Page 46 of Echoes of Betrayal

This time Gould didn’t rise but gestured for Jack to take a seat as if they were old friends, chewing the fat. ‘I was hoping to see you soon. Things didn’t end quite as I would have liked the other day following our unfortunate misunderstanding.’

Jack’s black eyes met Gould’s. ‘What misunderstanding?’

Gould drew on his pipe, and his eyes twinkled as he nodded his head. ‘Good man. Mum’s the word. I knew you would see things clearly.’

Jack lifted his briefcase onto his lap and presented his papers on the desk like a winning hand of cards.

Gould sighed as it dawned on him Jack hadn’t come to apologise for inserting himself into matters that didn’t concern him.

‘You are like a dog with a bone,’ he said, but Jack glimpsed admiration in the officer’s eyes. Jack was exactly the type of formidable agent every intelligence head wanted on their team. ‘Go on, King, what may I do for you today?’

‘Thank you, sir. I am as keen to get out of your hair here at Bletchley as no doubt you are to see the back of me.’

Gould puffed again, and his eyes narrowed. ‘Go on.’

‘As you know, my assignment is to identify weaknesses in the intelligence pipeline between here and London, to improve efficiency and ultimately save agents’ lives. I’m pleased to tell you I have identified areas where the flow breaks down so that we may work together to resolve the issues.’

Gould sighed again, and Jack saw he had his full attention. The officer said, ‘I’m all ears. Tell me how we can help your people in France, and I’m sure my team will rise to the challenge.’

Jack lit a cigarette. ‘After a thorough investigation and review of the files, I confirm, as we suspected, that it’s a systemic problem, not just a France problem. The failures compromise all our agents in the field, as well as the brave Resistance who risk their lives to help them. Besides France, I’m sure you are aware we have growing SOE networks and cells in Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Yugoslavia, Greece, Poland, Czechoslovakia and North Africa.’

Gould rested his pipe on the desk. ‘Show me what proof you’ve got, Captain, and let’s stop beating around the bush.’

Jack produced the papers that painstakingly evidenced the specific examples. They were irrefutable because if there was one thing Jack excelled at, it was his eye for detail and ability to identify relevant cases. Val told him repeatedly when he bemoaned his fate as a desk man instead of being out in the field, that he’d made a rod for his own back by being so proficient. It was a double-edged sword, as it kept him away from the thrill of overseas missions, but he understood the importance of intelligence work at home to support their agents.

Jack talked Gould through each of the examples, and when they delved into The Lavender Network scenario where the SIS had clearly not passed over critical intelligence to Baker Street, Gould took a sharp intake of breath. To his credit, the SIS officer listened closely and asked probing questions until Jack finished presenting his case.

‘You have done a meticulous job of bringing this to my attention,’ Gould said, lighting his pipe and then crossing to the window where he puffed and surveyed the grounds.

Jack waited, losing patience and wondering whether he would need to play his trump card. ‘The boss will want to know how you propose to remedy the failings so that they will not be repeated.’

‘Of course, of course,’ Gould said. ‘I will mull it over.’

Jack recognised the SIS’s officer’s words as organisational code to stall him. For all his show of attention to Jack’s case, the SIS didn’t take kindly to being ordered to pass their intelligence to their rival, the SOE. Jack’s intention to remain calm slipped away as he felt icy rage rise within him, and he jumped to his feet and slammed his hand down hard on Gould’s desk.

‘That’s not enough, man. We need immediate and reliable intelligence. I have agents lying dead in the field and captured by the Gestapo because of the utter ineptitude of your system. For God’s sake, is mulling it over the best you can do? We’re on the same side and we’re fighting for our lives here!’

Gould pivoted to face Jack, clearly taken aback by his passionate outburst. ‘Alright, don’t lose your rag, King. You’ll do yourself a mischief.’

Jack’s hackles rose, and he calculated how hard to push. Once he was back at Baker Street, he would no longer have access to Gould. Still standing, he said, ‘As you know, Mr Churchill takes a particular interest in the SOE and meets regularly with the Director. He’d be horrified if he were to learn that our agents in France have been captured and murdered because of a petty turf war between our agencies.’

The effect of his words struck an immediate change in Gould’s countenance, and he stared at Jack. After what seemed like a long pause, the officer said, ‘If I see that the efficiency of the pipeline is dramatically improved, you’ll make no mention of this unfortunate business to the Prime Minister?’

‘Yes, in return for immediate improvements,’ Jack said, gathering his papers and trying to calm himself down. Despite all his good intentions, some men only responded to threats and a show of strength.

They shook hands, and Jack thanked Gould and said he would return to London the following day. When he reached the door, Gould called after him. ‘King, am I to understand you dropped the other business about the Swiss channel entirely?’

Jack turned. ‘Consider it done.’

It was Jack’s last night at The Eight Bells, and he tossed and turned and struggled to sleep as his mind turned over his time at Bletchley. The two jobs he’d been assigned were completed to his satisfaction. He had collected plenty of useful new material for the Baker Street traitor to keep feeding false information to his spymaster in Berlin. It gave Jack a lot of intelligence that would throw the Boche off the scent of what the Allies were really up to, whilst still appearing to be highly sensitive information that would keep the man in play for when they might need him.

Jack turned again and tried to get comfortable, his thoughts still buzzing and refusing him the luxury of sleep. The most important assignment was the improvement of the intelligence pipeline, and he was confident he’d done all he could to achieve that for the time being.

How much Gould would follow through remained to be seen, but Jack would be watching from London and if he needed to return to Bletchley to remind the SIS officer of their agreement, he wouldn’t hesitate.

Jack shut down the thoughts that had plagued him since he received Val’s order to close his investigation on the Swiss channel. It was obvious that a top-secret intelligence operation was being hidden by Gould. Even Val, whom he had never known to back down in such a way before, wouldn’t touch it.

The dawn chatter of the birds and a hazy first light streamed into the room as Jack finally drifted off to sleep.