The Late Greats Read online

  I called Major to find out if there had been any progress. Voicemail, again. I looked up as Sarah walked into the office. She offered to make me a drink.

  ‘Don’t be thinking this gets you off the hook. Dad called me earlier.’

  I’d expected as much. I followed her into the kitchen area and told her why I’d gone along with Major’s plan, trying to justify what I’d done. She passed me my drink and we sat back down.

  ‘I take it there’s no news on Tasker?’ she said.

  I shook my head. Changed the subject. ‘Julia knows Tasker is missing’ I said.

  ‘You told her?’

  ‘She found out.’

  ‘How?’

  ‘She’s spoken to a man at Tasker’s studio. He told her I’d been asking questions.’ I explained Julia wasn’t filing a story on Tasker’s disappearance just yet.

  ‘She’s not to be trusted, Joe.’

  ‘She’s keeping to her part of the bargain.’

  ‘She’ll use you, Joe. All she wants is a story.’

  I shut my eyes. ‘I’m not stupid.’

  Sarah turned away from me. ‘I sometimes wonder.’

  I opened them again. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

  ‘You’re not thinking straight.’

  ‘Of course I’m thinking straight.’ I was getting sick of being told how I should deal with things. I thought she was a bit more pragmatic than her father, less black and white. I thought she understood.

  ‘We should never have taken the job’ she said.

  ‘Don’t be ridiculous.’

  ‘I’m not being ridiculous. You can’t see how you’re behaving and how it’s affecting others.’

  ‘How am I behaving?’ My head was starting to hurt. I didn’t want an argument, but I couldn’t let it go, either.

  ‘You’re being reckless’ Sarah said. ‘Helping Major to break into places? It’s stupid and dangerous.’

  The venom in her voice surprised me. ‘There’s a man missing. I don’t see how trying to find him is stupid.’

  ‘It’s not a job for you.’

  I shrugged. ‘It’s not my place to make the call. I’ve been asked to help, so that’s what I’m trying to do.’

  ‘You’ve been asked to help by Kane Major, a man who’s so far removed from the real world, he probably doesn’t know what day it is anymore.’

  ‘It’s his call.’ It wasn’t just that. I’d explained to both Sarah and Don that I had ties to the Tasker family. I hadn’t expected it to cause such an issue, but nor had I expected to find out that I owed them like I did.

  ‘You’ve got to take some responsibility, Joe.’ She was pointing at me. ‘You’ve got to call a halt to this carry on. You’re not going to find him. You’re only one man.’

  I knew she was talking sense and I wasn’t arrogant enough to think I could resolve the case by myself. But I was prepared to try. ‘It’s not just Major’s decision. Tasker’s parents agree with him.’

  ‘What about Julia?’

  ‘What about her?’

  ‘If she blows the whistle on this, Major’s plan is in tatters.’

  ‘She won’t.’

  ‘Don’t be so naive, Joe.’

  I was getting sick of being called naive. ‘You don’t like Julia, do you?’ I said. ‘And neither does your dad.’

  Sarah sat upright. ‘What’s that got to do with anything?’

  ‘Julia’s trying to help us, but you’ve not given her a chance. You’re not being much of a help.’

  ‘I see.’

  I apologised. It was a stupid thing to say. ‘I didn’t mean that.’

  ‘If you give her an inch, she’ll take a mile.’

  ‘That’s not fair.’

  ‘Call it women’s intuition if it makes you feel better. She’ll use you, Joe, and when she’s done, it’ll be me you’ll want to come crying back to.’ She put her empty mug down. ‘And I’m not going to let that happen.’

  ‘That’s out of order. You don’t know her.’

  ‘And you do know her?’

  Sarah’s words stopped me in my tracks. Kane Major and Lorraine had warned me about Julia, too. We were both standing, facing each other, eyeball to eyeball. Trying to find Tasker was a difficult enough task and I needed Sarah’s help and support. I thought I could count on her. Breaking away from her stare, I headed for the door.

  CHAPTER SIX

  ‘Cheers.’

