The Cipher

Chapter 9-2

It took him five minutes to find what he was looking for. Three separate transcripts. All phone calls to the station on the direct agent phone number were automatically recorded and then transcribed. It seemed that agent CH41/V had called the direct agent line three times in a twenty-four-hour period. Interesting, thought Rowlands. The man obviously had something important to offer, judging by the frequency of the communications.

Interesting,He pulled the three separate transcripts out of the ledger and worked his way through them methodically. Each began with the usual administrative jargon – agent identity code, officer identity code, time and date – which was all part of the minutiae of running an overseas SIS station. Rowlands ignored them; he knew them by heart anyway. It was the text that he craved in the hope that it would yield a clue to the man"s intentions and perhaps reveal why he had been murdered so violently.

The first communication had been received less than 48 hours ago and to Rowlands" experienced eye Dobos had been bullish and overconfident in his first contact. It was as if he had a good hand in poker and couldn"t wait to tell the rest of the table about it, thought Rowlands.

It was as if he had a good hand in poker and couldn"t wait to tell the rest of the table about it,AGENT: This is [deleted]. I have valuable information, valuable material which may interest your service. I would prefer to speak to Colonel Ellerington. Only Ellerington will I deal with.

This is [deleted]. I have valuable information, valuable material which may interest your service. I would prefer to speak to Colonel Ellerington. Only Ellerington will I deal with.STATION: No names, please on an open line.

No names, please on an open line.AGENT: I understand, but this information is relevant and timely. It will have great benefit for the British.

I understand, but this information is relevant and timely. It will have great benefit for the British.STATION: That may be the case, but if what you say is true, we would need to assess it to verify its worth and authenticity. We would suggest that you leave it at one of our collection points as usual.

That may be the case, but if what you say is true, we would need to assess it to verify its worth and authenticity. We would suggest that you leave it at one of our collection points as usual.AGENT: No, you do not understand. This information is very sensitive. I would be foolish to let it out of my control. I demand a face to face meeting.

No, you do not understand. This information is very sensitive. I would be foolish to let it out of my control. I demand a face to face meeting.STATION: I"m sorry, but as I"m sure you know that is not how this works. Leave the information with us so that we can look it over. If it is useful we can negotiate a price.

I"m sorry, but as I"m sure you know that is not how this works. Leave the information with us so that we can look it over. If it is useful we can negotiate a price.AGENT: I have a specific price for the material. It is non-negotiable and I will only deal with Colonel—

I have a specific price for the material. It is non-negotiable and I will only deal with Colonel—STATION: I said no names. You know the protocol. No names. No face to face meeting unless the material is useful to us and to do that you have to pass it to us first. Also, WE set the price.

I said no names. You know the protocol. No names. No face to face meeting unless the material is useful to us and to do that you have to pass it to us first. Also, WE set the price.AGENT: Damn you! I will offer this to the French or Germans if I have …

Damn you! I will offer this to the French or Germans if I have …STATION: That is your choice. Those are our terms. This call is terminated.

That is your choice. Those are our terms. This call is terminated.ENDEX.

Rowlands smiled at the conversation. Colonel Ellerington was his working name, the name he used when contacting local agents for off the cuff meetings. The station officer, actually his deputy John Green, had done a good job of unsettling Max Dobos and keeping him dangling. They all came in cocksure of themselves, ready to believe that they have the latest top secret, no, above top-secret, information ready to trade. He"d seen it a million times before and in most cases, it was worthless scraps that the informants had gleaned from drunken conversations in a bar somewhere.

aboveRowlands preached to his officers that the role of the professional intelligence officer was to downplay what the agent thought was priceless information, not only to bring the price down, after all no one wants to pay top prices no matter how good the intelligence is, but also to give the officer time to accurately assess and analyze the material. Is it real or is it a fake? There you bugger, that will take the sting out of your tale, thought Rowlands.

There you bugger, that will take the sting out of your tale,He flicked through to the following communication transcript. It was the same day, but two hours later. Dobos was going for his second bite of the cherry. Either the Germans or the French had told him that they weren"t interested or he was determined to get a deal exclusively from SIS. Either way, he had put himself at a serious negotiating disadvantage which Rowlands knew his deputy would have taken ruthless advantage of.

STATION: Yes. Number please.

Yes. Number please.AGENT: CH41. I would like to talk to someone else.

CH41. I would like to talk to someone else.STATION: You can talk to me. What do you want CH41?

