Murder in Season

By Douglas Hall

In Murder in Season, Paul West, a retired Police Inspector turned Private Investigator, faces his most perplexing and emotionally charged case yet. When his former wife is found dead with a bullet in her head, her current husband insists it was suicide, but the evidence tells a different story. Teaming up with his former partner, Inspector Charles King, they embark on a gripping investigation that takes them from their hometown to England and back. As the truth unfolds, the unexpected twists lead to a surprising and satisfying resolution.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Sep 15, 2023
• ISBN: 9781035819621

Douglas Hall

Douglas Hall was born in Toronto, Canada, where he went to school and graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in Business. He was employed by IBM Canada as Senior Press Officer before embarking on a television career which spanned thirty-three and a half years on air as anchor and panellist. A number of Hall’s shows were syndicated in Canada and the US. He travelled extensively on TV assignments to Russia; Europe; the US; Haiti; Iraq; Egypt and Israel. Hall’s twenty-seven published books include eighteen mysteries, five novels, three children and one historical. He is now writing Murder Confirmed, another Paul West Mystery, his twenty-eighth. Hall is a Writer’s Guild of Canada Life Member, long-standing member of ACTRA and former member of the Toronto Mens Press Club.

Book preview

Murder in Season

Douglas Hall

Austin Macauley Publishers

Murder in Season

About the Author

Dedication

Copyright Information ©

Acknowledgements

Books by Douglas Hall

Principal Characters

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter Thirty-Three

Chapter Thirty-Four

Chapter Thirty-Five

Chapter Thirty-Six

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Chapter Thirty-Eight

About the Author

Douglas Hall was born in Toronto, Canada, where he went to school and graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in Business. He was employed by IBM Canada as Senior Press Officer before embarking on a television career which spanned thirty-three and a half years on air as anchor and panellist. A number of Hall’s shows were syndicated in Canada and the US.

He travelled extensively on TV assignments to Russia; Europe; the US; Haiti; Iraq; Egypt and Israel. Hall’s twenty-seven published books include eighteen mysteries, five novels, three children and one historical. He is now writing Murder Confirmed, another Paul West Mystery, his twenty-eighth. Hall is a Writer’s Guild of Canada Life Member, long-standing member of ACTRA and former member of the Toronto Mens Press Club.

Dedication

In every book I have written, I always start off with thanking Joyce for her invaluable editing. Joyce still has a ‘wicked eye’ for grammar, punctuation continuity, spelling and structure. It’s not many errors that she misses in an 80,000 plus word manuscript.

Joyce was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and I thought that would be the end of our collaboration but she fooled me. The only thing she has lost is her ‘short-term memory’. Our son, Mark, a retired Nashville Country Music Television Producer, has joined her in editing. Finally, my daughter, Diane and her husband, Gordon, who are both retired from Toronto Police Services, help immensely by answering my policing questions verbiage and guarantee accuracy in my writing.

Copyright Information ©

Douglas Hall 2023

The right of Douglas Hall to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. 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 permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781035819614 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781035819621 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2023

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd®

1 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

London

E14 5AA

Acknowledgements

I would really like to thank the professionals at Austin Macauley Publishers. They were instrumental in producing the first three titles Murder Can Kill, Murder Never Sleeps and Murder Unchained in the ‘Paul West Mystery Series’. They will be the major forces in the production of Murder in Season, the fourth title.

I would also like to single out the graphic artists and designers for the outstanding jackets they designed for the three titles. I have, from the very first day they were released, received nothing but superlatives for how all three jackets complement each other and certainly catch the eye of potential readers from the bookstore shelves.

Names, characters, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events, is purely coincidental.

Books by Douglas Hall

Titles of The Paul West Mystery Series:

The Brittle Thread      * Murder Can Kill

The Girl in 906            * Murder Never Sleeps

Not Made for Defeat   * Murder Unchained

The Long Way Down   * Murder in Season

The Kirsty Affair

The Worshippers

Seconds to Disaster

The China Conspiracy

Playing It Safe

Playing It Safe—Away from The City

Playing It Safe—Home, Summer, Winter

Country on CD

The Real Patsy Cline

The Mamas & The Papas

Britons Pride

The Chiliad Murder(s)

Murder & the Minden Star

The $cam Murder

Speak Up It’s Murder

Murder at Lake Madison

Deadly Premiums

Murder in the Board Room

Douglas Hall, a graduate from the University of Toronto, was appointed senior press officer for IBM Canada Inc. After seven-and-a-half years of extensive media relations in Canada and the United States, Hall moved on to become a Canadian radio and television personality and was on the air for over thirty-three years.

Hall hosted a number of syndicated Canadian radio and television programs including: The Doug Hall Show; The Anatomy of Living; Taking Sides; Your Opinion; and Bestsellers.

