Faithless by Tony Walker Read Free Book Online

down at his desk. "We've been to see MAGNIFICAT," he said.
    "Yes," she said. "You got your way."
    "Yeah, he thinks Vinogradov is definitely KGB. And furthermore he thinks the contact is probably a Line X agent."
    "Which contact?"
    "You know, the one I saw with A4 at the Dicken's Inn. The one who works for the List X company that makes guns for the Army."
    She shook her head. "I don't want any more resources spent on that."
    John felt a rush of anger. "Sorry? I've just identified a Line X agent and you are going to let it lie?"
    "No, John. You have not identified a Line X agent. You just believe you have. There is a lot more to identifying agents than one A4 contact."
    "Of course. And that's why I should follow it up."
    She said coldly. "I've told you my decision. You will not spend any more time on this."
    John stood up. "And what's this about? You're prepared to leave a KGB agent in place b ecause it's more important to you that you make me follow your orders?"
    "Oh do sit down John. You're making an exhibition of yourself."
    "I want to take this further. Your attitude is stupid and counter to what we're supposed to be doing."
    "I think you'll f ind Stephen is of the same mind as me. You behave as if you are in a bad spy movie. The basis of this work is the dull grind of routine. I sometimes wonder if you're in the right job."
    "If this is the attitude of the management of this Service that the bur eaucratic process is more important than  producing results, then I wonder too."
    She sniffed. "When are you due for a posting John?"
    "I've just arrived. I'm not going anywhere."
    "Thankfully that's not your decision. I think perhaps the move should be sooner rather than later."
     
     
     
     
    1968, The George Heriot School, Edinburgh: When George Heriot made his bequest to set up his school in the 17th Century it is hard to know how much social engineering was on his mind. He was a very wealthy man - a goldsmith - from a family of wealthy men. By the 20th Century George Heriot's School was, by its own account, "distinguished". It educated the wealthy and privileged but there were also boys there enabled by the Foundation. Though attention was not drawn to them, all the boys knew who was who. John felt the difference from the start right through to the end. The glittering ones lived in different places, called their parents and even meals by different terms, played tennis, and went skiing to Austria and Switzerland in the Winter holidays. John learned to blend in - to de-emphasise the differences - to speak two languages - standard English at school - Embra Scots outside with his primary school friends. His social confidence developed as the years went by but he never forgot what he was. He mixed with other Foundation boys as the differences were less and they did not expect him to be able to go places and be things he could not, as the richer boys did, though thoughtlessly and without intended cruelty.
    John  excelled at languages. His favourite teacher was Leonard Cole who taught German and Geography. Cole was the son of a Liberal Politician from the south of England who had gone to the liberal Be dales School in Hampshire. The boys at George Heriot's called him a "lefty".
    In one German lesson when he was 16, the subject of health had come up and Cole ventured to suggest patriotically that the German system was not as good as the British National H ealth System, set up by the socialist government after the Second World War.
    One boy, Gideon Graves,  said, "My father says the NHS is grossly inefficient and a waste of time. He says it's ideological tinkering with the natural order of things."  Graves s aid it with a cross between a sneer and a smile on his face. Riling Cole was the point of the exercise. Cole, who was a very intelligent man and who, John thought, should have realised what was going on was instead propelled by his passion into a debate.
    " So your father would abolish the NHS?" he said.
    "Of course," said