A cool breeze swept briskly over the countryside. From the hilltop upon which Dennis was standing it seemed that streaks of light were being carried, in waves, across the landscape as the wind rustled the overgrown, lush, green grass in steady intermittent gusts. Gleaming rays of morning sunlight shone brightly off the dew covered grass. It reminded him, for a moment, of the ocean.
Purple rhododendrons peppered the hillsides and large swathes of land were partitioned by hedgerows and grey stone walls, erected many years earlier, and stacked to about waist height. A single road slithered across the landscape, winding around the hills and stretching across the grassy plains.
Dennis watched as a motor car glided down a hill, following the road out of a town just a few miles in the distance. The car backfired and coughed as it fought its way up a steep incline, on the other side of which was a large ditch which looked as though a plow had possibly been dragged across the road just after a storm when the earth was still muddy and malleable. The car, however, was unable to see this crevasse until it came over the summit and started down the other side.
Dennis, who was lying flat on his stomach scratching away at the dirt with a small twig as he passed the time before he’d have to go to work, raised his head in sudden anticipation of what was obviously to happen next. The driver of the car stomped on the breaks and cut the wheel hard to the left, but his reaction, while impressively reflexive, had simply come too late. The car’s momentum carried it forward, regardless of his efforts, and right into the ditch with a loud crash.
Dennis climbed to his feet and tossed the twig over his shoulder as he rushed down the hill toward the scene of the accident. His heart raced as he hurried down from atop the hill, his running quickly transitioning from a gallop to a sprint and finally into little more than a controlled fall as the grade of the hill reached its steepest point and his body built up more momentum than he could manageably handle. He tripped over his legs at one point and tumbled for several feet before he recovered, this time assuming a more rhythmic gallop in hopes of remaining on his feet.
“Hold on, ‘dare!” He shouted as he reached the bottom of the hill and moved toward the road. “Just hold on, ‘dare! Stay in teh car!”
He quickly came upon the scene and moved around to the side of the car, keeping a distance of about a foot from the ditch, which appeared much deeper than it had from atop the hill. He could make out three men in the car. The driver nervously opened his door while the man in the passenger seat started climbing out the window on his side on account of his door being jammed as a result of the accident. A third man, seated in the back, remained where he was. Dennis couldn’t tell what the third man was doing, but could hear him shouting angrily at the driver.
“What in ‘da fuck ‘ave yew gotten us int’a?!” He demanded.
“Just stay in teh car ‘dare, sir.” Said Dennis, gesturing toward the driver.
Another man jumped over a stone wall and jogged toward the vehicle as well. He was a burly man, with grass stains on his knees and wore a tattered gray sports jacket over a white shirt.
“Best stay roy’t wayr youse are.” Said the man, in agreement with Dennis, as he approached the vehicle. He squinted when he got closer and was able to make out the face of the passenger. “Dougal?!” he said with surprise as he came to a stop beside the car.
“Hello, Jimmy. Funny runnin’ int’a you loy’k ‘dis, but I can’t say I’m not relieved, anyway.”
“Aye. Well alright, Dougal, come on outta ‘dare, I’ll give ye a hand.”
Dougal was noticeably relieved. He climbed out the window and Jim grabbed him and helped him over the ditch and onto the ground where it was safe.
“What are ye doin’ out here?” Asked Jim, patting his friend’s chest and slapping his thighs. “Especially wit out y’er-... oh but ye left ye’er coat in the car ‘den, dintch ye?”
Dennis, meanwhile, made his way around to the back of the car and opened the door. “Mind the driver.” He reminded James. He and Jim were cousins and had spent most of their lives living only a short walk away from one another. “And you, ye’er Mr. Brodie, are ye?”
“Leftenant Brodie. Yes.” Replied the man seated in the back.
“Leftenant Brodie from West Belfast?” Dennis inquired further.
The man’s face changed from a look of annoyance to one of suspicion. He didn’t respond to the question and instead puzzled over Dennis’ face, wondering for a moment if Dennis was an off-duty constable who’d been informed of his arrival.
“Did ye hear?” Asked Dennis. “I asked ye if you were Leftenant Brodie from West Belfast, here on Royal Irish Constabulary business?”
“That’s right.” Admitted Brodie, in a voice that lacked its usual confidence.
“I’ve got something for ye.” Said Dennis, delving his hand into his jacket pocket. Brodie quickly grasped at something at his hip with his right hand and stiffly extended his left palm toward Dennis.
“Don’t!”
There was a loud crack and the lieutenant jerked backward in his seat. With the second crack his head whipped violently to the right and his body slumped forward against the back of the driver’s seat. Jim took a step forward, shoved a .38 revolver into the passenger window and fired three shots in rapid succession. The driver went limp and blood spattered against the windshield and dashboard. Dougal staggered back in horror. He started to run before he could bring his gaze away from the ghastly scene and so quickly lost his balance and fell to the ground.
“Relax, Dougal.” Said Jim as he walked away from the car. “You’re fine. What teh hell were ye doin’ in a car with the likes of ‘dem, anyway?”
“Youse fuckin’ killed ‘dem!” Dougal exclaimed in horror, his face pale and his eyes wide.
“He was already dead, Dougal.” James informed him. “We were just deliverin’ teh message.”
“Let’s get on, ‘den!” Implored Dennis, wanting to get away from the scene as quickly as possible.