condensed master

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
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