A Killing Karma by Geraldine Evans Read Free Book Online Page A

news Casey had heard since Moon had first telephoned. He, of
course, already knew most of the commune's more grubby details. As ThomCatt had
said, this loving brother and sisterhood did their fair share of wrong-doing,
whether it was coveting their neighbours' asses or their wives and daughters.
Certainly, a fair bit of the latter had been going on there, as Madonna
Redfern's advanced pregnancy alone could testify.
    Of course, all
of them had drug convictions and now Tom told him that Foxy Redfern also had a
very recent conviction for drunken assault and Kali Callender had one charge of
soliciting against her, though it was several years back. At least Tom was
sensitive enough not to mention Casey's parents' convictions.
    Casey consoled
himself with the thought that at least none of them had records for Grievous
Bodily Harm, or worse. He disliked being dependent for all his information on
Catt's favour-owing and possibly more than dodgy friend, but he dare not
consult the police national computer himself or allow Catt to do so. Neither of
them had any official involvement in the case, so it would be unwise to leave their
technological fingerprints all over it. You never knew when such prints might
come back and point the finger. He had cautioned Catt similarly. Not that he'd
needed to, as Catt, who had spent nearly all his childhood in Council-run care
homes, had grown wily at an early age in order to survive his upbringing. He
knew better than to leave fingerprint or any other traces of himself behind.
    ‘Was your
mother able to pin down the whereabouts of the other commune members between
the times DaisyMay Smith was last seen and when her body was found?’
    Casey shook
his head. ‘Not really. Bits and pieces, that's all, which means that any one of
them could have killed her.’ Including Moon and Star themselves, he reluctantly
acknowledged. And although Casey had little doubt that Star was too idle to
exert himself to so violently attack anybody, his mother had always been the
more determined and energetic of the two — which wasn't saying a lot, of
course, but even so ...
    He took a gulp
of his coffee, wishing now that he had laced it with spirits as he had Catt's
and comforted himself with the thought that as far as he knew, Moon had no
reason to kill either Kris Callender or DaisyMay Smith. Unless she had
discovered that Star, her idle husband, had suddenly developed a new lease of
life in the love-making department and had impregnated DaisyMay?
    But that was
another area Casey was reluctant to investigate too closely. He ran his hand
through his neatly cut black hair and said, ‘OK. So what about the other
death?’
    ‘It's my understanding
that these hippie communes tend to attract transient types who prefer to pick
up their sticks and little spotted handkerchiefs and take off after a while in
one place. Were all the current inhabitants there when Callender's body was
found?’
    Casey thought
back over what his mother had told him. Then he nodded. ‘But there was also
another couple staying there around that time. Names of Honey and Ché Farrer. I
remembered them and asked Moon about them.’
    ‘What reason
did they give for leaving?’
    ‘According to
Moon, they couldn't get on with Callender.'
    'I presume he
was still alive after this Farrer pair left?’
    ‘Debatable.’
From somewhere, Casey managed to find a wry smile. It felt unnaturally forced.
‘Moon can't remember. She knows the two events were close together, but she's
unclear in which order they occurred. She takes drugs, used to take a lot of
them. Regularly,’ he spelled out to the already clued-up Catt. ‘She's asked the
others, of course. Most of them can't remember, either. And the ones who said
they can, according to Moon, gave off a distinct whiff of wanting to spread the
collective guilt as widely as possible.’
    ‘You've primed
her to mention this Farrer couple to the investigating coppers?’
    'Of course.
And to avoid the distinct