Scorpio's Lot (58 page)

‘Yes, I gathered this would be
the topic for conversation, but what do you mean by coincidence?’

‘Meaning how convenient it was
for Harrison to just stumble across a story like this,’ Forbes said.

‘Just a moment, detective. Until
now I’ve never told anyone of this matter in all my eighty-five years. I had
every intention of taking this secret to the grave until Tom told me of Brigit’s
dilemma. Considering the young lass is his niece, the least I could do was to
inform him of the girl’s possible whereabouts. And don’t dismiss the Simpson ancestry,
the oldest family name in the district. You don’t buy this information,
detective, you inherit it and with that comes a responsibility to keep the
subject taboo,’ responded Arthur proudly and then added, ‘I insisted that Tom
only speak to his wife Emily and the police about this matter and no one else.’

‘And I’m sure Tom has kept to his
word. Tell me, Mr Simpson, why the secrecy?’ Forbes enquired.

‘Detective, the underground
network has remained dormant for over two hundred years and it would be best
left that way, otherwise the place will be filled with undesirables.’

‘What do you mean by that?’

‘If this network suddenly became
public knowledge in today’s society it would attract two possible scenarios.
Firstly, it could be turned into some circus attraction whereby local
government or some private organisation would charge an entry fee to exploit
its potential. Pedley would therefore be turned into an attraction that it was
never meant to be. Secondly, and more detrimentally, this underground would be
turned into some modern-day ghetto where its corridors and chambers are used by
drug users, murder and cult worshipers, vagrants, the homeless and so on.’

‘I see what you mean, but what
makes you so sure the underground exists?’

‘Against the wishes of his peers,
my great-grandfather travelled the length of one of the main passageways and
his story has been passed down by the Simpson generations over time.’

‘But with all due respect, that
is only based on hearsay,’ Forbes declared.

‘Is that your polite way of
saying you don’t believe me?’

‘Not necessarily, but for your
story to have credibility one needs proof. I mean, look at the circumstances
from a sceptic’s point of view. For over two hundred years the subterranean
passageways have been considered no more than fiction, or a fabled story
invented by someone’s ancestor to conjure up some monetary or literacy benefit.’

‘So you want proof.’ Arthur
Simpson produced an envelope from his pocket. ‘I’m revealing this information
for one reason only. The fate of Brigit O’Neill may rest squarely on showing
the authorities this evidence. What I’m about to show you is a document that
has never been seen outside the realms of the Simpson circle of trust.’

Arthur spread the document open
on the office desk.

To my future Simpson generations,

With the assistance of a kerosene lantern, it is my
intention to record my findings as I proceed through this underworld of endless
passageways. I have travelled some three hundred feet into this wilderness and
have discovered the mass burials that were rumoured to exist, due to a typhoid
epidemic that swept the area some decades back. These graves housed inside
chambers contain the skulls of literally hundreds of poor unfortunate souls. As
I continue to walk the length of this main corridor, I applaud the engineering
skills that created such a vast and inventive system. In fear of this testimony
falling into the wrong hands, it is not my intention to divulge the location of
the three entrances, except to say that a mathematical formula in conjunction
with a street map will assist the curious. A submerged three-pointed star
should hold the key.

Good hunting

Alfred Benjamin Simpson

Pedley, 17th April 1856

‘ “A submerged three-pointed star
should hold the key,” ‘ repeated a puzzled Alan Forbes.

‘Yes, I could never quite
understand the meaning behind this cryptic clue,’ confessed Arthur.

‘The paper and ink seem
authentic, I suppose,’ remarked Gallagher in a blatantly cynical approach.

‘It bloody ought to be. No one
else has had opportunity to meddle with it.’ The old-timer clearly resented
Gallagher’s tone.

‘Mr Simpson, may we hold onto
this document for a while?’ asked Forbes.

‘I’d prefer you didn’t.’

‘Then we’ll take a copy, if you
have no objection.’

‘Please do.’

‘The evidence you’ve laid before
us certainly dismisses any previous scepticism we may have had. I fully
understand and appreciate the potential damage this discovery may bring to your
township, but I assure you our intention is purely with the drug case in mind.
As suggested by Tom Harrison, it’s quite feasible to believe this underground
network concurrently serves three purposes - presumably it’s Scorpio’s
operational base, it gives them a means to store their vast quantities of
drugs, and it’s a penal system to house their captives.’

‘My thoughts exactly,’ Arthur
concurred.

‘It’s therefore obvious the
subterranean passageways are no longer the sole property of the Simpson clan.
The question therefore arises, how in God’s name can a drug syndicate stumble
across such a highly guarded secret?’

‘I’ve thought about this for a
long time and the only logical answer is the homework undertaken by their
regional head called the Piedpiper.’

