clothes. The canteen had been turned into a briefing centre and Superintendent Misterson's authority had been superseded by a Major (name undisclosed) of Special Ground Services.
'The Superintendent here will explain the initial stages of the operation,' said the Major condescendingly, 'but before he does I want to stress that we are dealing with some of the most ruthless killers in Europe. They must on no account escape. At the same time we naturally want to avoid bloodshed if at all possible. However, it has to be said that in the circumstances we are entitled to shoot first and ask questions afterwards if the target is able to answer. I have that authority from the Minister.' He smiled bleakly and sat down.
'After the house has been surrounded,' said the Superintendent, 'Mr Wilt will enter and hopefully effect the exit of his family. I want nothing done to prevent that first essential requirement. The second factor to take into account is that we have a unique opportunity to arrest at least three leading terrorists and possibly more, and again, hopefully, Mr Wilt will enable us to know how many members of the group are in the house at the moment of time of his exit. I'll go ahead with my side and leave the rest to the Major.'
He left the canteen and went up to the office where Wilt was finishing his Queen's pudding with the help of mouthfuls of coffee. Outside the door he met the SGS surgeon and para-psychologist who had been studying Wilt covertly.
'Nervous type,' he said gloomily. 'Couldn't be worse material. Sort of blighter who'd funk a jump from a tethered balloon.'
'Fortunately he doesn't have to jump from a tethered balloon,' said the Superintendent. 'All he has to do is enter the house and find an excuse for taking his family out.'
'All the same I think he ought to have a shot of something to stiffen his backbone. We don't want him dithering on the doorstep. Give the game away.'
He marched off to fetch his bag while the Superintendent went in to Wilt. 'Now then,' he said with alarming cheerfulness, 'all you've got to do...'
'Is enter a house filled with killers and ask my wife to come out. I know,' said Wilt.
'Nothing very difficult about that.'
Wilt looked at him incredulously. 'Nothing difficult? said Wilt in a vaguely soprano voice. 'You don't know my bloody wife.'
'I haven't had the privilege yet,' admitted the Superintendent.
'Precisely,' said Wilt. 'Well, when and if you do you'll discover that if I go home and ask her to come out she'll think of a thousand reasons for staying in.'
'Difficult woman, sir?'
'Oh no, nothing difficult about Eva. Not at all. She's just bloody awkward, that's all.'
'I see, sir, and if you suggested she didn't go out you think she might in fact do so?'
'If you want my opinion,' said Wilt, 'if I do that she'll think I'm off my rocker. I mean what would you do if you were sitting peacefully at home and your wife came in and suggested out of the blue that you didn't go out when it had never occurred to you to go out in the first place? You'd think there was something fucking odd going on, wouldn't you?'
'I suppose I would,' said the Superintendent. 'Never thought of it like that before.'
'Well you'd better start now,' said Wilt, 'I'm not going...' He was interrupted by the entrance of the Major and two other officers wearing jeans, T-shirts with UP THE IRA printed on them, and carrying rather large handbags.
'If we might just interrupt a moment, said the Major, we would like Mr Wilt to draw a detailed plan of the house, vertical section and then horizontal.'
'What for?' said Wilt unable to take his eyes off the T-shirts.
'In the event that we have to storm the house, sir,' said the Major, 'we need to get the killing angles right. Don't want to go in and find the loo's in the wrong place and what not.'
'Listen, mate,' said Wilt, 'you go down Willington Road with those T-shirts and handbags you
