CH 4
The next day everything was normal until Inspector Falkner showed up. He spoke with Tom and Maggie for fifteen minutes. Maggie walked out of Tom's office and removed her sidearm.
"Wayne, can you check my weapon?"
"Maggie? What's going on?" Elle asked her.
"I've got to move out of the pub today."
Elle stood up, "like hell you are! Stay here." Elle stalked over to Tom's office, opened the door, and stormed in.
"What the hell are you playing at Inspector Falkner? Where do you get off telling a copper she has to move out of the pub today when it was you who had given written permission allowing her to stay through the end of the month. And, not to mention, it's the safest place for her with another copper staying in the next room, or have you forgotten that her life might be in danger?!" Elle said, shouting.
"Now that's enough from you, Mrs Cole!"
"She is right, Sir," Tom interjected. "You did get approval for Constable Doyle to stay until the end of the month, and her life might be in danger."
"Are you sure, Tom?"
Tom stood up and went over to the filing cabinet, pulled open one of the drawers, removed a file and then two sheets of paper passing them to the Inspector. He looked over the sheets then gave them back to Tom.
"I'm sorry you are right. I obviously forgot."
"Don't apologise to me. It's Maggie that deserves it. What made you toss Maggie from the pub?"
"Mr Forbes."
Elle turned and smiled at Maggie, giving her the thumbs up before closing the door. Then she took a seat.
"And what did he say or do that made you do that to Maggie?"
"He was checking out constable living arrangements. He told me that if she wasn't out of the pub immediately, six stations wouldn't be getting the extra police officers that are needed. Stations like Mount Thomas"
"That son of a bitch! He is trying so many ways to get Maggie to drop the charges against him. This is history repeating itself. And this time he has gone too far. What else has he said?"
"He said that once she's been put out of the pub, I was to threaten her."
Tom was shocked, "threaten her how?"
"Maggie's father and her brother, Senior Detective Mick Doyle are both due up for promotion, and he knows members on the board."
"Bloody hell! Just who does this guy think he is? He has no right interfering with police matters or their family business. I hope you were able to record everything," Elle said.
"Unfortunately, no," looking down at his hands.
"So, in other words, it's your word against his.," Elle said, shaking her head. "This guy needs to be stopped once and for all." Then smiling, "I've got an idea, Inspector. When is Mr Forbes due back in town?"
"Tomorrow, why?"
"Leave everything to me, is he staying at the Imperial?"
"Yes."
"Even better," then standing, "I've got some phone calls to make and you Inspector need to apologise to a certain constable," she said as she turned and walked to the door and out of Tom's office.
"What do you think Mrs Cole has in mind?" The inspector asked Tom.
"I have no idea, but once she plans something, it's always a good plan."
" I have a certain constable that I need to find, I'll talk to you later," and the Inspector left Tom's office as well.
The next morning the phone on Elle's desk rings, "Mount Thomas Police… Hi, Chris… that's excellent, you know what to do… Great, we'll be there." Hanging up, she looks to Maggie. "Maggie come with me to the imperial."
Tom had just left his office and overheard Elle, "What's going on? Why are you going to the Imperial?"
"I'm putting my secret plan into action, Boss. Don't worry."
"But I do worry..."
Maggie and Elle walk to the Imperial while talking about Elle's plan. Chris was there waiting when they arrived.
"Chris, can you get Mr Richie please? I'll wait in the parlour."
"Sure."
Elle turns to Maggie, "You remember what to say and do?"
"Yes, I've got this." Maggie went into the parlour while Elle went into a private room where a friend was waiting for her.
"Great! Everything's set up. Almost showtime." Elle says.
"Do you think your plan will work?" the guy asked.
"Yep, this is just stage one of my plan," Elle adds.
Maggie was in the parlour when Chris walked in with two glasses of orange juice, passing one to Maggie and placing the other on the table.
"Good luck, " Chris tells her.
"Thanks," then Chirs walked out as Glenn walked in.
"Maggie..."
"Glenn, we need to talk. Here, I got us each an orange juice."
"I thought you would have gotten something stronger."
"I'm on duty."
"Right." sitting down, he picked up his drink and drank a quarter of it.
"So, what is it that you want to talk about?"
"Us, and what's happened over the past few days," all the while she was counting in her head.
"I'm sorry, you know that Ken is a great guy," Glenn says to her.
"He may be, but his lying not only to the police but in court... that is perjury, and you know that."
"Yeah, I know."
"You know, but yet you're risking your job, your career."
"He promised me a job when he gets into Parliament."
"So you lied to Sargent Croydon and Inspector Falkner about who was driving."
"Yes, I was thinking about my career."
" And because of your lying, I could lose mine. Did you ever think about that?"
"I'm sorry, Maggie."
"How much did Mr Forbes have to drink at the winery?"
"Twenty- four different wines."
"How much per tasting?"
"One hundred ml per glass."
"How was he even walking, and then you let him drive?"
"He's my boss."
