brought up to better things."
Philip poured the coffee and presented John with a mug and said, "Seriously, Leonov sounds promising. Thanks for the lead. Tell me when he's due at the tailors and I'll arrange to be there. It will be a nice excuse to get an expensive suit at the Firm's expense."
John snorted. "Our Office would never run to that."
"No, but then they are a bunch of unimaginative flatfoots."
"As yours are a bunch of over privileged cowboys."
"Touch é, Johnnie. Ever thought of coming over to us?"
John laughed. "Implying?" He shook his head. "I'm not posh enough. Not my world."
"And this is?"
John shrugged. "It pays the mortgage."
"Indeed. If you need one of course." He sipped his coffee. "So the plan is that I'll go and bump Leonov and see if there's anything going. If so, we'll need to tighten this up and draw up an Indoctrination List."
Sunday, 22nd February, 1985: John and Karen arrived in Hampstead and parked on a side road near the Heath. Karen took baby Eilidh out of her car seat and handed her to John, who, with great care, placed her in the baby sling so that she hung sleepily, head lolling against his chest. Something rankled however, and she moved her head back to look at him with her blue eyes in a questioning and not wholly approving way
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