Authors: David Lowe
‘He’s been assigned to stay on tracing Murphy, but he’s cut up about what happened to Pickup,’ Debbie said as David was pouring the red wine into a glass.
‘He would be. It’s the feeling of helplessness and frustration at not being able to do anything to stop it that gets to you. Here you go love,’ David said passing Debbie her glass of wine, as he sat on the bed next to her.
‘Thanks,’ she said taking the drink off him. Drinking nearly half the glass in one go, she said, ‘That’s better.’ Debbie put the glass on her bedside table and stretching her arms out, yawning at the same time said, ‘you’re right about Murphy and his associates. Obviously there are players out there we don’t know about.’
‘What’s the latest on Murphy, surely something must have come out of that enquiry with his wife?’
‘We’ve got all the ports being watched. To be honest, we’ve no idea where he’s going. Questioning his wife drew a blank. As there was nothing we could charge her with, Merseyside had to release her, but we’ve got a tail on her to see if she meets up with him.’
‘What was her explanation for the clothes in the suitcase?’ David asked taking a sip of his beer.
‘She said she was giving them to Sheila Coleman for her to sell on e-Bay. There were no passports, no tickets and no money found at the house. In fact, nothing was found we could hold her on to tie her into Murphy’s activities.’
‘Let’s hope following her comes up trumps and she’ll meet up with Murphy. Anything else I should know about?’
‘Another sweep’s being done on the hotel this evening and the route the Prince is taking. If you get Maguire and Mahoney tomorrow, we’ll have most of those we know about out of the way and the visit should go off without a hitch.’
‘If I do we’re still going to have to keep on our toes.’
The wine made Debbie feel more relaxed causing her to yawn again. ‘Never mind Murphy, it was hard enough briefing the teams as they arrived this afternoon. What was tiring was the fact it wasn’t one large briefing. I had to brief each team as they arrived. Most were fine, but there was the odd smart arse asking awkward questions.’
‘There’s always one,’ David said picking up his cigarettes off the bedside table. After re-lighting the cigarette he was smoking when Debbie arrived in the room, he placed his lighter back onto the bedside table and asked, ‘What did they want to know?’
‘It was mainly the DI’s from the various Branch offices that were asking the questions, such as why hadn’t MI5 done this or done that,’ Light heartedly, Debbie started prodded David in the ribs and then began tickling him, ‘just like a certain DS from GMP used to do when he first met me!’
Laughing, he grabbed her hand to stop her tickling him. ‘I’ll stop asking you questions seeing how you’ve had enough of them.’
Picking up her glass to take another sip of her drink, Debbie said, ‘I nearly forgot to tell you, Jenny and your new friend arrived half an hour ago.’
‘My new friend?’
‘Stuart Stroud. As soon as he saw me, he asked how you were. You’ve definitely made a good impression with him. He was glowing about your actions in Ireland and he wouldn’t mind meeting up later for a drink in the bar here at the hotel.’
‘I’ll pass that on,’ David said stubbing out his cigarette in a saucer he was using for an ashtray.
Debbie picked up a pillow and hit him with it. ‘You’re such a miserable sod at times,’ she said as David raised his hands to cover his face as each blow landed on him, ‘after we’ve eaten, we’ll freshen up and have a few drinks in the bar with Jenny and Stuart. Then we can come back to the room, and have a few hours to ourselves.’
* * *
Maguire looked at the time on his mobile phone that was vibrating on silent, indicating there was an incoming call. Seeing it was a quarter to eight in the evening, he did not recognise the number of the caller on the small screen. Tentatively, he answered it. ‘Hello.’
‘Is that Patrick McCullagh?’ asked a male with a strong Welsh accent.
Having been mentally running through what he had to do the following day for the past couple of hours, for a brief moment Maguire was baffled why he was receiving a call for a Patrick McCullagh. Remembering Michael McCullagh instructed him if he received a call asking for Patrick McCullagh, it meant he was to receive a coded message he said, ‘Yes it is. Who’s that?’
‘It’s Sergeant Parry from North Wales Police. I’m the custody officer at Llandudno police station. Your brother Michael McCullagh asked that you be informed of his arrest. He’s been arrested for the offence of kidnap and is at Llandudno at the moment. As it looks like he will be with us for the next couple of days, he’s asked that you pick up his wash-bag from his locker at work. The code to unlock it is five-one-eight-seven.’
