A Genuine Mistake

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 biological 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