Jack Higgins - The Judas gate

'I thought he was dead,' O'Rourke shouted.

'Almost.'

'Where are you taking him, Newry?'

'No, the Seaton Hospital in Belfast. They have a great neurological unit. Only forty miles. We'll have him there in no time.'

He scrambled back inside, the Chinook lifted and was away. The crowd moved back to the pub. Curry said, 'What happened?'

'He was working under the car and the jack slipped or something and the car fell on him.'

'Where did they say they were taking him?'

O'Rourke told him, and Curry said, 'That's a great hospital. They'll look after him. Anyway, you've earned a drink this night, Paddy, so join me in the pub.' The wake was in full swing and half the village seemed to be there, enjoying the spread offered by Emily and her helpers on the well-stocked tables. And drink was taken, of course, as one would expect at an Irish wake.

Jean Talbot was working her way through the tenants and she paused to greet her son. 'Where have you been? I was worried.'

'Something Jack and I needed to sort out, didn't we?'

Secrets again. She knew instantly from his heightened colour and his glittering eyes. 'Whatever it is, just calm down. Have a word with Father Cassidy, I really think you should.'

He was exasperated and sounded it. 'If that's what you want.'

Young Jane was passing with a tray of glasses of champagne. He took two. 'Good girl,' he said and, as he turned away, emptied one glass in a quick swallow. He looked around the room, saw no sign of the priest. The study door had been closed for privacy, but he found Cassidy in there, sitting in a wing-backed chair leafing through a book.

'Too noisy for you out there?' Talbot said as he closed the door.

'I'm getting old; the years are overtaking me. How are you bearing up, you and your mother?'

'As if a very great weight has been lifted from our shoulders.' Justin tossed back his champagne.

Cassidy glanced up at the empty wall above the fireplace. 'I see you haven't wasted any time in taking down your grandfather's portrait.'

'They have a weekly bonfire behind the stables. I had considerable pleasure in consigning the portrait to the flames personally.'

There was a certain amount of pain on Cassidy's face. 'The man has passed on, Justin, let go, renounce this continuing hatred.'

'Forgiveness, is that what you're preaching today? Forget how I suffered, Father – the way he treated my mother was abominable.'

'Forgiveness is everything. Christ even forgave Judas when he stepped in through the gate at the Garden of Gethsemane to betray him.'

'Well, as he hanged himself, it didn't do him much good.'

'Because he couldn't forgive himself,' Cassidy said. 'Once he stepped through that gate – the Judas gate, as it has become known – there was no going back. It's the same for all of us when our actions betray our loved ones, we also betray ourselves.'

Talbot took it badly. 'Are you suggesting this applies to me?'

Before Father Cassidy could reply, the door opened and Jack Kelly looked in. 'Ah, there you are, Justin. Could I have a word? It's important.'

Justin was so angry that he didn't even excuse himself, and followed Kelly through the crowd and out of the front door. They stood in the porch, rain falling.

'What's the problem?' Talbot asked.

'I've heard from Curry at Collyban. Mickeen was found by his mechanic, who called in the air ambulance service and the Chinook flew in.'

'So what are you telling me?'

'They found a spark of life.'

Talbot grabbed him by his tie. 'You said he was dead.'

'And well he might be. They're delivering him to the neurological unit at the Seaton Hospital in Belfast. Plenty of people on the staff there are sympathetic to our cause. We'll have no difficulty finding out what's going on.'

'If he gets to open his mouth, I'm finished,' Talbot said.

'Let's cross that bridge when we come to it,' Kelly said. 'In the state he's in, he could die at any minute. For the moment, I want you to carry on as normal. Don't discuss this with anyone, and that certainly means your mother.'

'Did Mickeen have any kin in Collyban?'

'All gone abroad years ago.'

'So Sean Dillon could be his only relative.'

'I'd say so, and I know what you're getting at. He's bound to be informed one way or the other.'

'Then I'll have to be ready for him,' Talbot said.

'With a pistol under your pillow?' Kelly shook his head. 'You'll need more than that with Dillon. Anyway, I'm off to make some calls to Belfast. I'll talk to you later.'

He hurried away through the rain and Talbot turned and went back in. A match flared in the depths of the great porch, revealing Jean Talbot lighting the cigarette she'd come out to enjoy earlier when she'd been interrupted by the arrival of her son and Kelly.

Secrets, always secrets. As she inhaled, the glow of the cigarette illuminated that porcelain face and dark eyes. On the other hand, there was a mystery man named Sean Dillon. Perhaps there were things she could find out about him. She flicked her cigarette out into the rain and returned inside.

It was six-thirty at Holland Park, evening dark closing in when Dillon and Holley called with the intention of taking Roper down to dinner at the Dorchester. As they were discussing it he got a call from the Gulfstream and put it on speaker.

'We're on our way back,' Ferguson told him. 'We left an hour ago.'

'Farley informed me they'd received a return flight plan. I thought you'd be staying longer. Didn't you like it?'

'No, Roper, it didn't like us, which is why we left as soon as possible, so shut up and listen to what happened.'

As might be expected from an old military hand, the report was brief, but concise and clear, leaving nothing out.

'Holley and Dillon are with me,' Roper said. 'You've really been to war, General.'

'You could say that. We've left seven men dead, one way or another. Have you any comment, Daniel?'

'Colonel Ahmed Atep and Abu Salim weren't there when I last visited. I could believe many things about Dak Khan, but the Al Qaeda connection is something new.'

'It's a good thing Captain Abu Salim was on your side,' Roper told Ferguson.

'He certainly saw Colonel Atep off in spectacular fashion, but that was the Pathan in him. A matter of honour and revenge for his two Sergeants,' Ferguson said.

'So where does this leave us?' Roper asked.

'With further proof that Shamrock exists, and another codename – an important person in London known as the Preacher.'

'Unfortunately if we insert that into the computer and demand an answer, it will give us precisely nothing,' Dillon cut in.

'I wouldn't be too sure about that,' Ferguson answered. 'Not when Roper starts digging. I've every faith in him.'

'Most kind,' Roper said. 'We'll be seeing you in about nine hours or so?'

'That's it. Over and out.'

Roper shook his head. 'What an amazing exploit.' 'Something to celebrate,' Holley told him. 'Are you up for the Dorchester?'

'Try and stop me,' Roper glanced at the clock. 'Let's say about a quarter to eight. I've got a few things to wrap up here.' At Talbot Place, there were still villagers in the Great Hall, many with drink taken, but people were having such a good time that they didn't want to go. Justin leaned against the wall by the study door, watching his mother holding court at the foot of the stairs; so popular, so loved by the people, he told himself with a kind of envy, but then she was Mary Ellen come back to life.

He was waiting for Kelly and getting impatient. It had been almost an hour since the man had gone to his car to get things moving in Belfast, but suddenly there he was, entering through the front door and hurrying over to him.

'I've got news,' he said. 'Let's go in the study.'