The Rankin Files Book 2

By Dan Malone

As Chief Inspector of the elite State Homicide Squad, Rankin's job takes him all over the state.

Follow his year as he battles crimes that test his skill as an investigator – crimes like the cruise ship body overboard case, the murder of 5 people at a country rodeo and a murder where even the top police leaders are suspects.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Morris Publishing Australia
• Release date: Jun 2, 2020
• ISBN: 9780648878209

Book preview

THE

RANKIN FILES

Book 2

© Copyright Dan Malone

Australia 2020

Edit, set up and cover design by:

www.gondorwriterscentre.com

The right of Dan Malone to be identified as the

author of this work has been asserted by him.

ISBN: 978-0-6488782-0-9

All rights reserved.

This book is sold subject to the conditions that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permissions of Dan Malone.

This is a work of fiction. Names, character, places, incidents, and dialogue are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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CHAPTER 1

BLACK NIGHT AT BIXBY

Back from his family holiday, Rankin felt relaxed and ready to take over his squad from Black, who with Connors, had run it during the Christmas and new year period, giving himself, Doyle and Kennedy time with their families. Nothing required their services during this period. Now with his full team back at work, they settled into the routine of investigating unsolved murder cases that required their services.

Commissioner Wirth sent for Rankin and gave him four letters for his men. They now had the rank of inspector. Rankin had lobbied for this. When he gave the letters to his men they were well received.

Rankin was home with his family when his police-connected phone rang at eight-thirty Sunday night. The call was from Detective Sergeant Power at Charleville, in the far west of the state. The senior sergeant at Bixby forty miles south-west from Charleville had reported the killing of six people and the serious wounding of another man at a rodeo there. Power stated he, the police photographer and two detectives would be on their way as soon as he could get them together as it was Saturday night.

They got an airstrip there? Rankin asked.

‘There’s a bush landing strip," Power replied.

Okay, we’ll meet you at the murder scene. Don’t touch anything until my team gets there, Rankin instructed.

Rankin arranged a plane to leave at dawn the next day and notified forensics and his men to be at station at five. Mullins, the senior forensic officer, and an assistant would fly with them. They left the station in two police cars and were in the air at six for Bixby.

Their pilot flew over the landing strip to ensure it had no animals on it before landing. He had a lunch box and thermos with him and stayed with the aircraft.

A bus waited at the aerodrome gate to take them through town to the murder site, the showgrounds. The area was littered with rubbish, beer cans, food wrappings and paper from the rodeo. Wind blew rubbish and dust around as they entered.

Several vehicles were parked outside a large canvas marquee, which was open on three sides with a bar inside it. Police had taped the marquee, a vehicle outside the bar, and a body behind it. A uniformed sergeant, and five men were grouped there. Power introduced himself, his team and the local Sergeant Moore and a rodeo committee man Blunt. All looked hung-over as they had been up most of the night.

Mullins and his assistant went to work behind police tape. Wind had blown paper and dust into the bar area contaminating the scene.

Moore gave Rankin an overview of what had happened. A local man, Albert Ross had been badly bashed in the bar by two men. He had returned with a rifle and shot his attackers, two men with them, and one who tried to disarm him. He was shot by Blunt, a rodeo committee man. Five dead bodies are inside the taped bar. Two were shot in the back of the head, two in the side of the head and one in the forehead. That roped area near the vehicle, thirty yards from the bar, has another dead body, shot through the throat.

Power added, Two stockmen saw what was happening and got under a truck parked near the bar entrance. They counted the shots as one of them owned the same type of rifle, an eleven-shot pump action .22 rifle. Both claimed twelve shots were fired. When the killer came outside the annex, shooting at another man, Blunt called to him to put down the rifle, as he had a gun trained on him. Ross ran towards him shooting at him and Blunt shot him. He indicated the man standing beside him.

Blunt nodded and said, I had no choice. Ross had to be stopped.

Power continued, The two men under the truck crash-tackled Ross who was still standing after Blunt shot him.

Mullins came out from the taped off area. Five dead with gunshots to the head by a small calibre weapon. He inspected the other body near the vehicle. This one has been shot in the throat and has choked to death.

