"Ferg, it's me, Frankie." "Listen, I'm leaving messages on your phone." "I need to talk to you tonight." "It's about midnight your time, now." "Phone me back when you get in." "Fergus, it's me." "Listen, lad - I need to speak to you." "I need to speak to you tonight." "Fuckin' phone me back, will you?" "It's all gone fuckin' wrong, here." "I need to..." "Where the fuck have you gone, eh?" "On the fuckin' piss?" "I need to talk to you tonight!" "Now!" "ROUTE IRISH" "To the front!" "Go, go, go!" "So where we going, then?" " Fuck knows." "Africa?" " Africa?" "I was thinking somewhere like France." "France?" "It's too close." "What about..." "Brazil?" "Or Australia." "Australia." "That's good, that." " How about India?" " India?" "India." "Still somewhere to go, isn't it?" "It's far away." " New Zealand?" " New Zealand." "Doesn't appeal to me." "It's right by Australia." "I've just decided." "I'm going to Australia." "Rachel." "I need to see him." "Frankie." "I need to see him." "I'm really sorry, sir." "Even his family haven't seen him." "The coffin's been sealed." "Yeah, I know." "Let them all go." "I'll see him then." "No, I don't think you do understand." "You see, the coffin's been sealed, because the body..." "Well, the deceased was very badly injured." "Very badly injured, and he's not complete." "Frankie..." "They gave you a fuckin' tie..." "He hated fuckin' ties." "Get it off." "What have they done to you?" "Eh?" "What have they done?" "Where's your hand?" "At least I recognise your hand." "With Frankie, you learned always..." "to expect the unexpected." "But that could never hide what a terrific soldier he was." "Courageous, loyal, funny." "Tough as nails, but always fair." "And I'm here today to tell you..." "that Frankie, the man, didn't change when he left the army, and came to work with us at Tyree." "The skills he learned as a soldier were used to protect engineers, bringing water and electricity to the long-suffering people of Baghdad, to protect doctors, surgeons, experts in child nutrition, journalists, electoral advisors." "He was a protector, a nation-builder, a force for good." "And I'm ashamed to have to say this, but... there are no memorials in this country to men like Frankie." "No Union Jacks, no guards of honour, no sympathetic words from politicians." "In fact, precious little respect at all." "In my book, these men are the unsung heroes of our time." "Patriots, soldiers for peace." "And to Rachel, and Frankie's family..." "I want to say it was a privilege to have known this true giant of a man." "He was desperate to speak to you." "Where were you?" "I fucked up." "I got in a fight." "Two bouncers taking the piss out of Craig cos he's blind." "I told them it happened in Baghdad, they don't give a fuck." "They ended up in hospital, I ended up in a police cell." "Why don't you come back with me to Ibiza for a while?" "Huh?" "No drink, no drugs." "They've got me passport." "Listen, when this case is over, I'll come." "I promise you." " You promise me!" " I promise." "Jamie gave me this." "He came to visit me..." "but it came from Frankie." "It has this little note attached." ""Dear Marisol, please keep this safe for me." ""If you see Fergus first, please give it to him - nobody else." ""Got to rush." "Can't wait to see you, love." ""Frankie."" "We don't know everything that happened, but we have a pretty clear idea of how it unfolded." "We have some documents here, which you may want to look over later." "On the 17th of September, they was on Route Irish..." "Sorry..." "Route Irish?" "Route Irish is..." "It's a codename for the road from Baghdad airport to the Green Zone." "They were on their way to pick up a Spanish journalist from the BIAP - the Baghdad International Airport." "His name?" "His name was Sergio Perez Minguez." "Which paper?" " Does it really matter?" " Yeah." "Just asking a few questions." "It matters." "The paper was El País." "Frankie and three contractors were ambushed approximately two kilometres from the airport by terrorists." "There are no direct eyewitnesses as such, but we do have signed statements, from another company of passing contractors, who passed by within minutes of the incident." "They said the vehicle was in flames, and it had been immobilised." "So the vehicle - was it soft-skinned or armoured?" "It was one of our new fleet." "Just came up from Kuwait." " It was armoured, Fergus." " Do you have a photograph?" "We thought that kind of material would be a little upsetting, on a day like this, Fergus." "But we can have a copy sent to you, Rachel, if you want." "Yeah." "One of the contractors from the other company recognised Frankie, who was lying outside of the vehicle, beside the road." "That's when he pulled to a halt, tried to stabilise him, and evacuated him to the CSH, which is the..." "What was his name?" "Which company?" "Fergus, will you do me a favour, mate?" "Just let..." "He's got a right to ask questions." "He's part of this family, as far as I'm concerned." "All I'm doing is trying to get to the bottom of what happened." "I think it's important that you all understand that Route Irish is the most dangerous road in the world." "I'm very sorry, but they were just... in the wrong place, at the wrong time." ""The wrong place, at the wrong time"?" "No." "No fucking way." "Not Frankie." "Frankie was never in the wrong place, at the wrong fucking time!" "You don't fucking understand, do you?" "He was born lucky." "He was born lucky." " Fergus, fucking hell, mate..." " Sit down!" "Fucking get out, before I lose me temper!" "All right, I'm going, I'm going." "Sit down, Andy." " He was born lucky." " I'm sorry." " So sorry about this." " It's OK." "Don't be sorry." "Look..." "Those boys were like brothers." "They went to school together." "They grew up as brothers, he's just..." "He's lost the fuckin' plot." "Does he... ever see his family?" "His mother more or less deserted him, got remarried and went to London." "Basically, the only family he's ever known has been Frankie and us." "He's a good man." "Thanks, Andrew." "These are all for you, Rachel." "There is one small thing." "Frankie borrowed a mobile phone from an Iraqi driver, and never had time to hand it back to him." "The driver lost his son a week later, and he had some photographs on that phone." "So for sentimental reasons, we're trying to get it returned to him." "God, that's really terrible." "Sorry, he