Doyle's Gamble: Arthur Doyle, P.I. Series, #7

By Bob Moats

Doyle's investigating firm's business was in a slump with only cheating spouse cases. Then a man came in asking for help at his casino to catch someone who was cheating. He offered Doyle a lot of money to take the case, so Doyle accepted gladly. He organized the case with the help of his partner Drew, his secretary Marge and his girlfriend Poppy to go to the casino to watch the Blackjack tables where the most cheating was going on. While on that case, Doyle was offered another to help protect a woman from Russian spies. She was being protected by the Witness Protection People but they had a leak and couldn't hide the girl until the trial without her being killed. Doyle and Drew staged a fake kidnapping of the girl and hid her at Poppy's apartment. Both cases where eventually completed but not without trouble for the witness. This book is a novella, shorter than a novel, but longer than a short story. It's the 7th Doyle book of the series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bob Moats
• Release date: Nov 12, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201445522

Bob Moats

Detroit area resident, Bob Moats, has been writing short stories and plays for as long as he can remember. He has lost most of his original stories, typed or handwritten, in the numerous moves he has made from his hometown of Fraser, Michigan to Northern Michigan, to Las Vegas and back to Fraser, where he now lives. Moats became one of the causalities of unemployment a year ago, and had time on his hands to finally pursue a life long dream of writing a full blown crime novel. Thus was born the first book, "Classmate Murders".What followed was a series of seven books starting with "The Classmate Murders" which introduces the main character, Jim Richards, who has to admit he has become a senior citizen, reluctantly. Richards, one day, receives an email from a childhood sweetheart asking for his help, but by the time he reaches her, she has been murdered. His life turns around and he is pulled into numerous murders of women from his high school who he hasn't seen in forty years. Along with a friend of his, Buck, a big, mustached biker, they go off to track down the killer before he can get to one former classmate, Penny Wickens, a TV talk show host who Jim has just fallen for while protecting her. The killer is also murdering the women right out from under police protection, driving homicide detective Will Trapper crazy, and he slowly depends on Jim to help. There's humor, suspense, wild chases across suburban Detroit with cops, classic cars and motorcycle clubs; murder, mayhem, a good amount of romance and a twist ending.Jim and his crime fighters, continue in the other books, traveling to Las Vegas twice, back to Detroit and out to New York to solve murders involving dominatrix; mistresses; Bridezillas; magic and strip clubs.Book titles: Classmate Murders; Vegas Showgirl Murders; Dominatrix Murders; Mistress Murders; Bridezilla Murders; Magic Murders; Strip Club Murders and Made-for-TV Murders.

Book preview

Extra special thanks to:

To Amy Morningstar, for editing my chapters.

To my proof readers, and Al Norris for proofing the final copy and hopefully catching all those annoying little errors that slip through.

Thank you to all the people who purchased this book. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it for my faithful readers.

~~*~~

Chapter 1

Doyle stood next to his desk as he watched his office manager, Marge, filing reports of cases they solved. He looked over to Drew, his partner in the investigating firm, while the man sat back in his chair, trying to stay awake. Doyle laughed to himself and sat at his desk lifting the file with a new case that came in this morning. He opened the file and read what was needed by his firm. It was a standard chase the cheating spouse case.

Drew! Doyle yelled loudly to the now sleeping man. Drew suddenly lurched forward looking surprised.

What? he called back to Doyle.

I’ve got something for you, if you can keep your eyes open. Doyle said.

Drew stood and went to Doyle. He stood by as Doyle handed him the file. It’s right up your alley, Doyle said.

Another cheating spouse case? If it wasn’t for these we wouldn’t have much business.

It’s been a slow month. The big cases like murder don’t come to us. We get the missing person cases the police don’t want or the company theft cases. We need to do more advertising.

That works for me. I’ll get on this one, he said closing the file and going back to his desk.

He hated to have to give Drew all the cheating spouse cases but he knew the man enjoyed following people around and taking photos. He heard the back door open and close. The only people who came in that way were Marge and Drew, so it had to be his girlfriend Poppy. He was right as she came up to him and sat in his client chair.

Nice to see you finally, what’s up? Doyle asked.

As you know I have been gone for the last week, she said.

I was starting to wonder, Doyle replied.

I went to visit my mother in Ohio. She was in a hospice and I got to see her before she passed away.

I’m sorry to hear that, how are you doing?

I’m fine. She went quietly and we buried her the next day, Quick ceremony and gone. It made me think that I’m not getting any younger and I’m the last of my family. I have no brothers or sisters, my father died three years ago and there are no aunts or uncles. I’m it. That depresses me. When I’m gone my family is extinct.

That’s not a pleasant thought. I have a few relatives I can give you. I never see them and don’t really want to. I come from a bunch of crazy people who all revel in making others miserable.

No thanks, that doesn’t sound so great. I have enough of you and don’t need a bunch of Doyle clones.

Doyle laughed at the thought. "Well, did