Scorpio's Lot (124 page)

‘So are you implying there’s more
to Tom Harrison than meets the eye?’ questioned Gallagher.

‘Certainly, given the amount of
exposure he’s had with the syndicate.’

‘But Harrison doesn’t strike me
as being a dodgy character,’ declared John Doyle, whose remark was deliberately
ignored by Forbes.

‘Which now leads us into the
all-important issues of means, motive and opportunity. So in no particular order
we’ll assess each individual and see what transpires from our discussions. When
we conclude these evaluations, I want each and every one of you to nominate the
Piedpiper and give me the reasons for your selection,’ Forbes enforced.

‘Very well,’ replied the chorus
of four detectives.

‘First let’s analyse Ashley
Collins, our reporter from the
Advertiser.
Here’s a man who is obsessed
with ambition and has made it his business to take this case on board. He’s
inquisitive by nature and will go to extraordinary lengths to follow up
anything from a strong lead to a figment of the imagination. Here’s a man who
must know everything. Why, you may wonder? Is he hiding or protecting
something? So ask yourself the question: Did Collins have prior knowledge of
the subterranean existence? Don’t overlook the fact that here is a position of
power, in the sense he reports what he believes is necessary, to the point
where he can dictate and influence the community’s thoughts on whether the
underground is fact or fiction. I have read many of his articles, but not once
has he ever declared its existence. Why? Perhaps he has good reason to shield
its presence? I recall the day of our investigation at the
Advertiser
to
uncover past articles and his suspicious reaction to our visit. He became
distinctly uncomfortable when we pressed for reports written about the fabled
subterranean entrances. To my way of thinking, Ashley Collins is not what he
all appears.’

‘Perhaps one very deceptive
character,’ acknowledged Gallagher.

‘Not necessarily and I think you’re
being a bit hasty with your judgment. Reserve your opinions until we’ve
assessed all seven,’ Forbes insisted.

Forbes continued. ‘In his defence
there is no evidence of having contact with any Scorpio member. Also take into
account his age. At thirty-seven he may be too young to carry out the role of
Piedpiper.’

‘Then what’s the probability of
Collins being the culprit?’ asked Parnell, anxious to hear an opinion..

‘This leads into means, motive
and opportunity. The means are self-explanatory, whereby his occupation acts as
a front or excuse to delve into areas that are normally off-limits to most. He
can be persuasive to satisfy a whim or seek out information to pursue the
cause. His means are exceptional strong and penetrating. Motive conjures up a
very interesting scenario. Stanley Forrester, who owns the
Advertiser,
is both an ageing and unwell man. He has no direct descendents and there is
speculation as to what might happen to his business when he passes away. Enter
Ashley Collins, who requires a substantial amount of capital to buy the old man
out. On a reporter’s salary he would never achieve the goal, so he decides to
partake in the distribution of drugs to speed up the process. Opportunity is
certainly present, given a reporter’s life is often away from the office,
enabling him to carry out his dual role. Also it’s highly probable that Ashley
would have free reign most evenings. Do you have any questions or further ideas
about our Mr Collins?’ Forbes prompted.

Nothing was forthcoming. The four
detectives simply stared at their superior following his somewhat incriminating
summary.

‘Very well, then let’s move onto
Helen O’Neill. We have here a lady of many talents. She is pleasant,
strong-willed, manipulative and highly intelligent. Of the seven suspects it
could be said she has suffered most at the hands of the syndicate, or was it
misinterpreted to appear this way? Brigit, her stepdaughter, was driven to
Peterswood by Tom Harrison to escape the clutches of Scorpio and as a
consequence we see two sides of Helen’s nature. On one hand she seeks to have
the police intervene in case they’re being followed, while on the other there
is neither approach nor enquiry from the woman during the next three days.
Further, we see little remorse coming from a woman who is supposedly a mother
figure. Hardly the behaviour you would expect to see. Where did she go for
those three days? Our men knocked on her front door daily, but to no avail. She
had disappeared off the face of the planet. So what possesses Helen to lay low
in her stepdaughter’s hour of need? Had she arranged a rendezvous with the
inevitable? Remember Brigit was very adamant when she said her stepmother had
married for money. She’s been a woman infatuated with the materials things in
life and throughout the years the obsession has forever persisted.’

‘But don’t forget that Helen O’Neill
was subjected to a mugging in Tom Harrison s car,’ said Gallagher.

‘Correction - she witnessed a
break-in and was not physically injured. One of our human failings is that our
brain will dictate what we want to see and not necessarily the reality of the
situation. Don’t underestimate this woman for she is one clever cookie. Even
Brigit mentioned she had manipulated people to get her own way on numerous
occasions.’

Forbes continued. ‘Now consider
the following scenario. Helen had prior knowledge of her house being broken
into with the purpose of having Brigit taken away and relocated. Her
stepdaughter had become a burden for she was rebellious, showed no respect and
was an embarrassment to her stepmother’s hobnobbing and social aspirations.
Unfortunately, Helen’s plan was foiled by the unannounced arrival of Tom
Harrison, which ultimately saved Brigit’s premature departure.’

‘You’re twisting everything
around to purposely paint a very different profile,’ fired Doyle, who couldn’t
possibly see Helen O’Neill stoop to such a level.

