by Bryan Murray
She approved. “Nice! So, what do we do, start walking?”
“I guess so.”
Sarah still looked concerned as they walked along. “So, how do we recognize these guys?”
Jake touched the side of his head. “Photographic memory. Once I saw this bastard Mickey’s face in the newspaper!”
“Thank goodness for that,” she added. “I have a terrible memory for faces.”
It was a nice, fresh morning as they continued walking and there were few people on the streets as they religiously followed the instructions on the GPS, realizing that they were already getting into the seedier part of the city.
They turned a corner and down to the right was a cobbled courtyard with an exit at the bottom. Jake took in the scene, his eyes suddenly alert. “What have we here then?” he whispered as he suddenly guided Sarah in that direction.
About twenty yards ahead in the deserted courtyard was a red Honda Deauville 650 cc motor cycle with a sidecar standing at the curb. It had obviously been well looked after. As they got closer, Jake could see that the key was still in the ignition.
In a second his mind was made up. He quickly whispered to Sarah. “Keep walking, watch for pissed off bikers?” before he quickly pushed the rig forwards, thanking his lucky stars that it was in neutral.
He followed Sarah down to the bottom of the cobbled court and turned left at the bottom before turning the key in the ignition and pressing the starter. Sarah jumped on behind him, the GPS in her hand as they moved off. It had only taken a few seconds.
He looked over his shoulder and grinned. “You okay?”
She nodded. “Oh, sure, now we just added grand theft cyclo to our resume!”
“There you go,” he smiled. “So keep the GPS in your hand, hold it steady and call out the directions.”
“No problem.” she sighed as they made their way through the city, unsure of what lay ahead.
* * *
When Hargreaves arrived at the office after a troubled night’s sleep, Strickland was waiting for him with a paper in his hand.
“Okay, I’m listening, this had better be good?” Hargreaves began.
“Well, sir, it’s not a total train smash. We just heard from our associates in Northern Ireland that the Cessna crash landed on a beach near Newcastle, three hours south of Belfast.”
“And the occupants?” Hargreaves inquired.
“No sign of them, sir!”
“My God!” Hargreaves retorted. “This chap’s like a cat with nine lives!” he thought for a moment. “So, what do we deduce from this?”
Strickland had been thinking. “It seems to me, sir, that he’s finally made it back to go under cover with his buddies in the RIRA, which is not good news.”
“I agree, finding those criminals in Belfast will be like finding a needle in a haystack!”
Since MI5 had taken the lead in security in Northern Ireland from 2007 onwards, although their main offices were still in London, their affiliate offices in the Palace Barracks in Belfast were still in daily touch with London. As Hargreaves moved on to his next meeting he looked at Strickland. “Make sure the people in Northern Ireland are in the loop and keep me posted!”
“Yes, sir.” Strickland was already on his way out.
CHAPTER 39
The GPS was taking Jake and Sarah closer to their destination and the general area they were travelling through was looking extremely dangerous. There were youths on street corners eyeing the motor cycle with interest as they went past a number of derelict buildings, evidence of previous riots and sectarian violence. They realized they were getting close.
The next corner they turned, Sarah suddenly pointed ahead. “There it is, down there on the right!”
Jake stopped and took in the scene before them. The old pub, The Soggy Shamrock, had obviously been a mainstay of the locals for many years. It was now looking more isolated with the damaged, old buildings around it.
He turned to Sarah. “We need to get off the road and take up a position out of sight where we can watch the comings and goings over there.”
She agreed and pointed to the left. “Let’s go and check out behind that old building opposite. Looks like an old factory.”
He nodded and they drove around the back of the three storey building into an overgrown courtyard. Jake parked the motor cycle out of sight before they headed across to try the back door of the derelict building. After a good, second shove by Jake, the old catch broke and the door swung inwards.
