Scorpio's Lot by Ray Smithies

case. The hunt for the guilty
party will intrigue our readers and subsequently promote more sales.’
     
    ‘Yes, all that makes sense,’ I
replied, wondering if this guy was for real. Talk about expressing the bleeding
obvious.
     
    ‘Do you suspect any drug
involvement may originate within the caravan park, considering the murder scene
is on the edge of your property?’
     
    ‘Now steady on, you’re crossing
the line here. I can assure you there’s zero involvement on my property.’
     
    ‘My apologies, I didn’t mean to
offend.’
     
    ‘Please don’t imply our park is
under suspicion.’
     
    ‘Again, I’m sorry. And thank you
for your information on these two people. I’d like to keep in touch as this
whole matter unfolds, if you have no objection.’
     
    ‘Very well, but be careful with
your line of questioning in future.’
     
    I watched the reporter depart.
What an odd person, I thought. Why ask me for some background on Jake and
Brigit when there were many others he could have approached? I could only surmise
that the location of the crime scene was the governing factor. Perhaps Collins
was hoping there was a connection with one of the tenants but backed off
following my reaction.
     
    ~ * ~
     
    Marsh
had just returned to the station following some interviews up town with two
youths regarding the local drug trade. Forbes called a meeting immediately to
discuss their progress.
     
    ‘The alibis of both James
Slattery, Brigit’s ex-boyfriend, and Kurt Muller, a resident of Harrison’s
Caravan Park, have been verified up to their last public sighting,’ Marsh said.
‘We also checked the listings in the Harrisons’ guestbook and found no
irregularities.’
     
    Forbes took centre stage. ‘Detective
Marsh reports that a local drug syndicate called Scorpio is flourishing and
dealing in a wider range of stimulants, depressants and various amphetamines
than first thought. Unfortunately the harder drugs such as heroin are
plentiful, which suggests the bulk of their supply is being made available via
a city outlet. We’re therefore most likely dealing with some powerful and
influential people who manage and operate a highly successful logistics
network. Let me give you some insight into this industry.’
     
    Forbes paused to gather his
thoughts. ‘Organised crime that has been revealed in this country is both
widespread and serious, probably more so than those who exercise political
power will admit. Most politicians are either ignorant of the facts or neglect
their responsibility to take appropriate action. There’s an extremely wide
range of criminal activity operating on a national basis, and it has strong
global links as well. The hierarchy and level of coverage by these present
organisations are basically unknown to the authorities, due to insufficient
detailed reports or studies that have been carried out in the past.
     
    ‘The sooner governments recognise
and act upon this apparent liability, the more informed and accomplished our
investigations will become. We cannot judge these organisations merely by
accumulating the known crimes they’ve committed. When faced with an enemy, and
this case is no exception, its threat is not to be judged only by its present
operation but rather by its organisation with respect to numbers, dispositions,
opportunities and potential. Their leaders, as would be in the Reynolds case,
are highly intellectual and versatile, and they have the ability to change
their criminal activities and plans of operation according to the strength or
weakness of their opponent. Therefore the true seriousness of their threat
depends upon their ability, and the power and resources they can accrue.’
     
    ‘So where does one look for this
organised crime?’ asked Burke.
     
    ‘These people or their leaders
can come from a multitude of backgrounds and sometimes from the most unlikely
sources. Let me give you an example. There are instances where narcotics agents
pose as