Killer Instincts v5 by Jack Badelaire Read Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jack Badelaire
myself staring out over the water for a minute or two. "And what about Mom and Dad and Danielle? What's happening with that case?"
I could see Jamie shaking his head out of the corner of my eye. "There isn't much to go on. The fire was reported around 2 AM. No one saw or heard anything before that. No discernible tire tracks. The fire destroyed most of the evidence, anyway. Not that these guys would leave much. Guns would have been throwaways, makeshift suppressor, wiped down so no prints. Accelerant was apparently kerosene, splashed all over the first floor of the house, probably two or three gallons. House was probably a fireball thirty seconds after the match was lit."
"And were they," I paused, unsure how to phrase it, "were they dead when the fire started?"
Jamie nodded. "Your dad died of gunshot wounds. Two to the head, at least two more to the body, as best as forensics can tell from the bone fragmentation patterns. Even that is hard to determine. The house burned to the ground, and the fire was...well anyhow, your mom and sister, both of them sustained blows to the skull that caused significant fractures. Blunt force trauma. If they weren't dead by the time the fire got to them, they were probably senseless or unconscious. Wouldn't have known what happened. Hell, they probably would have died from the smoke before..."
I waved my hand listlessly in front of me. "Enough. I get it."
Jamie frowned. "Sorry William, I know it's hard to take. Didn't mean to be so blunt about it."
"It's not about being blunt. It's just...I don't need the details. Dead is dead. Burned up or beaten or shot...they're in the ground now. They are gone. To prove a point, no less. To keep a murdering rapist out of jail."
"Pretty much sums it up, yes."
I stared off into the horizon some more, sipping my cafe au lait, my hands surprisingly steady. A couple of kids down on the beach were screaming and running around, parents chasing them without success. Two locals, an old couple wearing enormous sun hats, pointed and laughed without malice. This was how life should be, your greatest hardship trying to catch kids running around barefoot in the sand.
I thought to myself, I'm 21 years old and I'm an orphan. I have no siblings. My closest relative is an unstable vet who's holed up in the hills and sells ammunition and live bait for a living. I have no college degree, I have no girlfriend, I have no job, I don't know what I want to do with my life. I don't even like economics. I don't really like college, period. Or the idea of a real job.
I turned back to Jamie. "What happened with the insurance? Life, the house, stuff like that."
"Policies for your mom and dad were solid. So was the house. Your dad was set up pretty well by the firm, and your mom's policy wasn't anything to laugh at, either. And of course the house. Last estimate, it was worth over a million alone, never mind the homeowner's insurance on the possessions."
"So what are we looking at?" I asked.
Jamie gave me a strange look. "All told...maybe five million before taxes. That'd eat what, maybe sixty percent of it? So somewhere around two million dollars."
"Do you want some?" I asked.
Jamie shook his head. "I have my own money. That's yours, all of it. I wasn't even mentioned in the will except as the legal guardian of you and your sister, at least while you were underage. Now that she's gone and you’re an adult, it all falls to you."
I frowned. "Seems awfully harsh. I can't believe dad and mom wouldn't have included you."
Jamie shook his head. "I was included as long as one of you was a minor. But that's fine by me. Michael and your mother and I discussed all this when you two were little, and I told them I didn't want any of their money. I have my own nest egg set aside, and I live just fine within my own means and had no need of anything more. You were young and we didn't know what would happen in your lives, so we wanted the two of you to get it all. Now that it's just
I could see Jamie shaking his head out of the corner of my eye. "There isn't much to go on. The fire was reported around 2 AM. No one saw or heard anything before that. No discernible tire tracks. The fire destroyed most of the evidence, anyway. Not that these guys would leave much. Guns would have been throwaways, makeshift suppressor, wiped down so no prints. Accelerant was apparently kerosene, splashed all over the first floor of the house, probably two or three gallons. House was probably a fireball thirty seconds after the match was lit."
"And were they," I paused, unsure how to phrase it, "were they dead when the fire started?"
Jamie nodded. "Your dad died of gunshot wounds. Two to the head, at least two more to the body, as best as forensics can tell from the bone fragmentation patterns. Even that is hard to determine. The house burned to the ground, and the fire was...well anyhow, your mom and sister, both of them sustained blows to the skull that caused significant fractures. Blunt force trauma. If they weren't dead by the time the fire got to them, they were probably senseless or unconscious. Wouldn't have known what happened. Hell, they probably would have died from the smoke before..."
I waved my hand listlessly in front of me. "Enough. I get it."
Jamie frowned. "Sorry William, I know it's hard to take. Didn't mean to be so blunt about it."
"It's not about being blunt. It's just...I don't need the details. Dead is dead. Burned up or beaten or shot...they're in the ground now. They are gone. To prove a point, no less. To keep a murdering rapist out of jail."
"Pretty much sums it up, yes."
I stared off into the horizon some more, sipping my cafe au lait, my hands surprisingly steady. A couple of kids down on the beach were screaming and running around, parents chasing them without success. Two locals, an old couple wearing enormous sun hats, pointed and laughed without malice. This was how life should be, your greatest hardship trying to catch kids running around barefoot in the sand.
I thought to myself, I'm 21 years old and I'm an orphan. I have no siblings. My closest relative is an unstable vet who's holed up in the hills and sells ammunition and live bait for a living. I have no college degree, I have no girlfriend, I have no job, I don't know what I want to do with my life. I don't even like economics. I don't really like college, period. Or the idea of a real job.
I turned back to Jamie. "What happened with the insurance? Life, the house, stuff like that."
"Policies for your mom and dad were solid. So was the house. Your dad was set up pretty well by the firm, and your mom's policy wasn't anything to laugh at, either. And of course the house. Last estimate, it was worth over a million alone, never mind the homeowner's insurance on the possessions."
"So what are we looking at?" I asked.
Jamie gave me a strange look. "All told...maybe five million before taxes. That'd eat what, maybe sixty percent of it? So somewhere around two million dollars."
"Do you want some?" I asked.
Jamie shook his head. "I have my own money. That's yours, all of it. I wasn't even mentioned in the will except as the legal guardian of you and your sister, at least while you were underage. Now that she's gone and you’re an adult, it all falls to you."
I frowned. "Seems awfully harsh. I can't believe dad and mom wouldn't have included you."
Jamie shook his head. "I was included as long as one of you was a minor. But that's fine by me. Michael and your mother and I discussed all this when you two were little, and I told them I didn't want any of their money. I have my own nest egg set aside, and I live just fine within my own means and had no need of anything more. You were young and we didn't know what would happen in your lives, so we wanted the two of you to get it all. Now that it's just
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