‘What exactly do you mean?’
Forbes said.

‘Well, this drug person is reputedly
a Pedley resident who decided to explore the possibilities of its existence.
Rather than accept the public’s perception that it was only some fabled story,
he began the painstaking task of delving into the archive records of
appropriate establishments. His endless research was eventually rewarded when
fiction turned into fact but the second part of the puzzle still eluded him. He
needed to resolve the location of the three concealed entrances.’

‘And how do you propose he
figured that out?’

‘Make no mistake, Detective
Forbes, our resident drug lord is one very clever individual. The Piedpiper is
probably a well-educated person who most likely excels in mathematics, given
the complex nature of Alfred Simpson’s cryptic clue.’

‘Yes, but that clue came from
your great-grandfather and wasn’t known to any outsiders,’ Forbes pointed out.

‘Perhaps. Don’t let my age
deceive you. I’m a well-educated person myself, having graduated with an
engineering degree many years ago. I’ve studied a street map of Pedley in
conjunction with Alfred’s submerged, three-pointed star many hundreds of times,
but I could never crack the code or decipher its true meaning. Undoubtedly the
Piedpiper would have had a similar challenge because no archive documentation
is going to pinpoint the exact location for fear of reprisals from the general
public and authorities alike. After all, the subterranean passageways were
concealed for very good reason.’

‘Yes, Tom Harrison spoke of some
typhoid epidemic,’ acknowledged Whittaker.

‘That all sounds quite feasible,
Mr Simpson,’ Forbes said, ‘but where would the Piedpiper retrieve such
information?’

‘Could be a number of sources.
Who knows? One thing’s highly likely - the underground is currently being used
for unscrupulous intentions and the sooner the authorities put a stop to this
the better.’

~ * ~

t
nine pm, in the confines of Scorpio’s underground headquarters, the Keeper, the
Piedpiper, Neville Bradbury and Sol were discussing their strategy with respect
to the Traffik invasion. Brigit O’Neill, Ferret’s intended fate, and a review
of the southern operation were also high on the agenda.

Victor Marlow was in an agreeable
mood following the outcome of today’s proceedings.

‘I must admit there were some
anxious moments, particularly when those women were begging me for money,’ he
said. ‘It occurred to me at the time that they may have been decoys sent by
Traffik to lure me away from the crowds.’

‘You will give the impression
that you’re a person of unlimited resources,’ declared the Piedpiper dryly.

Ignoring the accusation, Marlow
continued. ‘Having known a few members when they were employed by some other
organisation, my biggest concern was being recognised. You therefore can
understand why I didn’t want to hold onto the damaging evidence longer than was
necessary.’

‘Understandably,’ declared the
ever-obliging Neville Bradbury.

‘Have you sent the envelope to
the authorities?’ Marlow asked the Piedpiper.

‘Certainly. I marked it for the
attention of Forbes and included a covering note highlighting the police’s
clumsy and failed attempt in trying to locate the Keeper,’ declared his
regional head.

‘That was a bit cheeky,’
responded Marlow and then, realising the possible consequences for such action,
added ‘Bloody hell, I hope it wasn’t handwritten.’

‘Of course not. I’ve kept
everything consistent with computer printout,’ explained the Piedpiper.

‘I’d like to be a fly on the wall
when these Traffik bastards are rounded up. My one regret, though, was not
being able to include their leader on the document,’ Marlow said.

‘I wouldn’t be overly concerned,
given there’s enough evidence to destroy Traffik anyway,’ said Sol.

‘Good. Have Klaus Schmitt and
Dean Templeton been relocated here?’ Marlow asked.

‘Yes, sir. They were brought across
from the farm around an hour ago. We have them in a cell near Ferret,’ Sol
replied.

‘Speaking of Ferret, what was the
outcome with this one?’

‘Guilty. I took the liberty of
conducting a lie detector test last night and my worst fears were proven to be
correct. He squealed to the police, who immediately increased their
surveillance on Broadbent’s,’ responded the Piedpiper.

‘And arranged a search warrant,’
added Neville Bradbury.

‘Unfortunately that suspicion
will remain for some time. Tell me, Neville, on the day of the search warrant,
how close did they come to discovering the concealed entrance?’ asked Marlow.

‘Extremely close, but at no time
were either of the officers aware of their surroundings. Let me explain the
Broadbent’s access, given your entry to the network is always via the
alternative way. Whoever designed the above-ground layout was a master of
deception. To the untrained eye or ignorant observer, the two cellars appear to
be separated by one wall only, when in reality a narrow passageway descends
between two walls. Viewed from above, the kitchen and toilet block look like
they run the full length of the first cellar but they actually stop short some
one and half metres, with sufficient width to accommodate a descending
staircase between the two basements.’