'Michael here will spill the beans to the chief of staff, and if I do get any crumbs from the table, I'll let you know.'
They got up and walked to the door. Outside, Leary shook Hannah's hand. 'Superintendent, it was a sincere pleasure, but don't let's make a habit of it,' and he walked away.
Devlin smiled. 'A decent enough stick. Anyway, back to the airport in that grand limousine of yours. I'll drop you off and the driver can take me back home.'
Leary sat in the parlour of the chief of staff's suburban home, and the great man listened while his wife served tea and scones.
'Did I do right?' Leary asked.
'Of course you did. Murphy's a poisonous animal. I've no time for him and neither has the Army Council.'
'So what do we do?'
'I'll have our people check out things in Louth, although I don't expect much from that.'
'So?'
The chief of staff smiled. 'If Ferguson's on this case with Sean Dillon . . .' He smiled. 'Well, for once we're on the same side. Sean can do our dirty work for us.'
At the airport, Hannah's limousine drove into the hangar where Lacey and Parry waited. The Gulfstream was outside in the rain. As Hannah and Devlin got out, the Garda police car returned and Malone emerged.
'Liam, you old sod,' he said.
'And stuff you, too,' Devlin said genially, and they shook hands.
Malone said, 'Anything come up?'
Hannah looked uncertain, and Devlin said, 'Go on, he's on your side.'
She told him about the meeting with Leary.
Malone said, 'So anything Murphy's involved with cer tainly isn't official with the IRA.'
'What about this thing with Sean Regan?' she asked. 'Not a word, and I'd have known.,'
'So somebody's playing silly buggers,' Devlin said. Hannah nodded. 'I'll have to sort that out when I get back.' She held out a hand. 'Liam, you're a treasure.'
'Hell, you can do better than that, girl.' He kissed her. 'Take care, and tell Sean to watch his back.'
'That's something he's good at. Goodbye, Superintendent.'
Lacey and Parry were already inside, and Flight Sergeant Madoc gave her a hand up the steps. The door closed, the engines turned over, the Gulfstream moved away.
'A hell of a woman,' Malone said.
'You can say that again.' Devlin smiled. 'Now you can dismiss your car, join me in my luxurious limousine that the good Superintendent has loaned me, and we'll return to the Irish Hussar, where you can buy me a very large Bushmills.'
'Me, in that hotbed of Republican gunmen?'
'I seem to recall that your younger brother, Fergus, was one.'
'We don't talk about that.'
'As I said, the Irish Hussar.' Devlin smiled. 'It will do my reputation no end of good being seen in the company of the police. A great comfort to me.'
The Gulfstream climbed steadily out over the Irish Sea, and Hannah called Ferguson on her Codex Four.
'Ah, there you are. How did it go?'
She brought him up to date, Regan included. 'So there you are, sir. We should have been told. There is supposed to be interdepartmental cooperation.'
'Not with the Secret Intelligence Service, as long as Simon Carter is Deputy Director. Leave it with me.'
He sat there at his desk, thinking about it, then picked up the phone and spoke to Dillon, who was in the outer office with Blake.
'Get in here. I've had the Superintendent on the line and we could have a problem.'
8
Dillon and Blake listened as Ferguson related Hannah Bernstein's adventures. When he was finished, Blake said, 'This is surely unacceptable, one major intelligence depart ment hugging secrets to itself that could be of possible crucial importance to others.'
'Yes, well, Carter's always been good at doing his own thing, and to hell with anyone else.'
'Seems to me it's time to remind Carter,' Ferguson said, 'that the particular circumstances of my position as head of the Prime Minister's personal security service give me extraordinary powers. Including over him.'
'That I'd love to see,' Dillon told him.
Ferguson smiled, picked up his phone, and
They got up and walked to the door. Outside, Leary shook Hannah's hand. 'Superintendent, it was a sincere pleasure, but don't let's make a habit of it,' and he walked away.
Devlin smiled. 'A decent enough stick. Anyway, back to the airport in that grand limousine of yours. I'll drop you off and the driver can take me back home.'
Leary sat in the parlour of the chief of staff's suburban home, and the great man listened while his wife served tea and scones.
'Did I do right?' Leary asked.
'Of course you did. Murphy's a poisonous animal. I've no time for him and neither has the Army Council.'
'So what do we do?'
'I'll have our people check out things in Louth, although I don't expect much from that.'
'So?'
The chief of staff smiled. 'If Ferguson's on this case with Sean Dillon . . .' He smiled. 'Well, for once we're on the same side. Sean can do our dirty work for us.'
At the airport, Hannah's limousine drove into the hangar where Lacey and Parry waited. The Gulfstream was outside in the rain. As Hannah and Devlin got out, the Garda police car returned and Malone emerged.
'Liam, you old sod,' he said.
'And stuff you, too,' Devlin said genially, and they shook hands.
Malone said, 'Anything come up?'
Hannah looked uncertain, and Devlin said, 'Go on, he's on your side.'
She told him about the meeting with Leary.
Malone said, 'So anything Murphy's involved with cer tainly isn't official with the IRA.'
'What about this thing with Sean Regan?' she asked. 'Not a word, and I'd have known.,'
'So somebody's playing silly buggers,' Devlin said. Hannah nodded. 'I'll have to sort that out when I get back.' She held out a hand. 'Liam, you're a treasure.'
'Hell, you can do better than that, girl.' He kissed her. 'Take care, and tell Sean to watch his back.'
'That's something he's good at. Goodbye, Superintendent.'
Lacey and Parry were already inside, and Flight Sergeant Madoc gave her a hand up the steps. The door closed, the engines turned over, the Gulfstream moved away.
'A hell of a woman,' Malone said.
'You can say that again.' Devlin smiled. 'Now you can dismiss your car, join me in my luxurious limousine that the good Superintendent has loaned me, and we'll return to the Irish Hussar, where you can buy me a very large Bushmills.'
'Me, in that hotbed of Republican gunmen?'
'I seem to recall that your younger brother, Fergus, was one.'
'We don't talk about that.'
'As I said, the Irish Hussar.' Devlin smiled. 'It will do my reputation no end of good being seen in the company of the police. A great comfort to me.'
The Gulfstream climbed steadily out over the Irish Sea, and Hannah called Ferguson on her Codex Four.
'Ah, there you are. How did it go?'
She brought him up to date, Regan included. 'So there you are, sir. We should have been told. There is supposed to be interdepartmental cooperation.'
'Not with the Secret Intelligence Service, as long as Simon Carter is Deputy Director. Leave it with me.'
He sat there at his desk, thinking about it, then picked up the phone and spoke to Dillon, who was in the outer office with Blake.
'Get in here. I've had the Superintendent on the line and we could have a problem.'
8
Dillon and Blake listened as Ferguson related Hannah Bernstein's adventures. When he was finished, Blake said, 'This is surely unacceptable, one major intelligence depart ment hugging secrets to itself that could be of possible crucial importance to others.'
'Yes, well, Carter's always been good at doing his own thing, and to hell with anyone else.'
'Seems to me it's time to remind Carter,' Ferguson said, 'that the particular circumstances of my position as head of the Prime Minister's personal security service give me extraordinary powers. Including over him.'
'That I'd love to see,' Dillon told him.
Ferguson smiled, picked up his phone, and
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