by Ray Smithies
On reaching the exit of the barricaded path, a convoy of seven paddy wagons lay in wait. Now surrounded by a barrage of reporters, Whittaker had at least the good sense to man his limited crew close by. The irritating sound of the overhead helicopter continued its dominant presence. Forbes felt distinctly besieged by the infuriating media. He was beginning to wonder which adversary was the lesser evil. But in all seriousness the reporter’s persistence could not be ignored indefinitely. He realised there was an obligation of sorts to at least get the tabloid fraternity off his back. They would be expecting a post mortem to enlighten their flock. Lump it or like it that was the way, perhaps protocol or one’s duty to inform the masses.
Forbes deliberately kept his announcement short and to the point, believing a quick exit was in everybody’s best interest. He briefly explained that a statement would be released to the media in three hours time from the front steps of Pedley Police Station. He stated their immediate priority was to secure the criminals and have the injured attended to. Additionally, there was a need to retrieve the deceased and have them transported to the town morgue. Seemingly satisfied, the media backed off and would await the afternoon postmortem.
Finally breaking loose from the mayhem, he proceeded toward the line of police vans which stood waiting to transfer the entire party. Not prepared to take any risks in having his men or the committee sit directly beside either syndicate, Forbes instructed the Traffik and Scorpio thugs be placed directly into separate vans. He couldn’t underestimate either of their leaders, given the trail of blood on their hands.
With their return to the station the criminals were immediately escorted to separate cells. A doctor stood waiting to treat the wounded. Arthur Simpson took precedence over the two Scorpio thugs, and although slightly undernourished and physically depleted, he was nonetheless declared medically sound. Rest and well-balanced food would put Arthur back on track.
The seven committee members still appeared visibly shaken following their extraordinary close call with death. Forbes envisaged some level of counseling would invariably be assigned. It was, understandably, only the right thing to do. He then instructed the group, including Darren Burke, to return tomorrow afternoon at five o’clock to sign statements. The formalities were necessary and best completed earlier rather than later, while the issues remained firmly in one’s mind. He instructed the sergeant to take the remainder of the day off and report back around nine the next morning.
With the departure of the committee members and both drug syndicates behind bars, the pace of the day had now slowed considerably. Forbes took a moment to contemplate before the media onslaught, which was scheduled to begin in an hour. He decided to call both James Slattery and Hassan to assist in identifying the Scorpio rouges in Luke and John and whether they had crossed paths with the infamous Lou Hanna.
His thoughts were suddenly squashed by the intrusive sound coming from his mobile phone. It was Graeme Bailey from city narcotics offering his congratulations and to advise that headquarters would be glued to their TV sets in anticipation of the live media cross at two. He told him to relish the moment given the hard work and long hours put in by his team. This was payback time for all the run around and suffering that both syndicates had caused.
At two pm, in conjunction with the television cross, the postmortem commenced in front of a large and demanding media. Forbes looked down on the mass of reporters, believing every conceivable television network and tabloid affiliation had assembled for the briefing. His summary of the events was direct and precise. He gave praise to the tireless contribution of so many, a team effort as he called it, in placing the infamous Piedpiper and Indigo behind bars.
In the eyes of the general public this case was bigger than Ben Hur and justifiably the media presence were here in droves. Predictably the reporters bombarded the detective with every possible question they could muster up. Their unrelenting interrogation covered everything from Scorpio and that of Traffik, through to the underground confrontation and details of the subterranean passageways. It was a barrage of unrestrained reporters hell-bent on delivering a knockout article. After all, this would be front-page news tomorrow and possibly the press story of the year.
In the end Forbes had handled the media fraternity exceptionally well and his colleagues had only praise for his perseverance and methodical approach in dealing with so many people. Reflecting on Arthur Simpson’s earlier remark, Forbes could only surmise what might become of the underground network. In the space of half an hour Pedley’s two-hundred-year-old secretive past had been broadcast to the country. Folklore and myth was no longer and he could only speculate that if the authorities don’t move fast, the subterranean passageways were destined to become a ghetto for the undesirable or an unwelcome tourist attraction.
~ * ~
F
orbes sat alone in his office staring at the wall. The fanfare and hype of early afternoon had concluded. The media had got their story and had since departed to collate their reports for the morning editions. The city hierarchy was satisfied, for their man had rounded up the ringleaders and the case was all but considered closed. He had already cross-examined the two drug syndicates, in addition to James Slattery and Hassan providing a positive ID in Luke being the notorious Charlie. The accolades were sweet and his men had rejoiced in finally putting these criminals behind bars, but amidst all the praise and gratification, something was amiss.
