Gus Mackie and the Lost Heiress: Gus Mackie Novella series, #4

By Bob Moats

Gus Mackie was relaxing in his new office in a better part of Detroit when he saw the young girl in front of his building. She was reading the sign in the window telling the world that a private investigator worked there. Gus could see she was homeless and went to open the door as she stood looking apprehensive. She finally came in and told Gus about how she wanted to find her mother who gave her up for adoption when she was a child. The girl lived on the streets most of her life and wanted a family now. Gus takes the case and offers her a place to stay, as Angela, Gus’ daughter, takes the girl under her wing and gives her a new look. Gus brings his police detective friend, Bernie, along as they both go track down the girl’s family. Does her mother want to see her, or not. Does her family welcome her into their home and will her past homeless acquaintances try to make money off of her new found wealth. Questions, searches and danger put everyone in the hunt for her family. Will she be reunited with them? This is the fourth novella of the Gus Mackie series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Magic 1 Productions
• Release date: Dec 31, 2014
• ISBN: 9781507086063

Bob Moats

Detroit area resident, Bob Moats, has been writing short stories and plays for as long as he can remember. He has lost most of his original stories, typed or handwritten, in the numerous moves he has made from his hometown of Fraser, Michigan to Northern Michigan, to Las Vegas and back to Fraser, where he now lives. Moats became one of the causalities of unemployment a year ago, and had time on his hands to finally pursue a life long dream of writing a full blown crime novel. Thus was born the first book, "Classmate Murders".What followed was a series of seven books starting with "The Classmate Murders" which introduces the main character, Jim Richards, who has to admit he has become a senior citizen, reluctantly. Richards, one day, receives an email from a childhood sweetheart asking for his help, but by the time he reaches her, she has been murdered. His life turns around and he is pulled into numerous murders of women from his high school who he hasn't seen in forty years. Along with a friend of his, Buck, a big, mustached biker, they go off to track down the killer before he can get to one former classmate, Penny Wickens, a TV talk show host who Jim has just fallen for while protecting her. The killer is also murdering the women right out from under police protection, driving homicide detective Will Trapper crazy, and he slowly depends on Jim to help. There's humor, suspense, wild chases across suburban Detroit with cops, classic cars and motorcycle clubs; murder, mayhem, a good amount of romance and a twist ending.Jim and his crime fighters, continue in the other books, traveling to Las Vegas twice, back to Detroit and out to New York to solve murders involving dominatrix; mistresses; Bridezillas; magic and strip clubs.Book titles: Classmate Murders; Vegas Showgirl Murders; Dominatrix Murders; Mistress Murders; Bridezilla Murders; Magic Murders; Strip Club Murders and Made-for-TV Murders.

Book preview

Gus Mackie and the Lost Heiress

A Gus Mackie Novella #4

Copyright © 2014 by Bob Moats.

All rights reserved.

Rev. 1230141640p

THIS BOOK IS LICENSED for your personal use only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

NO PART OF THIS BOOK may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author's rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

THIS IS A WORK OF PURE fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

FOR INFORMATION AND address:

Magic 1 Productions

P.O. Box 524, Fraser MI 48026-0524

Website: http://murdernovels.com

Cover by Bob Moats

Photo: (c) stokkete  www.fotosearch.com

Extra special thanks to:

Special thanks to Val Brooks who edited this book and for her great suggestions.

THANKS TO THE BETA readers Cindy Gross Valstad, Al Norris, and Carolyn Linington.

THANK YOU TO ALL THE people who purchased this book. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it for my faithful readers.

THE JIM RICHARDS FAMILY of Readers is listed in the back of the book.

Gus Mackie and the Lost Heiress

Chapter 1

FRITZ WAS SNIFFING the opened box that was delivered by UPS, and I hoped he wouldn’t pee on it. The box had contained my new computer, which I was trying to set up on my desk. I wasn’t very computer literate, so I would have to depend on my daughter to help me get it running properly. I had a computer from my old office, but it still had Windows 98 on it. It did the job for what I needed, but some websites I would go to refused to cooperate with Win98. So, I was forced kicking and screaming into the 21st century by technology.

Fritz snorted and tried to get in the box. It was just a little too small and tipped over, dumping him on the ground. He recovered and went to his doggy bed and sat staring at the box. Fritz was a German Shepherd that I found out was formerly in the military police K-9 corps. He came to me from a case of a missing princess and he saved my life twice so far. I hoped he would always like me enough to save my life again.

I had the evil computer hooked up and flipped the switch to start it. Well, not actually a flip, more of a push, once I found the stupid power button. The screen winked to life and started to ask me a lot of questions about how I wanted to configure it. I had no idea what it was asking, so I risked killing it by hitting the power button again and shut it off. Angela could help me answer all the questions.

I sat back in the new office I moved into from my slummy office in Detroit. I was still in Detroit, but in a better class of neighborhood. I hoped it would bring in more clients needing my help as a private investigator. I mostly did spousal cheating cases, following the husband or wife to get photos of them cheating. I worked through divorce lawyers, even though I didn’t like lawyers. But they paid well, so I tolerated them.

I wondered what my friend Bernie was up to. He was a Detroit Police homicide detective, and a full-blooded Sioux Indian. I know the politically correct thing to say is Native-American, but Bernie told me he didn’t care. He had told me he was proud to be an Indian. He often called me white man, and I didn’t find it offensive. At least he didn’t call me other less-than-savory names.

I was watching the parking lot through my large front windows when I noticed a young woman walking past. She looked homeless, judging by the clothing she was wearing and the ratty backpack she carried. Detroit had many homeless people, and. Michigan was fifth in the nation for homelessness, with an estimated 2.8 million of them. A lot of them were families who were forced out of their homes by the evil banks. The banking industry was more interested in money, and less concerned about seeing a man, wife and three children living in their car.

She looked fairly young and I wondered what fates brought her to this situation in life. She stood looking at my new sign in the window stating that Gus Mackie, private investigator, worked here. I wondered what she would need a P.I. for. She went to the door and opened it slowly, like she was afraid someone would stop her. I stood and went to the door, opening it for her.

Please come in, do you need a private investigator? I asked as she stood just in the doorway. She looked frightened, and hesitated. Listen, I don’t bite, really. Maybe I can help you? Come in where it’s warm, at least. It was December in Michigan and bitterly cold. She was bundled up in a raggedy winter coat, with a cap on, but she still looked cold. She had slight dirt smudges on her face and hands. She looked like she hadn’t washed in a while. She looked to be in her late twenties and was fairly attractive under the dirt.

I didn’t think she was looking for help from a P.I. She probably just wanted to warm up. I didn’t care. She looked like she needed some warmth. She just stood there and I wished she would do something. It was cold standing with the door open. I was watching her and she suddenly smiled at something behind me. I looked back and saw Fritz standing nearby, watching us.

Pretty dog. Does he bite? she asked meekly.

Only if you aim a gun at me, I replied, smiling. I’m sure you don’t have a gun.

She smiled at me and moved forward into the building. I let the door close as Fritz went up to her, sniffing her clothes, which really needed a good washing. She scratched Fritz’s head and he nuzzled her hand. He turned, went back to his bed and sat watching us.

Please, come and sit, I said, steering her to my client chair. She sat and thanked me. I went around to my desk and sat. Can I help you with something? Do you have something that needs a private investigator?

She sat quietly, opened her coat and reached in it. I hoped it wasn’t for a gun. Fritz was watching her carefully and moved closer to us. She