Fatal Decision

by Ted Tayler

  They arrived at Neil’s house just before five.

  “See you Monday morning then, guv,” he said.

  “New week, new case,” said Gus.

  “We’ve got a load more work to do on this one yet, guv.”

  “I intend to pass these enquiries on to Geoff Mercer and his real-time detective team. Most tasks will be handled by the Hub. Our job was to find the killer. That’s done. They can prepare the case to take it to court. The more evidence they can pile in front of Leonard and his QC, the easier things will be.”

  “Fair enough,” said Neil, “let this be our motto - Another Day, Another Collar.”

  Gus drove away. Another day, another collar. It had a ring to it.

  He parked the Focus in its usual spot to the right of the bungalow and went indoors. Time for a shower next, then change into casual clothing and decide what to eat. He could pay a visit to the allotment before night fell.

  The phone rang. He looked at the number. It looked familiar.

  “Mr Freeman, it’s Joyce Pemberton-Smythe here.”

  “If you’re wondering what’s happening with your husband, I can’t tell you anything. I’ve passed responsibility over to Superintendent Mercer. As I explained on our first visit to the Manor House, I’m a mere consultant, not a serving officer.”

  “You made that crystal clear,” she said, “I wanted you to know the diaries I referred to still exist. Since your people took Leonard away, I’ve sat here wondering what point there was in denying you the chance to see them.”

  “I can be there in twenty minutes.”

  Thoughts of a visit to the allotment were put on hold. Gus raced to the Manor House. Joyce met him at the door and showed him into one of the drawing rooms.

  “I hid them in the chest of drawers. Leonard never came in this room. The diary for the end of June is open at the relevant entries.”

  It appeared Leonard caught a chill in a heavy downpour on Saturday evening. He didn’t rush back to London on Sunday night. Instead, he slept in on Monday, lazed around until lunchtime. He was out for the rest of the day. Joyce didn’t see him again until breakfast on Tuesday morning. ‘Leonard still under the weather’. The first entry on Wednesday the second of July was ‘Left for the House before dawn’.

  “May I take this diary?” he asked.

  “You will be discreet, won’t you? You promised.”

  “I’m the soul of discretion. Only the elements that strengthen our case will be used.”

  “Crompton can confirm the events of those few days.”

  Gus thought that highly unlikely.

  “I can see you doubt me,” said Joyce, “walk this way.”

  Crompton sat in the window seat, dressed exactly as he had been the other morning.

  “Don’t get up,” said Joyce, moving swiftly to the desk. She retrieved a book from a drawer.

  “Look familiar? I gave the staff a diary every year to record our comings and goings when tradespeople were due and so forth. Crompton used his diary for extra items. Here, you can see he’s listed the meal we were served on each day. He said it helped him maintain variety. On Monday he cooked a pork loin for us. On Tuesday, Leonard was out, so Crompton reverted to what was typical when he stayed in London.”

  Gus could read ‘Light supper’ and ‘ditto’ for Wednesday and Thursday.

  “Easy to understand why I ate so little. I drank heavily back then. To sit at a table for a three-course meal kept me from the vodka bottle for far too long.”

  Gus wondered how the stress of yesterday’s events would affect Joyce’s mental health. Joyce had come so far it would be a tragedy if she fell off the wagon now.

  “I should like to borrow this too, if I may,” he said.

  “Crompton won’t mind I’m sure.”

  Joyce walked Gus to the door.

  “The next few weeks will be tough,” she said, “but I can only try to take them one day at a time. DI Ferris talked to me yesterday about the charges being brought against my husband. I knew he was bi-sexual when we married. He always kept his other side hidden so the boys and I were protected. It was easier to pretend it wasn’t an issue. What happened in London stayed in London. After you left with DI Ferris yesterday, I thought back on that weekend and the days that followed. I checked the diary before I rang you. We were collecting the boys from boarding school on the fourth of July. This man Richards must have given Leonard an ultimatum. Tell your wife or I’ll go to the police about poor old Daffers. That’s why Leonard felt he had to kill him. We were due on the ferry on Friday evening bound for the chateau.”

  “These diaries will help to complete the case for the prosecution, madam. I’m very grateful. Leonard’s actions have caused pain to so many people. The woman I saw caring for Crompton the other day deserved to be treated far better. Good luck.”

  Gus drove away and saw Joyce leaning against the open front door until he passed through the gates. He hoped her sons were on their way home to comfort her.

  It was certain Leonard continued his liaisons after Mark Richards was dead. They had to hope none became so serious that such extreme measures had to be taken. Gus wondered whether he took time off when he holidayed in France. What a mess. The number of young men who might come forward to sell their stories to the press would fill the media for years. Poor Joyce and her sons would never escape.

