Murder on Gold Street: Detective Steve Rickets Murder Mystery Short Stories, #1

By Rod Moore

Murder On Gold Street

Murder Mystery Short Stories

Wealthy and successful financial planner James Firth from the wealthy suburb of Carlton turns up murdered in the tough streets of inner city Collingwood. The investigation into his murder unearths a more than questionable lifestyle where it seems that everyone who knew him had a reason to see him dead. 

Detectives Steve Rickets and his partner Detective Sarah Branson follow a trail of dead ends that lead them scratching their heads. Is it the disgruntled business partner, the angry and upset daughter, the woman who secretly loves him, of the crime figure he owes thousands to? 

This classic who done it murder mystery will keep you guessing to the end. An unexpected twist will lead you right to the killer if you spot it. This short story of 12,000 words (appx) is ideal for lovers of hard boiled detective crime thrillers and murder mystery short stories.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Moore Fiction
• Release date: Jan 5, 2016
• ISBN: 9781519992758

Book preview

Table of Contents

CHAPTER ONE | A Body In Gold Street

CHAPTER TWO | Mrs Jane Firth

CHAPTER THREE | Firth & Pinkton

CHAPTER FOUR | Forensics and Drugs

CHAPTER FIVE | Melissa Johnstone

CHAPTER SIX | Detained For Murder

CHAPTER SEVEN | Murder Weapon Found

CHAPTER EIGHT | Anna Firth

CHAPTER NINE | Musicians & Lovers

CHAPTER TEN | A Confession

CHAPTER ONE

A Body In Gold Street

Sunday mornings are for laying in bed late before drinking a cafe latte down at your favorite coffee shop. But not for Detective Steve Rickets. Not this Sunday. His phone rang for the third time in the last five minutes.

Steve rolled over and checked the time. 7:23am. An ungodly hour on a Sunday.

His phone rang again and he decided he best answer it.

‘Morning detective’ he said. It was Detective Sarah Branson his partner for the last eighteen months since he moved to the Collingwood Police Headquarters.

‘About time you answered’ she greeted him tersely.

‘It’s Sunday morning what could be so important?’ he asked though he already knew the answer. There was only one reason she would be calling him this early.

‘We got a homicide. You are required to come on down’ she said.

‘Okay give me fifteen minutes. Where will I meet you?’

‘Gold Street. Murder on Gold Street’

‘See you there shortly’ Steve replied and hung up the phone.

Fifteen minutes later, after showering and throwing down a coffee, Steve pulled his Ford Falcon in behind the other police vehicles at the scene. He stepped out of the car and pulled his jacket tight around his chest to keep out the icy July winds.

Gold street, Collingwood was your typical inner city urban street just a couple of kilometers to the north of Melbourne. Formally a working mans suburb it was a mix of miners cottages, old factories converted into warehouses and apartments. Mostly lower income earners lived in the area. Over time the precinct around Gold Street had seen more than its share of shady and colorful characters.

Steve spotted Branson and walked over to her.

‘What we got?’ he asked her as he glanced at the body half buried in the bushes in a small park. The body was face down in the mud. The back of the head was a bloody mangled mess and the side of the neck had gaping open wounds that looked like puncture marks.

‘Deceased male, approximately early to mid fifties. Name is James Firth partner in the financial firm Firth & Pinkton based in Carlton according to details in his wallet.’ She replied reading through her notes.

‘Any sign of a murder weapon?’

‘Not yet the uniforms are sweeping the area at the moment’

Steve glanced around at the scene. A group of locals had gathered on the perimeter wondering what was happening. ‘Any witnesses of any kind?’ he asked.

‘None that have come forward. Body was called in by a neighbor who was on the way to get his morning paper. He didn’t hear or see anything though.’

‘Okay. Do we have an approximate time of death?’ Steve was growing impatient. He really didn’t need this today. He was looking forward to having the day of but not anymore.

‘Forensics are getting details now but their early guess is around 11pm last night. Looks like it rained overnight so possible that any evidence could have washed away in the night.’

Steve walked over to the body to take a closer look. Branson followed him. In the eighteen months since they became partners she had learned more from Detective Steve Rickets than she had learned in her entire ten years before