“Out the way sir!”
A voice from within the shop startled Harry. He turned and stood aside to let a man pushing a sack truck out onto the street.
“More spuds needed urgently sir!”
The porter continued out towards a vegetable stall in the centre of the road.
“I’m sorry...”
Harry said regaining his composure. His apology went unheard.
He walked on to Andrew’s flat and rang the doorbell. He waited and then rang again. As there was no response he dug deeply into his pocket to find his key ring. He still had Andrew’s key from when he first stayed there. Once inside he climbed the stairs and heard music playing from the radio in the sitting room, “Andrew!” He shouted,
“It’s Harry where are you?”
“In the bath, I’m just coming out. Help yourself to a drink!”
Harry poured a drink, took his mac off and sat in one of the settees by the fireside.
“I’m glad you called in.”
Andrew walked into the room wearing a Chinese silk dressing gown, he was still scrubbing his hair dry with a large towel.
“How are you?”
“I’m fine. I’ve just brought you the takings.”
Andrew poured himself a drink and sat down on the other settee facing Harry.
“Thank you, that’s good. It’s just that Tommy ‘phoned this afternoon to say that Darlath is coming over on Monday. We all need to meet up with him to discuss the next project.”
“Oh I see, so soon after the last one. But yes that’s OK with me. Monday evening’s fine.”
“Between you and me, Darlath rang me anyway. Our projects are not normally this close together but apparently this could be the biggest job ever for us. Something really hot he told me.”
“I see, where are we meeting?”
“Tommy suggested at Michael’s again. If we go to the garage about seven he’ll arrange to take us over by car.”
“OK, I’ll be there. How are things with you and Darlath, has Dermot or any of the others cottoned on yet?”
“No, thank God. Darlath was here last weekend, we stayed in the whole time. We need to get away somewhere, away from Glasgow to live. Perhaps after this next job, if it is as large as Darlath says, we can then make the move.”
“How’s his father?”
“Dermot - well he’s started some new treatment apparently but he’s still drinking too much. You probably know he discharged himself from hospital and refuses to go back now. Darlath is furious; he’s getting pretty concerned about him. The trouble is, he goes out with Steve a lot and together they just do everything to excess. It’s not helping his condition.”
“Andrew, what about your key. Do you want it back?”
“No you hang on to it. I trust you. In any case when I’m out it’s useful for you to be able to get to the wall safe.”
“Well if you’re sure. I don’t want to intrude on your life especially if Darlath is staying more frequently now.”
“Look just knock and if there’s no reply come in.”
Harry sat forward on the settee, “Andrew?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve been thinking. The next job we do will be my last. Afterwards I’m going to give myself up to the military.”
“What’s brought this about?”
“Well you know that I’ve always said I would go back. Perhaps I need to do it sooner; I feel I need to set a date, a target to aim for. Otherwise I’ll simply keep pushing it back. I’ve firmly decided that after the next project I’m going to give myself in. Something that happened earlier to-day finally made my mind up for me.”
“Go on?”
“A young mother with her two children alone and preparing for Christmas. That was the trigger that has convinced me, plus I need to be fair to Eileen. She knows it’s what I want to do. I’m going back in to do my bit again.”
“What about Eileen, have you told her?”
“No, not yet. But as I said she knows it was always my intention to return. She won’t be too surprised.”
The telephone rang and Andrew went to the desk to answer, “Hello – Oh Darlath, how are you?” Andrew turned to Harry, “It’s Darlath.” he whispered, “Yes Harry’s here. Yes. Darlath says hello Harry.”
“Tell Darlath I’ll see him on Monday. I’ll leave you alone, thanks for the drink.”
Harry stood up and put his coat on and waved as he walked to the stairs.
Once in the fresh air Harry turned to walk towards Eileen’s flat. Within about a mile he came across a Catholic Church where the congregation were emerging after a service that had just been held. He climbed the steps and went inside to the lobby. ‘Why have I done this?’ he thought. As a child he attended church with his mother but then drifted away in his teens until he was obliged to attend services again in the Army. He crossed himself with holy water and entered. There were still four people remaining inside. Two were kneeling in prayer and the other two were stacking hymn books and generally clearing up after the service. Harry walked down to the Sacristy and sat in the front pew gazing up at the domed ceiling. The vault was decorated in a distinctly idealistic style with biblical stories of the Eucharist and scenes of the Nativity. ‘I’d forgotten so much.’ He thought as he looked at the Christmas scenes. ‘How strange to find this place after feeling so sorry for that mother with her children earlier. It’ll soon be Christmas again and what have I achieved this year?’ he thought.
“Hello, can I help you in any way, I’m Father Carroll?”
Harry looked up to see the Priest, a man in his seventies, tall, with grey hair and large deep blue eyes, he spoke with a strong Irish accent. Harry smiled,
“Thank you but no, I’ve just come in to look. I happened to be passing the door when your service ended.”
“Are you alone?”
