Collusion Read Online Free PDF

that us ordinary officers don’t. There may be wider implications to this, other operations that might be comp—’
    ‘Rankin exercises a huge amount of control over his patch of Belfast,’ Hewitt said, ignoring the look of annoyance on Uprichard’s face. ‘He keeps everyone in line, keeps the dealers away from kids, stops the local boys from cutting each other’s throats. He may be a piece of shit, I won’t disagree with you there, but he’s a useful piece of shit.’
    ‘Is he an informant?’
    Hewitt tilted his head. ‘You know better than to ask me that, Jack.’
    ‘Is he? Is he a tout?’
    ‘That’s none of your concern. Listen, Rankin keeps discipline among his boys, something the Loyalists have always lacked. It’s the same on your side of the fence. When McKenna and McGinty got killed, the whole Republican movement could have torn itself apart, but the leadership clamped down, kept them in check.’
    ‘What the fuck do you mean, my side of the fence?’
    ‘Now, Jack,’ Uprichard said, his tone ominous.
    ‘I just mean you’re a Catholic, you’re from that community,’ Hewitt said, showing his palms.
    Lennon went to rise from his chair, with no idea what he’d do next, but Uprichard said, ‘Jack, please, let the man finish.’
    Lennon sat down and locked his fingers together.
    Hewitt smiled. ‘You know how tight a ship the Republicans run. The Loyalists aren’t like that. They’d kill each other’s grannies to get ahead. We take a stabilising force like Rankin out of the community, Christ knows what might happen.’
    Lennon stared hard at Hewitt. ‘Is this you talking, or the Northern Ireland Office?’
    ‘Inflicting grievous bodily harm, Jack. GBH. He’ll do time, even if he pleads, which I guarantee he will. You’ll put Rankin away. It’ll be on record as your arrest, your case. It’ll look good for you, how you performed under pressure, how you carried out first aid on Rankin and Crozier, how you stopped that old dear getting cut up. There could be a commendation in it for you. You can interview Rankin at the hospital when the doctors say he’s fit, see if he’ll give you any dirt you can follow up on. I wouldn’t be surprised if you got back on a Major Investigation Team.’
    Lennon kept staring. ‘GBH with intent.’
    ‘No,’ Hewitt said. ‘That could be a life sentence if he gets the wrong judge.’
    ‘He’ll only get five with GBH, probably less if he cooperates. That means two and a half at most if he behaves himself inside. He’ll do a chunk of that on remand.’
    Hewitt stared back. ‘I’ll make sure the PPS push for the maximum.’
    ‘Will you shite,’ Lennon said.
    Uprichard said, ‘DCI Gordon has a space coming up on his MIT. Charlie Stinson is going to South Africa for a year on placement. I’m sure Gordon could use you.’
    Lennon’s mind lingered on that idea. DCI Gordon led the best Major Investigation Team in the city.
    You were the smartest one out of the lot of us back at Garnerville,’ Hewitt said. ‘Smarter than me, even. Don’t cause yourself grief over a shit-pile like Rankin. Besides, you can’t claim any moral high ground given your recent history. You got off light with that Patterson business. You owe me a favour.’
    Lennon buried his face in his hands.
    ‘Fuck,’ he said.

6
    Sometimes dreams followed Gerry Fegan into waking. He knew the border between his mind and the world beyond was solid, but the dreams had a way of crossing over. Just a few months ago, he drowned his terrors with whiskey every night. Now that he was sober they flourished, swelled, grew until they rubbed against his daylight hours.
    But still, anything was better than before, when the shadows of the dead followed him through Belfast’s backstreets and alleyways.
    He threw the blankets aside and let the damp air jerk him awake. Even as his consciousness flickered to life the dream-figures climbed the walls. He blinked and rubbed them away. The heels of his calloused