Death by Equine

by Annette Dashofy

  “Hello?”

  Jessie realized Milt had been talking. “I’m sorry. What?”

  “I said, I pay attention to everything you say, but I also know when you’re kidding yourself.”

  Before Jessie had a chance to come up with a retort, the office door crashed open. She jumped, certain the glass was about to shatter. A crimson-faced Frank Hamilton stood in the doorway.

  Milt jumped to his feet. “What the hell, Hamilton?”

  “This has nothing to do with you, Dodd.” The paddock judge didn’t take his eyes off Jessie. “My business is with the doctor. You should go find a horse to shoe.”

  Jessie recalled her last face-to-face with Frank Hamilton in the paddock. That night he’d been stern and authoritative, dressing her down for encroaching in his territory. The man who stood before her now displayed no such self-control. She shot a pleading glance at Milt.

  The blacksmith hooked his thumbs in his jeans’ pockets. “I’m not going anywhere with you acting like this, Hamilton.”

  Jessie released a breath.

  Hamilton ignored the blacksmith and took two steps toward her. “You, Dr. Cameron, are meddling in affairs that are none of your concern.”

  The man stood several inches taller than Jessie, but she countered his attempt at intimidation by rising slowly from her chair and stalking around the desk. Keeping her voice low, she said, “Get out of my office.”

  “Or what? Are you going to turn me in to Daniel Shumway again?” He took another step closer. “I don’t appreciate people threatening my job. I told you before to stay out of my paddock. Now I’m telling you to stay the hell out of my business.”

  Milt took one long stride and grabbed Hamilton by the arm. “You wanna tell me what this is all about?”

  Hamilton tried to tug free. “Stay out of this, Dodd.”

  Milt’s grip held. “Sorry. Can’t do that.”

  The two men glowered, fists clenched. Before they could come to blows, Jessie jumped in. “Sherry told me you’ve been fixing races, and Doc knew about it.” Neither man blinked. “I told Daniel and got the impression he wasn’t surprised by the news.”

  Milt and Hamilton continued to glare at each other, however a hint of a smile flickered across the blacksmith’s face. “At it again, are you, Hamilton?”

  The paddock judge tried to wrest his arm free. “No, I’m not. And no one can prove otherwise. Not you. Not Shumway.” His gaze turned to Jessie. “Not you either. And certainly not Doc.”

  The tone of his voice sent a chill through her. “Certainly not Doc,” she said. “Seeing as he’s dead.”

  Hamilton lunged at Jessie. She tried to step back, but her leg hit the desk. She scrambled to keep her balance. Milt hauled Hamilton away from her, but the paddock judge swung his free arm. The fist connected with Milt’s jaw with a sickening pop. Jessie yelped. Milt staggered. Caught himself. And charged.

  Hamilton oofed as Milt’s shoulder impacted his midsection. The next thing Jessie knew, Hamilton slammed into her, sending her over the desk. Something jammed into her back as she tumbled sending electrical sparks of pain screaming up her spine. Pens, veterinary reports, and notes went sailing. With Hamilton on top of her, they both skidded across the desk.

  Jessie expected to go all the way over. She pictured herself landing headfirst in the office chair. But the weight of the paddock judge not only crushed the air out of her, it dragged her to a stop.

  Hamilton groaned.

  Jessie wished she could groan too. She hadn’t realized how big a man Hamilton was until all two-hundred-pounds-plus of him flattened her. She tried to maneuver her arms in closer to her body so she could leverage him off, but he didn’t budge.

  Suddenly the weight lifted. Jessie gasped for air. She looked up to see that Milt had hoisted Hamilton up by his collar. “Jessie, darlin’, are you all right?”

  Her initial reaction was hell no. Something hard and sharp bit into her back. Her ribs ached. She was bent backward over her desk and still feared she might end up on her head. The only word she could muster was, “Ouch.”

  Milt shoved Hamilton down onto the sofa and caught Jessie’s arm. She let him pull her up to sit. His gaze looked past her, and his eyes widened. “Oh, mercy.”

