Jason Steed Royal Decree by Mark A. Cooper
As Jason placed them on the seat, he felt a sharp pain on the back of his head and remembered no more. Stuart had struck him over the back of the head with his own gun.
Stuart looked up across the park’s playing field. A police car, two army Land-Rovers, and a car with lights flashing raced towards him. Keeping a watchful eye on Shamus, he bent down and dragged Jason’s unconscious body into the back seat of his Jaguar.
“Sorry, I can’t stick around, old chap.” Stuart scoffed. He jumped into the driver’s seat and sped off in the opposite direction.
Shamus was on his knees, sobbing over his dead brother’s body. The police forced him onto the ground and placed him in handcuffs. Paddy Murphy and Brenda stepped out and took over the situation. The explosives were found. Shamus was arrested. He later told Brenda and Paddy that SS knew Jason. He even went as far as to say Jason called him uncle.
*
The Reverend Ian Flanagan was arrested for arms dealing. He said the explosives he had were to help the British. The intended victims were the IRA and members such as Shamus O’Neill. Nevertheless, he would get ten years in jail for arms dealing with intent to harm.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Jason’s back was stiff. His head was thumping with a dull pain. Slowly, he opened his eyes. He was in a kitchen. It was warm and smelt of lavender. It hurt to lift his head. He tried to move his hands and legs; they hurt. He was sat on a wooden chair with his hands behind his back, tied tightly to the back of the chair. Each ankle was tied to a chair leg.
“Ah, Jason dear boy. One was wondering if you were ever going to wake up,” Stuart Steed said.
Jason focused on the figure sitting at the table. It was his uncle, sipping a cup of tea.
“My head hurts. What happened?” Jason asked quietly. “Why am I tied up?”
“I’ve heard all the stories about you Jason. I can’t take any risks. Your head is fine, just a small cut. I cleaned it and applied a bandage.”
“You hit me?” Jason asked in disbelief.
“Come now Jason, you have had far worse. I couldn’t risk you being foolish before I had the chance to explain.”
“Where are we?” Jason asked.
“Back in England. You slept for hours. I took a ferry to the Isle of Man and another to England. Your SYUI were probably checking all direct ferry crossings and airports. Not so smart, are they?”
“I…” Jason paused and blinked trying to clear his head. “I need to pee.”
Stuart sighed. “Sorry, Jason, you will have to wait.”
“But, you can’t tie me up. Let me go, Uncle Stuart,” Jason said. He struggled against the ropes and bounced around on the chair before resigning to the fact he was tied secure.
“I will call someone in an hour or so to find you. I must explain first. I may not see you again and can’t leave it like this,” Stuart said.
“Please let me go to the bathroom at least,” Jason pleaded. “I really need to go”.
His uncle looked annoyed. “One doesn’t want to hurt you Jason. If I untie you, please don’t try anything or I will be forced to shoot you, maybe not kill you. But nevertheless, it won’t be pleasant, I can assure you.”
Jason nodded. Stuart cut the ropes behind his back and allowed Jason to untie his legs. Stuart followed him to the bathroom with a revolver pointing in his direction at all times.
When he was done, he was given a mug of tea and some sandwiches to eat. Stuart sat opposite him across the table and watched him eat.
“I don’t understand why you would be selling bombs to Bradan and the IRA and how you knew I was here,” Jason said, tenderly feeling the bump on his head.
“I didn’t, well I gave Shamus the tipoff that George Young was in Belfast. I never thought you would be here until I was at Flanagan’s home. I noticed you in a picture with his daughter. That blew your cover. If you want to be a good secret agent, you will need to control your hormones.”
“Cailin, she’s…” Jason paused. “She’s really nice, we just got on well and…” He stopped himself and stared at his uncle. “What were you doing at her home?”
“Her father is a unionist and supplies the union with weapons. He’s a customer of mine.”
“So you are SS, and you supply the IRA, that’s the other side. You supply both sides?” Jason asked.
