Novel Reading

Scott McClusky

0:00

Audiobooks

Description

Chapter 5 of a pulpy spy novel called High Jinx

Vocal Characteristics

Language

English

Accents

British (General)

Transcript

Note: Transcripts are generated using speech recognition software and may contain errors.
Blackford was back in London after a three week vacation following his departure from Camp Cromwell, three weeks in Switzerland with Marta his scheme eight. He went to the safe house on James Street, where his old friend and schoolmate, his senior Gray Burn at Yale. And in the agency Anthony trust waited for him with news and a copy of the album. Blackford stared at its pages and left the room saying, you'd be back in a few hours. He spent these pacing the park. In fact, his heart pounding with rage and frustration. He reappeared at James Street early in the afternoon and said to trust that he would like to consult with an agency cryptographer. What you got. Black Blackford explained about the night he saw the light in the radio shed and his subsequent search of the premises. Doesn't sound all that suspicious to me. Doesn't sound all that suspicious to me, either. Are you therefore telling me our cryptographers too busy to talk to me? Anthony laughed. Maybe a little nervously, given his old friends gravity. He picked up the telephone when they got back from lunch. Adam Waterman was there. He was young, no older than Blackford. He wore heavy glasses and a tweed coat too large for his slight frame. His hair was long and disorderly, though not self consciously. So he asked for permission to smoke, sat down and said, What can I do for you? A couple of questions, Blackford began. He fished the note paper out of his briefcase and showed it to Adam. Blackford said he thought he'd once read that a primitive cryptographic code was governed by a simple inversion in a series of numbers, for instance, 12345 If one were the governing number would inform the other party in the know that the correct number was 345 to a single change in the sequence being indicated accordingly. 22345 would indicate that the correct number was 4523 etcetera. Had adam ever heard of such a convention When I was about six years old. Okay. So I didn't dream it up. Good. Next question. Could this five digit number? After you worked out all the hypothetical sequences based on the governing number be checked with the brits to see where the phone numbers are located. We got friends at the post office. Sure. Out of curiosity. How long would it take to make that check A day maybe 2? Let me look at it. Can t 1881 The governing number as you put, it can be placed first or it could be placed 2nd, 3rd, 4th or fifth. We'll be dealing with number two with the number one or eight. We have to play with the corresponding variables with the letters that may or may not exist. We'd have to try all the possible combinations. Adam pulled out a pencil, leaned over to the pile of magazines on the coffee table, flipped open the pages of Queen magazine until he came to an advertisement for a rover car that game up a generous display of white space In a minute. He added up the results of his equations. There would be depending on whether the letters were transpose. Herbal 27 or 105 possibilities. I believe you. Blackford grin full speed ahead. Adam Rose lit another cigarette and extended his hand to trust and then to Blackford The following morning he called Trust and said he was ready with a report they arranged to meet at 11. Turns out only 47 possibilities. Two of the letters were transpose double III wasn't. Here's a list of the 39 phones with client numbers corresponding to the variables. One of the 39 telephones on the sheet Adam handed over, stood out. It was given as unlisted private number Soviet embassy. Ask my contact how many private numbers the Soviet embassy has and he looked it up. 24. I found out it isn't possible to know in which office of the embassy given phone is because the Russians insist on all phones having jack so they can move a phone wherever they want whenever they want. Just a matter of switching jacks impulsively. Blackford reach for the telephone on the coffee table. Black Anthony trust rose from his chair. You're not going to Blackford? I'll k. n. 8118. A woman's voice picked up Blackford affected a german accent. May I speak with Colonel Baldwin? Who the voice replied, Shall I say, is calling, Blackford, replied an old friend. I will call later and put down the receiver. The three men, all of them standing, did not smile, those poor bastards, Anthony Trust said.