Levin did. I told you theyd been clumsy, your IRA chums. It wont take a man like Dillon long to see which way things have gone. Youd better see that Fitzgerald keeps his head down in Ibiza. Do you want me to go out there and take care of him?
Dont be stupid, Igor, I need these people. Stay there, check out the funeral and keep an eye out for Ferguson and company.
So you dont want me to knock off Dillon for you?
Not now. Just obey orders, Igor.
Levin sat back and thought about it, then rang the undertakers. Im hoping to send flowers as a token of respect for Miss Hannah Bernstein. Im not sure whether the body will be there or at home.
Oh, here overnight.
And the funeral?
Ten oclock in the morning at Golders Green.
So kind.
He thought about things for a while, then decided to go for a drive, which took him to Wapping and Cable Wharf and the Dark Man. It was almost night, lights on the river, and he parked, one of many cars, so things were busy. He went and stood on the edge of the wharf and lit a cigarette. Hed always liked rivers, the smell of them, the boats, but now he felt curiously empty. It was Bernstein. He kept thinking of her photo, the look on her face. Dammit, her death was not really his affair, there was an inevitability to it. So why did he feel as he did? The Jewish link? But that was nonsense. It had always meant little to him, and death had been a way of life for years.
Pull yourself together, Igor, he murmured, and flicked his cigarette into the Thames. He took a small leather pouch from his pocket, extracted a minuscule earpiece, another device developed by the GRU, and pushed it into his right ear. The chip it contained enhanced sound considerably. Then he crossed the wharf and entered the Dark Man.
Ferguson, Dillon and the Salters were all there, including Roper in his wheelchair. They had the corner booth, but the bar itself was busy. Levin got a large vodka and helped himself to an Evening Standard someone had left. He had luck then, for a man and a woman in a small two-person booth next to his quarry got up to go, and Levin moved fast to take their place. He was protected from view by the wooden wall between the booths, but when he gave his earpiece a quarter turn, he could hear what was going on perfectly. He started to work his way through the newspaper and listened attentively.
Billy Salter was talking. Whats going on? This bird, this Mary Killane. Whats the connection?
It was Roper who intervened. An IRA connection from childhood. Her father was a Provo hard man. He died of cancer years ago in the Maze Prison. The mother took the girl to Dublin when she was very young.
Youve checked out what happened to her thoroughly?
Charles, I could tell you the schools she went to, where she trained as a nurse. All that.
Have you checked whether she was a member of the IRA herself?
As well as I could, and she wasnt.
Was she a member of any political groups, anything like that?
As far as I can tell, which is considerable, shes not a member of any group connected to Sinn Fein, I can guarantee that.
It was Dillon who cut in. She wouldnt be. Her worth would be her being in the Republic and uninvolved. Going by her age, shed be a sleeper.
What in the hell is a bleeding sleeper? Harry asked.
The new wave, Harry. Nice, decent professional people who work in hospitals or offices or universities, a lot of them London Irish. Born here, English accents. A perfect cover until theyre activated.
In a way, that applies to you, Sean, Ferguson said. Your father brought you here as a little boy. Your education was English.
True. You dont need an Irish accent to be Irish. The IRA discovered that with me a long time ago, and these days, its even more important. If you think theyve given up, youre sadly mistaken.
So Mary Killanes task was to give Hannah Bernstein an overdose, Ferguson said. But why?
There was silence. Roper said, As a Special Branch Officer, Hannah not only put members of the IRA away, she killed them.
So what are you saying? Blake said. Somebody in the hierarchy waits until shes almost dying anyway before deciding to have her put down?
Like a dog. Dillons voice was almost toneless, without feeling.
Billy went to the bar and ordered more drinks. They were still sitting in silence when he returned. Revenge is the only thing that makes sense. Whoever it was wanted their own back. Because of the IRA connection, were assuming its the IRA. But could she have been doing it for somebody else?
One of the waitresses brought the drinks. Dillon looked at his Bushmills and swallowed it down. Whoa, Billy. A girl like her, her whole background smacks of decency. I bet she went to Mass twice a week. And shes a nurse, she chose a caring profession. A girl like that wouldnt kill a fly normally. She would need strong persuasion to do what she did. When I was a boy, the Jesuits at school right here in London taught me an important thing. By the small things shall thou know them.
It was Billy, in many ways Dillons other self, who said, And the small thing here is the fact that her father was an IRA activist.
Who died in a British prison, Roper said.
A girl like her would need to believe fervently, Dillon said. Shed have to believe it was the right thing to do. A girl who goes to Mass? So what would make her do such a thing? She would need to believe it was acceptable, if you like.
