Same Disclaimer as before

Chapter 4

Late March 2009, London

After orders for breakfast were placed, Harry turned to Sherman Tang and said, "what is this all about, Sherman?"

"When we found out that the dead boy was being examined by the Cold Case Squad, we started to keep an eye on that office. Then you turned up there yesterday afternoon, and we knew that they must have found what we're after. Its an encoded document."

"Why don't you tell me a little more about this document, Sherman?"

Sherman took a moment to look at Harry and decided that he could not delay the inevitable any longer. Someone has to blink first and unfortunately, it will have to be me in this case.

"That document was compiled by a member of our team who recently decided that he wanted to play the game on both sides. Got a bit too clever, you see. This agent thought that he could earn some extra money from the Americans so that he could feed his wife's obsession for pricey designer goods. Its so hard to train up these young agents nowadays. I'm sure you heard about how one of your senior Government advisors lost his Blackberry in a Shanghai disco last July. They blamed it on a honey trap which we were supposed to have set up. Do people still fall for honey traps in this day and age? You'd think that they'd see one coming a mile off. Now, I'm not adverse to using the occasional honey trap, but if I ran that operation, assuming that we did set any kind of trap, I would have simply downloaded the information from the Blackberry and slipped it back in the man's pocket before he even knew that it was missing. That would have been so much more elegant, don't you think? Young people always want to show off, don't they?"

Harry let Sherman rattle on a bit in the hope that he might give up more information about the document. Harry knew about the incident involving that Blackberry but right now, he was not interested in discussing the relative merits of honey traps.

"Don't you teach proper tradecraft in your neck of the woods any more? Surely using an illegal immigrant as courier must be the most inefficient and unreliable way of making a drop."

"You're probably right," Sherman sighed. "It just goes to show that the younger members of our profession have no respect for the old ways. It was rather unfortunate that we weren't able to detain the boy before he boarded the container ship."

"Moses parted the Red Sea, the mighty Chinese Security Service conjured up a storm to sink a few containers. I am impressed," said Harry sarcastically. "Pity you couldn't have made the container with the illegal immigrants stay at the bottom of the sea."

Sherman gave a rueful smile. "When we found out that the container which he was hiding in had sunk, we were quite relieved. So you can imagine our distress when the container then washed ashore. What I can't understand is, why did you turn up at DI Boyd's office instead of MI6? What is your interest in this matter, Harry?"

Harry was thankful that their orders had arrived at this point as this gave him some extra time to try and formulate a response whilst the waiters distributed the food.

"This must be the best of its kind I have ever tasted anywhere in the world," said Sherman after he took a mouthful of his Eggs Benedict. "In my view, it's the hollandaise sauce which determines the success of this dish. So, Harry, what is your interest in this matter?"

Harry was not in the habit of ingesting such a heavy item for breakfast and did not share Sherman's enthusiasm for his breakfast. He had ordered a simple continental breakfast of croissant, orange juice and tea.

"Does it matter, Sherman, whether it was Five or Six who are involved? Lets just say that there are certain aspects of this matter which are relevant to my operations." Harry continued to evade Sherman's enquiry. "Were you thinking of retrieving that document from DI Boyd's office?"

"Well," Sherman said slowly, trying to choose his words carefully. "That would be nice, now wouldn't it, except that by now, I'm sure you must have a good idea of the information contained in that document, so I guess there is not much point in getting the document back, is there? The only thing is, I would much rather that you didn't disclose the existence or the contents of this document to the Americans."

"You know, of course, that we're rather close to our cousins. Why would I not want to share that information with the Americans, Sherman?" Harry knew that the Americans have been guilty of duplicitous behaviour in the past towards the British Security Service and when push came to shove, he really did not have a problem with not sharing certain tidbits of intelligence with the Americans. However, he would be interested in a trade-off and was giving Sherman a hint.

"The new Administration across the pond is still finding its feet, and I would hate to think what they can do with a document like that in their dealings with China. I assume that you know that China remains the largest creditor of the US Government. We hold over one third of their treasury bills, not to mention the continued existence of a huge trade surplus in our favour, and yet, they continue to behave in a most disagreeable manner towards us."

Harry did not wish to discuss American politics with Sherman. He pretended to take a strong interest in the pulp in his orange juice and was glad that his little gesture was picked up by Sherman who promptly cut short his diatribe regarding the Americans.