Jake pushed the door closed behind them before they took in their surroundings. The building was in terrible shape with broken wooden staircases leading up to the upper floors. What looked like the remains of previous squatters or addicts who had been hanging out there could be seen scattered on the floor. Old clothes, dirty blankets, old syringes and empty beer cans littered the floors as they made their way towards the staircase to the second floor. Even as Jake set foot on the first step of the staircase, his foot went through the rotted wood and he grabbed the stair rail for support. This in turn broke off in his hand and a pile of plaster and dust fell off the wall.
“Be careful,” Jake warned Sarah. “Tread on the outside of each step and we should be okay.”
She nodded and they made their way carefully to the next floor level. This was also cluttered with old debris including a couple of clothes racks on wheels, as if the building had been some type of garment factory.
They made it across to the dirty, semi-broken windows that looked down across a patch of barren land towards the front of the Soggy Shamrock including the small parking lot at the side of the pub.
They then made it carefully up to the top floor and crossed to the windows for an even better view of the pub below.
Sarah looked at Jake. “So, what do we do now?”
He looked at his watch and it was only 9.45 am. “Well, I guess we wait and relax,” he answered. “The lunch crowd won’t be arriving for another ninety minutes or so and then we can watch more closely,” he pulled the binoculars from his pocket and passed them to Sarah. “Good job I brought these!”
He took the two Glocks from his belt that they had taken from the two CIA agents and he checked them out before giving one to Sarah.
“Well, we’ve got two Glocks both fully loaded and no spare ammo plus Gramps’s old service revolver with only four shots left.”
She looked at him nervously. “Not much since we have no idea how many of these characters we’re going to have to handle?”
Jake was in agreement. “That’s right, so we’re gonna have to make each shot count.”
Sarah was already thinking ahead. “So, let’s get us a game plan?”
He grinned. “There goes that plan again!”
“Absolutely,” she replied. “I mean how do we know who are the bad guys and how do we flush them out so we’re not shooting at innocent patrons of the pub?”
Jake was now serious. “That’s a good point. I mean the only two people we are after are this Mickey guy and the guy with the crucifix tattoo, and I don’t even know what he looks like!”
“Exactly, we know these RIRA guys operate in covert cells, but we have no idea how many terrorists they have in each cell. I mean there could be twenty of them in there in which case we are toast!”
Jake couldn’t argue with her reasoning. “I agree, this would have been a nice opportunity to call for back-up, but the second we raise our heads above the fence, those pissed off Brits will try and blow them off rather than help us!”
As they had been talking, Quinn had pulled up in his car, got out and walked into the pub, but since they had no idea what the guy they were looking for looked like, they didn’t even give him a second glance. They continued to wait patiently for another hour during which time Colleen arrived with her girlfriend and walked into the pub and later the three gunmen seconded to Quinn also arrived and walked inside with the other patrons as Jake and Sarah looked on helplessly.
Jake was thinking ou
t loud. “So, if we recognize this Mickey guy going in, we need to wait till he leaves and then follow him.”
Sarah, still the behavioural specialist, thought for a moment. “Yes, but if we do that, we still won’t know if he met with your lookalike and we need to take both of them in if we’re to clear our names!”
“So, what are you suggesting?”
“One of us needs to go in there and scope out the scene and that person should be me!”
Jake was instantly adamant. “No way! Are you crazy?”
“Crazy like a fox,” she replied. “Once we spot this Mickey guy going in, I can follow him in quickly, keep a low profile and check it out. If you went in, your face is the one most publicised, they would recognize you in a heartbeat!”
“It’s too damned dangerous, Sarah!” he replied, yet in his heart, although he loved her dearly, he couldn’t argue with her logic once again.
“Lemme think about it, okay?” he began, but she was insistent.
“You know I’m right, Jake. I can mingle with the crowd at the bar, order a drink quickly after Mickey enters, check out who he speaks to, count the numbers he has with him, see if I can spot the guy with the tattoo and get the hell out of there!”
She was already scraping her hair back off her face to alter her appearance as Jake realized that there was little point in arguing with her.
