The Late Greats Read Free

paused. ‘You were probably a bit too old given that you’d been Greg’s babysitter.’
    She was playing with me again. I smiled. ‘I’m not that much older than you.’
    ‘I’ve still got their debut single somewhere’ she said. ‘Limited edition vinyl. Yellow, I think. Might be worth something now. I think I’ve still got a demo tape they sold at gigs somewhere, too.’
    ‘Hardcore fan’ I said.
    She stood up and headed to the door. ‘I’d love to continue chatting, but tell Kane this wasn’t what we agreed. He said I’d have full access to the band whenever I wanted it. I haven’t got time to be sat doing nothing. If he’s got a problem, any kind of problem, you should tell him to give me a call.’ She turned back to face me. ‘And don’t forget he told me you’re at my disposal.’
    I watched the door close. I was sure she knew something was wrong.
     
    I called Major. Early evening and I’d made no progress. If I was going to have Julia on my back, he was going to have to be more helpful.
    ‘What’s the score?’ he said after he’d eventually answered my call.
    ‘Still looking.’ I could hear noise in the background. ‘Where are you?’
    ‘I’m going outside.’ He told me to wait a minute. It was quieter when he came back on the line.
    ‘I’m at the fucking Guildhall. A Civic Reception.’
    ‘Why?’ I didn’t understand. I knew the place, but I’d never been invited in. Not even when I had been playing rugby.
    ‘Do you think I want to be here, PI?’ Major said. ‘There’s a lot riding on this reunion. Not just for me. It makes the city look good, too. PR. Everyone wants a piece of good news, especially the freeloading arts cunts who invited me here.’
    I stopped his rant and updated him on what I’d been doing and my lack of a breakthrough.
    ‘Fuck’s sake. You keep looking, alright?’ he said.
    ‘It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.’
    ‘No it’s not. That’s why I’m paying you. You’re supposed to be a professional. We’re in Hull, not London. This place is like a fucking village by comparison.’
    ‘It’s not my job’ I told him.
    ‘Your job is whatever I say it is.’
    ‘My job is to keep an eye on the band and Julia Gowans.’
    ‘Don’t you think that includes keeping an eye on the singularly most important member of the band?’
    I was tempted to hang up. I took a moment. Made my decision. ‘My invoice will be in the post.’
    ‘What?’
    ‘We’re done. It’s not the job I signed up for. You should go to the police. They can help you. I can’t.’
    ‘Hold on, PI. Without Tasker, there’s no band’ he said. ‘And with no band, there’s no reunion. With no reunion, there’s no story. And with no story, there’s nothing. We’re all wasting our time.’ He paused. ‘I’ll double your money, alright?’
    It was as close to an apology as I was going to get. And the money would be useful. Not that I’d seen any yet.
    ‘Start again. What have you got for me?’ he said.
    I told him who I’d spoken to and how I hadn’t turned up any concrete leads on where Tasker might be.
    ‘The studio’s a waste of time’ he said.
    ‘His engineer said he wasn’t there too often.’
    ‘Sounds about right. It’s a shithole. It isn’t hi-tech enough to attract decent bands, but it’s too expensive for your local bands.’ He shrugged. ‘Pointless. No good to anybody.’
    ‘I’ve spoken to Greg’s girlfriend’ I said. ‘She thinks he was having an affair with a woman called Lorraine. She runs a New Holland website.’
    ‘I know who you mean. She’s been hanging around the band like a bad smell from day one. She’s fucking weird.’
    ‘Weird?’
    ‘Too interested, wants to get too close. The kind who’s probably got a shrine dedicated to the band in her back bedroom. Might stick a knife in your back one day, you know the sort.’
    ‘Do you know where I’ll find her?’
    ‘No idea, PI. I’m not in touch with her, other than the