Scorpio's Lot (106 page)

‘I would say so.’

‘We’re not content in leaving the
Broadbent site to chance, so understandably we need to explore further
possibilities. Do you comprehend?’ Ivan said persuasively.

‘Of course.’

‘You previously spoke of two
further passageways. Can you name them?’ pressed Ivan.

‘As I’ve said before I don’t
know, other than being at separate locations and beneath Pedley,’ reiterated
the informant.

‘If you don’t know, who does?’

‘With the elimination of Neville
Bradbury, only four people now.’

‘Can you possibly think of anyone
outside Scorpio who could have knowledge of the underground?’ persisted Ivan.

‘Um ... the only other person who
comes to mind is the guy who owns the local caravan park.’

‘And his name?’

‘Tom Harrison.’

‘What do you know about this Mr
Harrison?’

‘Scorpio has an elderly friend of
his held captive in the underground. Apparently he’s been made to talk which
has uncovered some truth behind Tom Harrison.’

‘Go on.’

‘He’s been meddling with the
syndicate for some time now and generally making a nuisance of himself,’
divulged the informant.

‘In what way?’

‘Initially it was the Piedpiper’s
intention to kidnap a young dealer by the name of Brigit O’Neil because she may
have known too much for her own good and could’ve turned informant with the
authorities. That’s when Tom Harrison stepped in to rescue her, which led to
Scorpio chasing the couple around the countryside. A forced statement from his
captive friend has revealed that Harrison’s been investigating the subterranean
passageways with a passion. He’s even gone to the length of speaking with some
influential people in the city. It’s highly likely he knows of the exact
locations and is on the verge of discovering one of the entrances.’

‘Caravan park, did you say?’

‘Yes, Harrison’s Caravan Park to
be precise,’ confirmed the informant.

‘Thank you for this lead. We’ll
pursue this Mr Harrison a little further,’ stated Ivan. He ended the call and
proceeded to enlighten his four coconspirators.

‘Excellent, Ivan. We may have our
man - and outside the realms of Scorpio. How ironic!’ declared Indigo.

‘So how do we confront this Tom
Harrison?’ queried the irrepressible Dave.

Indigo simply glared at his
lackey’s line of questioning and then professed how he believed the matter
should be handled.

‘Somehow we need to get to this
guy, but the caravan park doesn’t sit comfortably with me. Too many inquisitive
people coming and going. No, if we are to successfully lure our Mr Harrison, it’ll
need to be done in a more constructive way. Something less conspicuous is
required.’

‘Then we need to establish what
his movements are over the next couple of days,’ Larry suggested.

‘Precisely! Grab a phone book and
I’ll phone him now,’ ordered Indigo.

The number was located and Indigo
dialled the caravan park. The sound of a male voice answered the call.

‘Mr Harrison, is it?’

‘Speaking, can I help you?’

‘Yes, my name is Fred Hanley and
I wish to make an enquiry about a possible booking,’ commenced Indigo.

‘Certainly. When do you plan
visiting and how many people, Mr Hanley?’

‘There’ll be four of us. My wife
and myself and our two children.’

‘And the date?’

‘Within the next two weeks and
possibly for three nights,’ responded Indigo.

‘Yes, we have a number of sites
that would accommodate your family, Mr Hanley.’

‘Good. I’ll be in your area over
the next two days and it would be appreciated if I could call in and perhaps
select a van.’

‘Yes, that can be arranged.’

‘What are your movements, Mr
Harrison, so I could see you personally?’

‘This afternoon would be
difficult since I have an appointment with my accountant and a number of other
matters to attend to. This evening, providing it’s before eight-thirty, would
be fine.’

‘And tomorrow if I can’t make it?’

‘Any time during the day would be
okay, except for tomorrow night due to a community meeting I must attend at O’Riley’s
Inn.’

‘Thank you, Mr Harrison. You’ve
been most helpful. I will most likely see you tomorrow afternoon.’

Indigo hung up and beamed like a
child that had just been handed a lollipop. His next plan of attack had fallen
nicely into place with the aid of a short and deceiving phone call. ‘So there
you have it. How easy is that, my friends?’

‘Where do you propose to meet Harrison?’
queried Martin, slightly puzzled with his boss’s newfound burst of enthusiasm.

‘The community meeting seems
perfect,’ declared Indigo.

‘Why the meeting?’ questioned
Ivan.

