12. A Real Campaigner
To begin with, Eddie had been shocked Richard had come up with this plan. He was also somewhat suspicious of his motives. Eddie sometimes doubted if Richard was even a socialist of any sort. Stuart had vouched for him, though, and Stuart knew him better than anyone. Stuart was rock solid. A real campaigner.
So Eddie had decided it would at least be worth discussing the plan. After the discussion back at his flat, Eddie had been quite convinced that Richard was genuine and capable too. That was why he’d gone to the trouble of getting in touch with contacts that could make it happen. After the final meeting, as the months went by, he’d begun to have doubts again. But it was too late by then.
It hadn’t been too late at the moment Richard handed him the envelope. At that moment, all he had to do was nothing. Richard would never know he’d sabotaged the plan. But even though Eddie had his doubts, on balance he thought it was worth the risk of going through with it. His own personal risk was very limited. So he handed the envelope over. Before he did, Eddie did something to ensure that, even though Richard would have no idea who his handler was, at least his handler would know Richard — he slipped a photo into the envelope.
Eddie had noticed something about Richard — he didn’t quite seem to live in the real world. He talked about things as though they were academic or theoretical. Maybe that’s why he was so calm when they were sorting out the code words. Maybe the reality of the situation was hidden inside a whole abstract fantasy.
Eddie didn’t live in any fantasy world. He’d had a tough upbringing. He lived in a rough part of Glasgow. He knew every time they went on a march or handed out leaflets, there was likely to be someone who wanted to give them a good kicking. He also knew that what could happen to Richard might be a damned sight worse than taking a kicking from a few fascists.
