by Ray Smithies
‘Let me tell you something. Neither of you will be leaving this place until I have the truth. The remainder of my day is totally devoted to interviewing the Molly Bloom passengers. Either you tell me now or wait around for the next four or five hours. What will it be?’
Not wanting to waste his entire day brooding over what might have been, it was James Slattery who decided to come clean. Kurt Muller, through his own admission and stupidity, had now spilt the beans by declaring the package was still in his possession.
‘Detective, there were two things ...’ Slattery commenced, and then paused.
‘Go on, Mr Slattery.’
‘It contained pornographic material and some drugs,’ confessed Slattery, knowing only too well the policeman would detect the smell of dope upon lifting the lid from the box anyway.
‘What sort of drugs?’
‘Nothing too heavy, only some weed.’
‘Can you be more precise?’
‘Marijuana.’
‘Right, were finally getting somewhere.’
‘We’re not into heroin,’ volunteered Muller, trying to justify his actions.
‘Where did you obtain this drug, Mr Slattery?’ asked Forbes, ignoring Muller’s contribution.
‘From a local supplier.’
‘Can you be more specific?’
‘Through a street dealer here in Pedley.’
‘Does this person have a name?’
‘I’ve heard some people refer to him as Charlie.’
‘For the first time you’ve finally been direct with me.’
‘Will any charges be laid?’ queried Muller, anxious to know where he stood in all this mess.
‘I will give that my consideration in due course. For the moment I have enough on my plate to contend with,’ replied Forbes, leaving Muller to wonder. ‘Mr, Slattery, what really disappoints me is that you deliberately lied in your earlier interview. We were told you had neither the interest nor the money to support the habit and here you are passing the bloody stuff in the main street.’
James Slattery offered no comeback line and simply nodded in agreement with the policeman.
‘Now you both may understand why your actions frustrate me. Not only are you liars but you’re taking up a lot of my valuable time with this type of behaviour. You are both free to leave, but I insist the station be informed if either of you plan to leave Pedley for pleasure or business. On your way out would you please ask Tom Harrison to step into my office.’
‘One last thing,’ said Slattery. ‘Is there any news on Brigit O’Neill’s kidnapping?’
‘Nothing. We are doing everything in our power to find her.’
~ * ~
I walked into Alan Forbes’ office expecting a serve for my recent country jaunt. It would be fair to assume the police wanted to point the blame for contributing to Brigit’s kidnapping. Perhaps I was to become their scapegoat. Whittaker’s attendance came as a surprise and I could only surmise their dual presence would deliver a double whammy.
‘Mr Harrison, we finally meet again,’ said Forbes. ‘I hear you were hospitalised following the events aboard the Molly Bloom. How do you feel today?’
‘I’m all right, it was only for a further checkup at outpatients. I was one of the luckier passengers, you might say.’
‘Yes, an unfortunate situation, but it doesn’t excuse your behaviour over the past three days,’ declared Forbes.
‘My thoughts were only for Brigit’s safety.’
‘Your intentions may have been honourable, but you chose to ignore all the police warnings and in doing so allowed the syndicate to gain the upper hand. Do you have any idea of the time and resources your actions have cost me?’
‘I assure you there was no intention to purposely lead you astray. We did attempt to visit the police station on the day we drove to Peterswood but unfortunately the syndicate was waiting for us.’
‘Please relate the events leading up to the boat incident, including your encounter at Peterswood,’ insisted Forbes, clearly not impressed with my track record.
I briefed Forbes on the complete round trip.
At the end of my summary he sighed. ‘That’s some story. Persistence won in the end for this drug syndicate, in addition to the distinct lack of police presence. Mr Harrison, there is also a further consideration to this saga that we cannot overlook.’
‘Oh, and what might that be?’
‘That it was your intention to kidnap Brigit O’Neill,’ he stated forcefully.
‘What! You must be kidding. Why on earth would I want to kidnap my own niece?’
The bold insinuation even raised Whittaker’s eyebrows. Obviously he had not anticipated this line of questioning either, but he sat back and observed the proceedings without intervening.
‘Because your type knows no boundaries -’
‘Excuse me!’
‘Mr Harrison, you were the one person who controlled the situation. Think about it for a moment. You had constant access, you chose to relocate, you chose the destinations, you decided when the time was right to move on, et cetera, et cetera. Do you want me to add a few more?’
I sat staring at the detective in disbelief. Had I not already explained the risks and confrontations that we’d had to deal with throughout this godforsaken journey? Alan Forbes had stepped way over the line with this insinuation.
‘Have you gone stark raving mad? What in the hell are you implying by saying “destinations and relocations”?’ I bellowed out in sheer anger.
