condensed master

The Reluctant Agent
A Compelling Story of Espionage
Will felt no apprehension about the forthcoming meeting. Travelling home on
the arranged evening however, it was uppermost in his mind. He was convinced
that they had not confided in Tony and for that reason he would not be expecting
things to go smoothly.
The commuter traffic was heading east as they travelled west towards the city.
It was about a thirty minute drive and as they turned south on the tree lined St.
Kilda Road the cars had thinned out considerably, making the drive a more
pleasant experience. Pulling into one of the many large colonial residences, Tony
parked around the back, close to the rear entrance.
The house itself was much larger than the one in Hawksburn and would no
doubt have many more apartments. Approaching the wide stairway, Will looked
up to see four levels, each with it's own bannistered landing that surrounded the
stairwell. Tony looked back as he mounted the first flight. "We've got to go right
to the top, there's no elevator." One thing was certain - he was in better condition
than Ed had been.
Will looked around at the large oak doors as they walked along the red
patterned carpet on the fourth floor, wondering where Tony would stop and
knock, but he ignored them all, stopping instead at a small door in the corner,
which led to a short flight of narrow stairs and finally at the top to another door of
similar size. He knocked and then opening the door gestured for Will to go inside.
What confronted him was a tiny apartment with barely enough room to walk
around the bed. The services, a wash basin, small cooker, etc. were positioned in
nooks around the room to take advantage of every available space.
Half lying on the bed was a man, his head propped up by his left arm, the
elbow resting in the centre of a pillow. A woman was sitting on a dining chair next
to the bed and by the time Tony had entered and closed the door the room was
overcrowded.
Will pressed himself against the wall to squeeze past the man's long legs which
were hanging over the edge of the bed. He made no effort to move or even look
up. No one appeared to want to speak and Will spent the time observing this rude
individual.
His face looked as though an artist had just moulded it in clay, still leaving the
imprints of fingers around the cheeks and nose. His mouth had a twisted look
giving the impression that he was about to sneer. His body proportions divulged
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