The Late Greats Page 10

  ‘You can buy your own drink, Mr Geraghty’ he said to me.

  ‘Fair enough.’ I ordered a diet coke. With my drink in hand, I walked over to Robinson. ‘I’m surprised you’ve got time for this’ I said. I put my glass down, found a stool and sat opposite him.

  ‘I haven’t got the time for this’ he said. ‘But you’ve been bothering my team, so I wanted to make things crystal clear for you.’

  I picked up my drink. ‘Another friendly warning?’

  ‘If you won’t listen to Don, maybe you’ll listen to me.’

  ‘What have I done to deserve this?’

  ‘How about we start with your visit to Tasker’s flat?’ He smiled at me, knowing he’d scored a hit.

  ‘I had a key’ I said.

  ‘You impersonated a police officer.’

  I shook my head. ‘That’s not how it happened.’

  ‘That’s not what the neighbour’s statement says. It’s a very serious offence, Mr Geraghty.’

  I said nothing. She hadn’t complained at the time, but that was irrelevant. He had me, and he knew it.

  ‘It’s a good job I’ve got bigger fish to fry or I’d be more inclined to make an issue of it. I’m sure you wouldn’t work again if people knew what you really got up to. But like I say, this is a friendly warning. You’re barking up the wrong tree with this one and you’ve done enough damage already. For your own sake, leave it to the professionals. You can’t help any further. I’m sure Mr and Mrs Tasker will understand. Walk away, stop asking questions, and don’t let people take you for a fool.’

  I asked him who was taking me for a fool.

  He shook his head. ‘All you need to be aware of is that this investigation isn’t as straightforward as you think. You’re getting involved with the wrong team.’ He stood up and drained his glass. ‘Leave it alone, Mr Geraghty. This is a murder inquiry.’

  I stood up and followed him out of the pub, towards the car park. ‘I don’t need you watching over me’ I shouted to his back. ‘You can call your team off.’

  He stopped and turned around. ‘I’m trying to help you here. Walk away or watch your back.’

  ‘Why are your men following me?’

  ‘You think I’ve got the manpower to waste following you around?’ He laughed before turning away and continuing his walk to his car. ‘Be lucky, Mr Geraghty.’

  I returned to the office and considered what I’d learnt. If DI Robinson’s men hadn’t been following me around, who was? More importantly, who did they work for? Sarah walked in. I realised I should have updated her on my movements. She went straight over to her desk, sat down and switched her laptop on. Not a word.

  ‘Alright?’ I said.

  ‘I saw the reports on the television.’

  I told her I hadn’t stopped all morning. ‘I’ve had Major’s solicitor visit me and then Priestley wanted to talk to me.’

  She went back to her laptop. ‘Fine.’

  I could tell it wasn’t fine. ‘It’s not an excuse. I’m sorry. I should have called. Where’s your dad?’

  ‘He got us some extra work today delivering warrants.’

  There was nothing more tedious than delivering court papers, but it was a large part of our business. I’m sure it was his way of reminding me of the fact.

  ‘What did Major’s solicitor want?’ she said.

  ‘Just to tell me nothing’s changed. He still wants me on the case to make sure the police are doing their job properly.’

  ‘So why has Major run?’ she asked me.

  I shrugged. ‘Urgent business to attend to.’ I didn’t believe it any more for saying it aloud.

  Sarah grunted, said nothing. We both knew it put a major question mark against him. ‘So why did Priestley call?’ she asked.

  ‘He’s had the police on his back.’ I told her I thought Priestley had been honest with me. He hadn’t hidden the fact he had issues with Tasker over the reunion. On the other hand, he potentially fitted with my theory of an accidental death following an argument. He could have easily struck out, just the one punch with unexpected consequences. I decided not to tell Sarah about Robinson’s warning. I knew how she’d react. I’d speak to Whittle about the men following me. If he was having me followed, I wanted to know why. The doorbell buzzed. I looked into the camera and let Julia up. She walked in, said hello to Sarah and sat down opposite me. I smiled. ‘Alright?’

