Scorpio's Lot (39 page)

‘So tell me, Danny, what’s on
your mind?’

‘Well, it’s difficult to know
where to start.’

‘Try from the beginning and we’ll
see what happens,’ encouraged the detective.

‘I worked back to nearly eight
tonight at the request of me boss to finish a stocktake. It happened about
twenty minutes before I finished.’ ‘What happened?’

‘Mr Bradbury had already left for
the night, leavin’ only Ferret and me in the building. I was workin’ on one
side of the warehouse behind a stack of boxes and Ferret was goin’ about his
business on the other, when suddenly this guy wearin’ a long coat and a hat was
talkin’ to Ferret. His voice at times was a bit threatening so I decided to
remain hidden behind the boxes and let Ferret handle the matter. What followed
next was a big surprise because not only did they know each other, but their
conversation really rocked me.’

‘And how’s that, Danny?’

‘For starters their discussion
wasn’t meant for my ears, so I reckon Ferret thought I’d left with the boss
earlier. I was out of sight and adding up the inventory figures doesn’t make
any noise.’

‘But what was discussed that
shook you up?’ persisted Marsh, starting to become a little impatient with
Danny’s prolonged explanation.

‘This stranger spoke of
downscaling the syndicate’s southern operation because of all the publicity. He
also mentioned some rival gang plannin’ to arrive and take over their clients.’

‘Does this stranger have a name?’

‘Ferret called him Charlie.’

‘Yes, I might have guessed. We’ve
heard of this character before. Continue with your story, Danny.’

‘The one called Charlie said it
was a big worry because the syndicate is currently vulnerable within the
underworld. Charlie said they have opportunity, so this rival gang will come
down to Pedley and try to take over.’

‘Does this rival syndicate have a
name, Danny?’

‘I didn’t pick up on that.’

‘This rival operation is
obviously not concerned about the police or the media’s presence and perhaps in
retrospect it’s not such a bad thing. It has all the ingredients to bring a lot
more out into the open, don’t you think?’ suggested Marsh.

‘You would think so. Another
point is, Charlie said his boss was gonna discredit this rival mob. I didn’t pick
up on all what was said, but I did hear that someone called the Keeper is
plannin’ to visit Pedley and will pass on some incriminating evidence.’

‘Was there mention of when the
Keeper will arrive?’ coaxed Marsh, now engrossed with Danny’s encounter.

‘Yeah, it’s to happen when the
Pedley Festival is on.’

‘Which is only the weekend after
next. And this incriminating evidence you speak of - did you hear what it is
they intend passing on?’

‘Documents of some kind, but I
got no idea what they are.’

‘In case you don’t know, this
person called the Keeper is in fact the national head of their operation. Did
you by any chance hear who the Keeper intends passing the documents to?’

‘Someone called the Piedpiper. I’ve
heard this name on the street from time to time and wondered who he might be,
but I’ve never asked in case it gets me into trouble.’

‘Did they speak of a rendezvous
point somewhere in Pedley and perhaps the day this transaction will be carried
out?’

‘I’m sorry, I don’t know. For all
I know it could be someone’s house or even at the festival itself.’ Danny was
disappointed he couldn’t be more precise.

‘No need to apologise, Danny.
What you’ve told me is an enormous help because it will assist us in our
preparations leading up to the carnival.’

‘I’m scared, Paul. I went to a
lot of trouble to get here without being followed.’

‘Do you suspect Broadbent is
involved with what you overheard tonight?’

‘I don’t think so because their
meeting could’ve taken place anywhere. This one called Charlie has to be Ferret’s
source of supply. He probably knew his pusher worked at Broadbent so he decided
to tell him there about the situation.’

‘I guess you have a point. Ferret’s
place of employment seems a logical choice if the circumstances allow for such
a discussion.’

‘I think it’s just a coincidence.
Mr Bradbury is a good boss who treats his staff with respect. He’s not the type
to be mixed up in somethin’ like this.’

‘Did you hear any further
discussion?’

‘Charlie told Ferret he had
someone waitin’ in his car outside and they had some business to attend to
later tonight.’

‘What sort of business?’

‘Somethin’ about a warnin’ to
stay clear of the syndicate’s operations.’

‘Any idea who that might be?’

‘No idea, Paul.’

‘Tell me, how did you manage to
get out of the buildin’ without being detected?’ asked Marsh, dropping a ‘g’.
He had been listening to Danny for too long.

‘That was a stroke of luck.
Charlie took a look at the wine collection in the cellar, which allowed me to
slip away. At first I didn’t think they would budge because Ferret was whingin’
his tits off that he wanted to close shop and leave, but in the end Charlie got
his way.’

‘Thanks, Danny. And remember, if
there’s a hint of trouble phone me immediately.’

~ * ~

An
unexpected knock at the front door prompted me to rise from my club chair to
greet this unknown caller, but Emily intervened to save me the trouble after
lifting Pebbles the Persian cat from her lap. I was still being pampered by my
wife, who was under instructions from Doctor Young to make sure I was getting
plenty of rest.

