Social Media Murder Read online

“Someone has stolen my… entire life savings.”

  “For real? How?”

  “Well he told me he was starting his own business. A new pizza business which used technology in interesting ways, TV screens, tablets, credit card swiping, easy ways to order. It looked and sounded like a great investment opportunity, he was in IT.”

  “A pizza joint? Really?”

  “He also mentioned Tapas at one point.”

  “I’m still not convinced,” Hero said.

  “Look, it’s a complicated story, and I’m trying to break it down as quickly as possible, but yes the Pizza slash technology idea sounded good.”

  “How did you even meet this guy?”

  “On Twitter.”

  “Really? Twitter? Well there’s your first problem.”

  “Look, this is serious.”

  “Why don’t you just report him to the police?”

  “Because he’s dead.”

  “No shit, and the money?”

  “No idea, but it’s gone, and that’s why I need you to find it.”

  “You didn’t kill him did you?”

  “No, of course not. Look he clearly wasn’t who he said he was. I can’t believe I was fooled, but this man must have been a professional swindler. Now I’m not sure what to believe. All I know is he stole a stack of cash and he obviously pissed someone off enough for them to kill him. Will you help me?”

  “Only for you Dee, and of course I’ll be taking 15% of the cash I recover.”

  “Of course you would.”

  “Do you have any leads?”

  “I have an address, his other business partner was supposedly a man called M.S., and I think there are others he conned on Twitter, so we can talk to them.”

  “Ok Dee, I think we have the makings of an investigation. Grab that bottle of codeine for me and the Voltaren on the bench and let’s go get that money.”

  CHAPTER 2: QUICK CUT

  Ellie walked towards her apartment. Uneasiness crept over her. It was very silent, and only the poorly lit street lights guided her path. Every 10 paces she would look over her shoulder. The last 24 hours had made her very uncertain. She felt like she was being followed. Arriving at her apartment block she walked up two flights of stairs and quickly got inside.

  She entered her bedroom and grabbed what she got from Raspovic earlier that night. It was a device he told her contained valuable information. She didn’t realise it would almost cost her life. She was still shaken by the earlier attack. Unfortunately she didn’t know much about her attacker. She’d met him at the tweetup earlier. His name was Ron, well it could have been Ron. She had no way to verify this. It’s very hard to gauge a person’s life based on their twitter feed. You only get a glimpse into someone’s life. Often their twitter feed is not a true reflection of their real life personality. The most outspoken tweeter is more likely to be the most socially inept. Ellie had been to many tweetups before and met some very interesting people. A few of them were creeps but some had become her closest friends. Raspovic was one person from twitter she’d never see again. She had developed a relationship with Raspovic over months but tonight was the first time she had met him.

  She rummaged through her bags and picked up the device. She scrolled through it. There didn’t seem to be anything unusual on it. It had barely been used. A man stepped out of the shadows. As she looked up she felt tightness around her neck. The rope began to burn against her skin. She tried to fight it but she was losing consciousness. It dropped out of her hands and the man stepped forward. “I’ll be taking that.” She slumped to the ground, and he made it out her apartment.

  “Hey, hey, stop right there!”

  A man was rushing down the stairs before them, with what looked like a tablet under his jacket, and a gun in his hand. He wasn’t stopping. Detective Hughes pulled out her revolver. “C look out!” Pearce jumped across Hughes and got her to the ground as two bullets flew above her head. Just in time.

  Pearce had no fear. The last few months he had this uneasy feeling that he didn’t have long to live. This was especially disturbing because he constantly got feelings about things happening, and most of the time they did.

  Hughes was impressed by Pearce’s strength and courage, and his willingness to act. “You’re a good partner Andy, just a pity you barrack for Hawthorn.” They scrambled to their feet and hid behind the door. A flurry of bullets rang out, and then there was silence.

  “I’m going to have a look.”

  “Careful Andy, I’m just getting used to your pigheadedness.”

