Exceptional Merit (14 page)

After staying back at his command for a few hours to catch up on paperwork, he left for the night.  Keegan walked down Third Avenue towards McBride's remembering how cold it had been the last time he was there.  The upper thirties were a welcomed relief as far as he was concerned.  He walked about halfway down the block from Forty
-Third Street when he stopped and leaned against a store front.  He was watching the corner of Forty-Third Street to see if anyone would turn the corner that might have been following him.  He stood patiently in the doorway of a store for over ten minutes until he was satisfied he wasn't being followed.  He then continued on his way to McBride's.

Once inside, he made his way across the bar to sit in his usual seat on the far end of the bar.  He studied every patron to walk in the door trying to figure out if any of them could be Castillo.  He sized up most of the crowd.  It was made up of quite a few couples, some older gentlemen, many of the regulars he had come to know, and a couple of younger guys and girls.  There was nobody there alone and nobody that fit the mold of an internal affairs cop.  Still, he did not want to let his guard down.  He would try to keep his interactions with Dan to a minimum tonight.

Dan O'Brien put a pint of Guinness down in front of Keegan and walked away.  Keegan shouted across the bar.  “Thank ya, Daniel.”

Tonight's crowd was much livelier than the last time he was here.  In the half-hour since entering the bar, the crowd filled in nicely.  It was a much larger crowd than he had seen in there all winter.  Tommy McDermo
tt was singing his heart out as a nice sized portion of the crowd clapped along.  Keegan was looking around the crowd trying to spot Nora.  After he was unable to find her, he decided she was either on a break or she didn't work there anymore.  He hoped she was only on a break.

Keegan started on his second Guinness of the night when O'Brien finally engaged him.  “How goes it Jim?”

“Dan, were there any problems on the other side with the last delivery?”

“No.  Everything went just right.  Perfectly I might even say.  I heard you had a little problem with your own people but you handled it just fine.”

“You know Dan; I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this up.”

Keegan decided this was as good a time as any to feel the bartender out.  “I got an anonymous phone call this afternoon to warn me Internal Affairs was watching me.  I can't get too deeply involved where I'm going to put my family at risk.  If I ever lost my job or went to prison, how would my family survive?”

O'Brien became slightly annoyed.  “There are too many of our men in the H-blocks of Long Kesh back home who also have families Jim.  We are fighting a war, and sometimes people have to make sacrifices for the cause of freedom.”

O'Brien actually felt for Keegan.  This wasn’t his war but he was too valuable to the cause, especially tonight, to let him just walk away.

O'Brien's words hung there and Keegan thought about them.  ‘
To make sacrifices for the cause.
’  He had heard O'Brien's speech before.  It was over fifteen years ago, when he first became involved.  He had been a beat cop in the precinct and he would come into the bar a couple of times a week after a four to midnight shift.  He had become friendly with a young Dan O'Brien and loved to listen to his stories of the I.R.A., unaware that O'Brien's stories were actually a firsthand account.  It had become a routine for Keegan to close up the bar at least once a week with O'Brien.  Keegan was infuriated by the stories of the English domination of his people.

It had been one night after four a.m. when Keegan was voicing his opinion on the English occupation of Northern Ireland
, that O'Brien seized the moment.  He sensed that Keegan had drunk a little more than he should have and used it to his advantage. “We can all do our part for the cause, ya know Jim,” said O'Brien leading Keegan on.

“
The cause
?”

“Yes, the cause of a free and united Ireland.  And you can do your part to help win Ireland her freedom.”

Keegan seemed to sober up almost instantly.  He was intrigued to see where O'Brien was going with the conversation.  The idea of being involved with fighting for Ireland's freedom was a romantic notion to Keegan. “What could I possibly do to help?”

“Well you are a policeman, are you not Jim?  Therefore, you can easily buy guns without anybody questioning you.  Leave the rest up to me to get them over to our men.”

