The Sandie Shaw Mysteries, Murder on the Miami Express: Sandie Shaw, #5

By R T Green

Babysitting is never as easy as it seems. When the 'baby' is in her late teens, and determined to show everyone she's older than she really is, things can get a little out of control!

Frank makes a special request to Sandie and the team, asking them to babysit a key witness, whose testimony will send a Miami crime boss down for a very long time.
The FBI has kept her a secret, setting up a decoy to make sure she actually gets to Miami to give her evidence. No one else knows she's anything other than a teenager off to Miami for a beach holiday.
The problem is she lives in Chicago, and it's rather a long way from Florida. So the deMountford and Shaw Private Investigations Agency are tasked with accompanying her on the Florida Limited night sleeper train, and keeping an eye on her in Miami until she gives evidence, after which the FBI will take over protection duties, once  her identity is revealed.
It seems like a simple babysitting job, until they discover the girl is determined to make the most of a few days away from her parents, and reap as much benefit from her trip as she can.
None of them have any experience of controlling a rampant, precocious teenager, who seems committed to getting herself as noticed as possible!
It's not the best idea when she's holding the key to taking down one of the most ruthless men in America. Especially when things turn a lot more dangerous, and Sandie and Daphne find themselves as much on their own as they've ever been.

Read all about Sandie, and everything else we do, on the rtgreen website.

Enjoy!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wise Owl
• Release date: Jul 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201189754

R T Green

The RTG mission in life is simple... to not be like everyone else! ‘Going Green’ has taken on a new meaning, in the book world at least. Whilst we applaud the original meaning (ebooks are a perfect way to promote that) we also try to present a different angle to it. The tendency these days is that if you don’t look and read like everyone else, you don’t sell books. Maybe there’s some truth in that, but we simply don’t do it. The RTG books have been described as a ‘breath of fresh literary air’, and, by those discovering us for the first time, ‘unexpectedly good’. We know many readers prefer the same-old same old, and that’s fine. It’s just not what you get from the RTG stable. Those who know about such things said it would take five years to become a proficient author... I scoffed at that. They were wise. It took six. It’s one reason why even today we remodel existing books, and will always do so. Right from the early years the stories were always good, but were put into words less well than they could have been! These days we have several series and a few standalones, the hit Daisy series most popular amongst them. In everything we do, the same provisos apply – Never the same book twice. If we can’t think up a good story, it doesn’t get written. The RTG brand is about exciting and twisty plots, a fast pace which doesn’t waste words, and endearing (sometimes slightly crazy) characters. We can never please everyone, but it works for us, and, it seems, for those who appreciate our work. Enjoy! Richard, Ann and the RTG crew

Book preview

Introduction

1920’S CHICAGO. WHAT CAME to be known as the ‘roaring twenties’. For private investigator Sandie Shaw, ‘roaring’ was hardly the flattering kind of description she would ever give it.

Born and raised in the city, she despairs at everything it has become. In her view, Chicago typifies the false decadence gripping America. Only just recovering from the lawlessness of the days of the Wild West, her city and the rest of the country then entered the World War for a brief time, and when that was over, the whole nation seemed to lose all sense of reason.

People went crazy. Prohibition raised its ugly head, and the mobsters and the flappers took over Chicago. Her beloved city had fallen at the mercy of those who believed they were above the law... once again.

In truth, Chicago had long held the reputation of being the most lawless place in America. Prohibition, and corrupt governance, had handed a free meal ticket to the gangsters. It didn’t sit well with Sandie.

Taking over the one-man agency when her father died, and making it a one-woman operation, she knew from the off that in a male-dominated environment she had to be tough, and witty, to succeed.

And that keeping well away from anyone with a machine gun was a big part of staying alive.

She managed it, for eight years refusing to be drawn into anything mob-related. But then one day someone came to call, and without Sandie even realizing what she was getting into, suddenly everything changed, and it wasn’t a one-woman operation anymore.

This time round, Sandie and the team are asked to babysit! Of course it’s not the usual kind of babysitting job... especially when the ‘baby’ is seventeen, convinced she’s a lot older, and is determined to get herself as noticed as possible, even when it’s not exactly the best idea!

Coping with her ballsy attitude to life is hard enough, but when someone is murdered, and Sandie and Daphne find themselves as much on their own as they’ve ever been, things turn a lot scarier.

Enjoy!

Richard and the crew

Murder on the Miami Express

Chapter 1

‘BABYSITTING?’

I raised my eyebrows, and then instantly switched to narrowing my eyes, to make sure the two men sitting opposite me in the office got the message.

Frank threw me a sympathetic look. ‘It’s not a normal babysitting job, Sandie. When the FBI approached me to find someone who was trusted enough to do the job, I thought about you straightaway.’

‘Should I be flattered, Frank?’

The man in the Fedora hat and pin-stripe suit sitting to his left answered for him. ‘Yes, Miss Shaw, you should be. Frank was asked to advise us of his most trusted non-police colleagues. You were mentioned right from the off.’

