Scorpio's Lot (71 page)

‘Thank you, Hassan. What can you
tell us about Brad Morgan?’ asked Burke.

‘I know of him and I’ve only seen
him once with Charlie when they were talking to Ferret outside Broadbent’s. A
bit of a nutcase, that one.’

‘What makes you say that?’

‘He was screaming at Ferret over
something.’

‘What about?’

‘It had something to do with more
sales. Ferret took it pretty hard because he earned big bucks for these guys
and didn’t deserve that sort of treatment. This Morgan guy hasn’t been round
for long but he seems to make all the rules. Charlie just seems to follow his
orders.’

‘For your information, Hassan,
Brad Morgan is a psychopath who, together with Charlie, was responsible for
both the boat and Pedley Hill tragedies. It would be in your best interests to
stay clear of these two, particularly Morgan. The guy has a history of violence
and won’t hesitate to inflict further injury if given half the chance.’

‘No shit, but it doesn’t surprise
me to hear that. I always thought those two were capable of worse crimes,’
declared Hassan.

‘We certainly don’t endorse your
involvement,’ said Marsh, ‘but should you happen to see either of these men it’s
important that you contact the station immediately. If you have the numbers,
then hold him until the police arrive. Understand?’

‘Sure.’

‘We can only warn you and the
rest is up to you, but try to stay away from the drug scene for your own sake.
We believe there maybe trouble brewing with the presence of a second syndicate.
They’ll most likely seek revenge against Scorpio, so we may have further
bloodshed to contend with. To walk away from it all is the best and most
sensible thing to do.’

‘Getting back to Charlie’s
haunts, how would you guys recognise him? You’ve never seen the man, so how
could you single him out?’ Hassan queried.

Burke said, ‘That’s where you’re
wrong. I was aboard the
Molly Bloom
and have a rough description of the
man.’

‘And don’t dismiss Morgan,
because I’ve seen this guy at the Esplanade Hotel,’ added Marsh.

‘Ferret’s funeral is on Friday
and that’s going to be a tough day. His family has asked me to be a pallbearer,
so of course I’ve agreed. Will the police be there, do you think?’ Hassan
asked.

‘I daresay Forbes will arrange to
have a few men there to keep an eye on things,’ Burke replied.

Seeing the young man’s emotions
begin to surface, Marsh thought it wise to put a stop to the interview. After
all, they had the information they were seeking so why prolong the matter
unnecessarily.

‘That should be enough for now,
Hassan. Remember, were only a phone call away if you need to talk or have
concerns about anything. Thanks for your help today.’

~ * ~

A
room of notable size at the Pedley Town Hall had been selected to address the
national press. Forbes would conduct his briefing and questionnaire from the
speaker’s platform, using a stand for notes and a microphone. Forty loose
chairs had been strategically placed in front of the rostrum, with as many
backsides now in position to receive Forbes’ address. A television camera and
operator was slightly elevated to the rear of the room, with a few people
choosing instead to stand against the sidewall. All was in readiness for the
arrival of the detective.

The plumpish figure of Alan
Forbes stepped onto the podium. Dressed in a rarely worn pinstriped navy blue
suit, complete with a contrasting handkerchief stuffed into his breast pocket,
the pompous policeman looked a trifle overdone in his Sunday best. This was his
one opportunity to look the part, for the nation’s eyes were focused on him. He
looked down on the mass of journalists and television representatives that had
assembled in the room. It was possibly the largest gathering of the fraternity
he had ever addressed.

‘Ladies and gentlemen, thank you
for your attendance. My objective today is to give an overview of the case and
separate fact from fiction with respect to some of the journalism I’ve read. On
the completion of my briefing I will address your questions.’

Forbes gave a detailed account of
the
Molly Bloom
incident and the infamous Pedley Hill atrocity. He drew
attention to Scorpio and their respective leaders in the Keeper and Piedpiper,
including the pursuit of their elusive headquarters and those directly
responsible for carrying out the terrible murders. He didn’t overlook Brigit O’Neill’s
kidnapping, and he stressed that Traffik and its drug supremo Indigo had the
potential to create bloodshed by way of retaliation. His summary was clear and
precise, but unnecessarily overdone at times when describing the brutal acts of
torture. He now waited for the anticipated onslaught of questions.

‘Geoffrey Hunter, representing
the
Kingston Herald.
Detective Forbes, are you certain there is a direct
link between the
Molly Bloom
and Pedley Hill atrocities?’

‘Totally and unequivocally.’

‘What assurance can you give the
Pedley community that all these arrests are imminent?’ asked a young-gun
reporter.

‘I give you my one hundred
percent commitment there will be full arrests given time,’ acknowledged Forbes,
not addressing the underlying reason behind the question.