  ‘The paper got a call this morning’ Julia said. ‘Someone wants to talk to us about Siobhan. He’s seen the story on the news.’

  I leaned forward. ‘Why Siobhan?’

  ‘Don’t know. That was the message I got.’

  ‘When?’

  ‘As soon as possible.’

  I stood up and grabbed my coat. ‘No time like the present.’

  Julia followed me towards the door. I stopped and turned to Sarah. ‘Coming?’

  She looked at me and Julia, and shook her head. ‘I’ve got things to do here.’

  You know the recording of the second album isn’t going well. You’re losing your grip, but you can’t admit it, least of all to yourself. Kane is still hammering the drink and drugs. All he has to do is turn up at meetings and sign contracts. Priestley is sober and in control. He’s doing more in the studio. Your domain. You hate the fact he has a life in Hull, a million miles away from all of this. He’s the one bringing songs in to record. You don’t like it, but you go along with it. You’re too busy trying to convince yourself that you’re having a good time. You know you’re jealous of him. You know he’s slowly taking over the band. You know you’re giving him no choice. You try to hold things together. You switch off from the world and head to a remote cottage, away from all the distractions, and write. You’ve still got it. You’re still a better songwriter than Priestley. The proof is in the songs. You know it. He knows it. The second album is finished. The schedule is relentless. UK tour. European tour. American tour. Time becomes meaningless to you. Travel, interviews, gig, party. That’s your life. You think it’s what you want.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  The pub we were parked up outside of was run down, many of the windows boarded up. It looked like it wasn’t open for business. The city of Hull has several large council estates, but this one had the worst reputation. It was the opposite end of the scale to the area where I’d met Tasker’s parents. I could see the side entrance door was open. The only sign of life. The cold drizzle in the air fitted the scene perfectly. It was an unwelcoming place. I followed Julia to the side door. The place was dark. The stale smell of last night’s beer turned my stomach. Adjusting to the gloom, I could see a group of men sat in the corner, smoking and drinking. At the bar, a woman went about her cleaning duties. Julia led me across the room. Two of the men stood up and blocked our path. Julia said we were here to see a man called Trevor Bilton. They were both huge. Matching leather jackets. Playing at being gangsters, but I still wouldn’t fancy my chances against them.

  ‘Who the fuck’s this, Julia?’ the man sat behind them said.

  ‘He’s with me’ she said.

  ‘Doesn’t answer my question.’

  ‘Joe Geraghty’ I said, stepping forwards.

  ‘Still doesn’t answer my question, pal. Who the fuck are you?’

  ‘He works with me’ Julia said. ‘I wasn’t coming here by myself.’

  The two men at the front laughed. ‘What’s he going to do?’

  ‘Why would I need to do anything?’ I asked, smiling politely.

  The third man stood up and dismissed the other two. He waited for them to be out of earshot before turning to Julia. ‘You’re looking good, babe.’

  ‘I wish I could say the same’ she replied.

  ‘Very good. Always had a way with words.’ He paused. ‘Have you come to repay the money you still owe me?’

  ‘Hardly.’

  He turned to me. ‘Sense of humour, too.’ He pointed to the stools his men had vacated. ‘Sit the fuck down.’

  I looked across to Ju
lia, puzzled. She wouldn’t meet my eye.

  ‘I know you, pal’ he said to me.

  ‘I don’t think so.’

  ‘We played rugby against each other. Years ago. Junior stuff. Remember?’

  I shook my head.

  ‘No reason you would, I suppose. I remember you because you were the star larker for your lot.’

  I was no wiser. I didn’t remember him.

  ‘And now you’re working for Julia. Hardly living the dream, is it?’ He laughed and then winked at me.

  If we’d played junior rugby against each other, it meant he was the same age as me. If I looked as bad as he did, I’d be worried. His skin was scarred from teenage acne and his teeth clearly hadn’t seen a dentist for a number of years. I tried to remember him, but drew a blank. ‘The rugby didn’t work out’ I said.

  ‘Busted leg, wasn’t it?’