‘I daresay it’ll be isolated from
the prying public.’

‘Then we need to find out what
time this meeting is supposed to start,’ suggested Martin.

‘Understandably. Where’s that
book again and I’ll phone O’Riley’s,’ requested Indigo.

A chirpy voice responded. ‘O’Riley’s
Inn, Kathy speaking.’

‘Good afternoon,’ Indigo said. ‘I’m
enquiring about the community meeting scheduled for tomorrow evening. Could you
please advise what time this is due to commence and the anticipated duration?’

‘One moment please and I’ll
check,’ she replied.

Following a short pause the
receptionist came back. ‘Sorry to have you wait. There’s been a change of plan.
The meeting has been relocated to the RSL Club in Kelvin Street, due to a hotel
convention being held here tomorrow night. It appears your meeting is set to
start at eight pm and run for approximately two hours.’

‘Thank you for your help,’ Indigo
said.

~ * ~

esterday’s
Covert Road atrocity had shaken the very foundations of Pedley. Shock, grief
and anger typified the emotions of the township, but above all an air of
nervousness seemed to be most prevalent. Due to the media’s intention to lay
blame from the onset, it quickly became apparent that responsibility was the
work of the drug underworld. This very insinuation had prompted uneasiness
amongst the local community, and the general consensus was that there was more
bloodshed to follow.

Emily had been deeply affected,
and I understood this given the realisation that two of her acquaintances had
fallen victim to yesterday’s brutal act. It was difficult to comprehend such
violence, when innocent lives were involved through no knowledge or
understanding of underworld retribution. This evil demonstration was nothing
short of terrorism and a situation where the police had to quickly intervene to
reinstate some confidence back into society.

Not surprisingly, Harrison’s
Caravan Park reflected a mood of doom and gloom, with most tenants deciding to
check out and not wait around for the inevitable. In the confines of the front
office, Emily answered the persistent and ill-timed sound of an incoming call.

‘Hi Emily, it’s Stephen Buchanan
here. Could I have a word with Tom if he’s available?’

‘Yes, of course. Just a moment
Stephen.’ She covered the phone and said, ‘Tom, it’s Stephen Buchanan.’

I responded reluctantly, putting
down the tools I had intended to use on a carpentry job. What in the hell would
Buchanan be wanting at this time of day? Probably something that could wait.

Following pleasantries, Buchanan
came straight to the point. ‘Tom, there’s been a change in plans regarding our
meeting tonight. Some bloody hotel convention has forced us to transfer our
meeting to the RSL Club.’

‘They could’ve given us a bit of
warning.’

‘My thoughts exactly.’

‘Still an eight o’clock start?’ I
asked.

‘Yes.’

‘No problem. I guess a
replacement venue won’t make any difference. I’ll see you this evening,
Stephen.’

‘Okay, until then,’ concluded
Buchanan.

Following the phone call I
pondered for a moment on this evening’s meeting. In light of the Covert Road
tragedy, I wasn’t exactly in the right frame of mind to debate issues
surrounding the community’s welfare. The damn thing should have been postponed
until the following week. Reaching for a copy of the agenda in my office, I
glanced at the subjects set down for discussion and groaned at the mere thought
of Ben Johnson arguing over a couple of the intended issues. This now had all
the ingredients for a longer than normal meeting. Perhaps the committee would
have the good sense to deny the publican a dogmatic and lengthy forum.

Pedley Community Monthly Meeting
- 8.00pm 24 August

Chairperson - Tom Harrison

Agenda:

Introduction of new member,
Ashley Collins

Improvements to foreshore parks
and gardens

Flint’s supermarket chain
-
impact on local business

Proposed road improvement for
Sunset Lookout

Subdivision of land east end of
Williams Street

New Heresford Country Club
proposal

New business

Committee Members:

Stephen Buchanan
-
Finance

Sergeant Darren Burke
-
Law

Martha Kellett
-
Education
& Charity

Tom Harrison
-
Hospitality

Ben Johnson
-
Business

Richard Smyth
-
Council

Helen O’Neill
-
Ratepayers

Ashley Collins - Media

I could envisage Johnson putting
forward a strong case for the subdivision, given he had a financial stake in
this sizable piece of real estate. To my way of thinking it bordered on the
unethical and was a blatant abuse of position. I for one would be objecting to
this unnecessary need for a further housing complex. I also anticipated that
yesterday’s drama would be on the agenda tonight.