  She turned and discovered why her back stung like she’d tangled with a porcupine. Her laptop lay in shambles where she’d fallen on it. The screen’s glass had shattered in a design to rival a spider’s web. Instead of showing the record she’d been working on, it looked like an abstract painting complete with a rainbow of color. Several of the keys had popped from the keyboard. Jessie suspected some of them might be imbedded in her back. She swore.

  Milt wiped a hand across his mouth. “Don’t suppose you had that stuff backed up, did you?”

  Jessie stood and winced at the pain. “Some of it. Not all. None of what I did today.” She looked at the floor where all her notes and two manila folders of Doc’s records lay scattered. She swore again.

  Frank Hamilton staggered to his feet. Milt turned toward him, braced to take a swing. Hamilton held up both hands. “Enough, Dodd.” He sidestepped to the door without taking his eyes off Milt and Jessie. “I’m filing assault charges against both of you.” He pointed to Jessie. “And if you ever say one word about me again, I’ll sue you for libel.” Then he wheeled and stormed out.

  “That would be slander,” Jessie called after him. But he gave no indication he’d heard her. She eyed Milt. “If he’s going to sue me, he should at least get the charge right.”

  Milt chuckled. “And he’s filing assault charges against both of us?”

  “I assaulted his back with my face. If the cops come after you, send them to see me. He took the first swing. I saw it.” She reached around to rub the sore spot on her spine. “My poor laptop.”

  Milt circled the desk and bent to pick up a handful of papers. “I’ll help you sort these.”

  She took them from him. “Don’t be silly. Besides, there’s no rush. I can’t do much until I get a new computer. Go on. Get outta here.”

  He frowned at the mess and then at Jessie. “I shoulda busted him one in the jaw.”

  “What good would that have done? Then he’d really have grounds for assault charges.”

  The frown turned into an impish grin. “But it would’ve been fun to give him a bloody lip. That no-good jackass. Gives the rest of us track people a bad name.”

  She nodded in agreement. “Go home, Milt. And thanks.”

  He thumped her on the shoulder and walked away.

  As he crossed the exam area, Jessie remembered her visit from Catherine. She’d been trying to forget it, but there was one issue she needed to address. “Hey, Milt,” she called from the office door.

  He turned toward her.

  “Tell Catherine I’ll stop by tomorrow afternoon.”

  A look of puzzlement crossed his face. “Why?”

  “She asked me to take some new x-rays of Blue’s foot.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know why she wants to waste more money on that boy, but she’s the boss.” With a wave, he left.

  Jessie returned to her desk and scooped up an armload of records. She thought of Frank Hamilton and his threats of an assault charge. Dumping the papers next to the mashed laptop, she reached for the phone. If anyone was going to bring the cops into this mess, it was going to be her.

  Eleven

  “Damn it, Jess. How many times do I have to tell you to leave the investigating to me?”

  “About as many times as it takes for you to actually do some investigating.”

  They stood toe-to-toe in front of Jessie’s desk and demolished laptop. Greg towered over her, one hand on his hip, the other on his sidearm. He might have struck anyone else as an intimidating figure in his state trooper uniform. She was immune to it.

  She calmly ran down a partial list of suspicious activities, beginning with Sherry’s familial connection to Doc and her potential inheritance, touching on Butch and his pe
rsonal loans side gig, and ending with Frank Hamilton’s recent visit and resulting destruction of electronic equipment. At least, she started out calm. By the time she got to the part about being pinned between a large man and a smashed computer, she’d lost a considerable amount of her composure.

  A muscle twitched in Greg’s jaw. “Do you want to file a complaint against this Hamilton fellow?”

  “Yes,” she snapped. Mental images of her future flashed through her brain. Lawyers stating Hamilton hadn’t done anything but had in fact been the victim of Milt Dodd’s attack. Countersuits against Milt. And against her for slander. After all, she’d only been repeating what Sherry had told her. “No.”

  “Wise choice. You’re stirring up a hornet’s nest around this place. The best thing you can do is let it all drop and get out of here. Let this woman who alleges to be Doc’s daughter have the damned practice if she wants it so bad.”

