by Brian Cain
CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR
Time passed, the weather began to improve as spring arrived. It had been difficult to use the training track every day as a well worn path had developed. Lindy wanted to avoid using varied lines and saddle and bridle improvements had implemented. A standard run around the outside of the track helped with a few fences to take the pressure of the training track surface. The stock market had rallied in some areas for the Blake group but and one rally Winston was not particularly pleased with was that of the leather manufacturing group that recently sold out to the Chinese, their saddle maker and designer was the culprit. The confidence confided in between the once shop front leather smith in Toulon in the south of France and Blake had been contaminated by commercial intrusion and money. He was far too busy to manage it as an internal problem so he discontinued use of the French expert, saddles identical to that of Lindy Cumberland's began to appear on the market all over the world. Filling the hole was a problem, local leather smith's had helped in the past but saddle making for race horses was not their main source of income so was not their forte. Fortunately indulgence by Cumberland had made her and expert in her own right and she worked along side a local female leather smith to maintain her saddles and bridles. Winston was not happy with the arrangement, Bristol had filled with sharks circling to pick up any stragglers that were in the know. Mechanic had an area of the complex modified for leather maintenance so nothing left the complex unless it was going to a race meeting, in doing so he found something he had been looking for but kept it to himself.
Lee Hayford had a front page article picked up across the world, the rise of Taunton Barr and the story behind it. This horse could actually win the grand national but still remained four to one long shot by the top bookies and handicappers. Blake couldn't even work this out himself, no matter what the horse had done it remained a long shot, only forces below ground could engineer such a set up and it was in Blake's favour. Being an underdog would rally the public even more, this would favour Blake on his intrepid way to gain control. Many things went through his mind, was it on side elements within the underground network rallying to his cause, or was there an underlying reason he could not fathom. Blake had seen little of Ellis but Kalika was often with him, she had at last learnt to delegate. Lindy had one focus to win the grand national but why the underdog tag, undefeated and condemned, made no sense even to commercial entities driving endorsed products, Lindy had become and extremely wealthy woman without the assistance of Blake.
In Australia, Theo Delores was still in prison, he could not afford bail of two million dollars and no one would help him. His case was also slow, prosecution continued to apply for stay of hearing to accrue and log evidence, and why such a heavy bail for what would appear to be no more than a drink and drug driving case. Blake's Bentley had been burnt to the ground while sitting in Delores driveway. Ellis had acted on the information supplied to him on Delores movements, his phone conversations and contacts, he had stepped on a lot of peoples toes through Interpol, but within police ranks he was promoted for his work. Two major drug cartels had been taken down and a giant car stealing ring crushed, Blake thought if Delores was a target the easiest place to take him out would be prison, and perhaps the authorities were holding him there hoping that would happen. These things had only been possible because of tracking Delores, in prison he was under control. What if he was out, Blake considered the possibility he may vanish, on the other hand he needed numbers to an equation he just couldn't fathom. Burning his car was fruitless, or was it just retribution from a car stealing ring, no matter how much Blake thought about it he got nowhere. Blake no longer even trusted his own lawyers, he set up a chain of contact that would take months to untangle and under the guise posted Delores bail.