He smiled. “Did anyone ever tell you that Israeli women can be stubborn?”
“Yes, but you gotta love it!” she smiled as she looked through the binoculars. Suddenly, her face changed. “Uh, oh, check this one?” she quickly passed the binoculars to Jake and he scanned the car park as a man was getting out of a car. Jake recognized Mickey immediately. “That’s him!” he whispered as Sarah was already checking the Glock in her purse as she prepared to leave.
Jake grabbed her by the arm. “Okay, just work the crowd and no heroics, understand. Get in, get the lie of the land and get the hell out, all right?”
She nodded. “I will, don’t worry. Gotta go!” she left quickly making her way carefully down the rotting staircases until Jake saw her quickly moving across the waste land and over to the pub.
He had his Glock in one hand, the binoculars in the other as he watched closely. “Think smart.” he whispered.
CHAPTER 40
The pub was already noisy and crowded with rough-looking locals as the lunch crowd were already hitting the booze and it seemed as if every man had a pint of Guinness in front of him.
Sarah walked casually up to the crowded bar unnoticed and looked in all directions until she saw Mickey greeting a group of men at a nearby table. A swarthy-looking man with his back to her had dark, unruly hair. There were also three rough-looking men at the same table.
She edged further down the bar to try and get a better look at the faces of all the men at the table, As Sarah looked closer, her eyes widened in shock. When the man with the dark, unruly hair seen earlier raised his pint to his lips, she could see the tattoo on the back of his hand. She couldn’t see exactly what it was, but that was sufficient for her!
She gave a sudden start when she heard a voice next to her, but it was only the bartender, a tough-looking, friendly guy. “What’ll it be, me darlin’?” he asked.
“Gin and tonic please?”
“You got it, my love.” he turned his back as he fixed her drink.
Across the bar, Mickey and his buddies were still enjoying some joke as Sarah continued to check them all out through the mirror behind the bar. They all looked extremely dangerous, the kind that would shoot first and ask questions later. Her drink arrived and she paid the bartender before taking a sip. She was already committing all the faces at the table to memory.
What Sarah hadn’t realized was that one of the two women sitting next to her at the bar, the nearest one with her back to her, was Colleen! She was just saying goodbye to her friend who was getting ready to leave. They kissed each other on the lips. Sarah looked on and after Colleen’s friend left, she turned to see Sarah, quickly checked her out and smiled seductively. She had already had plenty to drink.
She sized Sarah up and started to make friendly conversation. “You look a long way from home, my love.” she whispered seductively.
Sarah was thinking fast, having no idea who Colleen really was. “Yeah, supposed to be on a tour, looks like I got lost in the wrong part of town!”
Colleen was eying her lecherously. “Oh, I don’t know, we have our own kind of fun down here,” she looked at Sarah suggestively. “D’you like a bit of fun?” she touched Sarah’s arm gently as Sarah recoiled a little.
“Depends on what you call fun?” she replied. Through the mirror over the bar, she could see Mickey and his friends still laughing, joking and drinking.
Colleen touched her arm. “Gotta pee, but don’t go away, I’d like to chat a while,” she looked closer at Sarah. “Have we met before?”
“I don’t think so.” Sarah replied, now realizing that this woman could perhaps be one of them.
Colleen nodded in acceptance. “Guess not. I’ll be right back.” she walked a little unsteadily to the ladies’ restroom as Sarah watched her go. She took a last look at the table where Mickey and his friends were still in conversation and headed quickly for the door.
Seconds later, the door of the ladies’ restroom crashed open as Colleen rushed out, gun in hand, a look of sudden recognition on her face. She had finally recognized Sarah. She rushed up to the busy bar but there was no sign of Sarah and her drink was still standing there alone and untouched.
Colleen was desperately trying to clear her brain as she rushed over to Quinn’s table, the gun still in her hand. Quinn looked up, saw the gun, immediately alert. “What’s wrong?” he hissed.
