The Darkness of Shadows by Chris Little Read Free Book Online Page A

caller. I know the exact date and time. I wanted to know if Karl might check it out.”
    “You watch too much TV.”
    I sucked at crime. “Guess you’re right.”
    “So are you,” she said. “Let me call him—he owes me a favor. And you didn’t answer my question.” She pointed to the envelope.
    “Letter from my grandparents.”
    “Want to talk about it?”
    Did I want to talk about the fact that my grandparents left me to a man they knew was dangerously insane because they were too afraid to stand up to him? Hmm.
    “Someday.”

    We took a ride to my grandparents’ place. It was a small, one-story brick house, hidden by a few trees and overgrown hydrangea bushes.
    Val pulled into the driveway and parked by the side door. I tapped my fingers on the console. My nerves were jangled. I wasn’t sure what to expect.
    “You sure you’re up to this?” Val said.
    “No, but I have to do it sometime.”
    “You could just sell it and not bother.” She put her hand on top of mine, stopping the movement. “It was a rental property, right? So just dump it. Nat—”
    “Let’s check it out.”
    Val was peering into windows when I got to the side porch. I pulled the keys from my pocket and inserted one into the lock. She gave me a gentle nudge over the sill, then we were in the kitchen. It felt strange being in my grandparents’ house, even though it wasn’t their home. I never knew them and they sure as hell didn’t know me.
    Val looked around. “What do you think?”
    I shrugged. “Nice.”
    “It’s cute. Perfect size for you, for now.”
    I didn’t say anything.
    “We can do a lot of cool things. The house seems to be in good shape. What’s wrong?”
    “They never tried to see me.” His power has surpassed our abilities. “They left the house and the money to me out of guilt.”
    “Is it someday?”
    “Huh?”
    “Are you going to tell me about the letter?”
    We leaned against the counter. I gave her the rundown.
    “You don’t leave a kid in the hands of monsters to save your own ass,” I said.
    “Not everyone is brave enough to stand up for what they believe in,” Val said. “Sometimes it’s easier to look the other way rather than get involved and make a difference.”
    “Still, I was hoping there would be a least one normal person in my family.” Time to start lowering my expectations. “So what do you really think about this place?”
    “We need to get the plumbing and electrical checked out. Think about getting central air, if you’re going to stay. A good cleaning, a fresh coat of paint, and you could move in.”
    “Yep.”
    “Look at me.”
    I turned to face her.
    “You don’t have to stay here forever. Try it, and if you don’t like it, sell it. Then you could take the studio at my house. It’s private and it would be pretty cool to have you down the driveway.” She smiled.
    “I’ll try it for a while. Will you help me pick stuff out?”
    “Try and stop me.”
    “Thanks. Just not up to doing this myself.”
    I started wandering around.
    “You thinking what I’m thinking?” Val said.
    “That they hid the pages somewhere in this house?”
    She nodded.
    “It’s as good a place to start as any.”
    “Be right back.” And she went out the kitchen door.
    Worn linoleum tiles and cigarette-burned Formica countertops waited with me.
    She came back with a toolbox. I smiled.
    “What? Dad told me to always keep it in the trunk. You never know when you might need something. Where do you want to start?”
    “The kitchen. Slap some bacon on a biscuit and let’s go—we’re burnin’ daylight.”
    She shook her head. “I can't believe you said that.”
    We pulled out a few drawers and were met with emptiness. The kitchen fixtures were encrusted with who knows what. Neither of us were squeamish, but this was beyond gross.
    Val grabbed a raunchy knob and tugged. The drawer held tight to the frame. Time, grease, and unknown substances made a strong adhesive and a good security