by D J Harrison
I can’t help thinking about Doreen. This is the man she’s intending to marry. I can’t let her make that mistake. Sadly, I’ve betrayed her and she may never trust me again. I’ve used her to try to manipulate Lafferty into believing all his money was stolen and now that lie is about to strangle me. I don’t really care about the money, it’s the way I’ve let down Doreen that hurts. Now it means I’ll not be able to save her from the clutches of this despicable monster.
The door opens behind me and Hector appears, flanked by two shiny-suited men, one holding a pistol which he hands to Lafferty.
‘Ah the Brigadier, yes… tell me what is this?’ He waves the gun in Hector’s face.
‘It’s a Browning 9mm automatic, more precisely it’s my Browning 9mm automatic and I’ll thank you for its return.’
‘A bit naughty isn’t it, bringing a firearm here? What on earth were you intending to do with it?’
‘Service issue, that’s all, standard procedure, carry it everywhere, you know.’ Hector’s voice is weak. He sounds uncertain. Even though it’s only been a short while since I last saw him, he’s visibly lost weight. His stance is unsteady, and he grabs hold of the back of a chair for support.
‘Oh dear.’ Lafferty has a smirk on his face. ‘You don’t look at all well, why don’t you take a seat.’
Hector slumps into the chair next to the one holding my bag. On a wave from Lafferty the two security guards leave.
‘So what’s this all about?’ Lafferty asks.
‘I wanted to tell you to your face that it’s only a matter of time before we put you in prison where you belong,’ Hector replies, ‘and that I’ll not rest until you are ruined and disgraced.’
‘So it’s personal,’ Lafferty says. ‘I always knew you had a grudge against me. Still harping on about your brother, I suppose.’
‘What you did was unforgiveable, barbaric.’
‘What we did was war, Brigadier. Of all people you should understand that. Your brother was spying, he pretended to be one of us. All we did was take him to the South and ask him some perfectly reasonable questions. The fact that he refused to answer was unfortunate, but entirely his own doing.’
‘You tortured and killed him.’ Hector is leaning forward in his chair, face red, forehead strained.
‘You’d have done the same to any one of us if it had meant saving lives.’
‘You mutilated him, castrated him, tore out his tongue. How does that help you save lives, you coward?’
Hector is half out of his chair, but Lafferty stands relaxed, leaning on the window sill, still holding the Browning.
‘There’s nothing you can do about it.’ Lafferty’s eyes narrow. ‘Apart from shooting me, I suppose, but I’ve got your gun so that’s not going to happen. Don’t forget we all got pardons under the Good Friday Agreement. Most of my brigade commanders are at Stormont now, legitimate politicians. As for you, Brigadier, you really don’t look at all well. What is it? Lymphoma I heard, how long have they given you?’
Hector bows his head as if reacting to a heavy blow. He begins to cough, spluttering uncontrollably, he might even be weeping.
‘I’m sorry,’ he sobs. Looks up at me in anguish. ‘May I borrow a tissue perhaps?’ He looks at the chair next to him. ‘Do you have tissues in your bag?’
All I can do is nod, and a surge of fear blasts through my body, so hard that I gasp involuntarily. Lafferty looks at me. I meet his eyes, see the flash of understanding, watch as he turns quickly back to Hector, raising the Browning as he does.
The window shatters behind Lafferty’s head, the shards briefly glowing dark red in the evening sun. Lafferty’s surprised look becomes fixed, mouth aghast, eyebrows raised. Then a cascade of blood narrowly beats his body to the floor.
78
Despite the warm sun outside, Doreen’s house feels cold and unwelcoming. The warm glow of noise and laughter is missing, the TV is quiet, the children are obvious by their absence. It’s the place where I always came in my darkest moments, the one sanctuary I had in a threatening world. Not any more. Instead, I feel unwelcome now, an intruder into private grief, an outsider that deserves to be shunned and excluded.
Doreen’s terse invitation had felt like an instruction and one I couldn’t refuse. I can’t even remember her exact words, only my surprise and excitement at hearing her voice on the phone after weeks of anxious silence. I’d tried messages, phone calls, emails, even a handwritten letter mottled by teardrops but no response until now.
She’s scurrying about in the kitchen, clinking pots making tea. When she let me into the house and ushered me into this bleak and tidy dining room her face was set solid, the spark in her eyes was absent, and I missed it so much my heart nearly burst. Finally, the tea arrives and the house relapses into eerie silence. It’s never been like this before. Even after Gary’s death, the kids were too young and energetic to be stilled, even by the loss of their father. Poor Gary, shot dead trying to save me. Now I’ve been responsible again but this time much more complicit. I sit and savour the feelings of shame and remorse, watch Doreen’s sad face slacken, her features drooping as if trying to slide down and away from her head.
