by Ray Saunders
About the author
During the 1960s and 1970s, Ray spent much time in the Swiss resorts, both the fashionable ones and those in the more remote parts of the Alps. He also toured the south of France and stayed in Monaco many times. His knowledge of these areas enables him to bring the true atmosphere and reality of the locations, which adds to the enjoyment of the story.
His recent novel, High Spy, received critical acclaim for its fast-paced suspense and in this sequel Matt Sands again finds himself caught up in another adventure involving danger and beautiful women.
During the 1980s, Ray had five books published in his Horsekeeping series, drawing on his many years of experience with horses.
His autobiography, How Lucky Can You Get, is available and he is now working on his next novel.
SPY AND SPY AGAIN
Ray Saunders
SPY AND SPY AGAIN
Vanguard Press
VANGUARD KINDLE
© Copyright 2021
Ray Saunders
The right of Ray Saunders to be identified as author of
this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All Rights Reserved
No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication
may be made without written permission.
No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced,
copied or transmitted save with the written permission of the publisher, or in accordance with the provisions
of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended).
Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to
this publication may be liable to criminal
prosecution and civil claims for damages.
A CIP catalogue record for this title is
available from the British Library.
ISBN (PAPERBACK) 978 1 80016 053 8
Vanguard Press is an imprint of
Pegasus Elliot MacKenzie Publishers Ltd.
www.pegasuspublishers.com
First Published in 2021
Vanguard Press
Sheraton House Castle Park
Cambridge England
Printed & Bound in Great Britain
Dedication
With thanks to Grant Moody and Richard Lavender for their technical help and to Vicky Gorry, my production coordinator and also Rudite in publicity.
Chapter 1
Flo came in to clear the table. “You ’ome for dinner tonight?” she asked.
Flo was my housekeeper and had been with me for more than ten years.
“I hope so,” I replied, “I’ve no appointments today. But if things change, I’ll phone you later.”
I’ll be down the betting shop ’s afternoon, so let me know early, so I can get somethin’ on my way ’ome,” she replied.
Flo refused to divulge her age, but I knew she was drawing her pension. She was always cheerful, and nothing would stop her having her flutter and daily Guinness.
“Any good things running today?” I asked, smiling at her.
“There’s a long shot in the three-thirty that I fancy, and I ’ad a winning double yesterday, so when old Sam Rye pays me out, I might ’ave a splash with my winnin’s.” she said.
“You’ve been having a lot of luck lately. He’ll soon be asking you to take your business somewhere else,” I joked.
“’E’s got plenty. I’ve never known a bookie who ’adn’t, and my little winnin’s won’t ’urt ’im. ’E always looks bleedin’ miserable though when ’e has to pay out,” Flo said, as she left me and went to the kitchen.
I collected my briefcase and went out to the garage. The drive to my estate agent’s took about twenty minutes, depending on the rush hour traffic. My partner, Robert, was already there. He had been my manager but had recently accepted my offer of a partnership.
“Morning, Matt,” he greeted me.
“Morning, Robert, anything new?” I asked.
“I’ve just had a phone call from a Mr Smith, who wants to meet you at that big property we’ve had on the books for ages,” he replied.
“What time?”
“He can’t get there till five-thirty. He’s coming from London.”
“Can you do it, Robert? I’ve told Flo I’ll be home early, and it’ll take me two hours to get home from there, after I’ve shown him round.”
“No, he specifically asked for you,” he replied.
“All right, I’d better go then, it’ll be good to get it sold after all this time. I’ll phone Flo and let her know,” I said.
I gave some letters to our typist, and the day passed with the usual routine until I left later that afternoon and drove out to the property. It was large house, and I thought I might be able to offer a deal, as it had been on the books for some time.
Mr Smith did not arrive till six p.m., and taking him inside, I offered to show him around the house.
We went into the living room and he turned and spoke to me.
“I’ll come straight to the point, Mr Sands,” he said. “I’m not here to buy the house.”
“I don’t understand,” I replied. “What are you here for then?”
“Let me introduce myself,” he said. “I work for the government, and I’m here to ask you to help us. We are aware of your recent activities in Switzerland, and because of that, you could be particularly useful to us in dealing with a matter that has been brought to our notice.”
It was nearly a year since I had been involved in an international kidnap plot, and I had never told anyone about it. For one thing, I did not want all the media attention it would bring, and my friends would not have believed me anyway.
“If you’re aware of my Swiss adventure, you’ll know that I didn’t come out of it very well. It cost me a great deal of money, to say nothing of the physical damage I suffered.”
