Mad Dog

by William Fegan

  His instructions from Brock had been that he should fire as soon as he had the opportunity, that there should be no conversation, that it should be a quick cold kill. Instructions designed for his protection and based on years of experience. Never give the target time.

  -Good Lord, you’ve not got any better looking since we last met. I read that you had been burnt in the fire but not that badly. The Mederma works wonders though doesn’t it? –

  -Yeah it’s okay but I’m not here to talk about my medication. –

  -Shouldn’t that be WE, you haven’t come here alone have you? –

  -No Alf, I’m not alone, but that´s doesn’t concern you. I’m going to do the job on my own. –

  -ALAN if you don’t mind, Alf died in the fire and what do you mean JOB. What Job? Oh yeah I get it, you’re not here to take me back are you, you can’t do that can you, you’re here to kill me aren’t you? –

  -Yes ALF, the game stops here. –

  -Then what are you waiting for? - asked Alan taking a first tentative step forward. –I bet I can guess what. You want to know why don’t you? You want to understand. –Alan took another step forward as he pointed accusingly at Harris. Three more steps and he would be within reach of the kitchen and the stairs. –WHY, that´s what torments you isn’t it. WHY! I’ll tell you why, MEMORIES that’s why. I wanted you all to know what it was like to lose you’re memories. All those happy memories destroyed in a second, the second in which you saw the horror of their corpses. From then on that is the only memory you have, the only image that comes to your mind. You above all should understand, -one more step as he again pointed at Harris, -you look like the twins did, did your fellow passengers point at you, snigger or worse still shun you? I bet they did, didn’t they? Well that´s the point. Just because the twins were disfigured didn’t give society the right to shun them to marginalize them to remove them from the communal memory. They had no right to do that. Did you investigate my time in Scotland’ I bet you did didn’t you? –

  -Yes, why? –

  -Because that´s were it started that’s why. I doubt if you’ll remember them but Mike and Julie Evans were the first people I had to kill in the UK. Julie was a really nice woman, didn’t deserve to be married to that scouse prick of a husband of hers, Mike. They’d gotten lost in a storm and stumbled on my farm and my wolves. He called Matthew a “monster” a “fuckin freak” and I threw him to my wolves. I couldn’t let her go then could I, I had to kill her but I made her death pleasant at least, I took this from her body to remind me of her -he said, smiling at the memory, as he pulled an antique heart design broach on a chain from under his shirt, - anyway the thing is they were declared missing and I went to cover the search for the paper. –

  -Yes I think I’ve seen the footage, -interrupted Harris and Alan took one more step knowing he had Harris hooked.

  -I’d ditched their car up by The Kyle of Lochalsh on the shores of Loch Hourn and when it was found a search party was formed supported by a hoard of helpers from Liverpool. That miserable prick of a man, Mike, was the centre of a mourning and lamentation that my brothers would never receive because they were different, because they were scarred, because they’d suffered, they deserved affection and got none and yet that miserable shit got waves of it. You see, he formed part of their memories and it was that which fed their desperation to find him. So I decided to show you all what it was like to lose your happy memories and replace them with dreadful realities. That’s the WHY you’re looking for although I doubt that even you are capable of understanding it. –

  -That’s insane, that’s just rambling insanity, you didn’t kill them for revenge nor did you kill them to vindicate your brothers, you killed for pleasure, you’re mad Alf, just plain simple mad! -

  -YES BUT NOT STUPID! –barked Alan as he took the final step he needed and dived through the arch that led to the kitchen.

  Harris with remarkable agility leaped over the sofa and headed directly for the kitchen gun in extended hand. It was precisely what Alan needed. As Harris’s hand and arm came into view Alan sprang forward and drove a kitchen knife deep into the upper arm muscles forcing him to release his grip on the gun leaving it to fall noisily to the floor. As Harris fell to his right Alan clamped his left hand around his throat lifting him upright as he slowly removed the knife from his arm. Quickly positioning himself behind Harris he placed the knife across his throat and started to force him towards the front door.

