The Late Greats (9 page)

‘Alright?’ I asked.

She nodded, but wasn’t convincing.

‘We need to talk’ I said.

She told her assistant to take a break and closed the door behind her. She found us some chairs and we sat down.

‘I’m sorry I wasn’t able to find Greg’ I said.

‘I’m sure you did your best.’

It was my turn to nod unconvincingly. I explained how I worked for Tasker’s parents. ‘Now’s the time to say if you know anything. Anything at all.’

‘Why are you working for them?’ she asked me.

‘I owe them.’

She didn’t press me. ‘I don’t know anything.’

She was clearly upset, but she also had her guard up. She wouldn’t look me in the eye. ‘We’re on the same side here’ I said.

‘I can’t help you.’

I told her how Tasker’s parents were suffering. I got nothing back.

She lit a cigarette. I must have been staring. She told me it was her shop, she could do what she liked. ‘Have you spoken to that slag, Lorraine?’ she asked me.

Her abruptness took me by surprise. Without thinking, I nodded and said I’d spoken to her.

‘I can’t bear to think about her and Greg. It makes me ill.’

I said nothing. It wasn’t my place to get involved.

‘What did she say?’ Siobhan asked me.

‘She wants to know the truth, too.’

‘It’s none of her business.’

‘How did you find out about them?’ I asked.

‘He told me. He said he didn’t want it to be a secret anymore. Can you believe that? He tells me, but expects me to carry on like nothing’s changed.’ She shook her head, took a drag on her cigarette. ‘The arrogance of the man. He was so used to people doing whatever he wanted them to do, he forgot I had feelings. I gave up everything for him to move up here to this shithole and this was how he repaid me. He wouldn’t even live with me. I said it was either me or her. He couldn’t have both.’

‘What did Greg do?’

‘Carried on as normal. He didn’t think I’d do anything about it.’

‘Does Lorraine’s husband know about them?’

‘No idea. I don’t think Greg cared to be honest.’

‘Had you left him?’ I asked.

She looked up at me and shook her head. ‘I couldn’t leave him.’

I gave her a minute, found the kitchen and made us drinks. She was busy opening windows when I returned.

‘You should have stopped me smoking in here’ she said, trying to force a laugh.

I smiled. ‘Would you have listened?’

‘I suppose not.’

I passed her a mug of tea. ‘I spoke to Steve Priestley’s wife this morning’ I said.

‘Never met the woman.’

‘She said she didn’t want him to be part of the reunion.’

She sat back down. ‘I’m not sure Greg really wanted it, either.’

‘I thought he wanted to relaunch his solo career?’

‘That’s what he kept telling himself. To be honest, I think he let himself be talked into it.’

‘Major?’

‘He could never cut his ties with him.’

‘He could have just said no.’

‘I think Greg thought he owed him something. He couldn’t walk away.’

‘But he wasn’t so keen?’

‘I don’t think so, but they both needed the money. Greg’s studio wasn’t doing too well and he said Kane needed something to happen for him.’ She put her empty mug down and walked over to the front door. ‘I’m sorry I can’t help more, but I haven’t got time to be sitting around talking like this. Greg gave me enough money to get started here and his family are going to want it paying back, aren’t they?’ She turned back to face me. ‘Look, there’s something I should tell you. The last time I saw Greg, he came in here, didn’t say a word to me, just emptied the till and left.’

I missed a call from Julia as I drove away from the boutique. Parking up, I called her back and we agreed to meet for some food. I was pleased there didn’t seem to be any awkwardness between us. She’d insisted on eating on Princes Avenue. It was fast becoming her favourite part of the city. I laughed and told her she must be missing London.

The bar was surprisingly empty for early evening, so I had no trouble finding Julia in the corner. Even in the trendiest area of the city, it seemed like some places were trendier than others. I didn’t mind. The peace and quiet was welcome. Julia was studying the menu and didn’t see me walk in. I spoke as I approached the table. ‘How’s it going?’

She looked up and put the menu down. ‘Alright. You?’

‘Had better days. Don thinks we should be walking away from the job and he’s not shy in telling me so.’

‘What does Sarah think?’

