Scorpio's Lot (126 page)

‘Haven’t you overlooked
something? Wasn’t it Tom Harrison who came forward with the Huesmann and Arthur
Simpson testimonies, in addition to the discovery of the underground! Need I go
on?’

‘That I won’t deny,’ acknowledged
Forbes and added, ‘Good to see that our talks stir the emotions. It encourages
open discussion and raises issues that may otherwise go undetected. Lay one’s
cards on the table, so to speak.’

Paul Marsh simply glared at his
superior for making such a tactless comment.

‘We would never have progressed
this far without Tom’s contribution,’ added Parnell.

‘Again that’s a matter of
opinion!’ snapped Forbes. ‘Now we come to the means, motive and opportunity.
Harrison’s means are self-explanatory. He personally stuck his head into the
matter, claiming Brigit’s life was in danger and it would be best for all
concerned if he took charge in hiding her from the syndicate. Although he had
Helen’s consent, the circumstances could be interpreted as bordering
kidnapping.’

‘Hang on a moment, that’s a bit
strong. Brigit freely allowed the situation to happen,’ protested Marsh.

‘I said bordering, not
officially. The means continues in the form of a caravan park, transport and
Hamish O’Connor’s residence. Need I explain further? Motive is also obvious,
considering a reward would have been forthcoming in the event of Brigit’s
delivery. And finally opportunity was in abundance, given he dictated his niece’s
predicament for an extraordinary length of time.’

‘You can’t be serious about Tom’s
intentions.’ Doyle’s comment predictably fell on deaf ears.

‘So there we have it, our seven
dubious suspects, where one is guilty and the rest simply make up numbers. Your
task is to chose the Piedpiper and give me your reasons for the selection,’
instructed Forbes.

‘But what if your assumption is
wrong, meaning that Hanna is the offender after all,’ claimed Parnell.

‘Come on, what more convincing
evidence do you need? I’ll walk to China if Lou Hanna’s the Piedpiper,’
declared Forbes.

‘Before we make our selections I
have a question. How do you propose to catch the Piedpiper?’ asked Marsh, who
was of the opinion this seemed more relevant than five people coming up with
five possible different answers.

‘I was coming to that so we might
as well address the matter now. I’ve given a lot of thought to this very issue
and have decided to lay a trap,’ stated Forbes.

‘What sort of trap?’

‘We need to coax the Piedpiper
into believing there is some damaging evidence that needs to be retrieved by
the authorities.’

‘How?’

‘Cast your mind back to the
underground gallery at the very moment the Scorpio traitor announced his
intentions. If you recall, the committee members were lined up against the wall
directly below the renegade. This factor is crucial for it enables our plan to
become believable.’

‘How so?’ questioned Parnell.

‘Because it denied the committee
any view of the man.’

‘Go on,’ Gallagher said.

‘It’s a long shot but one that’s
certainly worth a try. We’ll invent a story whereby the traitor held a piece of
paper allegedly containing the name of the Piedpiper. In his moment of
accusation he held and waved the paper high, giving the impression that it was
to become both a vocal and written announcement. From the committee’s position
below, it would be near impossible to see someone above holding any
incriminating written matter. From their point of view the traitor’s intention
appeared to be only verbal.’

‘Sounds feasible, but how do you
propose we go about laying the trap?’ questioned Parnell.

‘Tomorrow afternoon we see the
return of our suspects to sign statements. In the short term this may be our
only opportunity when the seven are gathered together. It’s therefore vital to
bait the guilty party during the course of this appointment. We’re fortunate
the visitor’s room is located opposite my office, so I suggest that while they’re
waiting to sign statements, we carry out our conversation with my door slightly
opened. Our voices can be raised to give the impression we are in dispute,
which in itself should attract a degree of interest. Hopefully our little
charade will result in a hook, line and sinker performance.’

‘Come in, spinner,’ reiterated
Parnell.

‘We would need to be convincing,
but it just might work,’ offered Marsh.

‘Then we’ll need some practice if
we are to succeed with this -’ Parnell began.

‘All in good time, but first your
nominations for Piedpiper. Please write down your selection and pass them over.’
Forbes placed each sheet in his top drawer without looking at the answers.

‘Gallagher, you may go first,’
offered Forbes.

‘Not easy, boss, I have two
suspects in mind ...’

‘The rules stipulate one person
only. The purpose of my exercise is to establish if there is a common thought
process in uncovering the person I believe is guilty. Please continue.’

‘Well, I came to the conclusion
it must be Stephen Buchanan,’ Gallagher commenced.

‘And why is that?’ questioned
Forbes.

‘Twofold, actually. First, a drug
operation of this magnitude requires financial support and Buchanan is ideally
placed to inject the necessary funds.’

‘Wrong. The capital required to
support a regional operation would derive from city headquarters. But go on,’
urged Forbes.

‘Buchanan was conveniently placed
at the time of the Peterswood assault. Also keep in mind he carried an unknown
person with him in a vehicle identical to Scorpio’s 4WD.’

