Read Online Spider Shepherd 11 - White Lies by Stephen Leather - Free Book Online
Authors: Stephen Leather
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it? A sense of fairness.’
‘Sure. Isn’t that what everyone wants?’
‘It depends on what you mean by fair,’ said Stockmann. ‘Fairness and justice aren’t always the same thing, of course. Back in the bad old days, the police were often as bad as the villains they were chasing. The police would sometimes lie and cheat to get their man, and weren’t averse to getting physical if it meant a confession was forthcoming.’
‘That was well before my time,’ said Shepherd. ‘I’ve always had to do everything by the book.’
‘And is that frustrating sometimes?’ She took another sip of coffee, her eyes watching him closely.
Shepherd smiled at her. She really was a first-class interrogator. Chat, chat, chat, all smiles and chuckles, then suddenly she’d slip in a question that required very careful handling. But if she caught him self-editing then she’d see that as significant, too. ‘Rules have to be followed,’ he said. ‘Short cuts are all well and good, but you wouldn’t want a case thrown out of court because of a legal technicality.’
‘So you never break the rules?’
Shepherd laughed. ‘I know you won’t let me take the Fifth, so let’s just say I might very occasionally bend them.’
‘Because the ends justifies the means?’
‘Because when I’m undercover I have to be flexible. If I wasn’t, I’d stand out straight away.’
‘And I’m guessing that as time goes by, your wriggle room is being continually reduced.’
‘It’s the way of the world, isn’t it? Every year there are more rules and regulations, more paperwork, more boxes to be ticked. Regular policing has become a bureaucratic nightmare but it’s starting to happen at Five, too.’
Stockmann nodded sympathetically. ‘Have you ever heard of Pournelle’s Iron Law of Bureaucracy?’ she asked.
Shepherd shook his head.
‘A writer and journalist by the name of Jerry Pournelle came up with it. It states that in any bureaucratic organisation there will be two kinds of people: on one hand you have those who are devoted to the goals of the organisation. That’s how I always see you, Dan. You believe in what you do, often passionately.’
Shepherd grinned. ‘I can’t argue with that.’
‘But the other sort of people are those who are dedicated to the organisation itself. They’re usually the administrators, the middle management.’
‘Yeah, well, I’ve met my fair share of those,’ agreed Shepherd.
‘Well, the Iron Law states that in every case the second group will gain control of the organisation and will set down the rules that govern the way the organisation acts, and decide who gets promoted within it.’
‘That was SOCA in a nutshell,’ said Shepherd. ‘It was full of middle managers and all they seemed to do was to generate paperwork and hold meetings.’
‘Do you think it applies equally to MI5?’ asked Stockmann.
Shepherd chuckled. ‘Do you expect me to badmouth my employer?’
‘I’m interested in what motivates you,’ said Stockmann. ‘As I said, I think you want to achieve the objectives of the organisation and are less concerned about the organisation itself.’
‘I don’t plan to climb the slippery pole, that’s true,’ said Shepherd. ‘I prefer to stay at the sharp end.’
‘So you’d turn down a promotion if it was offered?’
‘It would depend on the job. I don’t want to be behind a desk. And I’m not sure how good I would be at motivating or managing people.’
‘You were never an officer, in the army?’
‘Never wanted to be,’ said Shepherd. ‘Not that it was ever offered.’
‘But in the SAS, being an officer generally means being away from the sharp end, doesn’t it?’
‘It does in most jobs,’ said Shepherd. ‘Let me ask you something. Am I being sounded out for a promotion here?’
Stockmann laughed. ‘No, I have no ulterior motive here other than finding out what makes you tick. Are you happy with the way that Five
‘Sure. Isn’t that what everyone wants?’
‘It depends on what you mean by fair,’ said Stockmann. ‘Fairness and justice aren’t always the same thing, of course. Back in the bad old days, the police were often as bad as the villains they were chasing. The police would sometimes lie and cheat to get their man, and weren’t averse to getting physical if it meant a confession was forthcoming.’
‘That was well before my time,’ said Shepherd. ‘I’ve always had to do everything by the book.’
‘And is that frustrating sometimes?’ She took another sip of coffee, her eyes watching him closely.
Shepherd smiled at her. She really was a first-class interrogator. Chat, chat, chat, all smiles and chuckles, then suddenly she’d slip in a question that required very careful handling. But if she caught him self-editing then she’d see that as significant, too. ‘Rules have to be followed,’ he said. ‘Short cuts are all well and good, but you wouldn’t want a case thrown out of court because of a legal technicality.’
‘So you never break the rules?’
Shepherd laughed. ‘I know you won’t let me take the Fifth, so let’s just say I might very occasionally bend them.’
‘Because the ends justifies the means?’
‘Because when I’m undercover I have to be flexible. If I wasn’t, I’d stand out straight away.’
‘And I’m guessing that as time goes by, your wriggle room is being continually reduced.’
‘It’s the way of the world, isn’t it? Every year there are more rules and regulations, more paperwork, more boxes to be ticked. Regular policing has become a bureaucratic nightmare but it’s starting to happen at Five, too.’
Stockmann nodded sympathetically. ‘Have you ever heard of Pournelle’s Iron Law of Bureaucracy?’ she asked.
Shepherd shook his head.
‘A writer and journalist by the name of Jerry Pournelle came up with it. It states that in any bureaucratic organisation there will be two kinds of people: on one hand you have those who are devoted to the goals of the organisation. That’s how I always see you, Dan. You believe in what you do, often passionately.’
Shepherd grinned. ‘I can’t argue with that.’
‘But the other sort of people are those who are dedicated to the organisation itself. They’re usually the administrators, the middle management.’
‘Yeah, well, I’ve met my fair share of those,’ agreed Shepherd.
‘Well, the Iron Law states that in every case the second group will gain control of the organisation and will set down the rules that govern the way the organisation acts, and decide who gets promoted within it.’
‘That was SOCA in a nutshell,’ said Shepherd. ‘It was full of middle managers and all they seemed to do was to generate paperwork and hold meetings.’
‘Do you think it applies equally to MI5?’ asked Stockmann.
Shepherd chuckled. ‘Do you expect me to badmouth my employer?’
‘I’m interested in what motivates you,’ said Stockmann. ‘As I said, I think you want to achieve the objectives of the organisation and are less concerned about the organisation itself.’
‘I don’t plan to climb the slippery pole, that’s true,’ said Shepherd. ‘I prefer to stay at the sharp end.’
‘So you’d turn down a promotion if it was offered?’
‘It would depend on the job. I don’t want to be behind a desk. And I’m not sure how good I would be at motivating or managing people.’
‘You were never an officer, in the army?’
‘Never wanted to be,’ said Shepherd. ‘Not that it was ever offered.’
‘But in the SAS, being an officer generally means being away from the sharp end, doesn’t it?’
‘It does in most jobs,’ said Shepherd. ‘Let me ask you something. Am I being sounded out for a promotion here?’
Stockmann laughed. ‘No, I have no ulterior motive here other than finding out what makes you tick. Are you happy with the way that Five
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