“You’ll learn about dead drops, how to covertly communicate with your contacts. If you’re successful at what you do, you will carry out your assignments unnoticed and undetected.”

Robert could feel the excitement that charged the air.

“Some of you will work under official cover. It could be diplomatic or military. Others will work under non-official cover as private individuals – as a businessman, or archaeologist, or novelist – any profession that will give you access to the areas and types of people likely to have the information you’re looking for. And now, I’m going to turn you over to your instructors. Good luck.”

Robert found the training fascinating. The instructors were men who had worked in the field and were experienced professionals. Robert absorbed the technical information easily. In addition to the courses Colonel Johnson had mentioned, there was a brush-up course on languages, and one on cryptic codes.

Colonel Johnson was an enigma to Robert. The rumour circulating about him was that he had strong connections at the White House, and was involved in high-level covert activities. He would disappear from the Farm for days at a time, and suddenly reappear.

An agent named Ron was conducting a class.

“There are six phases to the clandestine operational process. The first is spotting. When you know what information you need, your first challenge is to identify and target individuals who have access to that information. The second phase is assessment. Once you have spotted your target, you have to decide if he really has the information you need, and if he might be susceptible to recruitment. What motivates him? Is he happy in his job? Does he have a grudge against his boss? Is he over his head financially? If the prospect has accessibility and there’s a motivation that can be exploited, you move along to phase three.~”

“Phase three is development. You build up a relationship with a prospect. You manage to run into him as often as possible, and built a rapport. The next phase is recruitment. When you think he is ready, you go to work on him psychologically. You use whatever psychological weapons you’ve got – revenge against his boss, money, the thrill of it. If a Case Officer has done his job well, the prospect usually says yes.~”

“So far so good. You have a spy working for you. The next step is handling him. You must protect not only yourself, but him. You will arrange surreptitious meetings, and train him in the use of microfilm and, where appropriate, clandestine radio. You will teach him how to detect surveillance, what to say if questioned, and so on.~”

“The last phase is disconnecting. After some period of time, perhaps your recruit will be transferred to a different job and no longer have access to the information, or maybe we will no longer need the information to which he does have access. In any case, the relationship is ended but it’s important to end it in such a way that the recruit doesn’t feel he has been used, and is looking for vengeance …”

Colonel Johnson had been right. Not everyone made it through the course. Familiar faces kept disappearing. Washed out. No one knew why. No one asked.

One day, as a group was preparing to go into Richmond for a surveillance exercise, Robert’s instructor said, “We’re going to see how good you are, Robert. I’m going to send someone to tail you. I want you to lose him. Do you think you can do that?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good luck.”

Robert took the bus into Richmond and began strolling the streets. Within five minutes he identified his trackers. There were two of them. One was on foot and one was in an automobile. Robert tried ducking into restaurants and shops and hurrying out back doors, but he was unable to shake them. They were too well trained. Finally, it was almost time to return to the Farm and Robert still had not been able to get away from them. They were watching him too closely. Robert walked into a department store and the two men took up positions where they could cover the entrances and exits. Robert went up the escalator to the men’s department. Thirty minutes later, when he came down, he was wearing a different suit, a coat and hat, talking to a woman and carrying a baby in his arms. He walked past his pursuers without being recognized.

He was the only one that day who had successfully avoided surveillance.

The jargon taught at the Farm was a language unto itself.

“You probably won’t use all these terms,” the instructor told the class, “but you had better know them. There are two different kinds of agents; an ‘agent of influence’ and an ‘agent provocateur’. The agent of influence tries to change opinion in the country where he operates. An agent provocateur is sent to stir up trouble and create chaos. ‘Biographic leverage’ is CIA code for blackmail. There are also ‘black bag jobs’, which can range from bribes to burglary. Watergate was a black bag job.”

He looked around to make sure that the class was paying attention. They were spellbound.

“From time to time some of you may need a ‘cobbler’ – that’s a man who forges passports.”

Robert wondered whether he would ever use a cobbler.

“The phrase to ‘demote maximally’ is a nasty one. It means to purge by killing. So does the word ‘terminate’. If you hear someone talking about the ‘Firm’, it’s the nickname we use to refer to the British Secret Service. If you’re asked to ‘fumigate’ an office, you won’t be looking for termites, you’ll be looking for listening devices.”

The arcane expressions fascinated Robert.

“‘Ladies’ is a euphemism for females sent to compromise the opposition. A ‘legend’ is the faked biography of a spy, to provide him with a cover. ‘Going private’ means leaving the service.”

The instructor scanned the class. “Any of you know what a ‘lion tamer’ is?”

He waited for an answer. Silence.

“When an agent is sacked, he sometimes gets upset and may make threats to reveal what he knows. A muscleman, or lion tamer, is called in to soften him up. I’m sure none of you will ever have to deal with one.”

That drew nervous laughter.

“Then, there’s the word ‘measles’. If a target dies of measles, it means he was murdered so efficiently that death appeared to be accidental or due to natural causes. One method of inducing measles is tabun. That’s a colourless or brownish liquid compound that causes nerve paralysis when absorbed through the skin. If someone offers you a ‘music box’, they’re offering you a wireless transmitter. The transmitter operator is called a ‘musician’. In the future, some of you will be operating ‘naked’. Don’t rush to take off your clothes, it simply means that you’re alone and without any assistance from outside.~”

“There’s one more thing I want to discuss today. Coincidence. In our work, there is no such animal. It usually spells danger. If you keep running into the same person again and again, or you keep spotting the same automobile when you’re on the move, cover your ass. You’re probably in trouble.~”

“I think that’s enough for today, gentlemen. We will take up where we left off tomorrow.”

From time to time, Colonel Johnson called Robert into his office, “to have a chat,” as he put it. The conversations were deceptively casual, but Robert was aware of an underlying probing being carried on.

“I understand you’re happily married, Robert.”

“That’s right.”

They spent the next half hour talking about marriage, fidelity and trust.

Another time: “Admiral Whittaker thinks of you as a son, Robert. Did you know that?”

“Yes.” The pain of Edward’s death was something that would never go away.

They talked about loyalty and duty and death.

“You’ve faced death more than once, Robert. Are you afraid to die?”

“No.” But to die for a good reason, Robert thought. Not senselessly.

The meetings were frustrating to Robert, because they were like looking into a trick mirror. Colonel Johnson could see him clearly, but the Colonel remained invisible, an enigma cloaked in secrecy.