The 9 by Madalyn Morgan (tools of titans ebook .txt) 📕

delivered tomorrow, he might already have left London for Bletchley, in which case he wouldn’t see it. But it was a risk she would have to take.

Ena took a writing pad and pen from her desk and wrote a short note. Reading it back to herself, satisfied that the message had conveyed her disappointment in not being able to meet Ben, she put it in an envelope and stuck a stamp on it. ‘Be back in a minute,’ she called, picking up several letters from the post tray and taking them to the post box.

On the train to Bletchley, Ena told Mr Silcott everything that had happened on the day her work was stolen.

‘Some parts of the X-board would have been almost impossible to copy for anyone who didn’t know what they were doing. I can only think whoever stole it had worked on the same, or similar, boards before – perhaps in another factory. But what really bothers me, what I still don’t understand,’ she confided, ‘is how the thieves were able to make an identical case to the ones we use. Perhaps it wasn’t identical, but it was good enough to pass as one of ours when it was signed in at Bletchley Park.’

‘They must have been watching you, Ena, sizing up the case.’

‘What, travelling on the same train as I did? On the occasions we didn’t take the work down by car? A bit of a coincidence, don’t you think?’ Mr Silcott nodded thoughtfully. ‘No,’ Ena said, ‘I’m convinced someone at Bletchley Park was in on it.’

‘The commander mentioned something about that,’ Herbert Silcott said.

Ena bit her lip. ‘He wasn’t very happy at the suggestion. Did he tell you I had met an American in the buffet on Euston station?’ Mr Silcott nodded and smiled. ‘He was very kind to me. Of course, the commander could only see a German spy who befriended me to turn me. That’s the phrase they use in popular spy thrillers, isn’t it?’

Ena sighed. ‘He invited me to tea today,’ she said, ‘when I finish at the Park. And no, before you ask, he doesn’t know I have anything to do with Bletchley Park. I stuck to the cover story. Anyway it doesn’t matter now. I wrote yesterday and said I couldn’t make it.’

‘That’s a shame, Ena,’ Mr Silcott said, ‘You spend so much time at work, and often on your own, being taken out for tea by a young man would be a nice treat. Still, if he’s a decent sort, he’ll invite you out again.’

Ena hoped he would. She also told Mr Silcott about Henry Green being in the room with Commander Dalton and the engineers, and how he had vouched for her to the commander. Mr Silcott knew Henry, as Ena’s family did. Henry’s father was the only butcher in Lowarth, and he and Herbert Silcott regularly played golf together.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Herbert Silcott and Ena took the case containing the work to reception, showed the security officer their passes and work permits, and Mr Silcott signed his name – adding the time and date as proof of when the work was delivered.

‘Commander Dalton is expecting you, sir... Miss Dudley,’ the officer said. ‘If you’d like to go on through…’

Leaving the case of work with the officer to take to Bletchley’s engineers, Ena and Herbert Silcott made their way along the familiar corridors to Commander Dalton’s office. Ena knocked on the door.

‘Enter.’

‘Welcome,’ the commander said, striding over to meet Mr Silcott at the door. ‘And Miss Dudley. Thank you for coming down today. Come in, come in. Take a seat, both of you.’

When they were seated at Commander Dalton’s desk, he opened a folder, looked at it for a moment, and then slowly closed it. Spreading his fingers wide, he laid his hands palms down on top of the folder as if to protect it. He looked from Herbert Silcott to Ena. ‘More work has been sabotaged,’ he said at last.

‘When? Where did it come from?’ Ena asked.

‘We have several X-boards in reserve, as back-ups. They’re routinely checked, but not often enough it seems. Our engineers were checking them against their blueprints, as you had done, Ena, when they came across anomalies in two of the boxes. The rotors were signed, and remained correct.’ The commander raised his eyebrows and Ena held her breath. ‘However, the wiring in the selector wheels had been deliberately muddled.’

‘Do you want me to check them?’

‘Thank you, but no. We’ve decided to leave them as they are. Two clever young women in Hut 3 are going to try to unscramble the results. It will take hours – rendering any recovered text useless, because by then it will be out of date. But we must try, and we must carry on as normal. We don’t want whoever is doing this to know we’ve cottoned onto them.’

Ena frowned. ‘If you don’t mind me asking, sir, why did you bring me down here, if you don’t want me to check the work?’

‘To ask for your help in another matter.’

‘Anything, Commander,’ Ena said, sitting forward, ready to hear her instructions.

‘I want you to find out who is sabotaging your work. It has to be someone from Silcott Engineering.’ Ena opened her mouth to defend her workmates. ‘Or,’ the commander said, raising his voice, which stopped her interrupting, ‘someone from Bletchley Park.’

‘But… How? What can I do?’

‘I am sure that you did not sabotage your own work, or anyone else’s. As that is the case, you and Herbert are the only people outside Bletchley that I can trust.’

‘I’m glad you believe us innocent, sir.’ Ena felt the heat of a blush rise to her cheeks.

‘I haven’t actually found Herbert innocent,’ the commander said with a wry smile, ‘but as he was in a hospital bed, I think we can