by Ray Smithies
Forbes paused again, but this time with the intention to replenish his thirst. Totally engrossed, his audience sat unmoving waiting for the detective to continue.
‘We’ll now progress to their present-day operations, the organised slayings and the adverse affect certain individuals brought on the regional base, including that of Traffik. Jake Reynolds, the initial victim who witnessed the gangland murder, most likely held two incriminating indictments. Logic implies the identity of Lou Hanna and possibly Charlie, in addition to overhearing reference made about the subterranean passageways and the location of two such entrances. His fate was immediately decided which was instigated by the Piedpiper and carried out by Hanna on the previous night.
‘Convenience is everything. The Scorpio pair was familiar with Jake Reynolds’s morning route given the location of the Kellett property. At the appropriate hour, Hanna approached the cliff edge and commenced tampering with the foundations. The deadly trap lay in wait for the unsuspecting runner the following morning.’
‘Alan, it maybe a good time to touch on Brigit’s involvement,’ said Whittaker.
‘Certainly. Jake’s close association with Brigit O’Neill led to further disturbing developments. In the eyes of the syndicate she was considered a liability, given the possibility of being informed about the parkland killing and location to the underground. Subsequently the hunt for the O’Neill girl had commenced with Tom Harrison intervening to hide her from these thugs. The caravan park was proven not to be the safe haven they had anticipated and Harrison could never quite understand why their every move appeared to be monitored. The answer in the end was quite simple. Martha Kellett’s lounge window has an elevated view overlooking the caravan park. It’s quite feasible to assume that both Hanna and Kellett took alternative shifts at the window on learning of Harrison’s identity during the car chase.
‘I believe Ruth Evans’s fate was simply unfortunate. My guess is she unintentionally crossed paths with Martha Kellett, who was possibly talking business with an unknown person. With the two women knowing each other and Ruth’s reputation for being the local gossip, the Piedpiper was not prepared to take any chances in allowing the situation to pass.
‘Following the Peterswood assault, the first crack in the armour appeared. The inclusion of Brad Morgan to the payroll was to become an enormous mistake. The guy was a psychopath who created unnecessary attention and untold damage to the syndicate. I firmly believe he was responsible for inciting Traffik into retaliation following the Pedley Hill atrocity. His reign of terror on the Molly Bloom drew national media coverage, a burden the Piedpiper could ill afford to have. Similarly, his confrontations at the Esplanade and general assaults not only caused further exposure, but through his actions the operation was starting to feel vulnerable. None were more aware of this than the Piedpiper herself.’
‘I recall Morgan assaulting Martha Kellett at some point,’ said Parnell. ‘What was that all about?’
‘Yes, an interesting scenario arose during one of Morgan’s attacks and that was the assault upon Martha Kellett in Harrison’s living room. Morgan was never privy to meeting the Piedpiper, so understandably the presence of this woman made no difference. Martha played a shrewd role, choosing to remain silent despite her mugging. Morgan left without knowing he had just struck his regional head. Eventually Morgan was removed to restore some sanity and incognito back into their organisation.
‘Don’t overlook that Martha Kellett was a master of deception. An ex-teacher who still dabbled in the education system was an ideal cover. Her charity work in assisting the underprivileged put her in good stead with both the authorities and community alike. No one would question or tolerate a bad word spoken against her. Understandably she never mixed the two pastimes with her dark side.
‘Arthur Simpson very nearly stole the show in linking Sam Vaccaro to the infamous Lou Hanna, but unfortunately didn’t recognise the importance of informing the authorities at the time. Had he decided to tell the police about his discovery and not risk searching for an underground entrance, chances are this case could have been wrapped up some time ago. Equally, and if not more importantly, an earlier arrest would have most likely prevented the Covert Road catastrophe.’
‘Being female did this present the Piedpiper with any additional burdens?’ asked Marsh.
‘Good question, detective. Although Kellett only ever revealed her identity to a select few, she did, however, have one thing decisively against her, the voice of a mature woman. The phone recipient knew exactly what they were dealing with and therefore a degree of vulnerability would always be apparent. Martha lived in a male-dominated world and any reference to their regional head being a woman considerably narrowed the field. Martha amidst a roomful of men would stand out like a sore thumb, so her identity became a closely guarded secret.
‘The situation in the underground gallery was a classic example of her liability. When the Scorpio traitor screamed his obscenities from the balcony rail, he concluded with the unfinished sentence “The Piedpiper can only be one of...” One of what? It became an antagonising challenge to decipher the answer. What could possibly segregate a committee member apart from the rest? Of course with the identity now revealed, the answer to the puzzle had two possibilities. Either the traitor was referring to age, in which case the relevance was with one’s prime in mind. With Smyth and Kellett beyond sixty the pair was distinctly older than their counterparts. Still not convinced the answer was to be decided by a person’s age, I then fathomed out the second and more likely outcome was one’s sex.
‘Mick, the renegade, had either stumbled across the drug lord’s apparent gender or had heard his boss speak over the phone and knew the identity could only be female. Since Helen O’Neill and Martha Kellett were the logical candidates, in all probability he was about to say that the Piedpiper could only be one of two women before he was shot dead.’