For nearly eight years, he was a panellist on the nationally syndicated public affairs show What is Truth along with Paul Hellyer, former Canadian Minister of National Defence; CBC radio and television personality Lorraine Thomson, CFRB radio newscaster and commentator Bob Hesket. Broadcaster and author, Charles Templeton, was the moderator.

A number of episodes of What is Truth and The Doug Hall Show were taped in Moscow on two separate occasions and were programmed on Russian and Canadian television stations.

Hall has written twelve mysteries; five novels, three children’s and three biographies including The Real Patsy Cline and The Mamas and The Papas. Hall’s books have been published in Canada; the United States; England; Germany; Scandinavia and the Soviet Union.

Hall wrote three screenplays for the science fiction 20th Century/NBC/CTV The Starost and was executive producer for a number of television biographies including: Englebert Humperdinck; Paul Anka; Roy Orbison; Chet Atkins and Gordon Lightfoot.

During Hall’s lengthy career, Hall travelled extensively on assignment to: The United States; The United Kingdom; France; Germany; Scandinavia; the Soviet Union; Lebanon; Syria; Jordan; Israel; Egypt; Haiti and Iraq. He is a member of ACTRA, is a Life Member of The Writers Guild of Canada and for years a member of the Toronto Men’s Press club.

For the past twenty-seven published books, beginning with The Brittle Thread, when it was published in 1968, Joyce has been my constant literary companion.

I have no idea how many books I could have written without her editing, love and encouragement.

Principal Characters

In order of appearance:

Donald Bradley—Husband

Nicole (Nicky) Bradley—Wife

Paul West—Private Investigator

Mandy Perkins—Administrative Assistant

Charles King—Police Inspector

Dr David Warner—Coroner, Pathologist

Sharon Taylor—Bradley’s companion and Store manager

Candice Greenfield—Next door neighbour, Friend

Reginald (Reggie) Kincott—Opportunist

Inspector Alastair Whiley-Smythe—Private Investigator

Edmund ‘Scrubs’ Goodman—Person of Interest

Chapter One

The address and phone number popped up on the 911 call taker’s screen. In a calming voice, she answered, Police, fire or ambulance?

A man replied, Police, my wife has committed suicide. She shot herself.

Where is she, Sir?

On her bed.

Where are you?

In the living room. I had to come downstairs. I couldn’t stand looking at her and all that blood.

What’s your name?

Donald Bradley.

What’s your wife’s name?

Nicole Bradley.

Stay where you are. The police and ambulance are on their way.

In less than five minutes a police car, with lights flashing and a screech of brakes, pulled up to the kerb in front of 1706 Beech Tree Lane. An ambulance turned off its siren when it reached the cul-de-sac and roared up the street to pull into the driveway which the police car had purposely left empty. Two uniformed officers were out of their scout car and hurrying up the walk to an obviously distressed man standing in the half-opened doorway.

Doors were ajar and drapes were pulled back as neighbours strained to see what was happening in their quiet, suburban neighbourhood.

***

Private Detective Paul West had just come off a difficult case which he had solved to the complete satisfaction of the company, which had paid him handsomely to go undercover and find the employee who had been leaking corporate secrets to the competition.

He was in his office with his irreplaceable general factotum and girl Friday, Mandy Perkins. Mandy ran the two-person ‘Paul West Private Investigator’ office when West was away working a case, and when he was not, he was more than content to let her run it as well.

To give both the luxury of not being interrupted, while they brought each other up to-date, Mandy switched the phone over to the voice mail message which West had pre-recorded, This is Paul West. Sorry I am not able to take your call at this time but if you will leave your name, telephone number and a brief message, I’ll get back to you as quickly as possible.

First thing on the agenda was going through the calls Mandy had taken during his absence wanting him to call back upon his immediate return. Lining up the next case which would not only intertest him but, most importantly, pay well, was first order of business.

As always, Mandy made side notes on all calls and indicated, with a star, those she had picked out as the most needing immediate attention.

They let the phone ring until call answering kicked in and they heard a familiar voice. It was Charles King, West’s former homicide partner when he was on the police force. I need you to call me the moment…

Before King could finish his sentence, West picked up the phone and said, You don’t give a guy time to catch his breath. I just finished a case and it’s my first day back in the office. What’s up?

I’m the lead investigator in a homicide, or suicide, that happened over night, and I’m beginning to think it’s a homicide. You won’t believe it but the death happened in your old house. I remembered it well, having been in it a number of times when we worked together.

Who was it?

A Nicole Bradley, know her?

Certainly do. After our marriage went down the drain, we put our house up for sale. She and her husband, Donald, bought it. What happened?

Someone pumped a bullet into her head during the night or early morning. On her desk calendar, under today’s date, was the notation ‘call Paul West today’. It was underlined three times.