‘Five-one-eight-seven, I’ve got that thanks.’
‘When you arrive, you won’t be able to see him. Just pass the wash-bag to the officer on the reception desk and it’ll be handed over to me to give to your brother.’
‘Thanks officer, I’ll be there as soon as I can.’ Maguire switched off the phone and straight away took the sim-card out and broke it.
‘Who was that?’ Mahoney asked.
‘The police.’
‘The police!’
‘Don’t worry, it was a sergeant from North Wales telling me Michael McCullagh’s been arrested, but McCullagh’s still given me the code to switch off the burglar alarm at the solicitors’ office tomorrow morning.’
‘How did he do that?’
‘He told me the other day he thought the peelers were getting close to him and should anything happen, I would receive a call on this phone asking for his brother to bring a wash-bag along with the code to get it, only it’s the code for the alarm.’ As he dropped the damaged sim-card onto the floor, he added, ‘I’m taking no chances on the peelers tracing this phone and getting a fix on us.’
Chapter
Thirty-Seven
Main Dining Room,
Grosvenor Hotel, Chester,
06.30 hours, Tuesday, 9
th
July
Jenny Richmond arranged for the Grosvenor Hotel to provide breakfast for the MI5 and Special Branch officers that had duties in and around the hotel on the morning of the Royal visit. David and Debbie, along with Steve, who had joined them from his hotel, were taking advantage of it. Having helped themselves to the hot breakfast buffet, the three found a vacant table and sat down. ‘I’ll ring George to let him know we’re ready to resume duty,’ David said pouring HP sauce on his breakfast.
‘Once we’ve eaten, I take it you and I are going straight out to keep obs on the solicitors?’ Steve said.
‘In one,’ David said taking a sip of orange juice. After putting the glass back down onto the table he rang George who instructed him to attend Cheshire’s ISB offices for a seven o’clock briefing for all DS’s and team leaders. ‘I’m not leaving Steve on his own at the static obs on the solicitors’ office, even if it is first thing in the morning.’
‘Don’t worry,’ George said, ‘I’m sending one of Ray’s team over to the hotel to stay with Steve until you get back.’
‘OK George, I’ll be with you shortly.’
‘What did George say?’ Steve asked, mopping up his breakfast with a piece of bread.
‘I’ve got to go to a briefing at the ISB offices for seven. One of Ray’s team is joining you until I get back. He’ll meet you here at the hotel and then you two can go out to that spot we found in St. Werburgh Street,’ David said putting three sugars into his black coffee.
‘Are you going over for the briefing as well Debs?’ Steve asked.
‘No, I’m staying here with Jenny Richmond. For once I’ve no input on the policing side of the operation.’
‘She’s staying with her own from Five today. I’ll get this down my neck and get going,’ David said as he put another mouthful of his breakfast onto his fork.
* * *
‘George.’
‘Chloe my love, what’s up?’ George said answering a call from his wife.
‘Daddy’s on his way up to Chester. He’s already left Euston and he’s changing at Crewe. He’s booked a room at the Grosvenor for the next two nights and then he’s coming over to ours for the rest of the week. You couldn’t be a love and pick him up or get someone to pick him up at Chester station could you? With what’s going on, I’m worried. I’ve seen the appeals for those two men in the Cheshire area on the television this morning and I’m not stupid. I know they’re not bank robbers and they’re connected to your investigation.’
‘Don’t worry too much about Alan. He’ll have an MI5 officer close by protecting him. What time is his train due in at Chester?’
‘He rang me five minutes ago and said he should get into Chester around ten.’
‘OK love. I’m up to my neck at the moment. Once we’ve got him safely into the hotel, I’ll get him to ring you so you know he’s safe.’
‘Thanks darling. That’ll put my mind at rest.’
* * *
‘We’ve MI5 officers at the hotel assisted by SO15,’ George said briefing the assembled DS’s and team leaders from the various Special Branch offices from around the country sent up to assist on the operation. ‘Their remit is to observe the agency and hotel staff as they go about their preparations for the Prince’s reception tonight. Other MI5 and Branch officers are checking out the rest of the route and they’ll be following the Prince and his entourage as they go around the Chester area. David Hurst, I want you and Steve Adams to stay in the immediate area around the hotel. I know you’ve got a static obs spots set up. Steve will stay at the first floor of the shop opposite the solicitors’ we believe our targets will be using with one of Ray Baskin’s team. I’ve arranged for you to go up the tower of the Cathedral as it overlooks the rear of the solicitors’ office. I want the three of you to keep your eye out for Maguire and Mahoney.
