Authors: David Lowe
‘Peter, are you alright?’ Debbie asked. Staring vacantly ahead of him, Peter said nothing. Giving him a gentle nudge, Debbie asked Peter again if he was alright.
‘What?’ Peter said as the nudge broke his thoughts, making him take notice of the company sat around the table, ‘I’m sorry Debbie what did you say?’
‘I was asking if you’re alright. You’ve still very pale.’
‘I’m alright it’s just finding out that David felt he couldn’t confide in me as to what he really does has upset me a little.’
Smiling reassuringly at Peter, Debbie said, ‘Well it’s not exactly something you go around the rooftops shouting about.’
‘I suppose not. I take it you’re a detective working with David?’ Peter asked Debbie.
‘Not exactly.’
Peter finished off his gin and tonic and said quietly, ‘I take it that means you’re MI5 then?’ Debbie smiled and said nothing. Seeing a look in her eyes telling him not to pursue that line of questioning, Peter said ‘What I don’t understand is why this McCrossan would try to kill them after all this time?’
‘Even though there’s been a peace agreement in Northern Ireland since ninety-eight, the Provisional IRA don’t forgive and forget that easily,’ George said, ‘When you hurt them like David and Steve did, they still hunt you down.’
‘I know from the press reports on the trial you’ve been involved in this week, none of the officers’ names are mentioned,’ Peter said, ‘It shows you how well he keeps his work secret. Neither I nor any of the family have any idea what he really does.’
‘What does he tell you about his role in the police?’ Craig asked.
‘Just that he’s in a squad dealing with serious crime. I assumed he was investigating drug trafficking or robberies. When he text me this morning to tell me he was in London for a trial at the Old Bailey, even though it was a terrorist case I assumed there must have also been a drugs angle to it and that’s why David and Steve were there. It comes as a shock to find out your own brother’s killed people. Apart from this IRA terrorist, has he killed anyone else?’
George, Debbie and Craig looked at each other. Breaking the uncomfortable silence Peter said, ‘From the lack of response and how you’re looking at each other, I’m assuming he has. It shows the saying about still waters running deep is so true. He’ll talk endlessly about Everton, sport, politics, that sort of thing, but David’s always been silent about his work. So what happened that night in Manchester with this McCrossan bloke? Why did he shoot him?’
Seeing Peter’s glass was empty, Craig got up to get him another gin and tonic. As Craig walked to the bar, George said, ‘David had no choice that night. I was his DS then and he and Steve were in my team. We were staking out a house in Manchester believed to be a PIRA safe house where four Provisional’s were staying who we suspected were planning a major attack on the British mainland. We had the house surrounded when I got a call to check another address in Manchester where it was believed two more members of the Provisional’s had the equipment the four we were watching needed to carry out the attack. The priority was getting the equipment and as I thought there was no immediate risk, I left David and Steve to watch the house while I took the rest of the team to the new address.’
As Craig placed the drink on the table in front of him, Peter said, ‘If you didn’t think there was a risk, why did David have to shoot them?’
‘Fifteen minutes after I and the other team members left the scene, three of the IRA targets came out of the back door of the house and went straight over to the spot where Steve was hiding. They grabbed him, took his gun and gave him a good hiding,’ George said, ‘Him and David have always claimed they were tipped off as the three men didn’t even search for Steve, they knew the exact spot where he was hiding. They’re still adamant about that even though a separate investigation was run to see if there was any truth in their allegations. As nothing was found to substantiate their claims, it was decided to be no more than a coincidence.’
‘That’s where your brother came in,’ Craig said, ‘As he couldn’t raise Steve on the radio, he made his way to the back of the house to see Steve surrounded by three armed men. As one had a pistol to Steve’s head, he shot them.’
Peter took another sip of his drink and asked, ‘Didn’t he give a warning before he started shooting?’
‘For court purposes he did,’ Craig said, ‘but in reality he assessed the situation. Knowing he was outnumbered three to one, if he gave a warning first, in all likelihood even though he may have got one maybe two of them, the third would have shot him. So, as the old cliché goes, he took action first and asked questions later.’
‘That’s why they made the death threats to David,’ George said.
