For the Good of the State

‘His duty.’ Harvey agreed whole-heartedly with his master about the Research and Development Department. But he also liked and respected Jack Butler as an honest and devoted officer. ‘The PM

Price, Anthony - For the Good of the State has the right to go direct to the head of R & D, Henry. And the Head of R & D has direct access the other way—that’s how old Fred Clinton constituted it, from way back.’

‘I know that.’ Jaggard gestured dismissively. ‘But he also has a duty to me. And there was no reason why he shouldn’t have told me first—’ He stopped suddenly as he caught the expression on Garrod Harvey’s face. ‘Or was there?’

‘He didn’t have time.’ It was one strike to Jaggard that he also respected Jack Butler. ‘Audley deposited his report on Colonel Butler’s desk about five minutes before the PM’s office rang. So my guess is that he’d planned everything to the minute, practically: that the PM would hit Butler at once, and then the Minister himself immediately after that. He knew what everyone would do—maybe he even knew that the PM would be so pleased at being able to catch the Minister on the hop, as well as being able to suppress the leak— that there wouldn’t be anything we could do against him even if we could trace it all back.’ He watched Jaggard look in vain for loopholes. ‘Because the PM is pleased. So R & D is riding high at the moment, Henry. Because they came up with the information in time, just when it was needed.’

Henry Jaggard scowled at him. ‘But the Minister isn’t pleased.’

‘Ah… yes, I can well imagine that, Henry.’ And so he could.

(Another leak in the Minister’s department—albeit plugged in time, but not plugged by the Minister’s own expertise, only by the PM’s superior intelligence.) And he could also see why Henry Jaggard was incandescent with rage, Too. (The Minister was a good friend and ally of his when cuts and economy were the order Price, Anthony - For the Good of the State of the day.) ‘It’s unfortunate.’

‘It’s more than that, Garry. He’s been made to look a fool. And so have I.’ Jaggard’s better side showed as he grinned at Harvey. ‘I can survive that, but this makes him a two-time loser at No. 10.

And now I’ve got to tell his Special Adviser in fifteen minutes that I can’t give him the scalp he wants, so this sort of thing won’t happen again.’ The grin evaporated. ‘Is there no way I can give him a scalp, Garry?’

‘Audley’s?’ Harvey knew what his master wanted. But for what he planned to propose he needed more than that. ‘Colonel Butler will never give you Audley, he’d resign first.’ He shook his head.

‘Offering hostages isn’t his style. Besides which, R & D is too busy with Gorbachev at the moment. And Audley’s too valuable—

he’s right at the heart of the work.’

‘Yes.’ Jaggard well knew what R & D’s main present preoccupation was. ‘But… this wasn’t any of Audley’s damn business.’

‘That’s not the way David Audley would see it.’ He had to lead Jaggard on, evidently. ‘Clinton gave them carte blanche from the start—as well as direct access to the PM—remember?’ He knew that Jaggard remembered, even though R & D had been born—

born by Caesarian section—long before their time. ‘He gave them

“Quis cusiodiet ipsos custodes” as their motto. And he always said they were his Tenth Legion, Henry—remember?’

‘Huh! More like a Fifth Column now!’ Jaggard’s nostrils expanded. ‘Audley isn’t even the real problem—R & D is the real problem, itself—no matter how important the work.’ He shook his Price, Anthony - For the Good of the State head slowly. ‘It’s not “Quis custodiet” now—it’s bloody Imperium in imperio!. It’s become a state within a state—and it’s got to be cut down to size, Garry. For the good of the state it was founded to protect, in fact.’

They were almost there. ‘I agree.’ But he needed some reassurance, nevertheless. ‘But with reservations, Henry.’

‘With reservations?’ Jaggard gave him a fierce look. ‘What are you driving at?’

It wasn’t the moment to make some submissive animal-signal: Jaggard was almost as intolerant of yes-men as he was of R & D.

‘Their research is first-rate—particularly their analytical advice.

And they’re coming up with first-rate stuff about the Gorbachev appointments right now, Henry—the Americans are trading us all manner of things in exchange for it. So there’s no way we can abolish them—they’re far too useful.’

‘Who said I want to abolish them?’ The fierceness amended itself.

‘All we need is to control them, so that they don’t cause trouble on the side—’ Jaggard raised a slender hand ‘—and I don’t mean that they’re not damn good at covering up the trouble they make… and their mistakes too… because they are—I know that—you know that.’ The hand clenched. ‘But they do cause trouble—and they do make mistakes—every time they go into the field on their own account.’ The fist unclenched, and Jaggard tapped the file on his desk. ‘Even, for example, God only knows what sort of mayhem might result from this FCO signal if I let it go any further. Which, of course, I won’t—that, at least, I can stop, anyway.’

Price, Anthony - For the Good of the State They were there at last. But Harvey craned his neck, as though attempting to read the superscription. ‘Which is that—?’

Jaggard covered it. ‘Audley’s too busy with the Gorbachev work.

Apart from which he’ll only cause more trouble in this case, if he runs true to form.’

‘’Which was that?‘ Harvey stopped pretending to read through Jaggard’s hand. Because Jaggard was going to tell him anyway.

‘Apart from which the KGB is undoubtedly up to mischief.’

Jaggard gave him an unblinking stare. ‘And since the FCO

processed the signal they’ll also want to know what the outcome is.