24th September 1991, 2:30 pm
140 Gower Street, London
"Tell me exactly what you heard, Ruth," Coolidge says, fingers steepled in front of his mouth, his gaze as intense as ever.
Normally, it bothers her that he does that – calls her, and other women, by their first names when all the men are addressed by their surnames. Now, however, she's too excited to notice as she rapidly tells him of the conversation she overheard, the conclusions she reached, and her actions.
"You've confirmed this, Jones?" Coolidge asks next, turning to look at Malcolm.
"Yes, Sir," he replies. "I have her personnel file here." He takes a step forward and places it on the desk, turning it to face their boss as he flicks it open and finds the pertinent pages that he's marked with sticky-notes, pointing out the relevant details. "It seems that Sophie Anne Mills and her brother spent a number of summers with their aunt, Deborah Sandra Smith, née Mills, who lived in the country."
"And?" Coolidge is not a man known for his patience during briefings.
"Well, it would seem that Section X overlooked the fact that her first husband and father of her two boys was Irish and Catholic. He was never a partisan that we know of and he died when the boys were just four and five, but there's no doubt he had strong views on Northern Ireland. Deborah remarried a local man named Daniel Smith and had the boys' names changed, presumably to protect them."
"This is all very interesting, Jones, but get to the bloody point!"
Malcolm swallows. "One of them, Patrick Smith, is now in Bond's group."
"You're certain?"
"Yes."
Ruth watches with impatience as Coolidge stares straight ahead, brow slightly furrowed as he absently strokes his index fingers across his lips, his other ones still in a steeple, while they wait for his decision. "We need proof," he says eventually.
"Or a confession," she dares to suggest.
He turns to her, eyes intense as always. "Yes. How soon until we have enough to wrap things up with the Bond group?" he asks Malcolm.
"We're still waiting to find out the identity of their arms supplier. Once we have that, we're good to go."
He hums. "We might not have time for that now. What does Pearce say about this Smith character?"
"I haven't had a chance to talk to him. He's with Jenna."
Coolidge's eyes narrow. "Stupid girl," he says and Ruth has a feeling that he'd have called her something a lot worse if she hadn't been present. "Right," he says suddenly in a decisive tone, lowering his hands to the table. "We'll forget about Miss Wood for the moment. Bring me Pearce and Adams."
"What about Sophie Mills?" Malcolm asks.
"I can watch her," Ruth offers quickly and tries not to blush when their gazes turn to her. "I can go down to the registry for a bit and make sure she doesn't leave or ring anyone."
Coolidge looks skeptical, but Malcolm seems keen on the idea. "It could work, Sir," he says. "We only need a few minutes and she's going to begin to get suspicious if we find excuses for detaining her on the Grid for too long."
"Fine," he agrees. "But be careful, Ruth. It is imperative that she not get wind of what's going on. You're to observe and report back if anything strikes you as odd, but do not try to approach or interrogate her. Clear?"
"Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir."
"Good. Then what are you both waiting for?" And with that abrupt dismissal they both hurry out of the room.
2:45 pm
"Patrick Smith," Coolidge says without preamble.
"Is that the connection?" Harry asks, surprised.
"Yes. A cousin of Miss Mills's."
"Right. Shady character," Harry responds after thinking hard for a moment. "Closed off. Rather a cold fish if you ask me."
"So Sophie's hopes of turning him?"
"Entirely unfounded in my opinion. He's not part of leadership. Bond has two mates he's known for years for that, and clearly, he doesn't trust outsiders. Not that I blame him. I wouldn't trust Partick Smith further than I can throw him. But he's committed. He really believes the rhetoric."
"Adams? Anything to add?"
He shakes his head. "How do we proceed, Sir?"
"We can't risk losing the Bond group. I'd like to know if Miss Mills has plans to talk to Smith today or tomorrow before we take her in, or the whole thing could blow up in our faces. We still need the suppliers. It's a delicate balance."
"And Jenna?"
Coolidge makes a face. "What happened between the two of you, Pearce?"
"Nothing, Sir."
Coolidge just stares at him.
He sighs. "We were drunk. We ended up snogging for a bit, but that's as far as it went, Sir. I swear it." He stares back at Coolidge, holding his gaze and willing him to believe him. It really is the truth and the extent of his non-existent relationship with Jenna. No one needs to know that he'd been desperate to fuck her, had already seduced her with promises, and she was hanging on his every word, until they were interrupted by Connie, who'd shooed the younger officer away and given him a good telling to about letting his cock do all of his thinking for him.
"It's got to stop, Pearce," Coolidge replies. "As it turns out, she's not Section D material, but if you continue as you are, we're going to lose someone valuable to the Section. You have a bright future in the Service. Don't bugger it up for a bit of skirt. Self-control, self-denial are the things that keep us together in this job. Master them, Pearce, and you could be sitting in my chair in a few years."
"Yes, Sir," he replies, stung and suitably embarrassed by this dressing down in front of Mark and Malcolm, but simultaneously rather pleased at the praise. He rather hopes he's got a good many years left in him yet as a field agent, but it's good to know Coolidge sees potential in him as a leader behind a desk too.
"We deal with Miss Woods later, but shut down all unnecessary channels until we wrap this up. It's imperative there are no more leaks."
"Yes, Sir," Mark replies.
"Adams, see what you can get out of Sophie Mills tonight. Drinks might be in order."
Mark nods.
"Malcolm, the moment we have the information we need-"
"I'll tell you, Sir."
Coolidge nods and turns back to Harry. "Pearce, how's the leg?"
"In perfect working order."
"Good. You'll need it. You're to lead the assault on their headquarters. Have several teams on standby to round up any members not present when we go in. You and Jones work out the details and bring me the plan for approval."
"Yes, Sir. Now, Sir?"
"Yesterday would have been better, Jones, but now will just have to do. Let's nail these bastards with a minimum of fuss, shall we?"
"Yes, Sir," Adam and Malcolm chorus before they all leave the room.