didn't mention it." " Look at that." "Have you seen that?" " What?" "That fucking cunt over there." " Fucking Haynes." " What's going on?" "It's fuckin' Haynes, giving out his card." "He's fucking recruiting." "He's fucking recruiting people at Frankie's funeral." " Fuckin' hell." " He's going over." "Fucking cunt." "Giving out your fucking card at Frankie's funeral!" "Fucking cunt!" "You fucking scumbag!" "You fucking toerag!" "We approached him." "It's a wake." "We approached him." "Calm down." " Have a bit of respect." " Just remember where you are." " Calm down, Fergus." " Let me go!" "I'm all right, I'm all right." "Hey, it's me." "Give us a bell." "Suppose you're on the piss, aren 't you?" "Give us a bell when you're back." "Ta-ra." "Hey, slaphead, it's me." "I left a message on your mobile." "Listen, phone me back." "Phone me back tonight." "Speak to you in a bit." "Fergus, me back's against the wall." "I've got no one to turn to." "Where the fuckin' hell are you?" "Answer your fuckin ' phone!" "I've got to deliver this notice for a non-payment of gas." "Turn up at this house, the woman comes out the kitchen." "This fuckin'..." "You know?" "I said, "Look, I've just got to..."" "And I give her this thing." "I said, "It's from the Gas." ""Non-payment of bills." "I've got to serve you this notice."" "She went, "Fuck off..."" "Next thing, she goes to the back door - to what I thought was the garden - opens the door." "Fucking dog." "Fucking head on this dog..." "like that, honest to God." "Fuckin'... big American fuckin' thing." " You know these dogs..." " I know exactly what you mean." " Pit bull, innit?" " This fuckin' thing was like that." "Chasing me down..." "fuckin' chasing me down the road!" " He hasn't had a go at you, has he?" " Fuckin' look at that." "Fucking hell, mate!" "Aye, aye!" "Have a look at his arse!" "Didn't know the Chippendales were coming in, did you?" "Eh?" "Fuckin' hell..." "I'd get me arse bit every day, if could have a bop at that." "Fuckin' hanging off me arse!" "Fuck this." "What are you doing this for?" "Honestly." "Seriously." "Cos I like animals!" "No, joking aside, why don't you come with me to Iraq?" " Ah, no, lad." "I've told you..." " Join the circuit with me." "No, lad." "I said to her, I'm staying." " This won't last forever." " Listen to me, look." "Ten grand a month, I'm getting." "Fuck off." "Ten grand a month." "Tax free." "And you've been?" "Ten grand a month?" "Ten grand a month, tax free." "One phone call, you could be with me." "On my fuckin' team." "What d'you think?" "300, two unknown bravos, left side of road." "500, abandoned vehicle, right side." "Approaching position." "400, stationary vehicle, left side." "RPG left!" "Move right!" " Go right!" " Go right!" "Come on!" "Go, go!" "What are you doing?" "Frankie!" "Frankie!" "Fergus!" "Move!" "Move, Fergus, move!" " Thanks, mate." " Where's Brett?" "He's fuckin' gone, mate." "I started sorting through Frankie's things." "Didn't realise how much stuff he's got." " There you go." " Thanks." "Stuff arrived from Iraq." "I don't know what's wrong with me - I found these on the top, and I couldn't carry on." "This was a week after you introduced us." "That half-marathon." "My knee was playing up, but I really wanted to finish, and he walked the last three miles with me." "He had this one on his wall, above his bunk." " Did he?" " Yeah." "I didn't realise there were so... many photos." " There's loads of you." " Let's have a look." "I remember that day." "I remember that." "Frankie looks really happy in that one." "I've never even looked at these before." "I used to pretend you were both still in Belize, in the Caribbean, you know." "Not at war." "If it came on the telly, I'd just switch it off." "He'd do anything for me, and I wasn't there for him." "I never asked him once how it was... how he was." "Not once, Fergus, can you believe that?" "Now, I've got his ashes." "Why are you doing this?" "Why are you punishing yourself?" "Rachel, he loved you so much, you know that." "Don't do this." "I don't know what to with them." "Would you like me to take them?" "What did you say?" "Would you like me to take them?" "He's dead, Fergus." "You're still clinging on." "Look, I'm sorry." "I'm sorry..." "I didn't think you'd mind." "Oh, I wouldn't mind." "Like I wouldn't mind him going to Iraq!" "He only went there because of you, and even now, you want to take him away from me." "Sometimes I fucking hate you, Fergus." "Listen, I'd better go." " Who was that woman in the church?" " What?" "The woman, at the back of the church." "Who was she?" " What woman?" " You know what woman." "Oh, look..." "She"s from Ibiza." "A lot of the single lads go there." "It's a way of coming down." "It's no big thing." "Every fuckin' day out there could be your last." "You try going from that to shopping at Tesco's." "That's all it is." "OK, what was her name?" "Why?" ""Why"?" "I want to know." "What was her name?" "Marisol." "Her name was Marisol." "She owned a little bar." "We used to go there." "She was kind, patient." " Once you realised..." " What was she, Fergus?" "Was she your girlfriend, or just a friend?" "Does it matter, Rachel?" "Does it matter what she was to me?" " Yeah." " A bit of both." " What about Frankie?" " No, no." "Look, Frankie..." "He was never there." " He never came there." " "He never came there"?" "So you did everything else together," " and he'd never met her?" " No." "You shared her!" "Just tell me." "Yeah, we fucking shared her!" " I can't believe this!" " We fucking shared her!" "We shared her." "We shared fucking everything, apart from you!" "Got to hit me harder than that, if you're going to fucking hit me." "Hiya." "I've got an appointment with Harim, the Iraqi musician." " Room 2, upstairs." " Room 2, upstairs?" "That's her mother." "I think she's the birthday girl." "And that's her brother." "And..." "Yeah." "There are some video clips." "Do you want to see them?" "Yeah." "Yeah." "How many videos did you..." "There is two video clips, and those photographs." " That was everything on the phone?" " Yeah." "Two videos?" "The first one." "That's the same party, same birthday cake." "The same family from the photographs." "They cut the cake." "Ice creams." ""Taif" - that's one of the boys." "Her brother's name is Taif." " Taif?" " Yeah." "The young boy we saw in the photograph." "She was here to live a hundred years, and