"Then you shouldn't have gotten into the car with him. You should have called us. He almost had an accident. If there was a car heading to St David's as he went around that corner at that speed, I would've witnessed a horrific accident and you, you could have had serious injuries or worse." Now, most of the juice she had given him was gone.
"So when I pulled you and Mr Forbes over, he was the one driving, wasn't he?"
"Yes, he was. He told me that if I didn't say that I was driving he would end my career and he would make my life a living hell."
"Do you know Constable Jackson?"
"No, who is he?"
"He was murdered a couple of years ago."
He thought about it, "oh yeah, Ken, he talked about it the other night."
"What did he say?"
"That he knew about three guys that had made friends with the constable when he transferred to a new station, and that they killed him before a court case."
"Do you know what the court case was about?"
"No, but the constable was supposed to testify in the case. Ken told me that he paid the three guys, half before and the rest after the hit."
"Has Ken contracted them since?"
"Yeah, last night, I overheard him talking to the leader of the three men"
"What did he say?"
Glenn finishes his drink and put the glass down on the table.
"That he has two 'problems' that needed clearing up here in Mount Thomas."
"Did he mention any names?"
" Mrs Elle Cole and yours."
Maggie was shocked. "How much time was he given?"
"Not much."
Maggie thought for a moment, "Next Monday's court appearance," she said softly, almost thinking aloud. "What do you mean?"
"Mr Forbes' court appearance for the DUI charge, you're a witness."
"Meaning his and my word against yours."
Elle came rushing in and joined her "Maggie, are you ok?"
"Elle, he's going to have us killed before we can testify on Monday. Without us there, he will walk just like last time." Maggie stood up and walked out the door.
"I'm stunned…." Maggie replied.
"Maggie, go back in there and get him to write what really happened on Sunday. Make sure that it's got today's date and his signature on it. We don't have much time." she passes Maggie a pen and pad. Then she turned around and walked back into the parlour. Chris came up to Elle.
"How is it going?"
"Call Boss and PJ, will you? They need to come here now."
"Sure, that bad?"
Elle nodded, " It is, and thanks. Oh and remember to clean Glenn's glass."
"Of course. What was it that you had me put in his orange juice?"
"I'll tell you after when everything is over."
"Maggie is getting him to write down what really happened? Is it enough?" Chris asked.
"Not quite, Mr Forbes is next. We need to find out who the three killers are so the police can keep a lookout for them."
When Tom and PJ arrived, they noticed the monitors, VCR players, and computers. "Elle?" she turned to them and stood up.
"Boss, PJ, I was right, Mr Forbes put a contract hit out on Maggie and me."
"WHAT?" PJ said shocked; he wasn't expecting that.
"Are you sure?" Tom asked.
"Mr Richie spilled his guts to Maggie, not realising that he had been recorded. There are three men; they might be here in Mount Thomas already. Mr Forbes made the call last night. They are the same ones who murdered Constable Jackson."
"What do you need us to do?" PJ asked.
"PJ, I need you as a witness here and Boss, you're going to have a chit-chat with Mr Forbes in the parlour."
"What is happening now," asked Tom.
"Maggie has Mr Richie writing down what really happened last Sunday when she pulled him up. The statement will have today's date and his signature."
"So, how did you do get him to confess?" Tom asked Elle.
Smiling, "orange juice."
PJ thought about it for a moment, "Truth serum, you sly…" he said grinning.
"The truth will set you free," Elle said, with a grin.
"You know that this won't hold up in court," Tom said.
"It will, especially when it comes out that Mr Forbes ordered the hit on Constable Jackson."
"We're going to need evidence," PJ said.
"Mr Richie has evidence."
"You mean..."
"Yup."
"Good work," Tom said to her.
"Elle," she turns to see Glenn walking out of one door, and Maggie out the other.
Elle went and got her brought her into the private room.
"Here's Mr Richie's statement," Maggie said while handing it to Elle.
"Where has he gone?" PJ asked.
"For a walk, he said that he needed some air. Chris saw him walk outside."
Elle walked out of the room, and Tom hugs Maggie.
"OK, Tom, your turn. This is what I would like you to do..." they walk out of the room talking.
PJ hugged Maggie, "Elle told me that you're ok," as he cups her face.
"I just want this over."
"It will be soon, and then you can move into your house and have a party." This made Maggie smile.
"Elle warned me about these 'house-warming' parties."
"Has she now."
"She has, and I'm looking forward to it."
"That's great! And the Christmas party, we have that at Elle's house, since she's got a bigger back yard."
"I've seen it! My gosh! And her house!"
"I know, it's like a mansion," PJ agreed.
"That's true, but every year she has a pre-christmas party. She invites the workers from St David's and Mount Thomas. Everyone has fun. One of the highlights is a game of tug of war between the two crews and of course, a drinking contest." PJ explains.
"How many show up for it?"
"About two hundred and fifty, that's with their families included."
"They all behave themselves?"
"Oh, they do when their boss is there."
Then Elle returned, "Chris is getting Mr Forbes; he was at the bar having a 'spiked drink'."
"You mean?" PJ asked.
"Yep, here we go! Let the show begin."