Smoking Gun (Adam Cartwright Trilogy Book 1) by Dennis Debney Page B

inspectors from the Mareeba Shire Council. Today’s visitors are named Wilson and Watson. Are they the two that you told Tony about?”
    They both nodded vigorously and chorused, “Yes.”
    I asked, “Tell me about them.”
    After exchanging brief glances, Bob Thomas spoke first. “I had to wait months to get some work inspected when I was doing some renovations at home. Finally when I asked what I had to do to get the work inspected I was told to leave a hundred dollars in an envelope at the site of the work to be inspected. If the money was there the work would be approved. As if the bloody fees that I had to pay to the Council were not enough. Anyway, I did it. I left the money in an envelope and the work was finally inspected by one of the inspectors and approved. Well, inspected might be the wrong word, visited by one of the inspectors might be more accurate. I can’t imagine either of them actually doing any work.”
    Tom Beatty’s story was similar. Both of them also claimed that they were not the only ones to be ripped off in that way.
    Asking them to remain seated I rang the gate keeper and asked him to escort the two visitors across to my office. When the gate keeper knocked I walked over to open the door and meet the visitors. I did not shake hands with them, I merely motioned towards two empty chairs and said, “You can sit there. I want to talk to the gate keeper for a minute.”
    Following a brief conversation the gate keeper left. I walked back into my office and closed the door. As soon as I sat down I said to the two inspectors. “Okay. Now, which of you is Wilson?” One of them held up a hand. So I looked at the other and said, “So you must be Watson.” He nodded and started to speak but I cut him off holding up a hand and saying. “May I have a copy of your business cards please?”
    Silently they extracted the requested cards and handed them to me. After examining them on both sides with a skeptical look on my face I said, “So you claim to be representing the Mareeba Shire Council here today?” They both nodded but did not speak.
    Looking up at the two men I switched my gaze back and forth for a few moments before continuing. “In case you are wondering who these others are… their names are Tony Payne, Tom Beatty and Bob Thomas. They are here at my request. I believe that you know Tom and Bob already.”
    I then paused, waiting for a response.
    Wilson and Watson exchanged worried glances and eventually nodded in reply. I think that they now sensed that I intended to make things difficult for them but did not know just what I had in mind when I resumed talking. “I’m told that you are here to carry out an environmental audit as provided for in the environmental regulations. Is that correct?”
    Wilson, who seemed to be the more dominant personality of the two, replied, “Yes.”
    “And that you are empowered to come onto this site and carry out that audit as designated officials of the Mareeba Shire Council?”
    Wilson, refusing to acknowledge Watson staring at him anxiously, responded defiantly. “Yes.”
    I exhaled slowly watching him closely as I swung my computer monitor around so that the others could all see the screen and said, “I have trouble believing that the Mareeba Shire Council has any responsibility in regard to the environmental regulations. As you can see the table of Regional and Shire Councils displayed on the screen lists the local government bodies that do not have environmental responsibilities devolved to them. The Mareeba Shire Council is one of them.”
    The two inspectors sat silently staring at me. They were bewildered and nervous so I decided to increase their concern and said, “No doubt, you are both aware of the serious penalties of misrepresenting yourselves as officials in respect to the Environmental Act and Regulations. Custodial sentences are mandatory as provided for in the Act.”
    Watson was the first one to panic as he blurted out. “There