by Ray Smithies
‘It’s like this. Reynolds has been taken care of and so too Mitch in the park, but I’m shit scared about what the O’Neill girl knows. She’s still in hospital and I’ve heard she’s gonna pull through. Reynolds overheard some pretty heavy shit that night, but we dunno if he told the girl. Stupid bitch for interfering and being with him that morning!’
‘Hang on a moment. The cops would’ve interviewed her by now and we’ve heard nothing from our sources. O’Neill might be one of your pushers, but she has no knowledge of a connection with Broadbent, and besides, she knows the consequences for double-crossing.’
‘That’s not me problem. I’ve gotta look after me own interests ‘cause I’m her contact and the only one she knows. It’s what she might do that friggin’ worries me. We can’t take any risks.’
‘Okay, we’ll talk to Sol about it and then get clearance from the regional head on how this will be handled.’
~ * ~
T
he funeral of Jake Reynolds took place on Wednesday morning, attended by a large outpouring of public sympathy. Representatives from local government and various sporting bodies, schools and organisations were present to pay their last respects. The service was longer than most as a result of the many eulogies delivered from people in Jake’s varied but short life.
The coffin sat on a chrome trolley in front of the altar draped in the colours of his favourite football team. The service was a celebration of life rather than the traditional sombre affair. I thought this was a fitting tribute and one that I’m sure Jake would have preferred. It was the largest funeral I had ever attended.
Phillip held himself together exceptionally well and there was no shortage of people coming forward offering their condolences to the poor soul. I noticed Martha Kellett comforting Emily at one stage. Emily was not handling the situation very well and Ruth Evans’ mouth was working overtime with some reporter from The Advertiser. I caught a glimpse of Helen talking to James Slattery and also noticed four police officers standing at a respectable distance, observing the proceedings.
The presence of two men in particular, who were standing alone, struck me as somewhat unusual. To the best of my knowledge, both Stephen Buchanan and Ben Johnson had had little contact with Jake, so why would the publican and banker attend his funeral? I could only conclude that both men contributed financially to his sporting connections and felt the need to pay their last respects. Thank goodness they had patched up their differences since the car incident.
All six pallbearers appeared to be around Jake’s age, most likely friends from his earlier school days or sporting club. The immediate mourning party was a noticeably small gathering. They probably only ever got together at weddings or funerals. Following the burial, Emily approached me to take her home.
~ * ~
Early that afternoon, in room 127 at Pedley District Hospital, Forbes and Marsh were set to commence their second round of questions with Brigit O’Neill. This time they were hopeful of extracting some relevant information in light of what James Slattery had told them.
‘Brigit, it’s good to see you’re improving,’ Forbes said. ‘Today we need to discuss some further matters that have been brought to our attention. It would appear from our source that you’re involved in the local drug trade. Please enlighten us as to what your role is.’
Brigit’s reaction was not so much surprise as defiance. ‘Don’t know what you’re talking about.’
‘Come now, Brigit, don’t play the ignorant and innocent role with me.’
‘Who fed you this cock-and-bull story?’
‘That’s classified -’
‘That’s bullshit!’ Brigit cut in.
Realising Brigit’s denial would only encourage the conversation to forever proceed in circles, Forbes decided on a different approach.
‘Are you aware of the local drug trade?’ he said.
‘Of course, who doesn’t in this town?’
‘We’re of the opinion that Jake Reynolds’ death was the work of the drug underworld. So again I’ll ask, do you have any knowledge or leads that may prove useful?’
‘You’re barking up the wrong tree if you expect me to know their operations!’
‘On the contrary, you underestimate yourself, for we’re dealing with ruthless people who will stop at nothing,’ said Forbes, starting to show some frustration.
‘Exactly my point!’
‘Again, what is your role in all this?’ Forbes persisted.
‘You’re not listening, detective. It’s not me you should be talking to. Go downtown and snoop around a bit...’
‘Any suggestions as to who we should approach?’
Marsh stood in the background and observed the pair in a war of words. He couldn’t help but think this game of trading sarcasm was destined for failure.
‘Why don’t you try some places where the dealers hang out?’ suggested Brigit, whose tip was merely put forward to speed up conversation and put an end to this interrogation.
‘The dealers?’
‘Yeah, I hear there’s deals happening in Pitt Street. They select young targets with the soft dope like marijuana.’
‘And who are “they”?’
‘The organisation, of course! They’ve got a middleman, I hear.’
‘Does this middleman have a name?’
‘No idea. I’m not an idiot, detective. Even if I did know I wouldn’t tell you.’
‘Brigit, please don’t play naive with me. Do you understand we’re dealing with a murder investigation here? We need to accumulate as much information as possible to assist in the arrest of the guilty party. It’s my understanding that you had feelings for Jake Reynolds, so surely you would tell us this person’s name, for Jake’s sake at least.’
