The Late Greats

by Nick Quantrill

  Of course he did. Drugs. Hence the disappearing act. It wasn’t just business taking him away from Hull. ‘Couldn’t you borrow some?’

  ‘Who from?’

  ‘You tell me.’

  ‘There’s no one’ he said. ‘Don’t you think that option has crossed my mind?’

  I let it go. ‘Who are these people?’

  ‘The less you know, the better.

  ‘Too late’ I said.

  ‘These aren’t the kind of idiots you have running around in this shithole. I was using their stuff and they said it wasn’t a problem sticking it on the tab. You know how it is, the money started to mount up and I couldn’t pay them. I thought they were my mates, but as you find out in this business, no cunt’s your mate.’

  ‘What are they doing up here?’ I asked.

  ‘My secretary told them where I was.’

  I got it. Hide in the most visible and obvious of places. Hull would be the last place people would think to look for him at the moment.

  He smiled at me. ‘What can you do? I didn’t have a better plan. I just need to set things up with the band and then I’ll get them their money.’

  ‘So you decided to put Trevor Bilton in the frame, tell them he stole your money?’ I did the calculation. He’d told them I was tracking the guy who’d ripped him off. ‘They bought that?’

  ‘They were prepared to give me the benefit of the doubt. I can still open doors for people. I’m still a face in London. I know a lot of people who want to buy what they’re selling.’

  ‘You’re a face?’

  ‘Fuck off, PI. You wouldn’t understand. I had to tell them I’d been ripped off.’ Major leaned forward, putting his head between mine and Julia’s. ‘Come on. You’re not really saying you give a shit about Bilton and his brother? Fair enough, it’s a bit unfortunate, but Trevor Bilton is a fucking scumbag. Greg told me all about him.’

  ‘It’s not the point’ I said.

  Major slumped backwards. ‘They’re going to come back for me.’

  I couldn’t resist smiling. ‘Good.’

  Julia took a call on her mobile. She turned to me. ‘We’ve got to go.’

  I unlocked the doors and told him not to choke on his meal.

  I fed the parking meter and looked up at the imposing concrete monstrosity which stood in front of me. Hull Royal Infirmary was a place that had brought me only misery in my life. I stuck the ticket on my windscreen and caught Julia up. She was looking at the list of wards on the wall next to the lifts. The area was congested, so we took the stairs. Heading straight onto the ward, I saw who I was looking for. Carly Priestley looked up at me.

  ‘How are you doing?’ I said.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ She looked at Julia. ‘Who’s this?’

  ‘She’s with me.’ I explained who she was. ‘Her colleague rang us after he took the call. You can’t keep a secret in this city.’

  Carly said nothing. I dug out some change from my pocket and asked Julia to get the coffees. I waited for her to leave. ‘I just want the truth, like you do.’

  ‘Try telling it to him’ she said, pointing to her husband, lying in the bed asleep, hands bandaged up.

  Carly passed me the note Priestley had left in his recording studio. I read it and passed it back to her. I looked at him and wondered if it was a serious attempt to kill himself or a cry for help.

  ‘When did you find him?’ I asked. It can’t have been long after I’d seen him. Another thing on my conscience.

  ‘When I came home from work. The ambulance people told me it wasn’t as bad as it looked. Apparently, if you slash your wrists in a certain direction, it’s not so dangerous.’

  I nodded. It still sounded like a gamble. ‘He said he couldn’t take it anymore?’

  ‘The press and the police have been all over him and it’s getting worse and worse. He couldn’t take their continuous questioning, repeating themselves over and over. It wasn’t fair on him.’

  ‘It’s a high profile case.’ I walked over to the corner of the room and picked up a chair. I put it down next to her at Priestley’s bedside. ‘You can’t control it, I’m afraid.’ Priestley was a suspect for Tasker’s murder. I assumed she didn’t know her husband’s true feelings, or anything about Lorraine Harrison. I certainly wasn’t going to enlighten her. This was hardly the time or the place for it.

  ‘I can’t believe they’re saying such things. He didn’t kill anyone’ she said to me.

  We sat in silence for a few moments, both looking at her husband, listening to the rhythm of the hospital machinery. I knew I was at least partly responsible. I hadn’t stopped asking him questions, either.

