"Does Mr Malcolm fill a place in your life left by your father?"
"What? What the hell?" Once again, Georgie was blindsided, outraged, furious.
"I merely wondered why you keep coming to me?"
"Who the damn hell do you think you are? Have you got something for me or haven't you? I want to get this done."
"I am who you think I am. I may have something more for you. But I am interested. In you. I have a… paternal feeling about this."
When they met for the third time, it was in Seven Dials, across from the London Hippodrome. Another small office, this time above a closed-down theatrical costumier. Another desk with many screens. This time there was a comfortable armchair. Georgia, however, remained standing.
"For you, I think this is a quest," the man from the Ministry changed the subject without apparent ill-humour. "But for me this is a pilgrimage, a voyage of discovery where the journey is more revelatory than the destination."
"I just want to know what Monkfish had to do with my brother's… with my brother."
"There is a connection. But it goes much further back. Remember your father."
And she was in the memory again.
"This war in the Southern Ocean. It's got… possibilities."
At eight years old, Georgia’s habit of eavesdropping had already been established; she would lurk behind doors, or play unobtrusively, or even hide in the well of the sturdy old desk in her father’s study, listening to her father’s voice, smooth as poured honey, as he delivered answers that the rich and powerful required.
"How d'ya mean, John?"
"The North Sea. That isn't going to last forever. You're going to want to be looking for new areas of… exploration."
"More like exploitation, am I right?"
"A land of opportunity, certainly."
"And Maggie's on board with this?"
"The Prime Minister is of course above such concerns. But Number Ten is fully cognizant of the potential upside to securing the region for development."
"So let the good times roll. We're gonna need a man in the Argentine too."
"I have a number of contacts. One, in particular, springs to mind. They had some experience there in the late Sixties. Paul can go. He's almost a man now. It will be good for him to meet new people."
Paul. Always the opportunity was for Paul. She blinked. And winced. And was back in the present.
"Argentina," said the man from the Ministry. "An experience in the late Sixties. I think I can show you something about that."
1969, Argentina
Background:
In November 1968, Monkfish and Sole were identified in England, apparently pursuing a falcon dagger previously associated with Baron von XXXXXXXX.
In response to the perceived increase in his hostility following the US debacle of 1965, the Service took this opportunity to sponsor one of our most talented young agents, Miss XXXXXXXX, to inveigle her way into Monkfish’s confidence.
Over the course of 1969 she participated with him in a series of his "adventures". December of that year found them in Buenos Aires, having smuggled themselves into the city as part of the MSTM (Movement of Priests for the Third World) march on the Casa Rosada.
Concerns had been raised that Miss XXXXXXXX was growing too close to Monkfish, so the noted author XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX, an associate of Department XXXXXXXX, was approached with an objective of establishing her loyalties and, if necessary, extracting her.
Actions:
XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX flew out to Buenos Aires by private aeroplane, under the cover of researching his latest XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX novel. He made arrangements with Doña XXXXXXXX that Monkfish and Miss XXXXXXXX should receive invitations to a soiree at her hacienda.
The evening began well. Monkfish danced with La Doña; XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX danced with Miss XXXXXXXX. They flirted coyly as he delicately sought to establish her true loyalties. He would later report himself to have been quite charmed by her Victorian-seeming sensibilities.
Monkfish seemed more amused than threatened by XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX and they engaged in a playful contest of wits, Monkfish challenging him to a mock duel… at shove ha'penny. Waging a thousand guineas on the outcome, XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX won by using his lucky (weighted) coin. But surrendered his winnings in exchange for a conversation with Miss XXXXXXXX. Monkfish laughed and pronounced him "a gentleman".
The "gentleman" had just contrived an excuse to slip away from the party with Miss XXXXXXXX, when the kidnapping occurred.
Between May and September 1969, the ruthless government of General Juan Carlos Onganía had been destabilised by protests in Córdoba and Rosario, which would eventually lead to the coup that would overthrow his regime the following year.
This created an opportunity for the Trotskyist People's Revolutionary Army (ERP) to engage in a series of high-profile kidnappings for ransom.
Four armed and masked revolutionaries in military fatigues – their leader, described by witnesses as a giant of a man, and addressed as "Santino" by one of his compadres during the raid – broke into the party intent on seizing the elderly, but wealthy, Doña XXXXXXXX. Monkfish whether through gallantry or for some scheme of his own, contrived to be taken with her.
In the aftermath, Colonel Maria Contreras of the military police arrived to take charge of the situation, arresting XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX and Miss XXXXXXXX on sight, denouncing them as foreign agitators.
While XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX and Miss XXXXXXXX were removed to military police headquarters for interrogation, Monkfish and La Doña were taken (according to a long, rambling and no-doubt-embellished account we received later) to Islas Solis (basically a sandbank in the estuary of the Rio de la Plata, close upon the Uruguay border).
At the police headquarters, Colonel Contreras separated his prisoners in order to conduct his initial interrogations. XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX feigned boredom with the entire affair, claiming only that he was in the Argentine to research his new novel and was considering having his hero XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX participate in a game of pato (a sport which Peron had named Argentina's national game; it is similar to French horseball). Contreras reacted with considerable scepticism. He ordered another prisoner savagely beaten "to show you we mean the business" before leaving XXXXXXXX to "think it over".
