Deadly Broadcast by Kate Parker

Author:Kate Parker
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: JDP Press
Published: 2022-02-07T00:02:32+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

“But Frank Kennedy disparaged the Irish,” I said. What I didn’t add was that he was also an informant for Sir Malcolm and the government against the IRA. And yet he was part of the IRA inner circle.

“Great cover, isn’t it?” the man I believed to be the leader said.

“So, Kennedy was an engineer for the BBC, no doubt having some skills you could use. He was a member of your inner council, and he was a blackmailer, probably for his own gain.” I shook my head. “No wonder Kennedy was killed. I wonder if he shared in the money O’Malley received when he stole from you.”

I could sense the leader stiffen, but his grim expression never changed. I guessed they hadn’t thought of that. Or maybe they had, and that was why Kennedy had been killed.

Trusting a blackmailer was never a smart move. Especially a blackmailer who was selling you out to the government. Did they know that?

I didn’t want to think what would happen if I told them.

“Where are the letters?” the leader asked.

“Oh, dear.”

“What?” It was a demand rather than a question.

I decided to go with my story. “I burned them when I burned the other letters Kennedy was using to blackmail his fellow BBC employees.”

For a moment, I feared I would be strangled.

“You. Did. What?” The leader’s voice rose until it filled the room. At least he didn’t move toward me.

A shiver slid down my backbone and my insides twisted into knots. “I burned them,” I repeated. “It seemed the fairest thing to do with letters that were being used for blackmail. The senders were embarrassed enough to pay money so the messages wouldn’t see the light of day. I doubt they wanted to pay more if their letters had fallen into the hands of someone else with a criminal streak.”

“The letters from O’Malley weren’t used for blackmail,” the leader said, sounding as if he were hanging on to his temper by a thread. “They couldn’t have been.”

“How was I supposed to know that?” I asked, sounding annoyed to my ears. I hoped it was a good bluff. Could they tell how frightened I was?

“You shouldn’t meddle in other people’s business.” His voice was frosty.

“Everyone else was glad to hear their letters had been destroyed. How was I supposed to know you’d want to keep letters that didn’t belong to you?”

“Get out,” the leader said. His voice was as icy as the air outdoors.

He didn’t have to tell me twice. I rose and hurried toward the door to the alley I’d entered from. No one tried to stop me and I didn’t feel any sharp pains from knives, so I kept going. Once I entered the dark alley, I had to let my eyes adjust. As soon as I could make out which way to go for the closest cross-street, I would hurry in that direction.

“Oi, this way.”

I recognized the voice of the spokesman, as I’d named him in my mind. Was he being helpful, or was I being set up?

He turned on a dim torch and aimed it at the ground.

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