Forbes paused again to refill his glass of water. The short recess provided opportunity for his men to commence their barrage of questions.
‘How can you be sure it was Martha Kellett who discovered the entrance to the subterranean passageways?’ Parnell asked.
‘Not one but two entrances can be credited to the Piedpiper, one being the Broadbent site and the other the lookout area above the botanical gardens. Of course were all aware the RSL entrance continued to remain undetected until quite recently It does, however, beg the question as to why this third entry was never discovered by the syndicate. Perhaps being isolated from the main core of their activity and its remote location had something to do with it. After all, the RSL entrance did give the impression of being the tradesman’s access and was well camouflaged from within. Logic strongly suggests the Kellett woman, given she lectured in mathematics during her teaching days. She would have had an excellent grasp of algebra, which served its purpose when trying to resolve the puzzle. By comparison Lou Hanna was never an academic and arguably he may have had difficulty in understanding the formulas, let alone applying the arithmetic to the entrance sites,’ responded Forbes.
‘I must confess that Martha Kellett appeared the most unlikely amongst our candidates. I mean her performance in the underground gallery was so bloody convincing,’ Doyle admitted.
‘Yesterday I spoke about deception and that one of our human failings is our brain will dictate what we want to see and not necessarily the reality of the situation. When Lou Hanna was unmasked, Martha’s scream was interpreted as shock and disbelief. In reality it was one of disillusion in seeing her partner captured and the realisation they would again be separated,’ stated Forbes.
‘How come the Kellett woman seemed to anticipate our next move?’ Parnell queried. ‘I mean it invariably happened a few times.’
‘That’s an exaggeration, it was only isolated. I recall talking to Emily Harrison in the presence of Martha when discussing a police unit being sent to Peterswood. There may have been one other incident. But don’t discount the fact that Tom Harrison was
unknowingly -’
Marsh cut in on hearing the caravan proprietor’s name. ‘What I can’t fathom out is, if Harrison was supposedly a threat to the syndicate, then why didn’t the Piedpiper take measures to have him eliminated?’
‘I was about to elaborate on that before you interrupted me,’ Forbes said. ‘To answer your question, detective, I would say it was a case of weighing up the options and choosing the most appropriate tactic. You’ve overlooked the fact that Emily took Kellett into her confidence during Tom’s absence and unknowingly was feeding the Piedpiper with a constant update on the crisis. This knowledge assisted Scorpio in keeping a step ahead of the force. Why eliminate Harrison, when a reliable source in Emily provided the syndicate with the necessary advantage. Perhaps now you may understand how the Kellett woman come to anticipate our next move.’
‘I guess so, but Martha’s life must have been spent constantly looking over her shoulder, when you consider having both the law and rival syndicates to contend with.’
‘I would say only in her latter years. She obviously had the structural makeup and temperament to deal with a multitude of decisions and crisis. I don’t believe the pressures from the drug fraternity intimidated Martha Kellett, who quite possibly thrived on the very challenges they could muster up. Greed would always be the great motivator. In her mind the authorities never presented a serious threat, until the Broadbent bombing exposed their operation. Believing to have superior intelligence to anything the constabulary could summons, a level of arrogance presided within this regional operation, which in my opinion contributed to their down fall.
‘Martha Kellett was one shrewd and very clever operator, having turned a backyard venture into a multi-million dollar enterprise. Her subordinates were handpicked to deal with the logistics and daily operations. Ironically, if it hadn’t been for the inclusion of the psychopath, Brad Morgan, their organisation may well be still intact today.’
‘I would be interested in hearing your personal views on the woman and what makes a person of this calibre turn to crime?’ said Marsh.
‘Martha’s profile, her psychological traits and illegalities would fulfill a conference room for an entire day on the subject of criminology. She is indeed one unique subject to be analysed by those in the fraternity. But what separates the Kellett woman from your normal run of the mill rogue? A clever, deceptive and ruthless person is portrayed as a kindly, pleasant and good-natured individual. Her world has two distinct images, one good the other evil. So why tolerate the both? Why not dispense with the Good Samaritan act and concentrate on where her real intentions lie? No, this is not Martha’s makeup. She has a yearning to be liked, which understandably derives from her so-called good image. She thrives on and enjoys the transition and rewards the two extremes will ultimately bring. Hers is not to question, but rather, to accrue the accolades and incentives that come with both roles.’
‘Martha was certainly an old pro at the game,’ said Whittaker.
