 |
 |
Gally opened the sealed envelope he’d been given by Aubrey at the consulate when he’d been handed the briefcase. Inside a note from Reg, the office master of information gathering. They’d found nothing, as yet, regarding their subject’s possible motivational reasoning. He had a wife and a young son although there were no updates on the boy in the last six years and the most recent information on the wife had been the briefest of mentions four years ago when they attended a function. There was an older son from a previous marriage but apparently, following the divorce, they’d never got on. He tore the note into small strips, fed them to flames in the large crystal ashtray, powdered the remnants and dumped them in the room’s waste basket.
He had more maps than he’d expected, Reg or Clive had gone for detail and also included a map of the Hungarian rail network and current intelligence on the border area itself.
As Radler hadn’t bothered to supply any more clues he obviously expected Gally to work it out from the information he’d already been given. The next hours were spent searching through the papers until he found himself focusing on two small villages. At one particular point, the road connecting them passed incredibly close to the actual border itself; in fact, it was practically on it. Although no minefields were indicated, Gally thought it impractical for any sown to continue through what amounted to no more than a 10 metre stretch of fence and road. This had to be the ultimate destination because the next best weak point, much further south, would need Radler to throw himself off a railway bridge into a possibly raging river and swim against the current for two hundred yards. He didn’t think the stout 63 year old East German would be up for that sort of a challenge, especially if there was no medal at the end of it. There was another issue, there were wider border restrictions of special passes and checkpoints that would have to be negotiated but he could do nothing about that, it was Harald’s problem.
Stuffing the paperwork under the bed cover, he locked the door and headed to the hotel bar for a beer. As he passed through reception, the man behind the desk called him over.
“My colleague from the earlier shift says a man brought this in for you.” He handed him the tourist map. “He said you’d been talking in the street and you dropped it when you parted.”
“Are you sure you’ve got the right person?”
“My colleague was quite certain it was for you, Herr Baker.”
Gally took it anyway, grabbed his beer and wandered out past the reception desk to return to his room. “Did your colleague have a name for this bloke or say what he looked like?”
“I’m afraid not, Herr Baker,” was the smiled reply.
Back in the room, he examined the map. Nothing obvious, brand new and he knew he hadn’t bought it. He took it to the bathroom, turned on the electric towel rail, slipped the map over then went back to immerse himself once more in the papers on the bed. After ten minutes, the map showed nothing, no secret messages. He’d thought it worth a try and tossed it on a chair.
He drank the beer whilst double-checking his earlier conclusion and found he wasn’t wavering. Finally, he needed to get something to eat. He tidied the paperwork into the briefcase and secreted it beneath spare blankets in the cupboard which he locked, removing the key.
Outside, on the pavement, he checked his watch, it was getting late. He strode off towards the schnellimbiss but was immediately aware of a figure on the opposite side of the road moving off from a doorway in the same direction. He wondered if he was becoming paranoid but decided to test it out anyway. A few unnecessary impromptu deviations and his shadow was still there. He doubled back briefly. The man suddenly developed an interest in a women’s dress shop.
It was time he confronted his stalker so he hit the nearest bar. Inside, he took a seat by the window and watched the man follow him in then sit down at a table in the far corner, opening a newspaper. Gally ordered two beers and sent one over, following it shortly after.
“I hope you don’t mind but I thought I’d buy you a drink. It must be tiring following me about all over the place?”
The man stared back at him.”I’m not following you, pal.”
“We both know you are so let’s not pretend. My name’s John. You’re American, aren’t you? I can tell by the accent. I’m clever that way. Let’s be honest with one another. We’re supposed to be ‘friends’ after all. I assume you’re from the Agency so, what’s your interest in me?”
The Yank tried to answer but Gally, expecting more bullshit, blocked him, “My Gran always told me that honesty was the best policy which is not always the case in my experience, but, in this situation, I think it should be. So, what did tea lady tell you?”
A brief look of surprise flashed through the man’s eyes. “What do you know about ‘Tillady?”