Forbes didn’t feel comfortable with the outcome. For the purpose of convincing the reporters and certain other individuals, he had deliberately given the impression the case had been resolved but he believed it couldn’t be further from the truth. He would now call on his four detectives to assist with the challenge of finding the one true answer.
He requested a meeting in his office at six behind closed doors. It was to be conducted in the strictest of confidence and under no circumstances were they to be interrupted. The four detectives were both puzzled and intrigued with this unexpected directive.
At precisely six o’clock Detectives Marsh, Parnell, Gallagher and Doyle entered their superior’s office. The door was immediately closed behind them and the four men took their seats directly in front of his immense desk. With pensive expressions they waited for Alan Forbes’ explanation.
‘Thank you for your punctual attendance. My reason for calling this unexpected meeting is because, contrary to what you might believe, this case is far from over.’
‘But... but we have these culprits behind bars,’ responded a startled Parnell.
‘That I won’t deny, but the case is incomplete.’
‘What do you mean?’ questioned Doyle.
‘I smell a rat, in fact a big one. The arrest of Lou Hanna, alias the Piedpiper, was simply too easy. I spoke to the man at some length this afternoon and he just doesn’t come across as someone who could successfully execute the role of regional head.’
‘In what way?’ Paul Marsh questioned.
‘To be blunt, he lacks the leadership skills and intelligence to fulfill such a position. Like any organisation, regardless of its intent, their best people run the show. Lou Hanna, to my way of thinking, is a follower not a leader.’
‘What are you trying to say?’
‘That Lou Hanna is not the Piedpiper but one of the leader’s lackeys.’
Forbes’ remark understandably raised some eyebrows. It was common knowledge his trademark was attention to detail that rarely drew a challenge, but in this instance the four detectives were in need of further convincing.
Alan Forbes continued.
‘Before I declared my presence and entered the Scorpio cell, the name Sol was being directed at what I loosely term the Piedpiper, alias Sam, alias Sol and alias Lou Hanna. It seems ridiculous that one person could be designated with such a multitude of names.’
‘But that shouldn’t make any difference,’ challenged Gallagher. ‘It’s irrelevant whether the man goes by one or four names. At the end of the day we just want
their regional head, which can’t be determined by the amount of names he carries.’
‘You miss my point. If Lou Hanna is indeed the Piedpiper, then why wouldn’t he be addressed as Boss, Leader or Piedpiper? To be called Sol conjures up a very unlikely name.’
The penny had dropped. The four detectives were beginning to understand their boss’s logic. He pressed on with some further enlightening news.
‘Now here’s the crunch which leads me to believe the Piedpiper is still at large. My discussion with James Slattery and Hassan this afternoon raised a very interesting point. They said it’s fairly common knowledge within the drug scene that Charlie has never laid eyes on the Piedpiper and probably the same could be said for their third person Gino Palmero.’
‘So how could they positively identity Lou Hanna as their leader?’ Marsh stated.
‘Precisely.’
‘Why not by voice alone? I’m sure they had many a phone call,’ suggested Gallagher.
Ignoring the comment, Forbes continued. ‘Remember that Slattery and Hassan were quite adamant when they said Charlie and the Piedpiper had never crossed paths. Apparently Charlie was totally pissed off at never been given the privilege. Having said that, now take into consideration Lou Hanna’s arrival to the underground gallery following his seizure by the two Traffik thugs. Don’t you think Charlie would have been at least slightly aroused in facing his regional head for the first time? But I detected little interest coming from Charlie, in fact no reaction at all.’
‘Good point.’
‘So, it begs the question, who is the real Piedpiper? In my opinion the Traffik leader got it right the first time. Mick, the Scorpio traitor, was relentless in pointing the finger at the committee members when he stood up on the gallery rooftop and shouted, “Their regional head stands before you, Indigo. The Piedpiper can only be one of...” One of what? At this stage it could mean anything. Lou Hanna killed the renegade to protect the identity of the Piedpiper and was prepared to suffer the consequences to retain the secret. Another interesting point, and not one to be overlooked or discarded, is the comment made by Gallagher regarding voice recognition ...’
‘And what’s that, boss?’ asked Parnell.
‘That Charlie and Gino Palmero may have had an idea who the Piedpiper was at the time Hanna shot the traitor.’
‘What makes you believe that?’ queried Marsh with a dumbfounded look.
‘Simple, it gets back to voice recognition. If you cast your minds back prior to the traitor arriving, Indigo ordered everyone to introduce themselves, including the committee members. In the belief the Piedpiper only ever liaised by phone, then consider the possibility that either or both may’ve picked up on the voice amongst these eight people.’