  ‘I should have put my foot down about the band’ she said. ‘I knew it was going to be more trouble than it was worth.’ She shook her head. ‘I shouldn’t have let Kane Major anywhere near him.’

  I couldn’t disagree. He was the catalyst for all this. Julia returned with the coffees. I changed my mind, stood up and told her we were leaving before passing Carly my mobile number. ‘Stay in touch’ I said.

  I told Julia we shouldn’t be there. We were intruding. Her hotel was less than ten minutes from the hospital, an easy drive late at night with little traffic on the roads. I pulled up at the entrance.

  ‘Thanks, Joe’ she said.

  ‘Not a problem.’

  She started to get out of the car. ‘Do you think it was a cry for help?’

  ‘I hope so’ I said. I was weighing up how much slack to cut Priestley. He was still a legitimate suspect for Tasker’s murder. It could easily be an act of guilt. ‘Tell me you’re not going to write the story?’ I said to her. ‘At least let him get home first. Let him have a bit of dignity.’

  She turned away from me. ‘I don’t have a choice, Joe.’

  I needed a drink. I decided to leave my car at Queens for the night. It’d been a long day and things were weighing heavily on me. I tried to rationalise it by remembering Major had manipulated me for his own purposes. He’d been the one who baited the trap. No wonder the people following me hadn’t made a move. They thought I’d eventually lead them to their money. They’d professionally worked Gary Bilton over, so I knew I was messing with serious people. It was obvious they wouldn’t stop until they got what they wanted. I thought about the way Major had used his influence to keep them at bay. It made me sick.

  I finished my second pint and decided to call it a night. I couldn’t shake the image of Priestley’s bandaged wrists, either. I’d played my part in pushing him to it. Things were getting out of control. I needed to keep a grip on things and drinking wouldn’t help. I walked back to my flat, head down, hands in my pockets. As I was about to turn down the path that led to the front-door, I saw a figure hunched down, close to the ground floor window. I altered my path and went straight past. Pure instinct. The extra seconds I’d bought myself might save me from a good beating.

  I heard my name being called. A female voice. I stopped and walked back. ‘Julia?’ I said, looking down the path.

  She stood up. ‘Can I come in, Joe?’

  I let her in and told her to sit on the sofa. I put the fire on and made drinks. When I returned, she was quiet and calm.

  ‘Why didn’t you ring me?’ I said. She told me she’d sat on my doorstep for over an hour.

  ‘I thought you were mad at me.’

  ‘Why would I be?’

  ‘The story I was writing.’

  I’d considered that, too, whilst sat in Queens. ‘If it wasn’t you, it’d be someone else’ I said.

  ‘I still feel bad about it’ she said.

  I passed her a hot drink. ‘Warm yourself up on that.’

  ‘Thanks.’

  We sat in silence for a few minutes. I put the stereo on. Greg Tasker’s demo CD was still in the machine. The songs really were excellent. I was disappointed he wouldn’t be making the comeback he deserved with it. It might all have been so different. It was the chance of a fresh start for everyone which had
turned into a nightmare. Julia was still quiet. I turned around to face her. ‘What’s up?’

  ‘I was just thinking’ she said.

  I turned back and put my mug down. We both knew what needed talking about.

  ‘I hate the man. I really do’ she said to me. ‘But he didn’t deserve to be beaten like that. We’ve got to help him, Joe.’

  ‘Gary?’

  She nodded. ‘I never thought I’d say it, but we’ve got to.’

  I knew she was right. I didn’t like it. Things were likely to get worse before they got any better.

  ‘Hold me, Joe’ she said.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Julia hadn’t stayed overnight in my flat. She’d called a taxi and left once we’d finished listening to Tasker’s CD. I woke early and headed to the office, hoping the walk and fresh air would help me think more clearly. I sat at my desk and tried Sarah’s mobile. Still no answer. I clicked on the Internet and went to the local news pages. Nothing new, just the usual sound bites from DI Robinson and his team. I was interrupted by someone walking up the stairs to the office. ‘Help you?’ I said to the man who’d walked in. He said nothing. He was a man mountain. Muscle, shaved head and dark clothes. This wasn’t a social visit. I looked around my desk for a suitable weapon.

