Exceptional Merit (25 page)

Dan O'Brien came from around the bar and followed Flynn up to the stage, his blood beginning to boil.  O'Brien wrapped his hand around Flynn's elbow and spun him around to face him.  Some of the beer jumped from Flynn’s
mug, splashing on the floor.  Flynn had a fierce look on his face but it was child’s play compared to the look on O’Brien’s.  O’Brien decided it was time to put his foot down and let Flynn know who was in charge.  “You don’t walk away from me when I’m talking to ya!  Is that understood?”

O’Brien’s anger and boldness had taken Flynn off guard.

He didn’t figure O’Brien for the type of man to have enough nerve to stand up to him.  He had severely underestimated O’Brien and momentarily forgotten that O’Brien was probably fighting for the cause before he had been born.  O’Brien’s actions had instantly won the respect of Gerald Flynn and he figured Eamon Quinn, himself, would have acted in a similar manner if he had stepped over the line back at home.  He always respected Quinn and now O’Brien as well.  A solemn Gerald Flynn answered O’Brien in a barely audible voice.  “Aye, Dan.”  I’m sorry.”

O’Brien saw he had finally caught the man’s attention and he started to settle down.  He toned his voice back down.  “Good, now I’m going to call Keegan up and ask him to come here right now.”

Flynn began to protest.  “But Dan…”

“But nothing
!” O’Brien would have none of it and cut him off before he could make his case.  “Jimmy has been loyal to the cause for many years, probably since you were in grade school.  He’s a good man and he’ll be heard.”

“All right then, Dan.  I’ll meet with him.  But I want you to know, I still don’t trust ‘em.”

“What reason have you got not to trust him?  He got you a gun to carry around and to use for the assignment, did he not?  He probably has some intelligence information he wants to pass on to you so you can complete the mission safely and get back home in one piece.  We have less than a week to go before the parade and any information at all could wind up saving your arse, so I think you had better listen to what he has to say.  It’s for your own good, lad.  Don’t ya get that?”

“I certainly hope so, but I still have a gut feeling about him…and it’s not a good one.”

Flynn’s instincts were usually very accurate and no matter what Dan O’Brien thought.  Flynn was certain Keegan was going to cause trouble.  Dan O’Brien then ended the conversation with Flynn by walking back to his bar which he had abandoned only a few moments prior.  As O’Brien walked away, Tommy McDermott began to play the song which Flynn had requested.  Flynn then walked away from the front of the stage heading back to his table.  In route back, he asked his waitress to bring him another beer.

It was almost midnight and Flynn wondered how long he would have to wait for Keegan to show up.  He had the unmistakable feeling there was going to be trouble.

At first, Castillo’s heart skipped a beat as the two men approached him.  He thought he had been made again.  He quickly motioned to Sharon, alerting
her that the men were approaching. He buried his head in a menu.  This was not the case.

Louis Castillo couldn’t have asked for a better break.  Not only did the two men have this conversation directly in front of the table where he was seated but the band was also in between songs.  It was quiet enough in the bar so Castillo didn’t even have to stare at the two bickering men to try and read lips.  Instead, he was able to stare down at the menu and still eavesdrop on their entire conversation.  Neither of the men had any idea he was doing so.

Flynn had supplied him with his most incriminating evidence yet.  He only wished he had captured the conversation on tape.  From what he gathered out of the conversation, Keegan had been working for the I.R.A. for many years now and that Flynn was here to carry out some kind of mission.  He was puzzled. 
What in the world would the I.R.A. would be doing in New York?
 
And what significance did the parade hold, why did O’Brien mention it?
  Most importantly of course, was what Keegan’s role in this conspiracy was?

Castillo then asked Sharon what she had made out of the conversation.  She had told Castillo that as best as she could guess the two men and this
Jimmy were partners in some kind of plan.  Sharon’s interpretation of the conversation delighted Castillo.

