Murder Never Sleeps Read online

  Murder Never Sleeps

  Douglas Hall

  Austin Macauley Publishers

  Murder Never Sleeps

  About The Author

  Dedication

  Copyright Information ©

  AcknowledgmentsOTHER BOOKS BY DOUGLAS HALL

  PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-One

  Twenty-Two

  Twenty-Three

  Twenty-Four

  Twenty-Five

  About The Author

  DOUGLAS HALL

  A graduate of the University of Toronto, Douglas Hall was appointed senior press officer for IBM Canada Inc. After seven-and-a-half years of extensive media relations, he began a 32-year career as a Canadian radio and television personality. He hosted a number of nationally syndicated Canadian shows on both radio and television including: The Doug Hall Show, Daybeat, The Anatomy of Living, Taking Sides, Your Opinion, Bestsellers and What is Truth as a panel member along with Paul Hellyer, former Canadian minister of national defense; CBC personality, Lorraine Thomson; and Bob Hesketh, CFRB radio newscaster. Author, broadcaster, newspaper executive, Charles Templeton was moderator. Hall’s TV shows were also telecast on cable and independent U.S. stations.

  Hall was the only multiple screenwriter for the 20th Century/NBC/CTV science-fiction series, The Starlost. He was also the executive/producer for a number of television musical biographies including: Englebert Humperdinck, Paul Anka, Chet Atkins and Gordon Lightfoot.

  Hall’s 26 published books include: thirteen mysteries, five novels, from which three are children’s, and three biographies including: The Real Patsy Cline and The Mamas & The Papas. Hall’s books have been published in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Germany and the Soviet Union.

  During Hall’s career, he travelled extensively on TV assignments to the United States, Europe, Scandinavia, the Soviet Union, Lebanon, Syria, Jordon, Israel, Haiti and Iraq.

  Hall is a life member of the Writers Guild of Canada, a member of ACTRA and for a number of years, he was a member of the Toronto Men’s Press Club.

  Dedication

  It is hard to believe that as I close in on my 91st year and Joyce in her 88th, with me still writing and Joyce still editing, that together we have produced 28 books with the 29th in progress since the first one The Brittle Thread came out in 1968. We are now working totally on The Paul West Mystery Series and are well into the fourth Murder In Time. We shall keep at it for as long as we can. I could have never done it without her.

  Copyright Information ©

  Douglas Hall (2020)

  The right of Douglas Hall to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with section 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 9781528935517 (Paperback)

  ISBN 9781528968294 (ePub e-book)

  www.austinmacauley.com

  First Published (2020)

  Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd

  25 Canada Square

  Canary Wharf

  London

  E14 5LQ

  Acknowledgments

  There are many people I want to thank for their invaluable help and support. Without them, this book would never have seen the light of day. First and foremost, there is Joyce, who critiqued and edited the manuscript page by page. Her remarkable skills with syntax, plotting, spelling and grammar are second to none.

  I have had many excellent publishing professionals who have worked on my 26 books over the last 50 years but I have to say: Executive Editor, Daniel Smith; Vinh Tran; and his amazing production team including Luke Davies are right at the top. They are a delight to work with and I wish I had met them and Austin Macauley 26 books earlier.

  Without them, this book would not be what I hoped it would be, and that is a worthy addition to The Paul West Mystery Series.