Harry could not think of a good way to introduce the small matter of Ruth's fingerprints on the document. Ruth did not have a weakness for pricey designer goods, so she did not fit the description of the wife of the rogue agent who had prepared the encoded list. This time, it was Harry's turn to blink. "It would appear that one of my former officers handled that document at some stage. Would you know anything about that, Sherman?"

"Really?" There was a hairline crack in Sherman's cool façade. "That is interesting." Sherman Tang simply looked at Harry and waited for him to pose the next question. The silence was deafening. He did not ask which of Harry's former officers he was referring to. If Sherman was in any way glad or worried about this new twist, he was doing a wonderful job of not showing any signs of it.

"Is Ruth Evershed now working for you?" This was the question which Harry had wanted to ask and he finally got it off his chest.

Sherman was a little surprised by the directness of that question and took a moment before responding, "ah yes, Ms. Evershed." Sherman let that comment sink in a little before asking Harry, "would you believe me if I told you, either way?"

Harry hated the way Sherman always answered his question with another question, though he noticed that Sherman was being unnecessarily evasive on this latest question. If Ruth is now working for the Chinese team, wouldn't Sherman want to gloat over it? But Sherman stopped short of a flat denial, so what's happening here?

Harry tried another approach. "You obviously know who I'm talking about. Do you have the current whereabouts of Ms. Evershed?"

For once, Sherman gave a direct answer. "Yes, Harry. She's been enjoying our hospitality for the past two and a half years." Sherman rather enjoyed the look on Harry's face at this moment. "It was a member of my team who first pointed out your Ms. Evershed to me, ever since he met her at Havensworth."

Harry could feel the beginnings of a migraine in his head. He wondered whether he could ask the maitre d' for some tablets for his headache. Has Ruth now taken up with a Chinese spook? She hadn't mentioned anything about having 'met' one at Havensworth, but then again, if she did, I'd be the last person she'd tell. She was confined to her hotel room most of the time during that operation. Was that why she wouldn't come near me that night when we ran into each other in the corridor? Was that the reason it was so easy for her to decide to take the fall over Cotterdam and leave me? I wonder if I could ask Sherman to disambiguate the word 'met' in this context. After all, 'met' could be just a chance meeting in an elevator, or it could mean the start of a relationship, or it could mean …. But knowing Sherman, if I asked, he will just give me another one of his infuriating smiles and a totally useless answer. Harry tried hard to remain poker faced, but there was no mistaking the dull ache which was forming in his heart.

"We kept an eye on Ms. Evershed when she left London in October 2006. Come now Harry, don't give me that look. It couldn't have been more obvious that it was a fake death. Give us some credit. I would have thought that you have a section in your basic training manual under 'C' which deals with 'coincidences' and 'conveniences'," Sherman gave Harry a small smirk before he continued. "We watched from the sidelines whilst the whole Cotterdam affair unfolded. It is not our policy to meddle with other people's internal affairs, and it was inappropriate and unnecessary for us to do anything at the time. But we knew about the 'extraordinary renditions', probably long before your team was implicated. Don't you just love the way the Americans always come up with these pseudo technical terms to disguise a whole range of unacceptable behaviour? Anyway, to cut a long story short, when Ms. Evershed's residence in Paris became unsafe, we arranged for her to be relocated to a city in the Far East, somewhere on our own turf, so that we can guarantee her safety. She's free to leave, if she wants to. She's kept a low profile, until now …" Sherman then gave a slightly quizzical look, as if he was pondering Ruth's involvement with that document.

You're full of shit, Sherman, Harry thought. The Chinese trotted out this philosophy of non-intervention in the domestic affairs of another country only when it suited them. But Harry was not in the mood to discuss Chinese foreign policy, now or at any other point in time. He was now more worried about having disclosed Ruth's involvement with that document.

Then Sherman brightened up considerably when he realized that he might have some bargaining power with Harry after all. "I suppose once this document is logged and tagged in your records, the fact that Ms. Evershed is alive and well will become public knowledge, well, as far as your superiors are concerned anyway, and that could cause you some problems, couldn't it? Are you prepared to let that happen, Harry?"

"There's nothing we can do about that." Not true, Harry told himself, though he was not about to admit that to Sherman Tang.

"I could offer to swap the items for you, Harry, you know, replace them with ones which will not disclose Ms. Evershed's involvement, whatever involvement that is," said Sherman helpfully, "although I can't guarantee that the same information will be contained in the new version of that document. This way, we both get to keep our jobs." Sherman then gestured to the waiter for more coffee.

