Scorpio's Lot (86 page)

The sound of organ music heralded
the end of the service, with the congregation slowly departing to assemble on
the church grounds to offer their condolences to family members. The numbers
appeared larger than when they were seated, thought Forbes. He advised his
subordinate they would be attending the committal service at the graveside and
to take a mental note of any individual who didn’t seem to sit well.

He followed the hearse, the slow
journey to Pedley Cemetery taking around fifteen minutes. With the gathering
mourners now around graveside, Forbes and Marsh took up their positions to the
rear of the observers. Casting an eye over the crowd, Marsh wondered if they
had the pleasure of the Piedpiper or Keeper’s company. He decided to dispel the
idea that Charlie would be a likely candidate given the likelihood of his
contribution to Ferret’s insane death. It would defy logic for a person of that
mentality to be in attendance.

Father Byrne commenced his
reassuring versus. Standing at the head of the casket, the immediate family
listened to the priest deliver some brief remarks and short Scriptures.
Committal prayer followed his initial readings. The realisation that Ferret’s
final departure would soon be consummated was too much for some to bear. Many
of the young grievers began sobbing uncontrollably. Tearful eyes had a
contagious affect.

Extra-dark, full-rimmed
sunglasses, it would appear, had sold out in Pedley, if this collection of
mourners was any guide. It was reminiscent of a gangland business convention
where everybody looked remarkably similar. It made the task of casting
suspicion that more difficult for the detectives.

Maintaining a respectable
distance, Forbes saw that most people congregated in groups, some mourners
openly expressing their grief and supporting each other for strength. Grief was
expressed in its many forms. Some just simply stared forward with vacant faces,
while others hung their heads, gazing on the ground in private solitude. There
was no right or wrong way of expressing sorrow.

The detective then observed some
behaviour he considered odd under the circumstances. Four men were standing in
individual locations, apart from the main group. They appeared to be more interested
in their surrounds than on the service itself. The priest continued with prayer
and readings, but his graveside service seemed to go unheeded. Strange, thought
Forbes. Each of the four men was of average build but of varying age. Through
the camouflage of dark sunglasses he could only surmise they ranged from their
mid-thirties to fifties.

With no respect for proceedings,
one of the men walked a short distance to answer his mobile phone. Forbes could
sense these men were aware of each other’s presence, but they made no attempt
to approach or acknowledge each other. The man with the mobile returned, but
maintained a distance from his three counterparts.

Looking for a familiar face was
like looking for a needle in a haystack, thought the detective. Of the eighty
or so bystanders, only Danny Murdock, James Slattery, Hassan and Neville
Bradbury were known to Forbes. He would ask Marsh at a more appropriate time if
he recognised any further individuals.

The sudden parting of an
immediate group of people uncovered the presence of Ben Johnson and Stephen
Buchanan. Standing on the far side, the publican and banker stood motionless
observing the service. Are funerals their part-time passion? thought Forbes. He
was surprised that either man would know Ferret well enough to attend his
funeral.

The coffin began to be lowered
amidst the sound of further emotional outpour and the priest recited the
expectant words.

‘We therefore commit Travis
Daniel Ferguson’s body to the ground, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to
dust, in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life.’

Handfuls of earth were then
scattered on the coffin. A few people came forth to throw flowers, appearing to
be red poppies from the detective’s observation. The service concluded, with
most people deciding to remain a tad longer to say their farewells. Slightly
obscured from mourners still mingling beside their parked cars, a familiar
outline caught Forbes’ attention. Although only a fleeting glance, his was
unmistaken in seeing the retreating figure of Kurt Muller. It reinforced his
belief that Muller’s association with Ferret was by way of James Slattery for
the purpose of securing drugs.

His attention again focused on
the four independent lamenters and their partial disguises of dark-rimmed
sunglasses. To his surprise and annoyance, two of the men had simply vanished.
The remaining duo appeared unperturbed by the others’ absence, choosing instead
to stand motionless observing the departing mourners. Neither man attempted any
acknowledgement or formal introduction to the passersby.

Extraordinary, Forbes thought.
Not one person was recognisable amongst this vast number. He decided to
question his colleague.

‘Paul, without making it look
obvious,’ he said, ‘have you laid eyes on these two characters to our right
before?’

‘No, I haven’t,’ Marsh responded
without turning. ‘There were four up to a moment a go.’

‘Did you see the other two leave?’

‘Yep, they left at the same time
but in different directions,’ replied Marsh. ‘It struck me as unusual because
they appeared to have departed as if on cue.’

‘Strange, to say the least. I
wonder what their connection was with Ferret.’

