condensed master

20.05.2017 Views

Will Bonner he felt sick with Louise's little hand gripping him so tightly, there was no mistaking that she was sending him a message. He picked her up and carried her home and within minutes she was fast asleep. Will lay on the bed, his mind was split in two. On the one side was Mark screaming his head off, and on the other, the quiet despair of Louise being left with, in her mind, strangers. Their respective families still lived in England, thirteen thousand miles away, and they would have to accept being on their own. Visiting the hospital next day, Will learned that Mark had sustained a greenstick fracture of his collar bone whilst he was being born, and it would take him awhile to get better. It seemed completely out of keeping to see this little baby with his arm in a sling! Will's associate in the test room at work was away, consequently, he could not take any time off. The routine of leaving Louise at Ivan's each day, then being with her briefly in the early evening before visiting the hospital was painful, to say the least. He could see that she was suffering in silence by the look on her face when he picked her up to take her home. A few days later Dorothy came home with baby Mark, so now they were a family of four and everyone settled down to a more secure routine. Needless to say, Louise was more often than not clinging to her mother, probably wondering when she was going to be whisked away again! It had been nearly three years now since making the move to Watson-Victor, and Louise was approaching her third birthday. By now he had covered every aspect of the work that was required of him, and things had remained easy, with no challenges or trauma, consequently, he was in excellent condition mentally. The only factor that he realized he would have to address, sooner or later, was the financial aspect. There were very few pay rises, and very little prospect of anything forthcoming on the horizon. One of the employee's would occasionally help him out in the test-room, a man by the name of Frank Churchill and it was he who provided him with the answer. "I'm leaving next week Will." "Have you got a job to go to?" "Yes, there's a company in the city and they're still looking for television engineers. Do you want me to put a word in for you?" Will was wary, as things stood at the moment he was as secure as he could 264

The Reluctant Agent A Compelling Story of Espionage ever be. "Drop in and let me know how you get on." After Frank had left Will found it difficult to get the thought out of his mind that he could possibly get back into television. Frank was back visiting the test-room only one week later, enthusiastic about the company and the work. He had been supplied with a vehicle, but Will gasped when he learned that the salary was nearly double to what he was currently earning. "If you're interested I can pick you up tomorrow morning and take you in to meet the Manager. With your qualifications he'll employ you straightway." Will didn't hesitate, he was ready for any challenge now that he'd had the benefit of what could only be described as a long spell of rehabilitation. He talked excitedly with Dorothy that night about the prospects of their finances getting such a big boost. It would take them clear out of the doldrums. The conditions of employment were simple. If you could handle the job you were in, if you couldn't you were out. Problem solving in electronics was second nature to Will, he had no misgivings about throwing himself into the work. This particular branch of the company employed around forty field engineers and it's electronics workshops were located just north of the city centre. Covering the whole of the Melbourne metropolitan area and the surrounding suburbs on a daily basis, this small segment of the company was minuscule in comparison to the size of the overall organization. Will was just settling down to the daily work routine when a note appeared in his message box which he checked each day before leaving to go on the road. It simply read "please phone Margaret" Tony. Will looked around him, his conscience playing tricks, but he had no need for concern. The department was always buzzing with activity at this time of the morning, everyone was eager to clear the building and get to their first call. It was a good fifteen mile drive to his first job enabling him enough time to chew things over. It had been a long time since the episode with Dan at Margaret's hide-a-way. He had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, a likeness to eating something that was now having a detrimental effect. Tony must have been tracking his activities to be able to leave the message. It was written by one of the office girls on a company's telephone message pad. Once started, his work demanded his total attention, consequently, he gave it no further thought until he 265

Will Bonner<br />

he felt sick with Louise's little hand gripping him so tightly, there was no mistaking<br />

that she was sending him a message. He picked her up and carried her home and<br />

within minutes she was fast asleep.<br />

Will lay on the bed, his mind was split in two. On the one side was Mark<br />

screaming his head off, and on the other, the quiet despair of Louise being left with,<br />

in her mind, strangers. Their respective families still lived in England, thirteen<br />

thousand miles away, and they would have to accept being on their own.<br />

Visiting the hospital next day, Will learned that Mark had sustained a<br />

greenstick fracture of his collar bone whilst he was being born, and it would take<br />

him awhile to get better. It seemed completely out of keeping to see this little baby<br />

with his arm in a sling!<br />

Will's associate in the test room at work was away, consequently, he could not<br />

take any time off. The routine of leaving Louise at Ivan's each day, then being with<br />

her briefly in the early evening before visiting the hospital was painful, to say the<br />

least. He could see that she was suffering in silence by the look on her face when<br />

he picked her up to take her home.<br />

A few days later Dorothy came home with baby Mark, so now they were a<br />

family of four and everyone settled down to a more secure routine. Needless to<br />

say, Louise was more often than not clinging to her mother, probably wondering<br />

when she was going to be whisked away again!<br />

It had been nearly three years now since making the move to Watson-Victor,<br />

and Louise was approaching her third birthday. By now he had covered every<br />

aspect of the work that was required of him, and things had remained easy, with<br />

no challenges or trauma, consequently, he was in excellent condition mentally.<br />

The only factor that he realized he would have to address, sooner or later, was<br />

the financial aspect. There were very few pay rises, and very little prospect of<br />

anything forthcoming on the horizon. One of the employee's would occasionally<br />

help him out in the test-room, a man by the name of Frank Churchill and it was he<br />

who provided him with the answer.<br />

"I'm leaving next week Will."<br />

"Have you got a job to go to?"<br />

"Yes, there's a company in the city and they're still looking for television<br />

engineers. Do you want me to put a word in for you?"<br />

Will was wary, as things stood at the moment he was as secure as he could<br />

264

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