Iron Riff - A Cache Iron short story

In 2025, I am embarking on a new writing project. When I planned out the Cache Iron mystery series, there were certain novels that advanced the readers familiarly in Cache’s life and yet will provide an entertaining mystery full of twists and turns.

However, along the way I often get the idea for other mysteries I want to get Cache involved in and writing a short story to get it out of my head is a great way to put those ideas on paper and provide the readers something to digest between full-length novels in the series.

The first story I started to plot out in October and November 2024. I scoped out a rough draft on the plot, developed the characters and their back story and fit the pieces together. The story centers on the music industry and particularly an all-female rock band know as Dixons Vixens.

With most multiple murders, the police look for something to tie the victims together to get into the mind of the killer. But what happens when the murders are different and don’t occur in the same city, state or even country? Think about any major music artist that is out on tour, cascading the world with this huge entourage in tow. What if one of them was a serial killer? Would there be enough information out there for local law enforcement to pick up the scent?

Hence the idea behind what I am calling Iron Riff. A short story aimed to be around 15,000 words that involve the rock band Dixons Vixens with lead singer Mabel Dixon, Ivy Monroe in lead guitar, Riley Storm on drums and Maya Torres on bass. Throw in a sketchy band manager, a record label called Rustwave Records, some roadies and a writer for a music magazine following the band from city to city and you have a host of suspects, each with a different opportunity to commit the crime.

Chapter one begins with two fans singing a song of the bands that has topped the rock charts, which meant I needed to craft a song for the story. This meant researching song structure and develop the right rhyming sequence.

The name of the song that I came up with is called Lust is a Good Grind.

I share the lyrics below with you:

Lust is a Good Grind

Shadows in this dive tonight

Graffiti sprayed across the walls

You emerge into the light

Bad judgement answers the call

Foot up against a bathroom stall

Bodies begin to grind

Feeling my ass hitting the wall

Our lust starts to become aligned

Didn’t catch your handle

Don’t know your name

You brought the candle,

I started the flame.

Foot up against a bathroom stall

Bodies begin to grind

Feeling my ass hitting the wall

Our lust starts to become aligned

Heart beats slow down

Awkward silence starts to emerge

Bad judgement takes the crown

Impure thoughts are purged

Foot up against a bathroom stall

Bodies begin to grind

Feeling my ass hitting the wall

Our lust starts to become aligned

And in the end, a quick chance to unwind

For a brief moment in time, we did the grind.

We did the grind

We did the grind.

Lust is a Good Grind