  -NOW WE´LL SEE WHO´S GOING TO DIE! –he whispered in Harris’s ear as he advanced to the door pulling it open and taking three steps forward.

  Brock knew that something was wrong when Harris hadn’t called to confirm the kill only seconds after Alf had entered. “Damn fool” he thought, “he’s talking to him”. He picked up his walkie talkie and called Agent Evans.

  -Paul listen to me, there’s a problem. I need you to do exactly what I tell you to do the moment I tell you to do it. No questions and no delays no matter how strange the order may seem. DO YOU UNDERSTAND? –

  -Yes, -replied Agent Evans calmly, -what you say as and when you say it, perfectly clear. The bloody daft old sod is talking to him isn’t he? –

  -Yes I think so, but just be ready and remember, don’t think just do what I say. –

  As Harris appeared through the door in the grip of Alan Brock immediately opened communication with Agent Evans. –Ready. –he whispered.

  -COME OUT OR I´LL KILL HIM!- shouted Alan above the noise of the storm.

  -Have you got a clear view’ –asked Brock.

  -Yes. –replied Agent Evans.

  -COME OUT OR HE DIES! –repeated Alan.

  -SHOOT ME, THEN KILL THE CUNT! –Yelled Harris.

  -Shoot him in the leg, -instructed Brock.

  The bullet tore into Harris’s right thigh instants before they heard the sound of the shot, forcing him to spin to his left falling to the ground. Alan automatically removed the knife from Harris’s throat as he tried to regain a grip on him. He felt the impact of the bullet as it ripped his chest apart at almost the same instant that he saw the flash from the weapon. The sound of the shot only barely registered as Alan’s last thoughts failed to take form making way for the images of Josie and the twins that flooded his mind bringing a smile to his face as he slumped dead on the floor behind Harris.

  Brock sprang forward laughing talking to Agent Evans as he did so.

  -You were supposed to shoot Alan not Harris! -He shouted. -Well done soldier, well done. –

  Agent Evans didn’t reply, just rolled over laughing, thinking of what Harris was going to say to him, anything other than thanks he guessed.

  Brock bound onto the porch and first checked that Alan was indeed dead before attending to Harris.

  -Give me a hand, -said Harris, I want to see him. –

  As Brock helped Harris turn over Harris tore open Alan’s blood drenched shirt and grabbed the antique heart design broach tearing it from its chain.

  -That’s not yours´-he spat at Alan’s dead body.

  Brock picked Harris up and carried him into the house dropping him on the couch next to the computer.

  -Ow! –winced Harris.

  -Count yourself lucky, -said Brock, -I told you not to talk to him didn’t I? –

  As Harris made himself comfortable Brock went to collect Agent Evans and called Agent Cooper as he did so.

  -Get the helicopter here in about half an hour if you can, three injured men, mission completed. –was the only message that he gave him. He needed half an hour to dispose of Alan’s body.

  Harris tuned on the computer and logged on to his email account sending a short message to Harvey.

  “MISSION COMPLETED, ALL SAFE BUT NOT WELL! WE´LL SEE YOU BACK HOME, GOOD LUCK AT YOUR END. HARRIS”.

  23

  Jennifer, Peter, Julian and Henry were about to complete a week in captivity and as much as the TV coverage of their plight seemed to be more intensive as the days went by the advances in the investigat
ion appeared to have stopped the moment Harvey had announced the names and identities of their kidnappers.

  -Tomorrow is 4th July, -said Jennifer cuddling into Peter on the couch, -Independence Day. It’ll be the first that I’ll spend separated from my family. Ironic really cuz I’ll be getting solace from a Brit the day we celebrate independence from you. –

  -Who said I’ll be giving you solace, YANK! –replied Peter laughing. –Anyway who said we won’t get rescued today? –

  -God I hope so, God I hope so so much, -said Jennifer gently sobbing into Peter’s chest.

