Sure enough, Graham was one of the first to hear that William Boyce was turning and wanted to talk to the rebels. Graham was quick to get the message to John.
John called a command meeting ‘what do you think guys? He would be a great asset to have on our side with his banking experience and his knowledge of Garside, who would be beside himself knowing that his pet banker was a turncoat.’
Terry and Paul agreed.
Derek did not. ‘I’ve got to ask the question, what has suddenly changed. He’s got a great life, making tons of money and friends again with the guy who he knows can destroy him at the drop of a hat. Why would he risk all of that?’
Alan said ‘I’m naturally suspicious so I agree with Derek. It doesn’t quite stack up.’
‘I have to agree that there are some unanswered questions but also the payoff may be, in my view, greater than the risk. Let me think about it and I will get back to you all.’
John thought long and hard weighing up the pros and cons. It would be a tremendous coup to get the banker on his side; it may even be the straw that breaks Garside’s back. On the other hand, what if it was a setup? John thought about this and concluded that if it were then their aim would be to wipe out a large number of his soldiers. If that happened, it would be a major blow and cause such demoralisation that getting the remaining personnel back to an efficient fighting force may take too long and Garside would win. So he decided that he would try and recruit the banker but would only use a very small number of volunteers. A team set about carrying out research into where the banker lived and routes in and out of the underground. John asked his commanders to find volunteers, although Kenny and Brendon and performed the task of picking up Greg Harper and would be ideal for this task given their experience he was loathed to ask them again. He wanted volunteers. Kenny and Brendon were the first to put their names forward and John reluctantly gave them the job. He was reluctant because this was more dangerous and there would not be the backup they had the first time. They would also not have the benefit of John’s pre-visit to the target. He briefed them to go during rush hour and before the banker was likely to have left for work. His address is 415 Pelham Grove just off Brompton Road. He emphasised that there would not be any backup support. Brendon would be wired again purely to warn Kenny of any problems while he was inside talking to the banker. They were to follow the same routine that they did for Greg Harper. Once Boyce agreed to join up, he was to be taken to South Kensington Underground where a small detachment would take over to bring him to Belsize Park.