that's Taif." "They are happy there." " You want to watch the second one?" " Yeah." "He's asking him to go on the bike." "He wants them to come back." "They hit the taxi." "They killed the family." "You've killed a family." "Nelson, you stupid bastard!" "You've killed a fucking family!" "Get down!" "Get down!" "They killed those two boys, and the family as well." "This is murder." "Do you know these men?" " No." " Have you ever been to Iraq?" "No." "Have you heard of Order 17?" "Gives these mercenaries freedom to act like cowboys." "Total immunity." "They charge through our country, killing who they want." "No question asked." "We detest them even more than the army." "Who are you?" "I told you..." "I'm a researcher, working for a journalist." "I'm just trying to find out what happened here." "Who owned the phone, anything about him." "I need you to go into the phone, get all the text messages, voicemails, contacts..." "Just translate everything on the phone." "Look, I'll pay you." "I'll pay you well." "I'll pay you £ 700." "What's to stop me copying this and putting it on the internet?" "There's no point." "If you do that, you'll jeopardise the whole investigation." "These contractors know what they're doing." "They'll close ranks, they'll falsify records." "They'll have the best lawyers in the country." "Right now, they don't even know this phone exists." "They kill people all the time." "Why are you interested in this case?" "The contractor that ran to the taxi - he died ten days ago, and I think the company that employed him..." "I think they're lying, they're hiding something." " Ah..." "That's why you care about this." " It's not..." " How about the Iraqis?" " Listen..." "Do they count?" "Do you care about them?" "Of course, now listen to me." "Does this video have a date on it?" "First of September." " That's four weeks ago." " Exactly." "Why should I trust you?" "You shouldn't trust anyone." "Oh!" "That's a fucking red card, that, ref!" "Great!" "Yeah!" "Penalty!" "Don't miss it, you soft twat!" "Shut up you, you prick." "Frankie called you, yeah?" "Yeah, he called me about three times." "He was looking for you, and he weren 't happy." "He was proper fuming." "Did he mention Nelson?" "Was that that wophead in Baghdad, is it?" " Yeah, Nelson." " Yeah, he mentioned him, and them two, that were at the funeral." " Haynes and Walker." " Yeah." "He mentioned them." "What did he say about them?" "Anything specific?" "No, nothing." "He was just like, "Where's Fergus?" ""They're fucking doing me head in," things like that." "He didn't have a good word to say about them." "He just wanted you." "Can you remember the date?" "Was it September the first?" "I remember it being after you done them doormen in." " Was it a Saturday?" " D'you know what, it was." "You were meant to come round to watch the Everton game." "What's going on, lad?" "Dunno, mate." "Something's not right." "Come on, tell me." "You got to fuckin' help me." "You're the only one I trust." "You gonna help me, or what?" "Listen to me, you've got to fuckin' help me, OK?" "Can you not just come out here yourself?" "You think if I could, I wouldn't already be there?" "I can't come out, they've taken me passport." "I've got this court case." "Tommy, you're in and out of the office all the time." "Just check for me..." "Check the incident reports, first of September." "Shooting on a taxi." "Listen, if they find out they'll go fucking spare." "I understand that." "I need you to find anything out, any handwritten notes, scan them, send them over." "I need to know who was in the vehicle with Frankie and Nelson." "I need names, numbers." "Frankie was really upset that night." "Talk to Peggy, in the bar." "They were close." "She might know something." "And I need to find Jamie, the mechanic." "You know Jamie?" "Jamie's in Afghanistan." "He's gone now." "Well get me a number, any kind of contact for him, if you can." "Listen to me, that fuckin' Nelson, is he still out there?" "Yeah, he's fucking here." "When's he coming home?" "I need to know." " That's all I'm asking." " Hold on a minute, Fergus." "I'm not getting involved wi' Nelson, cos the man's a fucking savage." "All right?" "I'm not even having a laugh." "We're talking about my job." "I've got three fucking..." "Talking about...?" "Listen, I appreciate you've got kids, but talking about your fucking job?" ""Talking about your job"" "Have you got a short memory or something?" "We fuckin' owe Frankie, both of us." "You fuckin' know that." "What were the dates?" "Well, you kept this quiet." "How long have you been here?" "Months." "Lost track." "And it's still empty?" "What's that about?" "Didn't know where to start." "So you just curl up in a corner?" "It's what you want." "Some of Frankie's ashes." "It's only right." "If he wasn't with you, he was talking about you." "To be honest..." "I was jealous." "I realised that... he didn't really go to Iraq for the money." "He went to be with you." "Ah, come on, Rachel." "That's daft." " I think he loved you." " Fuck off, Rachel." "Here." "I think it was just going through his stuff," "I realised that maybe I didn't know him." "No, Rachel, that's wrong." "You did, you knew him." "You knew the best part of him, without a gun in his hand." "Did you find his mobile?" "Was there any messages?" "Yeah, there was a few." "Nothing important." " What about his laptop?" " Think it's broken." "It rattled when I picked it up." " Did you check his e-mail?" " I don't know his password." "I bet you do, don't you?" "Are you going to tell me, Fergus?" "Six letters." ""Rachel"" "Same tattoo as Frankie." "What is it with you two?" "Can you give me the statement that Haynes sent you?" "Yeah, course I can." "Did he send any photos of the burnt-out vehicle?" "No, not yet." "But the contractor who found them..." "He sent these of the vehicle." "They're fucking horrible, Fergus." "There, there, there." "Oh yes!" "Oh, yes!" "The y're gonna get it." "Yes, naughty little boys." "Yes!" "Yes." "Yes..." "Yes." "Right, gone out of range on it." "Roger." "Got him." "Good." "Second one." "Hit the other one." "Go right, see if anyone's moved by the truck." "Right, store that." "There's a guy who moved, right there." "Hit him." "When I was in the SAS, we used to do joint operations with the US." "Special Forces." ""The hunt for terrorists"?" "Load of fucking bollocks." "Chicken farmers, mostly, these