‘Again I disagree. The attack on
the O’Connor’s residence was carried out by Charlie and Mick, who happen to
drive a similar vehicle. It defies logic that two further people would lie in
wait and not participate in the assault.’

‘But his failure to acknowledge
the presence of Harrison and O’Neill in Ashworth was strange to say the least,
plus the telephone call you witnessed in the cafe was highly suspicious,’ said
Gallagher and then added, ‘And don’t forget he was seen with Johnson snooping
around the central star well intersection in town.’

‘You’re clutching at straws now.
These points are hardly enough to arrest someone over. Did anyone else select
Stephen Buchanan?’

‘I did,’ confessed Doyle.

‘Well, you’re both wrong,’
replied Forbes bluntly.

‘In your opinion, boss,’
Gallagher retaliated.

‘Detective Marsh, who did you
come up with?’ asked Forbes ignoring the gibe.

‘Martha Kellett,’ Marsh
responded.

‘And why?’

‘Because she’s the only suspect
who has a direct link with Scorpio.’

‘A contentious issue, but highly
circumstantial.’

‘But with Martha employing the
services of Lou Hanna, she must have had some prior knowledge of the man,’
stated Marsh.

‘Wrong. Her handyman derived from
an employment agency Therefore Martha could only select from the list of names
available at the time. What else have you got?’

‘Drugs and youth flourish in
Pedley, so to my way of thinking the Kellett women was in an ideal position to
feed the habit via her charity work.’

‘Pure speculation. I took the
liberty of checking her charitable duties and there was not the slightest hint
of foul play. Anyone with half a brain wouldn’t run the risk of linking the two
roles together. You’ll have to do better than that. Anything further?’

With Marsh gone silent, Forbes
hoped his remaining detective could provide something more constructive.

‘So, Detective Parnell, who do
you believe it is?’

‘Ben Johnson, despite his
unpopular profile.’

‘And your reasons?’

‘The only suspect to have been
caught in possession of drugs.’

‘Correction - his subordinates
were found in possession, not Johnson himself,’

‘But within the confines of the
Esplanade, boss,’ said Parnell.

‘Still not good enough,
detective. Johnson denied all knowledge and it would be difficult to prove
otherwise. What else do you have?’

‘I’d have to disagree. Take into
consideration Morgan’s visits to the Esplanade just prior to closure. And throw
in all those alleged deals through Charlie by certain staff members. You can’t
tell me Johnson was totally ignorant of these undertakings,’ added Parnell with
a touch of aggravation.

‘You continue to speculate. Your
argument is based on assumptions. I’m looking for something with substance and
quite frankly you’ve all failed miserably with your analysis. Your legwork into
these individuals leaves a lot to be desired.’

Forbes’ ruthless swipe was not
particularly well received.

Paul Marsh decided to challenge
his superior. ‘Very well, if you believe to have the answer then let’s have it.’

‘In two words, Ashley Collins.’

‘What!’

‘Let me explain. It took some
convincing to discard Tom Harrison, so in the end I had to get rid of my gut
feel and base my answer on factual information. Our reporter is not the squeaky
clean image he portrays. Of our seven suspects, Collins is the only one with a
prior conviction, and you guessed it, drug trafficking.’

‘Then why didn’t you explain this
in your summary?’

‘To test your research ability.
Ashley Collins lived in the city before moving to Pedley, during which time he
was arrested for a minor role in some moderate bust. He received a one-year
jail sentence for his trouble, which was later reduced to eight months. Despite
the minor setback I believe his contacts on the outside kept in touch, because
they viewed Collins as an integral part of their organisation. Why? Because in
my opinion the man held a trump card that would be the envy of any flourishing
syndicate, his knowledge of the underground network. I daresay Collins dangled
a carrot on the proviso he would head the southern operation on his release. No
doubt Scorpio was looking for suitable premises to set up a regional base and
Collins could provide the ideal location to carry out their criminal
activities.

‘But how would he come to know all
this?’ asked Doyle.

‘Collins has an aunt living in
Pedley and had spent considerable time in the place, during which time he
researched the subterranean passageways. I believe his employment at the
Advertiser
to be only a front, which is a clever choice of occupation given his free reign
on the case. He’s therefore ideally placed to snoop around and determine if
there’s a pending threat to the syndicate. As I pointed out before, he’s in a
powerful position to dictate and influence people by his front-page articles.
Ashley Collins is our man, make no mistake. You only have to recall our visit
and his suspicious mannerisms.’

‘Seems pretty convincing,’
offered Parnell.

‘Something has suddenly occurred
to me. Doesn’t the Piedpiper allegedly have a lover?’ prompted Doyle.

‘Supposedly, but one step at a
time. We’re after the regional head, not some bloody sweetheart.’

‘Sorry, I thought the identity of
his partner would assist.’ Doyle was a little put out by Forbes’ swipe.

‘Don’t breathe a word of our
meeting to anyone,’ said Forbes, ‘especially not Burke.’