Chapter Five: The IRA
"What's the IRA?" Liz asked confused, she had heard the term before – in passing, but did not really have any idea what it actually was.
"The IRA stands for 'Irish Republican Army', but in this case we essentially mean the 'Provisional Irish Republican Army." Cooper replied with concern written on his face. "I'll assume you know more about it than we do, Reddington."
"Don't you ever get tired of assuming that I am a walking encyclopedia?" Reddington asked distastefully, glaring at Cooper.
"Aren't you? Because for a moment there I was quite convinced." Ressler commented, sarcastically.
Reddington eyed him disdainfully, before saying, "I don't know about you Donald, but my favourite subject at school was in fact Modern History and I may have spent most of my time at school in the library reading up on various aspects of that subject. I however learnt a conceivable amount from my travels around the world and from contacts that live in different countries, what I am trying to say Agent Ressler is that contrary to popular belief, I do not know everything. That would be simply impossible."
"But you do know what the Provisional IRA is, don't you?" Liz asked looking right at Reddington, meeting his eye when he looked at her.
"Yes" Red replied, he would not deny her question. After all, he had requested to speak with only her and in a sense if she asked, he would tell her - just not everything. "The Provisional IRA was formed in December 1969 it is a group that split from the original IRA."
"Why did they split?" Cooper questioned with interest.
"They split over differences of ideology and how to respond to violence against the nationalist community." Red replied frowning, he hadn't had any dealings with the PIRA before and was wondering how they fit in with everything, but it was clear that it was important that they find out. "The IRA is a proscribed organisation in the UK under the Terrorism Act 2000 and an unlawful organisation in the Republic of Ireland. The United States does not list the IRA as a "foreign terrorist organization", but includes them in the group of "other selected terrorist groups also deemed of relevance in the global war on terrorism."
"Does it have any active service units?" Ressler asked.
"Yes, a system of two parallel types of unit within an IRA brigade was introduced in place of the battalion structures. Firstly, the old "company" structures were used for tasks such as "policing" nationalist areas, intelligence gathering, and hiding weapons. However, the bulk of real attacks were the responsibility of a second type of unit, the active service unit (ASU). To improve security and working capacity, these ASUs were smaller, tight-knit cells, usually consisting of five to eight members." Reddington supplied, wracking his brains with ease.
"Were the Provisional IRA involved in any organised crime?" Liz questioned Red, with clear intrigue. However, she really just wanted to get to the bottom of this latest mystery – so that they could get back to the first one, regarding the Bermuda Triangle.
Red smiled at Liz, like it was just the question that he was waiting for her to ask. "The IRA have allegedly been involved in criminal activities, including racketeering, bank robbery, fuel laundering, drug dealing and kidnapping. However, you can now safely say that they are into stealing jewels as well. Seems that they are getting greedy. Don't you think?"
"Who are they really?" Cooper asked, while both Agents Keen and Ressler focused on Red.
"Low life savages if you want to take it that far, but they have the means of getting exactly what they want and when they don't they normally kill whatever it is that they are holding hostage for ransom and other stuff like that." Reddington replied, "For example: European horse racing champion, Shergar who won Horse of the Year in 1981, was stolen from the Ballymany Stud on 8 February 1983 by masked gunmen who were working for the Provisional IRA, he was never found. Since his owners and government refused to pay the ransom for which he was being held. It just goes to show how low these people are capable of sinking."
"Stealing a race horse? I can definitely see how low that they are sinking." Ressler commented.
"I've just had a thought, could the Bermuda Triangle be in league with the Provisional IRA? You said that they would sink low enough to get what they want, I was just wondering would they sign a deal with the Bermuda Triangle to do just that?" Liz asked looking at Reddington, while Cooper and Ressler both looked rather doubtful at this suggestion.
Red glanced at Cooper and Ressler, seeing the disbelieving expression on their faces, he said, "I wouldn't be surprised if they did, in fact the more on their side the better for them. After all, one should never underestimate international criminals – they have people everywhere, all around the world – expanding their horizons."
"And you would know this how?" Ressler asked, sneering.
"Dear Donald, what did you think I was? A circus monkey? Remember Ressler, I don't care about the small fry, I am way more interested in catching the big fish and that means travelling. Make no mistake I am the worlds most wanted criminal and as it stands, wanted by some of those big fish so that their secrets aren't revealed." Red replied scathingly.
"Would you like me to go and ask Ellsworth if he knows who the Bermuda Triangle are?" Meera asked, looking at Cooper intently.
"You might as well, he may not know who the Bermuda Triangle are – so, ask him if he recognises their names instead." Cooper replied, giving Meera the okay to go ahead.
"You back for more questions?" Ellsworth asked when Meera re-entered the room for the third time that day.
"We have a few questions, yes." Meera said, studying the man across from her. "Do you know a woman named Katherine Earl-Medina?"
"That bitch with the long black wavy hair? Snobbish voice and an attitude so high that not even a ladder could reach? Yeah I met her one time, she was talking with the leader of the PIRA and she asked if I could get her an english tea with cream and biscuits – as if I was a waiter, I didn't like her much even though she was hot, she was just down right cruel I tell you." Ellsworth replied unreservedly, a steel glint came into his eyes as he thought about getting a revenge on K.E.M. as she was sometimes known.
"So Medina is working for the Provisional IRA?" Meera asked thoughtfully, "What was her job?"
"She didn't really have one, I don't think. She seemed to be someone who called the shots and didn't take orders. Up to this point I think the PIRA and her team or whatever it was, just collaborated with each other." Ellsworth replied, rubbing his hands together in anticipation and still thinking of the sweet revenge.
"Okay, onto one of her associates. Do you know who "Danny" is?" Meera asked, she really felt that they were starting to get somewhere.
"I haven't exactly met this guy, I heard that he's an assassin – one of the best. He works for whoever has the highest offer and he will always do his job to the highest standard that his clients want." Ellsworth said, pausing, he thought for a moment, "Most people just call him "Danny" but his real name is 'Danny Rapper' I heard one of the guys in the PIRA call him that."
"I have just one more question, do you know Charles Frayne? He is sometimes called, "Charlie."" Meera asked, piercing Ellsworth with an intense stare.
"I have seen him, he comes into the PIRA Headquarters. Most of the time he is running back and forth around the place, he's a messenger I think. He travels a lot too, since that black-haired bitch refuses to phone call anyone in a different country. So she sends him, with envelopes and files trading information with the PIRA." Ellsworth supplied, sighing in satisfaction. He hadn't yet realised that once the FBI were finished with their questions that they were flying him back to France and turning him over to the authorities there.
Later that day after work, Liz and Reddington were arriving back at Red's home where Dembe was waiting for them at the front door, a nasty smile curling his facial features.
"What are you so happy about, Dembe?" Red asked, always curious by nature.
"I have found Mr. Keen." Dembe responded with a slight bounce in his step as he led both Liz and Red into the empty room of the house.
"You have done well, Dembe." Reddington said as he surveyed the beaten man tied to the only chair in the room, while Liz just stared coldly in Tom's direction.