Colleen could hardly get the words out fast enough. “We’ve been rumbled, Sean!”
“Rumbled, what de hell de ya mean?” he asked.
She was still in shock. “It was de woman, de one wid Harrigan! She was in here, seconds ago!”
Mickey was already on his feet, gun out as the others were also grabbing their weapons. Quinn screamed at them. “Let’s get after de bitch!” they all rushed to the door as the other patrons looked on in shock.
Outside, Sarah had crossed the street and she was rushing across the open land, back towards Jake’s location when Quinn and his team rushed outside and spotted her. Quinn fired a shot and it spattered into the ground alongside Sarah. She looked up in shock and continued to run for cover.
Up above, Jake was watching the scene nervously. “Run, Sarah, run!” he urged until she finally made it to the confines of the building with the others in pursuit.
Once inside the building, she quickly scrambled up the stairs almost falling through one flight until she finally reached Jake’s floor, her gun now in her hand.
“You okay?” he asked and she nodded as they both took cover. Down below they could hear Quinn and his people moving around, checking the bottom floor.
Sarah was breathless as she explained to Jake. “The guy with the tattoo was there. He’s down below now, the guy in the red shirt. He has three men plus this Mickey and some lesbian who was chatting me up at the bar. They all look dangerous!”
Jake squeezed her arm. “Not a problem. It’s just a matter of making sure every bullet counts!”
She nodded and even as Jake spoke, one of the three guys supporting Quinn had made it to the third floor staircase and emerged onto their floor firing at them. Jake took aim and hit him with a single shot to the chest. He crashed against the staircase and almost fell through, already dead.
Seconds later, the other two gunmen came surging up the staircase and both Jake and Sarah dodged bullets that shattered the plaster on the wall next to them as Sarah hit one of them in the neck causing him to fall backwards down the stairs screaming in agony. His colleague dodged back out of range.
Down on the first floor, Quinn had already realized that Jake had to be up there with Sarah and he signalled to Mickey and
Colleen to head for another set of stairs to the second floor at the other end of the building.
Once again, the third surviving gunman came up at them and Jake and Sarah returned fire as the man made it to their level. Unfortunately, Sarah ran out of ammo in her excitement and after Jake finally hit the man in the head, killing him instantly, he too had used up all the ammo in the Glock.
He dragged out the service pistol and looked at Sarah knowingly as if to say ‘only four shots left’.
At the far end of the building, Mickey made it to their level and as he rushed onto the scene, firing as he went, Jake and Sarah instinctively hit the ground as Jake took multiple shots that took Mickey down in his tracks with a shot to the heart.
Jake checked the gun to see that he had just one bullet left and when Colleen, not short of courage, then rushed onto their floor, up the same staircase as Mickey, Jake spotted her, fired at her and missed.
Unfortunately, he kept his finger on the trigger from habit until Colleen heard it click on an empty chamber. As Jake and Sarah jumped for cover, Colleen dashed back down below to Quinn. “Dey’re on de top floor, Sean, both out of ammo an’ Mickey an’ de udders are dead!”
Quinn was furious. “Goddamn de man! Okay, I’m goin’ up.” he signalled to Colleen to go back up the staircase next to her as he headed up the rickety stairs next to him and called up to Jake.
“Now, Jake, me boy. Come on out, let’s talk about dis like friends!”
At his end of the building, Jake was looking for somewhere he could hide Sarah. He kept the conversation going to humor Quinn. “What the hell d’you mean, friends. I don’t even know who you are, you sick bastard?”
He found a cupboard and motioned to Sarah to get inside, but she was not interested. He finally grabbed her and opened the door. “I love you!” he whispered. “Stay alert!”
She nodded reluctantly as he closed the door. Then, unarmed and with two armed terrorists closing in, he started to look around for weapons.
Quinn was considerably more confident as he made his way cautiously up the main staircase, knowing that Jake was out of ammo.
