Scorpio's Lot (18 page)

The sight of Ruth Evans lying in
a pool of blood and the deplorable state of the van indicated her death was of
a violent nature. Forbes, in particular, had witnessed similar malicious
onslaughts but he still found it difficult to handle these scenes. Marsh
reached for his camera and took some photographs, being careful not to disturb
any evidence.

Forbes appeared preoccupied as he
continued to study the state of the van. Then he spotted the crude lettering on
the floor. He stood silently, staring at the obscure message. It didn’t make a
great deal of sense. He briefly looked upon Ruth Evans’s face, her eyes still
open and bulging. The grotesque sight made him turn away.

‘What do you make of this?’ he
finally asked Marsh.

Marsh stepped forth and studied
the writing from a crouched position.

‘Not sure. If it was intended to
be one word then it’s incomplete. Otherwise we need to break it down into
multiple words.’

‘Yes, that makes sense.’

Both men continued to stare at
the crude writing, trying to make sense of the message that Ruth Evans so
desperately tried to complete. Reaching for his notebook, Forbes jotted down
some notes.

PI         16
^th
Greek
letter, symbol ration of circumference

PIE       pastry filling

PIED    dapple, clouded

P          symbol phosphorus

II          crude PI symbol,
Roman 2

‘Despite all this, the message is
still meaningless,’ said Marsh. ‘Exactly. Therefore you need to study the
message in a broader sense. Perhaps it was intended to be conveyed in one or
two words only. If you look at the last letter it appears to be a poor attempt
at a straight line and I wouldn’t read too much into the spacing between
letters. We’re dealing with a dying woman and in one last attempt she tried in
vain to leave a clue. Although she has consistently applied the use of capital
letters, the writing lacks certain neatness as to be expected, which also
explains the irregular spacing.’

‘We could run these letters by
head office and see if they can come up with something,’ Marsh suggested.

‘Yes, I’d thought of that.
Anyway, enough of this. We’ll concentrate on a more detailed analysis later.
Speaking of head office, get them on the phone and arrange for a forensic team
to be sent here immediately,’ ordered Forbes.

Careful not to touch anything,
the two men continued to survey the scene, writing notes and taking further
photographs.

‘Okay,’ said Forbes. ‘Enough done
here until forensics arrives. See if you can find Tom or Emily Harrison and the
person who discovered the body. I’ll have a word with them outside.’

Standing on the verandah waiting
for their arrival, he was astounded by the amount of people who had congregated
to watch proceedings. Bloody ridiculous, he thought. This lot has nothing
better to do with their lives than witness the misfortunes of others. He
spotted Marsh coming forward with two women.

‘Ah, Mrs Harrison, thank you for
alerting the police. How unfortunate your park is now subject to a second
investigation.’

How Emily loathed the pompous
officer with his impudent satire. Ignoring the sarcasm she responded, ‘Detective
Sergeant Forbes, this is Marge Samson who discovered the murder.’

‘Mrs Samson, this is hardly the
place to conduct our enquiries with all these people watching our every move. I
suggest you accompany us to the station where we can have some privacy. Would
you please follow me to the car?’

‘Certainly,’ replied Marge
obligingly.

‘By the way, Mrs Harrison, where’s
your husband?’

‘What, you haven’t seen him? He
left here around fifteen minutes ago with the intention of calling in to see
you. There was mention of Helen O’Neill being driven home on their way to the
station, so perhaps you crossed paths in coming here.’

‘Yes, perhaps.’

Before leaving with Marsh and
Marge Samson, Forbes instructed Chris Martino to secure the crime scene and
commence a log pending forensic examination.

~ * ~

I
had filled Emily’s petrol tank the previous day and judged there was sufficient
fuel to reach our destination and possibly enough for the return trip. Now
approaching the outskirts of Pedley, I couldn’t help but feel guilty at leaving
Emily behind to face a barrage of police questions. I looked across at Brigit,
who now appeared more at ease away from the confines of the van.

Driving along this open road on a
winter’s morning was just what the doctor ordered - crisp country air with a
hint of warmth penetrating through the car windows. The trip would take around
two hours so I suggested some rest for Brigit. We could talk later.

~ * ~

I
had been driving for nearly an hour when Brigit was awoken by the noise of a
passing transport.

‘Ah, you’re back from the land of
the sleeping,’ I said. ‘That hour’s rest will do you the world of good. I
suggest we stop for a bite of lunch and freshen up at the next roadhouse.’

‘That’s a good idea. I’m starting
to feel a bit peckish.’

It took a further ten minutes
before the sight of a Shell station came into view. Pulling into the car park,
I noticed a cafe on the premises offering a variety of junk food. An outdoor
sign advertised a range of fried chicken, beef and fish, including the usual
hamburger and meat pie selections. I had hoped for something a bit more
nourishing.

