A Genuine Mistake

by Ted Tayler

  “This could be easy,” said Alex. “Carl sounds as if he’s been rehearsing his confession every day since he flew out.”

  “We’ll see,” said Gus.

  Their hosts were familiar with various international agencies' processes when apprehending criminals on the Spanish mainland. Gus couldn’t fault the interview room set up. The place was warmer than most he’d been in over the years, but everything else looked the same.

  The two officers led Carl Wallace into the room and seated him opposite Gus and Alex. One officer left, while the other stood to one side. Carl Wallace looked forlorn.

  “We’ll complete the formalities first, Carl,” said Alex. “Then we have a few questions.”

  Carl nodded. He stared at the table in front of him as Alex went through his spiel.

  “When did you arrive here in Malaga?” asked Gus.

  “At the end of the first week in May, six years ago. You know that. I flew here the afternoon after it happened.”

  “Where were you on the sixth of May that year?” asked Alex.

  “A place between Trowbridge and Bradford-on-Avon. I went to Gerry Hogan’s house.”

  “How did you learn that Gerry Hogan lived at Trowle Common?” asked Gus.

  “I found adverts with Rachel’s business address online.”

  “What led you to believe that Gerry Hogan and Rachel Cummins lived together?”

  “My Dad told me Rachel had a sugar-daddy. He didn’t know him, though. My Dad had lived with Rachel’s mother and was bitter about them splitting up a year earlier. There was a history between him and Rachel. Dad didn’t explain what it was, but I can guess. He’s a lecherous old sod. He knew I needed money fast after coming out of prison. Dad gave me information that he thought would convince Hogan he should cough up. It was one way of getting back at Kate through Rachel.”

  “Kate?” asked Alex.

  “Rachel’s Mum, of course. She was always Kate when they were kids, and nobody called her Katherine.”

  That was interesting, thought Gus. Where’s this going?

  “So, you went to Trowle Common to blackmail Gerry Hogan?” asked Alex.

  “With a Beretta Tomcat to make sure Gerry saw things your way,” said Gus.

  “What was this information that your Dad passed you?” asked Alex.

  “Kate got engaged to Jeff Cummins in the summer of ’81,” said Carl. “They planned to get married in ’82. Kate had relatives in Sydney who couldn’t get over for the wedding. Jeff was off on a stag week to Cyprus with his mates, so Kate flew out to see her folks and took internal flights to all the tourist spots before flying home from Darwin ten days after she arrived. If Jeff could have a stag week, she could put the free time to good use. Kate got home on the tenth of April. The wedding went ahead in the third week in April. Rachel was born on the second of January.”

  “A honeymoon baby,” said Alex, “nothing unusual.”

  “Possibly,” said Carl, “but I checked. Kate could have conceived that baby before flying home. Dad and Jeff Cummins got talking one night in a pub eighteen months before Kate threw Dad out. Jeff stole Kate from Dad all those years ago, and Dad was bragging about how he’d got the girl in the end. Jeff laughed in his face.”

  “Why would he do that?” asked Alex.

  “The first thing Kate did when she got home from Australia was to get Jeff into her bed.”

  “Were they sleeping together before she went on holiday?” asked Gus.

  “Yeah, but Jeff said it didn’t make sense until he had lived with Kate and Rachel for eighteen months.”

  “He suspected Rachel wasn’t his baby?” asked Gus. “That’s why they split. Kate slept with Jeff as soon as possible after sleeping with Gerry Hogan.”

  “Give the man a gold star. Dad went home from the pub and asked Kate what happened in Australia. I mean, how dumb was that? It was the beginning of the end. They argued. Kate said the guy wore a Batman t-shirt on the day they met. She woke up the next morning, and Batman had gone. Kate had no idea who he was or where he lived. They were drunk and didn’t use protection. Her first thought was to find the tour guide who had driven the bus. It took all day, but she found the guide in a bar later that evening. The girl could remember the two blokes. She’d brought them into town from the airport earlier in the week. She found Kate their details the next morning. Gerry Hogan and Nick Barrett. Kate flew out of Darwin the next day.”