Where are you?

I’m at the crime scene now. Her ex-husband, Donald, is here. He was the one who found her.

What’s he doing?

He’s in the living room, sitting with his head in his hands and looks to be in shock. I left him with a uniformed until I am ready for him.

What can I do for you?

When I saw the connection to you, I called the staff inspector and told him about what had happened and where I was with the investigation. He was most interested in your connection to the deceased; I didn’t have to tell him you could be of immeasurable help with my investigation.

He had to go to the chief to get permission for me to bring you on board because you are now a civilian and civilians are not allowed to be involved with a police investigation, as you well know. However, since you retired an inspector and we were partners before you didn’t duck and stopped a bullet, he gave permission for me to bring you on board unofficially; interested?

Your timing is perfect. I just got off a case and was about to take on an another. Have you interviewed Bradley yet? West asked.

Just about to but I can hold off until you get here and throw in a few questions of your own.

It will be like old times. Give me half-an-hour to clean some things up at the office and I’ll be there.

Good, forensics is sweeping the room. The coroner has come and gone and the body is about to be accompanied to the morgue by an officer.

Can you hold off sending it to the morgue until I get there? I’d like to have a look at it.

No problem.

Do you know her husband very well?

Haven’t seen him since we closed the sale of the house and I gave him the keys.

Did you know him well?

We weren’t what you’d call friends but from what I remember, he was a nice enough guy. He and Nicole owned a jewellery store and I remember him saying if ever I want to buy some jewellery, he’d give me a good discount. West laughed. I wanted to get a ring for my wife and dropped by the store one day. Even with his offer of a discount, it was too rich for a copper’s salary. I think I saw him only once or twice after that. Has the photographer taken pictures yet?

He’s taking them now and I’ll have them by noon.

I’m on my way in ten minutes.

Bradley had made a panic call to his family doctor on his cell phone and, with what little information he had explained the situation. He rushed to the house and by the time he arrived, he was almost incoherent.

Doctor David Warner, the coroner, said she was his patient and he had been treating her for emotional problems and schizophrenia with Teva-Olanzapine. He was bent over the body and looked up. It wasn’t suicide. Have a look at the entry point. She was shot from above.

Any sign of a gun?

It’s in her left hand, replied Warner as he slightly moved the body. King recognised it as a Smith & Wesson 32 calibre which is popular with many women who keep one in their purse, or close by, for protection.

That wasn’t the gun that killed her, continued Warner. I had a patient who was killed with a 32-calibre bullet to the head. It would have left a smaller entry wound, and there is no exit wound so the bullet is still in there. When the pathologist digs it out, it’s my guess, it will be a 38 or 45 calibre, and I’ll lay odds that forensics won’t find any gun residue or blood splatter on it, or her hand, which is common, when suicide is by a gun. Before you ask, I’d put the time of death sometime between nine last evening and six this morning.

King nodded and said thanks. He called to a forensics investigator, who was at the bedroom dusting the handle. Come and get this gun. When you have dusted it for fingerprints, run anything you find through the fingerprint identifying system and get back to me. If you need me, I’ll be downstairs with Bradley.

When King reached the top of the stairs, the officer, stationed at the front door, saw him and called out. Paul West is here to see you, Sir.

Let him in.

West and King exchanged a brief conversation in the foyer before King led him to the living room. Bradley looked up and recognised West immediately.

What are you doing here, Paul?

Inspector King asked me to attend. Since this was once our house before we sold it to you and Nicky, Inspector King thought I might be able help with his investigation.

Bradley was regaining his composure and the colour was slowly returning to his face. Why would he do that?

Because Nicky had written my name and phone number on her day pad, with the notation ‘call today’. Any idea what it was all about?

King pulled two chairs in front of Bradley and sat down. West joined him.

I have no idea.

When was the last time you saw or spoke to your wife? King asked.

Around seven-thirty last night. I came to see her after work. We talked for a while and I left.

Did anyone see you leave? King asked.

Bradley shook his head. I have no idea.

Where did you park your car?

At the end of the cul-de-sac.

Why didn’t you park in the driveway? King asked.

I didn’t want to have the next-door neighbour see me and come out to ask questions so I walked up the street. You remember Candice Greenfield, don’t you, Paul?

Is she still here?

Yes, and I’ll bet she hasn’t changed since we moved in, nosy as ever. Why all the questions?

Just trying to establish a timeline, King confirmed.

Bradley gave King a penetrating stare. You cops always suspect the husband in something like this, don’t you?

It’s far too early to suspect anyone, King lied. Since you are probably the last person to see your ex-wife alive, I have more questions for you but I think it would be more convenient to ask them at headquarters where we can be in private. Would you be agreeable to present yourself at two this afternoon?

