A Genuine Mistake by Ted Tayler (miss read books txt) 📗

we’d had a long day out as a family, no,” said Rachel. “Around that time, I was developing new routines that needed polishing before I could introduce them to my clients. You can’t keep doing the same things forever. I wanted to freshen things up, and that Sunday was one of those occasions.”

“You must have been annoyed at getting interrupted,” said Gus. “Surely one of the boys could have gone to see who was at the front door?”

“Do you have teenage sons, Mr Freeman?” asked Rachel.

“I have not,” said Gus.

“Sean and Byron wouldn’t stop what they were doing to do something so mundane. Well, Gerry preferred one of the grown-ups to answer, anyway. He said you never knew who it was or what they wanted. So, when Gerry didn’t respond, I decided I had better.”

“You grabbed a towel, wiped yourself down, and dashed to the door,” said Luke.

“What did you see?” asked Gus.

“A tall, white man, casually dressed who was half-turned away from me.”

“Like a cold-caller, who is half-expecting you to tell him you’re not interested before he gets the chance to say what he’s selling,” said Gus.

Rachel laughed. Gus thought what a pleasant sound it made. It was easy to see why Gerry Hogan had fallen for her.

“Spot on. Mr Freeman. I hadn’t thought of it that way before, but yes, I thought he was a nuisance caller as soon as I set eyes on him. Nobody turned up on a Sunday evening without calling first. As I said, we went out as a family during the summer months.”

“There was no chance you had ever seen the man before?” asked Luke.

“Never,” said Rachel. “A total stranger.”

“Were you surprised when he asked for Gerry by name?” asked Gus.

“Yes. He didn’t look like a man that Gerry would know. Does that sound awful? Gerry was no snob, but most of his friends were professional men, if you know what I mean.”

“Men similar to Nick Barrett, the solicitor, and the well-to-do clients that Gerry handled.”

“Yes, Nick and Gerry went way back. He has a rather high opinion of himself, but Nick’s harmless, bless him.”

“You saw little of him, though?” asked Luke.

“Nick didn’t visit while I was here. He might have done while Evelyn was alive. Nick met her in Australia too, of course. No, Gerry and the boys saw Nick regularly in Bradford-on-Avon. They played snooker together at the club on Market Street.”

“We’ve learned something new today,” said Gus. “I told you we would.”

“I don’t follow,” said Rachel.

“The police were searching for a tall, white, casually dressed man of indeterminate age,” said Gus. “They should have added that the man’s casual attire suggested he was of working-class origin.”

“He was scruffier than Sean or Byron ever were, that’s for sure,” said Rachel. She was staring out of the sunroom window as if she was back on the front doorstep on May the sixth, six years ago. “His trainers were well worn, and he didn’t tie the laces. He tucked them into the tops as lads did back then.”

“Early to mid-twenties then,” said Luke, “but certainly no older.”

“I suppose so,” said Rachel. “I don’t know why that came back to me. I’ve tried to put it behind me.”

“You only stood at the door for a few seconds,” said Gus. “Did you wonder how he’d got to Trowle Common?”

“I didn’t give it a thought,” said Rachel.

“How did we get here today?” asked Gus.

“By car, I presume.”

“It’s parked a yard beyond the gateway, on the right. Could you see it from the door?”

“Only a blur. I wear glasses when I’m doing paperwork, but I’m too vain to wear them at any other time. I tried contact lenses, but they irritated me too much. Why?”

“A neighbour heard a motorcycle leave the area at around six forty-five,” said Gus. “If you had caught even a glimpse, you would have known it was something only a youngster would ride. When you matched that to the trainers and the man’s general demeanour, you would have given DI Kirkpatrick a far more accurate description of the man.”

“I wanted to get back to the gym,” said Rachel. “I didn’t know the man. I didn’t know what business Gerry could have with him. My new routines needed practice, so I called Gerry and returned to the gym.”

“Were you preparing these routines to music?” asked Luke.

“Yes,” said Rachel.

“How did you hear the doorbell?” he asked.

“If you want the grand tour later, you can see what Gerry had installed. He rigged up a discreet security system in the principal rooms. Everywhere except the two bathrooms. An amber light shines when someone rings the doorbell. A green light shows the landline in the hallway. If we saw a red light, one of us had to call 999 because it meant that burglars had broken in through an external door or window. I had my headphones on when the doorbell rang, but I spotted the amber light flashing above the gym door.”

“What about when Sean called for his Dad at a quarter to seven?” asked Gus.

“I had almost finished what I wanted to do,” said Rachel. “I’d taken off the headphones and was tidying away the equipment I’d used. I heard Sean shout and wondered why Gerry hadn’t got rid of that guy yet. So, I went through to the hallway and looked outside.”

“What did you do next?” asked Gus.

“I screamed and ran outside to see if there was something I could do, but it was pointless. Gerry was dead. I looked up to see Sean and Byron stood in the doorway, frozen with shock. I told Sean to go back indoors and phone the emergency services. It was a nightmare.”

“When you first walked outside, did you see or hear anything?” asked Gus.

“The man had