“I’m not proud of it, but if I don’t, someone else will.”
“But they killed my grandparents. The IRA and Shamus killed them. That’s your own brother and sister-in-law.”
Stuart nodded and sipped his tea. “Jason, at age fifty-five I was retired from the army. At fifty–five, they feel you are done. I never married or had a family. I gave my life to the British Army and all I got as a thanks was a pension barely enough to live a measly existence on. I knew of the struggle the Unionists were having in Northern Ireland and met a guy who said he would pay a very high price for small arms. It started off like that, then it went to explosives. The money was incredible, far more than the measly pension the British Government expected me to live on.”
“Eventually, my contacts at the army dried up. Tougher controls came, so I sourced arms from overseas, Istanbul in Turkey. Buying from a dealer in Turkey came a hefty price. He agreed to sell to me if I became his main dealer in the UK, so I agreed. The first shipment was twenty pound of gelignite, a nice profit for me until I found out who the buyer was. A young guy called Shamus O’Neill. When I found out he was with the IRA and the explosives would possibly be used on British troops, I refused to sell to him.”
“He made threats of course, but I ignored them. They tried to kill me. Unfortunately, your grandparents borrowed my car and used tickets I had been given to an Opera. I can’t stand Opera. Can you imagine listening to a ghastly screeching woman singing in Italian? It’s not my kind of entertainment, so I gave the tickets to my brother and his wife. Not a single day goes by when I don’t wish I could take that back. After the funeral, your father went back to Hong Kong where he was stationed. On that flight, he met your mother.
“A few months later, Shamus appeared with a photograph of your father and mother holding hands, walking down a street in Hong Kong. It was either supply the arms to Shamus or an accident could happen. At first, I refused and was going to warn your father, but your father called me, informing me he was getting married in a hurry, because your mother was expecting a baby, you. So I agreed to sell to Shamus. I kept telling myself just this one deal and I would get out.
“As the weeks turned to months and then years, I just carried on being the main supplier. All was going well until I noticed your picture at Flanagan’s home. I had to take out some people watching the home, probably SYUI. I called Shamus to sell him what I had. I was going to make it my last deal. Then you showed up, and here we are.”
Jason drunk his tea and looked at his uncle. “So you did all this because of my dad and me? Am I supposed to forgive you for having George Young killed or all the British troops that have been killed by your bombs? Uncle Stuart, this is a mess. You will have to tell them you were being blackmailed and were protecting my dad and me,” Jason said.
“No, Jason. I killed some agents and much blood has been spilt because of me. I will take you somewhere and drop you off. I have an escape route and plenty of money in safe places. I’m afraid I must tie you again and blind fold you. I won’t hurt you. I would never hurt you. Ever since I first saw you when you were what, four or five, I have loved you. I never had any children. Your father was a fantastic nephew, but when you arrived on the scene, I knew I did the right thing protecting you. You are very special and really have no idea how much one loves you,” Stuart said. Jason noticed his uncle had tears in his eyes.
*
For three hours, Jason travelled in the back seat of the car wearing a blindfold. Eventually, the car stopped. Stuart stepped out and opened the back door. He pulled Jason out and removed his blindfold. Jason squinted while his eyes adjusted to the bright light. He was on the edge of a wood
“Where are we?” Jason asked.
“Just over the hill you will see Tiverton. You’re in Devon. Here, take this so you can make a call at a phone box,” Stuart said, passing Jason some coins.
“I’m not sure why I don’t hate you and take you down. I’m not a very good secret agent am I?” Jason said glumly.
“Nonsense, you are the best agent Britain has, but when it comes to family, your loyalties are divided.”
“George Young was a friend. Bradan was a terrorist and had blood on his hands. I don’t care about him. But all the British troops that got hurt in Northern Ireland by weapons you traded is unforgiveable,” Jason said.
“You will find it in your heart to forgive me. That’s a promise,” Stuart said. He leant forward, kissed Jason’s forehead, and then climbed back into the car. He lowered the window down and smiled at Jason.