‘Please keep your voice down, Mr Harrison. Look at the circumstances from a police perspective. You were the person who just happened to rescue Brigit before the intruders arrived at her home. Coincidence or prior knowledge? You were the person who took Brigit to the caravan park and then had her relocated just prior to the intruders arriving. Coincidence or prior knowledge? Again you were the person who influenced the trip to Peterswood and just managed to escape in time. Coincidence or prior knowledge?’
‘That’s bullshit!’
‘I can quote you further examples and the pattern continues. One coincidence I accept, but three, four, five and I begin to be suspicious,’ said Forbes, further inciting my emotions.
‘But I fought off those cutthroats to protect Brigit.’
‘Cutthroat or competitor?’
‘What in the hell do you mean by that?’
‘What’s to say you weren’t competing against these “cutthroats” for the spoils, meaning whoever successfully kidnapped Brigit would be well rewarded by the hierarchy. Your intention was to maintain the advantage over your rivals and ultimately carry through with the intended plan. Unfortunately their constant pursuit was your eventual downfall, because aboard the Molly Bloom they had the numbers to claim their prize.’
‘Again that’s bullshit. You only have to talk with your own men or even Hamish O’Connor and the passengers on the boat to verify my story.’
‘You forgot to mention Brigit O’Neill, the very person who can vouch for your actions, but unfortunately, due to her current disposition, she cannot testify.’
‘Yes, detective, isn’t hindsight a wonderful thing now that Brigit’s plight has become public knowledge? If you recall I forewarned the police more than once that she was in a vulnerable position following her discharge from hospital, but you dismissed the idea, stating it was purely speculation.’
‘Insufficient evidence at the time, Mr Harrison. And besides, we don’t have the resources to act on every conceivable whim the public musters up.’
‘Exactly. I had the foresight to prevent the earlier kidnapping while you chose to ignore the threat,’ I responded with a degree of animosity.
‘Correction, Mr Harrison, and I forewarn you where these accusations may be heading. If you recall, I gave instructions to have a patrol car carry out some random checks of the O’Neill residence during both daylight hours and into the evening.’
‘Well, let me give you something to ponder over. Last night in t
he presence of Emily, Martha Kellett and Jack Flower, we were terrorised in our living room by the very same people who were responsible for the Molly Bloom tragedy,’ I snapped back at the pompous fool. At the detective’s request I gave a detailed account of the evening.
‘Was anyone injured?’ asked Forbes.
‘Yes, both Martha and Jack.’
‘And you weren’t?’
‘No.’
‘I rest my case.’
‘You’ve gone too far with your insinuations. I have a good mind to file for defamation of character and report this behaviour to your superiors.’
‘Do what you wish, but it won’t hold up in a murder case.’
‘If you have no further need of me, I would like to leave.’
‘Yes you may, as there is insufficient evidence to lay charges. But remember, I have my eye on you.’
‘Don’t threaten me, Forbes. I’ve committed no crime.’ I was seething at the man’s arrogance and general handling of the interview. I stormed out of the office, ignoring Whittaker’s feeble attempt to soften the impact with an extended arm. A passing handshake seemed totally inappropriate.
~ * ~
Having completed their lengthy interviews with the Molly Bloom passengers, Forbes and his men were both physically and mentally exhausted from the constant routine. Today signaled the arrival of the city backup team and these additional resources would help spread the increasing workload. In anticipation of a sizable audience to be briefed, Forbes jotted down some pointers on his trusty whiteboard. His plan was to draw attention to those characters he held with a degree of suspicion. Shortly afterwards, a parade of law enforcement agents led by Detective Senior Sergeant Graeme Bailey entered through the office door and quickly filled the awaiting chairs that had been strategically placed for the meeting.
‘Graeme, I’m pleased to see that you and your men have arrived safely. These further resources are most welcome,’ said Forbes, who inwardly still held some contempt toward head office for not providing backup earlier.
‘Got here as quickly as we could. Alan, may I present my three men, who are now at your disposal to do with as you see fit. Peter Gallagher, David Parnell and John Doyle, please meet the one and only Alan Forbes.’ After the introductions Bailey then briefly touched on some of Forbes’ past achievements.
‘For goodness sake, Graeme, you make me out to be a celebrity,’ Forbes replied. In spite of his protestations, Forbes seemed to be enjoying the attention.
‘First let me just say that the media congregated here can be a pain in the arse,’ Forbes said. ‘Most of the nation’s major tabloids and television journalists have taken up residence here in anticipation of early arrests. They will hound you like the paparazzi, so watch your every step. After a while you learn to live with their presence.’
Not being particularly interested in the habits of the resident media, Bailey was more intent on focusing on the task at hand. He responded in a slightly dictatorial tone.
‘Before we commence, Alan,’ he said, ‘would you fetch your men who have served on this case? Better we’re all here in case some point needs clarification.’