  I nodded.

  ‘Never worked out for me, either’ he said. ‘No one would take a chance on me, so I played amateur stuff for a while. Soon got bored of it, though. Couldn’t be arsed, know what I mean? I found other things to do with my time.’

  I said nothing. I wasn’t comfortable with the situation. His two men were guarding the door. We were effectively his prisoners.

  ‘How have you been, Julia?’ he asked.

  ‘Busy’ she said.

  ‘Always knew you’d go far. You were always too good for this place.’

  ‘Nice of you to say so.’

  He turned to me. ‘I like to keep an eye on my friends. She’s doing well for herself. I’m pleased.’

  ‘I am sat here’ Julia said. ‘Talk to me.’

  ‘I was just explaining it to Joe’ he said, before turning to me. ‘She always was a bit lively. Know what I mean?’

  I didn’t like his tone, but I was going to have to listen. ‘What do you want?’ I said.

  Bilton leaned back. ‘What do I want?’ He grinned at me. ‘I’m here to help you. You should show a little more gratitude.’

  Julia took over. ‘You said you know Greg Tasker’s girlfriend?’

  ‘You said you’d bring me some money.’

  ‘I said you’d get paid if you had a story.’

  ‘Always were keen to get the story, weren’t you?’

  ‘What have you got for us?’ she said.

  ‘I remain anonymous?’

  Julia nodded.

  ‘I’ve seen her in here’ he said.

  I took the bait and asked the question. ‘Why would she need to come here?’

  I found us a cafe close to the pub. It was in a supermarket, but it was the nearest place to go. ‘What was all that about?’ I said. ‘You know Bilton?’

  ‘It was a long time ago.’

  We sat well away from the other customers so nobody was listening to our conversation. I needed to get some answers. I’d made the connection. ‘He was the boyfriend you told me about?’

  She shook her head. ‘His brother.’

  ‘And he got back in touch through the newspaper?’

  ‘You heard him. He said he’d been following me for years. It’s not that hard to do with the Internet.’

  We both picked up our drinks and sat in silence for a few moments. I watched people bagging up their shopping, going about their normal business. ‘He’s a wanker’ I eventually said.

  ‘You don’t need to tell me that.’

  ‘Sorry.’ It wasn’t my place to judge.

  She shook her head. ‘It doesn’t look good, does it?’

  ‘What’s his brother called?’ I said.

  ‘Gary. I was seventeen. He was a bit older and had a car. A job. He was fun.’

  ‘How did you meet him?’

  ‘He’d watch his brother play for my dad’s rugby team.’

  ‘We all make mistakes, I suppose.’ Once I’d signed for Hull KR, I knew how easy it was to impress girls if you had a bit of money in your pocket. I’d already met Debbie by then, so it wasn’t for me.

  ‘I asked around before we came here. Trevor Bilton’s your standard lowlife. You can fill the rest of the picture in. He uses kids and a few trusted individuals to stay below the radar. He doesn’t get his hands dirty.’

  ‘Cleverer than he looks.’ Contacting the media demonstrated that he felt untouchable. It was going to be all on his terms.

  Julia turned away from me and looked out of the window. ‘I don’t want to talk about it, Joe.’

  I reached across the table for her hand. She pulled hers away and took a deep breath. ‘I want to go back to the hotel, please.’

  We drank up and left. I dropped Julia off and said I’d call her later. She shut the car door and walked away from me. My mind turned back to what Trevor Bilton had told us. It helped explain why Siobhan was nervous when I’d spoken to her. Bilton was bad news. I knew she had been holding something back from me.

  Sarah was still at the office. ‘Alright?’ I said. Still no sign of Don, but I said nothing more.

  ‘All done.’ She told me she was finished and was about to head off for the day. ‘Where’s Julia?’

  ‘I dropped her at the hotel’ I said. ‘She had things to do there.’

  I checked my mobile. There were no new text messages. I told Sarah about the meeting with Trevor Bilton. ‘Can you get some background on him for me, please?’ I asked. ‘He’s got a brother, Gary, who I want to know about, too.’