‘I’m sorry.’ I break the silence with the words I’ve been living with for weeks. I’m not sorry for Lafferty’s death. I’m shocked, horrified, traumatised, even, but not sorry. The vision of his head disintegrating, the twisted puzzled look on his face, the hatred in his dying eyes is all there whenever I close my eyes. I’m sorry for the way that Doreen lost her fiancé in such a violent manner, and all because she trusted me, wanted to help me, and put my welfare first. But Potts was Lafferty’s man after all and I’m even more sorry for Toby having to endure all that terror.
Doreen raises the cup to her lips and takes a tiny sip. Her eyes soften. I feel a sudden thrill of connection.
‘Don’t be,’ she whispers softly.
‘I didn’t know what was going to happen. You have to believe me.’
‘That’s what was so hard for me, thinking at first that you might have used our friendship so horribly.’ There’s more animation in her features now. The old Doreen is beginning to shine through and I feel my chest relaxing around my heart.
‘I did use you to get him to give me the cash in the first instance. I do feel bad about that.’
‘Oh, we both knew what that was all about, didn’t we. Anyway, you told me all about the death threats. As for the police, you helped Fergus to get them off his back. I’ve no issues over that, Jenny, only the way he died, God rest his soul, and our part in it. There’s no doubt in my mind that if you’re to blame, then I’m even more guilty.’
I stand up, put my arms around the frail seated figure and squeeze her shoulders, feel her warmth. Her body slackens, she receives my embrace.
‘It was an old score, something from the Troubles. We were set up, Doreen. Hector knew exactly what he was doing all along. I wouldn’t be surprised if he only bought GOD Security because he knew you were involved with Fergus. The whole situation was engineered way in advance.’
Doreen’s face reddens. I release her and stand back as she rises from her chair and faces me.
‘He had it coming, that’s what I wanted to tell you. That’s why I asked you to come here. There’s a side to the man that I never saw, Jenny. Oh, he was the perfect gentleman with me. He really loved his horses. That’s what brought us together. It’s only since he died that I’m finding out what he was really like.’
‘I had no idea either. It was only at that last meeting when I realised what kind of man he really was. Oh, Doreen, he was into all sorts of horrible businesses. Even the men who attacked me at home and kidnapped Toby were working for him.’
‘I’m not surprised. Not any more. I’m used to a bit of dodgy dealings, God knows, but I shudder to think I was bringing a man who preys on young girls into my family.’
I must look as shocked as I feel. Doreen takes her turn to comfort me with an embrace.
�
��Carrie told me after the funeral. Poor girl, I knew she didn’t like Fergus much. She never made any secret of that at all. She was always too scared to tell me why, though. He threatened her. Told her all the nasty things he’d do if I found out.’
‘Carrie?’ I ask. ‘Fergus was forcing himself on your daughter?’
‘No, not her. Oh my God, if that was it I’d dig the bastard up and kill him again. It was one of Carrie’s friends who told her about him. By all accounts, he made a regular thing of it. Enticing youngsters with drink and drugs. Then making them into whores to finance their habit. He made money out of misery, Jenny, I can see that now. And there was I thinking all along he was the real love of my life.’ Her eyes fill with tears, and then she composes herself, sits back down and carries on drinking her tea.
79
It’s been six weeks of cringing every time I hear a siren in the distance. Still the police haven’t come to arrest me but I don’t feel safe yet. Hector assures me I’m now a fully accredited operational member of MI5. He’s even backdated my pay records for good measure. Last week he rang to tell me he’s getting better, that his condition is in remission, that I’m going to have to put up with him a while longer. He seems to have stage-managed Lafferty’s death well enough to remain out of trouble. As he says, the man was pointing an illegal, unregistered gun at him and he had no option but to protect himself.
I’m sitting in the office at Midgeland with Yvonne and Lesley, enjoying their happy banter and desperately hoping I’ll be able to continue to enjoy it. Two dead bodies and six bags of cash still weigh heavily on my waking mind. Nights are worse, punctuated with Lafferty’s exploded head and Potts’s leering threats. I’m so thankful to have Monty around the house; this is not a time for me to be living alone. Fortunately, he shows no sign of wanting to move out even though there’s no immediate threat to my wellbeing any more.
I hear from Lottie that Kat’s safely home in Ukraine.
I’m still determined to use what’s left of Lafferty’s cash to make a difference. Exactly how I’ve not yet decided.
THE END
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