  Henry and Julian sat together at the table observing the scene aware that there was nothing for them to either say or do, Jennifer only needed Peter and that was what was causing them concern. Peter continued his verbal battles with Jamil and his defiant resistance to all orders continually testing the determination of their captures and always conceding just before punishment was to be applied. The latest example being his refusal to wear the orange jump suits that they had be instructed to wear as of the Sunday morning. Peter had passed the whole morning in underwear until Jamil burst into the room and headed straight for Jennifer who at that moment was resting on the bed. It was his weak point and both his captors and his fellow hostages knew it. They’re concern was that either Jennifer would suffer the consequences of his behaviour in order for them to break his resistance for once and for all or that he would be eliminated from the group as Jamil was clearly anxious to do. They had tried on several occasions to advert Peter of the dangers and had even managed to convince him of the merits of their arguments but Peter was incapable of simply obeying the orders they were given.

  That evening as Peter and Jennifer lay together on the bed they sat watching tele and debated their possibilities of changing Peter, possibilities which they continually concluded to be virtually zero, when Henry suddenly placed his hand on Julian’s arm.

  -Julian turn the main light off but leave the tele on. –

  -Why? –

  -Just do it. –

  -You sound like a Nike ad. –

  -Yes very good, but turn the damned lights off. –

  Julian leant over to his right and switched off the light then turned to Henry waiting for an explication. Henry looked fixedly at the tele as if fascinated by the news and started talking in a whisper moving his lips less than the ventriloquist Ray Allen.

  -Try to do this slowly and don’t say anything okay? Look above the tele, look at the wall about half an inch below the ceiling pelmet, the wall is moving, it’s trembling, someone is drilling! –

  It took Julian a few moments to identify the spot that Henry referred to but effectively the wall appeared to be moving and then suddenly it stopped just at the moment that he thought he could see something penetrate through the plaster. He wasn’t sure but he thought he could make out something or rather the tip of something about half the size of a pencil head.

  -It’s stopped; -he whispered forgetting to do his ventriloquist act.

  -Did you see something pop out of the wall, tiny wasn’t it but its gone back into the wall now? –

  -Yes I saw it and I think I can still see the tip of it, what do you think it is? –

  -A camera! And I don’t think it belongs to these pricks. –

  Harvey was giving his final briefing to the CRW Teams when Agent Bradley burst into the room.

  -Sir, You’ve received an email from Harris. MISSION COMPLETED! It appears they had more trouble than expected as he added that they were all safe but not well, whatever that means, and he wishes you luck.-

  -It means that Harris can’t help but be the difficult old sod he’s always been, that´s what. They’re all safe but not well! Well we’ll just have to wait to find out the extent of the damage won’t we? The important thing is the jobs done and we can concentrate on our work here. Send him a message congratulating him and see if you can get a few more details. Try to get a telephone link with Brock, he’ll be less cryptic. –

  Half an hour later at two o’clock in Ontario, eight o’clock in London, Harvey was connected to Brock as Harris and Agent Evans were being loaded into the helicopter.

  -Well done, I knew you wouldn’t let us down, I hope you’ll all survive your injuries, what happened? -

  -Thanks Sir, -said Brock –we’ll all be fine, Harris has got a stab wound in his right upper arm which Alf gave him, it’ll teach him to disobey orders. -

  -I doubt that, -interrupted Harvey.

  -Yes well he’s also got a bullet wound in his thigh where Agent Evans shot him. –

  -Agent Evans shot Harris? –

  -Well yes, I suppose I sort of told him to, it’s a long story, but a good one, -he added laughing, -Agent Evans has a nasty leg injury from a wolf attack we suffered last night and some less important back and neck wounds and I’ve got a slight shoulder injury and a few scratches from the same attack. Other than that we’re fine. –

  -I look forward to reading your report. I’m told they’re going to fly you straight across the border to Camp Ripley, it’s not far, from there we’ll fly you straight back once you’ve recovered. -

  -Well that won’t take long, a good clean up and a few plasters and we’ll be ready. How are things going at that end? –

  -It’s coming to a climax but it to early to say how it’s going to end. I’m just finishing briefing your CRW Teams. –

  -What you got planned? -

  -We’re going to siege the Iranian Embassy. –

  -Who’s running the show? –

  -Court. –

  -Excellent, he’s the best there is, well except me of course, -he added laughing, - tell him to remember Denis Thatcher! –

  Margaret Thatcher and her husband Denis paid a visit to the SAS at Regent's Park barracks after the siege in 1980 to thank them. "Tom", one of the SAS soldiers present, said of the meeting with Denis: "He had a big grin on his face and said, 'You let one of the bastards live.' We failed in that respect."

