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
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
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