Upon the inclusion of Whittaker, Marsh, Burke, Carpenter, Jennings and Martino, Forbes called the meeting to order. With an audience of ten crammed into his office, he commenced his briefing. He went to painstaking lengths to describe not only the series of murders but also the crisis on the Molly Bloom and the eventual kidnapping of Brigit O’Neill. His unrelenting detail was almost bordering obscenity, as he purposely chose to describe each bloodied and gory component to the extreme.
I’m sure the man was a homicidal maniac in his previous life, thought Burke.
‘Gentlemen, I now draw your attention to the whiteboard behind me. The names you see are individuals that either attract a degree of suspicion or from whom further information needs to be extracted.’ Forbes seemed to be implying that the short list of suspects had already been finalised.
‘But, boss, that list is your own interpretation and not one that’s necessarily shared by others.’ Darren Burke was clearly upset upon reading some of the names.
Bailey intervened, sensing a potential conflict. ‘Alan, let’s first hear your reasons for selecting these people.’
‘In no particular order, these are my observations. I believe James Slattery and Kurt Muller to be of no consequence. They’re both simply a couple of fools caught in the act of passing pornography and marijuana. Although they have a track record in lying to the police, one piece of information has proven to be consistent and that is their source of supply, namely a drug dealer called Charlie.’
‘Do you intend pursuing these two men?’ Bailey asked.
‘Probably unnecessary at this stage for reasons which I’ll explain shortly,’ responded Forbes. ‘We now turn our attention to Travis Ferguson, more commonly referred to as Ferret in the traps. Again the pattern of consistency emerges, whereby a tip-off from Danny Murdock was brought to the attention of Detective Marsh regarding a meeting between Ferret and Charlie at the Broadbent premises.’
‘And what was that all about?’ asked Bailey.
‘A bit of carelessness on behalf of Ferret, who was unaware that Danny was still in the warehouse when Charlie arrived. Murdock happened to overhear that syndicate activities will be downscaled due to all the pub licity surrounding the Molly Bloom incident. There was also mention of their supreme leader arriving in Pedley for the forthcoming carnival. He intends bringing an incriminating document for forwarding to the authorities to discredit some rival organisation.’
‘Would that be the Keeper?’ questioned Parnell.
‘Yes.’
‘Do we know what day the Keeper arrives?’ asked Doyle.
‘Ferret has since learnt it will be Saturday.’
‘And how will he arrive?’ enquired Gallagher.
‘I assume by car,’ responded Forbes, thinking the question was rather odd.
‘And their rendezvous point?’ threw in Parnell.
‘No idea, but we’ll put more resources into investigating the Keeper and his eventual arrival at the carnival.’
‘An incriminating document, you say,’ said Bailey. ‘I would dearly love to know the contents, but all in good time. My guess is that with the downsizing of their activities a rival operation has stuck their nose in expecting to pick up the crumbs. And I thought there was a degree of loyalty within the drug fraternity.’
‘No, it would seem not. Should an all-out war ignite between rival gangs, it may bring a lot more activity to the surface, which in turn can only benefit the authorities,’ claimed Forbes.
‘When did you interview Ferret?’
‘We had him call into the station yesterday,’ Whittaker replied.
‘So what was discussed?’
‘In an earlier statement to Marsh, Ferret denied any link with the drug operation. But in light of Danny Murdock’s testimony he reluctantly confessed to what he referred to as a “limited association”. And his source of supply was - you guessed it - the one and only Charlie.’
‘Did our source remain anonymous?’ asked Bailey.
‘Most certainly.’ Forbes was surprised by his colleague’s need for reassurance.
‘What else can you tell us?’
‘Ferret was easy pickings and confessed fairly quickly. He claimed he had limited knowledge of the syndicate other than his dealings on the street. Additionally, Charlie only kept him informed on matters that directly affected him. Charlie had recently applied a lot of pressure to increase sales, because high turnover was required to make way for some large forthcoming shipment.’
‘Interesting point, but you indicated earlier they were downscaling their operations.’
‘Perhaps this is their last big shipment before they put a freeze on things,’ offered Doyle.
‘Could be. It reinforces the belief that their storage base must be either in Pedley or within close proximity of the town,’ Forbes reasoned.
Ba
iley gave a brief assessment. ‘We’re talking about a massive supply of drugs here, enough to infiltrate both the local and interstate trade. An operation on this scale cannot be simply stored inside a house and be expected to operate undetected. I mean, the logistics alone, with their numerous couriers, would surely arouse the suspicion of neighbours. No, this syndicate has chosen a cleverly concealed address that has remained undetected by the authorities and public for many years.’
‘What type of drugs does Ferret distribute around town?’ enquired Doyle.
‘He confessed to ecstasy, heroin and marijuana, stating there was unlimited supply and unconditional quality for anyone who may be interested.’
