Divorcing Jack

Starkey and Parker are dispatched to cover the upcoming elections in Northern Ireland. Brinn appears to be the obvious winner with a platform of disarmament and peace. Starkey remains skeptical, suspecting political theater more than real change.

Starkey begins an affair with Margaret, a young art student. Patricia leaves to stay with her parents while the affair continues. The personal betrayal foreshadows the deeper entanglements between private lives and political intrigue.

At Margaret's, Starkey receives a tape of classical composers. He also learns that Margaret's former boyfriend is Patrick 'Cow Pat' Keegan, a feared terrorist. The discovery links the private affair to dangerous political undercurrents.

When Starkey returns to Margaret's with pizza, he finds Margaret dying and her mother killed after a violent intruder rampage. He fights back, but the intruder escapes and he realizes the crime may implicate him. The night ends with a chilling sense of personal danger.

The next day, Starkey and Parker interview Brinn. It is revealed that Margaret is the daughter of an old friend of Brinn, a prominent politician in Brinn's party. The personal connection complicates the journalists' pursuit of the truth.

On the way to Brinn's residence, the journalists are attacked by Protestant paramilitaries. Starkey writes off the incident as random violence, while Parker grows suspicious of a deeper conspiracy. The danger surrounding Brinn begins to feel more real.

Starkey tries to call Patricia but hears her kidnapping on the other end. The police start to suspect Starkey of the murders and the kidnapping, complicating his ability to tell the truth. Parker reluctantly agrees to help Starkey unravel the mounting mystery.

Parker uncovers that Margaret had an old friend named Jack who might be involved. Starkey visits Jack but finds this lead a dead end, leaving them with more questions than answers. The investigation deepens as they chase inconsistent threads.

Starkey is shot by unknown assailants and is saved by Lee Cooper, a nurse-by-day and stripper-by-night. He recovers at her apartment, where a piece of classical music on the radio hints at a hidden clue. This encounter injects a personal, human element into the political boil.

Cooper's presence and a Dvořák piece prompt Starkey to realize that Margaret's last words were not 'divorce Jack' but a clue tied to the tape's composer. He also learns the tape has changed hands, having been sold to a street vendor. The puzzle tightens as multiple intermediaries emerge.

Starkey goes to meet Parker at a restaurant, only to find the meeting was a trap. Parker is kidnapped and taken to a council block controlled by Keegan, who threatens Parker's life unless the tape is handed over. Starkey realizes the dangerous stakes and the personal risk to his wife.

In a tense valley exchange, Brinn and Keegan are killed as the tape (containing Brinn's admission to planting bombs) detonates with the money. Starkey survives and chooses to publish the truth despite a civil servant's warning. He returns home to his wife, concluding the arc of personal and political scandal.