people." "You'd go in, and... you grabbed them, and you cuffed them." "Put their hands behind their back." "And their fucking wrists would blow up like balloons." "They'd be pissing themselves, shitting themselves, children screaming, women screaming..." "One night we did eleven houses in a row." "Eleven fucking houses - we got nothing." "Eleven houses..." "And you know, the one thing... it's ironic, but if they didn't support Al Qaeda before, then they did after, I can guarantee you that." "And the fuckin' Yanks..." "the Yanks would torture them." "Fuckin' torture them!" "What did they do?" "One time, I saw this guy being interrogated." "They used an electric prod on him." "They half-drowned him in a swimming pool." "But what can you do?" "They had this motto " ""No blood, no foul."" "What does that mean?" "Means if they don't fuckin' bleed, you've done nothing wrong." " Want another drink?" " Yeah." "Hi, love." "Pint of lager and a vodka and tonic, please." "Room clear!" "One bravo!" "Move away!" "Tell them." "Stand away!" "Move out the fucking way." "Come on, let's get that kid out!" " Get the kid." " He's taking too long!" " Get out!" " Get out the way, I'll get him." "Get outside, you stupid fuckin' rag-head!" "They had this orchard." "They wouldn't give any information, right?" "So the Americans threatened them, to flatten the orchard." "So this woman, she's fuckin' hangin' on to this tree, cos that's her fuckin' life." "She's holding on to this tree." "She's not gonna move." "So they order this young soldier - young black kid - to go in, get her out." "But he's nearly fuckin' breaking her arm, she's struggling so much." "The fucking tanks go in, roots get torn up..." "This kid's standing there, he's trying hide his tears." "And the thing that got me more than anything is... they're fuckin' playing jazz music on the speakers." "On the tanks, there's jazz music." "So I left." "I got out the Residents, that was it." "But you didn't get out, did you?" "You joined up with Haynes." " You were still there." " Because Haynes..." "It was me last chance..." "at a big payday." "Why did you go on your own, if it were that good?" "Cos I wanted my own firm." "I wanted a piece for meself." "And why not?" "And you know what?" "Haynes was fucking furious." "He couldn't get it in his head, how a scruff like me - from fuckin' here - a scruff like me, had an eye for the fuckin' main chance, as fast as him." "What happened, Fergus?" "I lost three of my lads in an ambush." "Good lads." "Got the client out." "The golden rule " ""The package always comes first."" "I left the lads behind." "We never did that in the army." "I thought I was OK, then I got a letter from one of the mothers." "Things just started falling apart." "Slap me." "Come on, Rachel." "Slap me." "Come on." "Harder." "Harder." "Punch me." "I was in the archives." "Donald came in." " I had to drop it." " He's still out there, is he?" "Aye, he's a fuckin' arse." "Well listen..." "did you manage to get anything?" "The first of September, tell me what you found." "Well, there's nothing happened, by all accounts." ""There's nothing fuckin' happened"?" "They shot up a fuckin' taxi!" "Well, there's fuck all in the record about it, cos I've checked everything." "So..." "Did you find out who was on duty with Frankie that day?" " Nelson." " Nelson?" "Well, that ties up." "And three Colombian guys, as well." "Three Colombian guys?" "Did you get their names?" "Nah, never heard of them." "Look, I need you to get the fuckin' names, mate." "Just get them, and text me with them as soon as you've got them." "What about Jamie?" "Any word on Jamie?" "He's in Afghanistan, up some fuckin' mountain, fixing Jeeps." " For fuck's sake." " Look," "I'll try to get a message to him." "Best I can do, man." "I appreciate your help, and I won't forget this." "I won't forget." "Right, see you later." "Who was that?" "Tommy, a contractor in Baghdad." "Who's Jamie?" "Jamie's an old mate from army days." "A mechanic." "And what did you mean, when you said someone shot up a taxi?" "Look..." "Something happened out there." "Something really bad." "First of September, two weeks before Frankie died." "There's someone I want you to meet." "An Iraqi musician." "Has it got something to do with Frankie?" "I want to know what's going on, Fergus." "I don't know, myself." "But I tell you what, I'm going to find out." "This song is from Mesopotamia - which means "The land between the two rivers" - the Tigris and the Euphrates, where the homo sapiens learned to write, to count, and mark the stars." "Which anthropologists call "The Cradle of Civilisations"." "In my dreams, it may be once again." "That's one of the children, shouting Taif's name." ""Taif is somewhere, here."" "Oh, Frankie." "You've killed a family!" " Nelson, you stupid bastard!" " They're all dead." "You've killed a fuckin' family!" "Frank, get back in the fucking van!" "You've killed a fucking family!" "Fucking get in the van." "Get in!" "Fuck's sake..." "Just get in!" "There are several messages you should hear, as well." ""Taif." "Ranj." "Answer me please." "Where are you?" ""Why you went out?" "You didn't tell me." ""Who's listening to me?" "Where are you now?" ""I don't have anything else without them." ""Please, they're both clever boys, they haven't done anyone." ""Please, don't touch my boys." ""I'll be your servant." ""I'll sell my car, I'll sell my house, give you anything you ask me."" ""They are only my sons, they are my only sons."" "Rachel!" "Rachel." "Rachel, wait." "Rachel!" "Look, you don't understand." "Look at Craig - ordered to shoot, hesitates cos he think she's seen a kid in the car." "Bang!" "Blinded for life." "What about Jason?" "No fucking legs!" "Half a gut, can't even wipe his own fuckin' arse!" "It's split-second decisions." " You saw that film!" " It's fuckin" us or them!" "What about that little boy?" "He had a mobile, he didn't have a gun." "Oh, come on!" "What d'you think they use to set off the I eds?" " I don't even know what an IED is!" " Improvised explosive device." "It's been fucking killing our lads for the last three years." "Come on, Rachel." "Fucking wake up." "Why wasn't there an incident report?" "At least four people were killed." "To avoid a scandal." "They don't want to get a reputation as cowboys." "That could jeopardise millions' worth of contracts." "And what about those poor people in the taxi?" "Come