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soon.’
    Dillon was really very good, she decided. He was playing the old standards, the kind of things she liked. A cigarette dangled from the corner of his mouth and he suddenly moved into ‘Our Love Is Here to Stay’, a slightly crooked grin on his face. As he came to the end, the regular pianist appeared and Dillon smiled, slid off the piano bench and the other man took over.
    The Irishman came across to her. ‘Serendipity, isn’t that the word? This is a total and unexpected pleasure.’
    ‘Why, Mr Dillon, you’re a man of erudition.’ ‘Well, unlike you, I didn’t go to Oxford. I had to make do with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.’ ‘You were an actor?’
    ‘Oh, come off it, Kate Rashid, you know damn well what I was, all of it.’
    She smiled, and as Guiliano came up she said, ‘His personal preference used to be Krug, but I understand he’s switched to Louis Roederer Cristal. We’ll have a bottle.’
    Dillon produced a silver cigarette case, opened it and took one out. She said, ‘You might ask a lady,’ reached, took the case from him, examined it and selected a cigarette herself. ‘Art deco. A man
    of taste. Or perhaps a souvenir of the National Theatre?’
    ‘You are well informed,’ Dillon said. He flicked his Zippo and gave her a light as the champagne arrived. He lit his own cigarette. ‘You know, there’s coincidence, which could be this meeting, and then there’s Carl Jung.’
    ‘You mean synchronicity? A deeper motivation is intended?’ He toasted her. ‘So what are we into here?’
    At that moment, George came down the steps into the bar and joined them, Frank Kelly following. Kate said, ‘Ah, here come two freebooters, from One Para. Dillon, this one is my brother George.’
    But it was Kelly that Dillon bothered with. ‘I wouldn’t wear a shoulder holster if I were you, son. It’s too difficult to dump your gun in a bad situation. It’s better in your pocket, and don’t say stuff you or I’ll say stuff you.’
    Kelly actually smiled, and Kate said, ‘Sit at the next table, Frank, so you can hear.’
    He smiled again at Dillon. ‘Yes, ma’am, like a good dog I obey.’
    Dillon laughed out loud. ‘Well, this dog I like. Can he have a drink?’
    ‘Not on duty,’ Kelly said. ‘And by the way, I’m from County Down, too, you Fenian bastard.’
    ‘So we know where we are.’ Dillon smiled. ‘Go on, have one Bushmills, and sit down and hear what the lady wants.’
    Her story was quite convincing. ‘The thing is, Dillon, we, that is, Rashid Investments, are moving into Ulster in a big way because of the peace process, but we’re experiencing roadblocks, if you know what I mean. Our developments would bring high employment, but we’re being leaned on.’
    ‘So?’ Dillon asked.
    ‘Well, we need what I suppose you would call protection. People who might help.’
    ‘And who might that be?’
    She waved to a waiter and paused until he’d poured more champagne. ‘Have you heard of a man called Aidan Bell?’
    Dillon almost fell over the table laughing. ‘Jesus, girl, he’s tried to shoot me more than once. Our Aidan was big with what you might call fringe organizations on the hard right of the IRA.’
    “I heard he was possibly responsible for killing Lord Mountbatten.’
    “Weil, I was accused of that myself.’
    They also say you attacked Number Ten Downing
    Street in February ninety-one with mortar bombs.’ ‘Never proved.’ He smiled. ‘Mind you, if we’d had a bit more time …’
    ‘All right,’ she said. ‘So you’re a bad boy, but I need to get to Aidan Bell to see if we can do a deal. Protection, call it what you want. He lives in a place called Drumcree in County Down.’
    ‘I know it well, I’m from Down myself, but then you know that.’
    ‘I’m supposed to meet him on Thursday. I’ll take George.’ She turned to Kelly. ‘Can I count on you, too?’
    ‘Of course, ma’am.’
    Dillon said to him, ‘Good man yourself,’ and turned