  I toasted my brother. ‘Good to see you.’

  ‘It’s been too long’ Niall said, setting his glass back down on the table.

  Queens wasn’t busy, probably wouldn’t be for a couple of hours yet, so we found a table in a quiet corner. I needed a drink after my argument with Sarah. It was good of him to join me at short notice on his way home from work.

  ‘How are Ruth and Connor doing?’ I asked.

  ‘Ruth’s great.’ He laughed. ‘But Connor is another matter. You should come and see them.’

  I smiled. My nephew was eighteen years old. I hadn’t seen him for a couple of months. ‘Soon. I’ll try’ I said.

  ‘Try harder.’

  ‘I will.’ I wanted to make the effort.

  ‘You know what Dad would say, don’t you?’

  I did. ‘Family first and don’t neglect it.’ I was looking at what I had left of my family.

  ‘Maybe the weekend, then?’

  ‘Maybe.’ I took a mouthful of diet coke. I hated the taste, but I still had work to do. I thought about my father. He’d also played professional rugby for Hull KR. He’d lasted longer than me, though. He’d been a legend and I’d always felt like I was in his shadow, even when I made the first team. People always wanted to talk about him. I remembered the hundreds of people who’d turned out for his funeral, lining the streets of east Hull. Not many people get that treatment. I chased the thought away for now. ‘How’s work?’ I asked my brother.

  ‘Shit. Don’t think I’ll have a job in a few months.’ He shrugged. ‘At least I’ll get the redundancy money. Start over, maybe.’

  Niall worked in the caravan industry. I wasn’t surprised by his news. After a few minutes silence, he asked how I was doing.

  ‘Don’t ask.’ I didn’t give him details, but I gave him a general outline.

  ‘Used to love New Holland’ he said. ‘Saw them in Sheffield, at the Arena. Great night. They were the best band around at the time. And they were from Hull. Who said if you’re from Hull you can’t do something? I should dig the CDs out again.’

  ‘You’ll only feel old.’

  My brother laughed. ‘Can’t beat it. Do you remember when I went to Paris to see them?’

  ‘You couldn’t really avoid them, could you?’

  ‘I guess not.’

  ‘Never really cracked it in America.’

  ‘That’s true.’ When we were younger, we’d agreed a band had really made it when they’d had a hit there, like The Clash had done. I’d read more of Sarah’s file earlier in the day. New Holland had been constantly on the road from the moment they released their first single. The UK gigs had quickly increased in size, from the clubs Julia saw them in to the large arenas my brother had. But in America it had been a different story. They’d never got beyond the small club circuit in a never ending stream of towns and cities. They weren’t the first band to fail in the world’s largest market and they certainly wouldn’t be the last. I told him about my argument with Sarah.

  ‘She doesn’t approve of the job?’

  ‘Neither does Don.’

  ‘You should listen to them. They know what they’re doing. And be careful. That place is the best thing that happened to you.’

  ‘It’s not so much the job, it’s this journalist we’ve got on the scene.’ I told him about Julia. ‘They don’t get on.’

  My brother was smiling at me.

  ‘What?’ I said.

  He put his glass down and smiled. ‘You like this journalist, don’t you?’

  ‘She’s ok.’


  ‘You’re allowed to like her. It’s not illegal.’

  I relented. ‘I’m sure she’s flirting with me.’

  ‘She either is or she isn’t’ my brother said, laughing.

  ‘I’m out of practice.’ I picked my drink up, hoping we could change the subject, but he wasn’t going to let me off that easily.

  ‘Debbie would want you to get on with living, you know.’

  I stared at my glass. I knew what he was saying was right. If I had been the one who died, I’d have wanted her to be happy again. But there’d been no one since. I was talking about a step into the unknown.

  My brother shrugged. ‘How do you feel about it?’

  ‘I’ve no idea.’ It was the truth, but I didn’t know what to do about it, whether it was really happening or whether it was just in my mind.

  ‘But it’s a not a definite no?’ he said.

  ‘I suppose not.’

  ‘It’s only natural.’