on, there's over a million people dead." "You think they'd give a flying fuck about a taxi driver and a nosy kid?" "Frankie did." "He cared." "It's a text message from Tommy." "The names of the Colombians that were on duty with Frankie, the day they shot up the taxi." "Show me." "It's the same names." "The same three boys that were killed on the 17th, with Frankie." " You sure about that?" " Yeah." "Haynes sent them to me." "Fuck." "That makes Nelson the only survivor." " Was it him who shot up the taxi?" " Yeah." "I was in the Paras with him, he's a fuckin' arsehole." "I'm going to the police." "Wait!" "What are the police gonna do in Baghdad?" "These bastards will run rings round them." "I don't give a shit." "I'll go to the police, the MP, the papers..." "Just stop." "Wait a minute." "Remember the Iraqi that was picked up by the soldiers in Basra?" "Eh?" "93 injuries, beaten to death - they still got off with it!" "They closed ranks - they always have, they always will." " What can we do?" " Give me more time." "Just give me some more time." "Fergus." "At the funeral, Walker asked me about an Iraqi mobile." "He said Frankie had borrowed an Iraqi mobile phone, and he'd forgotten to return it." "Fuckin' bastard knew all along." " Think he's going to turn up?" " I know he will." "Don't ask why." "Put that one on silent." "Is it working?" "Yeah, you're ringing me now." "I'll hide that in his car." "Put mine on mute." "Sometimes the simplest things work better." "What's that?" "It's a tracking device." "Nothing fancy, you just buy it over the counter." "There he is." "I mean, this taxi just got way too close." "Our wagon carried out manoeuvres right down to the letter." "They went from the outside lane down to the inside lane." "Taxi's still coming." "They tried to pull away from the taxi." "Taxi was still on his tail." "One of the Colombian boys started screaming at Nelson to take a warning shot." "Nelson fired a mini-flare." "Taxi kept coming." "Nelson fired a shot." "Taxi didn't pull back." "Nelson had no option - he took the taxi out." "What about Frankie?" "Well, Frankie forced the driver to stop the vehicle." "Run back to the taxi." "He put his own life at risk, and the entire team's." "Nelson wanted him sacked." "What did you do?" "I'm risking my career here." "I should've went through the channels... but Frankie was beside himself." "Especially about the kids." "He suggested compensation." "We all agreed." "We all chipped in, and we told no one outside of Iraq." " Did he phone you that night?" " Yeah, he did." "I phoned my wife, too." "I went with Hakim, found the taxi driver's family, paid 'em in cash." "Found the other people's family..." "Hakim organised it all." "Maybe you should talk to him first." "Hello, it's Walker." "I'm in the UK with Fergus." "Fergus Molloy." "He's got a few questions for you." "Hakim?" "Have you got a photo of Frankie's vehicle?" "I do." "We had it towed back to base." "It's true." "They paid the families." "Frankie was too good for Iraq, Rachel." "I've just left them." "I think it was OK." "She believed me, that's for sure." "No, he wasn 't drinking." "Mineral water, the whole time." "Well, he spoke to Hakim." "That was a good fuckin' idea." "I don't think they've got the mobile, or they would've asked more questions." "It's best if he gets done and they send him to prison for a couple of years." "Have they given the green light for the takeover yet?" "That's ex cellent, Andy." "It's all about you and your contracts." "You know that, don 't you?" "Listen, we'll open a couple of bottles when we meet, yeah?" "Take care." " They're bastards, Fergus." " Too fuckin' right, they are." " Peggy." " Who's Peggy?" "She's got a bar in the Green Zone in Baghdad." "She's got some information." "Nelson was smashed." "He was absolutely out of his face." "Started calling Frankie names." "Things like "Goody-two-shoes" this." ""Florence Nightingale" that." ""Why don't you shag a rag-head if you love them that much?"" "Nelson started going on about a mobile phone." "What did he say about the mobile?" "He were going, "Where's the fucking mobile, Florence?" ""I seen you pick it up."" "Frankie never said anything." "He still ignored him." "Then Nelson grabbed Frankie by the collar." ""Where's the fucking mobile?"" "Then Frankie punched him." "He went flying across the tables." "Christ knows how he got up again." "Then Walker and a few of the lads came in." "What did Walker do?" "Walker and the lads dragged him out of there, screaming blue murder." "But here's the thing." "That night, I was cleaning out the toilets, and I seen it wrote on the wall." ""Florence, you're a dead girl."" "I feel close to Frankie out here." "We used to skip school, and get a bottle of Buckfast." "Go on the upper deck." "Nobody to hassle us." "Crossed this ferry every day, Rach." "Back and forth, back and forth." "Just trying to catch on to how it was before, do you know what I mean?" "Have you opened his e-mails?" "Yeah." "Read them." "They weren't meant for me to read." "Lots from Marisol." "I can see why you liked her." "Not the way he was with me." "He was never like that with me." "That's how we are." "You'd be amazed at what we can do." "Look, Rachel, I'm a different person with you than I am with anyone else." "When we get off this boat, I won't be the same as I am now." "You too, Rachel." "He was missing me." "He wanted to come home." "He was fed up, hated it." "They sent him to the airport three times in his last week, and there was no one there." "Like a fuckin' shooting gallery." "There was more stuff, Fergus." "Not just that." "Mostly, it was about the stuff with Nelson, the argument." "Nelson had said something at breakfast one morning, and Frankie just couldn't let go of it." "He'd said that..." ""He was going to go and get himself a rag-head."" "Kill an Iraqi." "That's what he meant." "He wants to kill an Iraqi." "Nelson's mate had been shot in Basra, the night before, and that's when..." "Frankie had a massive argument with that Walker." "Nearly came to blows." "It was about Nelson, it was about the taxi." "It was all related." "You don't think that they...." "You think that they killed Frankie." "What you doin' here, Fergus?" ""Florence, you're a dead girl."" "That ring any fuckin' bells, Walker?" "I didn't lie to you, Fergus." "I just didn't want to tell you." "I was worried about what you might do." "I fired Nelson, but