condensed master
Will Bonner said. "My husband has been on a tour of communist China and Russia and has movie film, slides, and tapes, to show a group of fifty politicians. They will all be here on Monday evening, will it be alright for then?" "I can assure you that it will be, and I'll come back on Monday afternoon to make certain that everything is in order." "I'd be most grateful if you could. My husband is so busy he has left it up to me to see that everything is in order, including the catering." Will walked back to the study in a daze and he sat on one of the equipment cases looking around, not quite knowing what to think. Very few people gained permission to travel behind the Iron Curtain to Russia and China's doors were clamped shut, consequently, any information coming out of either country was highly classified. This information was red hot and every individual piece would no doubt be scrutinized by Australian Intelligence. What if he ignored it and the organization found out? It would destroy any goodwill he had built up over recent years and perhaps leave his family open, he couldn't avoid telling Margaret, and no later than this evening. Today was Wednesday and discounting the weekend there were only two days left, and possibly Monday - which might be leaving things late. Will took a quick look around the area of the house adjacent to the study. There was only one approach and that was through the living-room. An additional door at the far end of the theatre was used as a fire exit, opening it led him out into the garden, but it could not be opened from the outside. The perimeter wall was about fifty feet away. In the study itself, a single door next to the theatre entrance, opened into a small projection room. For the remainder of the day he wrestled with the possibility that the organization may not be interested in this particular type of information, but deep down he knew otherwise, and there was no way he could avoid getting involved. Knowing that he would be very late home he had called in to see Dorothy to let her know. It was rare for him not to be there before the children were put to bed, so it would be of little consequence, on this one occasion. At 8 p.m. Will pulled into the darkness of Margaret's drive, shifting the vehicle into low gear to cope with the steep climb up to the house. He was fearful that she might not be there but as the house started to appear roof first, and then the windows, he could see lights showing from the living-room. They were then 284
The Reluctant Agent A Compelling Story of Espionage abruptly extinguished. He stopped immediately, some distance from the house, and switched off his lights. This was something he had not expected and he sat looking out into the dark surroundings, wondering what to do next. Perhaps she was being cautious, or there might be a more ominous reason. Snapping open the dome cover of the interior light he removed the bulb and got out of the car, closing the door quietly behind him. He could see the dim outline of Margaret's car and he walked slowly towards it feeling very exposed, even in the darkness. The tensions were rapidly rising and he was thinking of all the bad things that could likely happen in the next few minutes. Standing at the bottom of the stairway he suppressed the urge to call out. There was no other way in, the rear of the house was only accessible via the steep sides of the hill which would be formidable even in daylight. He slowly started up the open stairway, one step at a time, pausing at the mid level landing to listen for sounds from above, but there was only silence, so he proceeded on up the second flight to the entrance door. As usual, it was partly open, and it creaked in response to a push, but other sounds pierced the air. The sharp clicking of gun hammers being drawn back. Will hit the floor falling partly backwards on to the stairway as the lights burst into life, and he sat on the top step looking through the doorway across the room. Margaret was standing there next to the light switch, pointing a double-barrelled 12 gauge shotgun at him. He couldn't describe the look on her face. It was a mixture of fear and disbelief. She lowered the gun and released the hammers. "I'm sorry Will, I wasn't expecting you. Why didn't you phone me?" She returned the gun to the bedroom and sat down in one of the lounge chairs. Will's heart was still pounding as though he had just completed a one hundred yard dash. Margaret must have been feeling the same and they both sat without speaking, waiting for the sensation to subside. "You were too early with the lights, and you should have had the hammers already cocked. Had there been more than one person, you would have been in trouble!" "I'm not used to this sort of activity. By the time the door flew open I was scared out of my wits!" "What's happening with you Margaret, are you involved with the type of 285
- Page 234 and 235: Will Bonner "They have no organizat
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- Page 248 and 249: Will Bonner Tensions rose another n
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- Page 258 and 259: Will Bonner Margaret's shaking was
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- Page 304 and 305: Will Bonner "That's more like it."
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Will Bonner<br />
said. "My husband has been on a tour of communist China and Russia and has<br />
movie film, slides, and tapes, to show a group of fifty politicians. They will all be<br />
here on Monday evening, will it be alright for then?"<br />
"I can assure you that it will be, and I'll come back on Monday afternoon to<br />
make certain that everything is in order."<br />
"I'd be most grateful if you could. My husband is so busy he has left it up to<br />
me to see that everything is in order, including the catering."<br />
Will walked back to the study in a daze and he sat on one of the equipment<br />
cases looking around, not quite knowing what to think. Very few people gained<br />
permission to travel behind the Iron Curtain to Russia and China's doors were<br />
clamped shut, consequently, any information coming out of either country was<br />
highly classified. This information was red hot and every individual piece would no<br />
doubt be scrutinized by Australian Intelligence.<br />
What if he ignored it and the organization found out? It would destroy any<br />
goodwill he had built up over recent years and perhaps leave his family open, he<br />
couldn't avoid telling Margaret, and no later than this evening. Today was<br />
Wednesday and discounting the weekend there were only two days left, and<br />
possibly Monday - which might be leaving things late.<br />
Will took a quick look around the area of the house adjacent to the study.<br />
There was only one approach and that was through the living-room. An additional<br />
door at the far end of the theatre was used as a fire exit, opening it led him out into<br />
the garden, but it could not be opened from the outside. The perimeter wall was<br />
about fifty feet away. In the study itself, a single door next to the theatre entrance,<br />
opened into a small projection room.<br />
For the remainder of the day he wrestled with the possibility that the<br />
organization may not be interested in this particular type of information, but deep<br />
down he knew otherwise, and there was no way he could avoid getting involved.<br />
Knowing that he would be very late home he had called in to see Dorothy to let<br />
her know. It was rare for him not to be there before the children were put to bed,<br />
so it would be of little consequence, on this one occasion.<br />
At 8 p.m. Will pulled into the darkness of Margaret's drive, shifting the vehicle<br />
into low gear to cope with the steep climb up to the house. He was fearful that she<br />
might not be there but as the house started to appear roof first, and then the<br />
windows, he could see lights showing from the living-room. They were then<br />
284