condensed master

Will Bonner
only served to direct everyone in the near vicinity to look in Will's direction. "I'm
sure we've met, haven't we Richard?" he said, turning to his friend.
Will got up from his chair and stepped back in obvious embarrassment. "No,
I think you must be mistaken," he replied, trying to disappear into the background.
Everyone around was by then having a good laugh at Will's expense.
A big deep voice from within the crowd yelled, "Don't be frightened youngster,
they won't hurt you!" bringing more laughter from all around, including the
homosexuals, who seemed to have also joined in the fun, but by this time Will had
managed to get relocated out of earshot.
What a relief Will thought, settling down once again to watch the games being
played from the other side of the room.
Glancing into an alleyway entrance nearby, he noticed a man standing partly
in the shadows. Thinking that he was about to enter Will stepped aside to give him
plenty of room, but he stayed motionless. Turning in the man's direction Will was
about to ask him if he needed to come in when he spoke in a soft, but audible
voice.
"You're Will Brenner, aren't you?"
"Yes," Will replied, moving closer to the entrance.
"I've been waiting for an opportunity to see you. Step in here out of the noise,
I can't hear you very well."
Stepping into the partially lit alleyway Will immediately recognized him as one
of the men on the boat journey across the harbour from his ship. Sensibly dressed
for the climate in light grey cotton trousers and shirt, he was a medium-size man
around 30 years old, slightly on the plump side, with puffy cheeks like a trumpet
player.
The alleyway was not very well ventilated and patches of sweat had appeared
around his armpits and neck. Furtively looking past Will, and then in the opposite
direction, he appeared to be checking that they were alone. Will was about to
engage him in conversation to find out more about him, but he was cut short.
"You were in a spot of trouble in Gourock."
Will froze. "What are you trying to tell me?"
"It's now time for you to do something for us."
The ferret man's last words came flooding back to him and suddenly the whole
atmosphere between the two men changed. Unable to cope at that particular
24