Who Murdered Garson Talmadge Read online

  Who Murdered Garson Talmadge?

  A Matthew Kile Mystery

  by

  David Bishop

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents have been produced by the author’s imagination or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, or to any actual events or precise locales is entirely coincidental or within the public domain.

  Who Murdered Garson Talmadge: A Matthew Kile Mystery

  This e-book is licensed for your personal entertainment only, and may not be resold or given to other people. If you wish to share this eBook, or any portion of its content, with another person or other people, please purchase additional copies for each such person. If you are reading this eBook without having purchased it, or without it being purchased by another for your reading, you are in violation of the author’s rights. If so, please discontinue until you have purchased your own copy. Thank you for respecting the work of the author.

  Copyright © 2012 by David Bishop. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical without the express written permission of the author. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.

  Please visit David Bishop, his books and characters at http://www.davidbishopbooks.com

  You may contact David Bishop at [email protected]

  The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  Cover designed by Telemachus Press, LLC

  Cover art copyright © iStockPhoto # 9676660 Toe Tag; # 11787808 Chihuahua with Pink Scarf

  Published by Telemachus Press, LLC

  http://www.telemachuspress.com

  ISBN 978-1-937387-83-9 (eBook)

  ISBN 978-1-937387-84-6 (paperback)

  Version 2012.11.03

  Table of Contents

  Acknowledgments

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Epilogue

  Note to Readers

  Bonus Content:

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  About the Author

  Praise for: Who Murdered Garson Talmadge, a Matt Kile Mystery

  From authors and readers:

  Bishop takes you from California to Paris at a non-stop pace and mixes in the dead man’s grown children, an ex-wife’s bitter sister, international arms dealers and the FBI. All presented from Matt’s point-to-view and written with dialogue that’s crisp, action that’s suspenseful and a plot filled with a few twists you’ll never see coming. It makes for a can’t put-it-down story you won’t want to miss.

  Cathi Stoler, author of Telling Lies

  ***

  The dialogue is crisp and distinct, breathing life and sincerity into each of the characters. This was my first foray into David’s work and I enjoyed it greatly. I can’t wait to read more. Recommended!

  ***

  Five Stars for David Bishop’s carefully plotted and beautifully written mystery!

  ***

  I LOVED this book! It was refreshing. It was captivating; it was funny and had some twists I didn’t expect. I absolutely adored the style of writing!

  ***

  If Who Murdered Garson Talmadge is the first in a series of Kile novels, then all I can say is bring on the next one!

  John C. Berry, author of A Night of Horrors

  ***

  Who Murdered Garson Talmadge is a spellbinding mystery told in an easy, entertaining style. Matt Kile is a character who is immediately likeable, even with his warts. The other characters are the kind you’d like to have at your next party, well, most of them. The author, David Bishop writes to keep you guessing and keep you reading.

  ***

  I really liked this book. Would give it 10 stars if I could. The characters are likeable, especially the main character, Matt Kile. I liked his doggedness in getting answers to his questions. I also liked his euphemisms for describing sex!

  ***

  I have just now “discovered” David Bishop, and finished reading Who Murdered Garson Talmadge half an hour ago. I rushed to write a review, only to find that others have already said almost all that needs to be said. I agree with all the reviews praising this unconventional mystery.

  ***

  Author David Bishop was recommended to me by a trusted friend and I am glad she did. While I don’t normally read mysteries, I decided to read Who Murdered Garson Talmadge. I was thoroughly drawn into the story and the life of the main character, Matthew Kile, and can’t wait to read more.

  ***

  When I first started reading David Bishop’s Who Murdered Garson Talmadge my first thoughts were, “oh no, not another disgraced, disgruntled ex-police officer,” But from the start, I was captivated by this ex-detective turned private Eye. Nothing about him was the usual ex-cop. This one was different. Nothing cliché about him.

  ***

  At times I felt like answering him.

  ***

  You will love all the characters, especially the ones you are supposed to hate. Great job David Bishop, I will definitely be reading more of you in the near future.

  ***

  The rambling interior monologue alone makes this book a must read! Top that with a murder out the starting gate, a labyrinth of plot twists with colorful characters at every turn, and you have a first class detective novel!

  ***

  I found it hard to put the book down as I didn’t want to miss all the excitement! I highly recommend this book! A great read! Enjoy!!!

  ***

  Bishop does a great job in this murder/mystery, keeping you guessing until the very end. The characters are likeable and the pace is fast. Most importantly the ending is definitive and satisfying, leaving you yearning for what trouble Kile gets himself into next. Fans of JA Konrath, John Locke, and Rick Murcer will find Bishop’s style to their liking.