“No, I will never forgive you. I will find you Uncle Stuart, that’s a promise. And when I do, you will have to pay for your crimes and for treason against our country. The thing that upsets me the most is Dad looks up to you and you’ve let him down,” Jason said.
“That’s a good attitude, my boy. You should despise me more. Curse me more and hate me with every molecule of your soul! Then, you should use that hatred to survive what the world throws at you.” Jason was left in a cloud of exhaust fumes.
The walk to Tiverton took Jason just over an hour. Most of the time, he regretted not trying to disarm his uncle and call SYUI. On the other hand, he felt proud that his uncle saved his life when Bradan was going to shoot him. The strong smell of manure followed him. It reminded him of a few years earlier when he was in the country with his grandparents and he had complained about farm manure smell. His grandmother told him the smell would give him rosy red cheeks.
He came across a phone box and called SYUI in London. Once he gave his name, an officer took his details. Within five minutes, three police cars greeted him at the phone box. They were given instructions to pick him up and keep him safe. Devon and Cornwall Police didn’t often get orders from SYUI. It became a priority, but they were unsure why this boy was so important and not sure if he was a criminal or just a runaway boy. They were unsure whether to put him in a cell or interview room. They settled to watching him in the canteen where he sat and watched TV. He was eventually picked up by SYUI and taken back to London.
*
Brenda and Scott arrived back in London the following day. Jason gave his statements to SYUI. The only help he could give them regarding the cottage he was held at was that he could hear the ocean and knew it was about a three hour drive to Tiverton. But that didn’t help much, and Stuart Steed could have been driving in circles to confuse Jason.
Ray Steed was upset hearing the news regarding his uncle. Brenda broke the news to him. He was furious that Jason was knocked unconscious by his uncle. Ray felt guilty and just as much embarrassed by the situation as Jason was. Jason missed Cailin more than he let anyone know. He wondered how she would be coping without her father and how she would cope with the news that her father was dealing in arms. Jason buried himself in karate. He worked out harder than he ever had before.
He woke at six in the morning and ran around the grounds of his home before performing karate katas on the front lawns. The tennis machine was dug out of the shed. He used the remote to turn it on and stood in front of it, blocking the balls as they fired at terrific speed in his direction. Having it set on random improved his reactions. All went well until he deflected one ball and it took out a window above the front door.
Brenda arrived again at his home. He noticed her talking to his father so he kept his distance. An hour later, her car was still parked on the driveway. He was annoyed she was still at his home as he entered to get a drink.
“Jason, how are you holding up?” Brenda asked.
“Fine.”
Brenda looked at Ray, both looked at Jason.
“Is something wrong Jase?” his father asked.
“No.”
“We are going to wrap up the case. Shamus will go to jail, probably for the rest of his life,” Brenda said. “Maude was an accomplice but we have no evidence to prosecute her.”
“What will happen to the Flanagan family?” Jason asked.
“We have frozen the bank accounts. Most of the money was from arms deals. Even the home could be taken. But I’m sure Mrs. Flanagan and her children will be fine, and Cailin is a strong girl. She will recover from her two losses,” Brenda said.
“Two losses? What else happened?” Jason asked concerned.
“Well Jason, she will miss her father who will be in prison and of course the boy she knew as Jason Norris.” Brenda smirked.
“Cailin, that’s a pretty name,” Ray said.
“And you Jason, did you get over her?” Brenda asked.
Jason paused and looked at her. She was being nice, more relaxed, not the battle-axe he had first met. She was warmer towards him now she was off the case. He ignored the question. Deep down, he missed her but knew he would never see her again.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Scott came to spend the weekend at Jason’s home. As usual, he slept the night on a pullout mattress next to Jason’s bed. Although they never got to sleep until the early hours of the morning, they talked about girls, joked, farted as much as they could, and ate so much chocolate and soda they felt sick before finally falling to sleep.
