Scorpio's Lot (29 page)

‘Well, for starters both men are
highly respected in town,’ Whittaker said. ‘Stephen Buchanan was a successful
boxer in his earlier years, having won a few titles at the time. The guy’s
probably about forty-seven now. He came to Pedley around eight years ago to
take up the position of manager. He has a bit of a reputation for having a
temper and is considered very shrewd in his business dealings.’

‘And what about this Ben Johnson,
the one that sat at the next table?’

‘This publican gives generously
to a number of local organisations and has been very clever in accumulating a
lot of property when prices are conveniently low. He reputedly has a small band
of hoodlums to take care of things when there’s trouble at the hotel. Make no
mistake, these are two guys you wouldn’t want to cross.’

‘Thanks, Ross. We need to find
out more about these two high-profile men. With your local knowledge, Neil, I’ll
leave this task for you to investigate,’ said Forbes.

‘Will do,’ Carpenter said.

‘We’ll now turn our attention to
this morning’s Bridge Street rendezvous. Would you please describe what you
witnessed, Ross.’

‘I happened to be waiting for the
Regency to open their doors regarding the follow-up burglary enquiry when I
observed a meeting between James Slattery and Kurt Muller on the opposite
footpath. Is anyone aware that these two know each other?’

A negative response prompted
Whittaker to continue. ‘What made this little rendezvous intriguing was the
body language during their meeting. I could only surmise they’ve been friends
for some time. Following a two or three minute discussion I then observed
Slattery passing a brown paper package to Muller.’

‘How big a package?’ Carpenter
enquired.

‘About the size of a shoebox.
Slattery appeared a little nervous when handing the parcel over and -’

‘In what way?’ interrupted Forbes.

‘He kept looking around, giving
the impression he didn’t want anyone to see the transfer.’

‘Which suggests the contents may
be questionable.’

‘Precisely.’

‘Did you approach the pair at
all?’ asked Marsh.

Whittaker gave the detective a
steely look. ‘No, Paul, they’d parted company before I could take any action.’

Forbes intervened, believing his
subordinate could’ve been a bit more tactful. ‘Neil, I want you and Paul to
check this out. Interview both men and establish how they came to know each other,
what was discussed and above all, find out what that package contained.’

‘Certainly,’ Carpenter said.

‘We now move on to Paul’s report
covering the events of last night at the Berkley Fun Parlour.’

Acknowledging his superior’s
gesture to take central stage, Marsh gathered his notes and began his briefing.
‘I made my second contact with Danny Murdock last night, which proved to be
useful. Through Danny I was introduced to two young men called Travis Ferguson
and Hassan, who the locals refer to as Ferret and the Artful Dodger. According
to Danny these guys have some powerful connections within the drug trade. Not
surprisingly they denied having inside knowledge of the operation and who the
ring leader is, claiming they’re only the little guys working the streets where
supply is provided via an anonymous source

Forbes interrupted. ‘I find that
difficult to believe.’

‘That may be so, but I thought
what they told me seemed feasible.’

‘Oh, how so?’ challenged Forbes.

‘Well, they volunteered some information
which appears to make a lot of sense. Let me explain. Both Ferguson and Hassan
spoke of the Piedpiper, who they claim lives in Pedley and whose identity is
only known to those in the drug hierarchy. They also confirmed this person is
the southern regional head of the organisation -’

‘Yes, we already know that.’

‘According to their source they
believe he’s a well-known and respected citizen within the community,’
continued Marsh, unruffled by his superior’s impatience.

‘Um ... intriguing observation.’

‘Ferguson, otherwise known as the
Ferret, made an interesting evaluation about our drug lord. He’s often wondered
about the identity of the Piedpiper and could only come to one conclusion. If
his source is correct and the person is well known within the community, then
we need look no further than someone in local government or business that could
fulfill such a high-profile position.’

‘That’s a reasonable assessment.’

‘Keep in mind this is just one
person’s opinion, but nonetheless it’s an interesting perspective.’

‘Anything else?’

‘Yes, both Ferret and Danny
Murdock happen to be fellow employees at some place called Broadbent -’

Seeing the city detectives’
puzzled expressions, it was Whittaker who interrupted this time. ‘It’s a local
warehouse depot supplying food and beverages to the supermarkets and
hospitality industry. It’s situated in Covert Road, which intersects with the
main shopping street. Broadbent has been around for a number of years and seems
to have a respectable name in town.’

‘It may be nothing but I believe
they’re at least worth checking out,’ said Marsh. ‘According to Danny, this guy
Ferret has an endless supply of dope, so where in the hell does his contact fit
into the scheme of things? Their place of employment is at least a starting
point.’

‘I agree,’ said Forbes. ‘We’ll
take a look at the premises today.’