‘Yes, I miss Jake terribly, but you can’t get this information out of me ‘cause I don’t know!’ declared a defiant Brigit O’Neill.
‘I get the impression we’re being fed a pack of lies. Tell me, do you sell your so-called soft drugs to schoolchildren?’ Forbes’ blood pressure was beginning to soar.
‘No! How many times have I got to tell you, it’s not my scene. Look, I need my rest. Can we finish this third-degree?’
‘Brigit, I’m disappointed in your lack of cooperation today. Let me assure you that this line of questioning will continue until we do make some progress. Has the hospital indicated when you’re likely to be discharged?’
‘The doctor said tomorrow because I’ve made good progress.’
‘That’s good news.’
‘Detective Forbes, did you by any chance attend Jake’s funeral this morning?’
‘Yes, as did three of my men. It was a fitting tribute to a remarkable and gifted young man.’
‘That’s good to hear. I did want to go, but the hospital wouldn’t let me because it might’ve had a bad effect and slowed my recovery.’
‘We must be on our way now, so until next time we hope you continue to make progress and assist us with a bit more cooperation.’
~ * ~
I had arranged a rendezvous with James Slattery, Brigit’s ex-boyfriend, for two o’clock that afternoon. Although he was somewhat reluctant to cooperate, I had eventually persuaded him to meet me at the Espresso Coffee Lounge to discuss the Reynolds case. James had some good connections in town and while I was acting on hunch, it had occurred to me that if anyone were going to throw some light on this case it would be him.
Entering the coffee lounge, I spotted James already seated at a table in a far corner. Good choice, I thought. Out of ears’ reach of those annoying inquisitive types.
‘Hello, Tom,’ he said. ‘I thought you’d never get here.’
‘Saw you at the funeral but didn’t get a chance to talk. Emily wanted to leave immediately after the burial, so that put an end to any socialising.’
‘Not a problem.’
‘James, I’ll come straight to the point. I’ve decided to do my own bit of investigation as to why Jake met with foul play
. I’ve heard he witnessed a drug-related gangland murder in the park last Thursday night.’
‘Yes, you could say his fate had already been decided,’ Slattery responded.
‘In some ways I looked upon Jake as a son and I feel the least I can do is to find out the truth. Besides, Brigit’s been caught up in all of this.’
‘But that’s what the police are for. They have the responsibility to find these bastards, not you,’ declared James.
‘I’m aware of that, but another set of eyes and ears may uncover something the police can’t. James, we’ve known each other for nearly two years now, enough time for you to know that I’m a man of my word and I won’t repeat any information I’m told in confidence. What I would like to hear is your side of the story regarding Brigit and Jake.’
James pondered for a while. Perhaps he wasn’t sure where to commence or maybe he would object to me being so forward and get up to leave. I waited. Was I to become friend or foe? A trusted ally, I hoped.
‘Okay, it’s like this. What I’m about to tell you is in strict confidence and I mean nobody else is to know of this. It didn’t come from me, do you get my drift?’
‘Agreed.’
‘Brigit broke off our relationship because she claimed I was too possessive. The truth of the matter is Brigit was naive and easily led by some undesirable people. She interpreted my protection of her as obsession.’
‘Can you elaborate?’
‘Well, this is where it gets tricky,’ said James, lowering his voice. ‘There’s some local drug syndicate that persuaded her to sell dope to a lot of young people, and today, unfortunately, it now includes schoolchildren. This organisation that lured her into their network is a ruthless lot and I was always afraid for her safety. Brigit told me her role was never more than marijuana, but they also deal in ecstasy, cocaine and heroin, which apparently is where the big dollars are made. We always argued, because I told her to walk away from it all. She was getting in too deep and of course she wouldn’t budge.’
‘Could Brigit identify the person who passed the drugs?’
‘No, not really. The transfer was always done at night and never at the same place. This person usually wore a long coat with a turned-up collar and a hat pulled down covering most of his face. Few words were ever spoken and the deal was over in less than a minute. I saw the transaction happen one night from a distance and it was impossible to describe the person.’
‘Does this person have a name?’
‘Charlie was his name, according to Brigit. It was always the same person. Keep in mind this all happened when I was dating her some five months ago, but I’m sure the situation’s still the same today.’
‘What about Jake, was he involved in all this?’
‘No way! It wasn’t his scene because he was too obsessed with his running.’
‘Do you think Jake knew of Brigit’s involvement?’
‘Got my doubts. Had she told Jake, then I believe their relationship would’ve been over. Jake lived the so-called clean life and I think he would’ve distanced himself from that sort of business.’
‘What do you make of the murder?’ I questioned.
