The Informer Page #5

and I gave him a back-hander.

Sit down. Come on.

Give me my hat, will you?

Where's my hat?

Bartley, me boy.

Bartley, me boy.

Mulligan, what brings you here?

Man alive, you ought to be in bed.

This is no hour

for a sick man to be out.

Dan, I...

Listen, men...

...I had a drop taken

before I came here...

...and I didn't know what I was saying.

But now I remember.

That's the one that informed

on Frankie McPhillip.

- I saw him, and he knows it.

- It's a lie! It's a lie!

I swear on me knees

I never left the house...

...except to go to the chapel

to say me prayers.

Me fine boyo.

It's easy work for an informer

to be swearing oaths.

It's a lie, it's a lie!

Sit down, Gypo.

Sit down.

Peter Mulligan, do you recognize

the authority of this court?

I do. I do, commandant.

- Heaven knows I do.

- Will you stand over here, please?

Give the court an account

of your whereabouts from noon today.

Gentlemen, could you

find no better man to arrest...

...and carry off

in the middle of the night...

...than me, that's having

to work me hands off at me trade...

...a- tailoring and a-stitching

in a basement so cold and damp...

...that I've caught me death of cold?

Sorry, Mulligan.

Start at noon. Where were you?

At noon today, I was lying in me bed.

I had a bad pain in me right side

from bronchitis all morning...

...and I had to stay

in me bed with it.

Then, at 1:
00 about, the old woman

give me a cup of tea and an egg.

I remember I couldn't eat the egg.

A good egg too.

But, good or bad, no matter.

I had to get up then

on account of a suit...

...that had to be finished

for Mick Foley, the caster.

It's got to be ready by Friday, mind you,

because his daughter's getting married...

Never mind about Foley.

Tell us about yourself.

There you are. Hear what he says?

Hear what he says?

Come on, Mulligan, now.

Make a clean breast of it.

It's not for me to condemn you, Gypo.

Maybe you're not responsible.

Why, blast you, what do you mean?

What are you driving at?

Sit down, Gypo, and keep quiet.

- Do you think I'm going to...?

- Sit down, sit down.

- Bartley, me boy.

- Shut up.

Continue, Mulligan.

Well, I worked on until about half past 3,

or maybe a quarter to 4 it was...

...when Charlie Corrigan come in

and said Dave was out of prison...

...after being on a hunger strike

for 18 days.

"Where is he?" says I.

"Upstairs," says he.

We went up there, and we talked over

a cup of tea until about 6:00.

Yes, it was just 6.

I remember I heard

the Angelus begin to strike...

...and me on me way down the stairs...

...because I remember I stopped

to cross myself.

Then I ran down home

and put on me overcoat.

This same one it was.

Second-handed it is.

And I went out to the chapel to...

See, I'm making the Stations of the Cross.

How far is the chapel from your house?

It's maybe 100 yards, maybe it's more.

If you go around

the corner by Kane's, it's less.

- But if you go the long way around...

- Let's say it's 100 yards.

You arrived at the chapel

about three minutes past 6.

- How long did you stay?

- I stayed there till about half past 6.

Then I stayed outside the door talking

to Father Conroy for about 10 minutes.

- Talk to anyone else?

- I was coming to that.

Then, after I left Father Conroy,

I met Barney Kerrigan there.

- Near the chapel?

- Yes.

It must be within 50 yards of it,

if you're going by measurements.

- But we never...

- Never mind that.

Then you couldn't have been near the

Black and Tans' headquarters about 6:00?

Heaven forbid.

I hope to die right here if I was.

- You liar. You liar.

- Sit down.

- He's lying, Bartley.

- Shut up.

Tell us what you did

after you left Kerrigan.

Well, I went back to the house

and did a bit more work until about 8:00.

Then I felt the pain in me side again,

and I went to me bed.

Till three men,

under Mr. Tom Connor there...

...came in and bundled me into a car,

without a by-your-leave...

...as if I was a criminal.

One more question.

Did you bear anyone a grievance?

About your sister Susie, I mean.

Me sister Susie, is it?

Sure me sister Susie's name

is Mary Ellen.

For the past 28 years she's been

living in Boston, Massachusetts.

She's the mother of eight.

- That's enough.

- It is that.

- Did you bear any man a grudge?

- I bear no fellow man a grudge, on me oath.

You had no grievance

against Frankie McPhillip?

The Lord have mercy on his soul,

what for?

I hope his sorrows are over him.

I swear on me immortal soul,

Miss McPhillip...

...I bore no grudge against your brother.

- Kerrigan.

- Yes, sir?

Did you meet Mulligan

about half past 6 this evening?

- I did, sir.

- You're sure about the time?

I'm certain about the time.

It was just about half 6. I was...

- As you were.

- Yes, sir.

Bartley, Bartley, Bartley. l...

You will be taken home

in the car that brought you.

I'm sorry this had to happen, Mulligan.

For the present, this may help you.

We'll see what can be done for you.

Good night.

Show him out, Kerrigan.

Hey, hey, wait a minute.

Wait a minute.

- Hey, Dan. Hey!

- And now, Gypo...

...suppose you tell us

what you did from 6:00...

...until Mulholland picked you up.

- What's it to do with you?

- Feel like telling us what you did...

...after meeting Frankie McPhillip

at the Dunboy House at 6:00?

It's a lie!

I'm sorry, Mary. Will you repeat what Frankie

told you when he came home tonight?

He said that he met him

at the Dunboy House.

He said he had to make sure

there was no guard in our home.

Is that true, Gypo?

If not, why did you shout at the wake

that you'd warned him to stay away?

- That's what I did. That's what I told him.

- You did see him, then.

What do you mean by telling all those lies

about Mulligan? Were you drunk or what?

Well, I...

I had taken me a drop. I...

Maybe two. I...

What did you do

after leaving Frankie? Tell me.

- Well...

- What did you do after leaving Frankie?

Well, you see...

Suppose I don't tell you.

What will you do?

Suit yourself. If you don't want to tell me,

Bartley Mulholland there can do it for you.

Come on, better tell us.

I...

I'm all mixed up.

I don't know what I'm doing.

I was... I'm drunk.

Dan, I'd like to...

I don't know what I'm doing, that's all.

I don't know what I'm doing.

Where did you get all that money?

I can't make nothing out, Dan.

I tell you, I'm drunk. I can't.

You broke your first pound in Ryan's.

The blind man there

says you gave him a pound.

He did, he did, the poor man.

A pound note he gave me.

Two pounds you spent

in the fish and chips shop.

Another 2 pounds went for drinks in the

shebeen where Mulholland picked you up.

Five pounds you gave to some woman.

Four pounds you gave to another woman

known as Aunt Betty.

And finally, you gave 5 pounds

to Katie Madden.

That makes just 20 pounds.

Me head is sore, Dan.

Me head is sore. I'm drunk, I tell you.

- Where'd you get that 20 pounds? Tell us.

- I can't remember.

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