Scorpio's Lot (101 page)

‘Where’s the entrance to the
cellar?’ he asked in a sharp tone that suggested he was becoming restless with
these endless letdowns.

‘To the far end via a trapdoor,’
advised McLeod, searching for a light switch as they reached the hatchway.

A wooden doorway was immediately
drawn back, exposing a descending circular staircase that looked almost
medieval in its architecture. The initial depth appeared to be around five
metres, forever spiraling its course to the basement below. The stairwell and
descending walls were made from local bluestone, reminiscent of what Doyle and
Carpenter had described below Broadbent’s.

With McLeod leading the party he
flicked on a further light on reaching the basement level. The cellar room was
oblong in shape and constructed entirely of bluestone, including a noticeably
uneven floor. The ceiling was semi-circular, possibly built this way to
counteract any weightbearing factors. The area measured about eight by five
metres, an adequate size to store the once-prized collection of wine.

Forbes and his men gazed on this
relic from the past. The overall condition of the cellar had deteriorated over
the years and this was particularly evident around the base of the walls and
indeed that of the floor itself. The mortar had crumbled and broken away in
numerous areas, suggesting neglect had been the chief offender. With the
exception of some abandoned and insignificant items lying around, the room was
empty.

On further inspection, Parnell
detected evidence of a past seepage or condensation problem, for the walls in
one area could not hide the watermark trails the infiltration had caused. A
faint musty smell could be detected in this very area, which beckoned the
question as to why?

Forbes was convinced this room
contained more than what the eye could see. It simply cried out for further
investigation and therefore a return visit with the appropriate equipment would
be shortly arranged. From what Doyle had described, the uncanny similarities to
Broad-bent’s was more than coincidental, giving the impression that bluestone
could be interpreted as being the common material used for all three entrances.

~ * ~

repared
to accept the informant’s sworn admission that Scorpio’s underground network
was accessible from within Broadbent’s, Indigo declared the warehouse was the target
where he would commence his reign of retaliation. His source had proven to be
reliable and there was no reason to start casting doubts about the man’s
advice.

Whilst the whereabouts of the
passageway had remained an unknown factor, its obscurity had not perturbed
Indigo in the least. In his mind the destruction of Broadbent’s would expose
the entrance, bringing with it the infiltration of Traffik or the police to
destroy the southern operation.

With the arduous preparation and
choice of ammunition finalised, the time was now imminent to attack Scorpio
with maximum venom. Having a variety of weaponry at their disposal, explosives
were decided as being the most appropriate to deliver the potent result. Indigo
had initially contemplated the use of near-pure nitroglycerin, but with the
unstable chemistry being prone to physical shock, the risk of transport was
considered too dangerous. As a result he decided to compromise with the safer
use of dynamite.

All was in readiness as Indigo
and his men synchronised their watches, with the hour hand approaching three.
Given the nature of explosives and the need to separate the formulas during
transportation, it was mutually agreed that separate vehicles were in order.
Entry to Broadbent’s was set down for three-fifteen am, a relatively simple
task due to the Scorpio informant planting a key for Indigo’s collection. The
wheels were in motion and the short journey to the warehouse had commenced.

On their arrival in Covert Road,
the Traffik group moved with the precision of a professional and well-drilled
unit. The key was retrieved and the roller door raised in the space of twenty
seconds. According to the informant, no alarm or detection system operated
within the premises. Following the unloading of explosives, Indigo and two of
his lackey’s hastily drove the cars to a nearby street. The Broadbent’s
entrance was lowered and the remaining two men commenced rechecking and sorting
their lethal supplies. With careful and meticulous precision, the initial
exercise was completed in less than two minutes.

Inside with only the use of
torches, the men then quickly assessed the internal structure. The building was
primarily a shell consisting of four brick walls and a wrought-iron roof. Five
heavy-duty overhead beams were strategically placed; the internal construction
reflected the dominant use of porous materials. It was not what the blasters
considered one of their more challenging tasks. More important was the
placement of explosives, for the strict order was given to have the dynamite
cartridges and blasting caps well hidden from sight.

Indigo had chosen the blast to be
detonated by a remote electronic system, which would send a digital pulse to a
computer chip embedded in the explosive blasting cap. This would be carried out
during daylight business hours to gain maximum destruction and loss of life.
With further assessment the two men then realised the demolition of walls and
pillars presented some limitations with respect to the placement of explosives.
Without the aid of a demolition chamber and the emphasis on hiding the
evidence, only three choices prevailed. It was decided either the charges would
need to be placed at ground level, above ground level or beneath the surface.

Finally choosing the above-ground
option, the men realised that elevated charges would be more effective if
distributed at equal distance from each other. In this way they would obtain
maximum thrust from the shockwaves of the blast. Additionally, the roof would
immediately fall victim to the sudden impact.