He smiled. “Yes, that was unfortunate, but it wasn’t our doing. But what we know is that you came through with flying colours, and together with your past army record, we believe you are just the kind of person that we’d like to recruit.”
I was beginning to get interested, and my memory flashed back to my brief affair with Kim Summers. She had become part of my life, and I remembered my frustration when she left me, and my attempt to find her in Paris that had failed. After I returned to England, I had found it difficult to settle back into my business, missing the excitement, as well as my involvement with Kim.
“When you say that you work for the government, what exactly do you do?” I asked him.
“I’m with the SIS, or as you probably know it, MI6. I can’t tell you any more than that, until you’ve agreed to help us.”
“I’d have to think about it,” I said. “I’d need to know what it involves.”
“Of course,” he agreed, “but before I can explain, it will be necessary that you sign the Official Secrets Act.”
“That’s no problem,” I told him.
“Good, then as soon as you’ve had chance to consider it, here’s my number.”
He handed me his card, then went on. “Don’t take too long though, as this matter is urgent. One thing I can tell you, is that you wouldn’t find yourself out of pocket this time.”
Soon after that he left, and I drove back to the office. Robert had left, so I left him a note to say it had been a non-starter. Then I stopped off for a drink on my way home, then went to bed.
I did not sleep well. My thoughts kept reminding me of the passionate affair that I’d had with Kim. Although she had left me, after we had rescued Professor Linstead’s daughter, her commitment to her job was commendable. She had lied to me about being with the CIA, and I learned later that she was working for the South Africans, but
I felt sure that she had not lied about her feelings towards me.
Mr. Smith, if that was his real name, knew about my involvement in Switzerland, and wanted me to help them. This meant it might somehow be related. It could also mean that I would have a chance of finding Kim again.
I finally fell asleep in the knowledge that I would ring Mr Smith in the morning.
***
I woke up, took a shower, and felt quite elated. I was not due in the office till the afternoon, so I went to my clay pigeon club for a practice session. I couldn’t concentrate, so I packed in early, and after a spot of lunch there, I went to the office. Robert had seen the note I had left him, and when he questioned me, I just said that the buyer had found the property unsuitable.
When he went out, I rang the number on the card that Smith had given me.
A girl answered, and I told her I would like to speak to Mr Smith. She told me to hang on and she would put me through. Seconds later he came on the line.
“I’ve decided to help you,” I told him. “What’s the next step?”
“I was counting on that,” he said. “You’ll need to come up to London, and I’ll fill you in with the details. Take this address down.”
I did.
“Have you got that?”
“Yes.”
“Well, meet me there tomorrow at two p.m.”
“Right. Anything else?”
“No.”
He hung up.
I would have to arrange for the day off, but Robert was always cooperative, and we would often cover for each other. He was keen on sailing, and I would cover for him, when he joined other crews on sailing trips. When he returned to the office, he didn’t hesitate to oblige me.
***
Next day, I thought it best to take the train to London and get a taxi to the address I had been given.
The cabby knew his way around London, and he did not question the address when I gave it to him.
The house was quite ordinary, being in a row of others, all of which had little brass plates on the wall, declaring them to be various professions. Mine stated it was the Department of Overseas Trade.
I went up the steps and rang the bell. A young woman came, and I told her that I had an appointment. She showed me inside and I waited while she checked.
“That’s right,” she said. “Mr Smith is in room two, and he’ll see you right away. It’s the second door on the left.”
I thanked her and made my way there and went in.
“Hello, Mr Sands,” he said. “Did you have a good trip?”
“Yes, thanks.”
“Won’t you sit down.” He indicated a chair by his desk.
“So, what’s this all about?” I asked.
“Well, first you’ll have to sign this document. It binds you legally to complete confidentiality in anything you get to know about our business. Should you break this after you’ve signed, you will be liable to a stiff prison sentence.”
“That’s pretty clear,” I said. “It’s okay by me.”
That done, he began again. “You already know, from your part in the rescue of Professor Linstead’s daughter, that they went to South Africa, and he continued his research there.”
“That’s right,” I said, “The Yanks were miffed because they let him slip through their fingers.”
“Quite so,” Smith continued, “and after that he was joined by a molecular biologist, by the name of Zola Peterson, from a leading South African university. Have you heard of DNA?”
“Something to do with genetic modification, isn’t it?”
“Yes, but up until now the full potential of what it means hasn’t been appreciated.”
I was beginning to wonder what DNA had to do with me.
“They’ve found a way of altering the genetic make-up of seeds, so that the plants they produce are immune from pests and diseases.”
I let out a whistle. “That’ll be a money spinner for someone.”
