Scorpio's Lot (47 page)

‘And this episode in history
actually happened beneath Pedley?’ I was totally engrossed with Arthur’s
narration of the past.

‘Precisely. Although the sheer
magnitude of the transition had been hailed a success, there was also the need
to barricade the site to prevent any further possible spread. The authorities
decided to seal the three entrances and demolish the three buildings erected
above ground, otherwise if left to stand they would serve as access points to
these condemned quarters. Their objective was to leave no trace and it became
taboo for anyone to discuss the subject. With the passing of the decades and
centuries, the story of the subterranean passages became folklore, or a myth,
as you put it earlier.’

‘Arthur, have you seen this
underground network?’

‘Never, and I have no desire to.’

‘Why not?’

‘The day they’re rediscovered
will be the day Pedley becomes a tourist Mecca for the idle curious. In today’s
society the tunnels and chambers would be turned into a haven for outcasts and
undesirables alike. No, the place is best left alone unless it’s absolutely
necessary. Unfortunately that time has now arrived,’ declared a subdued Arthur
Simpson.

‘What do you mean by that?’

‘If I was a betting man, Tom, my
money would be on the table to lay claim that these subterranean passages are
in fact the southern headquarters for the drug syndicate and the very spot
where Brigit O’Neill is being held captive.’

I looked at Arthur in disbelief,
dumbstruck by this blatant statement. Then I realised it all made perfect
sense. The underground provided an ideal place to conduct their operations,
store and distribute drugs, in addition to holding people against their will.
My heart started racing in anticipation that Brigit’s whereabouts may be
resolved after all. I understood this was all speculation, but it did at least
appear logical that such a place could exist, and besides, no other leads or
ideas were forthcoming.

‘If this is true, how would the
syndicate come to know of this network?’

‘By doing their homework well.
They’ve explored the theory and have now turned it into reality for the
betterment of their cause. My guess is they’ve purchased one of the three
original sites while the remaining two are still concealed and undetected.
Today we could be looking for a house or a business address that rests upon an
entrance.’

‘So how would the syndicate know
which property to purchase?’

‘Forget current real estate for
the moment. You need to focus on the original three sites within Pedley and
where their potential locations may be. If early maps still exist they may
help, particularly those which include street names and their relevant
structures. Also, the sale of Crown Land all those years ago and resultant
buildings may be useful. I don’t pretend to suggest the task will be extremely
difficult, but not impossible. If the syndicate has located the source then the
material exists.’

‘You understand this information
can’t be withheld from the police,’ I said to my rather glum-looking friend,
who undoubtedly had come to the realisation this secret could no longer be his
alone.

‘Yes, I’m aware of that, Tom.
Hence my earlier comment when I said that time has now arrived.’

‘Arthur, where would you start
looking for this information?’

‘Initially I can think of two
possible leads, the first being the Lands Department in the city where massive
archive files are held covering all the municipalities within the state. As to
how far back their records are dated, that’s anyone’s guess, but it’s at least
worth a try don’t you think?’ he suggested.

‘Certainly, and the second
possible lead?’

‘The media, or to be more
precise, the tabloids. Start with the
Pedley Advertiser
with emphasis
upon those earlier editions. This newspaper goes back one hundred years and I’m
sure at some point in history there have been journalists who have decided to
write an article based upon the fact-versus-fiction aspect. Failing the
Advertiser,
then the city tabloids are worth exploring given they go further back in time,’
advised Arthur.

‘I’ll have to leave this task
until after the carnival because the park’s booked out. It wouldn’t be right to
leave Emily by herself to face the masses.’

‘You do realise that any search
through archives will be a time-consuming exercise. Do you have any objection
to my coming too,’ asked my old friend.

‘Of course not, Arthur. Your
company and knowledge would be most welcome.’

~ * ~

 believe
we have an informant in our midst,’ declared Neville Bradbury.

This unexpected news literally
shook the foundations of Broadbent’s. Morgan, Charlie and Sol simply glared at
Bradbury as if they had mistakenly lost something in the translation.

‘What did you say?’ said Morgan.

‘A certain someone has betrayed
the organisation.’

‘I better get this right. Are you
saying we have a rat among us, Neville?’ asked Sol.

‘Yes, let me explain. Over the
past three days I’ve observed the unusually high presence of cops snooping
around. If they’re not in patrol cars cruising up and down Covert Road, they’re
peering into the place as they walk pass. So why the sudden interest in us?
Tell me, have any of you been discussing syndicate matters here after business
hours?’

The question drew blank faces,
except for Charlie, who could recall a meeting with Ferret some nights back. It
seemed fairly innocent at the time, but in his obnoxious manner he let forth
with a typically aggressive remark.

