RV Murders: Jim Richards Murder Mysteries, #40

By Bob Moats

Jim and Penny have retired from chasing crimanls around Las Vegas and decide to go on a cross country vacation in their motorhome. Their first stop is in Lake Havasu to visit the London Bridge.
While in the campground there turns up a strange case of murder. A man in an RV across from Jim and Penny finds himself in bed with a strange dead woman, who is not his wife and who is now missing.
The police find too many twists in the case and the lad detective allows Jim and Penny to tag along while he tracks down the killer. So far it looks like a drug cartel murder or a bad case of prostitution gone wrong.
Will Jim and Penny help catch the killer and avoid being murdered by a drug lord? 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bob Moats
• Release date: Feb 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393056232

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

Chapter 1

We were up early on a beautiful Friday morning loading our Roadtrek Class-B motorhome with as much as we would need to be on the road for a month. Clothing, of course, and I warned Penny not to overdo it. She yielded and only packed the essentials for life on the road. I wasn’t a clothes horse, so I didn’t have much but a couple pair of pants, shirts and under stuff. The kitchen storage was filled with canned goods and camping type foods, powered milk, and other such amenities.

Don’t forget to pack Willy, Penny said, coming around the van with his soft bed.

How can I, he’s always at my feet. I’m surprised I haven’t tripped on him. Just what I would need, a broken arm or leg. Then you’d have to drive.

No, we’d just postpone the trip. I’m not driving all the way across the country with you just sitting there, relaxing.

Thank you, my dear. I appreciate the thought.

And don’t break any part of your body while we are on the trip, she warned.

Yes, dear, I said and loaded the last of the blankets and sheets. Willy jumped into the van and up on the driver’s seat. See, Willy will drive if I hurt myself.

She looked into the van at Willy and said, He’d probably drive better than you. She turned back to the house and I followed. Willy jumped down and came up behind me.

Watch it, dog. Don’t get under me, I said to him.

So, is everything ready in here? she asked, entering the house.

I’ve set all the alarms to activate once we are out the door and I adjusted all the light timers to go on and off at night. The house will look lived in.

Good, I don’t want to come back to an empty house. Did you cancel the cleaning ladies?

I did. Rosie agreed to wait until I called her back. She sounded disappointed, but the house doesn’t need cleaning if we aren’t here to mess it up.

Good, so let’s go to the office and say good-bye to everyone.

I closed up the house and set the alarms, then followed Penny to the van.

I got in the driver’s seat and looked out the front windshield. Willy was sitting in the middle of the driveway staring at me. Penny, will you call Willy, he doesn’t seem to want to come with us.

Penny looked around her opened passenger door and saw the dog. Willy, what’s the matter with you? Don’t you want to go for a ride?

Willy just sat there, so Penny went and picked him up. That’s strange, she said getting in, setting Willy on the floor. He’s never refused a ride. Do you think it’s an omen? They say animals know when disaster is going to happen.

Let’s not start this trip with dire warnings. I want to enjoy our vacation, I replied and started the van. I carefully backed out of the driveway and on to the road.

But don’t you find it strange that Willy was reluctant about coming with us? Penny asked.

No, he was being stubborn. He isn’t a harbinger of doom. Now, relax and enjoy the ride.

I think we should postpone the trip, Penny said.

Based on what? Because Willy didn’t want to get in the van? No, we’re going on.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you, Penny said ominously.

Stop that. Enjoy yourself.

I pulled up to the back of my office building and parked. Penny opened her door and Willy went shooting out and up to the back door of the office.

See, he knows something is wrong, she said.

I just ignored her and went to the back door and went in followed by Penny. In the hallway, I stopped at each office and found no one in them. Where is everyone? I mumbled.

I went to the glass doors to the front and made a loud noise so as not to frighten Lacey. I went through them and found Tracey at Lacey’s desk.

Oh, that’s right, Lacey has the flu. But it’s been a week, is she still sick?

Tracey smiled and said, No, she’s in the break room with everyone else. She asked me to watch the front.

Penny came through the doors and I told her what was going on. Let’s go to the break room and see what she’s up to, I said.

We went through a side door and down a short hallway past Lynn’s office, then to the break room door. I opened it and we went in to cheers.

I was surprised to see everyone in the room, all seated around a table covered with food and a cake.

We’re throwing a going away party, Lacey said. It’s actually more of a glad you are going away party, she smirked.

If it were up to Willy and Penny, we wouldn’t be going, I said.

Oh, no. You are going on this trip if I have to push you out the back door, Lacey said.

I grinned and turned to everyone. Well, this is nice, thank you all. They all cheered and started grabbing food. I moved in quickly before it was all gone. I managed to make a roast beef sandwich and took a heaping portion of potato salad. Penny was eating anything