The Undercover Spies

Episode described in one of the Department Archives’ memorandums.

The night was stormy. An awful weather, thought Inspector Torcato, adjusting the collar of his oilskin jacket, whilst the river water, churned up by the wind, lashed against the motorboat’s hull and sent spray flying over the Department’s team.

An informant had reported that a ‘rabelo’[1] would be sailing down the river that night, carrying Republican spies in its holds.

The outline of a boat began to take shape in the fog, with the flickering light of a lantern at the bow. ‘There it is!’ exclaimed the inspector. ‘You know what to do. Throw everything into the water.’

The launch approached the ‘rabelo’, boarding it and overpowering the six men who made up the crew, gagging and tying them up. The Department’s team began cutting the strings holding the kites and, one by one, let them roll down and fall into the river. ‘Let’s see how well they spy on the fishes, now’, said one of the officers, making everyone laugh. When there were no more kites left on board, they moored the boat and took the sailors to the Department’s headquarters. Having their gags removed, the ship’s captain was seething with rage.

‘Do you know what you have done? You dumped into the river tonnes of fuel grapes which came straight from Quinta das Malhadas. Someone has to take responsibility!’

Inspector Torcato went livid. A brief questioning of the men confirmed the captain’s statement.

A message arrived, then, sent by the duty officer at Cais do Sol Station. Scribbled on a scrap of paper, the content was brief:

At about half past ten, a boat docked and several men got out; they quickly disappeared into the surrounding streets, covered by the darkness. The boat set sail again. I was alone, so I was unable to intervene. I await instructions.

Inspector Torcato was cursing, ‘How on earth did they get past us?’, whilst the men in his squad stared at the floor, not daring to look him in the eye. Amidst the swearing, Torcato was considering what he would write in the report to justify the failed operation.

[1] A type of Portuguese boat, typical of the River Douro, characterised by a flat bottom and the absence of a keel, used to transport barrels of Douro wine from the vineyards of the Douro to the warehouses in Vila Nova de Gaia (Porto).