The Secret Agent (5)

Hello guys,

Here is the fifth part of our story by Joseph Conrad.

Enjoy!




Chapter five

 

The Assistant Commissioner visits Sir Ethelred

 

The Assistant Commissioner turned to Heat. ‘Do you have proof that Michaelis knows about this business?’

‘Proof, sir? Yes, sir. Trust me.’ Heat laughed as if he had a special secret.

‘What did you find out at Greenwich?’ asked the Assistant Commissioner.

Heat decided to be honest. ‘I have an address, sir.’ He showed his boss the piece of blue cloth that he had taken from among the remains of the body. ‘This is from the coat worn by the man who blew himself up.’ The Assistant Commissioner saw that there was an address hand-written on the cloth in ink.

'32 Brett Street. What’s that?’

‘lt’s a shop, sir.’ Heat explained about Verloc.

‘Does anyone else know about Verloc?’

‘No. sir. A personal friend in the French police told me he was an Embassy spy. It was private information.’

‘And how long have you known this spy?’

‘I first saw him seven years ago, when some important foreign visitors were on a visit here. Baron Stott-Wartenhein was Ambassador then. He sent for me and he told me that a man had come from Paris with some important information. He showed me into another room where a large man was waiting. The light

was not good and I could not see him well. We talked and he gave me some news that probably saved us from some serious problems on the day of the important visit.

‘I saw the large man, Verloc, again some time later in the street. One of our detectives watched him for a few days and he told me that the man had married his landlady’s daughter. They had gone on holiday and he had seen some old Paris labels on their bags.

When I went to Paris for work I spoke to my friend in the police there. He told me that the man worked with an international group of revolutionaries. He said that he was now a secret agent of one of the foreign Embassies in London. At last I had proof that he was the man whom I had seen at Baron Stott-Wartenheim’s.

‘One night, I went to his shop and I spoke to him. I said that the police would leave him alone if he did nothing too bad. This was useful to him because some of the things that he sells have to go through Customs at Dover.’

‘And what do you get from him in return for not speaking to Customs?’

'Our men take careful notice of anybody that they see with him. I can always get an address from him. I usually write him a note, unsigned, and he answers me in the same way with an unsigned note sent to my private address. If I think something is going to happen, he can usually tell me something about it.’

'He didn't tell you anything this time.’

'I didn't ask. He isn’t one of our men. We don’t pay him.’

‘No. He's a spy paid by a foreign country!’

'I must be free to work in my own way. sir. There are things that not everyone should know.’

 

‘Not even me?’ said the Assistant Commissioner angrily. Heat said nothing, so he continued. ‘Is the house watched  by the police?'

'Not all the time. l don’t think that Verloc knows anything about this Greenwich business.’

'No? Then how do you explain this?’ The Assistant Commissioner looked at the piece of blue cloth lying on the table.

'I can't it, sir. I think that the man who knows the most about all this is probably Michaelis.'

'What about the other man who escaped from the park?’

'I think he will be far away by now.’

Suddenly the Assistant Commissioner was in a hurry to end the conversation and he told the Chief Inspector to meet him early the

next morning. Soon after Heat had gone, his boss put on his hat and left the building. He had decided to speak about what he knew to a very important politician — Sir Ethelred. the Home Secretary. He hurried towards the Parliament buildings.

 

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The Home Secretary was a big, white-faced man. Next to him, the Assistant Commissioner looked small and dark and even more foreign-looking. Sir Ethelred spoke in a loud voice.

‘Now don’t give me any details. I don’t have time for that. But I would like to know if this is the beginning of more problems from the anarchists.’

‘I don’t think so, sir.’

’Hah! Less than a month ago, I was told that nothing like this was even possible.’

‘I’m sorry, sir, but it wasn't me who told you that.’

‘That’s true. It was Heat. You haven’t been in the new job long, have you? How are things?’

‘I believe I'm learning something new every day, Sir Ethelred. I want to talk to you about the Greenwich bombing.’

‘Very well. Go ahead.’

The Assistant Commissioner talked for some minutes and Sir Ethelred listened carefully.

‘So you see, sir,’ finished the Assistant Commissioner, ‘this is special.’

‘You are right. To think that the Ambassador of a foreign country is doing things like that! Really, these people are impossible! What should we do, do you think?’

‘We shouldn’t accept these secret agents, sir. They are dangerous. And perhaps we should take Heat off the job . . .’

‘What! Heat? Not very clever, eh?’ said Sir Ethelred who did not like the Chief Inspector.

‘I couldn’t say that. sir. He’s the best in his department. All my information is from him. But I’ve discovered that Heat has been using Verloc privately and I don't agree with that. It’s a good idea to stop \/erloc, but Heat may see this as a personal attack. I believe that I can find out what is behind the Greenwich business if I go myself to the shop in Brett Street.’

'Why can't Heat go?’

'Because I want to know the real story behind the bombing and he just wants to arrest as many well-known anarchists as possible. Verloc will help. It won’t be difficult to frighten him; Can I tell him that he will be safe if he helps us?’

Of course. Question him and find out as much as you can. Come to Parliament later tonight and tell us what you know.’

Happily the Assistant Commissioner returned to his office where he changed from his normal clothes and put on a short coat and a low, round hat. Then he went into the street.

It was dark and raining. He took a cab to a small Italian restaurant where he sat alone at one of the side tables. When he saw himself in one of the mirrors, he pulled up the collar of his coat so that it partly covered his thin. dark face. ‘That’s better,’ he thought.

Brett Street was not far, and the Assistant Commissioner was soon walking towards Mr Verloc’s shop.

 

                                                         (to be continued)

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