The life of spies is to know, not to be known. — George Herbert
Martin Withers
The scene was such as you'd see in any corporate office, three people quietly conversing, but the subject matter was anything but mundane.
Mer and I had just escaped a killing and we were not to be placated by facile explanations.
Who the hell was this mysterious ghost ally that was relaying intel to Withers , the head of the Canadian spy agency?
And why were we caught up in the middle of this drama, uninformed and on our own?
This was Withers' game but should we play?
"I expect you'll want answers," he was saying drolly, as if it were a simple matter that could easily be straightened.
"Damn it, Martin, we were seconds away from being murdered. You're damn right we want answers."
Withers gave a huge sigh.
"The truth is, we don't know who our ghost is, only that we've come to trust him. He's a principled insider who doesn't want to break cover because he'll no longer be useful to helping us bring Pollock to justice."
"If that's the case, then what's our part in this?" Mer asked.
"Your part is to divert Pollock's attention from our investigation and to conduct your own investigative reporting that will convince the public that Pollock is a legitimate threat."
I followed up on his explanation.
"So, you want us to dig up incriminating evidence on the Enigma Club to provide legitimate cause for the courts to back you and issue search warrants?"
"Yes, but you must follow the rules—don't leak anything you can't prove and don't contact foreign outlets to give Pollock basis to invoke national security la and bury your investigation."
"Can't this ghost ally just give you everything he has on Pollock and his blackmailing of government officials?"
Withers took a deep breath. I knew I was taxing his patience.
"Our ghost wants to build a legally, indestructible case so that Pollock can't even defend against it without running the risk of exposing himself."
"So, we have to play his game?" Mer growled
"You have to play by his moral rules and be disciplined and not take the bait when he prods you and react out of anger or revenge. It's the only way we can bring this would-be autocrat to justice. Are you willing to do that?"
We were left with no alternative but to soberly nod and agree. Much as we wanted to see Pollock behind bars, we wanted more to make his case ironclad so he'd never threaten us or anybody else again.
To be continued...
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