  He slowly moved up the stairs, no one was in sight.

  “206, was that her apartment number?”

  “Okay you better come up here C.”

  As Pearce moved into the apartment he spotted a woman passed out in the bedroom.

  Detective Hughes walked in and immediately rushed over to the woman.

  “Ellie, Ellie are you okay? It’s the police.”

  No response.

  “No sign of the man?”

  “No, looks like he got away...”

  “Hmm...Hello...what happened?” Ellie slowly regained consciousness and began to sit up.

  “Ellie, we’d like you to come down to the station and answer a few questions.”

  ......

  “MS, MS, 267 Bridge Street, this address is a restaurant called Vibe.” Hero was looking at Google maps. He had entered the address Dee had given her and they were driving across to the location.

  “Quite upmarket,” he continued.

  “Doesn’t make any sense. Why did Raspovic have that address as MS?”

  “Actually, it makes a lot of sense. According to these reviews on Urban Spoon the head chef of Vibe is Matt Stanton.”

  “Stanton? From that reality TV show?”

  “Yeah.”

  Hero had been laid out on his couch for months. He may have had a debilitating back injury but it meant he had seen every reality TV show known to man. D-Grade celebrities in the jungle, dating shows, fake reality shows, if it was made he’d seen it. They were all pretty much the same formula. The same kinds of people were cast again and again, aspiring actors and models that would do anything to get on camera. They were part of the game and knew the more dramatic behaviour the more entertaining TV. The crazier they were the better. Everyone was in on the joke that was reality TV, except some viewers. Unfortunately the masses took these shows way too seriously.

  Hero could see how the shows were carefully edited to tell whatever story they want. Take a shocked reaction from one moment and edit it in with a snide comment from another, add in a few keys of dramatic music, and you create drama. An edited piece of an audio interview from earlier could be used to add another layer of tension. There were no greys in reality TV. It had to be black and white, heroes and villains. The audience was manipulated by the way the story was told. This was real life though, not television and everything was not so clear cut. The complicated nature of people didn’t make for good TV but reading the subtleties of human nature would be critical to cracking this case.

  “Matt Stanton had appeared on one of those cooking show competitions as a celebrity judge.”

  “I hate that show, I think I’ve seen him briefly.”

  “This guy is a big celebrity. If this pizza restaurant was a fraud you wouldn’t think he would be connected to someone with such a high profile.”

  “So, you think he really was going to make this restaurant?”

  “Well, let’s ask Matt.”

  They walked through the restaurant. It looked beautiful. It was furnished just well enough to justify the ridiculously high prices on the menu. It was all about appearance. Looking at the dishes they were small but beautifully presented.

  They were stopped by a staff member, “Table for two?”

  “No we’d like to speak to Matt Stanton,” Hero said.

  “I’m sorry he’s busy.”

  “He is, we are doing an interview for the press,” Hero said convi
ncingly.

  “Oh right this way sir, I’m sorry.”

  They were through to the dining area and into the back room where Matt Stanton oversaw a busy kitchen. He was an intimidating figure. 6 foot 4. Tall, and stocky with a rambunctious tone, his voice bellowed around the tight surrounds.

  “And you are?”

  “James, James Hero, I’m with the Herald, doing an interview for the Sunday paper.”

  “I don’t remember having one scheduled, but I’ve done so much press lately. Let’s make it quick then, you have 5 minutes.”

  Dee looked on in amazement. She had no idea what Hero was up to, but it seemed to be working. She tried to act as if everything was normal.

  “And who is this most beautiful woman?”

  “Oh that’s just a cadet, don’t mind her.”

  Dee giggled, on the inside.

  “What was it like appearing on Kitchen Cookoff?” Hero asked.

  “It was a great experience. It opened a lot of doors.”

  “Are there any other projects you are working on?”

  “I have a number of shows in development.”

  “Any new restaurants?”

  “No, I’m focused on making Vibe as successful as I can.”

