Drink with the Devil [antikvár]

ONE Rain swept in from Belfast Lough, and as he turned the corner there was the rattle of small-arms fire somewhere in the darkness of the city center followed by the crump of an explosion. He didn't even hesitate but started across the square, a small man, no more than five feet five, in jeans, reefer coat, and peaked cap, a seaman's duffle bag hanging from one shoulder. A sign said Albert Hotel, but it was more a lodging house than anything else, of a type used by sailors, and constructed originally by the simple expedient of knocking three Victorian terrace houses together. The front door stood open, and a small, balding man peered out, a newspaper in one hand. There was another explosion in the distance. "Jesus!" he said. "The boys are active tonight." The small man said from the bottom of the steps, "I phoned ear-