mainly in their middle years, formed a tightly knit crew that kept themselves to themselves. No one at Talbot International headquarters had the slightest idea of what was going on, except Justin Talbot.
‘Tim’s a good man, even on the worst of days,’ Talbot said. ‘But he hates me changing my clothes and slipping off over the border to have a look around and visit.’
They had moved to a bench close to Sean’s grave and were sitting. Kelly’s pipe had gone out and he lit it again. ‘He thinks you’re a lunatic going over for a stroll in a place like that — and disguised as a Pathan. He’s convinced that, sooner or later, someone’s going to take a pot shot at you.’
‘God bless Tim, but then he doesn’t know what we do,’ Talbot said.
‘And a burden it is sometimes.’ Kelly looked sombre.
Jack Kelly was the nearest thing to a father Justin Talbot had known, that was the truth of it, and Justin was well aware that in many ways he had stood in for Sean, and not only in Jack’s eyes, but in those of his wife, Hannah, also.The word from Molloy about Talbot’s trips had worried the Kellys, and Jack had raised the matter almost a year before.
It had been at a bad time or a good time, depending how you looked at it, but it was not long after Al Qaeda and the Preacher had invaded Talbot’s life. So, sitting in the study of Talbot Place with Kelly, just the two of them, with whisky taken, Talbot had unburdened himself.
Kelly had been shocked and angry. ‘What the hell were you playing at? Surely you must have seen that once you put your foot on such a road, there could be no turning back?’
‘I got tired of big business. I missed what I had in the army — excitement, action, passion; put it any way you like. It started simple, then it got out of hand.’
‘And Shamrock? Whose bright idea was that?’
‘Mine.’ Talbot shrugged. ‘Okay, a bit stupid, but I certainly wasn’t going to say Major Talbot here, are you receiving me?’
‘You bloody fool,’ Kelly had said.
‘That helps a lot. The thing is, how do I get out of it? You’re the experts, you’ve had thirty-five years of fighting the British Army.’
‘You don’t,’ Kelly said, a certain despair on his face. ‘This is Al Qaeda we’re talking about. You’re too valuable to let go. Even if you could find this anonymous man, the Preacher, and managed to kill him, it wouldn’t make the slightest difference. You belong to them. They’ll never let you stop. Your mother knows nothing of this, I hope?’
‘Certainly not.’
‘Thank God. She’d never be able to cope.’
‘So I just keep going?’
‘I don’t see what else you can do.’
But all that had been almost a year before, and a lot had happened since then. Sitting there on the bench, Talbot brooded for a while, at a loss for words. It had certainly been a day for disclosure, but of things it would not be a good idea to reveal to anyone else. His service with the SAS and his new Catholic self were matters best left alone.
Kelly said, ‘You’ve got something else on your mind, haven’t you? You might as well spill it.’
Talbot said, ‘Okay, I will. It will take a while to cover everything, but bear with me. You thought I was in a mess, but with the things I’ve done over there — now it’s infinitely worse.’
It took a long time in the telling, almost an hour, because he told Kelly everything right up to Ferguson and Miller flying to Pakistan.
‘So there it is,’ Talbot said. ‘I don’t think I’ve missed anything. What do you think?’
‘That you’re probably a lunatic. You must be to dig yourself in so deep.’
‘Do any of the names mean anything to you?’
‘They certainly do. General Charles Ferguson was in and out of Ulster throughout the Troubles, a thorn in our side.’
‘And these two IRA men? Are they genuine?’
‘You can bet your life on it. Sean Dillon’s a Down man who became a top enforcer and then ended up in a Serbprison
‘Tim’s a good man, even on the worst of days,’ Talbot said. ‘But he hates me changing my clothes and slipping off over the border to have a look around and visit.’
They had moved to a bench close to Sean’s grave and were sitting. Kelly’s pipe had gone out and he lit it again. ‘He thinks you’re a lunatic going over for a stroll in a place like that — and disguised as a Pathan. He’s convinced that, sooner or later, someone’s going to take a pot shot at you.’
‘God bless Tim, but then he doesn’t know what we do,’ Talbot said.
‘And a burden it is sometimes.’ Kelly looked sombre.
Jack Kelly was the nearest thing to a father Justin Talbot had known, that was the truth of it, and Justin was well aware that in many ways he had stood in for Sean, and not only in Jack’s eyes, but in those of his wife, Hannah, also.The word from Molloy about Talbot’s trips had worried the Kellys, and Jack had raised the matter almost a year before.
It had been at a bad time or a good time, depending how you looked at it, but it was not long after Al Qaeda and the Preacher had invaded Talbot’s life. So, sitting in the study of Talbot Place with Kelly, just the two of them, with whisky taken, Talbot had unburdened himself.
Kelly had been shocked and angry. ‘What the hell were you playing at? Surely you must have seen that once you put your foot on such a road, there could be no turning back?’
‘I got tired of big business. I missed what I had in the army — excitement, action, passion; put it any way you like. It started simple, then it got out of hand.’
‘And Shamrock? Whose bright idea was that?’
‘Mine.’ Talbot shrugged. ‘Okay, a bit stupid, but I certainly wasn’t going to say Major Talbot here, are you receiving me?’
‘You bloody fool,’ Kelly had said.
‘That helps a lot. The thing is, how do I get out of it? You’re the experts, you’ve had thirty-five years of fighting the British Army.’
‘You don’t,’ Kelly said, a certain despair on his face. ‘This is Al Qaeda we’re talking about. You’re too valuable to let go. Even if you could find this anonymous man, the Preacher, and managed to kill him, it wouldn’t make the slightest difference. You belong to them. They’ll never let you stop. Your mother knows nothing of this, I hope?’
‘Certainly not.’
‘Thank God. She’d never be able to cope.’
‘So I just keep going?’
‘I don’t see what else you can do.’
But all that had been almost a year before, and a lot had happened since then. Sitting there on the bench, Talbot brooded for a while, at a loss for words. It had certainly been a day for disclosure, but of things it would not be a good idea to reveal to anyone else. His service with the SAS and his new Catholic self were matters best left alone.
Kelly said, ‘You’ve got something else on your mind, haven’t you? You might as well spill it.’
Talbot said, ‘Okay, I will. It will take a while to cover everything, but bear with me. You thought I was in a mess, but with the things I’ve done over there — now it’s infinitely worse.’
It took a long time in the telling, almost an hour, because he told Kelly everything right up to Ferguson and Miller flying to Pakistan.
‘So there it is,’ Talbot said. ‘I don’t think I’ve missed anything. What do you think?’
‘That you’re probably a lunatic. You must be to dig yourself in so deep.’
‘Do any of the names mean anything to you?’
‘They certainly do. General Charles Ferguson was in and out of Ulster throughout the Troubles, a thorn in our side.’
‘And these two IRA men? Are they genuine?’
‘You can bet your life on it. Sean Dillon’s a Down man who became a top enforcer and then ended up in a Serbprison
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