‘Non-police?’

‘This is a covert operation, Miss Shaw, of the utmost secrecy. No one outside the people in this office is aware it is even taking place.’

‘But babysitting?’

He shook his head. ‘It’s hardly babysitting. For a start she’s seventeen years old... and for another thing she’s a valuable commodity right now.’

‘Commodity? Is that how the FBI see people in nineteen twenty-seven?’

He looked uncomfortable for a moment. ‘It’s how we’ve always seen people, I’m afraid.’

‘Nice,’ said Daphne, shaking her head.

I was still trying to work out the whys. ‘I don’t understand something, Mr. Parker. Why can’t you just get your own people to do it?’

He looked uncomfortable again. ‘In truth, this is a delicate operation. It can’t be compromised in any way. And, um... we think there might be someone in the FBI who’s in the pay of... well, shall we say, criminal organizations.’

‘So the people you’re trying to put away have infiltrated the FBI, is that what you’re trying to tell us?’

‘Well... we’re working on weeding them out, but it takes time. And Pablo Alvares’ trial won’t wait for that.’

Daphne was the one to raise her eyebrows this time. ‘So you’re hoping to put away the most powerful gangster in Miami?’ He and his equally-powerful contacts might have something to say about that.’

‘Why do you think we’re doing it this way, Miss deMountford?’

‘Because you’ve run out of other ideas?’ I couldn’t help saying.

Frank decided to say something, likely because we were giving his FBI colleague a hard time. The seat-squirming kind of confirmed that.

‘Ladies, you don’t have to accept this job... but I really hope you will.’

‘Why, Frank? What’s your interest?’

‘Other than recommending you, nothing. But it is well-paid for a few days work, including a couple of days in Miami, all expenses paid.’

‘But babysitting?’

‘Ok, so it’s not your average job. But the girl needs accompanying, and... well, you’re the only female private investigators I know... and the best, of course,’ he added hastily.

I shook my head, mostly because I couldn’t quite decide whether we should accept or not. Frank was right. It was well-paid, the girl was extremely brave for testifying in court against one of the most powerful gangsters in the southern states... and we were the only female private detectives he knew after all.

‘Mr. Parker, perhaps you should tell us exactly what this entails, in order to help us make a decision.’

‘I hope you make the right decision, because no one other than me and everyone in this room knows this subterfuge even exists... outside of her family, of course. And they’re well aware secrecy is paramount, for obvious reasons.’

‘Nothing goes outside these walls,’ Daphne assured him.

‘Very well,’ he said reluctantly. ‘I’ve already told you most of it, but I’ll run through it again. The girl’s father runs a warehouse and distribution company here in Chicago. For some time he’d been suspecting his night security man of allowing hoods to use the warehouse, so on the night in question he snuck into the premises without the security man knowing, hoping to catch him out. He didn’t realize until he was in the warehouse that his teenage daughter had followed him.’

‘She was brave to do that... or foolish.’

‘Perhaps both. Let’s just say she’s not slow in coming forward. A little stroppy and precocious, some would say, and already committed to what she sees as good causes. Next thing we know, she’ll be campaigning for minority races to get the vote. However, in retrospect, that was a good thing for us.’

‘She saw something the bad guys didn’t want anyone to see.’

‘Indeed. Just after her father discovered she was there, the action began. A car pulled in to the warehouse, clearly with the knowledge and approval of the security man. There was no time for the girl’s father to tell her to leave safely, so they hid together and watched. Two men got out of the car, and seemed like they were waiting for someone else. Five minutes later another car pulled in, with three men in it.’

‘Pablo Alvares and his henchmen.’

‘The gangster boss was spending a weekend in Chicago. We knew that of course, but not what the reason was.’

‘But then you did know.’

He nodded. ‘The first guys pulled out a wooden case from their car, containing what looked like machine guns. Alvares inspected the merchandise, but for some reason wasn’t happy. They argued, and then things got heated. Alvares is well known for his short temper, like most gang bosses. Before his hoods could stop him, he’d pulled out a handgun and shot one of the other men dead. His pals had no choice but to open fire, and killed the other guy.’

‘And the girl saw all this.’

‘Clear as day. When she looked round to her father, he wasn’t there. He’d moved position, to try and get a better look. Sadly, it wasn’t his best move. He ended up not seeing the shooting at all.’

‘So as it turned out the girl was the only witness.’

‘Yes, but we hushed that up, for her own safety. The first I knew of it was when she contacted me the next day, and blurted out what had happened. It was the break I needed to get  Alvares to trial and put him away, but for her own security I had to keep it to myself.’

‘So you persuaded her to testify?’

‘In truth I didn’t really need to. She was very keen to do the right thing, likely because she’d realized her father’s premises were being used for illegal activities, and she didn’t want him dragged into the mess.’

‘So your guys arrested Alvares?’

‘As soon as he got back to Miami. We put our case together in super-quick time, so he didn’t have very long to silence the witness, whose identity we had to disclose to his lawyers.’

‘Except it wasn’t the girl you disclosed?’