Harry was not sure he liked the sound of that at all. As far as Ruth was concerned, if her involvement with that bloody document was regarded in any way as treacherous behaviour towards her host, Harry did not need two guesses as to what would happen to her, especially now that Sherman knew about her involvement and was suggesting that the original document be buried. No, no, no, shit, damn, why did I have to bring up Ruth's involvement? I can't endanger her life any more than I already have! But I didn't know that she had been moved to the Far East by the Chinese Secret Service. How else am I supposed to find out how the hell she became mixed up with this document? If Harry accepted this offer, he himself would be indebted to the Chinese and that was not a position that he would like to be in.

"Are you trying to blackmail me, Sherman?" Again, Harry tried to stall for time whilst he did some quick thinking.

Sherman Tang never lost his temper with any one or under any circumstances. On occasion when he whispered, kill him, he might as well be whispering sweet nothings in a woman's ear. "Good heavens, no, Harry," Sherman gave a small laugh. "'Blackmail' is such a crude word. Lets just call it a favour between friends. You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours, as they say. Why don't you think about it, Harry, and call me if you want to take me up on this offer. Though I wouldn't leave it too late, if I were you."

Even though Harry did not keep a copy of Sun Tzu's Art of War by his bedside table, he knew that there was nothing in that book of military strategy which said anything about scratching an opponent's back. Harry took a long, slow sip of his tea.

"I'd like to see Ms. Evershed, if that can be arranged." Harry decided that there was only one way to get to the bottom of things. He was tired of sparring with Sherman.

Sherman considered this request whilst he buttered more toast. Harry could not believe how this man could eat so much and yet none of it showed on his body.

"You'd have to go to Hong Kong to see her. After the change in sovereignty in 1997, I wouldn't have thought that it's regarded as a safe city for someone in your position to visit. Are you sure you want to do that? I'm not sure your seeing her will achieve anything or resolve her position where her former employers are concerned."

The collective term 'Hong Kong' actually included three districts, Hong Kong Island, Kowloon Peninsula and the New Territories. It had been a British colony for over 100 years. The island of Hong Kong was ceded to the British pursuant to the Treaty of Nanking which was signed in 1842 following the first opium war. The British fought for the right to sell opium to China as a means of redressing a serious trade imbalance over tea and silk. In 1860, the British came back for more and when they defeated China in the second opium war, they took Kowloon peninsula. In 1898, the British obtained a 99 year lease over additional land on Kowloon and a collection of outlying islands which together became known as the New Territories.

In the early 1980s, Margaret Thatcher went to Beijing to see Deng Xiao Ping, then China's paramount leader, in order to broach the subject of renewing the lease over the New Territories when it was due to expire in 1997. At the end of that meeting, Margaret Thatcher had to concede that not only would an extension of the lease over the New Territories be highly inappropriate, she had also lost an argument with Deng Xiao Ping over the validity of the opium war treaties (which were signed during the Qing Dynasty) and whether those were binding on Communist China (the Communists had assumed power in 1949). It was then agreed that Hong Kong, all three parts of it, must revert to Chinese rule in 1997. It was one of the few times in Margaret Thatcher's political career that she lost a debate and rumour had it that she was so distressed over it that she slipped and fell down the steps of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on her way out. That fall sent the Hong Kong Stock Exchange into a nosedive for a long time.

A handover ceremony was held around midnight on 30 June 1997 with a great deal of pomp and circumstance to signify the change in sovereignty over Hong Kong. Prince Charles was sent as the Queen's representative to attend the ceremony where the Union Jack was lowered and replaced by the flag of the People's Republic of China. Some years later, entries in the Prince's diary were exposed by the British press and amongst other things, it revealed a great deal of highly inflammatory comments which the Prince had made about the handover ceremony in general and the Chinese leaders who were present at that ceremony in particular.

Hong Kong? Harry had heard a lot about that city but never had the inclination to visit. Harry liked the occasional Chinese takeout but did not think that he had to travel that far for a good Chinese meal. He noticed that Sherman did not say that he was not allowed to see Ruth. Harry figured that as long as Sherman was made to believe there was some value in keeping Ruth alive for a trade, she would be safe for the time being.

"I'm sure that if I go, you'll find some way to guarantee my safety whilst I'm there. You did say, Sherman, that that part of the world is your turf. As for dealing with her former employers, that would be my problem, not yours."

