Hunt for A Killer

By Vernon B. Bushway, Jr

"Hunt For A Killer" is a story about a retired los Angeles Police Department detective Jake Caldwell, who decides to establish the "Caldwell Detective Agency" in Los Angeles, California after his retirement with his longtime friend and former LAPD partner, Ed O' Riley.

One of the most interesting cases the agency encounters is when Mrs. Elizabeth Murphy, hires the Caldwell Detective Agency to determine if her husband Jack Murphy, who has been a wealthy Los Angeles stockbroker, committed suicide as the LAPD had ruled or was murdered, by a person or persons unknown. Jake and his partner take the case, which leads them into a world of gambling and organized crime. Maria Vasquez, Jakes longtime girlfriend who is also a famous Los Angeles criminal attorney, becomes involved in the case and helps determine if I was a murder or suicide. The investigation leads them to Jack Murphy's mistress, who is living at the Century Plaza Hotel, in Beverly Hills California and uncovers Jack Murphy's obsession with gambling at the various horse race tracks around the country and gambling in Las Vegas and finally setting up his own casino in Gardena California. When Jake and Ed finally decide it was murder that leads to the arrest and trial of one of jack's longtime friends; Maria Vasquez defend the accused against the snobbish Los Angeles District Attorney, who is also up for reelection in the City of Los Angeles.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vernon B. Bushway, Jr
• Release date: Sep 23, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310561269

Book preview

HUNT FOR A KILLER

By

Vernon Bushway Jr.

A Jake Caldwell Novel

Copyright © 2014 Vernon B. Bushway Jr.

Vernon B. Bushway Jr. Publishing

First edition

Distributed by Smashwords

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission of the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.

Ebook formatting by www.ebooklaunch.com

This is a work of fiction, Characters, Corporations, Institutions and Organizations in this novel are the product of the author's imagination, or if real are used fictitiously without any intent to describe their actual conduct.

Table of Contents

Chapter One: The Meeting

Chapter Two: Getting Started With The Investigation

Chapter Three: The Meeting at 10 AM

Chapter Four: Getting Down to The Basics

Chapter Five: Getting to Know Mr. Jack Murphy

Chapter Six: More Information on Mr. Jack Murphy

Chapter Seven: Removing the Shell from Mr. Murphy

Chapter Eight: The Finding of Miss Linda Dawson

Chapter Nine: Visiting Miss Dawson

Chapter Ten: Return to Los Angeles

Chapter Eleven: Back to The Office

Chapter Twelve: The Case Review

Chapter Thirteen: The Second Visit to Mrs. Murphy

Chapter Fourteen: The Giovanni Visit

Chapter Fifteen: Putting It All Together

Chapter Sixteen: Ed O' Riley's Return to Los Angeles

Chapter Seventeen: Closing in on Mr. Frank Gilbert

Chapter Eighteen: The Interrogation of Backaville

Chapter Nineteen: Return to Los Angeles From San Francisco

Chapter Twenty: Interrogation at Hollywood Homicide Division

Chapter Twenty-One: The Events After San Francisco

Chapter Twenty-Two: New Happenings

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Trial First Day

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Second Day

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Third Day

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Fourth Day

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Fifth Day

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Sixth Day The Verdict

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Aftermath

Chapter Thirty: The New Investigation

Chapter One:

The Meeting:

I was in my office, just off 3rd Street and Broadway, in downtown Los Angeles California, looking out the 18th story window observing the sun setting in the West over the Pacific Ocean. It was one of those great days in Los Angeles, a gentle breeze off the Ocean clearing out all the smog. You could see clearly the high-rise buildings that now dotted Santa Monica off Wilshire Blvd. When I was younger, much younger, there were no high-rise buildings in Santa Monica. Just one and two story buildings and you could take the Street Car (Red Car) from almost anywhere in the Los Angeles area to the beach, but the politicians found a way to eliminate the Street Car in favor of the Smoking Diesel Bus.

My name is Jacob Caldwell, but no one calls me Jacob any more, my Mother does, but the rest of the world Jake. I am a Private Detective. I spent the first four years of my Law Enforcement Career as an Air Force Military Police Officer, in Vietnam and the last twenty-five years as a Los Angeles Police Officer. I decided to retired, took my pension and opened the Caldwell Detective Agency, in Downtown Los Angeles.

My Mother still lives in Van Nuys, in the San Fernando Valley, on Sylvan Street, in a house she and my Dad bought in 1950, for $5,000 on a sales contract. A typical Southern California white Spanish Stucco, two bedrooms, one bath, living room with a fireplace, dining room, kitchen and a back porch that opens on to the driveway leading to a two-car garage with barn like doors. As I reminisced about my younger years, my Secretary Joan entered and informed me a prospective client was waiting to see me about a problem.

I said to Joan,

What is our new prospects name?

Her name is Elisabeth Murphy and she lives in Hollywoodland and was recommended, by your brother.

Okay, send her in.

Good morning Mrs. Murphy, I am Jake Caldwell, how may I help you?

Mr. Caldwell your brother said you could help me with my dilemma.

And what is your dilemma.

My Husband, Jack, has been murdered and the Police refuse to do anything about it, they say he committed suicide, but I know that is not true, he would never do such a thing, it's against our religion.

