Killing Karma by Michael Poeltl

Author:Michael Poeltl [Poeltl, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Crime fiction, reincarnation fiction
Publisher: Skylab Press
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22

Detective Harlow wakes to his mobile phone ringing. It’s a distinctive ring reserved for one person: his ex-wife. The call sends him reeling out of a dream, his large hand slamming down upon the phone, thick fingers grasping it and pulling it to his ear. He responded as he’d always done, quickly when his wife called - allowing no more than two rings before he answered.

“Tiff?” His voice cracks under the weight of speaking her name aloud. “What’s wrong?” He can think of no other reason she’d call. He sits up in bed, scratching at his chest.

“It’s Oscar,” she tells him, Harlow catching the distress in her voice. Oscar is their shared Dachshund. He’s just three years old. Harlow hasn’t seen Oscar in months. Not his choice, but he let Tiff keep him longer and longer until he stopped asking to see him. Still, he loves the little noodle.

“Something’s wrong with Oscar?” Does she want money? Is he sick?

“He’s run off,” she tells him. He remembers the way she could be with the dog; overprotective, coddling, dressing him up in ridiculous outfits for every occasion. Harlow let her have her fun with Oscar, but when they were alone, he commiserated with the dog while they watched the 11 o’clock news, and Tiff was fast asleep.

“When?” Harlow remembers the loving pet who crashed on his lap almost every night when they were together. Why can’t she call with good news?

“In the night, I – I had a friend over, and I think they left the screen door open when they left.”

A friend, one who left in the middle of the night, no doubt. Why can’t she get her life together? Why did she leave him for that? “I’ve got the day off,” he tells her, “I could help you look for him.”

“Would you?” She sounds relieved. “I’m sure he hasn’t wandered far, but you remember how curious he can be.”

Harlow had forgotten Oscar’s curious nature, not having seen him in over five months. The idea that he might be in trouble or stolen has the detective out of bed and rooting through the ‘to-be-washed’ pile in the corner of his room for a pair of jeans. “I’ll meet you at your place in twenty,” he says, dropping the phone on his bed and pulling on his pants.

This is a trigger, he thinks, switching on the coffee maker as he moves through the kitchen to the bathroom. She hasn’t let me see Oscar in months, but she comes calling when he’s in trouble. It’s the first time he’s heard from her in over three months. It’s funny how a fur baby can keep you connected when nothing else does. He almost regrets having bought Oscar for that very reason. He accepted that she reneged on his visitation rights with Oscar after the split. It steeled him against her.

Now, this. He pours his coffee and rushes out the door, speeding off in his Dodge Charger to search for his dog. Memories of the noodle (his nickname for Oscar) run through his mind as he navigates the Sunday morning traffic.

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