Jason decided to skip his workout in the morning. He woke at just after nine and scrambled to the edge of his bed and looked down at Scott.
“You awake?” Jason asked.
Scott opened his eyes and looked up at Jason and laughed. “Your hair looks like you have been struck by lightning. Why don’t you cut it shorter?”
Jason licked his palm and tried to flatten it. “I like it long on the front, besides girls like it.”
“Do you miss Cailin?” Scott asked.
“Yeah, the undercover stuff is okay, but when you get close to people it’s hard knowing you will never see them again. Even Gober was kinda cool in his own way.”
“You mean Gobnait O’Grady.” Scott laughed. He sat up on one elbow and looked at Jason. “Are you going to come back to St Joseph’s School now?”
“I really wanted to go back to the military school in America, but I don’t think they would have me back after last time. Although Dad was gonna ask. Do you want some toast?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll get it,” Jason said, jumping out of bed.
He arrived back in five minutes with a tray of toast and three mugs of tea.
“Mrs. Beeton made it. I’ll take a tea in to Dad,” Jason said. He plodded down the hallway carrying a mug of tea and entered his father’s bedroom.
“Wakey-wakey, Dad. I got you a mug of tea. Did you contact the military school yet? Can I go back?” Jason said before looking up. He froze in his tracks. The bed had two lumps, giving the outline of two people. He noticed his father’s clothing and a woman’s clothing on the floor.
“Oh,” Jason said sheepishly. “I only brought one tea.” He placed it were he stood on the floor, too embarrassed to go any further.
His father lifted himself up and looked at him. “Can you bring an extra tea please, Jason?” He looked at the person lying next to him. Jason was still unsure who it was. “Do you take sugar?”
Brenda lifted herself up and looked at Jason. She held the covers to her neck to keep herself covered. “Morning Jason. No I don’t take sugar.”
Jason nodded and left as fast as he could, running back to his bedroom and jumping into his bed as if it was a safe sanctuary.
“Scott, you are not going to believe this. I don’t think I believe it myself,” Jason said. Scott was munching on the toast.
“Battle Axe is here, and it looks like she’s been here all night. You’ll never guess where she slept.” Jason said.
“With your dad,” Scott said as a matter of fact.
“You don’t seem surprised?” Jason said, taken back.
“They were pretty close last night. Didn’t you see the way your dad looked at her?”
“No, I thought he was just being nice to her.”
“Well, looks like Battle Axe could be your stepmother.” Scott laughed.
“No way, she already said that SYUI won’t be using me on any missions as I’m too young.” Jason sat heavily on the floor next to Scott. He had never seen his father with a lady before. It had just been the two of them and the housekeeper Mrs. Beeton. He thought about the prospect of having a stepmother and even the possibility of a younger brother or sister, before dismissing the idea. No, they were just adult friends he told himself.
Jason and Scott spent Saturday coming up with a list of people to invite to Jason’s upcoming thirteenth birthday party. He decided to invite Princess Catherine and a few from St Joseph’s School. He would also invite Brenda now that she was close to his father. He would call his grandparents in Scotland and ask if they could come down. Scott’s parents, a couple of friends from sea cadets, and one from his karate class. It would seem strange not having his Uncle Stewart.
Monday, he returned to St. Joseph’s. It had been nearly five months since he last attended. In between, he had been to the American military school and of course the school in Belfast while under cover. His blazer and tie still fit, but he needed larger shirts and pants.
His previous arrangement of taking extra language classes and forgoing physical activity was allowed again as long as he continued with Judo and Karate. Scott was delighted to have his best friend back as school with him.
*
Jason’s grandparents came down for his thirteenth birthday party. Jason enjoyed seeing family and some friends at his home, but the party was awkward. He was too old for balloons, party games, and toys, yet not old enough to drink. They mostly sat around eating, with Scott telling jokes. The adults stayed in the hallway drinking and talking while the boys sat in the living room and played a game of truth or dare when Ray called Jason.