Taunton Barr

by Brian Cain

CHAPTER FORTY FIVE

  Blake was an extremely troubled man, it was the day before the race and he did not sleep well. For the first time in his life he broke down at this desk, he sobbed into his hands, he lent back in his seat, his glasses had tear drops on them, he began to clean the lenses with a fine cloth kept in the top draw of his desk specially to do the job. He stopped, beneath the cloth face up was a picture of his daughter Rose. He pulled himself together, cleaned his glasses, he lifted the picture from the draw and studied it in front of him his hands resting on his computer keyboard. He mumbled to himself. 'All because I lost you.' He was thinking at a hundred miles an hour, not unusual but about different things. His family social foundation had over the last few months dragged the carpet from beneath his feet. He had built a runaway train and felt doomed to failure should he allow it to pick up speed, and felt absolute failure should he stop it. Decisions of success were being hampered by the very social fabric that had created his current heart felt dilemma. He was on the brink of cancelling everything, he thought about scratching the all entries in the national, but what would that bring. Would one of his children be that affected by a fit of rage they could be in harms way just driving down the road, would his commercial interest be that poorly affected that his children would be become penniless paupers. He studied the picture, what would Rose like to see, was she watching, he heard nothing of her. Was she disgusted by the latest news reports around the globe on his hidden past. Had he given her too much that she had no respect for anything or anyone including her own father, why the hell had she not come home when she could. He whispered. 'It's really none of my business what you think Rose.' His phone rang, he had vowed to take no calls but his phone console told him it was a call from the United States. He knew of no commercial entity in the US that had his home number, he was puzzled, he stood Rose's picture beside him and cautiously picked up the receiver. 'Yes.'

  'Dad.'

  He shoot to his feet. 'Rose.'

  'Yes dad, I woke from sleep, the strangest feeling you needed me, are you okay.'

  'Yes I'm fine love, I was just looking at your picture.'

  'And I yours.'

  'You have a picture of me.'

  'Of course.'

  'I had no idea.' There was silence for a few seconds. 'You need something.'

  'No father, I have never wanted for anything. My sisters, are they with you.'

  'Yes they are love.'

  'There is something I need you to do for me.'

  'Just name it love.'

  'Let Lindy Cumberland win the grand national on Flaxmead.'

  'Why do you ask.'

  'Because if you feel like me and I know you well, you would be thinking of stopping things.'

  'You think correctly love.'

  'Lindy stood by you all her life and so has Flaxmead. They made you who you are today, I want to watch the race live here and see Lindy at least try.'

  You could hear a pin drop. 'It will be done.'

  'Then I want to come home, I want my sisters.'

  'The door is always open, we all want the same thing.'

  'Dad I love you.'

  'I bought Flaxmead to bring you home, at last he's going to do it.'

  'I just had some information come out of nowhere, a answer to a question I have been asking myself for a long time. Do you want to know what it is.'

  'No, none of my business.'

  'I'm very proud of you dad, you have twenty four hours dad, don't mess it up.'

  'Everything is ready, except my heart.'

  'Nothing will stop them now dad, you've done it all, leave it to Lindy and Flaxmead.'

  'Agreed.'

  'I want you to do one other thing.'

  'Yes.'

  'Scratch my sister from the race.'

  He was silent before cautiously answering. 'That will be difficult Rose, she will turn on me.'

  'Dad I have a bad feeling about her in the race, there is something wrong with Saracens right front leg.'

  Winston sat down slowly. 'How do you know.'

  'I don't know I just do.'

  Winton remembered from a young age Rose had told him many things that came to pass, he thought about it, she was a child of the universe type hippie free spirit. He disposed the gift as he found it hard to fathom being a man of science, but he also had gut feel. Where did he get this thing and had it passed on to his daughter. 'I'll check it out.'

  'Please dad, I used to play with her when we were little, I felt this uncanny connection, now I know why, she's my blood.'

  Winston nodded. 'Your call is so important, the most important call I have ever had.'

  'Sorry it has been so long, something tells me it's the right time.'

  'Come home love.'

  'Win the national dad, it's our destiny.'

  'It will be done love.'

  'I love you dad.' Overcome with emotion, she hung up.

