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you have been playing this game most of your life; don’t tell me you have never checked out friends
or colleagues.’

‘Believe me Mex, your answers make me angry but nothing could make me angrier than your SOU
that has been murdering people. Mick Hagley, Frank Furlong, Mrs. Ashley and my wife.’

‘Anne? But I thought that was an automobile malfunction.’

‘No Mex. She was murdered and I believe by your SOU. Mick Hagley was the first to be murdered.
He was just a common crook but your special operations thought he was Mick Hagley, an
investment advisor from Boston.’

‘ Bryant, I don’t know those other people but I swear to you the only special operations unit in
London was your tail and that was ended the day you so easily took two of them out, just as I
promised I would. I have not authorised any other units and besides, any SOU operating in this

country would be specifically ordered to tread very carefully. Murdering British citizens is top of the
do not be doing list.

‘What about the fake memo?’

‘It was becoming obvious you knew nothing about the memo or it’s whereabouts and I thought if
the fake memo was accepted then six would call off the search, or at least pull you off the case. You
and I work closely with each other and it was hurting me to see us becoming opponents in this

affair and not by our choice but choices made by others. I do not want us to be on opposing sides
Bryant, truly I do not want that I just want us to get back to normalcy.’

Mex was right; I am too long in the tooth to believe that surveillance is only carried out on others
and not us. Although it was upsetting to think the CIA had held me under such close scrutiny I
believed him when he said he wanted normalcy, how I hate these Americanisms, are they too busy
to say normality? It was also considerable comfort to learn Gabriela was not a professional
“honeypot”. Mex’s words still echoed, “if sex was involved then it was because she wanted it.”

I decided the time was right to follow Gabriela’s advice.

On my way home I stopped at the local hardware and purchased everything I thought I would need
to redecorate my bedroom.

I filled five dustbin liners with Anne’s clothes and knick-knacks and found some extra sheets in the
bottom of one wardrobe to use as dustsheets.

It was such a hot day I stripped down to my boxer shorts, partly to save my clothes becoming
covered in Magnolia emulsion.

I kept telling myself that this redecoration was not because I had expectations about Gabriela. She
had already let me down gently and had made it clear there was no long term possibility for us but