Nelson threatened to go public - expose all the details of what happened in the taxi." "All your precious contracts, up in smoke." "Yeah, basically." "I had to eat my words, and take him back." "Why didn't you just pay him off?" "Don't you think I tried that?" "He just laughed at me." "He loves it out there." "All the gear, the adrenalin." "You think it was him that slotted Frankie?" "Well, Nelson had a temper on him, for sure." "And he hated Frankie." "But I can't honestly see how he done it." "I just think that Frankie was in the wrong place at the wrong time." "It was Route Irish." "Hey!" "What the fuck's going on?" "Come on, then!" "Whoa, whoa, stop!" "Wait!" "Shh, it's all right." "It's all right." "You're just having a bad dream." "It's all right, mate." "Go back to sleep." "Fuckin' Nelson..." "I don't know who told him, but he knew I'd been asking questions." "He come round at night, kicked my door in, dragged me out of bed, proceeded to boot the utter fuckin ' shite out o' me." "I wouldn't be so bothered, but he's broke two of my ribs, and it's a fuckin' nightmare when you're trying to do the toilet." "Sorry, I'm laughing, but... you look like shit, Tommy." " I got fired." " Ah, fuck, Tommy, no!" "Nelson told them I'd been rooting about in the records." "They fired me." "I had to tell Nelson, that it was for you that I was looking." "Listen to me - he's on the fuckin' warpath." "He knows about you, and what I've heard is... he's heading back." "Did you get his address?" "Yeah, I got his fuckin' address." "I'm going to te xt it to you, OK?" "Listen, he's a fuckin' prick." "Listen, I've come back early." "I've got a serious job on." "I need two of your top blokes - and I mean top blokes." "They've got to keep their gobs shut." "It's got to run water-tight, mate." "Yeah, excellent." "Right, listen - I'm at the airport now." "Soon as I get meself sorted, I'll give you a bell back." "Fergus." "Glad you could make it." "Pleasure." "I was having a coffee." "Want something?" "Even after the merger, I'll still be at the heart of things." "Thank you." "Which means I can hire who I want." "We've got major plans, Fergus." "We can go for the meaty stuff, and leave the dross behind." "Our new contacts will give us access to blue-chip clients, national governments..." "In time, we can move from mine clearance and UXOs to delivering entire country reconstruction packages." "That is the big picture." "If I had a battalion-size team of first-class guys - you know who I mean - we could sort out somewhere like Darfur." "That's how big we're thinking." "Iraq is dust." "It's time to move on to pastures new." "And I need men like you, Fergus." "Or, if I can be frank - like you were." " Like I was." " Yeah, one of the best." "Why don't you come back in?" "If it helps, I..." "I've got a good guy I see myself, from time to time." "Not a shrink - an executive counsellor." "What do you say?" " What about Nelson?" " Forget it." "He's small fry." "Do you think he slotted Frankie?" "Nelson said he wanted to "shoot a rag-head" that day." "I believe that." "He was an arsehole." "After what happened, Frankie was convinced it was murder." "The Colombian boys who were with him said it was a fair call." "What can I say?" "Nelson said that Frankie had got hold of a mobile from a witness." "Now, that seems a bit far-fetched to me." "If there was a mobile, and Nelson couldn't get it off him, then maybe he went for Frankie." "I've asked around, Fergus, believe me." "Nelson was tight with that dodgy driver, with a limp." "The one they called Mad Max, cos of the way he drove." " Remember him?" " Yeah." "Ex-police." "Corrupt as..." "Well, it seems that..." "two days before Frankie died, he and Nelson... spent the day together." " Where?" " Green Zone." "And they left together." "Now, we owed that guy a month's wages - plus bonuses - and we never saw him again." "Why was that?" "Did he do Frankie, at Nelson's say-so, and get out of town?" "Maybe he was kidnapped." "Got caught up in a car-bomb." "Maybe he joined his family and children." "In Baghdad, who can say?" "Maybe you're right." "Maybe Frankie was just in the wrong place at the wrong time." "Oh, my God." "Oh!" "Got it, I've got it." " Check the bedrooms." " Where d'you want me?" "Empty in here, mate." "Empty." "Could've hidden it anywhere." "It's fuckin' empty!" " You sure this cunt lives in here?" " Just keep checking, mate." "Dave, there's messages." "Put it on loudspeaker, mate." "Fergus, it's me again." "You need to phone me back, please." "Straightaway." "Someone's got into the flat, and it's a complete mess." "Frankie's ashes are everywhere." "Fuckin' hell - so that's what they were, eh?" "Where the fuck are you?" "Bye." "'Ello, lad." "Only me." "Sick of this fuckin ' voicemail." "Oh yeah, by the way, Jamie phoned and said he needed to see you." "Who the fuck's Jamie?" "Give us a bell back when you can." "Catch you later." "Hello, hi." "This is Harim, calling for Fergus." "I have finished the translations, including text messages." "Call me at..." "The fuckin dirty-rag bastard - he's got the mobile!" "..913 218." "Maybe you could call around to my flat." "Replay that, give us the number." "I'll send a text, as if I'm Fergus." "All right, get up!" "Get down, get down!" "Get in!" "Get in!" "Keep fucking moving, over there." "Which one of you bastards is Harim?" "Is it you?" "Oi!" "Is it you?" "Fucking tell me!" "Which bastard's Harim?" "Fucking look at me." "You'll fucking do." " Get him out!" " Get him on his fucking knees." "It's me, it's me." "I am him." "Fucking get down." "Fucking bastard!" "Fucking get in." "Fucking get in there." "Fuck off!" "Get down!" "Get on the rug if you wanna pray." " So he is a bit drowsy." " Can we talk to him?" "Yeah, but keep it brief." " How is he?" " Really messed up." "They've broken his arm, he's concussed, he's got to go to theatre later." "She said that we can have five minutes with him." "He has had medication for pain, so he will be drowsy." "So definitely no more than five minutes." " Did he recognise them?" " No, they were wearing masks and gloves." "Nelson just got back." "Thanks." "Nelson?" "I'm really sorry." "I'm really, really sorry this has happened to you." "I tried, but I had to tell them where it was." "They threatened to hurt Avin." "I had a copy on the computer." "They smashed that, too." "On a disk." "They got it all." "I should have