by Ted Tayler
“Did you take your lunch with you when you left the estate on the quad bike?” asked Gus.
“No, it was in the car. I had to take it. Mum said we mustn’t waste food.”
“What did you do after you ate your lunch?”
“I went back to the bike, put on my sweatshirt, and rode back to work.”
“What did you do with your dirty clothes?”
“I hid them in the bushes on the edge of the estate.”
“What did you do with your knife?”
“I washed it in the shower. It was dirty. I took the belt off my trousers and used it to hold the tracksuits bottoms up. They were too big for me. The knife’s still in the sheath, next to the rubber duck. My trousers are in the wardrobe at home. Mr Jackson told me to wear something smart today.”
“After you left the gym, what did you see when you walked past your mother’s car?” asked Gus.
“I didn’t look,” said Martyn. “She lied to me. Every day when I was growing up, Mum said I must tell the truth, and I mustn’t do anything wrong.”
“When did you see Martyn that morning, Mr Jackson?” asked Gus.
“I didn’t see him after he arrived in the office to ask what he should do. I told him to mow the grass between the trees, and I’d remind him to stop work at one to get to the café for his lunch. When I called at a quarter to one, Martyn said he wasn’t hungry. He carried on working until the police rang. I went to collect him and couldn’t understand why he’d done so little work. It wasn’t like him.”
“And you didn’t think to mention that until now?”
“I had no idea Martyn had left the estate.”
“Did you know he could ride the quad bike?”
“I’d seen him. The other lads told me how much he enjoyed not having to walk everywhere.”
“We’re ready to pass Martyn on to our colleagues, Mr Jackson. They will determine the charges they believe are appropriate.”
“Will a jury ever convict Martyn of murder, guv?” asked Alex as they left Bourne Hill police station to return to their cars.
“Ralph Tucker and Serena Campbell both told me people misjudged Martyn. If he’s slow-witted, how did he work out how to react after the violent outburst that ended with his mother’s murder? Martyn can’t claim he did that while the balance of his mind was disturbed, can he? He removed the photos and burned them, showered, and changed clothes, then cleaned the murder weapon. Martyn was clever enough to use the fleece to cover the missing shirt and stash the bloodied clothes. No, he’s got a lot to answer for.”
Monday, 27th August 2018
Gus had just sat at his desk when the phone rang.
“Freeman? It’s Kenneth Truelove here. DS Mercer notified me of the extraordinary matters you uncovered while solving the Reeves murder. You never cease to amaze me. I’ve set the wheels in motion to investigate the historical exploitation of underage girls by Street, Francis, and others. The enquiry will also look into the possible murder of Maureen Glendenning. I’m holding the first session of Operation Oakleaf at noon.”
“A catchy title, sir,” said Gus.
“Did you have a better idea?”
“I toyed with Figleaf considering the majority of those photos, sir, but you’re much better at this sort of thing than I am.”
“You can’t rest on your laurels, Freeman. Don’t be late for our meeting.”
You have just finished reading ‘Strange Beginnings,’
the thirteenth book in the series featuring ‘The Freeman Files’.
The fourteenth book in the series ‘Dead Reckoning’ will follow.
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About The Author
Ted Tayler is the international best-selling author of The Phoenix series:
“The core message in my Phoenix novels is that justice is failing today. The Phoenix believes criminals should pay for their crimes; the current system fails to deliver the correct punishment. His fellow Olympus agents help redress the balance.”
December 2019 saw the launch of his latest venture, The Freeman Files:
“With Gus Freeman and his cold case investigations, there will be bursts of frantic action, of course, but they will intersperse with romance, humour and country life. Life is all about balance. Good and evil, love and loss, laughter and tears.”
“I think of myself as a storyteller; with each successive book, I hope I get better at it. I’ve heard that the reader feels as if we’re across the table from one another, and I’m chatting with them. There are more stories left to tell.”
Ted Tayler lives in West Wiltshire, England, where many of his stories are based. Born in 1945, Ted’s been married to Lynne since 1971. They have three children and four grandchildren.
