exhausted, the drugs still making him unsteady, fatigued. He wiped the sleep from his eyes.
‘ Okay,’ Clara said, ‘it’s hard to know where to begin.’ She thought for a moment.
Matt watched her intently. He preferred long hair, but the short crop of spiky blonde suited her. She was very attractive, slim, almost bony. Her face was oval, perfectly smooth and unblemished. Even in the dim light, Matt could see the beautiful depths of those blue eyes. Just a tiny crease at their corners revealed the confusion in her mind.
‘ We work for a global organisation,’ she said. ‘Our purpose is regarded as subversive by governments, so we work covertly. What we’re trying to expose is extremely sensitive and other covert agencies will stop at nothing to prevent it becoming public domain.’
‘ I’ve gathered most of this already,’ Matt said.
‘ Sure,’ Clara replied. She paused then looked him straight in the eye. ‘What I’m about to tell you is deadly serious. I want you to put aside all your prejudices, to forget everything you’ve ever read or heard about this subject. It’s no joke, and whatever you think about it, you’ll soon discover there’s more truth to the myth than you realise.’
There was a frightening tone of seriousness in Clara’s voice. Matt sensed an inner passion in the girl – one not to be challenged. She fidgeted with the rope handle of her bag.
‘ Just get to the point,’ Matt said, ‘and this better be good, or I’m walking out of here.’
‘ You’d regret it.’
‘ And you’ll regret kidnapping me once I walk into the local consulate office.’ Matt stared out across the airfield. His threat seemed ridiculous given their location. He looked back at Clara, wiping any emotion from his glare. She was unmoved.
‘ This isn’t a game,’ she said.
‘ You’re damn right!’
‘ Perhaps you’ll realise that when someone puts a gun to your head.’
‘ Don’t try and scare me. I react badly under pressure. We had a deal. I want to know what the hell you think you’re doing and what it’s got to do with me.’
‘ Okay, I’ll tell you. I just want you to be prepared for a shock.’
Matt just pursed his lips sarcastically. ‘Go for it,’ he said.
Clara fingered her bag again. ‘In the early ‘70s,’ she said, ‘a man went missing in Illinois. Not a vagrant or a criminal, but an average man with a home; a wife and kids. He simply disappeared. His car was left in the drive. None of his clothes were missing. His bank accounts were untouched. There was no note. The police hunted for the man, appealed for information, delved into his personal life. But they found nothing to suggest why he might run away. He had no mistress, wasn’t involved in any crime; had nothing in his past to be ashamed of. His relationships with his wife and children were perfectly happy. The guy just vanished without a trace. Two months later he shows up wandering through the hills, can’t remember what’s happened to him or where he’s been. Of course, the police closed the file, although the case was never officially solved.
‘ Twenty years later a journalist is looking at some CIA documents just released under the Freedom of Information Act. In there he finds a report with this guy’s name in it. Not just a missing person’s report. This document suggested the CIA knew where he’d been for those two months. They knew what had happened.’
‘ And where had he been?’
‘ The details had been deleted before the document’s release, large amounts of the text scored through with black pen. It’s what the US government does when they think there’s something in these files that might jeopardise national security. They say it’s to protect methods, sources, individuals. But in reality, they just delete anything they don’t want people to see. The public’s right to inspect official documents only goes as far as the government wants it to.’ There was a look of scorn on
‘ Okay,’ Clara said, ‘it’s hard to know where to begin.’ She thought for a moment.
Matt watched her intently. He preferred long hair, but the short crop of spiky blonde suited her. She was very attractive, slim, almost bony. Her face was oval, perfectly smooth and unblemished. Even in the dim light, Matt could see the beautiful depths of those blue eyes. Just a tiny crease at their corners revealed the confusion in her mind.
‘ We work for a global organisation,’ she said. ‘Our purpose is regarded as subversive by governments, so we work covertly. What we’re trying to expose is extremely sensitive and other covert agencies will stop at nothing to prevent it becoming public domain.’
‘ I’ve gathered most of this already,’ Matt said.
‘ Sure,’ Clara replied. She paused then looked him straight in the eye. ‘What I’m about to tell you is deadly serious. I want you to put aside all your prejudices, to forget everything you’ve ever read or heard about this subject. It’s no joke, and whatever you think about it, you’ll soon discover there’s more truth to the myth than you realise.’
There was a frightening tone of seriousness in Clara’s voice. Matt sensed an inner passion in the girl – one not to be challenged. She fidgeted with the rope handle of her bag.
‘ Just get to the point,’ Matt said, ‘and this better be good, or I’m walking out of here.’
‘ You’d regret it.’
‘ And you’ll regret kidnapping me once I walk into the local consulate office.’ Matt stared out across the airfield. His threat seemed ridiculous given their location. He looked back at Clara, wiping any emotion from his glare. She was unmoved.
‘ This isn’t a game,’ she said.
‘ You’re damn right!’
‘ Perhaps you’ll realise that when someone puts a gun to your head.’
‘ Don’t try and scare me. I react badly under pressure. We had a deal. I want to know what the hell you think you’re doing and what it’s got to do with me.’
‘ Okay, I’ll tell you. I just want you to be prepared for a shock.’
Matt just pursed his lips sarcastically. ‘Go for it,’ he said.
Clara fingered her bag again. ‘In the early ‘70s,’ she said, ‘a man went missing in Illinois. Not a vagrant or a criminal, but an average man with a home; a wife and kids. He simply disappeared. His car was left in the drive. None of his clothes were missing. His bank accounts were untouched. There was no note. The police hunted for the man, appealed for information, delved into his personal life. But they found nothing to suggest why he might run away. He had no mistress, wasn’t involved in any crime; had nothing in his past to be ashamed of. His relationships with his wife and children were perfectly happy. The guy just vanished without a trace. Two months later he shows up wandering through the hills, can’t remember what’s happened to him or where he’s been. Of course, the police closed the file, although the case was never officially solved.
‘ Twenty years later a journalist is looking at some CIA documents just released under the Freedom of Information Act. In there he finds a report with this guy’s name in it. Not just a missing person’s report. This document suggested the CIA knew where he’d been for those two months. They knew what had happened.’
‘ And where had he been?’
‘ The details had been deleted before the document’s release, large amounts of the text scored through with black pen. It’s what the US government does when they think there’s something in these files that might jeopardise national security. They say it’s to protect methods, sources, individuals. But in reality, they just delete anything they don’t want people to see. The public’s right to inspect official documents only goes as far as the government wants it to.’ There was a look of scorn on
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