Life in Death by Harlow Drake Read Free Book Online Page A

eyes, but his father stared past him.
    “Dad, I have to go,” Nicolet said quietly.
    The old man muttered, but Nicolet couldn’t quite make out what he said, so he leaned in closer. “What did you say?”
    “I want to go home.”
    A tear rolled down his father’s weathered cheek.
    Nicolet knew he should feel sorry for him, but he didn’t. Chickens were finally coming home to roost.

CHAPTER 9
    What a day. Kari grabbed her mail and went to unlock her front door
    Tucker bounded out of her bedroom, rushed up to her, and pawed at her leg. His little nub of a tail wagged happily. “How’s my little boy today?” She scooped him up into her arms.
    He kissed her face with quick tongue licks. That brightened her day a bit.
    After a few minutes of cuddles, Kari put Tucker down, poured herself a glass of wine, and headed for the bathroom. She lit strawberry scented candles, turned on her favorite jazz station, and slipped into a warm sudsy bath. She sipped her wine and visualized Nicolet’s face: his hazel eyes, aquiline nose, and full lips. Butterflies flitted around in her stomach.
    Tucker napped in the doorway. Always the protector. She smiled.
    A news flash interrupted the music.
    “Attorney Jefferson Winton has been reported missing. Mr. Winton’s car was found abandoned at a downtown parking deck. The family has offered a reward for information leading to his whereabouts. A hotline has been setup. The number is…. ”
    She felt numb. Maybe she finally managed to close that chapter in her life. Time to move on.

CHAPTER 10
    “What the hell do you mean he bonded out? When?” Cobb roared into the phone.
    “Just what I said,” the none too pleased officer on the other line responded in kind. “There wasn’t a hold on him. He sobered up and posted bond. It’s as simple as that. If you have a problem…"
    Cobb slammed the phone down on its cradle. Maybe he should have put a hold on Luke Dolo. This case got stranger and stranger by the day. They’d have to run him down.
    “Saddle up.” Cobb said as he stood and grabbed his jacket off the chair.
    “Where we headed?” Nicolet asked as he pushed a file away.
    “To Luke Dolo’s. He's already out.”
    ***
    Luke Dolo’s apartment door was standing ajar when Cobb and Nicolet arrived.
    “Police,” Cobb yelled as he pushed the door open slowly.
    Cobb entered first, then Nicolet. The apartment was sparsely furnished. A musty grey recliner and broken down sofa kept vigil over an old console television with rabbit ears. The worn, dirty brown carpet had numerous food and beverage stains.
    Cobb and Nicolet worked through the apartment. They found Luke Dolo, or what remained of him, propped against the bedroom wall. He no longer had a face. Blood and brain matter was left plastered on the wall behind him.
    “Looks like a shotgun blast,” Cobb said.
    Cobb looked around the room. Nothing was disturbed, and there were no signs of a struggle. Dolo had known whoever did this to him. “It looks like the shooter leaned over the body,” Nicolet said as he studied the scene.
    “Why the hell would somebody do that?”
    “To watch him die is my guess.”
    Cobb pondered this. Nicolet may have been right. The killing had been brutal. Maybe Luke Dolo hadn’t been crazy at all. He fortold his own death. Cobb should have listened. He’d have to live with that.

CHAPTER 11
    “You mailed the letter?” Aubrey asked Kari.
    “Shhh,” Kari said to her best friend. “Keep your voice down.”
    She looked around the funeral parlor to see if anyone had heard. Didn't look like it. Well-dressed women wept, men in suits were quiet and withdrawn, and ladies of the night and homeless people comforted each other with soft words. Nicolet spoke to Jesus, April’s husband. Kari felt a quiver of excitement when she saw the detective.
    “I can’t believe you actually mailed it,” Aubrey whispered.
    “I had to."
    Kari had mailed a letter to Jefferson Winton, successful lawyer, potential