Free The Mark of Halam by Thomas Ryan Page B

muddle.”
    Barbara thought that unlikely. Amy wasn’t coming across as the type to forget anything. More likely it was so exciting she needed to unload. She took two steps to her desk for a pad and pen then sank back into the sofa.
    “Speak to me,” Barbara said.
    “I’ve been drinking with a group protesting the arrival of the nuclear sub. They’ve been stirring the pot, as they put it, for the last few weeks. They’re drinking pretty heavily and buying for anyone who comes and sits with them. Not the normal behaviour of cash- strapped students.”
    “You rang to tell me you’ve had free drinks all night?”
    “No. Of course not.”
    “Good. Besides, students these days have rich parents and more money in their pockets than I have.”
    “Now listen,” Amy demanded, slurring her words a little. “I asked them how they could afford to protest all the time. Didn’t they need to have jobs? I mean they really were spending lots of money.”
    Barbara was growing impatient.
    “Anyway. They said no worries. They were being paid. I said to protest and they said yes. I wanted to learn more. So I told them I thought that was bullshit and if it was true then I wanted on the payroll. They said no problems.”
    “Okay. That is interesting. But professional protestors are hardly news. They’ve been around since forever.”
    “Yes, well I started to get a little closer to the guy next to me. You know. Using my feminine wiles. I can be irresistible when I want to be.”
    Barbara laughed. “Just how much have you had to drink?”
    “Lots. But listen. I’m trying to tell you something. Where was I . . . ? Oh yeah. They’ve been provided with a free office to organise from, free computers and all the brochures and banners etc, are paid for.”
    “Really? Okay you have my attention. Who’s paying for all this? Did he say?”
    “No names,” said Amy. “Charlie Agnew the organiser said he was approached by a man to set it up. The man was a foreigner. Had an accent but he couldn’t pick which country. And anyway Agnew said he didn’t care as long as the money continued to flow. The man told him he supported their cause and wanted to help by providing funds. Brian said he wasn’t going to argue and readily accepted the offer. As I said everything is paid for and they get paid weekly. And really good money. Almost as much as I’m getting paid working for you. There is enough money, Agnew was told, to pay for as many people as he can recruit. He also said there are a couple of other offices operating the same way. I’m not sure where they are but one is on the North Shore. This is big money, boss. It might be some multi-national company behind it.”
    Barbara said, “For the life of me I can’t think of what there would be to gain for a business.”
    “What about solar energy companies? They must all be anti-nuclear.”
    “Don’t be silly.”
    “Greenpeace then?”
    “Worth consideration but unlikely, they would hold their own protest. Besides, they’re in the business of raising money not giving it away.”
    “Now, I really do have to use the toilet. Want to keep talking?”
    “No I don’t. I’ll see you in the morning. Be careful and don’t drink too much.”
    “Too late, boss. Bye.” Amy was gone.
    Barbara put her mobile on her lap and looked over her notes. Somebody was funding the protesters. Somebody with a foreign accent. That didn’t mean it was a foreign organisation behind it. Could be a new immigrant with an anti-nuclear ideology but it did explain how the intensity had been maintained. Normally protesters would gather in force a day or two before the event and carry it through until the submarine left. But this had been different. She wondered just how widespread the funding might be.
    Then she turned her thoughts to the conversation she had had with Brian Cunningham. She decided she should mention it to Brian. A little quid pro quo. If the police could bring pressure to bear on the