Divide & Conquer by Murray McDonald Page B

looking at.
    “You know him well?” asked Sean.
    “Just met him the once, just after news of your…” She caught herself. “ Just after you went missing.”
    “He loved James, he said he reminded him of you when you were a boy.”
    “Did he,” thought Sean. Vincent had failed to mention his visit when they talked earlier.
    “He brought your life assurance payout and details of my widow’s pension.”
    Sean’s eyes left the photo and moved directly to Katie’s. “He what?” he asked angrily.
    Katie stepped back, realizing she had said something wrong, she was still under the impression Sean was just suffering post traumatic stress. Perhaps she shouldn’t have mentioned 'life’ or 'widow’. She’d have to be more careful she thought. There were probably lots of words that were danger words. She’d have to look into it more.
    What in the hell was Vincent up to, thought Sean. He hadn’t been an employee for over a year when the other Sean had died. No payouts should have been made from the CIA. Unless… “Son of a Bitch!” shouted Sean aloud.
    Katie stepped back further, fear in her eyes.
    Sean saw her move and couldn’t help but throw out his arm and pull Katie towards him. She was so petite and vulnerable with the largest, pleading brown eyes he had ever seen. “Not you, Vincent Black!” he comforted. “Son of a bitch has been playing me for eighteen months!” he added, looking at Vincent’s photo.
    That information changed Sean’s outlook on many things and most importantly, picking up the phone to get some much needed help.
    Sean reached for his cell. “Just out of interest, did he go to the funeral?”
    “Who’s?” asked Katie, not wanting to talk about Sean’s own funeral.
    “Sean’s,” replied Sean without any hint of anguish.
    “No, I wanted a very private affair, just very close family,” she replied nervously, unable to look him in the eye and ignoring his use of the third person for his own name.
    That basically meant her and James. Sean’s close family was Vincent but he wasn’t there and beyond that, his ex-military colleagues. Brothers for life or so they promised each re-union they had. Every one of them a hypocritical bastard. Not one of them had gone to his funeral. Not one. Sean was genuinely upset. Technically, of course, it wasn’t his funeral but nevertheless. What if he had become a drug pedaling scumbag, he was still their brother and pseudo son and as far as they were concerned, it was him.
    “Bastards!” he blurted aloud.
    Sean gently pushed Katie aside as he dialed Vincent’s number. He opened the nearest door and walked into a room fit for a four-year-old boy. Sean’s photos lined the wall and had pride of place next to the small single bed. James hero-worshipped the dead Sean. Most of the photos were of Sean in his military uniforms, adding to the bizarreness of the situation.
    With his focus firmly back on the task at hand, he hit the dial button.
    “Err, hello?” came a sleepy voice on the other end of the call.
    “You didn’t go to my funeral, you prick!” blurted Sean. He had promised himself he wouldn’t say anything but hearing Vincent’s voice stirred up too many emotions. Sean really did look on him as a father and finding out that he had abandoned him was not easy. Particularly when he was sat on the bed of a young boy who hero-worshipped pictures of him.
    “Sean, is that you?”
    “Who the fuck else do you know whose funeral you didn’t go to?” replied Sean, barely containing his anger.
    “But it wasn’t you!”
    “You thought it was!”
    “Well…”
    “Don’t even try and suggest otherwise, you paid her my pension!”
    Game, set and match.
    “I’m sorry,” said Vincent, any hint of fight had gone from his voice. “I have regretted that decision, every second for the last three months.” He answered with all his heart.
    Although Sean was furious, he could tell that Vincent was being sincere. “Don’t think I’ll be