Tested by Fire by David Costa (the little red hen read aloud TXT) 📗

The sympathiser then smuggled the two men across the border into the Republic and the safety of Dundalk town, known by the security forces as ‘El Passo’ because of the number of on the run terrorists who lived and operated out of there, carrying on their murderous campaigns into the north and further beyond.

The house search in Crossmaglen, several months later, was with the intention of arresting Costello or at the very least, learning information of his movements.

As Reece listened to Wilson, it didn’t surprise him that Costello was back in action or that he’d remained involved in the more extreme levels of Republican terrorism. Most sensible people had realised that enough people had died, and some sort of peaceful settlement had to be agreed. Thirty years was long enough. But people like Costello were just psychopathic killers; they didn’t want to stop until every living British soul was dead. It wasn’t about the Cause for him anymore, he just loved killing.

‘This is where you come in, David,’ Wilson said. ‘Although we’re being told that there is a job coming up, we don’t have any details. Now, your old agent Mike comes into the picture. Have you had any contact with her recently?’

‘No, not since leaving the force, why?’

‘She contacted the agent’s control number this morning. She gave her code name and number and left a message asking to meet with Joseph. I was coming to London for meetings anyway so I thought I could bring everyone up to date myself.’

Wilson played a recording of the call to the room. The men watched Reece for his reaction.

‘Mike. She was my best agent at the top of PIRA. She comes from a long line of Republicans. When I first became aware of her, she lived just outside Newry, but she originally came from the Beechmount area on the Falls Road in West Belfast.’

‘How did you recruit her?’ asked Sir Ian.

Reece was happy to tell these men the story, but even in a room where secrets were shared daily, there were some things about Mike he wouldn’t be sharing with anyone.

Newry. Northern Ireland, 1992

The first day he’d followed her, she’d taken the bus to Belfast and met with Kevin O’Hagan, the PIRA Head of Intelligence, in the Europa Hotel. Realising she had access to those higher up due to her on-the-ground connections, Reece knew she could be vital to providing intelligence for their operations. After a few weeks surveying her, he knew the key to bringing her on-board lay with her husband, Brendan. A drunk and a bully who thought he was higher up the chain of command in the PROVO than he was.

Coming out of a pub one night, Reece watched from his car while Brendan decided to beat her in the street. Not wanting to blow his cover, he had to suffer in silence while the poor excuse of a man pushed her around and taunted her. Reece drew the line when Brendan took his fists to her. By the time he’d left his car and reached them, Mary was on the floor following two blows to her gut and one to her face, Brendan was about to continue his assault while she was on the ground until Reece grabbed him from behind and swung him around.

About to focus his attack on Reece, Brendan stumbled, but Reece knocked him unconscious before he managed to even form a fist.

Reece offered Mary his hand and helped her to her feet. Assessing her facial injuries, he expected to see fear in her eyes. But she was strong and all he could see was fire. He knew that when she told him to leave, she would be OK.

The next time Reece saw her she was walking in the rain about a mile away from her home. He pulled over and offered her a lift. She recognised him and although it was a short journey, he got the impression from their conversation that she was happy to see him. She was a lonely but smart woman. She tried to apologise for her husband’s behaviour, but he knew from how she described his actions that the love, if there had ever been real love, had died, and she could potentially be looking for a way out.

After he’d dropped her off, Reece opened a file on the couple and discovered that although Brendan was a low-level PIRA recruit who had been implicated in moving weapons for Sean Costello and a couple of robberies, he was only alive because of Mary.

She was the one the PIRA wanted. She was unassuming. Looked to all around her like the down-trodden battered wife. But best of all, she was clean.

She’d never been arrested. Never been linked to any crime. Never even had a conversation with a police officer as far as Reece could see.

Using his sources, Reece discovered that she had a Republican background and had only agreed to passing messages on to save Brendan’s head being blown off. She was loyal to her family. Regardless of what they did to her.

Reece kept an eye out for her, but it was three weeks before he saw her again. This time she was carrying her shopping and sporting a huge bruise on her face.

He asked if she was all right and she burst into tears. She was in pain. Reece then took a chance and drove to a small lay-by a few miles out of town. He asked her what had happened. She said she couldn’t talk about it, especially to a stranger. Reece gave her his cover story – his name was Joseph and he was the regional manager of a hotel chain and he travelled around checking in on their various sites.

No longer strangers, she poured her heart out to him. There was something about him that she trusted, something in his eyes.

He offered to have