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 turned 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
‘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 turned 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
Similar Books
