Where the Streets Have No Name(43)

The whole thing, his higher-than-mighty act because of a uniform, the false charges, arrest, sentencing, jail-time and the numerous beatings he took for a crime never committed all came rushing into his mind at once. Suddenly, Daniel couldn’t even remember what he was living for. Half of that life passed him by and the other half would be much as it was now. He didn’t have the strength to fight any longer.

“You don’t need an excuse, Gardaí. Just take out that gun you’ve got there inside your jacket, aim for me heart, and blow it away,” whispered Daniel. “Do us all a favour and end it.”

He shouldn’t have been, but was surprised when Desmond did just that. But what he didn’t see before it slammed into his head was the baton. He’d been too stunned by the scream, a male voice calling out ‘he’s got a gun’. The place erupted, chairs and stools went flying as people either ran for the door or came to exact their own bit of revenge.

Somehow, Daniel wound up lying face-down on the floor with a knee digging into his back. Subdued as he was, the beating continued. A heavy boot made contact with his right side and pain shot up into his armpit. Another foot came down on his jaw. He only hoped that Amelia made it outside without getting hurt.

By the grace of God, a loud sound rang through the air. The attack ceased, leaving him in just about as much agony as he’d ever been. Thanks to the pounding of blood in his ears, Daniel couldn’t tell what it was. Didn’t matter though, not when the voice of an angel began to speak.

“That. Is. E-nough!”

Using all the strength he could muster, Daniel turned his head to the left and saw the blurry form of Amelia standing on the bar. Why hadn’t she escaped?

“You all should be ashamed of yourselves! You, get the hell off of him, right this second.” She pointed to the Gardaí still on Daniel’s back.

“Miss, you’ve got no authority here. This is a dangerous man!”

Amelia shook her head in disgust. “If anyone in this godforsaken place is dangerous, it’s everyone except for him! Look at you! Acting like animals!”

“He’s murdered people,” Desmond seethed. “Women and children! Maybe you aren’t aware of Daniel Byrne in America but here, his name is pure evil!”

Daniel couldn’t see her face, but he was pretty sure Amelia would have a shocked expression on it. Then perhaps one matching everyone else in the room, hatred and fear. The truth she didn’t want to hear finally came out.

“Are you illiterate as well as an asshole?”

In spite of the situation, Daniel chuckled at her comment. Amelia had on a long-sleeved red shirt with a maple leaf in the middle, clearly stating that she was Canadian. Some slogan from a beer company in her home country, but she loved the shirt. He regretted laughing though, when pain shot through his chest.

“And if we’re going to talk about murderers, how about I ask which of you had a hand in what happened to his family?”

At her words, it felt like someone thrust a knife into his heart. How much did Amelia truly know about him then? Had she been aware of it all? How?

“Yeah, I didn’t think so. You people make me sick. Daniel was charged for a crime that he’d no sooner commit than he would steal a wallet from an old man. This entire country took the word of a known terrorist against a seventeen year old boy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He got locked up, lost the best part of his life while Seamus Riley walked away to kill again.

“And when it came to his family, hard-working Dad, Mom who everyone loved, and two little girls,” Amelia paused, the catch in her voice evidence of her emotions.

Daniel was having one hell of a time trying to keep his own in check. She knew all of it, and stuck by him. Twenty days they’d been driving around the coast of Ireland and she never once mentioned any of this to him.

“Do you people not even think about what you did to them? I know for a fact that one of you knows something and yet, the cold blooded murder of an entire family gets swept under the goddamned rug while you continue to condemn an innocent man. This entire village should be ashamed of itself. You all make me want to denounce my Irish citizenship; yeah, that’s right I’m Irish too.

“Now, Gardaí,” she spat the word out, “get the hell off of Daniel right now, unless you want this entire scene posted all over the internet. From the minute I saw you following my car up the road, I’ve been recording your movements. Got it all on tape, how you took the wallet from the man by the door and slipped it into Daniel’s pocket. Pulled your gun and made it look like he was the one holding it and then attacked him first. Oh, and I guess I should mention that my phone has a very sensitive microphone and I heard you mention something about wanting to kill Daniel without provocation. Sit him up.”