The Con - Part 2

[otter]

Father Brennan appeared from behind the chapel, dressed in his civilian clothes. He could have passed for a unemployed bricklayer.  He wore a grey woollen jumper with tattered sleeves, over a faded pair of oversized jeans and workman's boots. Liam was amused that minutes earlier this dishevelled looking man was perched on his high altar delivering the word of God to the faithful. He had heard that Father Brennan was unconventional and now he was starting to see this unconventionality at close quarters.

'Right Liam, let us find a high stool and get to the bottom of your jealousy'

Leaving the chapel by a side gate Liam followed Father Brennan down a narrow deserted laneway.  The priest walked even quicker than he said mass and Liam who considered himself quite fit struggled to keep up with him. Father Brennan stopped outside a well rusted galvanised double gate. He paused for a moment, glanced around and then banged on the gate three times. He winked at Liam; 'Tradesman's entrance, a man of the cloth can't be seen going in the front door this time of the morning'.

A few minutes later someone knocked twice on the far side and the gate was opened just wide enough for them to enter.

The publican , Sean Lavelle, nodded at the priest; ' coast is clear father, no busy bodies around this morning'.

Father Brennan led Liam through a yard littered with crates of empty bottles and beer kegs. A black and white cat eyed them suspiciously from a window ledge, catching father Brennan's eye. The priest grabbed an empty beer tin of the top of a rubbish bin and hurled it in the direction of the poor cat who had to react quickly to avoid being hit'.   I hate cats Liam, sneaky bloody creatures, worse than any woman.  Sorry for dragging you in this way, but what people don't know won't bother them.'  In through a small kitchen the priest led Liam to a small backroom in the pub. Poorly lit, a short counter with two stools and in the corner a small television sat on an ancient table.  He gestured to Liam to sit one of the stools as he settled on the other and began toying with a beer mat. Sean arrived at the counter; ' The usual Father ?'

'Sean, its thirsty work saying mass. Two and two, no make that two and  large two'.  Liam protested when two large whiskeys were place on the counter; ' Not for me Father, it's far too early.' 

'Nonsense Liam, confessions require a loose tongue and that's the best tongue loosener in the parish. So you fish a bit ? '

'I do Father, I'm mad about the fly fishing, been at it about twenty years. Did you ever try it.'

Father Brennan scratched his beard, laughed out loud and turned to Sean as he arrived with two creamy pints of Guinness. 'Liam wants to know if I ever did a bit of fishing, show him the picture Sean and let's see his jaw fall into his pint. Slainte Liam'
Sean placed a black and white  framed photograph in front of Liam.  Liam's jaw did not quite fall into his pint, however he whistled loudly as he read the inscription.
"Blackwater Anglers June Competition 1973, Winner: Father Brennan . One Trout.  5lbs 11oz on a GRHE."    Liam held the picture in his left hand which visibly shook, his right grasped the whiskey and he downed it in one go.

It's not certain whether it was caused by the whiskey or because Father Brennan was an angler but Liam relaxed and grinned at Father Brennan and raised his pint of Guinness. 'Jesus Father, oops sorry Father, that's a decent trout'.

'James Brennan I was christened. So as long as we are in Lavelle's pub, James will do, now tell me about your jealousy'

'Father, ..... sorry I mean James, I'll get straight to the point. I've been fishing the club competitions for many a year and the best I have ever done over all those years for angler of the year was third. No matter how much I tried I could do no better and it's all because I could never get to the river often enough.  I'm as good a flyman as the winners , maybe even better but every year there would be one or two equals that would get out four or five times a week before the competition and they would have the edge on me. Nothing I could do about it until this year, ya see I was put on a three day week at work. I never told my wife, when the pay was reduced I told her that it was a pay cut because of the recession. The two free days I spent on the river, even during the closed season I was on the river , wading,  watching and all the time learning and planning.'

Father Brennan laughed out loud; 'Sean did you hear that, deceiving the wife to go fishing, a man after me own heart. Keep going Liam, another two and two Sean and open the skylight so I can have a smoke.'

Liam continued after a quick swig from his pint; 'Well the two days made all the difference, going into the last competition I was level on points with Jimmy Egan and that was only because I twisted my ankle and missed the July competition.  I spent each of the two days for five weeks searching for a good trout and Thursday two weeks ago at five minutes past eleven I found one nearly as big as your own in the picture, under the willow tree below the bottom fence of Casey's field. I sat there for three hours that day, seven hours on the Friday and all Thursday and Friday of the following week watching that trout.  I had cramp in both legs from the sitting.
Would you believe it Fa...,  James, that trout only fed for ten minutes each day. It simply drifted out of the weed under the willow into the faster water just as the hatch began, devoured any nymph that passed and then slid back into the weed as silently as it came. Unless you were looking through the polaroid's you would never know she was there.'

Father Brennan listened intently, chain smoking one cigarette after another, grinning, nodding, urging Liam to tell him everything.

' Last Friday , I made my plan. I would go below the Willow and have the rod ready, a single nymph on a eight foot leader, seventeen foot of fly line coiled and ready for use. I had picked where I would stand below the willow and had measured as best I could exactly how much line I needed to reach the spot. Once ready I would move to the willow and sit and watch and wait for her to start feeding.'; Liam downed his second whiskey and even though he had not smoked in years he unwittingly took one of the Father's cigarettes , lit it and coughed uncontrollably when the smoke hit his lungs.
Sean the barman poured himself a small whiskey and leaning over the counter so as not to miss a word he sipped, nodding and winking at Father Brennan who looked like he was about to fall off the stool such was his excitement.

'Go on Liam, don't leave any detail out.'

'I went shopping with herself on the Saturday and surprised her with a voucher for an expensive hairdresser's.  Whilst she was being dolled up I went to an army surplus store and bought some camouflage clothes and the black stuff the army rangers put on their faces. On the way home in the car she nattered on and on for ages about the state of the back garden but all the while I replayed the plan over and over in my head and was certain that I had a perfect plan for the capture of that trout. But.........that bastard Jimmy Egan.......he.................'; Liam shook with rage.

'Jesus, Liam, don't stop, what did Jimmy Egan do ?'; the plume of smoke over Father Brennan's head hung like a halo, a cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth, ash dropping all over his beard. ' Go on for pity sake'.

'I met Jimmy Egan down at the local shop when I was in getting the Lottery ticket. The bastard was grinning like a Cheshire cat when he grabbed my arm. Liam, he said, I brought the young fella fishing this afternoon and he caught the finest trout that ever came out of the river, 6lbs 6oz. Where, I asked.  At the willow in Casey's field he replied , on a worm.

On a bloody worm, my trout on a bloody worm'

'The bastard'; said Father Brennan and the barman in unison, 'The bloody thieving Bastard'

To be continued

[scotgillespie]

Excellent

[Moggie]

Really enjoying this!!!

[ddp712]

Just started reading these, very good, the end of this one made me laugh.