Stanton pressed the red disconnect button. The line went dead.
He placed the phone onto the table and sat back into his high-backed chair. Then he began to tap his fingers absentmindedly as he thought through the fresh developments.
That Stanton was at his desk so late proved how out-of-control events had grown. The most meticulously planned operation of his life had become a debacle.
The thought of how well things should have gone haunted him.
McGale had played his role to perfection. Better than that, even. And the faked True IRA threat against President Howard Thompson’s life had done exactly as Stanton intended. It had caused the world to focus on the former leader instead of Sir Neil Matthewson, the man who had actually died. A focus only strengthened by McGale’s wounding of Thompson as he shot at McGale. That was a stroke of luck Stanton could not have hoped for.
Joshua, too, had successfully completed the first of his tasks. A perfectly placed bullet had cleared a path for McGale. But, looking back now, that victory had been their last real success.
All the mistakes from that point could be traced back to Joe Dempsey, and therefore to Stanton’s miscalculation. Stanton had recognised that Dempsey’s presence at Trafalgar Square could prove problematic. A remote possibility, but a possibility nonetheless. Stanton had dealt with it by keeping Joshua in the dark. To do otherwise risked revealing to Joshua that Stanton knew his true identity. That was valuable information, to be used later if necessary. Just as Stanton had done. But it was also itself a potential distraction, every bit as big – bigger, even – than the sudden appearance of Joe Dempsey. And so Stanton had chosen to keep it from Joshua. To rely upon the odds against Joshua spotting Dempsey in a crowd of thousands, particularly when Dempsey’s placement was on the opposite side of the square to where McGale would be.
That decision had been his first mistake.
Luck had also played its part. The plan had been years in the making. Every precaution had been taken. Even McGale’s unlikely arrest and detention had been accounted for, by the long-standing purchase of Sergeant Trevor Henry. A failsafe that would ensure McGale’s convenient ‘suicide’.
But fate had intervened, and even that brilliant contingency had proved insufficient.
Stanton had of course known that McGale might see a lawyer before he could be silenced. The odds against that were significant. Under English Law a terror suspect can be kept incommunicado for days. Denied the right to see or contact anyone. Even a lawyer. It was a long shot that this power of isolated detention would not be used, but Stanton had been prepared nonetheless. And so he had been ready when – with the encouragement of a prime minister desperate to protect his own interests – Daniel Lawrence had spent time alone with McGale.
Any person having one-to-one access with the man was unacceptable. Not that McGale knew anything that could lead directly to Stanton. The professor’s knowledge was deliberately inaccurate. But he knew enough to raise questions. Questions that could lead to the truth. This Stanton could not allow. And so Daniel Lawrence had had to die.
Stanton had hoped that Lawrence’s death would be the end of it. Somehow it had not, and now it seemed that loose ends were multiplying at an uncontrollable rate.
The resilience – the sheer nuisance – of Michael Devlin had been wholly unpredictable. As for Sarah Truman, Stanton still had no idea how she had stumbled onto the story. Not that it mattered. She was involved. The damage was done. In truth she added little; Stanton still believed that matters would have been resolved quickly if he faced Michael and Sarah alone. But now he faced much more.
Michael Devlin’s past presented a host of loyal connections that Stanton could not have anticipated. Problems he could do without. Problems which now posed the greatest threat to the success of his operation.
Stanton took a calming breath as he looked around his home office. The extra oxygen helped his anxiety. As did his surroundings. Stanton’s ability to think and act under crippling pressure had brought him this far in life. They had paid for much of the opulence that now surrounded him.
Those same qualities would see him emerge victorious. Of that much he was sure.
Another deep breath. A slow exhale. Stanton’s head cleared. His resolve returned. It forced the despondence from his mind. The steps that would deal with Devlin and his brother had been taken. The arrangements made. It would not be pretty, but it would be effective.
Joe Dempsey was a different matter. The DDS agent had disrupted every careful plan. The man’s determination and resourcefulness had surprised at every turn. Now the time had come to remove the thorn from his side.
Stanton put the telephone to his ear. Dialled a familiar number. Waited to be answered. For once he did not activate his voice modulator.
‘It’s me,’ he said, as the expected voice greeted his call.
‘How are things panning out in Belfast?’
‘Mostly under control.’
‘Mostly?’
‘What do you think? He’s getting too close.’
‘I did warn you. He’s good.’
‘I know. I should have listened. It’s time to end his involvement. Once and for all.’
‘He’s that close?’
‘Getting closer by the minute.’
‘And you’re sure there’s no other way? Without tackling Dempsey head-on? He’s a dangerous bastard.’
‘I’m certain. Do you have the sufficient assets in Belfast to act? Because we need him dealt with quickly and effectively.’
‘There’s no one there we could rely on. There’s no one else that good. I’ll have to do it myself.’
Stanton hesitated for a moment. He was surprised by the statement. But he would not turn down the offer.
‘OK. Then just make sure it’s done soon. I don’t want Dempsey turning up at my door.’
The call was ended without the courtesy of a farewell. Stanton sat back in his chair.
For the first time in hours he felt the situation coming back under his control. Michael Devlin and Liam Casey were dead men. Joshua would see to that, once Stanton was ready.
And now his second problem would soon be resolved, too. It would receive the personal attention of the one man he trusted absolutely. The one man as dedicated to their cause as Stanton was himself.
It was enough to reignite the fire inside him.