  ‘I’ll see what I can do’ she said, writing it down on a notepad.

  I told her about his connection to Siobhan.

  Sarah sat back down. ‘Tasker was back into drugs?’

  ‘Maybe.’ It was certainly a thought that had crossed my mind. It potentially opened up a whole new dimension to the investigation, but there was no proof yet. My mobile rang. Marcus Whittle.

  ‘I need an update from you, Mr Geraghty’ he said.

  ‘I’m working on it’ I said.

  ‘Have you spoken to Priestley yet?’

  ‘Earlier today.’

  ‘That’s a step in right direction. What did he have to say for himself?’

  ‘Not a lot. He hasn’t got an alibi. The man’s an insomniac. He was out walking.’

  ‘Do you believe his story?’

  ‘I’m not sure.’ Priestley’s farm was about fifteen miles away from the centre of Hull. He’d have needed transport, which I knew he had. He could have driven into Hull, killed Tasker, and returned home. Maybe even without his wife knowing. Maybe CCTV would have picked him up as he drove into the city, but the technology wasn’t infallible. It wasn’t guaranteed.

  Whittle laughed. ‘There are plenty of reasons to doubt him. I’ve spent best part of the last few hours outlining them to the police.’

  ‘Want to share them with me?’

  ‘I have a conference call to take in a moment, but after that we’ll talk.’

  I gave him the address for Queens and told him I was looking forward to it.

  ‘Pleased to hear it. The sooner we get to the bottom of this, the better.’

  ‘Indeed.’

  I was relieved to finish the call with Whittle. I busied myself at my desk, waiting for Sarah to speak. She walked over to my desk and told me that Lorraine Harrison’s mother had visited the office earlier in the day. ‘She said her daughter doesn’t know anything about Greg’s death and doesn’t like you harassing her.’

  ‘I’m not harassing her’ I said. ‘She came to me.’

  ‘That’s pretty much what I told her. She said we should be talking to her daughter’s husband.’

  ‘How do you mean?’

  ‘Apparently it was a whirlwind romance. She didn’t approve. She told me he’s very controlling. Lorraine fell pregnant almost as soon as she met him, certainly within weeks, and since then he’s had a hold over her. She regularly goes back to her mum for a shoulder to cry on.’

  I was interested. ‘Did she say whether or not he’d been violent?’

  She shook her head. ‘I asked, but not so far as she’s aware. But she’s worr
ied for her daughter’s safety when he loses his temper.’

  ‘Did she say how things had been recently?’

  ‘Seemingly it had been alright until all this business with New Holland started up again. Her husband never liked her involvement with the band.’

  It wasn’t news. ‘Maybe he’s jealous? She knew the band.’ I shrugged. ‘They were famous.’

  ‘Hardly worth getting upset about, is it?’

  I didn’t have an answer. ‘Did she say what she thought Jason Harrison was capable of doing?’

  ‘That’s why she came. She thinks he’s capable of anything.’

  We called it a day so I headed back to my flat. I checked for messages before heading to Queens. I left my car where it was. The fresh air would do me good. Whittle walked up to where I was sitting. ‘This is your local?’

  ‘This is it’ I said. ‘It’s just been redecorated.’

  ‘It’s not too bad’ said Whittle, looking around the room. ‘I’ve seen worse.’

  ‘I’m sure.’

  He went to the bar for our drinks. Diet Coke for me. I was still on the clock. I thought about Jason Harrison. His mother-in-law had confirmed he had a temper. I couldn’t ignore that. The pub was quiet, the late afternoon lull before people dropped in for a drink on the way home from work. I found us a quiet corner away from the sports screen.

  ‘You spoke to Priestley’ he said, putting the drinks down in front of us.

  I nodded. I’d already told him that over the phone. ‘I’m doing my job. You don’t have to worry’ I said.

  ‘I have to check.’

  I could understand his reasoning. He didn’t know me. It was a test of my loyalties, but I was a step ahead of him. ‘Have you spoken to Major?’