Page 47 - double revenge 3.

‘Taken over from whom?’ I asked in surprise.

‘Anne.’

‘Anne?’

‘Yes, your wife.

I needed a moment to absorb this news.

‘Why was she pursuing an investigation? She was an analyst not an agent.’

‘There was a restructuring of the department some months ago and a few were given the

opportunity to expand their role. Anne moved to the new department headed by me, initially on a
six months secondment so I guess she wanted to tell you after the position had become
permanent.’

‘Do you mean that without any formal training she has been let loose on the streets of London as
an agent? Don‘t you think someone should have contacted me?’

‘It’s not quite like that Bryant. Anne was a specialist in Middle East affairs. She spoke Arabic and
Persian and had studied every Sheikh of any importance and every member of Middle Eastern
Royalty. No one has more knowledge of the people who matter in the Middle East. She did not
come by that knowledge by walking the streets of Riyadh or Abu Dhabi, she studied all the
information she could get her hands on. That is what she had to do with the Barker problem. Find
the information and analyse it.

Fred Callaway is an expert on Russian affairs and he too has a detailed knowledge of every member

of the politburo as well as leaders of the former Soviet States. He came by his knowledge sat at a
desk.

It is natural, therefore, that when a potential problem arises or is forecast, that those most likely to
know how certain people are going to react to certain strategies are people like Fred and Anne.
The Deputy Director felt it was about time their knowledge was utilised to the full, not only in the
analysis process but also in the response.’

‘But, we are not talking about how to treat the next chairman of OPEC, we are talking about
searching for an American blackmailer who has been tortured in the most inhumane fashion,
beaten up and then dumped in the River Thames.’

‘This would not normally be how we envisaged the new department to operate, as I say, Anne was
an expert on the Middle East but the investigation into Arnold Warner was actually instigated by

Anne. GCHQ intercepts were sent to her and she found Warner using an assist and details from the
intercepts. I am certain she would eventually have found the memo had there not been that
dreadful accident. I really am so sorry Bryant. Your wife was not only a lovely person she was