Scorpio's Lot (10 page)

‘I’ve thought of the danger to
Brigit but wasn’t sure how to deal with it. Being in hospital, she wouldn’t let
me see her anyway. This is the main reason why I’ve been telling you all this,
because I need someone who can be trusted and who’ll warn her of the danger.’

Rather than prolong the
inevitable, I decided to phone the hospital right now to establish Brigit’s
whereabouts. ‘Hello, I’m enquiring about Brigit O’Neill’s condition.’

‘One moment, please. I’ll just
check,’ replied the voice, followed by the sound of pages being turned. ‘Miss O’Neill
was discharged this morning at ten o’clock.’

‘Was someone there to collect
her?’

‘Yes, a middle-aged woman
arrived. I assumed it was her mother.’

‘Thank you for your help.’ I hung
up and explained the situation to James, who immediately looked very troubled.

‘Shit, now I’m worried. Brigit’s
in a very vulnerable position while she’s living in that house. What can we do?’
asked James.

‘I’ll phone the police now,’ I
replied, with sudden concern.

I specifically asked for
Detective Forbes, not wanting my message to be passed on and therefore delayed
through the ranks. When he came on the line I said, ‘Detective Forbes, it’s Tom
Harrison calling about a concern for Brigit O’Neill’s safety.’

‘Yes, Mr Harrison,’ Forbes said, ‘and
what might that be?’

‘There’s a possibility that Jake
Reynolds’ death was brought about by what he overheard in the park that night
and not so much by what he saw.’

‘That’s purely speculation.
Sergeant Burke spoke to Jake that same night and said there was talk of an
underground network and the distribution of drugs, but unfortunately the lad
couldn’t elaborate any further,’ offered the detective.

‘But there is the possibility he
may have known more and withheld information.’

‘Not good enough, Mr Harrison. We’ve
already discussed this aspect and while we cannot dismiss the idea, there is
nonetheless insufficient substance in your claim.’

‘Yes, but -’

‘Tell me, why do you raise this
point?’

‘Because Brigit’s my niece and
her life may be in danger. Take a moment to look at the situation from the
syndicate’s point of view. They may be aware of her relationship with Jake and
therefore be of the opinion some damaging information may have been exchanged.
Whether Brigit has knowledge of anything incriminating or not is irrelevant.
The point to consider is this - the syndicate cannot afford to take risks and
therefore they view her as a threat.’

‘But Mr Harrison, you continue
with your speculations.’

Ignoring his negative remark, I
continued to push the point. ‘Detective Forbes, can you provide protection for
Brigit? I’ve just learnt she’s been discharged from hospital and is most likely
recuperating at home. I believe this leaves her in a very vulnerable position.’

‘I appreciate your concern but
the situation does not warrant priority. I will, however, arrange to have one
of our patrol cars do some random checks on the house. Due to a lack of
resources, this is the best I can offer.’

‘Thank you,’ I responded,
disappointed there wasn’t to be full-time surveillance. Still, this arrangement
was at least better than nothing. The phone line went dead.

I turned to James. ‘I have no
choice but to go around and warn them both. We need to keep a step ahead of
these people. By the way, does Helen have any knowledge of Brigit’s drug
involvement?’

‘Not that I’m aware of. Those two
have never hit it off, so I can’t see Brigit ever volunteering this sort of
information. I expect the police to interview me again since I was the one who
told them about Brigit’s drug dealings. I’ll only tell them what’s necessary
because I don’t want anything traced back to me, for obvious reasons. Certainly
there’ll be no mention of the name Charlie!’

‘If you have no objection, I need
to inform Emily about what you’ve told me, particularly when I’m about to
forewarn Brigit of her danger and the possibility of relocating her to a safer
place.’

‘Yes, mention this to Emily and
no one else, but where in the hell would you hide Brigit?’

‘Probably in the caravan park
initially.’

Our discussion drew to an end and
we parted company. I had further errands to run for Emily and there was work to
be done when I returned to the park.

~ * ~

Later
that afternoon Neville Bradbury had a meeting with Charlie and Sol at Broadbent
Warehouse to discuss the fate of Brigit O’Neill. Both Bradbury and Sol chose to
approach the matter with caution and not be too hasty in making rash decisions.
By contrast, Charlie wanted her eliminated in fear that his cover may have been
blown. Forever the hothead, he argued with the other two, pointing out that
they weren’t directly affected.

‘You’ve got no balls! For Christ’s
sake! She’s got to go because I don’t want these fuckin’ cops onto me!’ fumed
Charlie.

‘You’re pissing me off, Charlie!’
Sol said. ‘Shut up and listen carefully. We’re running an operation here and
the last thing we want is another murder. Brigit O’Neill’s circumstances are
different because she’s employed by the syndicate. Her role may be minor but
there’s still traceability. Therefore this needs to be dealt with in another
way, do you understand?’

‘All right then!’ grumbled
Charlie, looking like he’d just lost his best friend.

‘The regional head will provide
the answer in due course. That decision’s not ours to make,’ continued Sol.

