Read Dark Circles for Free Online

second man facing Jennings was in total contrast to Sir Phillip although they shared one thing in common – they were both enormously powerful. Jackie Carlisle was no longer involved in politics, but his hand could be found in every aspect of life in Ulster. Now in his seventy-first year, his pale face was thin and angular, with his nose a giant prow, accentuated by the emaciation surrounding it. In contrast to Sir Phillip, the wing-backed chair consumed him. His knees and elbows stuck out of his expensive blue suit. Carlisle liked to think that a flea couldn’t fart in the Province of Ulster without his permission. Certainly, no piece of legislation moved through the Northern Ireland Assembly that he didn’t cast an eye on first.
    ‘Cheers,’ Sir Phillip raised his glass of brandy and toasted the other two men. He took a deep slug.
    ‘Your liking for the devil’s buttermilk will kill you one day,’ Carlisle said raising his teacup.
    ‘You only live once,’ Sir Phillip laughed.
    ‘What time will the others arrive?’ Carlisle asked.
    ‘We start at twelve thirty and finish our meeting with lunch,’ Lattimer replied. ‘Most of them want to be back in Belfast in the early afternoon.’
    ‘The agenda is fairly short,’ Carlisle said. ‘As Chairman I intend to keep discussion to the minimum.’
    Jennings sipped nervously at his tea. Since he had received the invitation from Carlisle, he had been wondering why he had been summoned for the pre-meeting chat. Carlisle and Lattimer were the heavyweights of their group and an invitation from them was a serious affair. Roy Jennings had spent his life climbing the greasy pole in the Police Service of Northern Ireland. As a young man, he had read a copy of Machiavelli’s The Prince , and he had lived by its rules. He had bag-carried and brown-nosed his way to the second top position in the Force, and he knew that he would never make it to the top unless he had the support of Carlisle and Lattimer and men like them. He already accepted his position as being beholden to others in furtherance of his career.
    ‘Roy we need to know that you are completely onside with our little clean-up operation in Belfast,’ Carlisle’s steely grey eyes bored into Jennings.
    ‘So far it appears to have gone well,’ Jennings said trying to hold Carlisle’s gaze.
    ‘The whole business was a total cluster fuck,’ Lattimer said.
    ‘Phillip, please,’ Carlisle said. ‘No profanity and none of that American crap.’
    ‘Don’t give me that Bible thumping shit,’ Lattimer said. ‘A cluster fuck it certainly was.’
    ‘Our confederate, Mr Rice, is not the most intelligent or subtle of men,’ Carlisle said. ‘It was inevitable at some point that a trace would be left on some project involving him, and that it would have to be cleaned up. I’m assuming that Rice is at the very least competent in removing the threat.’
    ‘Maybe we should have thrown Rice to the wolves.’ Lattimer sucked the dregs from his glass.
    ‘Rice has been an integral part of our operation for a considerable period of time.’ Carlisle placed his teacup on a small table beside his chair. ‘Throwing him to the wolves was never an option.’ He turned and looked at Jennings. ‘I assume there’s no issue on the side of the PSNI.’
    ‘Malone is not even on the radar,’ Jennings said. ‘David Grant is another matter. He’s in the public eye and Rice’s friends were very inventive in their method of killing him. It’s not every day that a Belfast City Councillor hangs himself in a kinky sex act. We can assume that this one will run in the newspapers for some time. We won’t be completely safe until it runs its course.’
    ‘But you can stifle any investigation,’ Lattimer said leaning forward.
    ‘If that becomes necessary,’ Jennings said.
    Carlisle rubbed his bony chin. ‘There is no need for an investigation. David Grant died while performing a despicable sexual act. Our friends in the Press will