‘And McCrossan who David injured that night made death threats to him in court at the end of his trial,’ Debbie said.
‘That trial was something else,’ George said shaking his head as the emotions he had at that time returned, ‘Although it was one of the last IRA trials at the Old Bailey before the peace agreement, it was one of the most highly charged atmospheres in the court I’ve ever experienced.’
‘What happened?’ Peter said trying to visualise the scene in his head.
‘I’m not afraid to admit it, a few of us were scared, O’Byrne and McElvaney were in the dock alongside McCrossan and the public gallery was packed with their supporters. After Steve and David gave their evidence, we sat in the court and they kept glaring at us,’ George said. Taking a sip of his of his single malt Scottish whiskey he added, ‘When the judge was passing sentence, the three of them stood impassively. After the three received life sentences, raising clenched fists in the air they gave PIRA’s defiant gesture shouting, ‘Tiocfaidh ar La”.’
‘What does that mean?’ Peter asked.
‘Our day will come,’ Craig said.
‘As they were being led down the steps, they looked up to their supporters and McCrossan stopped for a moment. Looking directly at Steve and David, he shouted words to the effect that they would pay for this and that David was a dead man,’ George said as Peter’s eyes widened in disbelief. ‘McCrossan glanced up at the PIRA supporters in the court and pointed at the two of them. His supporters gave a big cheer. Before he could say anymore, court security bundled McCrossan down the stairs to the holding cells.
‘Scuffles started breaking out in the public gallery and the supporters started shouting threats to the judge, the jury, the press, in fact to anyone not associated with them. The judge repeatedly had to call for order, threatening the supporters with contempt of court if they didn’t behave. Ignoring him, uniform police officers had to go among them to restore order. It was all getting very heated as tempers were being lost, but there was one person who was losing their temper that gave me most concern. That was your brother. As the scuffles broke out, I looked up at them. Pointing to David and Steve some supporters ran their fingers across their throats reinforcing what McCrossan said. Giving them the two fingered salute in return, David pointed to the dock shouting he’d have them in the dock first. He was inflaming the situation.’
‘If that was possible,’ Craig said giving a wry smile remembering the transcripts of the trial.
‘That’s true,’ George said, ‘Being sat behind him, I leant over and grabbed David and told the two of them to come with me, as we had to leave the court. The annoying part of all this is on the night David shot McCrossan, the address me and the rest of the team were sent to was a false lead. There were no Provisional’s there and there certainly was no equipment. I often think David was right and we were given a joey call to get us out of the way. It’s always haunted me that I nearly lost those two that night.’
‘I can’t believe he never told me or the family any of this,’ Peter said as he went to take another sip of his drink, ‘There’s a large part of David’s world I know nothing about.’
Putting a reassuring hand on Peter’s shoulder, George said, ‘And it should stay that way. The less you know, the less you have to worry about.’
‘David!’ Debbie said seeing him walk into the residents’ lounge. Standing up she began walking over to him, ‘where’s Steve?’
‘He’s outside finishing his ciggie,’ he said as Debbie held his hand, ‘now where’s my drink I could do with a few tonight.’
‘How did it go at Thames House with Jenny Richmond?’ Craig asked as David remained standing drinking his double Irish in one.
‘Top that up and I’ll tell you,’ he said slamming the empty glass on the table.
‘That was a stupid stunt you two pulled,’ Debbie said forcefully, ‘didn’t you realise that having McCrossan stood by the pub door it could be a set up to get you out, making it easier to carry out the hit?’
‘I know that now, it was just instinct to go after him.’
‘An instinct that nearly got the two of you killed,’ Debbie said sco
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nfully, ‘for fuck’s sake you should have shouted over what was happening. As neither of you were armed, you knew you’d need back up!’
‘What Debbie says is true. I’ve got enough grey hairs without you and Steve adding to them. I suggest we stop the recriminations for now,’ George said getting out of his seat, ‘You sit down and I’ll get you another.’
Seeing a pale Peter, David sat next to him and said, ‘I’m sorry this has spoilt your good news.’
‘That means nothing after what happened. More importantly are you alright?’ Peter said, ‘I’ve just been hearing what you get up to at work and why you got shot at today. Why didn’t you tell me?’
