Changing Sides

Perhaps to spare their blushes, HQ had thrown a blanket of silence over Gideon's disappearance. There were speculations that he had defected to the Russians yet the people in the know kept cards close to their chest and weren't letting on. But things were happening behind close doors. Willy, my usual source of information, who had been incommunicado until this morning called with surprising revelations.

I have been using a prepaid burner phone, to keep my identity anonymous and my privacy intact, since the 'rogue' one was sent to one of Firm's boffins to be sanitised. The call was therefore untraceable and we could talk with a certain degree of freedom.

The rascal had been caught and during an intense and protracted interrogation had advanced an outrageous explanation for his actions: that far from passing  over classified information to Ms. Maruska Dementikova, he was trying and had succeeded in persuading her to work for the British.

I was aghast and at the same time admired the audacity of his explanation which I suspected was an attempt on his part to be exonerated of any impropriety.

“It appears it was a worthwhile effort”, Willy said, “as the foxy lady was in fact able to produce a stash of valuable secrets.”

“Are you telling me he is not going to be punished for his chicanery?”

“Not altogether, no. He will be dismissed from the Service and be sent to some far off banana republic with his paramour after being granted new identities.”

“The farther away the better, as far as I'm concerned.”

“I hope you don't feel the same about me”, the cheeky sod says and catches me on the hop.

“I'll have to think about that. Don't forget you are still on probation.”

He seems pretty keen to continue the relationship and so am I but I don't tell him that. Better to keep him on tenterhooks to test his ardour.

◊ ◊ ◊

Since Hilary happened to mention my mother's name in passing, I have been constantly wondering if there was a connection, however tenuous, with MI5.
I phoned uncle Jeremy, who had returned to his Mayfair lodgings, how he and Lottie were coping with the lockdown and was assured that they were in perfect health and in good spirits but were missing the socialising and the international scene.

After the initial pleasantries I asked him if he had any writings or correspondence relating to my mother as I might want to write her biography or a paper about her achievement as a war photographer, maybe an illustrated book.  

“Don't make it a hagiography, Jessica. She was not a saint.”

I thought this was intriguing. What did he actually know?

He told me he would have a good rummage among his papers for anything relevant and send me photocopies of anything he found.

I knew that it was prudent to retain the original documents in case they were needed for future reference.

© Luigi Pagano 2020

See
also:

1) https://www.abctales.com/story/luigipagano/incident-porttofino 2) https://www.abctales.com/story/luigipagano/top-secret 3) https://www.abctales.com/story/luigipagano/being-positive 4) https://www.abctales.com/story/luigipagano/chalet-bottom-garden 5) https://www.abctales.com/story/luigipagano/my-name-gideon  6)https://www.abctales.com/story/luigipagano/long-wait 7) https://www.abctales.com/story/luigipagano/truth-emerges 8)https://www.abctales.com/story/luigipagano/hot-lips-0 9)https://www.abctales.com/story/luigipagano/kissing-frogs 10)https://www.abctales.com/story/luigipagano/swallows-nest 11)https://www.abctales.com/story/luigipagano/digging-hole 12)https://www.abctales.com/story/luigipagano/do-svidaniya 13)https://www.abctales.com/story/luigipagano/d%C3%A9j%C3%A0-vu-all-over-again 14)https://www.abctales.com/story/luigipagano/girl-astrakhan-hat 15)https://www.abctales.com/story/luigipagano/die-cast 16))https://www.abctales.com/story/luigipagano/no-regrets