  As he drove into town, he thought it was time he called on Megan and Mick Morris. They needed to hear someone had been arrested for Daphne’s murder before the press picked up the story. One more small job before getting home. The allotment would have to wait until the morning.

  Monday would come around soon enough. His first port of call then was London Road and a briefing with the ACC.

  Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.

  Gus Freeman wondered what experiences lay ahead on their next cold case.

  You have just finished reading ‘Fatal Decision’

  This was the first book in the series featuring ‘The Freeman Files’.

  ‘Last Orders’ the second book in the series will follow.

  In ‘Fatal Decision’ Gus soon found his feet after three years in retirement. A murderer awaits sentencing and another cold case file has landed on his desk

  ‘Last Orders’ follows the case of Trudi Villiers, a 26-year old barmaid murdered as she walked home from the Ring O’Bells pub in October 2003.

  Trudi may have been a good-time girl with a string of lovers, but she was someone’s daughter and Gus wants his team to find the truth about what happened to her on that fateful night.

  “Gus Freeman shows a dogged determination to hunt down the killer in a complex police procedural with a shocking final twist”

  Feel free to Tweet about any of my books and please tell your friends about them. Every writer likes to receive a review; it’s our lifeblood. If you can, then please do.

  The Final Straw

  An only child, unloved and unwanted by his parents, Colin Bailey is a bitter, emotionally damaged young man. He’s hell-bent on exacting revenge on anyone who has stopped him becoming the person he believes he was destined to be. What sets Colin apart is his intellect and meticulous planning. Detective Phil Hounsell pursues his man relentlessly while trying to avoid the small town in which he works sliding further and further into the grip of two rival gangs.

  A devastating event in Colin’s life provides the final straw that herald’s a bloodbath. Can Phil prevent it happening or will he too be a victim? This tale of revenge spans two decades, yet the police are chasing shadows; it builds in pace and tension to a thrilling climax against the backdrop of a quiet West Country town.

  Unfinished Business

  The sequel to the award-winning ‘The Final Straw’ sees Colin Bailey return to the UK after a decade abroad. With a new name and a new face, he still has scores to settle. His meticulous planning takes him ingeniously across Scotland and the North of England ticking names off his list with the
police completely baffled.

  DCI Phil Hounsell pitted his wits against Colin before and so he is sent to Durham where he teams up with super intelligent young DS Zara Wheeler; together they track their man to Manchester and then eventually south to Bath. The final scenes take place on the streets of the Roman city; Phil Hounsell’s family is threatened. In a dramatic conclusion reminiscent of Holmes and Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls, the two men struggle above the foaming waters of the historic Pulteney Weir.

  A Sting In The Tale

  A collection of twelve short stories, each with an unexpected twist at the end. Love stories, ghost stories, and tales of revenge sprinkled with a touch of humour.

  There is something for everyone, young or old; from the elderly bookshop owner with an unusual talent and his summer of love with a young schoolteacher. To the haunting account of the journey on the last bus back to town from the heart of the countryside. Each story has characters and situations you will recognise. But will you identify the 'sting in the tale' before you turn that final page?

  The Phoenix Series

  The Olympus Project

  Rescued by strangers from a watery grave and given a new identity.

  The Phoenix is a stone-cold killer.

  An ideal fit for the Olympus Project, a secret organisation fighting injustice.

  With hard, fast action and a cast of characters you can reach out and touch, this is the thriller series for which you’ve been searching.

  Gold, Silver, and Bombs

  The eyes of the world are on London 2012.

  British security services anticipate an organised terror attack.

  Safety is paramount. What if the real danger comes from a lone wolf?

  You won’t want to miss the page-turning intensity of the second story in this gripping series.

  Nothing Is Ever Forever

  The action never slows. The tension never slackens.

  The Phoenix stares death in the face once more.

  Detectives Hounsell and Wheeler return.

  The past threatens to catch up with Phoenix.

  What will the future hold for the Project? What dramas lie ahead? After all, nothing is ever forever.

  In The Lap Of The Gods

  Olympus battle vicious gangsters on home soil. The body count rises.

  Dimitar Marinov cements his reputation as the most brutal criminal to have set foot on UK soil.

  Phoenix and Athena attend their first meeting with Zeus and the other Gods.

  If you’re a fan of savage, underworld criminals, fast-paced action and intense characters then you’ll enjoy following the Olympus Project and its fight against evil. Take a deep breath; once you start you’ll want to keep turning pages until the end.

  The Price Of Treachery

  The Olympians and the Titans are in a power struggle.

  A traitor inside Larcombe Manor must be uncovered.

  There’s new life to protect as Athena prepares to become a mother.