You can talk to me. What do you want CH41?AGENT: I… I called earlier. We spoke. I understand the need for protocol. Of course I do. But you must look at it from my position. I have something of great value. I would be foolish to just hand it over.

I… I called earlier. We spoke. I understand the need for protocol. Of course I do. But you must look at it from my position. I have something of great value. I would be foolish to just hand it over.STATION: How were the French and the Germans? Did they welcome you with open arms?

How were the French and the Germans? Did they welcome you with open arms?AGENT: I… I… I have not yet approached them. I have worked well with the British before and wanted to offer you the chance first. If you hadn"t been so obtuse then…

I… I… I have not yet approached them. I have worked well with the British before and wanted to offer you the chance first. If you hadn"t been so obtuse then…STATION: Goodbye CH41, I"m terminating the—

Goodbye CH41, I"m terminating the—AGENT: No, no, please wait. Can we not reach an understanding?

No, no, please wait. Can we not reach an understanding?STATION: CH41, a face to face meeting is impossible. We are all very busy. Imagine if we had to have a meeting every time someone had some chicken feed to sell.

CH41, a face to face meeting is impossible. We are all very busy. Imagine if we had to have a meeting every time someone had some chicken feed to sell.AGENT: It is NOT chicken feed. You will see this when you examine it!

It is NOT chicken feed. You will see this when you examine it!STATION: As I was saying…we would never get any work done. The deal is this. Leave the material at my Cousin ABEL"s house. You remember ABEL?

As I was saying…we would never get any work done. The deal is this. Leave the material at my Cousin ABEL"s house. You remember ABEL?AGENT: Of course…

Of course…STATION: Good. We will collect it, look it over and see what we think of it. If it"s good, or as good as you say it is, we can negotiate a price. If it"s not for us, then we hand it back to you.

Good. We will collect it, look it over and see what we think of it. If it"s good, or as good as you say it is, we can negotiate a price. If it"s not for us, then we hand it back to you.AGENT: But it will be too late, then you will have already seen it.

But it will be too late, then you will have already seen it.STATION: You know the way the game works CH41. That"s the risk you take. Besides, we have worked with you in the past. Have we ever let you down? You simply have to trust us.

You know the way the game works CH41. That"s the risk you take. Besides, we have worked with you in the past. Have we ever let you down? You simply have to trust us.AGENT: (pause) I will think it over.

(pause) I will think it over.STATION: Good idea CH41. Good day to you, sir.

Good idea CH41. Good day to you, sir.ENDEX

Green had handled it well, thought Rowlands. He had given the agent a tentative option whilst also being fair and professional. Anything less and it turns into the tail wagging the dog with the agents trying to run rings around their case officers.

Rowlands rubbed his eyes, God, he was tired. Only one more to go he thought as he flicked through to the final transcript. The final message was short, terse, as if Dobos was at the end of his tether. The message read:

STATION: Hello. Number please.

Hello. Number please.AGENT: CH41. Today the postman delivered to ABEL. Repeat ABEL. I will await confirmation of value and payment. I am placing my trust in your service"s good character. I hope the agreed terms and conditions are met. Goodbye.

Today the postman delivered to ABEL. Repeat ABEL. I will await confirmation of value and payment. I am placing my trust in your service"s good character. I hope the agreed terms and conditions are met. Goodbye.STATION: Thank you CH41 we will be in touch.

Thank you CH41 we will be in touch.ENDEX.

He rubbed the tiredness from his eyes and ruminated about the previous few days" events. Dobos had approached the Vienna station with possible high end intelligence. He had agreed to terms and conditions for a trade of the material and had lodged it in the dead letter box codenamed ABEL.

Rowlands checked the duty reports for the station operations over the past week. He found the correct file entitled "Agent Management" and flipped through the section dealing with deliveries to and from the three main dead letter box sites for low level informants like the CH4"s which were KANE, ABEL and ENOCH.

According to the file the only one to have been serviced by the station officers over the last few days had been ENOCH, which meant that the team hadn"t gotten around to emptying ABEL. I"ll have their balls for that, he thought. He scribbled his initials next to the ABEL heading, meaning that he would take sole responsibility for collecting whatever Dobos had left for the SIS station there. But not tonight, he thought. I need to get home and get some bloody sleep. He checked his watch. It was 2.30am. Just in time to make his way home, trying not to disturb Joyce, grab a few hours of shut eye before he had to go and empty an agents" dead letter box on what was effectively enemy territory.