Mrs. Murphy the Police in these matters are usually correct. They have the facilities and where with all, to investigate and come up with the right answers. That has been my experience as a Detective for many years with the Department.

That may be so, but I am willing to pay, whatever it costs, for you to verify their findings are correct one way or the other. Cost is not an issue.

I looked at Mrs. Murphy, who was a tall willowy dark haired woman of about thirty-five, dressed in a light brown Swede suit and wearing six-inch high heel shoes, which made her legs look very nice, she looked like money.

"Okay, I will look into the suicide; my standard fee is $500 a day plus expenses with a $1500 dollar deposit. I assure you, the minute I am convinced the Police reports are correct or not, I will let you know. By the way, what business was your husband in?

He was a very successful Stock Broker with E. F. Hampton here in Los Angeles.

She agreed to the financial conditions and I instructed her to meet with my Secretary and sign our Standard Investigation Contract and leave the deposit with Joan.

Chapter Two:

Getting Started With The Investigation:

The first thing I decided to do, upon Mrs. Murphy leaving the office, was to asked Joan to Google Mr. Murphy and see what she came up with regarding his activities in the world. Second, I placed a call to LAPD and talked with my former partner Jim Kelly, in the Hollywood Division, and asked if I would provide me a copy of the Murphy suicide file. He said that would not be a problem, since the case is closed and therefore it was not an active investigation and he would E-Mail a copy of the file within a few minutes.

I had nothing pressing, my only case at the moment, but I decided I would wait for the file and then decide if I should drive out to Hollywoodland and look the area over.

I then asked my Secretary,

Joan, Jim Kelly is E Mailing a copy of the Murphy file in the next few minutes; make me a hard copy right away.

Okay Jake, will do.

Just as Jim promised, Joan laid the file on my desk about 15 minutes; it pays to have friends in high places. Jim was a Commander now of the Hollywood Division. I open the file and the first thing I saw was Mr. & Mrs. Murphy lived at 2800 Beachwood Drive in the Hollywood Hills, which of course was part of the original Hollywood Land Development, by a Real Estate Syndicate consisting of General M. H. Sherman (Founder of West Hollywood) Harry Chandler (Publisher Los Angeles Times and developer Sidney Woodruff. They broke the first ground in 1923 on the development, which consisted of 500 Acers of the Sherman/Clark Ranch.

The next important issue in the file was that Mr. Murphy killed by a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the left side of his head, by a 1911, 45 Caliber Army issued handgun in his automobile. Now served four years in Vietnam in the Air Force, as a Military Police Officer, where I carried the 1911 on my hip. It was a heavy weapon and if I planned to kill myself, I would use a much lighter caliber weapon, for the wound from a 1911 is messy. In addition, in my conversations with Mrs. Murphy it came up, for some reason, I cannot remember why, Mr. Murphy was right handed. Now why would he shoot himself using his left hand, a question that must be answered? Mrs. Murphy indicated her husband did not own a weapon of any kind, if fact he hated guns after serving in the Marines in the Gulf War.

The next item of interest I should investigated, was the statement He had no known enemies, now, I know for a fact all Stock Brokers have some enemies, due to major financial losses some of his clients may have incurred from time to time.

Those were the top three items, which stood out in the report, the rest being routine, time, dates, location, Coroner's Report, time of death, Investigators on the case and so forth. I'll see where the top three items lead us; once you look into one item or two, you always end up with many more places to go.

It was getting late in the day, so I placed a call to Mrs. Murphy's home and made an appointment to meet at her home, at 10 AM in the morning, to go over some of the many questions in my mind and learn more about Mr. Murphy's life. I said good night to Joan and headed for my favorite restaurant, on La Cienega Blvd., Ollie Hammonds, just North of Wilshire Blvd and have one of their fine steaks. Then head for home on Lookout Mountain Road, just off Laura Canyon.

I drove out Wilshire Blvd. from downtown all the way to La Cienega, turned right and pulled my 911 Mid Night Black Porsche into the parking lot. Not only was this my favorite place to eat, but before my wife and son died in that horrendous car crash, on the 405 near Oso Parkway in Orange County, she also enjoyed Ollie Hammonds. It took several years for me to get over that accident, where a Semi Truck plowed in to the back of her SUV, demolished the car, and killed the two I loved most in my life, besides my Mother and Dad. Since that time, many years ago, I had little interest in remarrying, but I did have a longtime girlfriend, Maria Vasquez, in fact, she was meeting me tonight.

I walked in Ollie's and was greeted by my longtime friend, George Jones, who is the Manager.

Good evening Jake, your usual table and will Miss Vasquez be joining you this evening?

Why Yes George, she should be arriving any time now.

When she does I'll escort her to your table.

Thanks George.

and I walked over to my usual table, by the window, looking out on La Cienega Blvd.

This area of Los Angeles has an interesting history, for at one time there were many Oil Wells in the area. In fact, just up the street between Beverly Blvd, and 3rd Street, there was an Oil Well in the middle of the street, so the street went around it on each side. Another interesting point, where the large Beverly Center Shopping Mall is located between Beverly Blvd. and 3rd Street and Cedar Sinai Medical Center,