Keegan realized for the first time that not only was O'Brien dead serious but he was also an active member of the I.R.A.  “Yes Dan, I am a police officer, but that's even more of a reason I could never do anything like that.  I'm sworn to uphold the law and you're asking me to break it by running guns to terrorists.”

“Terrorists, is it Jim?  Terrorists?” O’Brien snapped at Keegan.  “Being dragged out of your bed at three a.m., by armed soldiers and thrown in a prison cell for a week without just cause, that's terrorism.  Having soldiers in tanks patrolling the streets of your city and beating you up as you walk home, that's terrorism.  Having the soldiers fire plastic bullets into a crowd at a civil rights march, that's terrorism.  The I.R.A. are not terrorists, they are freedom fighters.  They are an army who by anyone's standards, are well out gunned and outmanned by the occupying forces.  They are forced to fight an underground war because that's the only type of war they stand a chance of winning.

I'm sorry I even brought it up.  I should've known you were just another goddamned pretend patriot.  You'll come into a bar, sing the rebel songs and talk about the troubles as long as there's no risk to you.  You’ve never seen your own ma or pa thrown in jail or brutalized for no reason.  You’ve never had a loved one gunned down in front of ya.  Me own da was gunned down in front of me when I was a lad.  That is everyday life over there in occupied Ireland…to you, it’s a story book.”  O’Brien paused momentarily for effect.

“It doesn't matter to you how many Irishmen are beaten and thrown in prison each year for no reason.  It doesn't matter that the Irish Catholics are treated like second class citizens and can't even get an honest job in their own country.  As long as you're here in America with a job and freedom, it doesn't matter what plight your people suffer.”

He shot Keegan a look of disgust.  O' Brien was a powerful and influential orator and had made Keegan almost feel ashamed.  The set of circumstances after that weren't so clear to Keegan anymore but it was shortly after that night, that he had begun to run guns for the I.R.A.  He remembers how he had decided to quit after marrying Kate and then again when the kids were born but for some reason he never did.

“Don't get so upset Dan, all I'm saying is that maybe you can slowly cut me out and replace me with somebody else.  I'll still be around if you need me for a something really important and you can't get anybody else to do it.  You have my beeper number to get in touch with me if you need me any time day or night.  You know how loyal I have always been.”

He hoped O’Brien would agree.  There was no reason to think he wouldn’t.

O’Brien decided to test him.  “If it's important enough, you don't mind though?”

Keegan felt as if maybe he was swaying O'Brien to see his point of view and agreed.  “No. Of course not.  If something comes up that is that important I’d be glad to do my part.”

He realized this was his chance.  It had not been as bad as he thought.  O’Brien actually seemed to agree with him and this could be his way out.  He knew it would take time but just having O’Brien agree to back him out slowly, was a step in the right direction.

Dan O’Brien placed a hand on Keegan’s left shoulder.  “Good, I'm glad to hear that lad.”

He pulled an envelope out of his pocket and slid it across the bar to Keegan.

Keegan's heart skipped a beat when he saw O'Brien retrieve the envelope.  He hadn’t expected it and was apprehensive to do anything after the phone call he received earlier in the day.  This was unprecedented.  He had never in all of the years running guns for the I.R.A, been asked to do so two months in a row.

They were generally very careful.  They wanted to make sure if something went wrong, they would know about it, so they would not use the same personnel or methods again.  Keegan immediately looked around the bar.  His mouth went dry.  He stared down at the envelope and downed his Guinness before picking it up.  Once he was satisfied that he wasn't being watched, he quickly put the envelope in his pocket.  “Haven't you listened to a word I've said Dan?”

“And sure I have, lad.  You said if it was important enough you didn't mind, now didn't ya?   Well let me assure ya now Jim, this is the most important assignment we've ever given ya.  As a matter of fact, it's so important we need you back in here tomorrow night to personally deliver the property.”