An independent account of the conversation to corroborate his account could be enough to indict Keegan for criminal conspiracy if he could only find out what the plan was.  The fact that the independent witness was also a Police Officer
would certainly make her a credible witness.  Castillo then thought back to the conversation between O’Brien and Flynn.  He was relatively sure he heard the mention of Keegan supplying Flynn with a gun.  This alone was good enough to cause Keegan to lose his job and maybe do some jail time.

Castillo thought hard about his best course of action.  He then came up with the idea to follow Flynn home and to get a search warrant for wherever he was staying.  Then once he recovered the gun, he had Keegan dead to rights.  Maybe he would also find some type of evidence detailing what they were planning.  Even if no plans were found, if he could arrest Flynn and get him to roll over on Keegan in exchange for not going to prison, maybe Flynn would tell him what the mission was.  His case against Keegan would be air tight.

If all went well, Castillo figured, he could be presenting the case to a Grand Jury by as early as next week.  Castillo overheard O’Brien saying he was going to be calling Keegan to come to the bar.  He was on such a good role that he didn’t want to jeopardize it in any way.  He determined it would be best if he left the bar so there was no chance in the world of Keegan once again seeing him there.  He asked the waitress for his check.

Castillo looked at Winters and clumsily asked a favor of her.  “Would you mind keeping me company on a stakeout?”

Sharon paused for a moment.  Then she narrowed her eyes, tilted her head and bit her lower lip.  “I suppose I could lend you a hand.  What’s it worth to you?”

“I’m being serious Sharon.  I’d really appreciate it.”

Castillo decided maybe it was the alcohol causing his old flame to flirt with him but he was relieved when Sharon agreed to help him regardless.  The waitress returned with the check and Castillo settled the tab as he had done the past few nights without asking Sharon for any money.  It was the least he could do since she was the one doing him the favor.

They walked out of McBride’s and headed to Forty-Third Street where Castillo’s car was parked.  He opened the passenger door for Sharon and held it open as she entered.  Once she got inside, he closed the door behind her and walked around to the driver’s side.  He entered his car and turned the key.  The car started instantly and Castillo allowed it to idle momentarily, before putting it in gear.  He drove around the block, positioning himself about a block and a half away from McBride’s.  He parked the car in the tail end of a bus stop and kept a sharp eye on McBride’s entrance.

He turned the ignition off, keeping on the auxiliary power so they would be able to listen to the radio.  Sharon tuned the radio to a soft rock station as Castillo reached into his glove box to retrieve a pair of binoculars.  He focused the binoculars in on the entrance to McBride’s and wondered how long it would take for Keegan to show up.  But even more important than that, he wondered how long it would take before Flynn would leave.

Gerald Flynn went back over to the bar where Dan O’Brien was still attempting to catch up on serving his customers from his five minutes of neglect that he had spent arguing with Flynn.  After catching up, he walked over to the phone behind the bar.  O’Brien carefully punched in the phone number which would page Keegan.  After hearing the tone on the other end of the line, he punched in the bar’s telephone number.

Turning around, he was met by a humbled Gerald Flynn standing at the bar.  He was patiently waiting to speak with him.  O’Brien almost felt bad at the way he had to pull rank on Flynn, but he was starting to act like a loose cannon.  There was no place for that.  Not when something so important was at stake.  O’Brien definitely sensed that he had the man back under his control.  “What is it that you want, Sean?”

This time he was careful to remember to use the man’s alias.

“’I just want you to know I’m not questioning your judgment or anything like that Dan, but what if your buddy has other ideas?  He is a police officer, after all.  How can you know for sure his loyalty is to the cause and not to the police department?”

Dan O’Brien didn’t want to let Flynn know that he shared in his concerns.  “Sean, think about it for a moment.  Jim has been running guns for us for years.  He’s never asked any questions.  He has always just simply done what I’ve asked of him.”

“Aye, I understand that Dan.  But you’ve also never asked him to get involved in anything on this side of the Atlantic Ocean, now have ya?”

