Bad Karma Read Online Free PDF Page B

responsible?”
    “A deadbolt lock was rusted.”
    The spark faded as Daniels shook his head. “That lock might’ve needed a few drops of oil, but it was functional.” He lowered his voice into a conspiratorial tone. “Now don’t get excited, I’m not going to be discussing this case, only giving you my opinion of Eunice Carver. I know I should be more understanding, especially after what she’s been through, but she’s a piece of work. So’s her other son, Randall. You’ll see.” Daniels looked away from Shannon. “Linda’s family’s no bargain either.”
    Almost as if he were watching a movie in slow motion, Shannon could see the change in Daniels’ expression as if a thought had just occurred to him. As he turned back to face Shannon, a soft, easy smile showed, but it was edged with violence. “You’re not trying to dig up dirt on these two kids, and make it look like they got what they deserved?”
    “No. What I was hired for, and the only thing I’m willing to do, is find out who killed them. Whatever else I might find out along the way is staying with me.”
    “How’s that going to help your client?”
    “I don’t know if it will. But it might show that a rusted lock had nothing to do with the murders.”
    Daniels nodded as he thought it over. “Well,” he said. “I’ve got work to do, as I’m sure you do also. Let me walk you out of here.” Neither of them talked as Daniels led the way through the squad room and to the street. Once outside, Daniels asked Shannon if he had any ideas.
    “Not many. I guess first thing I’ll do is look into whether this was drug-related.”
    Daniels shielded his eyes against the sun. “If I wasn’t worried about someday having a defense attorney grill me on whether I ever had any inappropriate discussions about this case, I’d probably tell you we’ve found nothing to suggest the victims were involved with drugs.” His gray eyes narrowed as he met Shannon’s stare. “At least I’d probably tell you something like that,” he said.
    “If you did, then I’d probably have to thank you and admit I have no good ideas at the moment.”
    “Welcome to the club,” Daniels said.

Chapter 4

    When Shannon had first moved to Boulder, he drove a few times through Loveland for skiing and would see nothing but open prairie once he got past Longmont’s city limits. That was five years ago. Now it seemed as if Longmont had been stretched out with more and more subdivisions erasing miles of prairie. Once he got onto US 287 there was some open space, but it was peppered with new construction—mostly McMansions, four thousand plus square foot homes loaded with cathedral ceilings and bay windows. This trend continued well into Loveland proper, but eventually Shannon got to a part of town where the houses were older and more modest. Past a trailer park, he found Eunice Carver’s address. The house was barely a shack, probably no more than four rooms. A chain link fence surrounded the property, the yard mostly dirt mixed with a few weeds. Tires, a stove from the fifties, and a worn-out looking sofa were sitting in the front yard. As Shannon made his way up the walk to the door, a yellow and white pit bull mix charged out from under the sofa. When the dog got close to Shannon, it threw itself at him, but a chain around the neck snapped it back. The dog let out a yelp, then was back on its feet, frothing at the mouth and nearly airborne as it tried to get at Shannon’s throat.
    Shannon eyed the dog cautiously and edged away from it. The front door opened and a kid, maybe eighteen, wearing a stained sleeveless muscle shirt and shorts that fell past his knees stepped out. He was thin and had a squirrelly look about him, with long greasy blond hair, bad skin and eyes that were too small and set too close together. His sleeveless shirt showed off greenish-colored tattoos on his pale and nearly skeleton-thin arms. Even though he had none of Taylor Carver’s good looks,