With their decision made the
Traffik pair reached inside a metal box for the numerous sticks of dynamite,
each in the shape of a round cartridge of around twenty by four centimetres in
size. The sticks had been modified by removing the explosive oil and replacing
it with ammonium nitrate to increase the explosive strength. A paraffin
enclosure had been encased to serve a dual purpose, for protection against
moisture and to act as a combustible hydrocarbon that would also contribute to
the explosive reaction.

The two men carefully chose to
camouflage the dynamite cartridges some two metres from the floor, pressing
them up hard behind some produce and weightbearing boxes that rested against
the walls. The blasting caps followed and were now in position to act as a
primary explosive, so as to assist with denotation of the larger charge from
the secondary explosive. The completed job was a neat and methodical
arrangement and all was finalised in under half an hour. It was time to phone
Indigo and have the cars brought around to the front entrance.

With the roller door secured and
locked, the two vehicles quietly disappeared into the winter night, leaving
behind no visible evidence of entry. The first stage of addressing retaliation
had been completed on cue. Tomorrow Indigo would choose the moment of
detonation. He smiled inwardly at the mere thought of what the Piedpiper s
reaction might be.

Revenge would be sweet.

~ * ~

On
Thursday morning the sun rose over the Ripley Shire horizon to reveal a beautiful
late winter’s day. The skies were blue and the warmer than normal temperature
indicated that spring was just around the corner. It was nine o’clock and the
occasional commuter could still be seen rushing toward work. The activity of
the day had already picked up momentum, with couriers hastily doing their
rounds, the search for car parking bays all but exhausted and people in general
going about their business. It was your usual Pedley introduction to a typical
working day. Despite its modest population on the low side of ten thousand, the
township of Pedley boasted a bonanza of employment opportunities, which drew a
workforce from near and far.

On this particular morning the
activities at Broadbent’s warehouse were no exception. Grocery lines and beverages
were being transferred into two vans, both parked in their respective
front-loading bays destined for the local supermarkets.

Neville Bradbury and his men had
worked tirelessly to achieve a deadline, for the Murphy and Prendergast stores
were expecting their deliveries to arrive no later than nine thirty. With the
two couriers having departed and prior to the next customer onslaught, the
manager decided his staff deserved to take a ten-minute tea break.

On this occasion Bradbury decided
to take his coffee mug back to the front office to complete some administrative
task. The next scheduled order would be arriving within quarter of an hour, in
addition to the unannounced clients who seem to frequent the premises at will.
Make the most of this quiet period, thought Neville as he sipped away at the
hot chocolate.

Two chattering young women
patronising Maxim’s Coffee Lounge were sitting at a table diagonally opposite
Broadbent Warehouse. Over latte and croissants, they appeared totally engrossed
in conversation and oblivious to their surrounds. On an adjacent table four
seemingly retired men, all dressed in their traditional bowling whites, were
enjoying their morning cappuccinos prior to the Thursday ritual. The remainder
of Maxim’s customers were made up of a small family in one corner and two
middle-aged women who had just been served tea and raisin toast. The morning
sun beamed through the cafe’s floor-to-ceiling plate glass windows, bringing
penetrating warmth to enhance their short stay.

The occasional person walked by
on Covert Road, while two painters complete with trestles and planks were
preparing to strip a timber surface from the first storey of a nearby building.
A girl of around five was playing hopscotch on a freshly chalked pathway, while
a young woman, presumably her mother, stood nearby talking to some elderly
gentleman.

A street sweeper had all but
disappeared down Covert Road, its maneuvers incorporating the repetitive action
of spinning brushes and water spray. Cars occupied every available parking bay
and a couple of service technicians were attending to a light pole that was in
need of some minor electrical repair. A further courier van had just pulled
into the warehouse that would invariably interrupt Bradbury’s mug of chocolate.
All appeared to be quite normal and routine on this particular morning. Then
without warning the inevitable happened.

At precisely 9.42 am Broadbent
Warehouse exploded with immense force. The blast produced a low rumbling noise
with horrific suddenness and ferocity. The explosion was so destructive and
powerful it shook the earth similar to that of an earthquake. Everything in a
radius of half a block was immediately affected, with varying consequences.

Due to Broadbent’s having a
covered courtyard that extended from the roof at the rear end of the building,
the effects of the explosion were greatly intensified. This excessive energy
was brought about by the confinement of explosive force within the warehouse
and the resultant convergence of directional force. This immense power
increased the blast effect, to the point where the bottom half of the building
was literally blown out, resulting in the upper portions collapsing on
everything beneath it. The overall force of the explosion lifted the entire building,
segregating the base of its upright concrete pillars, which were encased with
metal strengtheners. The building then imploded, collapsing toward its weakest
point.