Rankin nodded his expression grim. Bag them and get them to the Charleville morgue.

The bodies were loaded onto a truck. Mullins and his assistant travelled with them in the wide-seated Bedford truck. Rankin, Power, and Black entered the taped off area as the rest of Rankin’s team read statements taken by the local police and Power’s officers.

The report told them that ten shells had been found. Six empty shells were found in the bar area, two spaced out outside the bar, and two to the right of them. One empty shell was found in the breech of the gun of the man who had shot the killer, and a live bullet was in the killer’s gun. Ross had no other bullets on him. All were bagged.

Power told Rankin, Statements by witnesses said that Ross had been bashed severely by two men in the bar when he entered it after the rodeo was over. He came back with a gun, killed the men, two of their companions, another man who tried to disarm him and shot at another. The rest you know. Ross was badly injured but was still alive.

Blunt stated, When I called on Ross to drop his rifle, he fired at me, one of his shots hit the bonnet of the car that I was crouching behind and another hit the headlight. The stockmen said three shots were fired, the other must have gone over my head. Unfortunately, it hit and killed a person behind me, an old retired railway guard from Roma who had been drawn to the site by the shots and people yelling.

Power said, All this information has come from statements taken by local police and checked by my men.

Moore said, "The local doctor was at the rodeo grounds having drinks with the local ambulance men. They were quickly on the scene. My constables and four security people taped the area with a roll of tape, which I threw to them from my car before I went to my station and called Charleville police.

When I got back, the doctor said the men in the taped-off area, and the man shot by the bullet that had gone over Blunt’s head were deceased. He treated Ross, who was loaded into the ambulance with a drip in him and taken to the Charleville hospital. A Charleville police officer photographer took many photographs and the local chemist has developed them. They are at the police station.

Power told Rankin there were only five statements taken that covered what had happened, and three of the people who had given them were still on the grounds. The other two were locals who had gone home. He pointed to two men in a ute and a man and woman in a sedan.

Rankin told Doyle and Connors to ask the witnesses to go to the local police station. He extended his hand to Power. Thanks, I’ll take it from here.

Power and his men left the grounds. Rankin asked Blunt to go to the police station. When Doyle and Connors arrived at the police station, Kennedy was collating all statements with Black. They joined them and instructed the witnesses to wait for Rankin to arrive.

Rankin told the bar owner he could dismantle the bar.

The local sergeant gave Rankin a rundown of the killer. "Ross is a local who lives in a small cottage at the rodeo grounds as an unpaid caretaker. He also works for the council as a labourer. His wife is aboriginal. He and his wife clean the grounds after any event and caretake in exchange for the small cottage at the field entrance.

"As you know, the statements of many witnesses said he was attacked earlier by two men when he came to the bar and the attack was unprovoked. The rodeo was over when he came back, and people were leaving to go to their vans or cars.

"The four killed were having drinks at the bar. Most other lights were turned off. The killer came out of the semi-darkness behind the men and, according to two local businessmen who were at the bar before and after the shooting, said, ‘You want a fight, I will give you a fight’. He shot the two men in the back of the head and their two companions as they tried to flee. After he killed the four of them, he just stood covering the other bar drinkers now facing him and watching a stampede of other patrons out the back of the annex, the four barmen with them.

"Two stockmen entered the lighted area, wide apart. One of them, Dixon, said, ‘Enough, Albert’ and, as they came closer to him, Albert said, ‘You were not belted up, back up’ but they kept edging closer. The two men knew Albert and wished to disarm him. Albert warned them again and Dixon lunged at him. Albert raised the gun to his shoulder and shot him in the head.

"He then swung the gun on the other man, Gunstone, who fled the scene weaving a path out of the bar area. Albert took three shots at the fleeing man while running after him. All went wide. The three bullets have been recovered. All were lodged in vehicles far apart, belonging to the bar drinkers.

"Blunt got his rifle out of his car and called Albert off the fleeing man. He told Albert he had a rifle and had him covered and to drop his gun. Albert ran towards him, crouching and fired shots at Blunt who was crouched behind a car. One went into the car mudguard and another into the headlight. The other went over his head and killed Brinkley, who was behind Blunt.

