The Negotiator

Plots and Plans

My time with Marty came to an end, she went back to England and I concentrated on work. God, what a woman, we’d spent our last couple of days together in a blistering s*x storm that left us both happily knackered. Now it was time to focus on work.

During my absence, things had moved on. Jonno had been promoted to Staff Sergeant after he identified the business in Boston that was the probable source of the Provo’s arms. The company exported a lot of American goods to Eire, Northern Ireland and the UK mainland. But even the CIA didn’t know how the guns and explosives got out the country. Every container they sent was checked by customs to no avail.

The Boston businessman c*m gangster was a man called Seamus O’Rourke, an American of Irish heritage. He was said to have romantic ideas about “The old country.” He’d never been to Ireland, the nearest he got was supporting the Boston Irish pipe band on St Patrick’s day and getting drunk whilst watching the parade.

A stern-faced Harriet called me to her office. ‘We need both the American and Irish connections checking out, Jack’ she said. ‘Miss Eldridge reported that you were a natural and were easily passing for an American before you left the States. I want you to act as an American businessman, do you think you are up to it?’

‘I adopted my new accent ‘Sure honey, you bet!’

Her smile didn’t reach her eyes. ‘The American authorities are being very supportive and will give you a checkable background plus a passport, driver’s licence and other things to back you up. I have to tell you though, this will be a bloody dangerous assignment.’

I nodded, picking up on her serious mood ‘What’s involved?’

Harriet produced different photos of the Hanrahan’s again, ‘These are the latest pictures of the suspected Eire end.’ I saw that Patricia had a slightly wistful look about her I hadn’t noticed before. Brendan Hanrahan looked about forty with deep-set brown eyes and a cruel twist to his mouth. The pictures had been taken a week ago.

‘Patricia likes well-heeled Americans.’ Harriet said, ‘Brendan uses his trips up North to indulge his passion for eighteen-year-old girls. Their marriage is a sham. Patricia thinks sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. They attend social functions and portray themselves as a happy couple, but everyone who knows them well knows the truth.’

‘And I’m to make their acquaintance?’ I asked.

‘I cannot order you to do this Jack as you know, but, yes’ she paused, ’you’ll have to play it cool with them, though, feign disinterest in The Troubles. Your only interest is sourcing genuine Irish products like Linen and Crystal for a company in Boston.’

‘Let me guess’ I said, ‘this Bostonian company is owned by the gangster O’Rourke?’

She grinned broadly, shaking her beautiful head, ‘No, but it is a competitor of theirs, one the CIA have a hold over. You will be an appointed agent of Tea Party Imports Inc. If you take the job.’

‘If I’m not mistaken Irish linen and Chrystal is best sourced in Eire?’

‘She broke eye contact and muttered ‘That’s where you’d be working, Jack. Patricia never comes north with her husband.’

Oh great, I thought, a million miles from back-up if things go t**s up. This would need careful planning and preparation and a knowledge of the buying tactics of agents.

‘I’ll have to do a lot of research and study’ I told her ‘There’s no way I can approach this half-arsed.’

The army has a saying, the seven “P’s” Poor Preparation and Planning Produces Piss Poor Performance She agreed with me but stressed that it needed doing sooner rather than later.

‘We’ve put months of hard work and a lot of resources into this Jack, as you yourself have, but if you feel you’re not up to it, just say so…... her voice tailed off, leaving a pregnant silence.

Great, she was using her psychologist’s technique on me now “if you feel you’re not up to it, just say so…..”

This phrase was designed to pique my ego, make me jump in and say ’yes, no bother, I’m up to it.’ She was still underestimating me, but I wouldn’t let her know that. Yet.

I left the pause to grow into an uncomfortable silence whilst staring at her. Silence can be a two-edged sword, now she was the one feeling the pressure of it. Harriet was as ruthless as Frank in her own way, but a lot subtler. Finally, she could stand the silence no longer ‘well?’ She asked.

‘I’ll think about it’ I said, watching her reaction. Her left eyebrow twitched; she was disappointed.

‘Right, we’ll talk again tomorrow, yes?’ She sounded assertive now like my consent was a foregone conclusion.

‘Or the day after’ I said, playing awkward. If I was to have a degree of control over this operation I had to assert myself, not be a compliant dogsbody. I had a high value in terms of experience, she must be made to see that. ‘I will want the full story, Harriet, and I mean the full story before I consent to spy in a foreign country. At the very first hint of bullshit, I’m out, OK?’

She stared hard at me, not liking the blunt way I was asserting myself. Then she nodded, at last understanding that I was not going to be manipulated by her or the system nor have another ‘Frank’ episode.

Two and a half days later, after the fullest briefing I’ve ever had, I said yes. Then the bean counters in Whitehall tried to interfere, asking why I would not just slip over quietly the border? Bloody clueless bastards, every one of ‘em.

I flew to New York using my British passport then bought some expensive American made clothes and shoes, using a shiny new American Express credit card. Credit cards had been around in Britain since 1966 but had yet to take off as they were viewed with suspicion by ordinary Brits. I didn’t know of one soldier who had one. We probably didn't qualify anyway on Army pay. I thought they were bloody marvellous as I wouldn’t be paying the bill, so I went to town buying only the best. I dumped my British labelled stuff. I then became an American citizen, Mr Jack Murphy. I hired a car to drive the 300 miles to Boston. I visited Tea Party Imports Inc, an up-market Mail order company, I met Wilson, the CEO and looked at the type and quantity of stuff they imported. I may have to answer a lot of questions later on.

On leaving the Tea Party Inc building I got an uneasy feeling I was being followed. I couldn’t see anyone that looked suspicious, so I crossed the street and went into a coffee shop. After I sat down a nondescript looking guy in a cheap grey suit and down at heel shoes came in and took his coffee over to a corner table. He might have gotten away with his surveillance except the silly bugger took out a newspaper and pretended to read it. After ten minutes he still hadn’t turned a page.

I should have realised that a business competitor who was a gangster would almost certainly have a spy on the payroll of Tea Party Inc. What did he know? Was it just curiosity or was there another agenda? What should I do about it?

Now that I had identified him I thought I might just lose him. No point in grabbing him as that would mark me as something I wasn’t supposed to be.

I finished my coffee and left. He followed. Coming down the street were two taxis. I let the first one pass me then hailed the second one at the last second. I jumped in and gave the driver the hotel next to mine. I glanced behind to see the man look desperately up and down the busy street seeking a cab. My luck held, there were no more taxis. That night I grabbed a large handful of coins and found a public phone booth. I reported the incident to Harriet who said she would see what she could find out.

Next day I drove to Logan airport, handed back the car and flew to Shannon Airport.