Bradley stood up. Do I have a choice?

Not really.

King had one last question. Was your ex-wife left-handed?

Yes, she said they tried to make her right-handed as a child but it didn’t take.

The beautiful, sensual, Nicky Bradley, who would have celebrated her forty-ninth birthday, four weeks after her death, could not have chosen two better investigators than Inspector Charles King and Private Investigator Paul West to find out who shot the bullet into her head and placed the gun in her left hand…it wasn’t suicide.

Chapter Two

Prior to Bradley arriving at headquarters, West and King took the time to formulate their game plan for the upcoming interview. It was something they always did when they were a highly respected police investigative team until fate played a hand. It ended one night in a dark empty warehouse where, as West ruefully said, I put myself in front of a nasty’s gun and forgot to duck. The bullet, which I still carry, reminds me of that night especially on damp, rainy, cold, stakeouts.

Early on in their team career, they perfected a seamless way of dual interviewing. When one wanted the other to take over, he would tap the others foot under the table. It served them well and there was no reason why it wouldn’t once again.

Since West knew Bradley from years gone by, King reasoned he could get more out of him than a lead investigator whom he had just first met earlier in the day. They agreed that he lead off.

A uniformed officer met Bradley at the front desk and with a cursory, Inspector King is waiting for you, please follow me, and led him to the interview room.

King was sitting beside West at a table, with four chairs, and looked up when Bradley entered. Indicating a chair at the other side of the table, he said, Please have a seat, and pointed upward to the camera and recording device in the ceiling. Just to let you know before we begin this interview, it will be recorded. Since you haven’t got a lawyer present, does this present a problem for you? If it does, we can wait until one arrives.

West stared Bradley straight in the eyes. Neither one was blinking.

Bradley shook his head. Suicide is something I never expected Nicky to do. You knew her, Paul, tell the inspector that.

The last time I saw you both was in our lawyer’s office when I signed the sale documents and gave you the keys to our house. What I do remember is you and Nicole struck a hard bargain. It was the last thing on my agenda before Nicole and I finalised our divorce so we agreed not to haggle and give what you were demanding, including a reduction in the sale price.

Bradley was obviously taken back by West’s comments and sniffed. Nothing personal but business was business. We wanted the best deal we could get.

This is a police inquiry so we’ll move on, snapped King. There was no way he was about to allow Bradley to take over and turn the interview into an old home week with non-relevant issues for West.

In past interrogations, it was not uncommon for King to assume the ‘bad cop’ personae and West the ‘good cop’. However, when they reversed roles, West could not only hold his own with his partner, he could out ‘bad’ him. It was a tried-and-true interrogation ploy they used many times to unnerve and, if possible, enrage a suspect to the point whereby they would lose control and give up something of value.

Bradley’s eyes narrowed to slits as he almost snarled at West. I don’t see your badge and I don’t have to answer any of your damn questions.

Before West could respond King said, The former Inspector West has official status in this investigation, equal to mine. You are obliged to answer any questions he may ask the same way you will answer mine. Is that clear? He tapped West’s foot.

Without missing a beat, West said, Any idea why Nicky had my name and phone number on her date pad with the reminder to call me?

How would I know? You’re the detective. Perhaps she was returning your call.

I had no reason to contact her. Did you?

Yes, I talked to her.

When was that?

Yesterday. I was working at home in the afternoon and she called to give me an ultimatum.

What was it?

A personal matter and I prefer not to get into it at this time.

I am afraid you have no choice. Now, I put the question to you once more, what was the ultimatum?

She wanted me to up her monthly alimony by a thousand dollars a month, plus an extra six months to start off.

King gave West’s foot a tap. How much were you paying her?

Five thousand a month.

Did she say why she wanted more?

Bradley shrugged. I asked her but she said it was none of my business.

You must have been pissed off with that. What did you say?

I was really steaming and told her that we had to get together and talk this out face-to-face. She said there was nothing to talk about, her mind was made up.

What did you say to that?

I told her I was not going to agree to anything over the phone and would drop by early in the evening with an idea and she wouldn’t be sorry.

What was it?

When we were married, everything was joint including our bank accounts, investments, and the house. All that was left after the divorce settlement was my half interest in the house. I was going to try and talk her into buying me out and I’d agree to a cash settlement. If not, there was nothing I could do about it.

With the stock market turn down, I was playing on margin to get even and was getting killed with margin calls. If I could get my half out of the house, I could flatten my margin account, settle with her, and we both could get on with our lives and go our separate ways.

Did she go for it?

No way. She had no intention of selling the house or losing the monthly alimony until she remarried or died. It was at that point I knew she would be bleeding me to death for the rest of my pitiful life.

You must have wanted to kill her, West suggested.

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