Free Circus by Alistair MacLean

job’s yours. Frankly, when I have the choice between an experienced consultant and the young interns I’ve been seeing – well, I don’t have much of a choice. I’m not so naïve as toimagine that you’re making this a full-time career. A sabbatical – or part of it?’
    â€˜Twelve years in the Belvedere is a long time.’
    â€˜How soon could you be free, Doctor?’
    â€˜Now.’
    â€˜Splendid. And what would your immediate plans be?’
    â€˜Depends on how soon you want to leave on this foreign tour.’
    â€˜Let’s work towards four or five days from now.’
    â€˜Little enough time. First, Mr Wrinfield, I’d like your authorization for medical supplies, then a collection of all the passports until I see what’s required in the way of vaccinations and inoculations – I understand your circus has never toured abroad before. I’m afraid that some of your high-wire and trapeze artistes will have to curtail their acts quite a bit in the next few days.’
    â€˜All that I can arrange immediately. First of all, though, I suggest you have a look around. When you see what you’ve taken on you might want to change your mind.’
    The two men left the office and Wrinfield led the way to the centre ring of the circus itself, a spot which, in so far as potential eavesdroppers were concerned, was probably more secluded than any place for a mile around. Nonetheless, Wrinfield scuffed the sand with the toe of his shoe and looked casually around before speaking.
    He said: ‘And what was all that for?’
    â€˜Sorry about all that cloak-and-dagger stuff. We don’t usually go in for it – spoils our image. Incidentally, congratulations – you’d make a splendid recruit to our organization. Anyway, I was speaking to Charles just before I came here and we both came up with the same very nasty suspicion at the same time.’
    â€˜That my office was bugged?’
    â€˜If it were, it could explain a great deal.’
    â€˜But why all the paper notes you handed me? Why didn’t you just phone and warn me?’ Harper half-smiled at him and Wrinfield tapped his own head. ‘That wasn’t very bright. The phone could have been bugged, too.’
    â€˜Indeed. In a few minutes’ time you can expect another applicant for my job. His name is Dr Morley and he will be carrying the regulation black medical bag. But he’s no doctor, he’s an electronics expert and his bag is packed with extremely advanced equipment for locating bugging devices. Ten minutes alone in your office and he’ll find out whether it’s clean or not.’
    Fifteen minutes later, as Wrinfield and Harper approached the office, a tall dark man with a black bag descended the steps from it. For the benefit of watchers or listeners Wrinfield introduced them and suggested a cup of coffee in the canteen. They sat at a remote corner table.
    Morley said: ‘Two bugs. Miniaturized radio transmitters. One in the ceiling light, the other in the phone.’
    â€˜So I can breathe again,’ Wrinfield said. Neither of the other two made any immediate reply so he went on rather uncertainly: ‘I mean, those devices have been removed or deactivated?’
    â€˜Most certainly not,’ Harper said. ‘The bugs are still there and there they will remain, probably until we return from Europe. Do you think we want the ungodly to know that we know? Think of all the amount of false and confusing and misleading information we can feed them.’ One could see that, mentally, Harper was positively rubbing his hands. ‘From now on you will conduct only routine circus business in that office.’ He smiled almost dreamily. ‘Unless, of course, I give instructions to the contrary.’ 
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    In the days that followed, four subjects increasingly and exclusively dominated conversation in the circus.
    The first of those,