  “But what about Doc’s murder?”

  Greg raised both fists, clenched and shaking. “There was no murder.”

  A timid knock at the door interrupted them. A teenage girl with tears streaking her freckled cheeks peered at them through the glass, a bundle of towels clutched to her chest. Greg strode to the back corner of the office as Jessie opened the door. “Can I help you?”

  In a shuddering voice, the girl introduced herself as Katie and said she cleaned stalls in Barn M. She gingerly unfolded one corner of the bundle to reveal a pitiful, half-grown orange and white tabby. “One of the horses stepped on him.” She hiccupped. “I think his back is broke.”

  Jessie glanced at Greg. He waved a hand. “Go ahead. I’ll wait.”

  She escorted the girl into the exam area, gently took the bundle from her, and set it on a stainless-steel table. Once unwrapped, the small cat made no effort to escape. He rumbled like a small gasoline engine.

  “Why’s he purring?” the girl asked.

  “Cats don’t just purr when they’re happy.” Jessie probed the feline’s hip and pelvis. “They purr to soothe themselves too.”

  “Oh.”

  “The good news is his back isn’t broken. The bad news is, I think his hip is.”

  “Can you save him?”

  Rock music burst from Jessie’s pocket. A quick check of her phone revealed a text about an emergency two barns down. “Tell you what, Katie. You leave the little guy here. I’ll see what I can do to fix him up. Check back around three o’clock this afternoon. Okay?”

  She flashed a smile through her tears before bolting out the door.

  Jessie scooped up the kitty and the towel and carried him down the passageway between her office and the surgical suite, pausing to stick her head through the office door to tell Greg about the emergency. He followed her into the small animal kennel.

  “Jess, you have to stop digging into all this stuff.”

  She cradled the tiny cat in one arm. “But didn’t you say there was no murder? If no one has anything to hide, what difference does it make if I ask a few questions?”

  “Just because Doc’s death was accidental doesn’t mean there’s nothing shady going on. You poke the wrong sleeping bear and your death may not be so accidental. I don’t want to have to investigate another murder.”

  “Another one?” She placed a heating pad into the cage before nestling the cat and its towel inside. “The first one being Doc’s?”

  Greg blew out an exasperated breath. “Not officially, no.”

  She spun to face him. “But unofficially?”

  He glared at her. “I’ll ask some questions. Discreetly. Which is a concept you don’t seem to comprehend.”

  Jessie gave the cat’s head a quick scratch. “I’ll be back before you know it, little one. You rest.” She latched the cage and motioned for Greg to follow her out. “There’s one more thing you can look into if you’re so inclined.”

  “What?”

  “Besides Butch and Hamilton, Sherry mentioned Daniel had an argument with Doc a few days before he was killed.” Jessie paused to lock the office door.

  “Did she say what it was about?”

  “No.”

  “It was probably nothing. People argue all the time and don’t end up killing each other, but I’ll see what I can find out.”

  She led the way outside and reached for the handle on the big outside door. Greg got there first and dragged it closed for her.

  “Promise me you’ll stay out of trouble.” He headed for his Interceptor. “I have a feeling if you start shutting down every illegal operation going on around here, there won’t be anyone left to race the horses.”

  Jessie made a sour face at his back and climbed into her truck.

  The emergency involved a horse that had found an errant nail and had opened a bright pink gouge in his brown hide. A few stitches later, Jessie returned to the clinic and sedated the cat for its x-rays.

  She eyed Doc’s old film radiography equipment with trepidation. When was the last time she’d been in a dark room? Abandoning that idea, she dragged her portable digital unit in from the Chevy.

  It wasn’t until she finished that she realized she had no computer on which to read the digital x-rays. She watched the drugged feline from the kennel’s doorway and turned the memory card over in her hand. She had two options. Stick the kitty in her truck and drive him home where she could let Meryl take over. Or find another computer on which to view the x-rays.

  Ten minutes later, Jessie sat at Daniel’s desk as the pictures uploaded. “I really appreciate this.”

  He took a seat in one of the chairs across from her. “No problem. What happened to your computer?”