  Winston gathered himself, he shook off emotion, he did something he would never normally do, showed himself on his commercial satellite network to verify a family matter. He traced the phone number used by his daughter, it checked out to source from her address. The wireless provider was Verizon, America's biggest wireless phone company, he made a call via his satellite system to hide his source, his daughter answered the phone with several hellos and anyone there. He hung up, she was calm, there was no distress or concern in her voice. He realised how much danger she was now in, he again gathered himself, many things filled his head, did she have a current passport, what was her family status, he realised how little he knew of something that was so important. He knew mechanic was really busy with matters of the utmost importance, one thing he thought he really needed to do was to act on his daughters concerns. He rang his vet, he was with a client, he became agitated and demanded he speak with him immediately, the phone was passed to Trevor Hocket his trusted vet interrupting a consultation on a sick cat. Hocket passed the consolation on to one of his counterparts and left immediately to see Blake. Winston thought hard, he did not want to draw attention any more than the phone calls made between he and his daughter but he knew the call could have been tapped. Many knew Rose was Blake's daughter although it was common knowledge they had little to do with each other. He contacted his lawyer Pigeonberry via email, a man he trusted beyond many, they had a code of communication to confuse hackers. He indirectly asked via their system to have his daughters home and her family put under obvious surveillance for the matters of security, and to give her all the legal help she needed to return home. Hocket roared into the yard skidding to a halt and Winston meet him in the conservatory, he directed him by word of mouth to inspect Saracens right front leg. Hocket appeared displeased he had been interrupted with such a request based on motivation outside of science, but he was quickly brought back to earth by an outburst from Blake, something he had never experienced.

  Blake waited his office attending to several matters raising there head as the grand national was now less than twenty four hours away, he expected it. Lindy had arrived with Taunton Barr from Glastonbury as Hocket inspected Saracen under the rage glistened eyes of not only Lindy but Kalika and Cecelia. Kalika was short with Hocket. 'Did my father send you here.'

  Hocket was closely inspecting the area suggested by Blake. 'Yes he did.'

  'He's up to something, what exactly ar.....'

  Hocket interrupted looking her in the face. 'You ran this horse this morning.'

  'Yes.'

  'It would have struggled am I right.'

  Kalika said nothing she just stood with her arms folded, there was silence, Lindy jumped in, she confronted her. 'Well, did he struggle.'

  Kalika looked away. 'Yes, he did.'

  Hocket weighed in. 'Acute tendonitis, this horse is to be rested for at least a month, it will have to be scratched from tomorrows race.'

  Lindy looked daggers at Kalika. 'You would have let him run.'

  'I was going to wait till the morning.'

  Hocket again inter
rupted. 'This horse would have been struggling for some time.'

  Cecelia confronted Kalika. 'My god Kalika we could have lost both of you.' She turned to Hocket. 'Start to treat him, how the hell did you know.'

  A voice not heard in the barn for some time came from a figure standing at the door. 'Rose, your sister Rose, she called, she knew.'

  Kalika walked toward him with a puzzled look. 'Rose, my sister, she called and mentioned this. You expect us to believe that.'

  Hocket raised his voice with his hand on Saracens flank. 'No matter who called about what this horse is not running anywhere for some time.'

  Mechanic stood to one side summoned by the commotion, Blake beckoned to him with a hand motion and they both walked to Kalika's side, she turned with them and bringing all into vocal range looking at each other. Blake sternly gave direction. 'Mechanic, scratch Saracen, Backfire and Crimson Tide from the race tomorrow.'

  Kalika turned to him wide eyed and stepped back. 'What, Flaxy will be out there alone, we have worked on thi......'

  Lindy raised her voice. 'Let him finish, I want to know!'

  Blake hesitated looking around. 'Trevor you can go, prepare a recovery plan for Saracen and send it to Cecelia, she can make sure her horse is rehabilitated.' Hocket left, he felt uncomfortable amidst the tension. Blake waited until he was clear of earshot. 'I was wrong, putting more people in harms way will not help our best chance.'

  Lindy spoke up. 'At last I know exactly what I'll do.'

  Blake walked over to Taunton standing quietly in his stall. The horse came over to him, his head towered above Blake's face, he whispered to him. 'You did it, you brought her home, thank you, I have my reward. Tomorrow you will have yours, carry her carefully, all rests on your impeccable shoulders my friend.' The horse grunted and threw his head around. Winston walked back toward the door, as he passed Kalika she spoke.

