As the shadows lengthened along the narrow street, Halil wove his way through a crowd of straggling tourists, donkey carts and trucks. His destination was a tiny café at the edge of a shopping complex close to the covered markets. The decision to walk rather than drive was prompted by the late afternoon traffic that choked the roads. Using the lanes and alleyways he could be there in half the time. Sweat poured down his face. He needed to be there before Annabel arrived to make sure she wasn’t being followed. The intelligence he had to pass on could not be trusted through a mobile phone service and must be delivered personally. The whole mission could fail if the sensitive information did not get to the home base in Australia quickly. Only Annabel could do this. She alone could code it and get it away and they were fast running out of time. He increased his pace, his chest heaved heavily as his aching legs covered the three-kilometre hike in record time. 

The agent positioned himself at a table near a window. Here he had good vision of the narrow cobbled-stone alley that led to the Hasircilar Caddesi Café. He ordered strong sweet black coffee. A waiter offered him the evening newspaper which he accepted producing a note from his wallet. He waved the waiter away when he tried to make change. His eyes glanced briefly at the headlines as he sipped the thick black liquid, always conscious of the people movement and traffic outside. A taxi pulled up and a tall attractive woman stepped out. She wound a silk headscarf around her head and tied the ends under her chin. She paid the driver, looked up and down the street, checked the name of the café and entered. The rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee and hot pastries permeated the interior of the crowded premises.   

Seated inside, the usually male-dominated clientele of Turkish workers was interspersed with European tourists of both sexes, so Annabel was able to move around the tables without drawing attention to herself. Halil paid Annabel little attention but continued to watch the street. As he feared, another taxi pulled up outside and two men got out. One man remained to pay the driver while the other moved directly towards the café. The agent acted quickly. He took a neatly folded, tightly scripted sheet of paper from his pocket, discretely placed it into the centre of the newspaper and folded the paper in half. As Annabel approached he stood, left a pile of lira on the table, placed the newspaper on the vacant table next to him while he buttoned his jacket and made his way between the tables. Annabel looked surprised but instantly gathered that they were not to acknowledge each other. They passed very close, Halil stepping back to allow her through but as he did he whispered, ‘Centre of the newspaper.’ 

Annabel sat where he directed and opened the newspaper. She covered the note with one hand and slipped it into her pocket. She continued to read the paper turning the pages occasionally. The waiter took her order of Mint tea.