The Mysterious Death of RJS

By Vernon W. Baumann

On a crisp Sunday morning, a jogger discovers two dead bodies on Mulholland Drive. The victims are both teens. It's a day after graduation. Characterized as an execution-style shooting by the media, the deaths send shock waves through Hollywood. Is it a bungled robbery? A gang related homicide? Or something far more mysterious and sinister? What could have happened to the youthful victims? And is there a reason why anybody would want to kill the gifted teen, known to everybody as RJS? As detective Lothar Larsson uncovers the truth behind the murders, he discovers that - in the hills and valleys of Beverly Hills - fact can be stranger than fiction.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Paper Corporation
• Release date: Mar 18, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301608973

Vernon W. Baumann

Vernon W. Baumann was born in Ermelo, South Africa. He studied at the University of the Free State where he obtained a B.A. (Hons) degree.He worked for several years as a copywriter in the South African advertising industry. Driven by a need to write, he abandoned the industry and began teaching at the University of the Free State.He now lives in Bloemfontein (Free State) with his beautiful wife, two dogs and five cats (at last count).Vernon William also published under the name Vernon W. - writing crime and espionage thrillers.

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The mysterious death of RJS

A short story by Vernon W. Baumann

The Mysterious Death of RJS

Vernon W. Baumann

Published by Vernon W. Baumann @ Smashwords

Copyright (c) 2013 by Vernon W. Baumann

All rights reserved.  No part of this book may be used, reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the written permission of the author, except where permitted by law, or in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. 

All the characters (unless otherwise stated) are fictitious in nature and any resemblance to persons, alive or dead, is purely co-incidental.

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Cover: Shutterstock

Design & logo: Laura Drennan. Contact her at [e-mail] for comprehensive cover designs starting at $50.

Acknowledgements

As always, I wish to extend my eternal gratitude, thanks and praise to our Heavenly Father, God. Thank you for everything – including this story’s success. You bless me so profusely, dear Lord. Secondly I want to thank my beautiful and wonderful wife, Rouxlien. You are my inspiration and my guide. Thank you. I also want to thank Laura Drennan for the wonderful cover design of my story. You rock, girl! And then, last, but certainly not least, I want to thank all those people who took the time, money and effort to buy this story … and read it. Thank you. Without you guys … there is nothing.

This is all for you!

Dedicated to my beautiful (and long-suffering) wife, Rouxlien.

Thank you for your faith and support. I love you, always.

Table of Contents

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Twelve

Thirteen

Fourteen

One

On the morning of the sixteenth of June – on what was to become an exquisite summer’s day in the sculpted landscape of Beverly Hills – Jane Dougherty went for her usual Sunday morning jog. As always, she chose to exercise along the scenic route offered by Mulholland Drive – the serpentine artery of greater LA that stretches all the way from the 405 Freeway in the west to the Cahuenga Pass in the east. Being a fit and trim forty-two years, Jane Dougherty was not scared of a little exertion. Consequently she made her husband (long suffering, some would say) drop her off at the Hollywood Bowl lookout – a little promontory that offered a spectacular view of one of Hollywood’s most famous landmarks. In less than an hour, Jane would make her way to Bowmont Drive and then to Loma Vista, where her modern and spacious house was located in a side street. Anybody that has ever attempted the hilly route of Mulholland Drive would know – this is no mean feat!

On the morning of the sixteenth, however, Jane never reached her destination. Jogging past the multi-million dollar homes that lined the southern side of Mulholland, Jane was about to make her sweaty way to Dead Man’s Lookout – another well-known feature of the area – when she stopped dead in her tracks.

Feeling a cold sweat break out on her hot body, Jane Dougherty ran all the way to a friend who lived in a nearby house overlooking Dead Man’s Lookout. Arriving at the house, completely out of breath and drenched in sweat, Jane hammered on the door until her surprised friend opened up. Without any explanations, she demanded to use the telephone (Jane never carried a cell phone on her routes; the bounce of the phone in her pocket upset her rhythm). A minute later, the 911 operator was told that there were two dead bodies on Mulholland Drive. Less than five minutes later, the first patrol car arrived on the scene. It was just before six.

More patrol cars arrived and shortly thereafter the area around the lookout was cordoned off with yellow crime scene tape. The media – as usual – were quick to respond and the deaths made the seven o’ clock morning news (Later that morning the deaths made headlines across the length and breadth of the US). As expected, the twin murders sent shockwaves through the wealthy western districts of LA County.

Any murder in the affluent and world-famous city of Beverly Hills is always noteworthy. But it was the identities of the victims that truly shocked the jaded people of LA. Mary (Maria) da Silva was the daughter of notorious entertainment lawyer Alberte da Silva and successful real estate