put the footage on the net." "I am ashamed of myself." "I needed the money." "I have money." "I can give you money." "They always, always get off with it." "That's what makes me mad." "I had a chance to show what they are like." "I still have the mother's name and number." " Where?" " In my head." "You promise to phone her?" "I give you my word." "I promise you." "I know who did this to you." "And I know who killed those boys." "Hello, Florence." "Get this fucking car on the motorway, now!" " Get on the fucking motorway!" " Fergus..." "Come on, fucking move it, you fucking shit-house!" " What the fuck you doing?" " What the fuck am I doing?" "I'm trying to figure out why all you fucking wankers like fucking golf!" "Now get this fucking car started, now!" "Fergus, what the fuck are you doing?" "What the fuck are you doing?" "Ah, fuck." "No blood, no foul." "It's up to you." "Simple question." "Look at me." " Where's the mobile?" " I don't know what you're on about." "You don't know who smashed up Rachel's flat?" "What the fuck you on about?" "I've just come back from Afghanistan." "Just let me go." "I promise you'll never hear from me again." "Fergus, I'll just disappear, mate." "Fergus, no!" "Ferg...!" "Fuck!" " Right, I'll tell you everything." " So, it does work!" "I'll tell you everything." "I got the mobile from the Iraqi." "I smashed it to pieces, mate." "I threw it in the river." "Fergus, just a fucking big mistake, this." "Big mistake?" ""Get meself a rag-head" - big mistake?" "For fuck's sake, mate." "Danny had just been slaughtered in Basra..." "Me head were in bits." "I just come out with some stupid remark." "That taxi, mate - it were too close." "I were firing warning shots, every fucker's in me ear, shouting, "Take him out, take him out!"" "Fergus, it was too fucking near, mate." " Ask Walker." " What about the boys?" "Fuckin' hell, one of them was running around, waving a mobile." "Looked like he was going to set off a bomb." " You'd have done the same!" " So you left 'em to rot." "I didn't leave 'em to rot." "Frankie was off his head." "All Frankie was interested in was having a fucking investigation." "Fuck me, in Baghdad, against me - I'd have been fucked!" "You've been there, you'd have done the same." "You've seen it all - it's another day in Baghdad!" "Fuck..." "So you and Walker made his life a fucking misery." "Walker tried reasoning with him, to try and make him see sense." "But Frankie wouldn't have it." "He weren't for listening." "Then Haynes turned up, he got involved." "Offered Frankie a load of dough to shut up, but he wouldn't have it." "Just kept making threats to send the mobile to this Yankee journalist..." "So you took him out?" "I was over in Afghanistan, mate." "Doing a recce for Haynes." " You're a fucking liar." " I'm not." "You're a fucking liar!" "I'm not!" "You're a fucking liar!" "Fuck!" "No!" "Fucking get your head down!" "It's all right, come on." "Haynes sent me to Afghanistan to get me out of the way, so he'd have time with..." "Come on." "He sent me over to Afghanistan to get me out the way." "So he'd have time with Frankie." "Haynes was panicking and flapping." "Cos he didn't want the fucker blabbing off about the taxi." "In case it fucked up his precious fucking contracts." "So Walker started sending him out on... out on crap jobs and stuff." "Hoping he'd crack up, and just fuck off." "I fucking swear to you, I wasn't there..." " You're a fucking lying bastard!" " I'm not, mate." "You fucking threatened to fucking kill him!" " It's bullshit..." " "Florence, you're a dead girl!"" "Peggy's bar, written on the fucking wall." "Just graffiti..." "Fuck..." "I was fucking joking, it was just graffiti!" " Fuck, haven't you done it?" " Didn't you mean it?" " No, I didn't!" " You fucking did mean it!" "Just like you meant to fucking beat up Tommy." "You fucking broke the Iraqi's arm!" "You fucking emptied Frankie's ashes on the fucking floor!" "Didn't do it, mate." "Wasn't me." "It wasn't me, Fergus..." "Fucking stop it!" "It's all right." "I didn't do it, mate." "I was in Afghanistan, I swear." "Fucking ask Haynes." "Ask Haynes." "Tell me the fucking truth." "Fergus, just ask Haynes, I was in Afghanistan, I swear." "It was the Iraqi driver, wasn't it?" "Mad Max?" "Mate, that's bollocks." "It's fucking bollocks!" " Check with Haynes." " Haynes fucking told me!" "You were with Max two days before Frankie fucking died!" "I wasn't." "That's bullshit." "How much did you pay him?" "Haynes sent me to Afghanistan to get me out of the way." "No, Fergus, don't..." "Fuck off!" "I'll say whatever you want me to say." "Is that what you want?" " Yeah, I did it." " How?" "How did you do it?" "How'd you fuckin' do it?" "Come on." "I paid Mad Max 10,000." " Is that enough?" " No." "I want the fuckin' truth." " I want the truth, come on." " I tipped him off." "I let him know they were leaving the Green Zone - sitting ducks on Route Irish." "Fergus, please, that's enough, mate." "Just let me go." " I promise..." " You think that's enough?" "You think that's fucking enough?" " It will fucking never be enough!" " Please, please..." " It'll fucking never be fuckin' enough!" " Please!" "Fergus..." "This one's for you, Frankie!" "Fucking dies!" "He'll never fucking hurt anyone." "This fucking animal will never hurt anyone ever again!" "You fucking hear me, Frankie?" "He's a fucking goner!" "Fucking die!" "Tell her..." ""Your sons were shot dead" ""by a British contractor, on the first of September."" "I don't know if it was murder..." ""Are you sure about this?" she says." "..or just standard policy from a foreign contractor who thought his life was in danger." "They died instantly, and were left by the side of the road." "The first of September was a bloody day in Baghdad." "They must have been lost in the chaos." ""What happened to the man who killed my sons?" she's asking." "He's dead." "Get her personal details." "I want to help her family," "I want to pay compensation for her sons." ""What compensation?" "There is nothing..." ""that can compensate my sons." ""I don't want your compensation."" "It's me." "Open the door." "Fergus, I know you're in there." "I saw your car outside." "The neighbour let me in." "I just want to know you're all right." "I've been worried sick." "You haven't answered any of our calls." "Look, I know you're in there." "You don't even have to speak." "Just let me know that you're