wouldnât be,â Wyman smiled.
Owen gave a disdainful sniff.
âLike myself, the Minister is not entirely convinced by your conjectures.â
âIndeed? Then how does he account for the fate of Dovetail and his network?â
âHe doesnât. It is for us to explain these things.â
âQuite,â Wyman said. âSo what exactly is going to be done about it?â
Owen looked downwards and toyed pensively with his moustache. He was one of those people who believe that long theatrical pauses can make the most mundane speeches sound impressive.
âThe Minister has one overriding preoccupation. It is one I share. We are both concerned that this matter should not prove to be unduly expensive.â
Wyman smiled cynically. âIn medieval times there was a fashionable view to the effect that everything had a âjust priceâ. This notion seems to have been revived recently. What exactly is the just price of weeding out a Moscow infiltrator?â
Owen sighed wearily.
âPlease donât be difficult. We are all under immense pressure with regard to money.â
âSo Iâve heard.â
âMy only concern is to keep the cost of this work to a minimum. There is no question of a âjust priceâ. We will pay whatever the job requires, within reason.â
âSplendid,â Wyman said. He suspected, however, that his idea of what was âwithin reasonâ would not correspond to Owenâs.
âHence,â Owen said, âyou may take a weekâs leave to pursue unofficial inquiries.â
âA week?â said Wyman incredulously. âThis could take months! What could I possibly achieve in a week?â
âYou will at least be able to confirm your suspicions about the Dovetail network.â
âThey do not require confirmation. As far as I am concerned, we simply need to establish the identity of the KGB plant without delay. If I had a month, I think I could do it. In a week I could only begin my inquiries.â
âVery well,â said Owen. âBegin them. Your success or otherwise in the coming week will determine how we will proceed after that.â
Wyman nodded. Clearly, Owen and the Minister were trying to persuade themselves that there was really no infiltrator in the Department. If Wyman returned with empty hands after a week, that would âproveâ that his suspicions were unfounded.
âYou said you would be making âback-door inquiriesâ,â Owen said. âBut you werenât very specific about them. Perhaps youâd like to tell me now.â
âIâd prefer not to. All I will say is that obviously we canât afford to tell this story to people who currently work for us or for the CIA. Hence, I will try to see what can be obtained from people who are no longer directly involved in intelligence work, but who still have some field contacts. I also have one or two personal connections who may be able to help.â
âI see. Do impress upon these people the need for absolute secrecy. We canâtââ
âI think they are quite capable of understanding the problem,â Wyman said sardonically.
âGood. May I ask where you are proposing to make your inquiries?â
âI will need to go to Rome, Paris and Vienna. As I only have a week, I will have no option but to fly to these places, regrettable though the expense will be.â
The irony in Wymanâs voice had turned into mordant sarcasm. Owen, who was oblivious to sarcasm, gave a grunt of disapproval.
âWell, I suppose it canât be helped.â
âI do not propose to keep in contact while I am away. When I have returned you will be presented with a full report of my findings.â
âGood,â said Owen. He approved of written reports.
âI also have a request to make. I have now taken charge of all the documents relating to Grünbaum and his merry men. Before I leave I
Tracy Kidder
Barbara Cartland
Sally John
Eddie Johnson
Tressie Lockwood
Sarah Woodbury
Lois Greiman
Jill Sorenson
Rebecca Shea
Grant McCrea