“Precisely,” he said, “but more than that, it will mean that pesticides will no longer be needed. That will have a terrific negative impact on the economies of those countries that supply them.”
“That could be the States, I suppose,” I said.
Smith lit a cigarette. He offered me one, and when I refused, he went on. “The U.S. is only the second biggest supplier. Most of the pesticide comes from China.”
I laughed. “That will give the Sleeping Dragon a prod.”
He blew out some smoke. “China has been investing heavily in all parts of Africa, and it’s probably their biggest market. They will be trying to get their hands on the research and stop it before it becomes available to other nations.”
“How does all this tie into my presence here?” I asked.
“Well, you may remember that Harold McMillan made a speech to the South African parliament, about the wind of change blowing through the continent.”
“Yes, it caused quite a stir,” I said.
“Well, their government was angered by it, and as a result they dramatically tightened Apartheid and police repression. Professor Linstead became fearful that there would be trouble, and he’s gone back to Switzerland, and his daughter has gone to Paris to finish her education.
“So why have I been recruited?” I asked.
“We want you to go to Switzerland — that’s all you need to know at the moment. Meanwhile I’m sending you down to Bisley. You’ll be instructed there on the use of our firearms.”
“Christ!” I exclaimed. “You people really mean business.”
“Does that trouble you, Mr Sands?”
“Not necessarily, but what’s in it for me?”
“Well, I told you that you wouldn’t be out of pocket. You will, of course, have all your expenses paid, as well as our usual rate for an agent, and on top of that there’s a bonus.”
“What sort of bonus?”
“Well, we know that you’ve set your mind on having a place with horses and have been looking at what’s available.”
“Damn right,” I said, “but they’re too bloody expensive.”
He smiled. Well, it happens that the department owns such a property in the West Country, and this could be made available to you at a very reasonable price.”
I was hooked. “When do I go to Bisley?”
“I’d like you to go tomorrow. Can you arrange that?”
I thought for a moment. I could tell Robert I was going to a competition shoot, and later when I was in Switzerland, I could say I was there for a clay pigeon sport trap event.
“Yes, I can arrange it okay,” I said. “Actually, I know Bisley quite well. I was stationed in Camberley attached to the Brigade of Guards for a while, and I shot there quite a lot.”
“I already know that,” he said.
That about wound it up, so I left and went home.
***
When I arrived at Bisley the next day, I went to find the instructor that I had been assigned to. He was a staff sergeant, and I didn’t know him. After introductions, he told me I was to be given training in the small arms that were most commonly used by our people and those I was likely to come across that were commonly used by the others. I did some practice shooting, and then he told me that I had passed and could go. He said that Mr Smith would contact me.
***
The following day the phone rang before I left for the office. It was Smith, telling me that I was to meet him again that day, at the same place, and to bring what I needed for a few days away.
I got to the office in time to catch Robert before he left for an appointment. I explained to him that I would be away for a while, clay pigeon shooting, and he was willing to cover for me in the business, as he wanted some time off the following month to go sailing.
I told Flo that I would be away for a few days, and after breakfast I left and caught the train to London.
When I got there, Smith was waiting to give me my instructions.
“You’re due to leave for Geneva in
two hours,” he said. “I’ve your documents here, and Swiss francs. Your hotel is booked, and I must insist that you keep a record of your expenditure and, of course, the receipts.”
“You don’t give me much leeway,” I said.
He grinned. “We’re on a budget,” he replied. “Tomorrow you report to our consulate there, they will be expecting you. Ask for Tim Jennings.”
“Okay,” I said, “that’s straightforward enough.”
“There’s one more thing,” he said. “You won’t be going alone.”
“You’re sending another agent with me?”
“Not exactly. A young woman will be coming with you, and you’ll work together on the plan.”
I began to wonder what I was letting myself in for.
“Who is this young woman, if she’s not an agent?”
“Her name is Christine Turner, and you’ll meet at the airport.”
“So, what is the plan?” I asked.
He came towards me as he spoke. “Professor Linstead has two weaknesses. He loves to gamble, and he has a fondness for beautiful young women.”
“That sounds pretty normal,” I said. “So where do we come in?”
“Miss Turner’s role will be to meet the Professor and offer him her services.”
My eyes widened. “She a prostitute!” I exclaimed.
“Not a common prostitute, no, she’s a high-class escort.”
“So, what’s she doing working for you?”
He smiled. “We discovered that Miss Turner was having an affair with a married, high profile, member of the cabinet. She was also sleeping with a man from the Russian Embassy. Public exposure would have involved a scandal, and she would have been facing a prison sentence. We offered her this assignment instead, and she accepted.”