  “Excellent, I was doing some background research and a John Raspovic said he was working with you on a new form of technology stylised pizza restaurant.”

  “Raspovic? That clown?” his voice became strained.

  “Yeah, that clown,” Hero said. Dee laughed, on the inside.

  “No, he came to me a few months ago about his project. He promised a large return on investment but I said I wasn’t interested unless it became reality. Until he’d bought the restaurant and begun the project, I wasn’t going to be involved as a partner. Anyway this is all private business and I don’t want this information published. Look I have to get back to my restaurant I’ll have to end the interview here.”

  “Of course, thanks for your time.” Hero shook Stanton’s hand, his palm was a sweaty mess.

  Hero and Dee were then quickly rushed out of the restaurant.

  “So, what do you make of that?” Dee asked.

  “I’m frustrated. I think I’d have more luck finding out where Lindsay Lohan’s career went than getting information out of that bloke.”

  “It looks like Raspovic’s attempt to start the restaurant may have been genuine, but he clearly didn’t have enough money to embark on it.”

  “Yeah and I think it’s pretty obvious Matt Stanton knew Raspovic more than he was letting on.”

  .......

  Detective Hughes sat down in the box. It was a very small room, poorly lit, containing a small table and two chairs at least 20 years old. It was where she interviewed suspects, and felt in control.

  Ellie sat down in front of her.

  “You left with John Raspovic from the tweetup on the night of his death?”

  “Yes, yes I was in love with him.”

  “Had you met him before?”

  “No that was the first time we’d met in person.”

  “How could you be in love with him then?”

  “We talked a lot on Twitter, and Facebook... and we texted a lot.”

  Pearce was looking through the mirror into the box in the other room. Kat looked on as well.

  “It sure is a strange world these days. Gen Y? Do they even talk to people in person anymore? Twitter is such a joke; I don’t understand why people would use it.”

  Kat didn’t like to question her superiors but she felt offended by Pearce having a go at her generation.

  “Look old man, she just seems like a naive girl. You can detail your life on twitter; from the mundane to the exciting. You can be funny, you can be deep. You can use it however you want to. It’s not just people talking about eating a sandwich. You determine who you follow. So, if you don’t like that, you don’t have to listen to it. It’s just another piece of technology. I don’t think you hate twitter, you just hate the people using it.”

  “Well I remember doing stupid stuff at that age, but I don’t remember being that stupid.”

  “Hey, it was your generation that raised us, if you don’t like it; you should be looking at the parenting skills of your gen.”

  “Okay, Kat let’s continue this later I want to hear what C is saying.”

  “So you believed he was a very special person Ellie?” Detective Hughes showed real empathy.

  “Almost anyone will do to share your idle time, but that very special person who you can share your dreams with is so hard to find. He made me so happy.”

  “Happiness is hard to find, but the man is dead and it appears you were the last person to be with him.”

  “Yes, happiness is hard to find, but it’s even harder to let go of.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Once I left with him from the tweetup it became clear that he was not completely honest. Once we made it back to his apartment we were confronted by a man demanding his money back. He wouldn’t tell me what it was about. He just said he was in trouble, and gave me an iPad and said to keep it safe. Since that moment I’ve nearly been murdered twice.”

  “What did this man look like?”

  “About 6 Foot 3, stocky build, white.”

  “Anything else you can tell me about him?”

  “No it was all a bit of a shock, I don’t remember much more than that. Oh yeah he had a booming voice, I’m surprised he didn’t wake up half the neighbours.”

  CHAPTER 3: CRADLING GRAVES

  “Got the order?” Pearce ducked into the car.

  “Yeah, burger, fries, McFlurry.”

  “You got the Angus?”

  “Yeah, what is with this Angus burger? Angus ain’t even the greatest cut of meat. Someone comes up with a name and pretends its quality and then everyone just believes it. Then others jump on it and soon enough we think Angus is a quality product when it isn’t.”

