Message From Malaga by Helen MacInnes Read Free Book Online

feared your newspapers would headline the lack of Bolivian communist support for the Guevara forces. No communist party disobeys its directives; if they had been told to support Guevara, they would have done so. Ialso overestimated Guevara himself. I thought he would react violently once he discovered he had been sent on a lost mission.” He paused. “When you contact Washington—”
    “First,” Reid said, “I need some short but definite answers.”
    “But I’ve told you—”
    “Not enough. You say you are Fuentes, a member of the KGB, sent to supervise some branch of your department that has been established in Cuba. You say you are afraid for your life, and you’ve given me a reason for your flight. But the Che Guevara incident, if true, is three years old. What is the reason for leaving Cuba now?”
    Fuentes stared at him coldly. “Further disagreements. And because of the Guevara incident, my position has been weakened. The suggestions of my opponents have been favoured in directives from Moscow. They are now in operation. I foresee great danger to the department. And when trouble comes, I do not intend to be held responsible for something I disapproved of.”
    Moral scruples? At least, thought Reid, this may be more pleasant to hear. “And that was ?”
    “The widening of our selection of recruits.”
    Reid’s brief touch of sympathy faded. “You are afraid your standards will deteriorate?”
    “Not that. Our training is of the best. No one is chosen unless he has the necessary courage and determination. But once he graduates, he may give us unexpected trouble unless we are sure of him psychologically. With increasing numbers of graduating students, that is not always possible. Some of them get tired of waiting. They may want action before we judge it is time for action. The younger they are, the more impatient. They want to prove how clever they are. In other words, they couldbecome agents out of control.” Fuentes was talking rapidly, the words pouring out as if he had declared them several times before, and from the irritation in his voice it was obvious that no one had listened to him. “That creates several problems. The greatest of these is adverse publicity.”
    “Surely your propaganda experts can come to the rescue,” Reid said bitterly. “Blue is yellow, and purple is green. They know how to colour the picture.”
    “A propaganda machine is only as effective as people are stupid. We cannot assume that we will always be saved by the simplemindedness of our enemies. To attract any publicity is a fatal mistake for my department. We must not seem to exist.”
    “And what are you?”
    “The Thirteenth Department of the Foreign Intelligence Directorate.”
    Reid froze. In spite of the heat of the room, he felt chilled. The beads of perspiration on his brow were cold. “So Department Thirteen is still active,” he said, trying to speak casually, almost succeeding.
    Fuentes was delighted with the effect he had produced. “Not even Khrushchev would interfere with it. Fortunately. There is more opportunity for it now than ever. So you see, Señor Reid, I am a defector of considerable value. You agree?”
    Reid only stared at him. Department Thirteen had two divisions. One of them dealt with assassination. The other organised terror: bombs in cities, fires in warehouses and harbours, destruction of railways and bridges, sabotage of defence industries and installations, general violence and the creation of fear.
    Fuentes was saying, “When you contact Washington, I wouldadvise you not to trust your usual methods of communication. Messages can be intercepted. And codes can be broken easily and quickly by computers. I suggest a courier: yourself in fact. Señor Reid—are you listening to me?”
    Sure I’m listening, Reid thought grimly. Department Thirteen... I’m out of my depth. This is far beyond me, and I know it. But I’ll keep listening. And I’ll keep you talking. “You mean I take