“Nothing, mate, it was a just joke.” He held his palms out in front of him, a gesture of momentary capitulation. “Look, you work for them and I work for us so why follow me? Let’s be grown-up about this. Cheers by the way.”
He lifted his glass and the American automatically responded, momentarily regretting his action. “I’m sorry but you’ve got me confused with someone else,” he insisted.
Gally sipped his beer then said, “And you’ve got me confused with a simple businessman. I’ll show you mine if you’ll show me yours, so to speak. Otherwise, I’ll run you ragged and make you look a right idiot. Maybe, if I tell you what I think you know it might help. Your lot have picked up some information about a possible defection but you don’t know who. You think I do. Hence, we sit here now. I could let you in on the action but if you’re going to play dumb I’d have to tell you, quite frankly, to fuck off! It’s up to you. What’s your name by the way? You look like a ‘Hank’ or a ‘Rudy’ sort of guy.”
The Yank smiled. “Now it’s my turn to tell you to fuck off. The name’s Deacon, most people call me Deek and I don’t know why I’m telling you this.” He took a mouthful of beer then ordered two more from the waiter as he wandered past. “You’re a strange fucking man, John, but ballsy with it. I like that. I’m not the most patient of men so I like to get to the nub of things real fast. If you agree to cut me in on the action and information coming from it, I’ll be totally honest with you.”
Gally finished his beer and accepted the replacement. “I can do that. Just remember, I still have to run it by my boss but otherwise, I’m happy. It’s a matter of trust, I know, but I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it.”
The American dropped the newspaper on the seat next to him. “Ok, John. We know you’re here in response to an intention to defect. We want to know who, where and when.”
Gallagher laughed.”And then you’ll steal it. Listen, I know who and roughly when but not exactly where. You can come along for the ride if you want, in the background. I’m here on my own and I need someone to back me up. That’s the terms or I walk away.”
“On your own? You’re lying already. We know you’ve got two colleagues shadowing you.”
Gally leant forward on the table, lowering his voice. “You know someone’s following me?”
Deek felt he had the upper hand. “Yeah, they visited the consulate just after you left. We like to be on top of things so it’s always good to keep an eye on our ‘friends’ as well.”
Gally swallowed a mouthful of beer. “That’s interesting but not unexpected. I can assure you they’re not with me and I’m fairly certain they’re not going to be my friends.” He saw the look on the American’s face. “Inter-departmental jealousies, Deek. I know it’s silly but it’s a fact of the job. It might even be more serious than that.”
The Yank studied him as he drank his beer. “Ok. Here’s the deal. I watch your back, you cut me in on the action and full disclosure?”
Gallagher weighed him up, suspiciously. “I’m happy to do that but it all seems a bit too easy.”
The American chuckled. “Hell, I don’t know why but I like you, John. I like to fly under the radar and if you pull this off I can sail on in on your wake. It’ll solve a few problems I’ve got with my new chief of station and maybe wipe the sanctimonious smirk off her face. She claims I’m a dinosaur. Besides, if I have to follow you around the place anymore I’m gonna pull you into a doorway and beat the shit out of you.”
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
“Why? You think you can take me, Limey?”
Gally eyed him. The Yank was a big guy and in the right light could pass for muscular. “No. It’s just I’m not a fan of pain and I don’t think you could stand the squealing.” Deek laughed.
They finished their beers, Gally refusing another. Outside, they made arrangements for the next meeting then the American told him, “The two guys shadowing you? I’ll have pictures for you tomorrow but there’s an older guy, mid-forties, and a younger one, maybe I guess twenty-five, looks like he’s just started shaving. So long, John. You take care now.”
Still with food to think of, he resumed the walk to the ‘schnelly’ where he got a take away of ‘bratwurst mit pommes frites und mayo’ then headed back. He didn’t register the significance of the blue VW panel van pulling into the kerb. A heavy set man got out and appeared to walk into the tobacconist’s. When Gally drew alongside, he was expertly catapulted into the now opened side door of the vehicle, dragged in and overwhelmed. On the pavement, a neatly packaged evening meal was all that remained.