Cry of the Hunter - Jack Higgins [42]
A dejected look appeared on the boy’s face and Anne Murphy said slowly, ‘Yes, I suppose you’ve got something there.’
Fallon smiled and slapped Murphy on the shoulder. ‘Don’t lose heart,’ he said. ‘I told you it only needed a few extras.’ He leaned over the map and studied it for a while and then he said, ‘Right, this is what we’ll do. We’ll follow your plan as far as it will work. If anything happens to stop Murphy and me from leaving the van between here and Stramore we’ll have to sit tight and take our chances.’ He turned to the boy. ‘Do you have a safe address in Stramore? Somewhere that would take us off the streets during daylight or where we could spend the night if necessary?’
Murphy frowned and then his face brightened. ‘Sure there’s Conroy’s, Mr. Fallon,’ he said. ‘I’ve taken messages there many a time.’
Fallon laughed in amazement. ‘Is that old devil still in business?’ He shook his head and considered. ‘I never could trust him. It’s anything for a fiver with him, and I’m worth two thousand.’
‘Five thousand,’ Murphy coughed and said apologetically. “That’s the reward they’ve announced for the arrest of the man responsible for the booby trap killing.’
‘The rate’s gone up, has it?’ Fallon said. For a brief moment he stared into space and he smiled crookedly. ‘Ah, well, Conroy’s it must be.’
‘But what will I do if I miss you and you do have to go to this man Conroy?’ Anne demanded.
‘I’m coming to that,’ he told her. ‘You must book in at a hotel in Stramore for the night. Tell them you’ll be making an early start the next day and pay in advance.’ He looked down at the map again and continued. ‘Just outside Stramore on the main road to the north there’s a ruined castle with a wood beyond it. A side road cuts through that wood and about a quarter of a mile along it, there’s an old, humpbed-back bridge. We’ll meet you there.’
‘At what time?’ she said.
He shrugged his shoulders. ‘Oh, about eleven o’clock. The cinemas come out about ten-thirty. There’ll be quite a few people about. That will give us good cover for getting out of town.’
‘But why can’t I pick you up in Stramore when I leave my hotel?’ she said.
He shook his head and said gently, ‘It’s getting to be just a little too hot. By now they’ll have Murphy’s description as well. It just needs one observant passer-by – just one.’ There was finality in his voice when he went on, ‘No, we’ll meet you outside the town as I’ve just described.’
She opened her mouth to protest and Murphy said, ‘I agree with him, Miss Murray.’
For a moment she glared at them and then she shrugged her shoulders in resignation. ‘All right. Have it your own way.’
She made a meal of eggs and fried ham and Fallon wolfed it down as if he hadn’t eaten for days. Afterwards they sat talking over coffee and after a while Murphy said, ‘Well, I think I’ll hit the hay. I want to be at my best for tomorrow.’ He smiled and left the kitchen.
‘He’s a nice kid,’ Fallon said.
Anne nodded. ‘It hasn’t got him very far, has it?’
Fallon sighed. ‘I know, but it isn’t entirely my fault. He was mixed up in the Organization before I ever arrived on the scene.’ He lit a cigarette and blew smoke out thoughtfully. ‘He’s got a fine mind. Doesn’t like the violence at all and he’s loyal. Nearly sacrificed himself to save me the other night.’ He sighed. ‘I hope to God I can get him safe across the border.’
‘I hope you get Martin Fallon safely across the border,’ she said.
‘And you?’ he said, ‘What about you?’
She shrugged and said quietly, ‘If I’m lucky and Rogan doesn’t talk when they catch him I’ll be able to carry on with my plans, I suppose. Go back to London. If it doesn’t work out that way…’
Her voice trailed off and Fallon said harshly, ‘It will if I can get to Rogan before the police do.’
‘And what would you