‘I took the liberty of phoning
the hospital this morning,’ Bradbury said. ‘She’s already been discharged and
gone home. I found her address listed in the white pages.’

‘Good, time now to contact the
boss,’ said Sol.

~ * ~

After
leaving James I went back to the park and informed Emily of the possible
dangers confronting Brigit. She listened with no interruptions and as the story
unfolded her eyes appeared strangely hypnotised, with a hint of a tear
surfacing in one corner. Her eyes rarely blinked. She was completely
dumbstruck.

‘Tom, I simply don’t know what to
say. I would have never expected Brigit to be involved in that sort of thing.’

‘It just goes to show - some
people are not what they appear.’

‘But marijuana is hardly the drug
to commit a murder over.’

‘You’re missing the point.
Marijuana’s not the issue here, it’s what the trail can lead to. This syndicate
deals in heroin and the like. It’s big business and probably far greater than
what most people realise. They’re not going to take a chance on allowing some
two-bit hooch dealer blowing their entire cover.’

‘If the potential risk is there
to jeopardise the organisation, then why would they take a chance with
marijuana in the first place?’

‘You just don’t get it! It’s like
a lot of things in life. There’s a natural progression. Brigit’s been dealing
in marijuana, which, given time, may well lead to cocaine and heroin and
consequently bigger returns for her employer. This organisation couldn’t care
less whose lives they ruin because their only interest is in accumulating
wealth.’

‘Tom, I’m very concerned for
Brigit’s safety.’

‘I’m coming to that, Em. We must
assume the syndicate is of the opinion that Jake told Brigit of this guarded
secret. Given she already has some inside knowledge of their organisation, this
implication must be extremely damaging to them for it’s already resulted in two
deaths. That being the case, her life is in danger and measures must be taken
to prevent any further blood.’

‘But Tom, that’s police work, not
yours!’ protested Emily.

‘Yes, but the police have only
offered periodic checks on the house and unfortunately that still leaves her in
a vulnerable position. I plan to visit Brigit this evening and to persuade her,
with Helen’s consent, that she would be safer laying low in one of our caravan
sites for a few days until we figure out something more suitable.’

‘What... here?’

‘I can’t think of anywhere else
for the moment, and besides, we both need to be on our guard from now on. We
don’t know who can be trusted.’

‘All the more reason to go to the
police,’ Emily insisted.

‘Again I must point out that
Forbes and co can only offer limited protection. We’re dealing with my niece
here and I for one won’t take that risk at the moment.’

Our conversation was interrupted
by a sound from the office counter bell. A short man in his mid-thirties, of
fair complexion and sporting a ginger goatee greeted me with an outstretched
arm holding a business card.

‘Tom Harrison, I presume?’

‘Yes it is, can I help you?’

‘My name’s Ashley Collins. I’m a
reporter for the
Pedley Advertiser
assigned to the Reynolds case. Could
I please have a moment of your time?’

I’d anticipated this visit, but I
still wondered how I could contribute to their grossly exaggerated articles.
These people were no more than male versions of Ruth Evans, sticking their
noses into other people’s business and generally making a nuisance of
themselves. Still, I had to tread carefully and be pleasant. There had already
been enough bad publicity without contributing further.

‘Certainly, but I’m not sure if I
can assist you.’

‘I’ll try and keep this brief. My
objective is to provide the public with an honest and accurate account of this
case. The police have not been overly cooperative, except to say the local drug
syndicate has been accused and every effort will be made to flush out the
villains.’

‘Yes, I’m already aware of this.’

‘My source advises me that you
knew Jake Reynolds well, and his partner Brigit O’Neill. I would appreciate
some background on these people, if you don’t mind.’

I gave him a brief overview while
he scribbled down some notes. Careful not to divulge too much information, I
spoke only of the positive aspects and did not mention Brigit’s drug
involvement. Nor did I let on that she was my niece.

‘Mr Harrison, I see this case
developing into one long investigation now that the drug underworld appears to
be involved. They won’t be easy to infiltrate, I’m told. Therefore you’ll
understand when I say my readers are to be provided with factual information
from the start. Credibility is an important aspect of journalism and this will
need to be maintained as we progress through the case. The hunt for the guilty
party will intrigue our readers and subsequently promote more sales.’

‘Yes, all that makes sense,’ I
replied, wondering if this guy was for real. Talk about expressing the bleeding
obvious.

‘Do you suspect any drug
involvement may originate within the caravan park, considering the murder scene
is on the edge of your property?’

‘Now steady on, you’re crossing
the line here. I can assure you there’s zero involvement on my property.’

‘My apologies, I didn’t mean to
offend.’

‘Please don’t imply our park is
under suspicion.’

‘Again, I’m sorry. And thank you
for your information on these two people. I’d like to keep in touch as this
whole matter unfolds, if you have no objection.’

‘Very well, but be careful with
your line of questioning in future.’

I watched the reporter depart.
What an odd person, I thought. Why ask me for some background on Jake and
Brigit when there were many others he could have approached? I could only surmise
that the location of the crime scene was the governing factor. Perhaps Collins
was hoping there was a connection with one of the tenants but backed off
following my reaction.