O’Brien knew it was a fair question to say the least.  “No.  I haven’t.  But that doesn’t change anything.  If he were to somehow try and interfere, he would be doing it at the risk of losing his job for what he has done over the years.  I’m sure he knows all anyone would have to do is detail his role in the gun running and not only would he lose his job and pension, but he would most likely go to prison for many years.  I know James Keegan, Sean.  He is a family man with three small children and a beautiful wife at home.  He’s not about to do anything that would jeopardize their future, or his own.”

O’Brien was trying to convince himself just as much as he was Flynn.

“Dan I don’t mean to be rude but you still haven’t answered me question.  What if he does try to stop the
hit?  I have me orders from Eamon and unless he personally tells me to call it off I’m going to complete it, even if it means losin’ me own life.  You know that Dan.”

“I know you would Sean, and I agree.  There is no way in the world I would call the hit off.”

O’Brien once again saw the cold eyes of a murderer appear in Gerald Flynn as he spoke.  The softness and humility had ebbed away in favor of his more familiar state.  O’Brien knew Flynn was a loyal soldier and would not call off the hit unless he received an order directly from Eamon Quinn, himself.  O’Brien agreed with him on this matter and felt it was much too important a mission to be aborted.

“So what would we do about Keegan?”

The truth was that Dan O’Brien had no idea what to do if Keegan’s intentions were to try and stop the hit.  He hoped that was not the case but he had a strange feeling that it just may be.  Why else would he demand to speak with Flynn alone instead of talking to O’Brien?  “Let’s not jump the gun, Sean.  We’ll give the man the benefit of a doubt.  But if he does, I’ll talk to him.”

“You don’t honestly think you can just talk the man out of trying to stop us if that is what he’s fixed on doin’, now do ya Dan?”

“Well, I’ll tell ya what I’m thinkin’, Sean.  If I sit Jimmy down and explain to him how important this is to the cause and what a powerful statement the hit would make around the world, maybe he’d just turn the other cheek and let ya carry out the hit.  I’ll explain to him that we don’t have the authority to abort an operation of this magnitude on our own.  If he doesn’t go for it, well, then we’ll have to deal with him by any means necessary if and when he tries to stop it.”

A cold smile came across Gerald Flynn’s face.  “Ah Dan, now that’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”

Flynn had grown to genuinely disliked Keegan and despite O’Brien’s vouching for the man’s loyalty to the cause, Flynn felt he would be loyal to his job first.

Dan O’Brien wasn’t pleased with the evil smirk he was watching appear on Flynn’s face.  It made him slightly
uncomfortable.  “Sean, I said
if
and
when
he tries to interfere and
not
any time before then.  Is that clear?”

“And so it is.  Crystal clear.”

Gerald Flynn returned to his table where he sat alone.  His beer was on the table waiting for him.  He took a swig from the beer and lit up a cigarette.  He thought it was kind of weird, but all of the sudden, he was actually looking forward to his meeting with Keegan.  He pondered how he would like to terrorize him if he decided to do anything stupid.  He would first terrorize him and then kill him without any hesitation if need be.  Gerald Flynn after all, was cold blooded and actually enjoyed killing.  Flynn reached down to his waist, feeling the butt of the gun through his clothes, just to make sure it was exactly in the right position.  Flynn took another sip of the beer and listened to the music of Tommy McDermott as he waited for Keegan to arrive.

*****************************

The vibrating of the pager against the night table was enough to wake Keegan from his light sleep.  He rolled over and looked at Kate, who was unbothered by the noise.  He picked up the pager, hoping that it wasn't the office but rather Dan O'Brien calling to inform him that the hit man was at McBride's.  The number was not familiar but it did have a Manhattan exchange.  Keegan quietly slipped out of bed with the pager in his hand and went downstairs into the living room.  He picked up the receiver of his telephone and punched in the numbers into the telephone’s keypad as he read them off the beeper.  He was confident it would be Dan O’Brien who was paging him.  He patiently waited for someone at the other end of the line to pick up the phone.  In the middle of the seventh ring, the familiar brogue of Dan O'Brien answered.  “McBride's.  Can I help you?”