‘Because you’d worry and most probably tell Dad, who’d tell Mum and I’d rather do my job without the family worrying about me,’ David said taking the drink George got for him as Steve joined them in the lounge. ‘I saw the incident log before we came back. McCrossan was nowhere to be found, the bastard got away.’
‘It was a set up, McCrossan wasn’t alone,’ Steve said walking into the bar having caught what David had just said. Pointing to the double Irish on the table, he asked ‘Is this one mine?’
‘Yes,’ David said returning to talk to the others, ‘the bastard tried to lure us into this side road. According to staff in this office in Amen Court, just before five o’clock, two men entered the public entrance brandishing guns. As there were only a few working there, McCrossan, ordered them into a back room, took their mobile phones and locked them in. So it looks like McCrossan must have seen us go into the Trafalgar Arms and then waited for us to see him.’
‘On top of that, while he was taking the office staff hostage, we reckon he had a third party keeping tabs on us in the pub, to make sure we were still there. When he got to the pub he didn’t exactly make himself inconspicuous,’ Steve said putting down his empty glass on the table, ‘he didn’t even have a drink in his hand, he was just standing the
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e then walking in circles by the door as though he wanted us to see him.’
‘I’ve already told David, you were stupid pair of pricks to go off on your own,’ Debbie said.
‘I know,’ Steve said, ‘at Thames House Jenny gave us a bollocking as well. We just didn’t think.’
‘It’s when you don’t think, you get hurt,’ George said calmly, ‘so what happened after the third shot. You did say it was three rounds fired at you didn’t you?’
‘The third shot was aimed at me and was really fucking close to getting me,’ David said, ‘I was keeping the pedestrians back from the entrance to Amen Court and these two lawyers ignored me. When I stepped out to get them, it landed on the paving stone inches from my feet. It was lucky no cars or buses were passing when it ricocheted across Warwick Lane.’
Taking another double Irish whiskey from Craig who had gone to the bar to top up his drink, Steve said, ‘From their initial search, Forensics couldn’t find any evidence of any other shots being fired. It looks like after the third one, McCrossan and his mate fucked off out of the back of the office before the circus could seal off the whole area.’
‘Is there any CCTV from the office to indicate who the second male was?’ George asked.
‘Yes, but the picture’s really grainy,’ David said, ‘it’s hard to make out McCrossan and the second male was wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses. The techies are working on it to clear up the pictures as best they can.’
‘You know it was a male not a woman?’ Craig asked.
‘If it was a woman, she’s pretty flat chested,’ Steve said.
‘Can you tell from the CCTV who was shooting at you?’ Debbie asked.
‘It was McCrossan. He had a semi-automatic pistol and my first thoughts were confirmed, he had a silencer. It definitely wasn’t a suppressor as we couldn’t hear any shots. The fact he had a silencer might have saved us as he’d lose accuracy,’ David said.
‘You’re safe now,’ George said, ‘that’s what matters, but you were lucky. Drink up and get your stuff packed. You’re going back to Manchester tonight.’
‘As soon as possible we’re getting you as far away from McCrossan and whoever he’s working with,’ Craig said looking at David and Steve, ‘I’ve arranged for Peter to be taken home.’ Then turning to Peter he said, ‘Just in case McCrossan saw you with David I’ve arranged a detail to keep an eye on you for a week or two.’
‘Jenny Richmond told us we’re to go through all the intelligence on McCrossan and the Irish down here that could be working with him. With SO15 and ourselves working on this we’ll be able to see if anyone’s on Peter’s tail,’ Steve said.
‘I’ll be coming back with the rest of the team tomorrow morning by train,’ George said, ‘and once we’re back in Manchester I’ll come and help you out.’
‘Did Jenny give you any updates on McCrossan from the system?’ Debbie asked David and Steve.
‘The last they had was he arrived in London a few months ago. He was living in a bed and breakfast in Hammersmith while he was working on various building sites,’ David said, ‘as he’d been doing nothing to bring himself to our attention, SO15 and MI5 put him on the back burner.’
‘That’s a stupid thing to do,’ Peter said, ‘if he’d made threats to you they should have stayed on him.’
‘It’s all about resources,’ Craig said.