  I felt I was being horribly egotistical talking like this, like it was just a matter of me making a decision.

  ‘Tell me about her’ Niall said.

  I thought about how Major, Sarah and Lorraine had warned me off her. Tried to weigh up the good and the bad. ‘There’s something about her’ was the best I could offer. ‘You know what I mean?’

  ‘I take it she doesn’t live in Hull?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘So she’s not going to be looking for anything serious, is she?’

  ‘Probably not.’

  ‘There you go. It’s not going to be a problem, is it? But there’s something you’ve forgotten.’

  ‘What’s that?’

  He stood up, ready to refill our glasses. ‘If you like someone, you’ve got to do something about it.’

  I walked back to my flat. I stood at the window and looked out. The scene was quiet. People were returning home, closing their front doors behind them for the night. I headed into the kitchen, poured myself a glass of water and sat down in my front room. I put a lamp on and switched the stereo on low. Gram Parsons drifted quietly around the room. I sat down and mulled over what my brother had said. We’d left the pub making promises to meet up again as soon as possible, and I wanted to keep my promise to him. It was time to move forward and look to the future.

  I looked over the paperwork I had. I was nowhere near finding Tasker and all I’d done was upset people. I knew I should apologise to Sarah, but looking at my watch it was too late to call. It would have to wait until tomorrow. I’d drop into the office first thing in the morning and get it over with. It would be a start. Maybe Don would be there, too. I thought about calling Julia, but realised it would be a stupid thing to do. I had nothing to tell her, and I had Major’s warning to think about. First and foremost, she was a journalist. I warmed up a frozen lasagne and promised myself yet again I’d start to eat more healthily. It was supposed to be part of the new me. I had too much to think about. Eating wasn’t helping. Night was beginning to draw in. A thought struck me. If I was Tasker, I’d wait for darkness before attempting to return. I found my car keys and left.

  There was no light on in Tasker’s flat. I remembered which one it was from my visit with Major. I drove past and parked up about a hundred yards away, just in case anyone recognised my car. I walked back to the flats. The area was quiet, but the show at the New Theatre would be emptying soon. I pressed the buzzer to Tasker’s flat. No answer. I took a step back and looked up. Lights were on, so plenty of people were in. I pressed the buzzer again and waited. Nothing. I thought about trying his neighbours, but decided against. I saw someone walking down the stairs towards the door. I walked quickly back to my car.

  The studio was next on my list. Again, I parked well away and walked. As I got closer, I could see the door was open, the wind gently moving it backwards and forwards. Probably a late night session for the engineer. I walked in, remembering the lay-out from my last visit. There was no noise. I was on my guard in case I ran into a burglar. I slowly walked into the main room. It was too dark to see anything. I fumbled for the light switch, believing I was ready for whatever I was going to see. But I hadn’t expected to see Greg Tasker’s body lying on the floor.

  I waited outside for the police. It didn’t take long for them to arrive. I watched a man in his early fifties, tall with grey hair and the unmistakable air of authority, walk across to me.

  ‘Mr Geraghty, I assume?’ He flashed his identification card at me. ‘DI Robinson – Major Incident Team, Humberside Police.’

  ‘Call me Joe’ I said.

  ‘I only call my friends by their first name.’

  I smiled. I’d heard the routine before.

  ‘I’ll get to the point for you, Mr Geraghty. This is a police matter now and what I won’t be needing is a Private Investigator running around thinking he’s Philip Marlowe.’

  ‘I’m more of a Sam Spade man myself.’ He wasn’t laughing. ‘Just doing my job’ I said.

  ‘Where have I heard that before?’ Robinson stood up and walked a couple of yards away from me. He stopped and turned back. ‘I want to know everything you know.’

  ‘About?’ I wasn’t feeling particularly helpful.

  ‘About how long you’ve known Tasker was missing would be a start.’

  I hesitated before telling Robinson what I knew.

  ‘You didn’t think of giving us a call?’ Robinson said. ‘Given the circumstances? We have people who deal with this sort of thing. Specialists.’

  I explained about Kane Major. ‘We thought we could handle it’ I said.

