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

gone. I didn’t hear a car or a motorcycle, or someone running. Nothing.”

“A trying time for everyone involved,” said Gus. “After the funeral, and the business with the will, what happened?”

“I went back to work,” said Rachel. “It was important for me to continue to pay my way. Gerry earned enough that I didn’t need to work, but I insisted. Sean was eighteen and was soon off to university. He spent his holidays here; of course, it was still his home. Byron left school that summer after failing most of his GCSE’s. He knew where he wanted to be, and it wasn’t at school doing A-Levels and going to university like Sean.”

“He wanted to be on the green baize,” said Gus.

“Exactly,” said Rachel. “He was off to Q School. Gerry would have wanted me to help Byron achieve his dream, so I did everything I could. Sean wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps.”

“Who suggested employing a manager to cover the period between Gerry’s death and Sean graduating?” asked Luke.

“Nobody,” said Rachel. “It was common sense. Daniel has been a godsend.”

“That’s Daniel Braund, is it?” asked Gus. “Where did you find him?”

“I advertised in the relevant magazines and interviewed the three people whose CV’s appeared to match the same qualifications Gerry possessed. It’s not rocket science. When I sat in the same room as the three people on my short-list, Daniel stood out as the best candidate. I made the right choice. Daniel held the firm steady after it had lost its founder, made slight improvements in performance in the interim, and then helped Sean get settled. Daniel took the job believing it was for the short term. He’s not far off retirement, but Sean valued his input so highly that he persuaded Daniel to stay.”

“So, does Byron come home from time to time?” asked Gus.

“There’s not much of an off-season with snooker,” said Rachel. “The weather doesn’t play a part. Byron’s home for a week, here and there.”

“What about Sean?”

“He sleeps here when he’s not at his girlfriend’s,” said Rachel. “They met at university. She comes from Gloucester.”

“Does his girlfriend come here?”

“Clare comes with Sean, now and then.”

“After Gerry died, was there ever an awkward moment with the boys?” asked Luke.

“You can’t help yourself, can you? I loved Gerry. Yes, he was forty-nine when we met, and I was twenty-five. Gerry didn’t bring me here to meet the boys at first. We met up for meals in restaurants in Bath and Trowbridge to break the ice. They knew their Dad was seeing someone. Then the four of us flew out to the Algarve and had a great holiday in the sun. Gerry told the boys in the car on the way back from Bristol Airport that I was coming to live with them.”

“Did they accept you straight away?” asked Gus.

“There was never any animosity,” said Rachel. “Of course, it took time for us to adjust. I’d never lived with anyone before. I was an only child, so I didn’t have any experience of sharing a house with boys. I loved being around Gerry. Maybe I missed pointers that Sean and Byron resented me taking the place of their Mum, but they never said a word. You must ask them. As for awkward moments, Gerry and I slept at one end of the house, and the boys' bedrooms were a distance away. They used the family bathroom. Gerry and I had the en-suite. It was quite civilised, DS Sherman.”

“I’m sure it was, Ms Cummins,” said Luke. “But you can understand why Belinda Hogan took issue with a thirty-year-old single woman sharing a house with two teenage boys.”

“Belinda accused me of corrupting a minor,” said Rachel.

“Byron was sixteen when Gerry died,” said Luke.

“I read the newspapers,” said Rachel. “Teachers go to prison for having intercourse with a student, and teenage lads jump in bed with their mate’s mother. Sean and Byron never tried it on with me. I wasn’t interested in them. Gerry was everything to me. When he died, I didn’t want to think about anyone else. Remember what I said earlier. Sean left home and went to university. Byron went to Q School. The only time the three of us have spent any length of time together under this roof was between the sixth of May and September when the boys started their new term or career. The three of us spent that time grieving for Gerry.”

“Has there been anyone since for you?” asked Gus.

“I’ve had the same life as I had when I first moved to Bath, Mr Freeman. Trips to the theatre, concerts, the cinema, evenings with friends that I’ve met through work. I’ve visited restaurants with Daniel Braund and his wife. Daniel brought Simian along, a younger colleague from his previous firm in Bristol. We met up several times after that, but there was no spark as far as I was concerned.”

“You hinted that we could look around the house earlier,” said Gus. “Is that possible?”

“I don’t know how it will help find Gerry’s killer,” said Rachel.

She stood up, collected their cups, and put them on the tray.

“Follow me, and we’ll start in the kitchen.”

Gus and Luke trailed along behind Rachel Cummins as she showed them each of the rooms on the ground floor. Luke gave a low whistle when they entered the gym.

“You could run classes at home with the professional equipment you have here.”

“Never in a million years,” laughed Rachel. “Gerry wanted this place to be a home, not an extension to the office,”

The games room was in good order, but the snooker table had a protective cover. A thin layer of dust on the rack holding cues and rests suggested it didn’t get used as much as it did when the boys lived here full time.

There was a good-sized lounge