  OTHER BOOKS BY DOUGLAS HALL

  The Brittle Thread

  The Girl in 906

  Not Made for Defeat

  The Long Way Down

  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 Boardroom

  Murder Can Kill

  Murder in Time

  Murder Unchained

  Murder Never Forgets

  PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS

  *In order of appearance

  Paul West – private investigator

  Mandy Perkins – executive assistant

  Cindy Madison – missing girl

  Victor Madison – Cindy’s father

  Martha Madison – Cindy’s mother

  Inspector Charles King – lead investigator

  Amber Ferguson – Cindy’s closest friend

  Scott Ferguson – Cindy’s boyfriend

  Harry Ferguson – Amber and Scott’s father

  Pastor Sammy Proctor – scam artist

  Pastor Paul Proctor – heir apparent

  Sheriff Virgil Culpepper – Moody Brook Alabama

  Stephanie ‘Brock’ Brockhurst – administrative assistant

  Jayden Mayfield – bank manager

  Gaylord Brunson – lawyer

  Thelma Jean Turner – Cindy Madison’s friend

  One

  IN A REMARKABLE CAREER, that was closing in on its first decade, Paul West had seen many interesting individuals walk through his office door to ask for his help, but when Mandy Perkins, his executive assistant and factotum, or as she jokingly called it, ‘his go-for girl’, ushered Victor Madison into his office, he had never seen his like before. He immediately recognised Madison having seen his picture in the business section of the daily newspaper, as well as reading about his legendary business acumen as a leading venture capitalist who began in a sparse office over a drug store with a borrowed five thousand dollars from his father-in-law. Through shrewd dealings, he built his company into a multi-million-dollar financial giant by investing in founding or struggling companies which he influenced and guided for a large slice of future profits before selling his inte
rest back at an inflated profit. An imposing man with his lean, hard, six-foot-five stature and chiselled features topped off with a full head of salt and pepper hair he dominated every room or conversation and was a master of intimidation. When West shook hands, he had to look up at Madison who towered over him.

  It was customary for Mandy to sit in on the initial meeting, and she took her seat in a chair to the left of West’s desk. Madison watched her with a questioning scowl as she activated the desk recorder and voiced his displeasure at a third party being present. West quickly informed him that he never conducted an initial interview without Mandy being present and would not make an exception this time in spite of Madison’s protest that he would be discussing sensitive issues and would feel more comfortable with just West hearing what he had to say. Realising that it could be prejudicial to continue, Madison began with, “Mr West, I won’t waste your time with needless chatter as I am a man of few words. I came to see you because I always do my research and found you to be the best man available, and I want to engage you. If you accept, I will demand your full time and energy which means you will have no other distractions.”

  “What you are saying is that you would expect me not to be splitting my time with another case?”

  “Precisely!”

  West could have told him that he was between cases, and, at the moment, there was not one pending that interested him. “And just what is it you want me to do?”

  “Find our daughter who went missing over two years ago. I don’t care what it costs or takes to do it, just do it!”

  “You have to give me more details before I say yes or no. I assume you have filed a missing person with the police?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why come to me if the police are investigating?” It was a natural question but one that obviously struck a chord from Madison’s abrupt reaction.

  “I will say this and only say it once. The local police and especially the lead investigator Inspector Charles King have been a total disaster. Two years after my daughter, Cindy, went missing, not one thing about her disappearance has been discovered, and it is now a cold case. All King would tell me was that if he has any further information, he would get in touch.”

  West was surprised to hear Madison refer to King in such a negative tone. For the last ten years, he was on the force, before his career was ended by a suspect’s bullet in a takedown, they were partners, and he respected his investigative skills. He was about to tell Madison but decided this was not the time, instead, he asked, “I need a description of your daughter.”

  Madison took an envelope out of his inside coat pocket. “I was sure you would need that so here is the last picture I have of her. It’s her high school graduation picture. She loved children and wanted to devote her life working with them. She was enrolled at university the following September and wanted to become a paediatric doctor.”

  “I’ll need her vital statistics.”

  “They are all on the back. This is what I gave to King when I filed the missing person report.”

  West turned the photograph over and handed it to Mandy. “You are very thorough, sir.”

  “I am always thorough. I leave nothing to chance which is something you will find out as we move along,” Madison’s tone left nothing to the imagination. There appeared to be no question in his mind about West taking the case.

  “When was the last time you saw your daughter?”

  “It was a Thursday night at dinner. We were surprised when Cindy told us she would be working at a summer camp. She gave no details and told us not to be alarmed when a car came to pick her up around four the next morning.”

  “Didn’t you find that strange?”

  “At the time, yes, and her mother mentioned that, but all Cindy would say is they wanted to get an early start.”

  “Did she say who ‘they’ were?” West asked.

  “No. I didn’t ask because she did not like answering questions.”

  “This camp. Did she tell you its name or where it was?”

  “I asked her that, and all she said was it was a wonderful place dedicated to providing a summer vacation at a place with Christian values. This was the first time she told us anything about her plans for the summer holidays. She said she had to go to a meeting that night and would be home by eleven. We watched the 11 o’clock news and retired.”

  “Did she return when she said she would?”

  “She came in shortly after we retired, and we heard her bedroom door close.”

  “Didn’t you find that strange?”

  “Not particularly. She was 18, a very responsible young woman and independent.”

  “Do you have other children?”