  -I’ll give him your message, see you soon. –

  Harvey returned to his briefing with the CRW Teams.

  -I’ve just spoken to Brock, he’s just confirmed the completion of a mission we’ve had him on, he wishes you all well and he has a message for you. It sums up perfectly what I intended telling you before finishing. He said “tell them to remember Denis Thatcher!” you all know what he means. Let’s not fail this time. –

  With that he called an end to the briefing but pulled Court to one side as the others left the room. He had a request that was for his ears only.

  The CRW´s entered Nºs 14 and 18 Princes Gate silently at ten o’clock on the evening of Monday 3rd July agents of MI5 having already secured them entrance. It took the team in Nº 14 forty three minutes precisely to establish the location of the hostages in the attic flat.

  -Good news,- said Court to Harvey on the radio, -they’re on the top floor. According to the plans the flat gives to both of the neighbouring buildings and it has no outside windows. Any explosions we undertake will almost certainly go unnoticed. –

  -Can you get cameras through the walls? –

  -Yes Sir we reckon we can, the walls are of recent construction, they’re not as thick as the old ones. –

  -Excellent, keep me informed. –

  At eleven thirty he advised Harvey that they had completed the slow but silent job of drilling through the walls and had visual contact.

  -I get the impression Sir, that two of the hostages are aware of the camera. I believe them to be Julian and Henry, Sir, they’re wearing orange boiler suits! –

  -Right, well you know what to do, observe until there is imminent danger. Prepare the explosives but wait, wait until it is absolutely necessary, we need time to unravel the rest of their plan. –

  At twelve thirty that night he called Harvey yet again.

  -Sir, we’ve made contact! –

  Henry and Julian sat staring at each other unsure what to do. Their silence demonstrated that they understood the need
for calm but they also needed to act.

  -What shall we do? –asked Julian in a whisper.

  -Lets go and sit at the table, we could write a note. –

  -No not another note, remember what happened last time! –

  -Yes but this is different. We could write a small note, small enough for us to roll it up like a cigarette and jam it through the hole after lights out. What we can’t do is tell Peter and Jennifer, at least not yet, we’re being watched and who knows how they’d react. –

  -Yeah okay, but calmly, -said Julian turning the light back on.

  The lights went out at midnight as usual and Henry and Julian waited nervously until twelve fifteen before furtively rising from their beds and edging nervously towards the hole in the wall. It cost Henry an eternity to find the hole in the dark but once located he quickly pushed the note through forcing the camera to pop out of the wall on the other side to the considerable surprise of the CRW Team.

  Court grabbed the note, unrolling it and smiled.

  -Clever little buggers, get me a pen! –

  Court called Harvey. –Sir, we’ve made contact! -

  -You must be joking! How? -

  -Well Sir they’ve shoved a note through the hole, you should have seen the look on our faces when the damn camera popped out of the hole! –

  -What does it say? –

  -“Get us out of here please”. –

  -Right, write them a note on the reverse, tell them who you are, say SAS not CRW, they’ll understand that better, tell them they need to be patient but reassure them that you will ensure that nothing will happen to them and tell them what they need to do when you start the siege. Poor things, how I’d like to drag them out of there right now. –

  Court kept the note as simple as he could, rolled it up again and reinserted it in the hole. No sooner had it started to protrude from the wall than Henry’s groping fingers pulled it through afraid that it may fall on the floor and get lost to them in the dark. That night Henry and Julian slept little as they anxiously waited for the lights to be turned on at seven thirty the following morning. The wait had been worth their while and after showing the note to an amazed Peter and Jennifer, Henry ate it. He could simply have flushed it down the toilet but somehow felt that that wouldn’t have fitted in with image he had built in his mind.