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

“I hope it won’t take long, Gus? I’m on TV this evening, and the crew is setting up outside the building. You’ve got two minutes.”

“Gerry Hogan, sir. Shot on his doorstep on the sixth of May six years ago on Trowle Common. We can’t find anything between 1982 and 1992 when he worked for Hargreaves Lansdown. Were every one of his business dealings without blemish? Didn’t you find even one of his clients as worth an interview?”

“I remember that case, Gus. It isn’t the only one I’ve had to leave unfinished, but everything we tried led to a dead end. Vicky Bennison was my number two back then. She trawled through the various clients that Hogan handled. The guy was as honest as the day was long as far as Vicky could assess. She was an excellent officer. If there was something dodgy, and Vicky didn’t find it, then I was happy to move on to hunt for the killer elsewhere.”

“Many thanks, sir,” said Gus. “You probably need to dash to make-up. I’ll update you if we find a new lead. We’ve made little progress so far.”

“Bye, Gus. I wish you luck.”

Gus sat back in his chair and puffed out his cheeks.

“Another dead end, guv?” asked Alex.

“Kirkpatrick doesn’t think Gerry Hogan did anything in the Eighties to warrant getting shot. They dug into the clients that Hogan handled for Hargreaves Lansdown, and he came up smelling of roses.”

“When everyone gets the chance to read through my notes on this morning’s meeting, I think we’ll agree that Nick Barrett revealed more about the nature of the relationship between him and Gerry Hogan.”

“That was a long speech for you, Neil,” said Luke.

“Cheeky. I meant that from the details in the original murder file, we thought of Gerry Hogan as honest and honourable, a faithful husband and father. A man with no enemies. Nobody could believe that anyone could want him dead.”

“If Hogan slept with seven women on that Australian trip,” said Blessing Umeh. “How many others had he bedded while at university?”

“Barrett described a routine that the pair followed when they were in a bar or nightclub,” said Neil. “Somewhere they hadn’t visited before, where none of the girls knew who they were.”

“We’ve both met Nick Barrett, Neil,” said Gus. “I didn’t peg him as a serial womaniser. Even if he benefitted from hanging onto the coattails of a man who was irresistible to women.”

“You’re more inclined to believe the Australian trip was just Gerry Hogan sowing his wild oats, guv,” said Lydia. “One last fling before knuckling down to working life. If he hadn’t met Evelyn, who had such a profound effect on him, Hogan would probably have returned home, met a local girl in the next couple of years, married, and settled down.”

“That’s the impression I formed of the man,” said Gus. “Nobody in the original investigation, nor any of us, has found a thing to suggest Gerry was ever unfaithful to Evelyn. Belinda would have known or made it her business to find out, especially when looking for ways to challenge the will. No, I believe Hogan acted in the manner that Neil described. It’s not unheard of for students to experience a sexual awakening as part of their time at college or university, and I’ve lost count of media reports about Brits abroad enjoying a hedonistic lifestyle the minute they get the Mediterranean sun on their backs. It takes two to tango. Gerry Hogan found willing partners both at home and abroad. Nick Barrett wasn’t as fortunate. That’s life.”

“Do we continue to look at the names Neil brought back, guv?” asked Blessing. “Or are you saying they’re a waste of time?”

“I’m drawing a dotted line under the bed-hopping that occurred between Hogan leaving school and getting married,” said Gus. “We can’t rule out a connection to his death until you’ve received information from the Hub that removes any lingering doubts. As soon as you can do that, we’ll draw a solid line under it and move on. No, we continue to probe for a connection.”

“The mystery remains then, guv,” said Neil. “If the killer didn’t come from the period between, say, 1976 and 1992, then they must have had a serious disagreement with Hogan between them moving to Trowle Common and the months before his death.”

“That puts the focus firmly on the work I’ve been carrying out,” said Alex.

“If it were easy to spot in the company accounts, you would have found it by now,” said Gus.

“Hogan made piles of money from his business, guv,” said Luke. “That suggests he was an expert. It also means that if he wanted to bury his mismanagement of funds, he could bury the evidence so deep that we would struggle to find it. We aren’t financial experts.”

“Good point, Luke,” said Gus. “No offence, Alex, but we’ll hand the task over to the forensic accountants in the Hub.”

“Fair enough, guv,” said Alex. “It felt a hopeless task from the start. I haven’t spoken with Daniel Braund yet, but the business continues to thrive, and he’s experienced enough to know whether the firm he was employed to oversee was built on firm foundations or shifting sands. Unless he’s a crook, too, then you would hope he would report any issues back to Rachel Cummins. I guess the Hub will come back to us quickly, confirming everything was above board.”

“We’re back to Gerry Hogan, the individual who was as honest as the day is long,” said Gus.

“I’ll try to find something to dirty his reputation tonight, guv,” said Neil.

“When do we speak to Sean Hogan, Luke?” asked Gus.

“Tomorrow afternoon, guv. Two o’clock.”

“Have you got anyone fixed for the morning?”

“Who did you have in mind, guv?”

“Belinda Hogan,” said Gus.

“I’ll get in touch with her, guv. I’ve emailed the charity, and