‘It’s also possible the voice may’ve gone undetected,’ claimed Marsh. He then added. ‘I wouldn’t be relying on voice recognition to pinpoint the culprit -’
Forbes cut in. ‘For the moment we’re simply collating assumptions and factual information. On this very point, did anyone observe a reaction from either Charlie or Palmero when introductions were carried out?’
He drew a negative response and then continued with his analysis.
‘Make no mistake, I’d bet my last dollar our elusive Piedpiper is one of the seven remaining committee members. I have doubts that Richard Smyth was ever the blighter, otherwise we would have seen an obvious reaction from the Scorpio pair following his murder.’
‘Yes, but only on the assumption they recognised the voice of the Piedpiper,’ persisted Parnell.
Ignoring the detective’s remark, Forbes maintained his focus on the renegade.
‘The traitor’s insinuation has always played on my mind, believing there was a half-truth in it all along. I mean, why point the finger if there was no substance behind his allegation? Considering what I’ve mentioned, I’m convinced our suspect is amongst this lot. As to whom it might be is anybody’s guess and that now becomes our task to work out.’
‘That’s a pretty daunting task,’ complained Gallagher.
‘Then let’s approach the subject sensibly. We have seven individuals with different walks of life, objectives, backgrounds and personalities. Most of these people, if not all, live a busy lifestyle, so it does raise the question as to how could the role of Piedpiper fit into their already tight schedule? Let’s face it, someone in charge of a southern operation would need time to recruit, distribute, arrange meetings and liaise with headquarters and so on. Of our seven candidates I would nominate Helen O’Neill, Martha Kellett and maybe Ashley Collins as the ones who are likely to have more free time,’ claimed Forbes.
‘That seems a fair assessment,’ Marsh obliged.
‘A further consideration is to address the personalities of these people. Without stating their obvious traits, an accurate measure of their character and arguably in a distasteful way, was the manner in which each person handled the Russian roulette spectacle. From my observation four people held their nerve considerably better, these being Stephen Buchanan, Burke, Tom Harrison and Richard Smyth. The point I’m raising is that someone in charge of a drug syndicate would need to be of strong temperament to have the law and general underworld lifestyle to contend with. It would seem totally out of character for some drug lord to be reduced to a whimpering child like the way Johnson behaved.’
‘Perhaps he was putting on an act,’ suggested Parnell.
‘That I can’t deny but if true it was one hell of a performance. The same could be said for the two women and Ashley Collins,’ Forbes replied.
‘Hard to fake when you have a gun aimed at you,’ said Gallagher.
‘Let’s touch on their occupations for a moment. Buchanan has access to finance, which would be considered useful. Ben Johnson runs an establishment with some dubious undertakings. He employs the services of some thugs who’ve been caught in possession of drugs. Martha Kellett is retired, but her voluntary school and charity work involves the youth of the community. Ashley Collins has made it his business to become involved, so abnormal behaviour coming from a reporter would not raise eyebrows. Helen O’Neill’s profile is indeed higher than most, given her representation of ratepayers enables access to just about every conceivable business and private outlet in town. Tom Harrison has the means to provide accommodation and is strategically located beside Sapphire Bay for unscrupulous operations. And finally our own Darren Burke, who has the distinct advantage of knowing the movements of the law and therefore is in a position to keep one step ahead.’
‘You can’t be serious about the sergeant,’ said Paul Marsh.
‘Given the circumstances, we have no alternative but to include Burke. If we choose to overlook our colleague, then we’re not being thorough enough in our approach.’
‘Yes, but surely he can’t be taken seriously.’ Doyle was of the opinion the list of suspects should be reduced to six.
‘He must be equally considered. You can see from my brief assessment all seven have had some degree of opportunity to dabble in organised crime. Our next step is to reveal those known to have had direct contact with the Scorpio organisation. So let’s see ... Tom Harrison’s protection over Brigit O’Neill resulted in a car chase around the countryside. He was also subjected to further confrontations on the Molly Bloom, within his car and living room. Helen O’Neill didn’t escape the trauma of having her home broken in to, in addition to the episode in Harrison’s car and a close shave at the caravan park. Martha Kellett was bashed in Harrison’s living room and Burke crossed paths at Peterswood and on the Molly Bloom. Three of these people sustained injuries while Harrison remained unharmed. I’m not aware of Collins, Buchanan or Johnson having direct contact,’ stated Alan Forbes with his usual air for theatrics.
‘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.’