Sherman narrowed his eyes and looked at Harry for a moment. "Alright, I think we may have something here we can work with. If you take this trip, I must have your assurance that the document will be handed back to us."

It was a difficult trade, but the desire to see Ruth again and to get to the bottom of this matter was too overwhelming. Harry needed closure where Ruth was concerned. In any case, Connie had already told him that the intelligence in the document had limited value. "Yes, but the return of the document will only take place after I come back to London, with Ms. Evershed if she so desires."

Sherman must have counted to 100 before telling Harry, "agreed, and in the meantime, no one on your side will act on the information contained in the original document, which includes not telling the Americans about it."

"Yes. And until I get to see Ms. Evershed again, you will do your best to ensure that she remains in good health. I don't want to hear about any accidents befalling her."

"Harry, do you really think so little of us? I'll personally make sure that she won't so much as catch a cold, will that do?" There was that enigmatic smile again.

Harry gave a small nod of the head.

Sherman looked through his jacket pockets in search of something. He found his name card holder and took out a business card and handed it to Harry. It showed the name and contact details of a travel agent called Sharon who worked for an agency called Trade Winds Travel.

"Call Sharon once you have picked a date for your departure, and tell her that 'Harvey Patterson' wants a ticket to Hong Kong. I will give her instructions about this arrangement as soon as I finish breakfast. She'll take care of the rest. I'll leave you to decide whether or not you wish to disclose to your superiors the fact that you are going to visit Hong Kong, and the purpose of your visit. If you do decide to disclose where you are going, I would prefer that you do not get MI6 involved."

"Does MI6 know about Ms. Evershed's presence in Hong Kong?"

"I can't tell you for sure, Harry, but my guess is no. You will appreciate that after 1997, for political reasons, there was no way that Beijing would permit MI6 to maintain any sort of presence in Hong Kong. We had the devil of a time trying to dismantle all of their listening posts in that city. Hong Kong is a very pragmatic town and its citizens know exactly which side their bread is buttered on. After the change in sovereignty, the people of Hong Kong have been falling over themselves in order to kowtow to Beijing. Nobody wants to act as an informant for the British. There's no money in dealing with the British, whereas if you get on the good side of Beijing, there are all sorts of lucrative business deals that can be made. I think we have managed to limit MI6 to just one representative there, and I believe that the latest chap they sent there can't even read or write Chinese, which just goes to show how important MI6 now regards Hong Kong. He spends most of his time at the Foreign Correspondents Club being wined and dined by the pro democracy faction so I doubt very much that London is getting an accurate picture of what's going on out there."

Harry thought that even if MI6 knew that Ruth was hiding out in the Far East, they probably would not tell Harry about it, either because they thought that they would help keep Harry's little secret or, more likely, they were keeping that little bit of information for use on a rainy day.

Then Sherman remembered something and asked for the travel agent's name card back. He scribbled a series of numbers on the card before giving it to Harry again.

"If for whatever reason you decide that you don't want to go to Hong Kong after all and wish to take me up on the earlier offer to swap the document, please call this number and leave me a message. We could perhaps do lunch and …"

"About that plane ticket," Harry started to say something but Sherman cut him off.

"Of course, Harry, you will be allowed to pay your own way there. If you do go, I will make sure that the invoice for the trip is sent to your office. I would hate for anyone to suggest that you were taking a bribe from us over this trip. Breakfast, though, is another matter. This one's on me, your money is no good here."

Harry left that breakfast meeting with more questions than he started with. He felt like his head was about to explode whilst processing all the new information which he had obtained. Paris? He knew that that was Ruth's first port of call. Why did her stay in Paris become unsafe? Who was after her and were they still looking for her? She is now in the Far East? Perhaps that was why his watchers have not been able to report sightings of Ruth after she made it to Paris. But why would the Chinese Secret Service go out of their way to protect Ruth unless she's been turned? Sherman is right, what do I think I can achieve by going to see her, after all this time?

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The three little paragraphs on the history of Hong Kong were inserted for the benefit of those readers who do not have a working knowledge on this subject. Apologies if its all a bit dull.

Thanks to everyone who has left a review so far. Your comments are much appreciated. Although the whole fic has already been written, your comments/queries/complaints never fail to send me back to the keyboard for a furious session of re-writing.

Please keep the reviews coming.

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