“Try again,” Ryan told her.
The anger showed on her face, but she took aim again and achieved the same result.
She was furious now and Keogh said, “Lotk, most people can’t hit a barn door with a handgun, so don’t take it to heart. Come with me.” He stopped six or seven feet away from the plank. “I wouldn’t try it from any further away than this if I were you.. Just point and shoot.”
She tried again, clipping the plank with one shot, but her second was on target. “Much better,” Keogh said.”But holding the barrel against the target and pulling the trigger gets an even better result.”
He turned and walked back ad Ryan was laughing.
Even Benny was-smiling and she was annoyed.
“Well,’ what about you, small man? Lots of advice for others, but little on display’from yourself.”
Keogh turned, face calm, and it was as if she was only noticing for the first time how Cold his eyes were. His hand went under his jacket at the rear, the Walther swung up, he fired six times, double-tapping splinters flew from the plank and it toppled over.
Benny had his hands over his ears in spite of the silencer and Kathleen’s look of astonishment was something to see. Keogh didn’t say a word, simply.
ejected the clip and refilled it.
It was Ryan who put it into words. “Here endeth the lesson. Now let’s turn in. It’s going to be a hell of a day tomorrow.”
ABOUT FOUR MILES SOUTH OF MARSH END AND some five miles off the coast, the Irish Rose was on course, rolling heavily in a troubled sea, winds four to five. In the wheelhouse, the German, Muller, was at the wheel. Tully sat at the clma table, a cardboard box in front of him, and the crew crowded round.
“Seven or eight handguns in there so take your pick. I want every man armed.” Dolan took a Smith & Wesson.38. “This will do me fine.” The others helped themselves. Jock Grant, the en~ gineer, said, “What’s our estimated time of arrival?” “About eleven o’clock in the morning, but I can’t be sure. I mean, I don’t know this Marsh End place, so navigating could be awkward and we need to go in on the tide.” “So what happens?” Dolan asked.
“I don’t know is the answer. When Bell first spoke to me he said we’d to be ready to leave late afternoon.
He said the tide would be turning then and the timing was essential. We’ll go in and wait. I mean, Ryan’s bound to turn up to finalize things.” “But he’s bound to expect trouble after what happened,” Dolan persisted. , “Look, he doesn’t have any choice. Once he has that truck, he’s got to get it away. I’ll tell him it was all a mistake, that I didn’t mean any harm, that I was just making sure everything was on the level, that’s
all. What happens when we get to sea is another matter.” Dolan said, “But that little Keogh bastard is red hot. I mean, look what he did to your ear.” “Fm n ‘
of forgetting, but.lust remember, there’s five of us and only Ryan and Keog and the girl, and she’s the key. If we can get our hands on her, Ryan will cave in soon enough. We’ll have to make it up as we go along. We won’t hit the Irish coast till dawn.
I’ll think of something, but to start with, everybody behaves.” “I don’t know.” Bert Fox sounded dubious. “It could get nasty.” Tully exploded in anger. “The biggest payday ever. Are Sou in or out? Make your minds up.” It was DOlan who spoke for all of them. “We’re with you, Mr. Tully, no question. Isn’t that right, lads?” There was a chorus of approval and Tully said, “Get back to work.” They all went, leaving Muller at the wheel. Tully went out on the bridge and stood there staring into the darkness. He touched his bandaged ear, which still hurt like hell’ and it was Keogh he was thinking of and what he’d do to ‘the little bastard when the time came.