  “So, your Dad put two and two together and worked out that Gerry Hogan was Rachel’s father,” said Alex.

  “That had to be worth something, didn’t it?” said Carl.

  “Why didn’t your father act upon the information?” asked Gus.

  “He wanted me to screw as much as I could out of Hogan, and we’d split it fifty-fifty.”

  “So, you bought a gun?” asked Alex.

  “In Bristol, yeah, no problem.”

  “How did you get to Trowle Common?”

  “On the bus,” said Carl.

  “You walked up to the front door, rang the bell, and Rachel answered.”

  “Eventually,” said Carl. “I asked for Gerry Hogan. She called out for him. He stepped outside and asked what I wanted. I told him what I knew. I had the gun in front of me, like this, with my back to the road. So the neighbours didn’t see.”

  Carl held his arms out. An amateur, just as Gus thought.

  “What did he do, tell you to take a hike? Then you shot him?” asked Gus.

  “No, you’ve got it all wrong. I went through Dad’s story, and when I told him he’d been sleeping with his daughter for the past five years, he went as white as a sheet. I’d never pointed a gun at anyone before. He grabbed my hand and twisted it around until the barrel pointed at his temple. The gun fired. I didn’t intend to shoot him; you’ve got to believe me. He kept squeezing my fingers.”

  “What did you do next?” asked Gus.

  “He wore these stupid white cotton gloves. There was blood and brain matter on both of us. I knew that if I stuck around and tried to explain it was suicide, nobody would believe me. My fingers were on the trigger. It was my gun. So, I took the gloves off, stripped off my shirt, wiped myself down as best I could, and wrapped the gun in the gloves. I ran across the common towards Bradford. It was warm. Nobody took any notice of a guy out running without a shirt. I got rid of the gun down a drain and then stashed the gloves in a train station bin. I jumped on the first train out, no matter which direction it was going. Lucky for me, it stopped at Bath Spa. I crashed in Victoria Park and caught a bus to Bristol in the morning. I grabbed my stuff from the squat where I was living and borrowed the cash from a mate to make up the money for a one-way ticket here. Since I arrived here I’ve worked in bars and never been in trouble with the law. I’ve always had one eye on the door waiting for someone like you to come to arrest me. I didn’t kill anyone, honest.”

  Monday, 20th August 2018

  Alex opened his inbox just after nine o’clock to find the return message from Bronwen.

  ‘The girl I met on the plane was always Cat to me, because of her t-shirt. Her name was Katie or Katherine, and she came from a place in Surrey, but I can’t remember the name. Hazel something.’

  “What now, guv?” he asked after he’d shown Gus the message,

  “I called Geoff Mercer yesterday. Carl Wallace is flying to the UK under escort. Jeff Cummins agreed to a DNA paternity test. We’ll know the results on Thursday or Friday.”

  “You were inclined to believe Carl Wallace, weren’t you guv,” said Alex.

  “Everything we knew about Gerry Hogan points that way, Alex. He was an honest man who went out of his way to avoid trouble. When Wallace told him Rachel’s mother, Kate, was the girl he slept with that night, everything he had worked so hard to protect was running through his fingers like sand. He could see only one way out.”

  Friday, 24th August 2018

  “The DNA results are back, Gus,” said Geoff Mercer. “They confirm that Jeff Cummins is Rachel’s bio
logical father.”

  “Thanks, Geoff,” said Gus.

  Gus picked up his car keys and headed for the lift. He had to inform Rachel Cummins and Sean and Byron Hogan that Gerry’s death was a tragic but genuine mistake.

  You have just finished reading ‘A Genuine Mistake,’

  the eleventh book in the series featuring ‘The Freeman Files’.

  The thirteenth book in the series ‘Strange Beginnings’ will follow.

  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.

  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.

  The Phoenix Club

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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 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 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 st
rengthens 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.