  Atul Kumar, author of Seven Patients

  Praise for: The Original Alibi, a Matt Kile Mystery

  Available July, 2012

  From beta readers

  There are many very good mystery writers out there, but in my view, Bishop is rapidly moving into the top rank. His work is detailed without being wordy, his plots appropriately twisted, yet subtle, and he is always accurate when it comes to police work. Mystery plots that hold a reader’s attention are very difficult to concoct, but Bishop seems to do it in his sleep. “The Original Alibi,” is
his latest.

  Gerald Lane Summers, author of Mobley’s Law, A Mobley Meadows Novel

  ***

  This witty novel whisks readers into an expertly plotted story populated by well drawn characters with tantalizing glimpses of danger lurking just beneath the surface. Matt Kile is smart, human and very, very funny; a man with his own rules and sense of honor. Bishop leaves us hungering for the next installment in the Matt Kile mystery series.

  Kim Mellen

  ***

  If you like your coffee black, whiskey straight, and private investigators with a questionable past, you’ll love this new release Matt Kile tale, The Original Alibi, from David Bishop.

  Toby Neal, author of the Lei Crime Series

  Novels by David Bishop

  For current information on new releases visit:

  http://www.davidbishopbooks.com

  Titles: Release Dates

  The Beholder, a Maddie Richards Mystery: October, 2011

  Who Murdered Garson Talmadge, a Matt Kile Mystery: October, 2011

  The Woman: October, 2011

  The Third Coincidence: February, 2012

  The Blackmail Club, a Jack McCall Mystery: February, 2012

  The Original Alibi, a Matt Kile Mystery: June, 2012

  Money & Murder, a Matt Kile Mystery: A Short Story, Fall, 2012

  2013-2014

  Empty Promises, a Maddie Richards Mystery: Spring 2013

  An untitled Matt Kile Mystery

  The Schroeder Protocol

  The Red Hat Murders, a Maddie Richards Mystery

  Murder by Choice

  To be notified when each of the above titles are available:

  Send your email address to, [email protected]

  For more information on books and characters visit: http://www.davidbishopbooks.com

  Each forthcoming novel will have a new list of titles and dates.

  Acknowledgments

  With great appreciation I acknowledge the people who have provided invaluable assistance to the development of this particular novel: Jody Madden, Kim Mellen, John Logan, Gerald Summers, Martha Paley Francescato, and several members of the Augusta Books and Bubbles Club. My thanks also go to Steve Jackson, Steve Himes, Claudia Jackson, Lorraine Hansen, and Terri Himes, as well as the rest of the fine staff at Telemachus Press who helped in so many ways to enhance the presentation of this novel. And, last but not least, the RGB Law Group of California who provided expertise with respect to California Pardon law and policy, licensing private investigators and the issuance of permits to carry concealed weapons. If this story contains any errors in those regards it is the failure of the author and not the experts at the RGB Law Group.

  The characters who reside within this story were made smarter, tougher, sexier, or more villainous through your unselfish assistance. They join the author in saying thank you.

  While this story takes place in Long Beach, California, certain dramatic license was taken to alter some things, such as the interior of the Long Beach Police Department, to fit the needs of the story.

  Dedication

  This novel, as are all my novels and everything I do, is dedicated to Jody Madden and my first grandchild, Brandi Bishop, whose love and encouragement continues to inspire me, my other grandchildren, Kristopher and Kaia, my sons, Todd and Dirk, all my nieces and nephews, and my various other in-laws and out-laws. Without the faith and encouragement of so many, this book would not exist.

  Who Murdered Garson Talmadge

  A Matthew Kile Mystery

  Prologue

  It’s funny the way a kiss stays with you. How it lingers. How you can feel it long after it ends. I understand what amputees mean when they speak of phantom limbs. It’s there, but it isn’t. You know it isn’t. But you feel it’s still with you. While I was in prison, my wife divorced me; I thought she was with me, but she wasn’t. She said I destroyed our marriage in a moment of rage in a search for some kind of perverted justice. I didn’t think it was perverted, but I didn’t blame her for the divorce.

  But enough sad stuff. Yesterday I left the smells and perversions of men, and, wearing the same clothes I had worn the last day of my trial, reentered the world of three-dimensional women and meals you choose for yourself; things I used to take for granted, but don’t any longer. My old suit fit looser and had a musty smell, but nothing could be bad on a con’s first day of freedom. I tilted my head back and inhaled. Free air smelled different, felt different tossing my hair and puffing my shirt.