‘Bloody Ferret, I’ll kill the
bastard!’

‘For Christ’s sake, settle down,
Charlie. What’s this all about?’ Sol could only tolerate his colleague in small
doses when agitated.

‘I did mention a couple of
things,’ confessed Charlie.

‘Oh, and what might that be?’

‘The downscaling of the
operation, and the Keeper arrivin’ in town durin’ the carnival this weekend.’

‘Fuckin’ hell, Charlie, have you
gone stark raving mad in volunteering classified information?’ roared Sol.

‘But Ferret needs to know the
situation.’

‘Yeah, within reason, but not the
downscaling of the southern operation. And to tell Ferret about the Keeper’s
intended arrival is just not on.’ Sol was livid with Charlie’s behaviour. ‘You’re
a fuckin’ liability to the syndicate, breaching our seal of secrecy to some
street dealer.’

‘That would be the same night we
called into the caravan park,’ offered Morgan, recalling his colleague’s
discussion with Ferret while he waited in the car.

‘Yes,’ Charlie acknowledged.

Neville Bradbury intervened,
wanting to get the matter back on track and put a stop to the bickering. ‘Tell
me, Charlie, was Ferret alone in the warehouse at the time?’

‘Yeah, to the best of my
knowledge. We did look around a bit.’

‘Then you can’t be totally sure,’
persisted Bradbury.

‘Well, we looked at some wine in
the cellar for a short while and then Ferret locked up the place after that.’

‘Then it’s feasible to suggest
that someone may’ve been in the warehouse at the time of your discussion and
made their escape while the two of you scrutinised some bloody wine in the
cellar,’ said Bradbury.

‘I guess so,’ acknowledged
Charlie sheepishly.

‘What time did you speak to
Ferret?’

‘Somewhere between eight and
nine.’

‘Let me think this over for a
moment. Stan and Shane both finished around six that night, leaving only Ferret
and Danny working back.’ Bradbury scratched his head, giving the impression
this would help to resurrect some hidden memory.

‘But I’m almost certain Ferret
was alone. There was no sound comin’ from the warehouse,’ claimed Charlie. ‘I’ll
suss out those two tomorrow.’

‘No, Charlie, this matter will be
directed by the Piedpiper. Any possible breach of security must be brought to
the attention of the regional head.’ Sol had no intention of allowing Charlie
to carry out this delicate matter.

Morgan was growing impatient
regarding the identity of the informant. He couldn’t prolong his curiosity any
further. ‘Neville, who is this alleged informant?’

‘My suspicion is focused on
Ferret.’

‘For what reason?’ Sol asked. He
wanted something more concrete than simply speculation to base an accusation
upon.

‘I saw him enter the Pedley
Police Station and leave around half an hour later,’ Bradbury declared.

‘Shit, then your conversation
must’ve been overheard, Charlie. Otherwise why the hell would the cops be
speaking to Ferret?’ asked Morgan.

‘Which also explains their
presence with all this surveillance business going on,’ added Sol.

Bradbury was careful not to point
the finger too quickly. ‘As I see it, there are three possibilities. Either
Danny Murdock went undetected when working back, or person X happened to be in
the vicinity, which is quite feasible given that the roller door remained open
until Ferret locked up.’

‘And the third possibility?’
questioned Sol.

‘There is no further person, only
Ferret. So in a nutshell it’s Danny, Ferret or person X.’

‘I agree,’ declared Sol. ‘We need
to be very careful and evaluate all possible situations. An accusation against
a possible informant is the syndicate’s most serious offence and is punishable
by death in most cases. We need to interrogate both Ferret and Danny, but
separately.’

‘So how ya gonna handle this?’
asked Charlie, trying to act tactful but deep down wanting blood.

‘I would suggest Ferret will come
under the domain of the Piedpiper,’ Sol said, ‘who will more than likely
request a lie detector test. Danny, by contrast, should be interviewed by
Neville to keep things in perspective and within Broadbent’s. Neville can
conjure up some story about wanting to know his whereabouts that evening, and
if he’s cleared then work at Broadbent’s can resume without further incident. I’ll
contact the Piedpiper regarding this matter and let you know what instructions
are to be carried out.’

~ * ~

Alan
Forbes held the eagerly awaited search warrant in his hand that authorised
access to Broadbent’s. The process had moved swiftly, enabling the legal order
to be acquired within a few hours. Lodgement via the after-hours registrar had
proven useful. He would now assign Doyle and Carpenter to carry out the
procedure. Their visit today would serve two purposes, since the interview with
Ferret that morning did not eventuate, and Ferret’s employer might be able to
enlighten the police as to his whereabouts.