As soon as Contreras was gone, Miss XXXXXXXX appeared. She revealed a set of skeleton keys which she described as having been concealed in her "rather complicated undergarments". She unlocked XXXXXXXX's cell and together they slipped out of the headquarters.
Monkfish proved no less resourceful. The recovered account noted that he vanished from his captors' camp leaving a stolen bicycle and a torn canvass as the only clues. Placed in a tent with Doña XXXXXXXX and only two rough cots and a pitcher of water, he had borrowed one of La Doña's diamonds to etch a fracture line into the glass ewer and improvised a cutting edge with which to slice open the rear of the tent.
Doña XXXXXXXX had protested she was far too old and feeble to escape with him, and begged him to get away alone, which being Monkfish he showed no reluctance to do.
In Buenos Aires, XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX met with one of his local associates, a disreputable betting agent and by implication black marketeer, who was able to give XXXXXXXX and Miss XXXXXXXX directions to a safe house where they might contact the local commander of the ERP.
This woman, known to us a "B", allowed XXXXXXXX to seduce her, and then revealed that she knew nothing of any kidnapping at the hacienda… but that XXXXXXXX himself would be worth a very rich ransom.
Before "B" could arrange for XXXXXXXX to be moved, however, Colonel Contreras' troops arrived to seal off the area conducting house to house searches.
With the ERP members rushing to their defences, Miss XXXXXXXX burst into the room with an impressive shoulder barge to rescue XXXXXXXX a second time and they escaped out the back.
Monkfish, meanwhile, ridiculous as the image must appear, had apparently ridden all the way back to Buenos Aires on the stolen bicycle, only to run into Contreras' patrols.
He was arrested in turn, finding himself locked up at the headquarters with the ERP commander known as "B".
XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX and Miss XXXXXXXX eluded the patrols and returned to the hacienda to see if there was any news. No ransom demand had been received, which they each remarked upon as strange, though it confirmed commander "B"'s claim of ignorance.
XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX declared his intention to find them a stiff drink. Searching for alcohol, he overheard La Doña's chief steward on the telephone, asking to speak to "the leader". Instinctively recognising that they were in peril, he acted immediately to try to get himself and Miss XXXXXXXX out of the hacienda, but "Santino" and the other revolutionary soldiers returned. They were captured and bundled into a waiting car.
In the cells in the headquarters, Monkfish had come to an arrangement with Commander "B". He proceeded to effect a prison break using explosive concealed in his belt. He remarked, to anyone who would listen, on the dangers of riding bicycles so girt.
Before they could escape from the compound, however, Colonel Contreras confronted them trying to flee across the parade square. Monkfish must have obtained a gun from one of the guards, because he was suddenly armed and shot the colonel's pistol from his hand allowing himself and the ERP commander to escape.
XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX and Miss XXXXXXXX were taken to the camp on Islas Solis.
Miss XXXXXXXX rescued XXXXXXXX once again and they snuck around the camp to find where "Santino" was addressing the gathered troops. Behind him was standing a slender, erect figure in impressively-braided military fatigues, their identity concealed by a hooded cloak: clearly "the leader".
XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX and Miss XXXXXXXX listened as the "Santino" announced that the government was almost ready to fall and the latest crisis was just the excuse they need – with the military police secretly on their side and already controlling the capital, all it would take would be one last push, all thanks to "the leader".
Abruptly Colonel Contreras arrived and burst into the gathering, his gun arm in a sling.
Moments later troops from the real ERP swarmed in led by Commander "B", along with Monkfish now armed with a huge machine gun.
Contreras tried to take Miss XXXXXXXX as a hostage, but XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX knocked him out with a punch. Then, "the leader" tried to hold XXXXXXXX at gunpoint in his turn, but Miss XXXXXXXX disarmed her with a high kick, that also uncloaked her, revealing her to be none other than the Doña XXXXXXXX, of course.
While we had believed La Doña was an agent of the Service, she had in fact been playing both sides for many years, as revealed by testimony from her chief steward and rambling account received from her henchman, "Santino".
Monkfish reunited with Miss XXXXXXXX and used the machine gun to cut a way out of the compound for them. Together with XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX the three escaped over the border to Uruguay, with XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX remarking that his plots usually have tidier endings.
Conclusions:
Miss XXXXXXXX is a genuine loss to the Service.
We neither accept nor reject XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX's wilder speculation that she may have infiltrated us in order to achieve the outcome of joining with Monkfish, but label it an author's fancy.
She is, however, a more benign companion for Monkfish than the degenerate Sole, and it may be hoped she will continue to act as a conscience tempering his more outlandish actions.
[attached, dated 1970]
UPDATED: Regrettably, the confusing events in Mesopotamia appear to indicate Miss XXXXXXXX and Monkfish have parted company and he has reunited with Sole.
[attached, dated 1971]
UPDATED: The events in Senegal, Adelaide and Vladivostok seem to further contradict this with Miss XXXXXXXX appearing with Monkfish, with Monkfish and Sole together and mostly with Sole with Monkfish appearing only at the conclusion of the affair.
(Cross reference with catalogue codename "The Medicine Men": a series of 26 incidents in which Monkfish, Sole and Miss XXXXXXXX were allegedly involved, most of which took place without Service involvement.)