  Jessie tensed. The reason she was stuck using Daniel’s computer was because of the last time she’d mentioned Frank Hamilton’s name in this office. “What exactly did you say to Frank?”

  “Hamilton? I asked him about fixing races. He denied doing anything like that here.”

  “Here?”

  Daniel leaned back and crossed his arms. “Let’s just say he’s been reprimanded for his actions at another track.”

  Jessie clicked through the different views of the cat’s hip on the monitor. “Did you believe him?”

  “Maybe. Maybe not. I’ll keep an eye on him. What’s that have to do with your computer?”

  “Did you happen to mention why you questioned him?”

  “No.” Daniel scowled. “Why?”

  “He stormed into my office complaining that I turned him in. Milt tried to get him to leave and the two of them started pushing and shoving. My computer was collateral damage.”

  “That jackass. I’ll have another talk with him.”

  “No. Please. I can’t afford any more visits from disgruntled paddock judges.”

  “And I can’t afford to have my favorite veterinarian being harassed.”

  She peeked around the monitor at Daniel. “Then just leave my name out of it.”

  He sat forward. “I did. I know full well he didn’t hear from me that you were the one making accusations.”

  She returned her attention to the x-rays and sighed. Accusations? Spreading rumors was more like it. Perhaps Hamilton had every right to be pissed at her.

  “What’s the verdict on your patient?” Daniel asked.

  “As I expected, his back is fine. Unfortunately, his hip isn’t.”

  “Can you do anything?”

  She gave him a grin. “Of course.” As she clicked back through the pictures, her stomach emitted a loud rumble.

  “What was that?”

  “I guess I should grab some nachos and a salad on my way out.”

  “A snack?”

  “Lunch.”

  Daniel checked his watch. “No wonder your stomach’s growling. We really have to do something about your eating habits.”

  Jessie closed the file and removed her memory card. “Good luck with that.” She stood and stepped from behind his desk.

  Daniel rose as well. “I’m taking you out to dinner tonight.”

 
; “Excuse me?”

  “There’s no racing. As your boss, I’m ordering you to take the night off. No phones. Go home and put on your best dress.”

  Daniel was asking her out?

  She hadn’t been on a date since college. Maybe she’d fantasized more than a few times about running her fingers through Daniel’s blond hair. And maybe she’d admired his California beach-boy good looks. What she’d never counted on was this. Fantasies were safe. Reality? Not so much. “That’s really sweet of you, but I don’t think so.”

  He placed one hand on his desk and leaned toward her until she could feel his breath on her face. “I do think so. You’ve had a rough couple of weeks and maybe part of your difficulties has been my fault. Let me make it up to you. Besides, boss’s orders, remember?”

  Jessie kept her eyes on the buttons on his shirt, afraid to meet his gaze. Afraid of getting sidetracked at his mouth. The last time she’d been this dizzy was at last year’s Cameron Veterinary Hospital Christmas party when she’d discovered—and liked—chocolate wine. “First of all, you aren’t my boss.” She hoped she sounded flip rather than stupid. “And if you were, wouldn’t this be considered sexual harassment in the workplace?”

  “Yes, it would. Too bad.”

  Another obstacle came to mind. “What about your girlfriend?”

  “Girlfriend?”

  “That evening I saw you at the races?”

  “Oh. Gwen.” He waved a dismissive hand. “She’s just someone I spend time with on occasion. Nothing serious. I’ll pick you up at seven.” He placed a hand at the small of Jessie’s back and escorted her from the office.

  “Wait a minute.” She turned to face him. “Where are you taking me?”

  “Lorenzo’s, Mount Washington, Pittsburgh.”

  She had a sneaking suspicion her mouth gaped open. He flashed a dimpled smile as he stepped back and shut his door.

  ALL THE WAY BACK TO the clinic, Jessie chided herself for being a moron. How in the world had she gotten herself into this? Lorenzo’s? Mount Washington? There was no way she could possibly fit into a place like that. She didn’t have the wardrobe for it. And she sure as hell didn’t have the sophistication for it. She should’ve flat out told Daniel no.