  I had no excuses. I had been guilty. I knew that. The jury knew that. The city knew that. The whole damn country knew. I had shot the guy in front of the TV cameras, emptied my gun into him. He had raped and killed a woman, then killed her three children for having walked in during his deed. The homicide team of Kile and Fidgery had found the evidence that linked the man I killed to the crime. Sergeant Matthew Kile, that was me, still is me, only now there’s no Sergeant in front of my name, and my then partner, Detective Terrence Fidgery. We arrested the scum, and he readily confessed.

  The judge ruled our search illegal and all that followed bad fruit, which included the thug’s confession. Cute words for giving a rapist-killer a get-out-of-jail-free card. In chambers the judge had wrung his hands while saying, “I have to let him walk.” Judges talk about their rules of evidence as though they had replaced the rules about right and wrong. Justice isn’t about guilt and innocence, not anymore. Over time, criminal trials had become a game for wins and losses between district attorneys and the mouthpieces for the accused. Heavy wins get defense attorneys bigger fees. For district attorneys, wins mean advancement into higher office and maybe even a political career. They should take the robes away from the judges and make them wear striped shirts like referees in other sports.

  On the courthouse steps, the news hounds had surrounded the rapist-killer like he was a movie star. Fame or infamy can make you a celebrity, and America treats celebrity like virtue.

  I still see the woman’s husband, the father of the dead children, stepping out from the crowd, standing there looking at the man who had murdered his family, palpable fury filling his eyes. His body pulsing from the strain of controlled rage that was fraying around the edges, ready to explode. The justice system had failed him, and because we all rely on it, failed us all. Because I had been the arresting officer, I had also failed him.

  The thug spit on the father and punched him, knocking him down onto the dirty-white marble stairs; he rolled all the way to the bottom, stopping on the sidewalk. The police arrested the man we all knew to be a murderer, charging him with assault and battery.

  The thug laughed. “I’ll plead to assault,” he boasted. “Is this a great country or what?”

  At that moment, without a conscious decision to do so, I drew my service revolver and fired until my gun emptied. The lowlife went down. The sentence he deserved, delivered.

  The district attorney tried me for murder-two. The same judge who had let the thug walk gave me seven years. Three months after my incarceration, the surviving husband and father, a wealthy business owner, funded a public opinion poll that showed more than eighty percent of the people felt the judge was wrong, with an excess of two-thirds thinking I did right. All I knew was the world was better off without that piece of shit, and people who would have been damaged in the future had this guy lived, would now be safe. That was enough; it had to be.

  A big reward offered by the husband/father eventually found a witness who had bought a woman’s Rolex from the man I killed. The Rolex had belonged to the murdered woman. Eventually, the father convinced the governor to grant me what is technically known in California as a Certificate of Rehabilitation and Pardon. My time served, four years.

  While in prison I had started writing mysteries, something I had always wanted to do, I finally had the time to do. During my second year inside, I secured a literary agent and a publisher. I guessed, they figured that stories written by a former homicide cop and convicted murdere
r would sell.

  My literary agent had wanted to meet me at the gate, but I said no. After walking far enough to put the prison out of sight, I paid a cabbie part of the modest advance on my first novel to drive me to Long Beach, California. I told the hack not to talk to me during the drive. He probably thought that a bit odd, but that was his concern, not mine. If I had wanted to gab, I would have let my literary agent meet me. This trip was about looking out a window without bars, about being able to close my eyes without first checking to see who was nearby. In short, I wanted to quietly absorb the subtleties of freedom regained.

  Chapter 1

  Six Years Later:

  I was about to walk out my door to have breakfast with the tempting Clarice Talmadge and her septuagenarian husband, Garson Talmadge, without knowing Garson would be skipping breakfasts forever, not to mention lunches and dinners. The Talmadges lived on my floor, at the end of the hall in a twenty-five hundred square foot condo on the corner of the building with a balcony overlooking the white sand shoreline of Long Beach, California. Then my phone rang. It was Clarice, but she hadn’t called to ask how I liked my eggs. The cops were with her and they hadn’t been invited for breakfast.

  A uniformed officer halted me at the door to the Talmadge condo. “My name’s Matt Kile,” I said, “I was asked to come down—”

  The saxophone voice of Detective Sergeant Terrence Fidgery interrupted, “Let ‘im in.”

  For seven years before my incarceration Fidge and I had worked homicides together for the Long Beach police department. Fidge was a solid detective, content with his work, a man who appeared to need nothing else. Well, perhaps a diet-and-exercise program, but Fidge was a man who would do anything to stay in shape except eat right, exercise, and drink less beer. I left the force ten years ago, but stayed in touch with Fidge and his wife, Brenda, whose pot always held enough for one more plate. I often sought out Fidge for his take on the first draft of my mystery novels.