Over lunch Brigit quizzed me
about our destination in the hills.

‘Tom, tell me about Hamish O’Connor
and where it is you’re taking me.’

‘Well, Hamish and I went through
school together so I guess we’ve known each other for around thirty years now.
We’ve been mates all this time and we try to catch up at least once a year.
There would be more visits if it weren’t for distance and my work commitments.
Incidentally, I phoned him while you were resting and he was thrilled to hear
of our visit. I explained your situation and he just laughed, saying if the
syndicate ever gets a sniff of his property, the shotguns and two Doberman dogs
would be enough to scare them off. I tried to explain to him that all of this
was unnecessary, but he just seemed to relish the thought.’

‘Bloody hell, Tom. Dobermans
terrify me!’

‘The dogs are only dangerous if
you’re threatening or if you arrive without Hamish’s consent. You’ll be fine.
Knowing these two, they’ll lick you to death.’ I chuckled.

‘Do they have names?’

‘Yes, Cain and Abel, which is
quite appropriate. Cain can be the troublesome one from time to time, but don’t
be deterred. You’ll find them friendly.’

‘Tell me a bit more about Hamish.’

‘His family migrated from Ireland
when he was twelve or thirteen years old and, would you believe, there’s still
a hint of Irish accent. The guy’s quite a character and full of life. You can’t
help but like our Hamish O’Connor.’

‘Well, we have something in
common, your Hamish and me, since my heritage is Ireland as well. What about
this place of his in the hills?’

‘He purchased around eighty
hectares of land about fifteen years ago and built a log cabin which overlooks
most of his property. It’s rugged but beautiful country and he runs some cattle
and sheep to assist him financially. The guy never married, although he was
engaged once. She called it off, I recall. It broke his heart and he decided
long ago he was destined for bachelorhood. He’s had the odd fling here and
there but nothing serious. I think he enjoys his independence too much these
days.’

‘Pity to be let down that way,’
offered Brigit.

‘I almost forgot! I need to phone
Em and Forbes and let them know of our change in plans.’

I decided to contact Emily first.
Not surprisingly, all I got was her voicemail. Typical Em, I thought. Why have
a mobile if you don’t use it? I left a message explaining the reason for our
sudden trip to Peterswood. I said we would return home in two or three days and
I would phone again from Hamish’s place. I then attempted our landline, but I
was out of range. Similarly, I couldn’t communicate with the Pedley Police
Station. I decided to try again later.

We finished our lunch and made
our way back to the car. I decided to top up with petrol given the fuel pump
was so convenient. Ashworth - a small town of around five hundred people - was
probably now half an hour away and from there a twenty-minute run would take us
to Hamish O’Connor and his two companions Cain and Abel.

~ * ~

Tom
and Brigit were not aware that they had been followed from a distance by the
ever-persistent Toyota Land Cruiser. Although outwitted last night, the regional
head’s perseverance had paid off when it was suspected that Brigit was still at
the park. The instructions had been issued to monitor all vehicles leaving the
caravan park. Negligence comes with a price, and as a consequence the syndicate
was now back in the hunt.

The boss had ordered Charlie and
one of his henchmen to follow the car through to its destination and upon
arrival they were to advise of the location. There was to be no contact made
during the trip and they were to keep their distance. They were to return with
Brigit unharmed and were told not to fail a second time. Trailing some thirty
seconds behind, Charlie and his lackey had spotted Tom’s turn into the station.
They parked discreetly nearby and waited for the car’s reappearance.

Now back on the road and cruising
at one hundred, Tom and Brigit were still unaware of the trailing 4WD.

~ * ~

rs
Samson, I think you’ll find my office far more appropriate to discuss this
morning’s tragedy Now, from the beginning, would you please tell me what
happened?’ Somewhat nervous and dejected about the whole troublesome matter,
Marge Samson faced Forbes and commenced her account of the incident.

‘It was around seven o’clock when
I arrived at Ruth’s place. We had decided to meet early for breakfast and then
do some shopping downtown. The first thing I noticed that struck me odd was
seeing the annex door open, because Ruth was the type to keep things secure. As
I entered the annex the place continued to be out of character. It wasn’t its
usual tidy condition.’

‘What exactly do you mean by
that?’ asked Forbes.

‘Well, there was some furniture
tipped over and a number of small items scattered across the floor. I knew
straightaway that something was wrong.’

‘Then what did you do?’

‘I called out to her but there
was no response. Climbing the steps leading into the van ... the immediate
impact is something I’ll never forget. There was poor Ruth lying on the floor
in a terrible state. The sight of blood splattered everywhere made me feel
quite ill. I couldn’t deal with the sight so I went and sat outside, thinking I
was going to be sick. I can’t remember much after that because I was in shock,
except that Emily Harrison came to comfort me sometime later.’