‘Jessica Thompson, reporting for
the
Princely Gazette.
Has anyone come forth claiming to know the identity
of the Keeper or Piedpiper?’

‘No.’

‘Then how do you propose to
capture these two villains?’ came a voice from the back of the room.

‘We have identified their
subordinates and this will ultimately lead us to their hierarchy.’

‘How can you be so sure?’ called
another.

‘By having good contacts, whose
identities cannot be revealed for obvious reasons,’ Forbes declared.

A flamboyant-looking dude dressed
in a light-cream, double-breasted suit called from the front row of chairs. ‘In
light of this further atrocity, should we expect to see a larger contingent of
the law?’

‘I’ve already spoken to the
assistant commissioner on this very matter. A sizeable backup unit is about to
be sent from the city.’

‘Well, I hope it’s a bloody army
to flush out this lot,’ said the reporter, expressing his view clearly.

‘Why call yourself the Piedpiper?
Is there any significance attached to this?’ questioned a female reporter from
the far corner who chose to remain seated.

‘We assume it has some
relationship to the children’s story, whereby the Piedpiper was noted for his
ability to attract a trail of followers. In this tale he lured all the rats and
in doing so marched all the vermin out of town. The parallels are similar with
our present-day Piedpiper, except the end result works in reverse. His trails
of followers have become drug dealers or pushers, all of which have been lured
to this southern region over time. Unlike the children’s story, where the
objective was to
eradicate
the rats, our modern-day counterpart chooses
to
accumulate
the rats. Similarly, the Keeper’s name derives from the
very meaning of the word, for this individual keeps control over the financial,
logistical, recruitment and elimination processes of the organisation,’ Forbes
explained.

‘Rachael McGrath from TLN
Television. My question regards Brigit O’Neill. Are the police of the opinion
she may be held captive in the immediate area, and for that matter, still
alive?’

‘Evidence to date suggests her
whereabouts to be in the local vicinity. We are confident of resolving this
issue in the short term. And yes, we believe her to be still alive.’

‘Detective Forbes, are we talking
about a location in Pedley?’ the television reporter persisted.

‘That’s classified information,
ma’am. Next question?’

A tallish man wearing a maroon
beret stood up to address the pompous policeman in a thick French accent. ‘My
name is Patrick Joniaux from the
Paris Les Echos Gazette.
Would you
please describe to me how Stefan Selembier, the French school teacher, met his
death on the
Molly Bloom
and why it took your authorities so long to
extradite his body?’

Forbes gave a sketchy account of
this individual’s fatality, pointing out that extradition was not his
jurisdiction and he would need to take the matter further with the appropriate
authorities.

‘Detective, you refer to Brad
Morgan being his killer,’ said Joniaux. ‘This information I’m already aware of
and is the reason I’ve been sent here by my superiors. This particular assassin
is the most wanted criminal in France today. He has left a trail of unspeakable
crimes affecting a great many people. Morgan continues to return to France and
without exception recommences his path of torture and murder. French
bureaucrats monitor Morgan’s movements throughout the world and collaborate
with the local authorities in the attempt to have him captured. At the
Gazette
we have made it our business to follow the global activities of this criminal
and report these developments to the French people. Morgan’s plight generates a
lot of media interest in France.’

‘Thanks for your input, Mr
Joniaux. I’m fully aware of these atrocities after being briefed by one of our
psychologists, who incidentally was previously summoned by the French
authorities to assist with his capture. Without exception we will do our utmost
to have this man brought to justice,’ Forbes reassured the journalist.

A series of routine and
predicable questions followed. Forbes was beginning to grow impatient with this
endless nonsense when a voice from the back threw an unexpected query.

‘My name is Ashley Collins from
the local
Advertiser.
Would you please confirm to the fraternity whether
the subterranean passageways that lay beneath Pedley are fact or fiction?’

‘Um ... no comment,’ replied a
hesitant Alan Forbes.

‘I can’t accept that. Your
opening address emphasised the need to separate fact from fiction and now you
choose to avoid the issue,’ said the persistent reporter.

Knowing he was cornered by
Collins and the audience would be expecting a more indicative response, Forbes
decided on the safest option.

‘To answer your question, the
subject is one of fiction until proven otherwise.’

‘You should be a politician with
an answer like that,’ replied Collins, unimpressed with Forbes’ evasive and
gutless response.

‘I second that. Surely you must
have made inroads after all this time,’ said a further disgruntled reporter.

‘I don’t think the press will
ever be told the truth,’ yelled a third journalist.

In seeing a few reporters
becoming agitated by his sudden evasive manner, Forbes quickly brought the
press conference to a close.

~ * ~