Exceptional Merit (31 page)

“The hit the man spoke about was on the first ever Protestant Grand Marshall of the Saint Patrick's Day Parade, during the parade itself.  And Martin…you are the first protestant Grand Marshall.  The I.R.A. plans on assassinating you as you march down Fifth Avenue.”

Devine raised his eyebrows somewhat exaggerated and nodded his head.  “Oh, I see,” mocked Devine, in a skeptical yet dramatic voice.  “So some I.R.A. bomber gets caught dirty, makes up a story to buy a get out of jail free card, and we all believe him?.  Why would the I.R.A. come and do something on American soil?  They could lose support of the Irish Americans they so badly covert.  I’m not buying it.”

Keegan was annoyed by Devine's skepticism.  “Martin, I've checked this out myself from this end and to tell you the truth if I didn't think it was a credible threat, I wouldn't be here in person telling you about it.”

Devine waved his hands to calm down a visibly annoyed Keegan.  “All right Lieutenant.  Let's pretend this is all true.  There’s going to be an attempt on my life during the parade.  So what do you want me to do about it?”

“Well, I thought it might be a good idea for you to withdraw from the parade.”

“Withdraw from the parade?  Not a chance Lieutenant.”

“Martin, we are talking about your life here and I'm in charge of making sure no harm comes to you.  I honestly feel the only safe choice is for you to withdraw from the parade.  Don’t march at all.”

“As I said Lieutenant
, not a chance.  If you are in charge of my protection, I have all the faith in the world in your skills as a police officer.  I've read enough in the papers to know you are a true hero and one of the most capable police officers in the entire department.”

Keegan shook his head in disbelief.  This man was obviously either thick headed or he didn't take the threat as seriously as he needed to.  “Mr. Devine…Martin, why would you put your life on the line when you can just walk away from everything safe and sound?”

“Why indeed Lieutenant?  Do you remember many years ago I defended a man who almost killed a police officer with another officer's gun?”

Keegan started to feel the hatred for Devine resurfacing, at the almost boasting
way he had brought the subject up.  “Yes, as a matter of fact I do.”

“Good, I'm glad to see the man who is going to be protecting my life is as sharp as you,” he prodded.

“Did you know that I received death threats for taking that man's case from your fellow police officers?”

Keegan for the first time in his life was slightly ashamed that he was a police officer.  The thought of police officers threatening someone's life for simply doing their job was inexcusable, regardless of what their job was.

”No.  I wasn't aware of that.”

“Well, were you aware of the fact that every opportunity an officer had to stop my vehicle for a traffic infraction, he did so and issued me summonses?”

Once again, he admitted he hadn't been aware of these facts.

“What I'm getting at Lieutenant is this.  Having a Protestant Grand Marshall for the parade is a giant step towards peace for the people living in chaos, in Northern Ireland.  It's a step toward coexistence and harmony in the war torn land.  And I never have been, nor am I now, about to start being bullied by anybody.  I made a commitment to be the Grand Marshall in the hopes it would be a step forward toward peace.  There isn't a man, women, or child alive who can either talk me out of marching, or scare me from doing it.”

Devine let the words sink in, before he continued.  “Don't get me wrong Lieutenant, I don't have a death wish and I do value my life.  I'll be guided very carefully by your directions but under no circumstances will I step down as the Grand Marshall.”

Keegan listened attentively and Devine made perfect sense to him.  For the first time since Keegan had heard of the name of Martin Devine, he respected the man.  He was truly a man of honor and conviction.  “I understand you now Martin.  You're a very brave and noble man.”

“Thank you Lieutenant, I might say the same for you.”

Devine got up and extended his hand to Keegan which was a signal that the meeting had come to an end.  As Keegan took his hand, Devine continued.  “I hate to cut you short Lieutenant but if I'd have known you were coming
, I would have allowed more time for you.  Unfortunately, I have a press conference down town to discuss the controversy that my selection as Grand Marshall has caused.”

How ironic
, thought Keegan.  If the people really knew how many problems lie ahead, that would be a newsworthy story.  Keegan was unsure what he would do next but he knew whatever measures he would take to ensure Devine's safety, he would now have to go through the department.  This was something even hero cop, James Keegan, couldn't handle on his own.  “Martin, I'll be in touch with you once I figure out the best method of security for you on the day of the parade.”

Martin Devine showed Keegan to the door but before he left paused to ask him a question.  “Lieutenant, in your honest and expert opinion, how serious of a threat do you think this is?”

“Let me put it to you this way Martin.  I have never taken any threat so seriously before in my life.”

Keegan wasn't trying to scare the man but he had no intentions of lying and downplaying the situation either.  “You know Martin, nobody would think any less of you if you did call it off.  Hey, we could even fake an injury or ailment so people wouldn't know the truth.”

Keegan figured he would try the one last angle even though he didn't believe Devine would go for it.

“Those aren't bad ideas
Lieutenant; however I will neither lie nor back down from anybody.  I do appreciate your concern though.”

Martin Devine closed the door after Keegan's departure.  He hadn't been this scared in years.  If the New York City Police Department was this concerned to send one of its finest detectives out on the case, the threat must be legitimate.  Devine walked back behind his desk and sat down.  He pressed a button activating the intercom to his secretary and asked her to bring him in a glass of water.  Devine then opened his top desk drawer and removed a bottle of prescription drugs.  He removed one pill from the vial and returned the rest to their drawer.  Devine waited nervously for his secretary to bring in the water.  Devine was unconsciously tapping his ring against the desk top when his secretary entered. 

“Is everything okay?”  She noticed Devine's nervous habit and was a bit concerned.