  ‘You thought you could handle it, Mr Geraghty?’ Robinson laughed and moved closer. ‘I’d hardly say you’ve handled it.’

  It was like being back at school. There was nothing to say. He was right.

  ‘And it’s people like me, the professionals, who have to sweep the mess up’ he continued, pointing at the studio. ‘It’s people like me who have to tell people like the Taskers their son is dead.’

  ‘There were wider considerations’ I said. ‘We had a lot to weigh up and think about. Greg often disappeared. We didn’t think it was a problem.’

  Robinson turned to face him. ‘Wider considerations? Surprise me, Mr Geraghty.’

  ‘We agreed it was best for the band if his disappearance was kept low-key.’

  ‘Who agreed?’

  ‘Me, Major, the family.’

  ‘Bad publicity?’

  ‘Something like that.’

  ‘I’ve just been hearing about the band’s reunion, and although I don’t really know anything about them at the moment, I’ll be looking into it. Your reputation precedes you, however, and I’ll tell you this for nothing: I don’t think we’re going to get along.’

  Robinson was now standing directly in front of me, ensuring I had to look up at him. ‘What’s going to happen now is you’re going to go to the station and give a statement to my little helpers. And you’re not going to leave a single detail out. If you do, I’ll be coming back for you. I promise I’ll make your life a misery. I know you work for Don Ridley, and I’ve got a lot of time for the man, but when I’ve finished with you, you’ll wish you were a Charted Accountant rather than a Private Investigator.’

  DI Robinson’s team took their time taking a statement from me. I’d been kept waiting before being sat in a sterile interview room, despite being told they were thankful for my co-operation. Half an hour after leaving the station, a taxi dropped me back at Tasker’s studio. The Scene of Crime Team was at work. I was told in no uncertain terms that I should collect my car and go. I drove to Tasker’s parents’ house.

  Major was already there, stood outside the front door, cigarette in his mouth, mobile to his ear. He finished his call. ‘What’s going on, PI?’

  There wasn’t much I could say. ‘He was attacked. Looked like a single punch and his head caught the sharp edge of the mixing desk.’ I’d seen and heard enough to put that much together. That was it for the moment.

  He turne
d towards me. ‘I was sure he was just going to turn up.’

  ‘Me too.’ Meaningless platitudes. I hadn’t taken his disappearance seriously enough. I should have been more insistent that the police were informed. It was too late now. Looking at the house, the only light on was in the front room. The police would still need his parents to formally confirm it was their son. It would be a grim job for them. Identifying my wife’s body was the hardest thing I’d ever done.

  ‘How are they doing?’ I asked.

  Major shook his head and lit another cigarette. The shock was hitting him, too. ‘Not particularly good.’

  ‘As you’d expect.’

  ‘His mother’s not too good.’

  ‘Are the police in there with them?’

  Major nodded. ‘They asked me to leave.’

  ‘It’s procedure.’

  He offered me a cigarette. ‘I need you to sort this for me, PI.’

  ‘There’s nothing we can do at the moment’ I said. I’d already decided I had to help. I was partly responsible. I could have put a stop to this and insisted they call the police. But I hadn’t. Someone had killed him and I couldn’t let it lie. I thought back to my wife’s death. You couldn’t rely on the police. I wasn’t going to let them suffer like I had.

  ‘How about enemies? Had Greg said anything to you? Now’s the time to say.’

  ‘Not so far as I know.’

  ‘How about in London?’

  ‘Nothing.’

  ‘Right.’ The press would soon be on their doorstep, and if the press was interested, it meant the police would make extra resources available to ensure they got a result. The situation would feed on itself and snowball with Tasker’s parents stuck in the middle of it. I remembered there weren’t any photographs of New Holland in the front room. If they hadn’t enjoyed the associated fame their son brought them, being in the public eye was about to get a whole lot worse for them.

  I walked into the front room. Kath Tasker was being consoled by her husband. He told me to take a seat. ‘We should have told the police from the start. We should have listened to you.’

  I waved his words away. ‘They needed to know.’