Passions of the Dead (A Detective Jackson Mystery/Thriller) Read Online Free PDF

again. They had married straight out of high school with little Lori already on the way. Jared had not been ready for any of it, and it took him a while to settle into his responsibilities. Carla had been patient for a long time, but she had expectations now.
    Jared started the truck and squealed out of the parking lot. What if Carla got that look? The one that said, I told you this was a bad idea and now we’re going to suffer for it .
    Jared had had his share of bad ideas over the years. Like the time he loaned six hundred dollars to Deke, this kid he knew who never lost at cards. The money was for Deke’s stake in a poker game at the Eldorado. Deke was supposed to win ten grand or more and split the pot with him. Jared had planned to send Nick to basketball camp and buy Lori a used car. He’d fantasized about how happy they would be. Things hadn’t turned out quite like that, and Jared had learned his lesson. He’d promised Carla “no more money mistakes.”
    Off to the right, the dark water of Fern Ridge Reservoir caught his eye. Subconsciously, he’d driven west toward Veneta, the small town where he’d grown up. Ten minutes later, Jared was parked in front of his mother’s house. Only she didn’t live here anymore. She didn’t live anywhere.
    Jared let the memories flood him. Playing tag with his friends in the park in the summer. Fishing at the lake with Cory. Drinking with his high school friends behind the barn on Perkins Road.
    The reality of his situation slammed back into his head. What the hell could he do? His chance of finding a job was laughable. Nobody was building new houses and damn few people were spending money on new paint. He’d worked as a prep cook when he was younger and could apply at restaurants, but they weren’t hiring now either. Jared cursed himself for working under the table all these years. An unemployment check would at least help pay the rent and the truck payment. He wished like hell he’d never bought the truck either. It wasn’t anywhere near new, but they were still eight grand in debt for it. Carla had argued against the vehicle, thinking they should drive the damn Explorer until it finally died. Why didn’t he listen to her? She was almost always right.
    Jared checked his watch. Carla would have left for work by now. He drove home, racking his brain for a way to make a little money. Even if he sold the truck, he’d be lucky to just get out from under the payments. And he would still need transportation. He knew Carla would say he could sell the guns. Jared’s jaw locked up at the thought. They were his father’s hunting rifles and all he had left of the old man. What were they worth? A month’s rent? He shook his head. If they ended up homeless he’d consider it.
    Jared’s thoughts jumped to Roy and his nice house by the river and his fat little savings account. Part of the reason Roy had a lot of money was because he cheated everyone. He cheated the government out of taxes, and he cheated his employees by not insuring them. Jared thought he shaved their hours sometimes too. The little fucker had laid him off instead of that lazy-ass Tyler. Jared was glad he hadn’t drunk any coffee at the restaurant. He could feel his heart pounding with stress.
    At home he pulled a spiral notebook from his bottom dresser drawer and a piece of plain white paper from the printer tray, then took them to the kitchen table. He labeled the top of the paper Job Search . The notebook had already been labeled Roy Engall . He started the job search page by listing three painting companies to go see and five chain restaurants that might have some turnover. His thoughts kept coming back to Roy and what a cheap bastard he could be sometimes. Jared had to buy all his own tools, including a sprayer. The worst of it was the lack of insurance though. No one who painted houses under the table expected health insurance as a job benefit, but he expected to be insured for on-the-job injuries. Roy