He was no longer afraid.

38

He squinted and bent over the monitor. The little green dot had definitely moved. The Chemist said it was one hundred per cent accurate. He looked at his watch, which told him it was only 6.20 pm. He felt it was too early and the doubt made him grind his teeth. He asked the boys to have a look and they all studied the screen. He was definitely on his way out of the house. He ordered the boys to their seats and pulled his chair against the table. He felt a sharp surge in his groin as he watched the green dot turn right and begin its descent towards Belfast. He’d always wondered what this day would feel like. He hoped he could stay calm and in control; a cool, brilliant puppet master, pulling on the strings of history. As he watched the dot pass onto the motorway that would take it to Hillsborough Castle, he realised he could not be calm about something as monumental as this. Cormac O’Reilly was heading towards his target and he was only fifteen minutes away from his destination. In less than two hours, Cormac would be in the exact position. The green dot would gently move across his screen until it finally settled on top of the little red dot that indicated precisely where the banqueting hall was situated. He would then make one call and the dot would vanish from the screen forever! He watched it move past Finaghy and then Dunmurry. When it by-passed Lisburn, he could hardly contain the burning sensations in his groin and stomach. He opened the drawer, took out the packet and sniffed it frantically and messily up his nose. It burned and nearly made him sneeze. He held his nose until the urge had passed. He looked at the screen and saw the dot leave the motorway at Hillsborough. The buzz in his head threatened to blow the roof of the cramped room. He didn’t even register the fact he was standing now, punching the air and screaming at the top of his lungs. Nothing had ever felt this good before! He forced himself to breathe slowly when he saw the dot enter the grounds of the Castle. The clock on the screen flashed 6:50 p.m. He was early, but not too early. The dot was moving very slowly now. At the left edge of the screen he saw the tiny red glow emerge. He bit his hand so hard his blood dripped slowly onto the keyboard. He paused to watch it trickle and fall between the keys.

By 7:15 p.m., he was beginning to get concerned. The dot had not moved at all for fifteen minutes. The Chemist said it would be possible to identify even the smallest of movements. He said even if someone was walking around in the same room, the dot would move too. It hadn’t moved. It was positioned just to the right of the red dot but not quite on it. He told himself to calm down; that Cormac was probably in the room next door enjoying pre- dinner drinks.