A Fool for a Client by David Kessler Read Free Book Online Page B

it happen?” Declan McNutt ’ s voice rang out in its strong Northern Irish Catholic accent. It was neither the hard accent of a Protestant “Ulsterman”, nor the brogue of a Catholic from the Republic, but something in between.
    “We ’ re still trying to find out?” Padraig O ’ Shea replied nervously. He knew that when Declan was this angry, he was perfectly capable of lashing out at anyone. The man was a psychopath. That was why the Irish National Liberation Army recruited him. They had sent a man whom they thought was a pro to America , but for operations in Northern Ireland they preferred men like Declan, men who would probably be in mental hospitals if it weren ’ t for the British government making huge funding cuts to the National Health Service.
    When the Irish Republican Socialist Party broke from the Official branch of Sinn Fein in 1974, the political wing of the Irish Republican Army, to promote a more Socialist agenda, they knew that they were taking a risk. The IRA did not readily tolerate dissent. Five years earlier, the IRA had faced another rift, when members of a less Marxist and more religious persuasion had split away to form the Provisional wing. The official IRA had reluctantly accepted the fait accompli of the Provisionals breakaway, because they didn ’ t want internal strife to detract from the real war against the British.
    But that didn ’ t mean that a smaller breakaway faction could count on the same leniency.
    So when the dissenting radicals set up their military wing, the Irish National Liberation Army, they kept it secret even from most of their own members. And when their activities became known, they were quite open about the fact that they recruited psychopaths.
    But neither their initial attempts at anonymity nor their subsequent use of psychopaths helped them when they faced the wrath of the official IRA. In an event remi ni scent of the night of the long knives, the official IRA took action against them, wiping out eleven of their leaders. In the event, INLA survived and resurfaced later. But by then the IRA had no real need to take action of their own. For within a short time of INLA ’ s re-emergence, the organization had itself split into two factions which were mercilessly setting out to destroy each other in an uncompromising civil war of their own.
    “Well what the fuck do we know so far?” Declan snarled.
    Declan was clearly still angry, and Padraig knew that there was no way to appease him. He ’ d just have to ride out the storm and be careful not to say anything to set Declan off. At times like this, Declan could be difficult to deal with even if one considered him a friend. He was a big man, six foot three and two hundred and twenty pounds, a former building labourer, with solid muscles developed by hard work on building sites rather than pumping iron in a gym. Padraig, who worked out in a gym but was of no more than average height and lean build, knew that if Declan turned violent it was not within his power to contain him, and probably not within his speed capability to make an effective escape either.
    “As far we ’ ve been able to find out he was going to make the hit in Central Park , where the girl goes jogging every morning. For some reason he was doing it with a rifle, even though he could ’ ve got close enough to do it with a handgun – ”
    “He doesn ’ t use handguns,” said Declan with an acidic sneer in his voice. “He ’ s an ex-mercenary and a top marksman. He only uses long barrelled weapons. Perhaps if you read the reports they send down from head office once in a while you ’ d know what was going on.”
    For a moment, Padraig considered making a wisecrack about at least being able to read. But seeing the implacable look on Declan ’ s face he thought better of it.
    “Well anyway, it appears that a black teenager was seen running away afterwards with the rifle case. The gun wasn ’ t found on the body, but it turned up later when