A political act, in a way? Roper said.
Ferguson shook his head. An act of war.
Which explains why the IRA connection is so important, Harry Salter said. But who would it be? Who put her up to it?
Roper said, And then was reckless enough to knock her off afterward?
Ferguson said, Well, the Murder Squad is working hard at it.
Ferguson said, Well, the Murder Squad is working hard at it.
Theyll get nowhere, Dillon said bleakly. You leave this with me. Ill find the truth here, if its the last thing I do.
Nothing stupid, Dillon?
Oh, hes always that, Billy said.
Ferguson nodded. Which leads us to a bit of business. The terrible thing thats happened has left us shorthanded in my department. I could ask for someone from Special Branch to replace Hannah, but Ive decided not to. Billy, youve impressed me, more than you know, in the past few years. You know what it entails, youve helped out enough, killed on many occasions.
Now youre being nice to me. What is this?
Ferguson took an envelope from his pocket. In there you will find a warrant card making you an agent of the Secret Intelligence Service in my employ, filling the gap left by Superintendent Hannah Bernstein. The photo was easy. Blame Major Roper for obtaining the more complicated information.
Harry Salter turned to Roper. You conniving bastard.
Billy said, Shut up. He took out the warrant card and opened it. He turned to Dillon, then back to Ferguson. What is it the Yanks say? Proud to serve.
Excellent. Do remember one thing. When you present yourself at the Ministry of Defence, do wear one of your better suits. Dillon, of course, has his own standards. You dont need to report at nine oclock in the morning. I intend to be present at Golders Green at ten oclock at Superintendent Bernsteins interment. Im sure Ill see you there.
Harry Salter said, I think youll see us all there. He turned to Roper. Dont worry about your wheelchair, old son. Weve got a People Traveller thing. Takes eight. Well go together. What about you, Dillon?
Dillon was very pale, his eyes dark holes. Ill see you there. Ill make my own way.
He went to the bar, got another drink and came back. Blake Johnson said, Id join you, but Ive got a plane standing by. As I said before, my instincts tell me that some of the answers to the Belov affair might be found at Drumore Place. I was thinking of dropping in at Belfast Airport on my way back, hiring a car and driving down there, an American tourist on the way through to Dublin. How does that sound?
Jesus, Billy said. Are you sure?
Dillon said, Your plane is official, booked out by the Embassy?
Of course.
Right. We took out Kelly and his boys, but that still is IRA country. Id take a Walther PPK for your armpit and a Colt twenty-five with hollow-point cartridges in an ankle holster. If they find the Walther, theres a chance theyll miss the Colt.
That bad?
Ive said. Its IRA country. Kellys gone, someone comes in to fill the vacuum.
Shall I go with him? Billy asked.
Dont be silly. Youd spoil his American tourist image. Weve got things to do here anyway. Im leaving. Ill see you in the morning.
Dillon turned and left, and Levin, glancing up, caught his eye. Levin went back to his newspaper. Dillon, on his way out, frowned. There was something there, but he was tired and his brain wasnt functioning as well as normal. There was a terrible pressure on him, his one thought Hannah and what had happened to her. All the violence, everything hed done for Ferguson, the killings, the mayhem, and she had been thrown into it and Dillon, as he walked to the Mini Cooper, was left with the inescapable feeling that it had somehow been his fault.
Behind, as the rest of the group stirred, Levin got up and left. He went back to his Mercedes, got in and phoned Ashimov.
Have I got news for you.
Ashimov was sitting after dinner beside the open fire in the Great Hall of Drumore Place with Greta and Liam Bell. Tell me, he said, and listened. After a while, he said, Excellent. You stay on in London and keep a close eye on Dillon. Leave Blake Johnson to me.
He switched off, turned to Bell and Greta and said, Were going to have an interesting visitor. One of President Jake Cazalets most trusted associates.
Whats he coming for? Greta asked.
To find out whats happened here since Kelly and the rest of us faded from the scene.
He told her what Levin had heard. Hes good damn good, but so is Blake Johnson. Ill pull his photo out of the computer for you, he told Bell. A war hero in Vietnam, then the FBI, now the Presidents most trusted security man.
Well give him a warm welcome, Bell said.
Greta put in, If he sniffs around and finds nothing, wouldnt that be better?
Possibly. But Ashimovs eyes were glittering. All right, weve seen off Bernstein, but what a coup to get Johnson. That would really hurt Cazalet, hurt all of them. He turned to Bell. Well make a decision when he turns up tomorrow.