CASH & CREDIT 23

A busy railway station in the heart of the City. A pale-faced young man waits anxiously, his fate seeming to him dependent on the next few minutes. Gazing at his watch over and over, Tony’s white face reflected his fears. Would his contact turn up? Tony knew that if he didn’t, his own chances of years in a dungeon were certain.

Actually, they were anyway, he just was naive enough to let himself be used in the vain hope that he could be somehow saved from the fate that was already set for him. In reality, Susan and the Chief could do little to help Tony, his fate was sealed, but they were happy to feed him illusion so that he would be a willing tool in the next stage of their attack on the fraud which had dominated their lives for this past year.

Tony felt a hand on his shoulder and visibly jumped. It was his contact. In a mixture of relief and terror, Tony spoke nervously.

“I thought you weren’t coming”.

The man was urbane, polished, a cut above