“I’m on my own now but I’m off to meet someone shortly if that’s what you mean?”
A short pause followed,
“Tell me, what do you think made you come in tonight?”
The Priest smiled down at Harry.
“As I said, I just happened to be passing when I saw people, the congregation coming out and…”
“Can you think of a reason, perhaps only a tiny thought that made you enter here this evening?”
Harry knew the reason but initially felt it was his own little secret, he would feel embarrassed if he divulged what had happened earlier in the day. The Priest smiled again he wasn’t going to let Harry off the hook so easily.
“Anything at all?” he said.
Harry decided to tell, there was no reason to hide what he had been thinking. He sighed,
“Well earlier today I saw a mother with her children. They were looking forward to Christmas but I noticed how poorly clothed they were. The children were looking at toys in a shop window and I just knew somehow that Christmas for them would be a meagre affair. I just felt extremely sorry for them in that moment. It just made me think a bit. Then they went on their way and I carried on with my business for the day and just as I turned into this road this evening I came across your Church. Here I am, and what I find really appropriate is that the Christmas story is painted above us here, it just sort of fits the mood I was in earlier.”
“There it is then. Are you happier now that you’ve come in here?”
“I’ve resolved a problem today that had been troubling me, now I’ve made my mind up. Does that make any sense?”
“Indeed it does to me. Pardon me but what is your name?”
“Harry.”
“Well Harry it does make sense to me. Now you’re very welcome to come back at any time, perhaps even to attend one of our services. But if you feel that you can donate some money to the local children’s home then there’s a box at the back of the Church. That is up to you.
Before I go tell me, and I don’t want to pry, but are you in trouble of any kind, I sense that there may be something else that you’re concerned about?”
“I have a complicated life at the moment, but I’m sorting it, thank you.”
“Then I bless you Harry. Please return here when you can.
“Goodnight and thank you for your time.”
The Priest gently touched Harry’s shoulder before walking over to the two Wardens.
Harry stood up and genuflected.
At the back of the Church he emptied his wallet into the ‘Children’s Home’ collecting box and continued on his journey to meet Eileen.
Chapter 20
Harry, Andrew and Darlath were welcomed at the garage by Tommy. It had been arranged that he would drive them out to Michael’s cottage. Steve had collected Dermot from his hotel and would meet the others there.
At the cottage Michael slowly opened the front door and quietly welcomed the men.
“Come in, come in Gentlemen. The fire’s lit so everything is cosy for you. Drinks are on the tray as usual. Dermot and Steven are already here.”
The men greeted each other upon entering the room.
“Hello Dad.”
Dermot looked terrible. He appeared to have aged greatly over the past weeks.
“Darlath. It’s good to see you.”
He coughed and immediately regretted it as it sparked off a sharp gnawing pain in his bladder.
“Take it easy Dad. Do you need any tablets or anything?”
“No.” He rasped as he tried to get more comfortable in the armchair. “Let’s get on with the meeting then I can go back to my bed.”
Tommy poured drinks for everyone. Harry noticed that Steve had deliberately ignored Darlath when he had entered the room.
The men sat in a semi-circle around the fireplace.
Tommy spoke next,
“The last job brought in generous funds for everyone here, plus of course a share to Wemyss. I wish to advise that it’s Wemyss’s turn to fund our next project, which he has readily agreed to do. Now Darlath would you please describe this next job.”
“Thanks. This proposal has come out of the blue very soon after our last venture down at Kintyre. You probably know from my conversation with Tommy a few days ago that this next opportunity is very big. Potentially the largest project we are ever likely to come across. Absolute secrecy is required from everyone, is that clear?” The men nodded in agreement as Darlath continued,
“Through my contacts in Ireland we discovered that a large counterfeiting operation was underway in Austria where Nazi sympathisers, under rigid German control, were printing and producing good quality sterling notes. The plan was to flood the U.K. with them and ruin what’s left of the teetering British economy. But, because of the rapid and unexpected ease the Germans had in occupying all the Low Countries and France their initial counterfeiting plan was abandoned - until now. You see Britain’s normal trading activities with the continent have ceased because of the total occupation over there, and this prevented any easy opportunity to introduce these notes into this country. The Nazis are still very keen to carry out their plot and have now established an alternative manufacturing route to bring this currency ashore. This passage is through Ireland and then onward to the U.K.”
“So we can intercept some of it son, is that the plan?” Dermot interrupted.
“Yes Dad.”
Harry leaned forward,
“What happened to the old counterfeit notes and where are the new ones being produced now?”
“Apparently the Austrian bundles are now stored and held in the Harz Mountains. The new source is in the Bahamas. This is...”
Steve interrupted, “But the Bahamas are part of the British Empire, we would know if they’re being made there!”
“Yes, but listen gentlemen, who is the present Governor?”
Harry looked incredulous, “Bloody hell! You mean Edward? Edward the eighth and Wallis Simpson?”
