John Brady - A Carra ring

Minogue studied the seams on Daly’s overnight bag again. Daly chewed on his lip.

“Look,” he said. “The business has its bad elements, sure. I mean, behind it all, these are ordinary lads who made it big — very big, yes. We all have our foibles, don’t we?”

“To be sure.”

“But I can’t dictate to all the lads what they can or can’t be doing. It’s not like say, well, say the Guards. No offense now, but yous do what you’re told, basically. Right?”

Minogue flicked a glance at Malone.

“Most of the time, I suppose. ”

“Tell you what,” said Daly then. “I’ll head back into town and find what’s what. And then I’ll phone you?”

“We’d prefer now that we be the ones going through the equipment now, Kevin.”

Daly frowned.

“It might well be that the very staff supposed to be taking care of your lads’ equipment might be the ones who’d be blackguarding.”

“What, our staff? That’s impossible — I mean, I just can’t imagine that.”

“Whoever handles your arrangements to get things packed and put on a plane. Your freight handlers, agents.”

Daly took in a breath and held it for several moments.

“All right,” he said. “All right. All I can say is I’d be absolutely shocked, I mean, totally. We’ve dealt with the same handlers for years.”

“Would there be stuff already here at the airport that we could look through?” Minogue asked.

Daly seemed to be lost in thought. Malone had resumed chewing. An announcement on the PA came through as a resonance in the walls and door.

“What? Oh yes I was just thinking that — well, I’m just totally gobsmacked here. I’m beginning to see that you might have, what I mean is, I’m beginning to think how you think. It’d be only logical from your point of view. This man, the photos — yes.”

“There’s stuff here at the airport in storage that we could take a look at?”

“No, not really. A few bits at most maybe. The real stuff is at the studio, in people’s houses even, can you believe. I know we’re headed out but I’m not sure at all how far ahead we are in putting it together. Let me phone Maria and I’ll ask.”

Minogue leaned against the wall. Malone began unwrapping a piece of gum. The smell of leather and leftover cologne was stronger now. Daly’s jacket squeaked as he used his arms. Minogue studied his shoes. Maria wasn’t there. “Shit,” said Daly, and asked for a Noel. Minogue couldn’t hear any of the other side of the conversation. He listened to Daly’s rapid-fire questions, the impatience. Maybe they all talked like this on cell phones. “Are you sure?” Daly asked the Noel again. He folded his phone and tugged at his nose.

‘“Don’t think so,’ says Noel,” he said. “They’re just putting stuff together and testing it at the studio before they’re packing it tomorrow.”

“Nothing packed and waiting that we could look at?”

Daly shrugged.

“There you have me. No. But I can find out pretty quick. How soon do you need to know?”

“Right away,” said Minogue.

“Tell you what. I’ll go straight to the studio, see if I can find out and I’ll phone you. I’ll look into it personally. How about that?”

Minogue exchanged a look with Malone.

“I’d know inside an hour maybe. Would that do you?”

“‘Call me Kevin,’” said Minogue “I like that. Kevin: howiya, Kevin.”

Malone snorted.

“Buy me a pint, Kevin,” he muttered. “Have you any sisters, Kevin.”

Malone kept his eyes on the monitor hanging from the ceiling. It was the same replay of Doherty’s goal, the header against Spain last year.

“He can always say he didn’t know,” he said. “He knows what he’s doing. The lying bastard ”

“Maybe he genuinely doesn’t know.”

“What? There’s a load of really expensive equipment out here ready to be wheeled onto a plane and he doesn’t know that?”

“Could be, Tommy. He doesn’t have to persuade us, you know.”

Malone slid up from his slouch and stretched his neck. The queues had gone from the check-ins. Minogue thought over his determination not to come to this airport for a long time in the future if he could avoid it. The phone ringing confused him. He fumbled but Malone had it. He listened to Sheehy and then handed it to Minogue.

“Fergal, me life on you. What have you?”

“I’ve a pain in my side laughing at this fella you sat me with. Paddy Mac.”

“Are you still there in the electrical room?”

“I am.”

“Is Paddy Mac doing what he’s told, but?”

“Arra God, no. He doesn’t need to be told anything. Sure he’s right into it. ‘The man from UNCLE,’ says he. James Bond — James Effin’ Bond, I should say.”

Minogue watched the arrivals list roll down the screen again. Something from Tenerife had landed. Sunburned, hungover faces would be drifting in soon.

“But has he covered all the items?”

“I think so,” Sheehy replied “He has the evening supervisor set with the story. The boxes and crates are stacked and ready. He even got a bit of dust on the them. A real pro. ”

Someone was singing in the pub. Minogue looked over. Two women were rocking from side to side, their glasses raised.

“He has it all worked out,” Sheehy went on. “The minute anyone shows he’ll be down there. He has a stack of crates and cases and God knows what else dumped in a cage opposite so’s he can be in there beavering away and keeping an eye out.”

“Any loose ends you can see, Fergal?”

Sheehy paused.

“I still think keeping an eye on the big one is a bit dodgy. The one with the stone in it. They all look the same to me, all them boxes.”

“Well Paddy Mac has me persuaded, Fergal.”

“Fair enough, but — ah, I’m not going to pretend I’m happy with it.”

“It might be a long night, Fergal. It’s gone to a twenty-four-hour facility since last year.”

“Send us over a few pints and bags of crisps why don’t you.”

Minogue eyed the two singing again. They had lapsed into giggles. What he had thought were shorts on the one with the long hair was actually a skirt.

Minogue felt the vibrations on his hand before the ringing registered with him. His fingers slipped as he drew the phone out again.

“There’s a fella here,” said Sheehy. “Just arrived. ”

Something began in Minogue’s chest. A glow, he had tried to explain it, some stirring not really excitement yet, just a relief that something was on the go. He stood up, the aches at a distance now, and turned toward the back of a kiosk.

“Go ahead now, Fergal, I’m with you. ”

“Paddy Mac took it over. He’s headed down to a loading door with one of those trolley things. ”

“Did you get a look at this fella?”

“He’s a delivery man. Street clothes. Mid-thirties. Heavyset. Longish hair, fair, clean shaven. Sounds Dublin, but he’s not saying much. Wearing fancy runners, a jean jacket over a sweatshirt, I think. He has a big van backed up at the door. Paddy Mac waltzed him over so’s I could get a dekko at him. Trouble is, I don’t know if he’s coming back or what the hell’s going to happen. ”

“We’re coming over, Fergal. ”

“Are we sticking to the plan? Let ’em out? No transmitter?”

“Unless there’s some big upset. John’s waiting outside at the end of the service road with Jesus Farrell to tag them when they hit the motorway. We’ll folley them out and go by them, pick them up in Whitehall and let John out of their mirror awhile. ”

He heard Sheehy moving about the room.

“Paddy Mac might be overplaying this,” he said. “I hear him halfway down the building, so I do, bollocksing away to this fella about flu and absenteeism and overwork. Christ. -”