  "No. Cindy is our only child. When her mother checked her room the next morning, she found Cindy’s smart phone, credit card and chequebook on the night table. The last thing we heard was a car pulling up in the driveway and the closing of a door. It woke both of us up. I looked at the clock, it was two minutes after four. My wife and I couldn’t go back to sleep, so we got up and had a look in her room. The bed was made up and the only thing that caught our eye was her night table. On top were her three credit cards and driver’s licence.

  I found it strange that she would remove her credit card from her wallet. When I checked with the bank later in the morning, I was informed that her account had been emptied the day before she left. It was as though she wanted to disappear, and she has for over two years. We haven’t heard anything from her since. That’s when I called the police."

  “What did the police tell you?”

  “That’s when I first met Detective King. He told me I did the right thing in coming in and filing a missing person report, especially if my wife and I had serious concerns, which was an understatement. He asked a number of questions and said he wanted to speak to my wife.”

  “Did he keep in touch?”

  “Oh yes, quite regularly for the first couple of months. Then I had to call him, and it was the same old reply: we are working on it but have nothing to report. Finally, he said all leads had turned up nothing and the case was being put in the cold files. That’s when I decided to do something about it on my own and came to see you. You can appreciate how this weigh upon us, especially my wife who has retreated into deep depression and thinks about nothing else. Not only have I lost my daughter, I have lost my wife. Will you take on the case and find our daughter?”

  “Yes, I’ll take it on, but there are a number of things I’ll need. First, I want a list of all your daughter’s friends with addresses. Please place her closest friends at the top. Second, you said she was going to a meeting that last night. Do you have any idea where it was and what it was about?”

  Madison stiffened, “If King couldn’t find out, how do you expect me to know?”

  “Also, I want a list of all the people she knew especially friends or anyone who might know something useful especially anyone she had business dealings with.”

  “I told you she was just a young woman and still at home. What do you mean by people she had business dealings with?”

  “You also said she was independent. Did she have her own money?”

  Madison was beginning to be impressed with West. “She had a monthly three figure allowance, and it was hers to spend anyway she thought fit. I never asked what she did with it. If she wanted more, all she had to do was ask.”

  “Did she have a car?”

  “Yes, we gave her one for her 18th birthday, and it was up to her to look after it with her own money.”

  “Where is it now?”

  “We have a three-car garage, and it is still parked there waiting for her.”

  “I want to come by tomorrow and have a look at it. Do you have the keys?”

  “Yes, I’ll instruct the housekeeper to give them to you and open the garage doors.”

  “Who did the servicing and maintenance on her car?”

  “The same garage, and mechanic, who looks after my car and her mother
’s.”

  “What the name?”

  “Family Car, and the owner is Jimmy Gordon.”

  West closed his notebook and said, “I think that will be enough for the moment. I will have Miss Perkins draw up a contract with all the details of my service plus my fee. If you agree and sign, I shall begin immediately.”

  Madison took out his card and handed it to Mandy. “Have it drawn up and send to me by courier.” There was no ‘please’ attached. “I shall sign and return it by courier before the day is out along with my retainer.” Madison stood up and extended his hand, “Thank you, Mr West.”

  “When I take on a case, my clients call me Paul.”

  “Those who work for me call me Mr Madison. I shall see myself out.” With a slight nod to Mandy, Madison left the office.

  West waited until he heard the outer door close and called out to Mandy, “Get Charlie King on the phone and cancel all my appointments.”

  “What appointments?” Mandy replied with a wide smile.

  Two

  “THERE IS NOT AN INVESTIGATOR who can forget a file that went cold, and I am no different and I can’t forget this one for a totally different reason,” Inspector Charlie King said.

  “What’s your reason?” West asked as he drained his coffee and threw the empty paper cup in the wastebasket.

  “To be blunt…Victor Madison!”

  King still had some coffee left and took a sip before he related a tale of intimidation, domineering and total frustration from the day Madison first came into headquarters to file a missing person report on his daughter until the day West had more than he could take with the incessant calls and demands to know why he hadn’t found his daughter. It had reached the point whereby it could severely damage his professional reputation.

  What started out as sympathy for a father whose daughter had disappeared morphed into loathing for a domineering, demanding man who made it well apparent that he had little or no respect for authority unless it was his. Throughout his discourse, which West listened to silently, King dropped in numerous incidents of intimidation, unfounded charges and threats to support his decision to ignore further communication which had sunk to a litany of caustic exchanges each one topping the last. All had a common thread of lost confidence and intimidation sprinkled with blatant suggestions that he was not the man for the job of finding his missing daughter.