“Barry lives in Abbey To.aҐ, everyone knows. that.” “Only he isn’t there,” Devlin said gently. “Now where else might he be?” “How would I know?” Bradley said wildly.
Dillon produced his Walther with the Carswell silencer.
“I’m wondering whether a bullet in your left kneecap might improve your memory.” “For God’s sake, Sean.” Bradley was terrified and then he remembered. “Just’a minute. The last time I saw Jack Barry was in a pub in Ballybum. I was driving down from Dundalk and I stopped for a drink and there he was in the corner of the bar.”
z55
“And what happened?”
,,We had a crack and he told me he had an old
farmhouse just outside the village. He’d intended to walk back, but I gave him a lift. It was an old place, all a bit run down. He.said he didn’t use it much since his wife died.” He was’desperately searching for more information ad found it. “There was a sign on tlie gate where I dropped him. Victoria Farm. I remember because he made a joke about it being a Brit Royal Family name.” ·
There was sweat on his face now. Devlin said, “There, that wasn’t too hard, was it?”
“The troth, the whole truth, and nothing but the tl;Uth?” Dillon said softly. “It better be, Tony boy, or I’ll be back to take care of that left kneecap.”
He mined away and moved to the Judas gate, Hannah at his side. She murmured softly, “You really are a bastar&,Oillon.;’
“Yes, well, it gets results, girl dear, and that’s what counts.”
Devlin smiled and put an arm around Bradley.
“Cheer up, Tony, it may never happen, but if you try and get in touch with Barry or speak of this to anyone, I’m afraid Dillon will be very annoyed indeed,
and you know what that means.”
“Not a word, I swear it.”
“Good man yourself,” Devlin said and left him there.
Dillon and Hannah were waiting beside Devlin’s silver Toyota saloon. “The game’s afoot, as Sherlock used. to say, so to Ballyburn, and you can drive, Sean.
I’m getting old.”
Dillon got behind the wheel and Devlin held the rear door open for Hannah. “You don’t look pleased.
You didn’t like it back there.”
“I never do when I see the way he operates.” “Yes, well, he always was the hard man, our Sean,’ and he went round to the other side and joined her. AT VICTORIA FARM THEY ALL HAD BREAKFAST IN the kitchen. When it was finished, Kathleen cleared the table and stacked the plates and strangely enough it was Mori who helped her when her uncle, Barry, and Sollazo went out. She half expected Mori to make a.pass at her, was all ready for it. Instead, he filled the sink with hot water and put the dirty dishes in.
“Leave them to soak. Less work that way.”
“And what’s got into yiu, you big lump?” she demanded.
He laughed. “My father owned a restaurant in Palermo.
When I was a kid I worked there all the time
in the kitchen. Later I was a waiter for him.” “Then you took to the gun.”
He shrugged and said calmly, “It paid better.” When she went into the sitting,room the three of them were looking at the map. “That’s it, then,” Bar was saying. “Up to Dundalk, then across the border. No trouble there these days since the peace .alks. You can drive straight through.” z57
“And then Scostown,” Sollazo said.
“Exactly. We might make it in a couple of hours, two and a half at the most.”
“And who is we?” Kathleen asked.
“Sollazo and me,” Barry told her. “You can stay here in MoWs tender care.”
“You’ve got your bloody cheek.”
“Yes, well I’m in charge. Mr. SollazO and I will drive up to Scotstown with the diving gear. Kevin Stringer at the Loyalist thinks he has a suitable boat.
We’ll check it out. If it’s okay, Kevin can stow the gear and we’ll return. We’ll probably be back here by five.”
§he glared at him, then looked at her uncle. He shrugged. “All for the best, Kathleen.”
“If everything is on course, we’ll all drive up to Scotstown in the morning,” Barry said.