The Late Greats by Nick Quantrill Page B

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.’
    ‘We don’t blame you, Joe’ he said. ‘Chances are, the police wouldn’t have been able to find him, either. We understand how it works.’
    ‘How are you doing?’ I said. Trite, but what else was there to say?
    ‘He was our only child, and you’re not supposed to outlive your children, are you? Especially not under these circumstances.’ Keith stood up and walked across to the windowsill where there was a box of tissues. He passed them to his wife. ‘We’ve got a lot to do and so much to organise. I haven’t even started to ring the family yet.’
    He looked like he’d pulled himself together, but grief acts in funny ways. Once the initial shock was over with, I hoped he would have people to turn to. People who would help him.
    ‘Is there anything I can do?’ I asked. ‘Anybody I could call for you?’
    He shook his head. ‘Thanks for the offer.’
    ‘We’ve made a terrible mistake’ said his wife.
    We both turned to listen to her.
    ‘It’s important to us that you know we were doing this for the right reasons.’ She felt for her husband’s hand, gripped it tight. ‘We need your help to put it right. We let our son down, so the least we can do is to make sure we get justice for him. The more people who are trying to do that, the better.’
    I didn’t know what to say. I’d sat outside and thought it through. I hadn’t done enough for them. I knew I was at least partly culpable. I was the outsider. I should have seen things more clearly.
    ‘We can pay you’ she said.
    I told her it wasn’t necessary. Major was already paying me. ‘What did the police say?’ I asked.
    Keith Tasker took over. ‘They didn’t tell us much. They’ve asked us to formally identify him tomorrow. Maybe they’ll tell us more then. I assume they’ll have to do their forensic work first and work out exactly what happened. They’ll want to do a thorough job.’
    I looked him in the eye. I could see his pain. I knew I was already in. ’I'll do what I can for you’ I said.
    Kath started crying again and thanked me through her tears. ‘He was our son. He was just our Greg.’
    I thought back to the story Keith Tasker had told me about how he’d helped my family. I made the promise again. ‘I’ll do what I can.’
     
    I drove back to the city centre. I’d phoned Julia as soon as I was clear of the house. It was nearly two in the morning, but news of Tasker’s death would break quickly. I said I’d go to her hotel. I stared at Don’s number in my mobile. I decided I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of him telling me I’d been wrong. Not yet. I sent Sarah a text message and said I’d speak to her first thing in the morning. I felt like a coward. Julia was waiting for me as I walked down the corridor towards her room. I sat down on the bed and told her what I knew. She hadn’t been as upset as I thought she would be. Maybe it was the shock of the situation. He might not have been a very close friend, but she’d still lost a friend. I supposed, in a way, I had too. It wasn’t a pleasant situation.
    She stood up and looked around the room. Her laptop was in the corner. ‘I need to write this up’ she said.
    I reached for her hand. ‘Not yet.’
    She sat back down.
    ‘There’s plenty of time for that.’
    She relented. ‘I’m sorry, Joe. It must have been horrible for you.’
    I nodded. I had nothing to say, but I pulled myself together. I had to.
    ‘What are you going to do?’
    ‘Whatever I can’ I said.
    ‘What about the police?’
    I shrugged. They were better resourced and connected than I was, but I’d been asked to assist. ‘I’m going to need your help’ I said. ‘His parents are in pieces. As well as having to bury their only child,