It was a good question. ‘I think she’s more inquisitive than her father.’ My mobile started to ring. It was Major, finally returning my call. I let it go to voicemail. He could wait for an hour. I told Julia that Tasker had emptied Siobhan’s till shortly before his death. She had told me she hadn’t been to the bank for a couple of days and he’d walked out of the boutique with over £2,000 in cash. Given the price of the dresses, there was every chance the money would mount up like that. It raised more questions, but it helped fill in the timeframe. Greg had told her not to tell anyone that she’d seen him and she’d kept her word. She felt bad over it, but I told her it wouldn’t have made any difference to the search to find him. I’d tried to tell her it wasn’t important now, but I knew it was going to weigh heavily on her.

‘I can solve one mystery as well’ she said. ‘I know where Greg was hiding out.’

‘Where?’

‘Bridlington.’

‘What was he doing there?’ Bridlington is a small seaside resort, thirty miles north of Hull. Not far away, but as good as anywhere if you wanted to lie low, I supposed.

‘No idea. He was staying in a cheap B&B. The landlady rang the paper once she recognised who her guest was.’

‘What did she say?’

‘Nothing of any use. Just that he paid a bit extra to use the room in the day time. Apparently he just stayed in there, playing his guitar. That’s how she realised who he was.’

‘Right.’ There was nothing else to say. He’d obviously wanted to get out of Hull for a bit, like Siobhan and Priestley said he often did, but what had been the trigger? And why had he come back for money? ‘Did she say anything else?’

Julia said she hadn’t. ‘Tell me about your day’ she said.

I took her through it. ‘I dropped by at Greg’s studio’ I said. I’d wanted to speak to the people on the site directly. It was a long shot because if they had any information, the police would be all over it by now.

‘Anything?’ she said.

‘No.’ I told her that it had cost me £20 to get the security guards to speak to me. And they weren’t even the ones who’d been working that night. I explained that they’d called their mate and passed me the phone. The police had already taken statements from them and they had nothing to add. They hadn’t seen or heard anything and the CCTV hadn’t been working properly. I wasn’t surprised. They hadn’t seen me walk past them. A dead end.

I moved on and told her how defensive Priestley’s wife had been towards me at their house, and how I hadn’t been able to speak to him. ‘Who do you think really wanted the New Holland reunion?’ I asked.

Our food arrived and we ate in silence for a few minutes. Julia put her knife and fork down. ‘I assume they all wanted the band to reform. Money. What else?’

I shook my head. ‘It doesn’t feel right. Priestley’s wife said he had to be talked into it and Siobhan said Greg was only doing it because he felt he owed to Major.’

‘Greg did have a solo record ready to release, though.’

‘Cynical, but true.’ It would still be released. Death doesn’t stop the music industry. ‘Doesn’t it strike you as odd? It doesn’t seem like he really wanted to be back in the public eye. He was choosing to live in Hull, which I can’t imagine is particularly clever if you want to be a musician. I get the feeling he was going against his better judgment on this. I don’t think he really wanted to be back in the band.’

Julia considered what I’d said. ‘He could have said no to Major.’

She wasn’t wrong, but it seemed like a lot of people had a problem saying ‘no’ to him. Me included. I knew I still had to return his call.

‘Don’t forget there would have been a lot of money to be made. It would have been difficult to turn down’ she said. ‘I don’t mean to run Greg or Steve down, but they need the band. They wouldn’t make anything like the same amount through their solo work. It just wouldn’t happen.’

She was right. ‘How bad was the falling out between them?’

‘They’ve only just started speaking again. They went their separate ways when the band finished. I don’t suppose they had reason to be in touch. It’s the way it is when bands fall apart. Too much anger.’

‘Long time to bear a grudge.’

‘Priestley was always a little bit weird.’

It was difficult to weigh up. I’d read Tasker’s drug intake had rendered him all but useless when it came to recording their last album. Maybe he felt like he’d lost face, that the rest of the band hadn’t been grateful for his contribution over the years. Equally, Priestley had done what was required. Situations change, the status quo can’t always remain. But it was naive to think there wouldn’t be any lingering bitterness. Priestley’s wife had suggested her husband wanted the reunion to be about the music and not money. I wasn’t ready to swallow that unconditionally. If Tasker and Priestley had a volatile relationship, I knew arguments could get out of hand. The smallest thing can be blown up and magnified.

‘How do you reckon Greg spent his days?’ I asked.

