Read Online Bleed a River Deep by Brian McGilloway - Free Book Online
Authors: Brian McGilloway
Ads: Link
only needed to know which direction they were going when they got to the bypass which would take them either north towards Lifford, south to Omagh, or else straight ahead into the centre of Strabane. Helen Gorman had dropped Natalia at a local fast-food place on the edge of town and was making her way up the bypass. If they headed towards Omagh or into Strabane, she’d catch them; if they headed towards Lifford, I’d have to follow them.
At the lights they indicated right, in the direction of Omagh. Gorman had just reached the junction opposite and slowed sufficiently to miss the traffic lights, thereby ensuring she’d be behind them when she got a chance to pull out. The lights changed and they drove out onto the junction and up the bypass. Following them at a distance, I stopped at the lights, although they were green, so that they would think they had lost me. When the lights changed, Gorman pulled out and drove up the bypass after them.
We followed them like that for over an hour as they visited three other houses in the surrounding area. Gorman was able to stay fairly close to them without being spotted, she assured me.
The last house they visited was an old bungalow about two miles outside Artigarvan. To reach it, they had had to turn off the main road and drive up a country lane. Gorman had been following at a distance, but when the men reached their destination, they stopped so abruptly that she had no choice but to drive past the house and continue on up the laneway. Whilst she wanted to drive back down and follow them back out onto the main road when they left again, it was too dangerous. She would be exposed on a country road and, more importantly, isolated and alone. I told her to sit at the top of the lane in case they continued on up the road. If they came back down the way they had gone, I’d wait for them at the bottom and try my best to pick up the trail from there.
I picked the most inconspicuous spot I could find along the main road with a view of the junction they would have to pass through if they came this way. Sure enough, a few moments later I was able to make out the car coming back down the laneway. I started the engine and drove past the junction, fairly sure that their final destination would be Strabane. All I could do was drive ahead and keep track of them in the rear-view mirror.
As expected, they pulled out onto the road behind me. The road ahead was straight and clear and I hoped I was far enough ahead of them that they wouldn’t recognize my car as the one they had seen outside Natalia’s house.
However, I was aware they were approaching the rear of my car very quickly. Just when I thought they were going to ram me, the car indicated and began to overtake. I decided to risk a look at the men.
I turned, glancing to my right, just as Pony Tail lowered his window and stuck a sawn-off shotgun out. I slammed on my brakes as he fired off a shot which peppered the side of my car, spider-webbing the reinforced windscreen. I twisted the steering wheel and my car jerked out of control and hit the grass banking to my left. The impact happened as if in slow motion and I watched my glasses hit the steering wheel, just before the airbag inflated and enveloped my head.
Gorman decided it was more important to check on me than chase the shooter’s car. It was the right decision; having already opened fire on me, I had no doubt they would have done the same to her.
I sat for a few moments at the side of the road and smoked a cigarette. Beyond being a little shaken, I wasn’t hurt, though I was acutely aware that I would have to explain to Patterson why a Garda car was shot at north of the border. In turn I would have to explain about the immigrants and the fact that I had ignored his instructions; there seemed no other way out.
After managing to get the car started, I drove slowly behind Gorman to the fast-food restaurant where she had dropped Natalia. We learnt that she had left an hour
At the lights they indicated right, in the direction of Omagh. Gorman had just reached the junction opposite and slowed sufficiently to miss the traffic lights, thereby ensuring she’d be behind them when she got a chance to pull out. The lights changed and they drove out onto the junction and up the bypass. Following them at a distance, I stopped at the lights, although they were green, so that they would think they had lost me. When the lights changed, Gorman pulled out and drove up the bypass after them.
We followed them like that for over an hour as they visited three other houses in the surrounding area. Gorman was able to stay fairly close to them without being spotted, she assured me.
The last house they visited was an old bungalow about two miles outside Artigarvan. To reach it, they had had to turn off the main road and drive up a country lane. Gorman had been following at a distance, but when the men reached their destination, they stopped so abruptly that she had no choice but to drive past the house and continue on up the laneway. Whilst she wanted to drive back down and follow them back out onto the main road when they left again, it was too dangerous. She would be exposed on a country road and, more importantly, isolated and alone. I told her to sit at the top of the lane in case they continued on up the road. If they came back down the way they had gone, I’d wait for them at the bottom and try my best to pick up the trail from there.
I picked the most inconspicuous spot I could find along the main road with a view of the junction they would have to pass through if they came this way. Sure enough, a few moments later I was able to make out the car coming back down the laneway. I started the engine and drove past the junction, fairly sure that their final destination would be Strabane. All I could do was drive ahead and keep track of them in the rear-view mirror.
As expected, they pulled out onto the road behind me. The road ahead was straight and clear and I hoped I was far enough ahead of them that they wouldn’t recognize my car as the one they had seen outside Natalia’s house.
However, I was aware they were approaching the rear of my car very quickly. Just when I thought they were going to ram me, the car indicated and began to overtake. I decided to risk a look at the men.
I turned, glancing to my right, just as Pony Tail lowered his window and stuck a sawn-off shotgun out. I slammed on my brakes as he fired off a shot which peppered the side of my car, spider-webbing the reinforced windscreen. I twisted the steering wheel and my car jerked out of control and hit the grass banking to my left. The impact happened as if in slow motion and I watched my glasses hit the steering wheel, just before the airbag inflated and enveloped my head.
Gorman decided it was more important to check on me than chase the shooter’s car. It was the right decision; having already opened fire on me, I had no doubt they would have done the same to her.
I sat for a few moments at the side of the road and smoked a cigarette. Beyond being a little shaken, I wasn’t hurt, though I was acutely aware that I would have to explain to Patterson why a Garda car was shot at north of the border. In turn I would have to explain about the immigrants and the fact that I had ignored his instructions; there seemed no other way out.
After managing to get the car started, I drove slowly behind Gorman to the fast-food restaurant where she had dropped Natalia. We learnt that she had left an hour
Similar Books