Acknowledgements
The love and support of my family; without them, this would have been impossible.
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Thanks again for reading. Until the next time.
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 was his destiny. 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 from 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 Roman city streets; 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 historic Pulteney Weir's foaming waters.
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 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 terro
r 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 a 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. 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 sure, 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 political and economic concerns, this eleventh book retains the intensely realistic feel of the whole Phoenix Series.
Larcombe Manor
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? These are the unanswered questions. Many dangers face the Olympus agents before the climactic conclusion of this final book in The Phoenix Series.
The Freeman Files Series
Fatal Decision
Gus Freeman is a retired Detective Inspector who has spent the past three years alone.
Freeman’s wife, Tess, died from a brain aneurysm six months to the day after retirement. He is still coming to terms with his enforced solitary existence.
His old boss wants Gus to head up a Crime Review Team investigating cold cases.
Gus can't resist the chance to enter the fray for one last hurrah.
"It's a mystery that will keep you wondering, with the usual wide array of characters to enjoy that give Tayler's novels their stamp."
Last Orders
A newly-formed Crime Review Team is investigating cold cases that defied their colleagues. Austerity cuts mean that Gus Freeman only has a team of three to assist him.
‘Last Orders’ follows Trudi Villiers' case, 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.
Pressure Point
Laura Mallinder left home for work on Sunday, 12th June 2011. She walked to ‘Gentle Touch’, a massage parlour in Broadgreen, Swindon. Her boss, Maggie Monk, discovered her body later that evening. Laura, twenty-seven years old, sustained fatal stab wounds to her back.
Gus Freeman’s Crime Review Team has two successful cold case investigations behind them. Will it be the third time lucky? The victim’s profession might make it hard to find someone to speak out. ‘Pressure Point’ has a wide array of characters and offers action, romance, humour and drama.
Deadly Formula
Dr Ian McGuire, a research scientist, was shot dead in his kitchen in 2004
The original investigation found no motive, no leads, and no suspects
Gus Freeman and his Crime Review Team have a tough cold case to solve
In this fourth book in the series, the case becomes the least of their worries.
Final Deal
Will the frantic search for DI Suzie Ferris and her kidnapper have a successful outcome? Can Gus end the careers of the corrupt senior officers behind her disappearance? Despite everything, the Crime Review Team has another cold case to unravel.
Dennis Gates was shot dead in August 2010. His killer was never found. The team members have their own crises to face. Will they buckle under the pressure?
Final Deal has two stories woven together to produce a gripping climax, not to miss.
Barking Mad
Why did pet shop owner Mark Malone die in a hail of bullets in May 2015?
Gus and the Crime Review Team face many questions but have few answers.
Killer Ricky Gardiner is on the run from the police. Who will catch up with him first?
Tragedy and triumph intertwine in another gripping instalment in The Freeman Files
Barking Mad has a variety of characters and story threads that keep you turning pages.
Creature Discomforts
A lone sniper killed Grant Burnside, the leader of a violent gang, in May 2014.
Four years later, Gus Freeman and his team reviewed a case that refused to give up any answers.
The Burnside family prides itself on being impregnable. Nobody speaks out against them and lives.
Gus keeps digging away at the foundations until the fortress topples like a house of cards. But will Gus find Grant Burnside’s killer?
Silent Terror
A brutal murder occurred at a remote bungalow in January 2013
Gus Freeman reviews the murder of Ursula Wakeley, a seventy-eight-year-old spinster
Why did the former librarian become a victim? Was it a robbery or something more sinister?
Alex Hardy returns to the fold, and new girl Blessing Umeh joins the Crime Review Team
With a strong cast of characters, this gripping series provides more twists than a corkscrew
Night Train
Ivan Kendall died in a station toilet eighty miles from home in March 2014
Why did the quiet family man travel to Westbury from South Wales so late at night?
The Crime Review Team tackle two cold cases in this intriguing ninth title in the series