a couple of rounds. Meyer said, ‘You like it?’
Before we could take it any further, there was a foot on the stairs and Ferguson moved out of the darkness. He was wearing a dark grey double-breasted suit, Academy tie, bowler hat and carried a briefcase.
‘So there you are,’ he said. ‘What’s all this?’
He came forward and put his briefcase down on the table, then he took the pistol from me, sighted casually and fired. The result was as I might have expected. No fancy shooting through the shoulder or hand. Just a bullet dead centre in the belly, painful but certain.
He put the gun down on the table and glanced at his watch. ‘I’ve got exactly ten minutes, then I must be on my way to the War House so let’s get down to business. Meyer, have you filled him in on your end yet?’
‘You told me to wait.’
‘I’m here now.’
‘Okay.’ Meyer shrugged and turned to me. ‘I had a final meeting with the London agent for these people yesterday. I’ve told him it would be possible to run the stuff over from Oban.’
‘Possible?’ I said. ‘That must be the understatement of this or any other year.’
Meyer carried straight on as if I hadn’t interrupted. ‘I’ve arranged for you to act as my agent in the matter. There’s to be a preliminary meeting in Belfast on Monday night. They’re expecting both of us.’
‘Who are?’
‘I’m not certain. Possibly this official IRA leader himself, Michael Cork.’
I glanced at the Brigadier. ‘Your Small Man?’
‘Perhaps,’ he said, ‘but we don’t really know. All we can say for certain is that you should get some sort of direct lead to him, whatever happens.’
‘And what do I do between now and Monday?’
‘Go to Oban and get hold of the right kind of boat.’ He opened the briefcase and took out an envelope which he pushed across the table. ‘You’ll find a thousand pounds in there. Let’s call it working capital.’ He turned to Meyer. ‘I’m aware that such an amount is small beer to a man of your assets, Mr Meyer, but we wanted to be fair.’
Meyer’s hand fastened on the envelope. ‘Money is important, Brigadier, let nobody fool you. I never turned down a grand in my life.’
Ferguson turned back to me. ‘It seemed to me that the most obvious place for your landing when you make the run will be the north Antrim coast, so Meyer will rent a house in the area. He’ll act as a link man between us once you’ve arrived and are in the thick of it.’
‘You intend to be there yourself?’
‘Somewhere at hand, just in case I’m needed, but one thing must be stressed. On no account are you to approach the military or police authorities in the area.’
‘No matter what happens?’
‘You’re on your own, Simon,’ he said. ‘Better get used to the idea. I’ll help all I can at the right moment, but until then …’
‘I think I get the drift,’ I said. ‘This is one of those jolly little operations that will have everybody from cabinet level down clapping their hands with glee if it works.’
‘And howling for your blood if it doesn’t,’ he said and patted me on the shoulder. ‘But I have every confidence in you, Simon. It’s going to work, you’ll see.’
‘At the moment, I can’t think of a single reason why it should, but thanks for the vote of confidence.’
He closed his briefcase and picked it up. ‘Just remember one thing. Michael Cork may be what some people would term an old-fashioned revolutionary and I think they’re probably right. In other words, he and his kind don’t approve of the indiscriminate slaughter of the innocent for political ends.’
‘But he’ll kill me if he has to, is that what you’re trying to say?’
‘Without a second’s hesitation.’ He put a hand on my shoulder. ‘Must rush now, but do promise me one thing.’
‘What’s that?’
‘Get yourself a decent gun.’ He picked up the silenced pistol, weighed it in his hand and dropped it on the table. ‘Load of Hong Kong rubbish.’
‘This one is by way of Peking,’ I told him.
‘All the bloody same,’ he said cheerfully and faded into the darkness. We heard him on the stair for a moment and then he was gone.
Meyer walked up and down, flapping his arms again, extremely agitated. ‘He makes me feel so uncomfortable. Why does he make me feel this way?’
‘He went to what some people would term the right school. You didn’t.’
‘Rubbish,’ he said. ‘You went to the right schools and with you I feel fine.’
‘My mother was Irish,’ I said. ‘You’re forgetting. My one saving grace.’ I tried another couple of shots with the Chinese pistol and shook my head. ‘Ferguson is right. Put this back in the Christmas cracker where you found it and get me a real gun.’
‘Such as?’
‘What about a Mauser 7.63 mm Model 1932 with the bulbous silencer? The kind they manufactured for German counter-intelligence during the second war. There must still be one or two around?’
‘Why not ask me for the gold from my teeth while you’re about it? It’s impossible. Where will I find such a thing these days?’
‘Oh, you’ll manage,’ I said. ‘You always do.’ I held out my hand. ‘If you’ll give me my share of the loot I’ll be on my way. Oban is not just another station on the Brighton line, you know. It’s on the north-west coast of Scotland.’
‘Do I need a geography lesson?’
He counted out five hundred pounds, grumbling, sweat on his face as there always was when he handled money. I stowed it away in my inside breast pocket.
‘When will you be back?’ he asked.
‘I’ll try for the day after tomorrow.’
He followed me up the stairs and we paused at the door of his office. He said awkwardly, ‘Look after yourself, then.’
It was as near as he could get to any demonstration of affection. I said, ‘Don’t I always?’
As I walked away, he went into his office and a moment later Al Bowlly was giving me a musical farewell all the way to the door.
Night