“Everything is fine,” Devine would reassure her, as he reached out for the glass of water.  He knew it wasn’t fine, however.  Once the secretary handed Devine the water, she left the office and closed the door behind her.  After putting the five milligram tablet of Valium in his mouth, Devine drank a small amount of water to wash it down.  He buried his face in his hands as his elbows rested on the desktop.  Devine considered his options.  He knew the easiest and safest thing to do would be to withdraw from the parade but he had come too far to do that.  If he backed down now from a threat of any kind, then standing up for what he believed in for his entire life would be meaningless.  Devine drank the rest of the water and set the glass down on the desk.

Devine reached into his pocket and removed a set of keys.  He fumbled through the key ring until he came across the appropriate one.  He inserted the key into the bottom drawer in the desk and unlocked it.  He opened the drawer and removed the .44 caliber revolver along with five rounds of ammunition.  He blew the dust off the gun, realizing it had been some time since he had opened that drawer.  Devine hadn't carried his licensed revolver since the last death threats that had been made against him many years ago.  Looking at the gun, it was quite evident that he had been neglecting to clean it as he should.  Devine opened the cylinder, making sure it was empty before cleaning it.  Devine spent a good half hour cleaning the gun and removing some rust that had oxidized on the frame.

He dry fired it.  After feeling secure that it was in good working order, Devine once again opened the cylinder and loaded the gun with five live rounds of .44 caliber ammunition.  He then spun the barrel and snapped the cylinder closed.  Devine hadn't carried a gun in so long he wondered if he was still as good a shot as he had once been.  Devine reached back into the unlocked drawer and selected a shoulder holster from the assortment that lay in there.  The gun was heavier than he remembered and would take some time getting used to carrying it again.

Devine looked up at the clock on the wall and saw it was almost time to go to the press conference.  He felt bad about lying to Keegan and telling him he had to leave right away when he actually didn't.  Devine decided that would be the last time he would lie to Keegan.  After all, it might not be such a good idea to lie to the man who is going to be protecting your life. 
His suit jacket seemed to be a little bit tighter as he put it on over the shoulder holster.  It felt a bit strange but before he knew it, he would get used to it.  He wouldn’t even notice it was there.

James Keegan had made it back to the office in time for the start of Martin Devine's press conference.  Devine had called the press conference to answer any questions about his being the Grand Marshall.  He hoped the press conference would put an end to the controversy regarding his selection.  Keegan had read in the morning newspaper that the press conference was going to be broadcast live and in its entirety, on a local city news channel.  Keegan turned on the television and tuned into the news station waiting for the press conference to begin.  He wanted to see exactly what Devine would say.

Devine stepped up to the podium as the press conference was set to begin.  He was wearing a dark gray suit with light blue pin stripping and an emerald green tie against a white shirt.  Devine looked very important and had a number of men standing around him.  Keegan couldn't help but to wonder if Devine had taken his warning seriously and had gotten together some bodyguards in such a hurry.  He noted Devine seemed apprehensive as he arrived at the podium and he seemed to scan the crowd suspiciously.  He was glad to see Devine acting in this manner and prayed he would keep his guard up from this point on, until after the parade was over.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the press and of the viewing audience as a whole,” Devine began his speech.  “As all of you know, my selection as the Grand Marshall to this year’s Saint Patrick's Day Parade has caused quite a conflict between some Irishmen.  There have been protests demanding that I step down; others, who have suggested the same, behind closed doors.  There are many people watching me at this very moment, who would prefer that I not march in the parade at all.”

Keegan's attention hung on those words.  He hadn't even told Captain Anderson about the death threats yet and he would have some real tough explaining to do if the Captain found out about them from a press conference.  Keegan believed Devine was a smarter man than to mention anything about death threats on live television, yet he was anxious until Devine's next words.

“I assure everyone; however, there is no reason for me to step down.  The reason I agreed to be the Grand Marshall was not to stir up any controversy, but on the contrary to bring us together as a whole.  My selection should be a symbol to all Irishmen, Catholic as well as Protestant, that we are one, a united people, who can get along with one another.  There should no longer be boundaries based on religion or anything else for that matter, which are built for the sole purpose of driving our people apart, instead of uniting them.  Stepping down would be turning my back on the peace process in the land of my ancestors.  That will not happen.  It
cannot
happen.”

Devine ended his opening statement with those words and then opened the floor up to questions.  Keegan watched and most of the questions seemed to focus on Devine's bid for peace in his native Northern Ireland and how he had become almost an overnight spokesman on the topic.  Keegan watched until the conclusion and was relieved that there were no questions regarding the possibility that Devine's safety could be in jeopardy.  In Keegan's experience, he'd learned things routinely got leaked to the press, sometimes even before the officials who dealt with them knew all of the details.  He was glad to see this was not the case here.

Gerald Flynn lifted his nine millimeter semi-automatic handgun to eye level and lined up the sights perfectly on Martin Devine's forehead as he ended the news conference.  Flynn pulled the hammer of the gun back until it remained in the cocked position.  He then slowly and steadily squeezed the trigger until the hammer fell forward.

CLICK
!  Flynn laughed as he watched Devine step down from the podium.  “Enjoy your last few days, ya barstard.”

Flynn put his gun back down on the table of his seedy hotel room to finish cleaning it.  He got up and shut off the television set.  If he were to get as good a shot at Devine during the parade as he got over the television, it would take only one shot to kill him before anyone, except for maybe Keegan, would realize what happened.

Flynn had been laying low since the night he had the altercation with Keegan in case he was being sought.  He didn't know for sure what Keegan was doing.  Did he decide to let him go through with the hit without interfering or was he trying to hunt him down?  He had to assume the latter, given his encounter with the female officer.