  He smiled, like he’d read my mind. Pointed at me. ‘You come’ he said.

  Eastern European accent. He walked over to my desk. I stood up, ready to face him. I was giving away both height and weight. I recognised him as one of the men who had been following me. I’d seen him in the passenger seat of the car. The people who’d beaten Gary Bilton in error.

  ‘You come’ he repeated.

  I shook my head.

  ‘You come with me.’

  ‘No.’

  He stepped forward and punched me. Hard. I fell backwards into my chair. I quickly tried to sit up to cut down on my embarrassment. I could taste blood in my mouth. He was quickly around my desk, taking hold of me.

  ‘I said, you come.’

  He bundled me out of the office. Outside a car was waiting. The back door was being held open by another man mountain. He nodded to his colleague and I was pushed into the back and we sped off. Nobody said anything to me and I stayed quiet. I wasn’t giving them anything. The car headed to Hessle Foreshore and pulled up in the car park underneath the Humber Bridge. At least it was a public place.

  ‘Take a walk with me, Mr Geraghty’ the man in the front passenger seat said. I hadn’t been able to get a proper look at him. He’d not turned to face me during the journey. The door was opened. I was told to get out. It was three against one. I did as I was told.

  The man was already on his way towards the path which took you directly under the bridge and ultimately back towards the city centre. I hurried my pace, caught him up. I put him around the same age as me, early to mid-forties. His eyes told me he wasn’t a stranger to violence.

  ‘Who are you?’ I asked.

  ‘Doesn’t matter’ he said, pointing at the bridge. ‘Look at that’ he said to me. ‘Very impressive. I bet you don’t even notice it, do you? How long is it?’

  ‘Not sure’ I said. ‘Couple of miles, maybe.’ I wasn’t sure where the civic pride had come from, given the circumstances. He was older than the Eastern Europeans. Better dressed, too. London accent.

  He continued to stare at the bridge. ‘Certainly impressive.’ He stopped walking, turned to stare me. ‘I assume we’ve got your attention now?’

  The break-in at the office. ‘You could have just called me’ I said. ‘I’m in the book.’

  ‘I find actions speak louder than words. You talk to people, they make all the right noises, like they’re listening, but they’re not really. It’s much better to do these things face to face.’

  ‘This is between you and Kane Major. It’s nothing to do with me.’

  The man laughed. ‘You’re a Private Investigator who stuck his nose into our business. That was your choice, so you’re involved now.’

  ‘What do you want?’ I said.

  He turned to face me, relaxing back onto the railings. ‘I want my money.’

  ‘Can’t help you.’

  ‘That’s not the attitude I was hoping for.’

  ‘It’s what you’re getting.’

  ‘Major owes a lot of money’ he said. ‘I’m here to politely request payment of his debt, but so far, no luck, and that’s not acceptable. We’ll be staying around until we get it, though I must say he’s testing my patience.’

  ‘I wish I could help you.’

  He took a step forward and smiled. ‘You’ve got no choice in the matter.’

  I didn’t like the way this was going. ‘I don’t think I’m able to.’

  ‘We’re owed.’

  ‘You should speak to Major.’

  ‘He pointed us towards Trevor Bilton, and as a sign of goodwill, we thought we’d have a chat with him, see if we could it all out amicably. But he denies all knowledge of having our money, despite our efforts to prompt his memory for him.’

  I didn’t tell he he’d got the wrong brother. Gary Bilton had kept his mouth shut throughout the beating.

  ‘I don’t like the situation very much’ he continued. ‘Major owes the money, but we don’t really want to have to touch him. He’s a man with contacts.’ He shrugged. ‘It’s the way of the world. We’ve tried to cut him some slack, so we’ll accept payment from either Bilton or Major. It doesn’t matter which. It’s not my argument to resolve.’

  ‘Nor is it mine’ I said.

  ‘Wise up. You don’t have a choice. I can understand you must feel disappointed to have been used in such a manner, but at least we’re grateful for your hard work, even if no one else is.’

  I looked out at the muddy water, watched a boat slowly head down the estuary towards the North Sea. I said nothing.

  ‘You’re going to help us get our money back. We’re friends here, Mr Geraghty, but that can change.’ He turned to face me. ‘How’s that assistant of yours? And her pretty daughter, Lauren?’