‘Don’t know, but I see the
remaining pair appear older than their departed colleagues, so perhaps one of
these guys might be the Piedpiper or Keeper.’

‘Don’t altogether agree with
that. Think it through, Paul. I could understand the Keeper standing alone and
not acknowledging the presence of others, but the Piedpiper is a different
kettle of fish. He’s supposedly well known within the community, so logic tells
me this person would have to be recognised by at least some of the mourners.’

‘Fair point,’ acknowledged Marsh.

‘This whole business is so bloody
complex. We seem to be no closer to identifying these two, including Charlie
for that matter,’ groaned Forbes.

He peered across at the Mafia
lookalikes. Still they stood in the same spot, staring forward as if oblivious
to their surrounds. It appeared as if one was waiting for the other to make the
first move. The last of the mourners walked past them without acknowledgement.
Then without warning the man to Forbes’ far right proceeded toward the
remaining parked vehicles. He entered a MG sports car and immediately drove
off. The second man, much to the surprise of Forbes and Marsh, had already
commenced his departure in pursuit of the other.

‘It’s only a gut feeling after
watching that little episode, but we may’ve just witnessed the beginning of the
end,’ claimed Forbes.

‘What do you mean by that?’

‘The presence of Scorpio and
Traffik at the same location!’ declared Forbes.

Marsh conceded that his boss may
have got it right. Whatever the interpretation, it was indeed troubling times.
The immediate future was as intriguing as it was unsettling.

~ * ~

ith
Ferret’s funeral concluded and having returned to the police station, Forbes
called on his task force to discuss the three-pointed star concept that had
been provided by Tom Harrison. He was anxious to visit Brigit O’Neill following
Harrison’s earlier phone call, but decided it was best left until tomorrow to
give the girl at least one day’s rest to recuperate. While waiting for his men
to arrive, he took the liberty of drawing the three diagrams on his trusty
whiteboard. Finally, with everybody in attendance, Forbes turned to his captive
audience to explain the theory behind this complex illustration.

‘Make no mistake, I have every
reason to believe this is factual evidence to support the location of the
underground network.’ He outlined the concept, with reference drawn to the
Huesmann Historian Group.

‘But where on a Pedley map are we
supposed to place this point four?’ questioned Doyle.

‘Harrison has since advised that
an article they uncovered at the
Advertiser
pinpoints to a disused well
being alongside the intersection of Pitt and Williams. Apparently the well was
abandoned in 1903 and subsequently removed and filled in shortly afterwards.’
Forbes added, ‘There was also mention about the construction of a major
drainage system that caused some havoc back in 1859. Apparently streets were
renamed and reshaped and a number of businesses were relocated. Rather odd, to
say the least.’

‘Has anyone been over to look at
the intersection?’ asked Gallagher, ignoring his superior’s latter contribution.

‘I was there this morning but
couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary,’ Forbes said.

‘Its one thing finding the site
of this central star well, but it’s a further challenge to locate the exact
positions of points one, two and three. I mean, they could be bloody anywhere
on this circle,’ claimed Parnell.

‘Hang on a moment. In theory you’re
correct but address the issue constructively. We know the whereabouts of point
four. We also know the scale to be used and the circumference of the circle to
be applied. The answer to the remaining points is undoubtedly governed by a
further set of clues, which could very well be staring us in the face,’ Forbes
responded.

‘And that could take forever and
a day,’ groaned Parnell, forever the eternal pessimist.

‘I’ve called this meeting for
some creative input, not for you to contribute in a negative way. So, does
anyone have any thoughts on how we can tackle this matter?’

‘Yes, I do,’ offered Paul Marsh. ‘Piochsa
Szabo shares a house with a person called George, who happens to be an IT
specialist.’

‘That would be George Franklin,
who has an office in Pitt Street,’ volunteered Burke.

Forbes frowned. ‘But how can he
help us?’

‘He may have access to computer
mapping.’

‘Meaning?’

‘It’s a program that enables a
Pedley street map to be displayed on a monitor. By applying the correct scale
in conjunction with the three-pointed star, we may be able to see the likely
sites this circle makes contact with. What’s more, he could reposition the
circle to any part of the map we want. I believe this would be better than
using the photocopier.’

‘Excellent idea.’ Forbes realised
he may have been a bit hasty in his judgment. ‘But not knowing the true point
four location will only give us an approximation.’

‘Yes, true, but as I said, what’s
to stop George playing around with numerous central star well points to see
where the circles emerge?’ insisted Marsh.

‘Worth a try, Paul. Anything
would be better than persevering with enlargements and reductions via the
bloody photocopier. Can you arrange a meeting?’

‘I’m sure that wouldn’t be a
problem.’

‘Try for today if at all
possible.’