He lifted his hand from his sides. ‘In light of the far-reaching influence of Alvares, I knew there was a serious danger of her never making it to the trial. So as far as the rest of the world understands, the girl was never there. Her father witnessed the shooting.’

‘So now he’s the one in danger, and she’s not?’ said Daphne.

‘It was his suggestion, to protect his daughter. A brave one, it has to be said. The whole family is now under FBI protection, until the trial. That’s why our visit here is so secret. The girl is hiding behind the fact the fake witness disclosure says her father saw the shooting, not her. He’s being driven to Miami next week to testify at the trial. As far as everyone thinks, at least.’

‘But in fact it’s his daughter who will testify.’

‘Yes. She’s our secret witness, and will literally be revealed in the courtroom, when it’s too late for Alvares men to do anything about it.’

Daphne shook her head. ‘It sounds like a risky strategy. Couldn’t you just have stayed with the fake story and presented the father as the key witness anyway?’

Mr. Parker looked even more uncomfortable. ‘That was an option. He was present at the time. The problem was a... um, security one, as you might say.’

‘What are you saying?’

‘The girl was determined to testify, and her father knew as well as I did Alvares had always made sure witnesses were put off testifying in the past. This is the first time we’ve managed to get anything as far as court.’

‘So you set him up as a decoy, knowing his life might be in danger?’

‘It was his insistence. He knew his daughter was set on testifying... and he also knew if she was disclosed as a witness her life would be in danger. So he volunteered to be the target. He’ll have full protection until the trial, and the family will get a new life afterwards.’

‘He’s a brave father. But what if Alvares somehow gets to know his daughter is the one?’

‘He won’t. No one in any organization anywhere, except me and now Frank and yourselves know the girl is even relevant.’

‘And you want us to babysit her to Miami for the trial? Won’t that in itself look suspicious, fake innocence or not?’

‘No, because she has an uncle in Florida, and it’s now holiday season. The story is she’s visiting Miami Beach for a few days’ sunshine and sand... with her aunt Sandra in tow.’

‘If we accept this job, I’m not happy to do this alone, Mr. Parker.’

‘No, of course not. The FBI rarely work solo, and neither should you.’ Suddenly he looked a little squirmy again, so Frank took up the mantle.

‘I suggested Daphne accompany you too, as... well, your maid and companion.’

‘Excuse me?’ said Daphne indignantly.

‘Come on, Daphne... you can hardly pretend to be a relative, can you? Not with your skin color.’

‘Oh, no. I suppose not.’

‘It’s just a facade anyway. Isn’t it, Sandie?’ said Frank.

‘Well...’

‘Sandie?’ said Daphne, indignantly again.

I had to let out a cheeky grin, even though the situation wasn’t really that amusing. Apart from the maid and companion bit anyway. ‘Of course it’s just pretend. So what is the risk?’

Mr. Parker decided there was no reason to squirm anymore. ‘No risk at all. You’re all just heading off for a few days holiday, taking the night sleeper train. All the unwanted attention will be on the girl’s father, who is acting as a decoy.’

‘He’s still a brave man,’ said Daphne, quietly this time.

‘He is, but he’s also under heavy and visible FBI protection.’

‘As I said, he’s a brave man.’

Mr. Parker decided to ignore that. ‘So... a day and a half’s journey time each way, plus two days in Miami beach enjoying the Florida delights until the trial begins, at which point the girl will testify and will immediately be placed under FBI protection. At that point your job is done. Will you accept this commission?’

I looked at Daphne, a little unsure of the roles we were being asked to play. From her point of view, being a maid was a little too close to her life before James. She shook her head, and then smiled. It was a well-paid few days in the sun after all.

‘If Sandie is prepared to accept the job, then so am I.’

I smiled to the still slightly-uncomfortable Mr. Parker. ‘So be it. Consider us babysitters.’

Frank had one more suggestion. ‘In the morning, it might be prudent to visit the girl, so the three of you can get to know each other a little, before spending a few days together next week?’

I smiled at his politically-correct words. ‘I think that might be a good idea, Frank. If I’m supposed to be her aunt, it would be better to actually know who I’m related to.’

The two men stood up to leave. ‘Thanks, Sandie.’ Frank passed me a slip of paper with an address on it. ‘I’ll leave you to it... it might be best if I’m not seen visiting the house with you tomorrow. I’m sure there are criminal eyes watching the place. An aunt’s visit won’t be seen as anything unusual, but if a senior member of Chicago’s police force was in tow it might raise a suspicious eyebrow or two.’

‘You sure that’s the only reason, Frank?’

‘Well... all girls together, you know.’

‘Sure, I know, Frank.’

The two men left. Daphne was still shaking her head. ‘Did I hear the words stroppy and precocious mentioned back there?’

I had to smile. The words had been mentioned, as a way of describing the teenage girl we’d agreed to babysit.

‘Oh relax, Daphne. She’s seventeen. Just how hard can it be?’

Chapter 2

LATER THAT DAY, ARCHIE got