Blunt fired and hit Ross. The two stockmen under the truck crash-tackled the killer as Blunt’s shot had left him still standing. Ten shots were fired by the killer and one by Blunt.

Rankin had the ten recovered shells from Ross’ gun and the one left in the breech. They were bagged to be taken to Brisbane forensics with the two rifles.

The sergeant said, "The locals killed were Blair Johnson, a fencing contractor and his employees, Bert Rolf, Harry White, and Neville Greenup. The other man killed was John Dixon, a stockman and rodeo rider. Local eye-witnesses, Cullen who owns a stock and station business, and Bates who owns a drapery business, were at the bar before the shootings and when Ross returned with his rifle.

"They told us that the killer, Albert Ross, had entered the bar earlier and Johnson had asked him, ‘How’s the gin-jockey tonight?’ Albert had ignored him. Johnson said, ‘I am speaking to you boong-lover’. Albert again ignored him. Johnson grabbed Albert by his shirt and said, ‘Answer me lowlife’, and then punched Albert in the face.

He and Greenup belted him while White and Rolf stopped anyone from interfering and urged them on. Albert was left on the floor a bloody mess. He was helped to his feet by other drinkers and staggered out of the bar. As you know, he came back with his rifle and killed his attackers at the bar and another man who tried to disarm him.

Rankin asked the sergeant to get Cullen and Bates to the station. He then set up a place to conduct the interviews in a room behind the front desk, which had a desk in it. Connors sat behind it at one end with a typewriter. He, Kennedy, and Doyle sat in front of the desk. The other witnesses were in a room across a corridor, on chairs borrowed from the Sargent’s house. Black sat with the witnesses.

When Cullen and Bates arrived, they sat before Rankin. He read their statements to them and asked if they had anything to add. They both said no, and Connors typed up their statements, which they signed. Rankin told them they would be called to either a coroner inquiry or court.

The stockmen and rodeo men, Sharpe and Gill were called next. Rankin had read their statements.

Gill said, "We arrived at the bar entrance as the shooting started and dived under a truck parked there. I have a rifle like his, which I caught a glimpse of in the bar, so we counted the shots fired so we would know when it was safe to come out.

The killer’s rifle has eleven bullets if fully loaded. I knew Albert would have to reload after eleven shots and we would be on him before he could do it. Blunt called to Albert that he had a gun trained on him and to drop his rifle. Albert ran at Blunt and fired three shots at him. Blunt fired back and hit Albert. He straightened up and was still on his feet when we tackled him.

Rankin studied the two men. Are you sure you heard twelve shots? Ross’ rifle still had a bullet in it when I examined it. Ten shots from him and one from Blunt added up to eleven bullets fired.

We’re sure! the two stated firmly. Connors typed up their statements leaving out the mention of the twelve shots. They refused to sign them unless the twelve shots statement was recorded. When it was added, they signed the documents. Rankin told them they would be required to give evidence at either the coroner’s hearing or in court and they left.

Rankin had one of the other witnesses, Harrison, a cotton farmer from Goondiwindi, and his wife brought in. Harrison had stated he witnessed the killer being tackled by Gill and Sharpe. He said he was on his way to his car, which was parked on the arena fence behind the bar. He saw his wife walking towards where the shots were being fired and yelled at her to get back to the car. He got behind the truck and saw two men tackle Ross. Two other men were behind the truck with him.

I got a bar towel and went to the wounded killer. After his wife, who was cuddling him and crying, was pulled off him, I tried to stop the bleeding. The ambulance arrived with a doctor and took over. I am a volunteer ambulance man at home. He had nothing to add and signed the typed statement. He was also told he would be called to give evidence at the coroner’s hearing or in court.

Harrison’s wife stated she had been in their car and had heard the yelling and shots. I left the vehicle and came down the arena fence and my husband yelled at me to get back in the car, which I did. He stayed at the scene. Her statement had no bearing on the case so was not typed up.

Both Gill, Sharp and Harrison stated outside their typed statements that