35 
Deep Intelligence
An interesting association may have fallen into our laps,” said a man of dubious tongue. He might have been either Swiss or Italian, though in truth his accent, along with the name by which he was known, was an integral aspect of the constantly changing disguise by which he kept his true loyalties, if he had any, to himself. “Are you still seeking a means for infiltrating the British Admiralty and cabinet?”
“Of course,” replied the other, whose uniform gave away his allegiances without any attempt to hide them. “Infiltration is the objective of intelligence. We have contacts in that direction, moles and others we have turned to our cause. But when it comes to spies in the enemy’s camp, one can never be oversupplied.”
“A young Englishman has recently been sent my way. He is looking for a woman, but that is a minor sidelight to the greater issue. He may be useful to you.”
“How so?”
“He is associated with a fringe operation which apparently has roots in Vienna and connections with the Black Hand. But mostly what I find intriguing is that several of them are actually English.”
The Prussian nodded with significant expression.
“And they have been active on behalf of the Alliance?” he asked.
“Apparently for some time. The contact I speak of has connections in Britain, carries an English passport, and may be an ideal candidate for an assassination. Perhaps he might even be induced to make the hit himself, although from his looks I doubt he has the stomach for it.”
“Can you find out?”
“I might arrange a test of his resolve—to see what he is made of.”
“What is your own role in the affair?”
“I have been enlisted, as I said, to help him locate a woman who has apparently defected from their camp. I have the feeling there is more to it, but that is all I have been told. But the links to their organization are what I thought might interest you.”
“You did well by coming to me, Fabrini. But it is not the Black Hand itself?”
“No, it is more English than Serbian.”
“What is this organization called?” asked the Prussian.
“I don’t know yet. My contact, an Italian, has told me little.”
“Find out, then contact me. It may be just what we need to penetrate Whitehall. If the double assassination is to be successful, we will have to use their own people. Find out the name of this network.”
“I will do what I can.”
“Are you handling the affair personally?”
“Don’t worry, Wolfrik—I will see the thing through. In the early stages, I will keep to the background. I have an operative, a useful but expendable fellow, who will help in this regard. But I will be nearby.”