‘Regarding other possible locations Maguire and Mahoney could be using, I’ve four other Cheshire ISB teams, including Gary Baker’s in these four sectors that I’ve drawn up on the maps that I’m handing out to you now.’ George handed out hard copies of maps of the Chester area to the officers sat on the front row of the briefing to circulate among the other officers. As the maps were being passed around, pointing to a large map illuminated on the screen behind him, George continued his briefing, saying, ‘There’ll be one team in each sector keeping static obs at the locations indicated on the map. Yesterday, Gary Baker from Cheshire’s Special Branch arranged the authorities. Ray Baskin, I want half of your team to search the outer areas of the city.’ Pointing on the map George said, ‘Your team will cover here, from the racecourse round the River Dee over here to the rail station and up to Chester University.
‘I want everyone’s eyes peeled not only for Maguire and Mahoney, but also for Murphy and O’Byrne. If your teams haven’t eaten yet, I suggest they get a breakfast on the move. They’re to be out there from now on. Time’s the issue folks, so let’s try and find them as soon as we can. I can’t stress how dangerous these men are, especially Maguire. If you see any of these men, let me know straight away. Follow them and I’ll call one of the firearms teams I’ve got on standby to assist you. So you know what Maguire and Mahoney look like, I’ve got still copies of the CCTV recording from the murder at the car dealership that I’m handing out to you.’ George clicked on his remote computer mouse to bring up two old black and white photographs, and said, ‘The only other photographs we’ve got are these twenty year old photographs from their PIRA days. From the CCTV taken at the car showroom where the security guard was killed, there are some good recent images of Maguire, but we struggled to get a decent one of Mahoney. Not only was he predominantly in the background, but as you can see, he was wearing a baseball cap. That’s it for now has anyone got any questions?’
* * *
In the cramped living compartment of the disused canal boat, Maguire looked at his watch, and said, ‘It’s just gone twelve. It’s time we went our separate ways. That secretary will be locking up the solicitors’ office soon.’
Mahoney moved over to the cracked window covered in the grime collected over the years the boat had been laying idle. He moved the small tattered curtain a few inches to the side and wiped away some of the dirt. Looking out of the window he said, ‘We need some luck with us for once.’
‘We will Dave, I feel it,’ Maguire said holding a small mirror to his face while fixing a brown wig on his head, ‘This job’s been jinxed and we could have done with McCullagh being out today, but we should’ve done enough damage over the last twenty four hours to have the peelers disappearing up their own arse. The Brits saying to the media you and I were armed robbers tells me they’re shitting themselves. They don’t want people worrying about us as well as Al Qaeda. That’ll change after tonight. The whole fucking world will know the IRA’s back.’
‘This could have the same affect of the nineteen-sixteen Easter rising. Back home it’ll inspire others to follow us and it’ll be the start of getting the fucking Brits out of Ireland once and for all.’
‘Maybe, but it’ll show the British government they’ve got to take us seriously and it’ll show Sinn Fein back home that they should get out of bed with the Unionists in Stormont and come back to the cause of getting a united Ireland.’
Taking a baseball cap out of his bag that contained an unassembled snipers rifle and an automatic pistol, Maguire zipped it back up and said, ‘I’ve got to make a move before that woman locks up.’ Putting the baseball cap on Maguire held out his hand. Gripping each other’s hand for a brief moment no word was spoken. Knowing this could be the last time they saw each other, neither dared mention it. ‘If this job goes off as planned it will be the start of getting the Brits out of Ireland for good this time. See you in Wicklow Dave,’ Maguire said picking up his bag, ‘You’ve still got that address haven’t you?’
Tapping his top pocket, Mahoney said, ‘Don’t worry its safe. I’ll see you in a couple of days where there’ll be a double Jamieson’s and red waiting for you.’
‘Make it a triple and it’s a deal and don’t forget tiocfadh ar la’ Maguire said, slapping Mahoney on the shoulder.
Mahoney raised a clenched fist, ‘Tiocfadh ar la Erin go bragh.’