Dave Zeltserman - Bad Karma (Five Star Mystery Series)

Praise for Blood Crimes, Book One:

Dave has managed to meld the two genres of crime and horror into one hell of a ride: PI's, crime lords, drug gangs, sultry babes and more low life scum than you can count all collide with explosive results in this genre bending masterpiece.

Jim Mcleod, Ginger House of Nuts

You [will be] gaping at your Kindle in shock.

Peter Leonard, Man Eating Bookworm

Praise for the Julius Katz Mysteries:

Absolutely fantastic!

Minding Spot

I love these stories!

Timothy Hallinan, the author of The Queen of Patpong

If you want to read an amazing story read Dave Zeltserman's 'Julius Katz.'Zeltserman evokes Rex Stout, Nero and Archie in the most fascinating way.

Author Joe Barone

Praise for Bad Karma:

Its as though Zeltserman has aimed a 12-gauge sawed-off at smarmy New Age sensitivities and fired off both barrels if you liked the first novel in this series, youll love this one.

Elliott Swanson

If you haven't read Zeltserman's work, it's time to start. He's making quite a name for himself these days.

Bill Crider

Top-notch P.I. reading.

Bruce Grossman

Other Books by Dave Zeltserman

Dying Memories

Blood Crimes

Outsourced

The Caretaker of Lorne Field

21 Tales

Julius Katz Mysteries

Killer

Pariah

Small Crimes

Bad Thoughts

Fast Lane

BAD KARMA

Chapter 1

Bill Shannon ran hard from his apartment to the juice and coffee shop on the eastern end of Boulders Pearl Street Mall where he was going to meet Eli Rosen. He did this partly to keep from being any later than the extra ten minutes Eli had given him, and partly as a challenge to see whether he could run a half mile in under three minutes. When he arrived at Juiced Up he leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees while trying to get his breathing under control. A quick look at his watch showed that he had made it in just over three minutes. His eyes wandered down his wrist to the stubs where his ring and middle fingers used to be. Five and a half years ago they were ripped from his hand. This was the first time since then that he had gone out in public with his damaged right hand exposed. He straightened up and entered the shop.

Eli was waiting at their usual table. He was a large man with gentle eyes and heavy rounded shoulders. Thick light brown hair ran up to his neckline and covered the exposed areas of his arms and legs. Like most mornings, at least during baseball season, he wore sandals, shorts, a Bucky Dent Yankees jersey and a matching Yankees cap. Shannon nodded towards him, and Eli gave him back a deadpan stare in return. He told Shannon he was sweating. Shannon took some napkins and wiped off his forehead and the back of his neck.

Eli kept his deadpan stare intact while glancing at his watch. Its been eleven minutes since we talked on the phone, he said.

I made the mistake of taking one last look at Susan before leaving the apartment. It cost me a minute. By the way, she says hi.

A lovely woman, your ex-wife.

Shannon nodded towards an empty glass in front of Eli. How many chais you have already? he asked.

Three.

Think your bladder can handle another?

Only one way to find out.

Shannon walked over to the counter and bought another chai for Eli and a wheatgrass juice for himself and brought the drinks back to the table. When he handed Eli his chai, he saw his friends heavy-lidded eyes open a quarter of an inch wider and knew Elis stare was fixed on his damaged hand.

I knew there was something different about you this morning, Eli said, a forced casualness in his tone. I just realized youre not wearing your trademark glove.

Shannon didnt bother to respond. He sat across from Eli and sipped his wheatgrass juice.

You never told me before what Charlie Winters had done to your hand. The only thing I knew was he had injured you. Jesus, I had no idea.

That bad, huh? Shannon asked.

Eli made a face indicating that it was. Bill, I never pushed you before, but I need you to tell me what happened. I cant put things in the proper perspective without knowing.

Shannon took another couple of sips from his drink. He had never told anyone about what happened that last night with Winters. Not the cops who arrived on the scene, not the therapist he saw after he had moved to Boulder, no one. The only person who knew was Susan, and that was only because she had witnessed it.

Shannon stared stone-faced at Eli for a long moment, but the compassion flooding the other mans eyes weakened his resolve. He shrugged. It will sound like something out of a horror movie, he said.

Hey, youre talking to one of Stephen Kings biggest fans.

Shannon looked away from his friend to a pastel drawing on his right of Chautauqua Park. The lower part of the pastel showed a meadow done in a muted green, the four faces of the Flatirons above it were colored a soft purple.

That last night, Winters murdered my partner, Joe Digrazia.

You had told me that.

I didnt tell you how, Shannon said. He kept his stare fixed on the pastel. Winters skinned Joe alive. He made Susan watch.

Jesus.

A hard grimace tightened the muscles along Shannons jaw. It was worse than what he had said. Charlie Winters had also made Susan beg him to kill Joe instead of herself, but Shannon couldnt tell Eli or anyone else that part of it.

He tied Susan up with wire and had her helpless. If I brought anyone with me, he wouldve killed her and then surrendered to the police. The only chance I had was crashing through a window and getting to him before he knew what was happening. I screwed up, though, and my foot caught on the window sill. Before I could get to my feet he hit me on the back of my head with something hard, I think a lamp. While I was on the floor, he broke my two fingers with a nutcracker. He worked on those broken fingers for almost an hour, trying to force me to cut Susan with a knife. At one point I said something that pissed him off and he twisted a little too hard with that nutcracker.

Jesus, Bill

Shannon kept his stare locked on the pastel. He waited until Elis voice trailed off before continuing. I mightve left my body then, he said. I dont know, I couldve hallucinated the whole thing. It seemed, though, as if Id been shot up into a corner of the ceiling and then just sort of hovered there, watching everything below me with a kind of weird detachmentlike it was nothing but a movie. It was like I was watching as Winters realized he was only holding onto my two torn-off fingers, then my body turning on him and using the knife he tried to make me hurt Susan with to cut off his goddamn ugly malformed head. Next thing it was as if I was sucked out of the air and back into my body.

Shannons gaze shifted from the pastel to Eli. His friends face was ashen. So what do you think, Shannon asked. Would King be able to do something with that story?