Marsh concluded his briefing and
returned to his seat.

Forbes continued. ‘We’ll progress
to our next subject regarding the matter at Peterswood. We are all aware that Burke
and Martino departed Pedley late yesterday afternoon. The storm that hit last
night had a catastrophic, widespread effect in the Ashworth region. The bureau
reports extensive flooding in the low-lying communities and that all major
roads east of Pedley have been cut. Please be reminded that communication with
our two officers ceased following their last contact at around eight last
night. Ross and I agree this occurrence has most likely been attributed to the
radio and phone towers cutting out. What we do know from our last communication
is that they had travelled through Ashworth en route to Peterswood. This part
of the country is on high ground and therefore removed from possible flooding.’

Whitaker took over and elaborated
further. ‘Feedback indicates our men should be quite safe, providing they
maintain their present elevation. Knowing Burke, he’ll feel duty-bound to
return with Brigit O’Neill at the earliest opportunity. My sources advise that
the one possible return route is via the cargo vessel
Molly Bloom
, which
departs Seddon one o’clock daily. Assuming this to be their return ticket, we’re
anticipating Burke and Martino will try to make contact once aboard.’

‘But wouldn’t the floods prevent
their arrival at Seddon?’

‘No, on the contrary. Their route
remains unaffected because the Peterswood road to Ashworth and through to
Seddon is on high ground.’

Forbes again took the floor. ‘Our
one concern is the possibility of the syndicate flexing their muscles at
Peterswood, in which case we have a further problem to deal with. However, we’re
treating this with a degree of scepticism at this stage as there’s no proof to
suggest otherwise. The
Molly Bloom
docks at four and if they’re not
onboard then we’ll mount a full-scale search party.’

‘All I can say is, you better
pray they haven’t met with foul play,’ stated Carpenter with a thoughtless
reaction.

Forbes, in particular, didn’t
take kindly to the cynical remark. ‘Sergeant, again I will reiterate. We lack
the evidence to request such a demand. There is the likelihood our men will
arrive in Pedley around two hours from now, as opposed to sending a search and
rescue squad, an Air Wing crew and God knows what else simply based on some
perception.’

Forbes rose from his chair and
walked across to the whiteboard, erasing his previous notes. Very much the type
of person to display his theories, Forbes covered almost the entire surface
with his trusty black marker. The list of directives and possible suspects drew
immediate challenge from his subordinates. It was Marsh who sought the first
answer.

‘I’m surprised you’ve included
Tom Harrison,’ he said. ‘Why is he under investigation?’

‘Because of his evasive
behaviour. We also need to establish what motive lurks behind his involvement
with Brigit.’

‘Being his niece should be
sufficient motive,’ offered an astonished Marsh.

‘And why Hamish O’Connor?’ asked
an equally confused Carpenter.

‘We can’t afford to leave any
stone unturned,’ replied an unperturbed Forbes.

‘Do you intend checking the
Broadbent premises with a search warrant?’ asked Carpenter.

‘Not initially. We need good
reason to have a legal order granted. What I’m suggesting is simply to check
out the premises, their employees and no more. Chances are nothing will come of
it, but like I said earlier, we must focus on all probabilities. Carpenter, you
can check out Broadbent this afternoon.’

‘Will do.’

‘Any more questions?’

With no further input Forbes drew
the meeting to a close. Pleased with these new developments and the avenues of
investigation that now lay before him, he reiterated with each team member
their specific duties.

~ * ~

h,
were finally on our way,’ I said, finishing my cappuccino.

‘Yes, three hours to go. I wonder
what will become of me once the police at Pedley have me in their custody,’
replied a pessimistic Brigit.

‘I think you’re overreacting. I’m
sure Forbes will have your best interests at heart,’ said Darren.

‘One thing at a time, Brigit.
Just enjoy the trip for now,’ I suggested, and then added as an afterthought, ‘What
say we take a walk around the deck?’

‘Yes, why not? It might be
interesting looking around “the old girl”, as you call her.’

‘You two go for it. Chris and I
will rest for a while, and besides, I need to see the captain about using his
communication,’ Burke said.

Contrary to what Hamish had told
us, the
Molly Bloom
was at near capacity, with a number of passengers
having already taken up advantage points to enjoy the coastal scenery from
starboard. A row of deck chairs on the upper level had proven popular with
many, and excited children were now knocking down skittles combined with the
sound of squeals and laughter as they played. Looking around, I thought the
numbers on board had surpassed Hamish’s estimation of thirty. Starboard side
alone must have exceeded this limit, let alone those on portside and indeed the
crew itself. Perhaps the weather today and last night’s storm had contributed
to this excessive number, for a cloudless blue sky on a winter’s afternoon
would certainly encourage people to be outdoors.