A Prayer for the Dying - Jack Higgins [78]
'Come on, you bastard!' he shouted aloud. 'Let's be having you.'
He stopped playing and was immediately aware of the slight clanging the cage made on its descent. He got up and went down the steps through the choir stalls, drawing the Ceska from his pocket and screwing the silencer into place with difficulty, arriving at the correct vantage point as the cage reached ground level.
Fallon flattened himself against the wall and waited, the Ceska ready. The cage door was kicked open and Bonati stepped out, clutching the Luger. Fallon shot him through the hand and Bonati dropped the Luger with a sharp cry and turned to face him.
'Meehan,' Fallon said. 'Is he up there?'
Bonati was shaking like a leaf in a storm, frightened out of his wits. He tried to speak, but could only manage to nod his head vigorously.
'All right.' Fallon smiled and Bonati saw that face again, a face to frighten the Devil. 'Go home and change your ways.'
Bonati needed no second bidding and ran up the aisle clutching his wrist. The door banged behind him, the candles fluttered. It was quiet again. Fallon moved into the cage and pressed the button to ascend.
On the catwalk, Meehan, Anna and Father da Costa waited, the rain falling in silver strands through the yellow light. The cage jerked to a halt, the door swung open. It was dark in there.
Meehan raised his Browning slightly. 'Bonati?'
Fallon drifted out of the darkness, a pale ghost. 'Hello, you bastard,' he said.
Meehan started to take aim and Father da Costa ducked low in spite of his bound hands and shouldered him to the rail, tripping him deftly so that Meehan fell heavily. The Browning skidded along the catwalk and Fallon kicked it into space.
He leaned against the rail for support, suddenly strangely tired, his arm really hurting now, and gestured with the Ceska.
'All right, untie him.'
Meehan did as he was told reluctantly and the moment he was free, Father da Costa untied Anna. He turned to Fallon, concern in his voice. 'Are you all right?'
Fallon kept all his attention on Meehan. 'The bomb? Have you set the fuse?'
'Get stuffed,' Meehan told him.
'Bomb?' Father da Costa demanded.
'Yes,' Fallon said. 'Did he have a bag with him?'
'Over there,' Father da Costa pointed to where the canvas holdall stood in the shadows.
'All right,' Fallon said, 'You'd better get Anna out of here fast and I mean out. If that thing goes off it will bring the whole church down like a house of cards.'
Father da Costa didn't even hesitate. He grabbed Anna by the arm and guided her towards the hoist, but she pulled free and turned towards Fallon. 'Martin!' she cried and caught at his trenchcoat. 'We can't go without you.'
'The cage only takes two at a time,' he said. 'Be sensible.'
There was blood on her hand from his sleeve and she held it close to her face as if trying to see it. 'Oh my God,' she whispered.
Father da Costa put an arm around her shoulders and said to Fallon, 'You're hurt.'
'You're running out of time,' Fallon said patiently.
Father da Costa pushed Anna inside the cage and followed her in. As he pressed the button to descend he called through the bars, 'I'll be back, Martin, Wait for me.'
His voice was swallowed up by darkness and Fallon turned to Meehan and smiled, 'You and me, Jack at the final end of things. Isn't that something? We can go to hell together.'
'You're mad,' Meehan said. 'I'm not waiting here to die. I'm going to get rid of this thing.'
He moved towards the holdall and Fallon raised the Ceska threateningly. 'I've had experience, remember? At this stage it'll go up at the slightest touch.' He chuckled. 'I'll tell you what we'll do. We'll leave it with God. If the cage gets back in time, we leave. If not...'
'You raving bloody lunatic.' Meehan was shouting now.
Fallon said calmly, 'By the way, I've just remembered I've got something for you.' He produced a crumpled white card with a black border and held it out.
Meehan said, 'What in hell is that supposed to be?'
'A Rest-in-Peace card, isn't that what you call them? It's for Billy. Plot number five