Cashback

by Duncan James

  ***

  Group Captain Charles Bowman reported to the Ambassador as soon as he returned to Harare, and then got on to Paul Bridges at the Cabinet Office.

  "I'm concerned about this talk of civil unrest or a coup or something," said Bridges. "Keep your eye on that, if you will."

  "I mean to," agreed Bowman. "At the moment, people seem able to get at their cash without any new problems, but if rumours spread, there could be a run on the banks and that will cause even more panic."

  "I'm inclined to call a meeting, you know, just to go over our contingency plans again," said the man in the Cabinet Office. "You never know in a place like that when we might need to move in a hurry to evacuate British citizens."

  "I think that would be sensible," agreed the Defence Attache. "If nothing else, it will alert people in Whitehall to what's going on."

  With that, and the ambassador's telegram to the Foreign Office, people in Whitehall soon knew what was going on in that part of Africa. They also knew that their man in Harare had managed to establish, in double-quick time it seemed, what looked like a very useful network of contacts in high places that, he was sure, would keep him informed of important developments.

  Will Bartlett took rather longer to get hold of Robin Hood in Oxford.

  "Nice bloke, that friend of your father's," he said, making sure he didn't mention Bowman's rank or position over the phone. "We got on well, and he bought me lunch."

  "Was he interested?" asked Robin, sensing the need to be guarded.

  "Yes, very," replied Will. "He seems to think it can't be a computer failure, else everyone would be in the same boat, whereas at the moment it only seems to be the hierarchy who are suffering."

  "Good point," agreed Robin. "What does he think, then?"

  "Hasn't a clue," said Will. "To be honest, he seems much more interested in what might happen next than in what has happened."

  "Will you be meeting again?" asked his friend.

  "I said I'd keep in touch," said Will. "He's invited me to tea next time I'm in his part of town."

  "I should go. It's a nice house."

  "And he's a nice bloke," repeated Will. "I said I'd take Bonkers!"