‘Indeed she was. On one side of the pendulum she has amassed the praise and recognition that comes with her voluntary charity and educational work. She is highly respected by society and is a role model within the community. Martha is in awe of her own esteem. She is liked and accepted by all who come in contact. She has therefore reached the pinnacle on her good side. I daresay her dark side conjures up an equally important array of goals. Greed for one has motivated the woman into seeking a greater wealth. But also consider the challenges and satisfaction in building a regional empire that has surpassed the majority of similar invested operations throughout the country. Not only has she become an extremely wealthy woman, but she is highly regarded by Scorpio and competitors alike. Her peers, the drug underworld, would gladly accept her services with massive incentives. However, my guess would be Martha had rejected all these offers, not so much with Scorpio in mind, but rather, her genuine love for Pedley, her lifestyle, Lou Hanna’s return and so on. Her loyalty was with the district and not so much with city headquarters. Needless to say she remained faithful to Victor Marlow until the end. At sixty-three she had succeeded, if not surpassed all her aspirations on the dark side. Martha would now be content to let go the reins so to speak and spend the remainder of her retirement years with Lou Hanna by her side.’
‘It’s a wonder the woman didn’t retire from these activities some years earlier,’ stated Marsh.
‘Martha was in control of her own destiny and her retirement would be based upon her rules and conditions only. She was indeed one smart cookie. Unfortunately from her perspective, Brad Morgan, and to a lesser extent Victor Marlow, played havoc with those plans. Ultimately it was the constabulary who drove the final nail. It nevertheless begs the question of why the woman, who already possessed the luxuries in life, would seek a greater wealth. Besides Lou Hanna, she had no direct beneficiary, so why the unnecessary riches? My guess is Martha had an extraordinary determination to succeed in both her chosen roles. The spoils along the way were simply accumulated bonuses or trophies in her obscure world. She had already triumphed and possibly had nothing further to prove.’
Parnell said. ‘At sixty-three who would’ve thought Martha Kellett to be the culprit? I mean, it defies logic in my opinion. An ageing body, she’d be physically useless against some ruffian, the pressures of syndicate rivalry... should be in a bloody rocking chair knitting ...’
‘Disagree,’ said Forbes. ‘The woman was as strong as an ox. You’ve conveniently forgotten her survival in the subterranean rapids. That incident would test anyone’s strength. As for her fighting attributes, she quite possibly never had the need to stoop that low. She was surrounded by enough able-bodied men to counteract that problem. Kellett was an academic, intellectually superior to your average Joe, not some bloody two-bit hoodlum.’
‘Boss, did you ever suspect the Kellett woman?’ asked Martino.
‘No. At no stage did Martha Kellett draw serious consideration. I dismissed her connection to Lou Hanna as coincidental. The woman was simply a master of deception, who undisputedly perfected her dual roles within society It’s a pity that level of intelligence wasn’t practiced in a more constructive and acceptable way. I trust the judiciary will see fit to place the Piedpiper behind bars for life. Perhaps sharing a cell with that bloody idiot Indigo would be justice.’
‘Of course,’ Martino concurred.
‘Oh ... just one more thing. I should mention that Paul Marsh correctly selected Martha Kellett and for his troubles I’m now ten dollars out of pocket,’ added Forbes to the sound of a few heckles and laughs.
‘Will that be the last we hear of Scorpio and Traffik?’
‘Traffik is well and truly defunct. As for Scorpio, syndicate headquarters will continue to function and I daresay a new regional base will be high on their agenda. Both the Keeper and Piedpiper have been deleted from the equation, but unfortunately replacements will now be groomed to fulfill these vacancies.’
The postmortem address rallied on for a further twenty minutes. The barrage of questions continued with each participant anxious to resolve further aspects of the puzzle. Barring the lengthy legal formalities and forthcoming court appearances, Detective Sergeant Alan Forbes now considered the case closed.
The Piedpiper of Pedley was no more.
~ * ~
T
hree months had transpired since the gangland reprisals. The trail of destruction and extensive loss of life had left its punishing scar. Rain had persisted throughout the week and a howling southerly exerted its influence in periodical bursts. Seemingly Mother Nature wanted to contribute to the surrounding doom and gloom. There had become a noticeable downward trend in tourism, and in particular, the depleted numbers at the caravan park was a concerning trend. Pedley, it seemed, would take some time to heal its wounds. In a small tight-knit community where town folk intermingled, the atrocities had touched each and every person in some varying degree.
Whilst the aftermath had dug deep, most realised that life must go on to
at least keep the economy at status quo. To dwell on the past could have an adverse effect, with the possibility of plunging the township into an unwanted recession. It was therefore heartening to see the local community pull together and make the best of a difficult situation.
On this particular day, as with most bloody Friday’s, I was running the usual errands for Emily downtown. With this vast list of chores destined to fulfill my afternoon, I decided to take a break from the sheer monotony of it all. It was time to pay homage to Pedley’s fallen citizens. A newly erected memorial stone had been commissioned in Covert Road. It was only a short walk to view the commemorative remembrance and I felt this strong sense of duty to pay my respects.
With my arrival I paused for a moment to reflect on those who had paid the ultimate sacrifice. Standing dignified on the central lawn divide, the rather large column accentuated the abnormity of human loss. The honour list paid tribute to not only the victims of the Broadbent bombing, but deservedly, included those who had lost their lives on the Molly Bloom or through other means. I looked on the many names in quiet solitude, reflecting on those who had passed my way throughout the ordeal.
