condensed master

The Reluctant Agent
A Compelling Story of Espionage
The two men walked out into a street bathed in sunshine and Will remarked
to Ed. "I'll have to come back to trace the line to their office, preferably when all
the offices in the building are unoccupied."
"It will have to be late one evening, or on a Saturday or Sunday. I know the
janitor, it can be arranged anytime you want. If you like to keep the weekend
clear, we'll make it one evening."
"This is what you have to do Ed. Arrange a time when you know that their
offices are closed. At a pre-arranged time, ask Tony to dial the number from
another city location. I'll bring something with me to try and make the job easy."
"No problem. Tony can phone from the restaurant in Spring Street, their
offices are closed every evening so we could make a date now, say next Monday.
I'll pick you up at 7 p.m."
The following morning at mid morning break, Will went to see Bill Miles who
looked after the instruments for the department, booking them in and out, and
keeping them serviced. He was quiet and unassuming, the type that avoided
confrontation like the plague. They got along well together, sharing a common
interest in the electronics world.
"Is it possible to borrow a handset to check a friend's line Bill?"
"When do you want it for?"
"Monday."
"Well, as long as you take it when you leave for the day and bring it back
Tuesday first thing, it won't be necessary to book it out. Just remind me on
Monday, and I'll sort you out a good one." What a relief! He would now be able
to have two-way communication with Tony, making things much easier.
When Will left the workshops late Monday with the handset stowed away in
his attache case, the weather had changed. High winds and heavy rain were lashing
the city, with no sign of it abating. After a bite to eat he checked out his tools. It
was approaching 7 o'clock, so donning some protection from the rain he made his
way down Hawksburn Road to meet Ed. Thank goodness he was waiting, and
Will climbed into the car out of the rain.
"We couldn't have wished for a better night," Ed exclaimed, "there won't be
a soul about in that building, I bet!" He was right. The street outside was deserted,
and when they entered even the janitor failed to appear. They made their way
through the empty building and into the small locker-room. "Tony will be phoning
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