OK." "Knock the door." "Fergus?" "That's it, Fergus." "I just want to know you're OK." "Now open the door, please." "Please, just... open the door." "I, erm..." "I saw Harim this morning." "Yeah, he told me about you phoning the mother up, and I know that must have taken loads of courage, and I'm really proud of you." "Jamie's back from Afghanistan, and he wants to get hold of you." "He's staying at Craig's." "So they really want to see you like I want to see you." "I love you, Fergus." "OK." "OK." "The fuckin' look in someone's eyes, when they've been in the same place too long." "Frankie had become so stubborn, he wasn 't going to let them drive him out." "He was saying shit like, "I'll go under my own steam," ""If I'm going to do it, do it proper", shit like that." "Sounds like Frankie, doesn't it?" "I thought he was exaggerating." "He'd been sent 14 times to the same place in the same fuckin' month, with those fuckin'..." "telephone engineers." "And if that's true, that's seriously fucking dangerous." "Up and down Route Irish, like a fuckin' yo-yo." "And fuckin' Nelson, man " "Nelson was pickin' on him, every fuckin' meal-time." "I swear, if that cunt had a hard-on, it would've been up Frankie's arse." "I said to him, "Frankie, look, man." "Just go home."" "But he was like, "No." "I've got one last thing to sort out."" "That's when he gave me the phone and asked me to hide it." "It's mad, isn't it?" "What fuckin' car did he die in?" "I hope it wasn't one of mine." "No, it was the... one of them armoured Nissan Patrols." "You got the photographs, show him." "That one, back at the base." "Yeah, it's a Nissan Patrol." "These two are..." "Route Irish." "Just after it happened." "You can hardly see it cos of the smoke." "No fuckin' way, man." "That's the dodgy old Hyundai." "Look, I can see there." "I welded on those plates." "I'd recognise that in my fuckin' sleep, man." "I must have fixed that engine, what, a dozen times?" "I fuckin' said to them, man - the plates were too fuckin' heavy for those old engines." "I was that paranoid that I'd get into trouble about it," "I fuckin' sent Walker an e-mail and I cc-ed it to Haynes, saying, "Not to be used under any circumstances whatsoever."" "It wasn't fuckin' safe." "Please fuckin' tell me that Frankie did not fuckin' die in that, Fergus." "Don't fuckin' tell me that." " Nelson took him out." " Nah, fuckin' rubbish." " I know." " No, no." " Nelson wasn't even in the country." " Nelson..." "Nelson was on a job to Afghanistan." "No, Nelson took him out." "I know he did." "Fergus, no." "He fuckin' didn't." "He was on a plane to Afghanistan." "I know, because my mate was on the plane with him." "Nelson took him out!" "I fuckin' know he did." "Tipped off his driver - ex-cop." "Ex-fucking cop." "Took him out." "Frankie was leaving the Green Zone." "Paid him ten grand to have him done." " Fucking Nelson did it." " What, fucking Mad Max?" " With a fuckin' limp?" " Yeah, Mad Max!" "Who fuckin' told you that?" "Fucking Haynes told me." "Haynes fuckin' told me." "Fuck off, man." "Mad Max was fuckin' killed coming out of the Green Zone." "He got a fuckin' Baghdad haircut." "Mad Max was fuckin' caught coming out of the Green Zone, they fuckin' cut his throat, it was on the fuckin' net." "And that was a week before Frankie fuckin' died." " No, no!" "Wait!" " I'm telling you..." "Fucking Haynes told me!" " He fucking told me!" " That's not it, man." " Fucking Nelson!" " Oi!" "Sit down, stop shouting." " Lads..." " Fergus, please, man." " Fuckin' settle down." " You don't fucking get it." "I'm telling you now - Mad Max had his fuckin' throat cut, a week before Frankie died." "It was posted on the internet, him screaming for his fucking life." " It wasn't fucking Nelson." " Wait, wait!" "Put two and two together, Fergus." "I don't know where you're fucking getting this from." "That's not the fucking case." "Nelson fuckin' told me himself, that he paid Max ten fucking grand, to have Frankie fucking slotted." "He told me himself!" " Nelson told you..." " Yes!" "Nelson was in fuckin' Afghanistan." "Please." "Sit down." "None of yous are makin' any sense." "Fergus, man." "Please, just sit down." " Fuck." " Lad, come on." "Sit down." "It was on the internet, right?" " Fergus, man!" " What are you doing?" "Fergus?" "Fergus!" "Fergus, for fuck's sake!" "Where you going?" "Fergus!" "Fergus, man." "Fuck's sake, get out the fuckin' car." " Fuck off." " Fuckin' hell, Fergus!" "Don't do anything stupid, Fergus." "Fergus, get out the car!" "Fergus!" "Fuck's sake!" "Fucking hell." "Inhale, and then exhale." "Lovely." "Touch the ceiling." "And pull it back." "If you imagine that you're against a wall, and if you're against the wall, keeping flat..." "Raise your glasses..." "..and the future." "I'll look forward to it." "Thank you very much." "That was great today." "Thank you." "Bye-bye, have a safe journey." "All right, gents." "Good to meet you both, at last." "See you when I get back." "Look forward to it." "Hayley, would you like a lift?" "We're going your way." "That's very nice." "Andrew?" "I'd better not, I've got lots of work to do." "Thanks." "Andrew..." "Open it." " What is it, Alex?" " I'm not sure." ""Wrong place, wrong time."" "It's me, Fergus." "Listen, I..." "I saw you at the studio." "I really... wish..." "I wanted to speak to you one more time," "But I just..." "I couldn't." "Just couldn't... bear it." "Couldn't face it." "Look, it's, er..." "It's hard for a civvy to understand this, but I just... just wanted a piece of me old self back." "The way I was." "Wish you'd known me then." "There's things I need you to do." "I've spoken to a solicitor." "He knows what I want, but I need your help." "You've got to go and see Harim." "Make sure that the Iraqi mother and her family are taken care of." "Frankie wanted that." "Criminal sons of bitches on the make, that's what we've been." "Look, I never told you this... but, er..." "I once saw this this child pulled from the rubble by her grandfather." "She wore a lilac top." "Her left leg dangled from a sinew." "Her feet, shredded." "She points at me when I try to sleep." "Heading off, now." "With Frankie." "Down by the river." "Best put a mad dog down before it savages someone else." "Look after Craig for me." "I think he'll make it." "He just might need help with it." "Love you, Rachel." "I love you, Rachel." "[StB] Releases 2011 SimplyTheBOSS"