Connor had reported in to a Chief apoplectic with anger. He’d been economical with the truth and mentioned nothing of the detail of what transpired in the small hotel room in Brighton. He painted a picture of a Sam Murphy obviously distraught with the arrest of her brother, running amok and shooting Ashdown’s brother and killing a neighbour. He didn’t know how she had managed to get herself a weapon. Perhaps from one of her father’s family in England he had suggested. Then when he had approached her, she had done a runner and tipped off the police to his whereabouts.
She was out of control and in his opinion a danger to everyone in the organization. She knew too much and was unstable. It was his recommendation she be removed permanently. The Chief asked whether there was any way she could have been involved with the death of Bancroft, which had thrown Connor because he’d never considered the possibility. He’d answered that he didn’t know but it was possible given her state of mind. That had sealed the girl’s fate. The order was given. Connor should act with all haste to take her out.
At the same time, Connor had been reminded he still needed to focus on getting rid of her brother. Connor had the details of the route Murphy would be taking to Court that afternoon. He didn’t normally argue with the Chief but did point out his fingerprints had been all over the hotel room in Brighton and by now the police would have put his name to those prints, that was if the bloody bitch hadn’t actually named him in the call she must have made.
He didn’t fancy his chances of pulling this off and coming out in one piece but knew better than to argue with the Chief. Ultimately even he was expendable. An asset to be used at the Chief’s beck and call. He also knew though that he would be well rewarded if he could make the hit. The Chief had also uncomplicated matters by giving him free reign to use any means necessary to remove Murphy. Some collateral damage would be acceptable after all.
Connor had checked out the Court the previous day straight after he’d been given details of the route. To his mind there was too high a probability of a last minute change in the route they would take so he would be better positioned close to the Court itself. He knew the time Murphy was to appear in Court, so he reckoned his best chance lay in hitting the van as it slowed to enter the rear entrance of the Court, when it could be doing no more than 30mph. He had identified the best point from which to launch his attack. Now all he needed to do was collect the weapon from a flat in Finchley and try to stay out of reach of the cops for a few more hours.
Even by the measurement of recent days it had been quite exceptional. Tom felt a bit like he had taken a massive cocktail of potent and very illegal drugs. There had been the highs of hearing Colin was going to live and the almost unbelievable experience of making love to Melanie. The low was the meeting with Miller, which had left him with the distinct feeling that the police half expected further attacks on his life, although the only motive for such action seemed to be some form of revenge for his interfering in the attempt to kidnap Melanie.
Miller had admitted they were hunting someone they suspected was responsible for the current mayhem without naming him. He seemed confident now they knew who they were chasing and that the net would quickly close. However, in the meantime he did advise that Tom kept a low profile and was alert to possible danger.
Miller had enquired about Melanie’s plans and raised an eyebrow at her response that she intended to stay around Brighton with Tom. Tom was of the opinion that Miller’s perfectly sensible suggestion she might be better heading back to the States, was born of the desire not to have her added to the casualty list. No policeman would want the terrible publicity that would follow if anything now happened to Melanie Adams in England, when she could have gone back to the States, after the first attempt on her life. It wouldn’t matter it was her choice to remain. Miller made it obvious he did not approve of her intending to spend time so close to a terrorist target. He didn’t ask or receive Tom’s opinion. What he said made perfect sense.
Tom had naively pointed out that if they knew who was responsible and he was on the run, then surely it was very unlikely there would be any further attempts on his life. Miller had agreed with the logic but stressed that the man they were chasing was very dangerous and might even have some form of personal agenda, which went beyond logic although they weren’t aware of anything.
Another possibility was that he had been contracted to do the job and already paid, which would make him see it through regardless. Please don’t relax, Miller had stressed, realising he wasn’t going to be able to convince Melanie to take a plane home. Try not to go out too much before we apprehend this man. You should be quite safe in the hotel and it shouldn’t be for too long.
Tom was suitably worried although far more for Melanie than himself. He would be quite happy for her to adhere to Miller’s request to stay in the hotel, especially after their recent lovemaking. He could happily spend all day in bed with her. As he showed Miller to the door he was caught off guard by Miller’s turning and asking him if he had ever been to Ireland. He had replied in the negative.
Currently though, Miller’s words of warning were a long way from Tom’s mind as Melanie had