‘Tom, sit down. It’s only Martha
with some homemade dishes she’s cooked for us while you’re convalescing. She
offered to ease my burden, knowing I still had the park to run while you’re
recovering.’

Emily opened the front door and a
delicious aroma wafted inside. The plate had probably come directly from the
oven itself. ‘Thank you, Martha,’ I heard Emily say. ‘It’s a bit like
Meals-on-Wheels delivering our gourmet order. Do come in for a while. I’m sure
Tom would like to see you.’

‘Good evening, Emily,’ Martha
said. ‘I see Sam has been busy cleaning up your front garden. It now looks more
presentable.’

‘Yes, I’m very happy to see that
garden bed finally getting some attention.’

‘Hello, Tom,’ Martha said, coming
into the room. ‘How are you feeling after all that turmoil yesterday?’

‘Steady progress, Martha. I
should be back to my routine the day after tomorrow. Thank you so much for the
food, which I’ll try shortly.’

‘It’s been a harrowing experience
for us all. I can’t recall Pedley ever being subjected to such violence, not
even during my teaching years.’

‘Yes, and let’s hope the
authorities catch these culprits before more blood is spilt,’ I said. ‘I think
this town has had more than its fair share. I can’t help but worry about poor
Brigit in the hands of those fiends.’

‘Very unfortunate. We can only
hope she’s found very soon and unharmed. I guess the next step for the police
is to obtain testimonies from all the people aboard the boat.’

‘Yes, and that’ll be a
time-consuming exercise. Forbes has asked me to call into the police station
tomorrow morning to give a statement. Apparently he intends to conduct all the
interviews with the
Molly Bloom
passengers throughout the day.’

‘All this mournful talk is
depressing,’ Emily said, changing the subject. ‘On a lighter note, the Pedley
Festival commences Saturday week. Do you plan on going, Martha?’

Emily sat stroking Pebbles, who
responded with the constant purring that annoyed the hell out of me. Nothing
had changed over the years - I still preferred the company of dogs and Em would
always be devoted to cats.

‘Most certainly. I wouldn’t miss
it for the world. All that colour and atmosphere. You’d swear you were in some
South American country that weekend. It’ll also give the locals an opportunity
to put all the recent dramas to one side for a short time.’

‘Yes, that’s a good point,’ I
said, ‘but hopefully it won’t put a dampener on the carnival.’

‘I caught up with Marge Samson
the other day and -’ Emily was suddenly cut short by another knock on the front
door.

I glanced at her with a puzzled
look, wondering who would be calling so late on a week night. Looking at my
watch, which signaled 9.15 pm, I decided to relieve Emily and answer the door
myself.

When I opened the door two men
wearing balaclavas instantly pushed their way through the entrance, knocking me
over. With the front door slammed behind them and guns pointed at their three
captives, they gestured at me to climb to my feet and join the two women in the
corner.

‘Mr Tom Harrison, I presume,’
said Brad Morgan.

‘Yes, I am. What do you fucking
bastards want?’

‘Come now, Mr Harrison. Such
strong language indicates to me that your vocabulary range has limitations.’

‘Do what you want with me, but
leave the women alone.’

‘Please don’t tell me you’re been
practising those boring hero comeback lines again?’ Morgan tormented.

‘What do you want with us?’ I
repeated.

‘Tut-tut. A little bit of
patience goes a long way. Surely you wouldn’t deprive me of my light-hearted
moments,’ said Morgan.

‘You’re a bigger jerk than I gave
you credit for. I recognise your cynical tongue from yesterday. You’re the same
bastard who was responsible for the murders on the
Molly Bloom,’
I
declared bitterly.

‘Your powers of deduction warrant
international praise. Brad Morgan at your service, together with my able
assistant Charlie. Perhaps to be nominated in a category of voice recognition
to win the Nobel Prize is a consideration,’ Morgan retaliated.

‘You arrogant prick!’

‘That does it. Effective
immediately, all recreation is hereby cancelled for current tenants,’ Morgan
said, obviously waiting for me to counterattack.

‘What have you done with Brigit O’Neill?’

‘Oh, changing the subject are we?
Then I must have scored a point. The O’Neill girl was unharmed the last time I
checked.’

Morgan moved towards the two
women in the corner while Charlie simply stood in the one spot with his gun
aimed. He didn’t seem to fully understand his accomplice’s provocative game.
Morgan ran his fingers through Emily’s long black hair, deliberately enticing
me to make a lunge at him. I controlled my emotions, knowing full well my
chances were zilch with Charlie’s gun pointed directly at me. Pebbles seemed
unperturbed and lay quietly on Em’s lap as Morgan circled his prey.

‘My, you’re not a bad catch for a
caravan co-proprietor. Pity your husband is still alive. Why is it that the
pretty ones always end up with the ugly and boring partners?’

I realised that Morgan was
deliberately provoking me and testing my breaking point, but I couldn’t help
myself. ‘Leave Emily alone, you sick bastard!’

‘It starts with e and ends in e
and it’s called “excuse me”, if you don’t mind. This is our private
conversation and you’re not invited,’ said Morgan. ‘Tell me, Emily, what do you
see in this creep?’