‘His studio?’ Julia said.

I shook my head. ‘Didn’t like the place by all accounts.’

Julia shrugged. ‘I don’t know, then.’

‘Neither do I’ I said, but I wanted to know. If he wasn’t working in his studio, he had to be doing something with his day. It had to bring him into contact with other people. Potential witnesses. Potential suspects.

‘I went to the police’s press conference this afternoon’ Julia said.

‘Anything?’

We’d both finished eating and put our empty plates to one side.

‘Nothing. DI Robinson said their investigation was following several lines of inquiry, which seems to be their way of saying they’re hedging their bets for now, certainly at least until they’ve got some forensic results. He wouldn’t be drawn any further than that.’ She checked her notes. ‘And he appealed for any witnesses to come forward. Standard stuff, really.’

I nodded. We sat in silence until I broke it. ‘Are we ok?’ I asked. It needed saying.

‘Why wouldn’t we be?’

‘After last night?’

I stared at her until she spoke. ‘We’re both adults and we’re both single. Why should it be a problem?’

‘I was worried I’d taken advantage after breaking the news about Greg’ I said.

‘You didn’t take advantage.’

Our hands were on the table, inches apart. I couldn’t decide whether to bridge the gap or not.

My decision was made when she withdrew her hand back under the table.

‘I don’t want to cause you any trouble, Joe. I wouldn’t want to be in your way or anything like that.’

I think I got the point. ‘You’re not causing me any trouble.’ I smiled at her. ‘In fact, I quite like it.’

I stepped outside the bar to return Major’s call. It had to be done. He wanted to meet me immediately. He gave me the address of where he was eating, a fish restaurant close to his office in the city centre. I knew the place. I terminated the call, went back inside, made my apologies and left. When I arrived, I found Major sat by himself at the back of the room. He was surrounded by paperwork. He looked knackered. He poured himself a shot of whiskey before offering me the bottle. The restaurant wasn’t busy. They seemed happy to indulge him.

He asked me what I’d done throughout the day. I gave him a brief rundown of who I’d spoken to and explained how I hadn’t seemingly made much headway.

‘What are the police saying?’ he asked me.

‘Not a lot at the moment.’

Major poured another drink. Handed me one. ‘It needs sorting. For the sake of his parents.’

I wasn’t buying it. ‘Cut the shit. How badly did you want this reunion?’ I asked.

He smiled, turned away from me.

‘It doesn’t seem like Tasker or Priestley particularly wanted to go through with it.’ I swallowed the whiskey. ‘I think they were doing it for you.’

Major shrugged. ‘I’m touched.’

‘Did you have to force them?’

Major turned to face me. ‘How could I force them?’

‘You can be very persuasive when you need to be.’

Major stared at me, like he was weighing me up. ‘I’m surprised your mouth doesn’t get you into more trouble.’

‘I say it as I see it.’

Major raised his glass and saluted me. ‘I like that, PI. It’s why you’re so important to me.’

‘I’ll take that as a compliment.’

‘Take it however you want to.’

‘You seem to be the one who was pushing for the reunion. There’d have been a lot of money in it for you. Assuming you didn’t all argue, because when people argue, things happen. Accidents.’

‘Doesn’t have to be about the money’ he said.

I laughed. ‘Come on.’

He stared at me, took the bait. ‘Are you saying I killed him, PI?’

I said nothing. I was close enough to smell the alcohol on his breath.

‘Why would I kill Greg?’ he said, filling the silence. He knocked back his whiskey. Calm now. ‘Alright, I’m skint. I’ve lost out on some bad property investments in London, but who hasn’t at the moment? I needed the reunion to get myself back on an even keel.’ He poured himself another drink and knocked it back in one. He pointed at me. ‘They owe me. I made them what they are. Without me, they were nothing. Reforming to play a few gigs was the least they could do for me. Why would I kill Greg? I needed him alive.’

I swallowed my drink. ‘Greg was supposed to be your friend’ I eventually said. ‘You knew he’d struggled under the pressure of the band, yet you were prepared to put him back in that situation just for your own financial benefit? Some friend you were.’

Major stared at me and wiped his eyes before throwing the last of the whiskey into his glass. ‘I was trying to help him.’ He stood up. ‘I think he was involved with some bad people.’