  It took me a moment to register the information. I felt sick. I stepped towards him, my fist bunched and ready. He met me halfway. ‘Think very carefully about this’ he said. ‘You don’t want to make an enemy of me. You best be a fast worker because I’m beginning to run out of patience with people in this fucking dump. You try to be reasonable, but people take advantage.’ He jabbed a finger at me. ‘Time is running out.’ He turned away from me and started to walk back to his car. ‘I suggest you make an immediate start in finding my money.’

  I was looking at a five mile walk back to the city centre, so I was fortunate to quickly flag down a passing taxi, especially given the state of my face. The door to the office was unlocked. I hadn’t been given the chance to close up before my enforced departure. I walked in and took a quick look around. I was satisfied nothing was missing. I washed my face in the toilet sink before grabbing my coat and my mobile. I locked the office up and headed towards Queens Gardens Police Station. I wanted some answers.

  The desk sergeant told me DI Robinson was unavailable. I made him call Robinson and tell him that I’d spoken to the man from London. The desk sergeant nodded to the seating area, told me to wait. I was looking at the same, tired posters when Robinson eventually appeared. He had his coat on. ‘Let’s take a walk, Mr Geraghty’ he said.

  I followed him out of the station and down George Street.

  ‘I remember when there used to be honest pubs down here, don’t you?’ he said to me. ‘Now it’s all late-opening bars and pole dancing clubs. I often wonder why.’

  ‘Progress’ I said.

  He cut down a side street and led us to a small cafe. He greeted the owner like an old friend before turning back to me. ‘I’ll just have a cup of tea, Mr Geraghty. It’s too early to eat.’ He told the man I was paying.

  I ordered myself a coffee and joined him at a corner table. We were the only customers in the place. Robinson studied my face. It was sore to the
touch and starting to swell.

  ‘Have you heard from Don?’ he said.

  ‘No.’

  ‘You were given fair warning about these people’ he said. ‘I’ve tried my best to help you. And so did Don.’

  It was going to be like that. I just wanted to know the score. I didn’t want the lecture. ‘Who am I dealing with?’ I asked.

  The drinks were brought over. Robinson sipped his tea.

  ‘He’s not the top man. He’s just been sent here to collect the money they’re owed. The Eastern Europeans are extra muscle.’ He stirred his tea. ‘But you’d already guessed that.’

  ‘Who’s the top man?’ I asked.

  ‘An Albanian. I doubt he’ll be bothering you in person. They’re drug dealers, which given the nature of your client, won’t be a surprise to you.’

  ‘Why are you giving them the freedom of the city? Why haven’t they been arrested?’

  He put his mug down and stared at me. ‘It’s not my decision to make, Mr Geraghty. I’m under orders not to touch them at the moment.’

  ‘Why?’

  He shrugged. ‘A wider investigation. I’m not privy to the details.’

  ‘So you’re going to let them do as they please?’

  Robinson smiled. ‘We’re keeping an eye on things’ he said. ‘They haven’t broken any laws since they’ve been here, so far as I’m aware.’

  Easy for him to say. I’d have to buy some Ibuprofen before the pain really kicked in.

  ‘Unless you want to press charges?’ He was smiling at me, but he knew the answer.

  Robinson leaned in towards me. ‘Look, I want these people out of my city just as much as I suspect you do.’ He finished his drink quickly. ‘Don’t let me hold you up. You’ve probably got things you need to be getting on with.’

  DI Robinson left me sat in the cafe. I had a refill before leaving. I needed to think through what my next move should be. I was under no illusions as to how dangerous the people Major owed money to were. I hadn’t really taken them seriously, thinking I was worth more to them if I was in one piece, but feeling the pain in my mouth, I was revising my opinion quickly. Robinson had left me in no doubt I was involved with heavy people. To be fair, he’d gone out of his way to warn me, but I hadn’t listened. He was right; I’d made my bed and now I was going to have to lie in it. I finished my coffee and settled the bill. I walked back towards the office to collect my car, stopping at the newsagent to buy some painkillers. I dry swallowed two down and headed off to see Gary Bilton. New Holland’s ‘Welcome to Hell’ was playing on the radio as I drove. It couldn’t have been more fitting.