  Hughes scoffed half the burger down her throat. Still Chewing, “But...mmm...it costs more? It must be better than just a normal burger?”

  “Yeah… right, it’s pretty much the same thing. There’s no truth in the world, it doesn’t count for anything anymore.”

  “The truth isn’t important, only what people believe. You always got to ruin my fun Andy, anything wrong with a McFlurry?”

  “It’s all kinds of wrong, but it tastes great, M&M’s and ice cream, that’s a perfect combination.”

  “Well, thank you!”

  “Seen anything?”

  “No, no sign of Stanton or the girl just yet.”

  Hughes and Pearce were staking out the front of one of Matt Stanton’s apartments. He had been paying for an apartment here in expensive South Melbourne. He hadn’t been living here though. It appeared he had being paying for a mistress. Pearce believed she may be a crucial part of the Twitter murder investigation.

  .....

  “Yeah, this is the place, Dee.”

  They pulled up outside one of Stanton’s apartments.

  “Uh Oh looks like we have company.”

  “What do you mean, Hero?”

  “That’s two cops in that car ahead, just park on the side of the road here so they don’t see us.”

  “So what will we do if we both see Kara?”

  “We just got to get to her first. Anyway sit back and relax. She may show up in the next 5 minutes or the next 5 hours. So pass those Krispy Kremes will you?”

  “Is your back gonna be--“

  “--and the codeine!”

  “Hah! Okay Hero coming up. All this helping you get around is coming off your fees okay H?”

  “Yeah sure Dee, just start a tab. Can you go get me a 6-pack while you’re at it?”

  “Sometimes you’re funny Hero, then there’s now.”

  .....

  “Hmm, white van pulling up looks suspicious.”

  “Hughes that van!”

  “Shit looks like someone just grabbed that kid on the street.” br />
  “Get him, get him!”

  The van began to take off. Hughes hit the accelerator and flew across 4 lanes of traffic. She zeroed in on the van and cut him off. He slammed on the brakes. Pearce jumped out the car, slammed open the door and pulled the driver from the van. He got him by the throat and threw him violently to the ground. “You piece of shit,” he yelled. Hughes grabbed the young boy out of the van, he was still shaking. “It’s okay, we are police.”

  Blood began to pour from the aging mans mouth. He was clearly intoxicated. “You can beat me all you like. It ain’t nothin.” Pearce looked down at the man, he was disgusted. “My dad used to come home drunk and pull out his belt and beat the shit out of me. When he was finished with me he’d then go for my mum, until one night I couldn’t take it anymore, I got away, my mum wasn’t so lucky; when I came back she was dead.”

  Pearce had seen this plenty of times before, “Am I supposed to feel sorry for you, for trying to ruin other people’s lives because your dad ruined yours?” Hughes stepped in and handcuffed the man. “Call this in, Andy.”

  Within 15 minutes, more police cars turned up.

  “I thought you’d moved to Homicide Andy?” asked one of the officers.

  “Yeah I have, but it seems these scum follow me wherever I go, take him away.”

  Hughes and Pearce returned to where they had parked.

  “You okay Andy?”

  “Yeah… people like that just don’t deserve to live. So many others never get the chance. Then to try and take a child’s innocence like that. That experience will never leave them; it can haunt their entire lives. I think I’ve been doing this too long C, I just can’t take it anymore.”

  “This kind of work is not for everyone Andy, it takes its toll.”

  “My father was a doctor. A heart surgeon, every day he would go to work and save people’s lives. He would then take 3 months off out of the year and volunteer in Africa. When I was 11, my youngest brother got cancer; he was only six. My father could save so many people’s lives, but the one he couldn’t save was his own son. We watched him die over 2 years. We have never gotten over it. My mother was devastated. My middle brother just couldn’t cope. He spent all his time with his brother and now he was gone. It’s like living a nightmare. You just never wake up. The emotional affect never leaves you. I could see my brother making the wrong choices as he got older, you can’t change people though.”