  'Rose they know where she is.'

  'Yes, she risked it to save you and Saracen. May be many reasons why she stayed away and is suddenly coming home.'

  'She knew he was hurt.'

  'Yes.'

  'How, sounds surreal.'

  'Last week I bought a company in so much trouble it would appear ludicrous to do so. I just had a gut feeling nothing more, it's value and economic outlook yesterday went up many thousands of percent, one of its drill's struck a gold reef so rich it defies belief. If you can tell me why I acted on impulse I would appreciate that because I have no idea, I just do. Ridiculous to think that any of my offspring would not posses the same genes.'

  'What have you done about Rose, will she be safe.'

  'As much as we can do has been done, until she's here we wait, as she waits to see Flaxy win the national tomorrow, she asked we do that.'

  'There will be some disappointed people here when we tell them of the scratching's.'

  'Will be a lot more tomorrow if we loose, one will be Rose.'

  'Do you think he will win.'

  'I just scratched all his support why do you ask.'

  'Because I value your opinion more than anyone.' They all looked at him waiting for a reply. He turned to face them all.

  Blake looked across to Flaxmead's stall, he smiled at the towering black figure and remembered his first sight of him as a foul, bold, fearless and free of care or burden. He thought briefly of all that had been thrown at the steed, his smile widened. 'Yes, he'll win.' Blake began to walk toward the door. Cecelia stepped forward along side her sister, she looked at her, there was a deep question in their eyes. She shouted. 'He's our brother isn't he.'

  Blake stopped dead, he looked at the ground, Kalika backed up her sister, Lindy stepped forward and stood beside them listening with intense interest. 'Dad, he is our brother isn't he.'

  Blake did not look round just continued to look at the ground. 'Who.'

  Kalika interrupted Cecelia before she could speak. 'You know who we are talking about or you'd still be walking.'

  'Yes he is.'

  'Does he know.'

  'No, if people knew he'd be dead.'

  'You going to tell him.'

  Winston turned around and faced them. 'I think he would be very pleased to be informed he had some wonderful sisters, I'll leave that to you.'

  'You don't have the courage.'

  He looked at Kalika. 'Do you, do you have the courage to endanger someone's life just because you selfishly wish to demean someone else.'

  Cecelia laughed and looked her sister in the face. 'Check mate you bitch.'

  Lindy laughed out loud and joined the fray. 'Yeah you got a fat arse to you bitch.'

  Kalika flew into a rage, she kicked her boots on the ground and folded her arms screaming at Lindy and her sister. 'My arse is not fat you pair of morons.'

  They doubled up with laughter, Winston grinned at his enraged offspring, he chuckled as he watched her turn in circles kicking the dust from the ground her hair flying all over the place. Cecelia spoke through broken laughter. 'Yeah we know that just wondered if you did.'

  'You bastards!'

  Blake raised his voice. 'Lindy, take Taunton onto the track for a run.'

  Kalika wore a face of rage and stood there looking at her father with her arms folded. Lindy asked. 'Someone will put the watch on him.'

  'Good, time to confuse all, where's Lee.'

  'She's in Bristol at a press conference for us.'

  'You best call her Kalika and tell her to expect the unexpected.'

  'The press will go mad.'

  'Meltdown hopefully, will get them off our arse, give them something to write about, with the scratching's and witness of a form comeback by the time they get their act together Flaxy would have crossed the line.'

  Lindy looked at Kalika and Cecelia standing right beside her. 'Yeah, we better get on it, we have to change heaps of things, we have to speak to Janice and Roselyn about their mounts being scratched.'

  'I sent mechanic an email about an hour ago, he will pass it on to them, a plan over the next year on a path they can take to run in next years national on their own accord. Talk to them after they receive it.'

  'Lee's going to really cop it in about twenty minutes.'

  'Lee will be fine Lindy.'

  He turned and began to walk away, Lindy ran forwards. 'Winston.' He turned back. 'Thank you.'

  He smiled, wide and warm. 'Today all in the world I ever wanted was mine, tomorrow it's yours, who dares wins princess.' He walked away toward the house.