“That’s right. Thanks. Was I asleep?”
“You’ve been asleep for an hour.”
I sipped the tea and looked at Ken. Pale as a ghost, chubby, his ginger hair now almost entirely gone. He had run to fat and baldness like his da.
“Can I ask you something, Sean?”
“Sure.”
“Why didn’t you go to the police?”
“Is everything sorted? Did you get the girl?”
“We got her. We brought the team in. The lad’s going to be fine too. They’re both in Altnagelvin Hospital.”
“What did you tell the hospital?”
“We’ll say it was a punishment shooting gone wrong, we found both of them by the side of the road.”
“What’ll you say about the dead man?”
“We’ll think of a cover story. Accidental discharge of a firearm, something like that. Why didn’t you go to the RUC, Sean?”
“The police would have taken all day to comb the forest for the ASU. They probably would have waited until they could get army back-up. The girl would have bled to death.”
“What’s that to you? They were trying to kill you, weren’t they?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know, Ken, I’ve seen enough death. Been responsible for enough death.”
“But you’d be a big hero in the RUC. Not many peelers survive hits like that.”
“Who wants to be a hero? And hero at the expense of some wee lassie’s life?”
“This is yours,” he said, handing me my wallet, police ID, watch and even my gun.
“Jesus! I wasn’t expecting … thanks,” I said. “Where did this come from?”
“It was dropped off. By the uh … at the highest levels.”
“I appreciate it.”
“So what will you tell the police about what happened today?”
“Not much I can tell them after coming here.”
“You’re not going to mention any of this to anyone?”
“I won’t if you won’t.”
“We won’t.”
“Then I won’t. I’m compromised now. Coming to your house. Not going to the station. Nah, I’d rather this whole little operation went away. Better for the cops not to be even more suspicious of me. And better that I don’t become a fat revenge target for the Derry brigade of the IRA,” I said, emphasising these last words.
Ken nodded slowly. “Even though you killed one of our operatives I think the consensus in Derry will be that the local brigade of the IRA is in your debt.”
“Thanks, Ken. I don’t want to become a special project of the dead man’s family.”
“I’ll see that you don’t. No one from the Derry Brigade or from Tommy Flaherty’s family will be looking for revenge. Sound OK?”
“Sounds OK.”
I could tell there was something else he wanted to say but Ken’s mouth closed and he didn’t finish the thought.
I drank the mug of tea and put it on the coffee table. I yawned and stretched.
“Can I call you a taxi or do anything else for you, Sean?”
“A taxi would be great, Ken. I’ve got my car parked on Dungiven Street.”
He made the call and he walked me down the hall when the taxi arrived.
“I know we’re on opposite sides, Sean, and the circumstances aren’t the best but it was good to see you. You seem to be good at what you do. You’re what the old men would call a worthy opponent.”
I grimaced. “Getting caught in a rookie-mistake honey trap? I’m a worthy nothing. I’m a fucking eejit, Ken.”
Again Ken’s mouth opened and closed again. I looked him in the eyes but I couldn’t figure him out.
The taxi honked.
I opened the front door.
Ken waved to the taxi driver and held up two fingers, meaning two minutes. He took my sleeve and led me onto the porch. He lowered his voice so that whoever was sleeping upstairs couldn’t possibly hear: “Funny thing that honey trap, Sean. I looked into it. Whole thing was organised in minutes. Do you know how long these things normally take? Weeks of preparation. Weeks.”
“That is strange.”
“And can I tell you something else. The order to lift you came from Dublin.”
“Dublin?”
“From the top brass. From the Army Council.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’ve strayed into some deep waters, Sean. Operations in Derry are always handled by the Derry Brigade but the order to lift you came from the IRA Army Council in Dublin. The top boys here weren’t too happy about that, which is why it wasn’t difficult to get you your wallet and gun back.”
“Deep waters? What deep waters? I’m investigating a murder of a drug dealer.”
“Could you have antagonised somebody in the course of your investigation?”
“I certainly annoyed the hell out of Harry Selden.”
Ken shook his head. “Harry’s not a major player. He doesn’t have the authority to order what happened to you.”
“That’s what I thought. So am I in any immediate danger? I have a kid now.”
“Oh?”
“A wee girl, Emma. Walking and nearly talking. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to her.”