The importance of the mission was no conciliation to Keegan.  He thought he had an opening to back out and now realized O’Brien had been setting him up the entire time; just as he had done to him in this very bar over fifteen years ago.  Keegan felt trapped.  “Deliver it in here?  To who?” demanded Keegan as he drained the last of his Guinness.

O’Brien gave Keegan a reassuring wink and a nod.  “Everything you need to know is in the envelope Jim.  I will see you here tomorrow night.”  O’Brien placed another pint of Guinness down in front of Keegan.”

“Make it a Jameson on the rocks.”  Keegan turned a little pale.

Dan O'Brien smiled ever so slightly as he poured out the Guinness, reached under the bar and grabbed the bottle of Jameson and poured Keegan his drink.  “You’re not losing some of your nerve, are ya Jim?”

Keegan never answered and instead put the glass to his lips.  After taking a sip, he opened the envelope and was careful not to let any of the money be seen.  The order was for one Beretta nine millimeter handgun and fifty rounds of ammunition.  He looked up at O'Brien with a hint of suspicion in his eyes.  “You said you want me to deliver this to somebody in here tomorrow?”  He looked around, pulled O’Brien close and whispered.  “Why would somebody need a gun in the United States?”

“To further the cause lad, to further the cause.  Why else?”

“To further the cause?” questioned Keegan.  “This is America.  What in the world could the I.R.A. need a gun here for?  Dan, I've never questioned your judgment or instructions before but I want to make absolutely certain it doesn't wind up in the wrong hands.”

“Well I assure you James Keegan, this isn't the time to start questioning me,” lectured O'Brien.  “As a matter of fact, maybe if all goes well we won't be in need your services much longer.”

O’Brien decided telling Keegan exactly what he wanted to hear would make this easier to swallow.  Even if there was no truth to it whatsoever, this might stop him from asking t
oo many questions.

“Really
, Dan?  That would be great.  You understand, it's not that I no longer want to help, I'm just afraid for my family's well being.”

It was true, he was worried about his family, but he was also afraid of losing his job.  Keegan loved being a cop.  It meant a great deal to him.  The only thing he loved more than being a
cop was in fact, his family.

“I understand.  Let's see how things go first but we may be able to cut you out shortly.”

Keegan felt liberated.  He stared down at the order as if it would tell him something.  He then put it back in the envelope and put the envelope back in his pocket.  Would this really be the last time he was needed?  He believed it would be.  If he could just get by tomorrow, he was home free.  He would no longer have to worry about losing the job he loved so much or losing his family.  He was extremely excited, although he knew he would have to be especially careful tomorrow.  If he were to be caught giving somebody a gun his whole career would be over.  It wouldn't matter if this was his last job for the I.R.A. or not.  Keegan reached into his wallet and put twenty dollars on the bar. “Good night Dan.  I'll be seeing ya tomorrow.”

Keegan nodded a good bye to Tommy McDermot
t as he sang on stage and he confidently walked out the door.

He had mixed emotions as he walked out of the bar.  He was elated that he would finally be done with his secret double life.  The toll it had taken on his marriage was not yet beyond repair but it was getting worse as time went by.  But then there was the fear and apprehension.  He knew he was being watched.  The stakes, for him, were higher now than ever.  But still, one more night.  One more night of being careful and going undetected was all he needed.  He prayed it would go off without a hitch.

O 'Brien felt bad about not being completely honest with Keegan, but it seemed like the best strategy at the time.  Besides, he hadn't planned on using Keegan again for about six months or so anyway.  Keegan would believe he was done until O’Brien would have to break the news to him that he was needed again.  O’Brien felt this was the best course of action.

Keegan made his way through the Queens-Midtown Tunnel leaving Manhattan.  His mind began to wonder about who Castillo was and who had made the phone call to warn him.  Castillo had to be from Internal Affairs but Keegan didn't have any friends there so who could have warned him.  He was passing College Point Boulevard when he first noticed the headlights of the Grand Fury behind him.  He became worried as he continually looked back in the rear view mirror.  He switched lanes waiting to see who was in the car.