‘I’ve thought about it a lot and can only come to the conclusion that Jake was the intended target.’
‘What makes you so sure? Two people were involved that day.’
‘I knew Jake always ran the same course from around seven each morning, so for Brigit to be there was coincidental. Make no mistake, the trap was laid for Jake. Unfortunately for Brigit, it was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Jake stumbled across something he wasn’t meant to hear and has paid the price for his interference. His witnessing of the murder may have overshadowed the real reason behind their revenge. If this is true, then my guess would be something highly incriminating to the drug operation.’
‘That makes sense.’
‘These people will stop at nothing to protect their interests. Brigit may only be dealing at the low end of the operation, but it’s the harder drugs where the real money’s made. They feel exposed when a link in the chain’s broken, so if their cover’s threatened they quickly deal with it. Unfortunately, in this case Jake was the infiltrator.’
‘I’ve just had a terrible thought,’ I said. ‘If what you say’s correct, Jake may have informed Brigit about what he heard. I mean, her life could very well be in danger. I better contact Forbes when I’m finished here and tell him about this.’
‘I’ve thought of the danger to Brigit but wasn’t sure how to deal with it. Being in hospital, she wouldn’t let me see her anyway. This is the main reason why I’ve been telling you all this, because I need someone who can be trusted and who’ll warn her of the danger.’
Rather than prolong the inevitable, I decided to phone the hospital right now to establish Brigit’s whereabouts. ‘Hello, I’m enquiring about Brigit O’Neill’s condition.’
‘One moment, please. I’ll just check,’ replied the voice, followed by the sound of pages being turned. ‘Miss O’Neill was discharged this morning at ten o’clock.’
‘Was someone there to collect her?’
‘Yes, a middle-aged woman arrived. I assumed it was her mother.’
‘Thank you for your help.’ I hung up and explained the situation to James, who immediately looked very troubled.
‘Shit, now I’m worried. Brigit’s in a very vulnerable position while she’s living in that house. What can we do?’ asked James.
‘I’ll phone the police now,’ I replied, with sudden concern.
I specifically asked for Detective Forbes, not wanting my message to be passed on and therefore delayed through the ranks. When he came on the line I said, ‘Detective Forbes, it’s Tom Harrison calling about a concern for Brigit O’Neill’s safety.’
‘Yes, Mr Harrison,’ Forbes said, ‘and what might that be?’
‘There’s a possibility that Jake Reynolds’ death was brought about by what he overheard in the park that night and not so much by what he saw.’
‘That’s purely speculation. Sergeant Burke spoke to Jake that same night and said there was talk of an underground network and the distribution of drugs, but unfortunately the lad couldn’t elaborate any further,’ offered the detective.
‘But there is the possibility he may have known more and withheld information.’
‘Not good enough, Mr Harrison. We’ve already discussed this aspect and while we cannot dismiss the idea, there is nonetheless insufficient substance in your claim.’
‘Yes, but -’
‘Tell me, why do you raise this point?’
‘Because Brigit’s my niece and her life may be in danger. Take a moment to look at the situation from the syndicate’s point of view. They may be aware of her relationship with Jake and therefore be of the opinion some damaging information may have been exchanged. Whether Brigit has knowledge of anything incriminating or not is irrelevant. The point to consider is this - the syndicate cannot afford to take risks and therefore they view her as a threat.’
‘But Mr Harrison, you continue with your speculations.’
Ignoring his negative remark, I continued to push the point. ‘Detective Forbes, can you provide protection for Brigit? I’ve just learnt she’s been discharged from hospital and is most likely recuperating at home. I believe this leaves her in a very vulnerable position.’
‘I appreciate your concern but the situation does not warrant priority. I will, however, arrange to have one of our patrol cars do some random checks on the house. Due to a lack of resources, this is the best I can offer.’
‘Thank you,’ I responded, disappointed there wasn’t to be full-time surveillance. Still, this arrangement was at least better than nothing. The phone line went dead.
I turned to James. ‘I have no choice but to go around and warn them both. We need to keep a step ahead of these people. By the way, does Helen have any knowledge of Brigit’s drug involvement?’
‘Not that I’m aware of. Those
two have never hit it off, so I can’t see Brigit ever volunteering this sort of information. I expect the police to interview me again since I was the one who told them about Brigit’s drug dealings. I’ll only tell them what’s necessary because I don’t want anything traced back to me, for obvious reasons. Certainly there’ll be no mention of the name Charlie!’
‘If you have no objection, I need to inform Emily about what you’ve told me, particularly when I’m about to forewarn Brigit of her danger and the possibility of relocating her to a safer place.’
‘Yes, mention this to Emily and no one else, but where in the hell would you hide Brigit?’