‘Again I’ll repeat myself. To
flush out the guilty party it’s essential to assess all possible aspects and
not be narrow-minded into believing that someone’s personality holds sway. So
we come to means, motive and opportunity. Helen’s means literally opens Pandora’s
box, for her multitude of resources knows no boundaries. Given her voluntary
community work, she has at her disposal everything from business contacts
through to private individuals. Motive would undoubtedly be greed. Helen has
been privy to the good life following her inheritance, but having no
accumulative working income the funds were forever depleting. She desperately
wanted to maintain her lifestyle and sought the rewards of drug distribution to
preserve the status quo. Opportunity is without question, for Helen’s
application, time and convenience was in abundance. She was always in the
fortunate position of making a move when it suited her. Any questions?’

‘Don’t forget that Helen has been
persecuted along the way, not just her daughter,’ stated Marsh.

‘Don’t be misled into believing
the obvious. Helen O’Neill’s motive has as much merit as her counterparts,’ he
insisted.

Forbes took a moment to reach for
a glass of water. During the short pause his mind began to focus on the next
suspect. He was presently held in awe by his colleagues who marvelled at his
ability to retain so much individual information.

‘Now let’s turn our attention to
Stephen Buchanan. Here’s a person who is not only a clever and shrewd
businessman, but projects a confident if not shifty manner. Personally I don’t
trust him from my brief encounters and I daresay he’s rubbed a few people up
the wrong way having played God in the world of finance. This individual
conjures up a number of suspicions that make a mockery of the meaning
coincidental. He owns a white Toyota Land Cruiser, which happens to be the same
4WD make and colour driven by the Scorpio syndicate. During a brief stopover in
Ashworth, both Tom Harrison and Brigit O’Neill witness Stephen Buchanan
entering his vehicle in the company of an unidentified person. He fails to
return their greeting. Why? Doesn’t he want to be seen or is he hiding
something? It all sounds rather harmless expect for one notable difference -
Harrison and O’Neill were being trailed by exactly the same vehicle on that
fateful day. Unrelated or coincidental?’

‘Didn’t you speak with Buchanan
on his return?’ queried Parnell.

‘Yes, and when interviewing the
bank manager he took a distinct dislike to my line of questioning regarding
that weekend. His normally confident approach immediately gave way to an
uncomfortable and withdrawn manner. He stated the weekend was a mixture of
business and pleasure, claiming there was a property to be assessed on behalf
of Ben Johnson, coupled with a fishing trip. In a later discussion, the
publican verified there was a business deal which fell through. A further
consideration is his constant association with Ben Johnson. Are both up to no
good, whereby the publican provides the muscle and Buchanan the capital? Still
that’s merely speculation prompting food for thought.’

‘They can’t both be the
Piedpiper,’ said Gallagher.

‘Of course not. If the guilty
party is one of these two suspects, consider the possibility of them working in
conjunction with each other, that’s all. I’ve raised this very point with the
phone call in mind, the morning I had breakfast at La Porta’s Cafe. I can
distinctly recall Johnson’s comment to Buchanan. He said, “Is the business
matter finalised? I need to know when you’re returning ... I must see you at
your bank.” What business matter? The property he spoke of was never verified
nor purchased. So why the need to meet at the Pedley bank on his return? Also
remember the trip was brief, in fact just an overnight stay. So how did
Buchanan manage both a real estate evaluation and a fishing excursion in the
space of a few hours? It just doesn’t add up, unless there were links to some
sinister intent. Keep in mind his country jaunt just happened to be around the
time of the Peterswood assault.’

‘Pity no number plates were taken
at the time to determine if one or two 4WDs were involved,’ said Doyle, harping
back to the vehicle coincidence.

Forbes ignored the negative
remark and pressed on with his summary.

‘Now let’s evaluate means, motive
and opportunity with our illustrious banker in mind. The means unmistakably
points towards capital. Buchanan is manipulative and clever by nature. He has
the ability and shrewdness to finance an unscrupulous operation by fixing the
books to channel funds directly into their coffers. Motive is slightly unclear,
unless there is an underlying intention to gain some monetary benefit from
depositing funds into the syndicate account. Opportunity is also apparent,
given his position would rarely cause heads to turn and his decision would be
final in most financial transactions. Any input on this dubious individual?’

‘One thing you haven’t mentioned
about Buchanan - he’s supposedly had no direct contact with the syndicate,’
said Marsh, believing the banker had at least some credibility.

‘True, which may emphasise how
clever and sly this guy really is,’ Forbes quickly responded and then proceeded
with a further evaluation. ‘Okay, our next profile to scrutinise is none other
than Darren Burke. I’m fully aware this is a sensitive issue, but nevertheless
its one that can’t be ignored. Darren is thorough, diligent and methodical by
nature. He is dedicated to his work and commands respect from both this peers
and public alike. One must not overlook the fact that here is a person who has
a clear and distinct advantage over his six fellow suspects. If our sergeant is
in fact the culprit, can you begin to imagine the benefits and convenience he’s
had up his sleeve? He has literally commanded the best of both worlds. We’re
aware of his confrontations with Scorpio and being assaulted at Peterswood and
on the
Molly Bloom.
But ask yourself if this was a front to avoid
suspicion? After all, the injuries sustained weren’t life threatening. Also
consider the Scorpio trio Charlie, Mick and Morgan, who led the assault and had
never laid eyes on the Piedpiper.’

‘Perhaps they avoided inflicting
serious injury because any fatal attack on a law enforcement agent would
attract unprecedented attention,’ claimed Parnell.

‘That I won’t argue, but one
thing doesn’t feel right about Burke,’ said Forbes.

‘What?’ Marsh believed his
colleague was the epitome of an honest cop.

‘The excessive amount of time he’s
been absent from the station.’

‘But when duty calls he has no
choice,’ challenged Gallagher.