Darlath chuckled,
“Exactly. Let me remind you of something that occurred just before the war. After Edward’s abdication which members of the British royal family went to visit Hitler and Ribbenthrop, their Foreign Minister?”
Dermot suddenly became more alert,
“It was them wasn’t it? Their visit caused a right storm over here at the time.”
Darlath continued,
“So much so that when war broke out the U.K. Government shipped them out from their new home in France and off to the Bahamas. The fear being that, as Nazi sympathisers, Edward would be appointed as a puppet head of state had the German’s successfully invaded Britain. So Edward and Wallis were dispatched from their Paris base to Lisbon and then onwards to the Caribbean. Well away from any Nazi influence.”
“Excuse me Darlath,” Harry asked,
“But how does this money get to the Irish Free State?”
“You have to realise that there is currently a large interchange of shipping between the Caribbean Islands, North and South American countries and Canada. A lot of these ships also travel across the Atlantic within the convoys bringing supplies to the U.K. and Ireland. We know that the money is now being printed by the Nazis in South America and sent in secrecy to the Bahamas for onward transit. So with a bit of planning and co-operation from their local, how shall I say, ‘supporters’, the boxes will be added as a commodity and shipped across under diplomatic confidentiality to their contacts in Dublin.”
Steve stood up to get another drink,
“And then across to the U.K. to flood the market, it’s as simple as that?”
“Almost” Darlath shifted in his chair,
“This is where it gets really heated. You see the U.K. secret services are aware of this plan and have issued ‘A heads up’ order to their agents. Their local surveillance teams are now watching and listening in the Caribbean. So far none of this money has arrived here. The first delivery is due in Ireland in two weeks. The British and Irish governments are trailing it as we speak. The idea is to land it in several batch containers, some at Cork and some at Dun Laoghaire. Both governments are co-operating and will pounce as it lands and confiscate it. You’ve got to realise that the Free State relies on a stable pound sterling to equate with its own currency. Any U.K. disruption would undermine the economy of Ireland as well.”
“What an incredible story!” Harry said.
“I’m still not clear about something,” Tommy said,
“Why are the Bahamas so important in the whole of this export business?”
“Good question Tom. It’s like this, before America joined the war Britain set up a clearing house to handle all of their import trade from across the Atlantic. This covered every country through South America, Mexico the U.S. and Canada.
They chose the Bahamas simply as a central reference point off the eastern seaboard for the whole continent. A team of British trade experts was established to co-ordinate the import to the U.K. of all that was required such as food and manufactured items. When the States joined the war they expanded the delegation and these people now control what is sent over by the convoys. All the paperwork is sent by teleprinter.”
“These convoys you describe, they also deliver cargo into the Free State of Eire?” Harry asked.
“Yes. Eire continues to maintain its neutrality in the war but still has to survive as a nation. Therefore it also relies on imports from the Americas and in effect rents space on ships to bring goods across. But as I said earlier, those countries or individuals sympathetic to the Nazis have infiltrated the system, hence the trunks of counterfeit money being smuggled to the German Consul in Dublin.”
“Will there be arrests when it’s brought ashore?” Dermot asked.
“That’s yet to be determined. The Government’s essential task is to stop large amounts of this money
reaching here and being distributed. If the plot is foiled then that will be sufficient to annoy the Germans and prove to them that our intelligence monitoring is more active and successful than they think. However, if there is evidence that any Irish or British subjects can be tried for treason then that action will also be pursued.”
“That could include Edward?” Tommy asked.
“Possibly. But remember the government has to tread very carefully here. The King and Queen and their daughters are held in great affection by the people here and around the free world as well as amongst the populations of the European occupied countries. If word leaks out that the wayward brother Edward might possibly have been involved, if only by association, then that could have a detrimental effect on how they view George and Elizabeth. Both Governments have agreed to clamp down on any rumours until the hard facts are known. The British agencies are to investigate the plot but will only make it public if watertight prosecutions can be made. There is also something else that has emerged; the American services are investigating wire tap evidence linking Wallis Simpson, an American remember, to an affair with Ribbenthrop the German Foreign Minister before the war. If this is confirmed then it increases doubts about where her and her husband’s sympathies lie.”
The men shook their heads in disbelief at what they had just heard.
“I told you this one was hot didn’t I?” Darlath added.
Dermot cleared his throat before responding,
“Jesus boy, are we getting out of our league here, fighting above our weight perhaps? It all seems a bit risky?”
“Dad, so long as we say nothing to anyone then all we’re doing is collecting our usual supplies that, this time, may also include some metal trunks. The risky bit is the theft and transfer of some of the money in Ireland. Once on board the boat from Donegal the risk diminishes.”
“Where do we come in then?” Andrew asked.
“There’s another consignment of liquor that’s also arriving. So it’s arranged that the liquor, plus some batches of notes, will be ‘lost’ and transported to Donegal as in our previous operation. An Irish group based in Cobh will also take a few packs for their own use.”
Shadows of Deceit Page 15