  All these story threads in book five are woven together to produce a rich tapestry of good and evil. Life’s all about balance, isn’t it? Who will win the day to face ‘A New Dawn’ that awaits?

  A New Dawn

  A rogue cosmetic surgeon causes the deaths of several patients.

  Drug dealers target even younger children. The school gates are the latest point-of-sale.

  The Project’s leaders need to strengthen the organisation after the recent attempted coup.

  The Titans may have been defeated, but a new era dawns. The nightmares are far from over.

  Who is the mastermind behind this network? Can Olympus prevent it from gaining a stranglehold? Time will tell.

  Something Wicked Draws Near

  Newly-weds Phoenix and Athena battle The Grid and its leader Hugo Hanigan.

  Olympus seeks fresh faces to join the Gods and provide finance for its missions.

  Grid gang leader, Tommy O’Riordan, is convicted of murder.

  Hugo Hanigan immediately takes bloody revenge.

  A nostalgic trip to Dublin for Hugo Hanigan brings the curtain down on this part of The Grid’s story. It continues in the eighth book ‘Evil Always Finds A Way’.

  Evil Always Finds A Way

  The drama unfolds over forty days and forty nights across the UK.

  The Grid’s story continues as death becomes a constant companion to Phoenix and his colleagues.

  Can Olympus halt the reign of terror perpetrated by The Grid?

  When this story reaches its conclusion one thing is certain, what follows next promises to be even more exciting and unpredictable.

  Revenge Comes In Many Colours

  Justice and revenge are to the fore.

  A senior Grid members meeting has a dramatic conclusion.

  Colleen O’Riordan strengthens her grip in the capital.

  Who is her secret assassin?

  What does the future hold for Hugo Hanigan?

  The excitement never lets up as the vigilante organisation battles organised crime.

  Step by step, the Olympus story moves closer to its final instalments.

  Three Weeks In September

  The Grid becomes all-powerful under its new leadership. The UK is on the brink.

  An onslaught from organised crime combined with attacks by Islamist extremists takes its toll.

  Can Olympus stem the tide without revealing its hand?

  These are some of the story threads in this tenth Phoenix book. The pace is relentless. There are enough passion, excitement and tragedy to last a lifetime. All squeezed into three weeks.

  A Frequent Peal Of Bells

  The Islamist terror attacks resume.

  The Grid wields its power with sustained bursts of criminal activity.

  Government resources are stretched to breaking point as austerity cuts hamper their response.

  Packed with current issues of political and economic concern this eleventh book retains the intensely realistic feel of the whole Phoenix Series.

  Larcombe Manor

  A vote of confidence at Westminster. Which way will it go? Will the government fall?

  Could the forces of evil take advantage of the vacuum in the lead-up to a General Election?

  Can Olympus continue to thwart the ambitions of the all-powerful Grid?

  Will the authorities uncover the truth behind the Olympus Project?

  Can the Larcombe families survive the troubled waters that lay ahead?

  “He who does not punish evil commands it to be done.” (Leonardo Da Vinci)

  “Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.” (Benjamin Franklin)

  “When unpalatable decisions are not taken, evil smiles and continues to flourish.” (The Phoenix)

  These are the unanswered questions. Many dangers face the Olympus agents before the climactic conclusion of this final book in The Phoenix Series. It will be as unpredictable as the others. Strap yourselves in. It’s going to be a ride to remember.

  About The Author

  Ted Tayler was born in Corsham, Wiltshire in 1945. When he was five years old his family moved five miles up the road to Melksham. He’s lived there ever since. Ted’s been married to Lynne since 1971. They have 3 children in their late-thirties and 4 grandchildren. Let Ted take up his story: -

  “I grew up with reading and writing all around me. My mother loved books and I had two aunts who taught English. There was no escape. I put it all on hold after I left school because of my music and work until I wrote my book of memories about my life in bands which was published in 2011. At the end of 2012, I wondered if I could write fiction!

  I think of myself as a storyteller; I hope that with each successive book I get better at it. What I’ve been told is that the reader feels as if we’re sat across the table from one another and I’m just chatting with them.

  As for the thriller series featuring The Phoenix; well, life is all about balance, isn’t it? Good and evil, love
and loss, laughter and tears. The Phoenix believes that criminals should pay for their crimes; the system often fails to deliver the correct punishment. The Olympus agents can help him redress the balance.”

  Ted completed his Phoenix journey in 2018 and after a short break he’s well into the six cold cases that form ‘The Freeman Files’. Who knows what projects lie ahead? Watch this space.

  Acknowledgements

  The love and support of my family, without them, this would have been impossible.

  The Phoenix Club

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  Thanks again for reading. Until the next time.