The Chinaman

by Stephen Leather

  ‘I would appreciate it if you would confine your comments to questions,’ the Co-ordinator continued. ‘This is not a discussion forum, there is nothing to be voted on, no consensus is needed. The decision has already been taken at a much higher level. The highest level.’

  One of the uniformed police officers coughed and raised his hand. ‘When does the operation start?’ he asked.

  The Co-ordinator looked at a slim gold watch on his wrist. ‘It started ten minutes ago,’ he said quietly.

  Another hand went up. One of the MI6 representatives. ‘Can we be told who is on the list?’ he asked.

  ‘Officially there is no list,’ the Co-ordinator said. ‘Nothing has ever been put down on paper, there will be no written record. However, I am able to tell you the names of the twenty-five IRA members that we feel the organisation can least afford to lose.’

  The names were all known to those around the table, so there were no raised eyebrows of surprise, just nods of approval. Bromley put his hand in his pocket and took out his pipe. He tapped the stem against his teeth as the names rolled on. Liam Hennessy came somewhere in the middle. Sean Morrison was the last name to be spoken.