by John Holt
“My thinking completely,” agreed Drake. “But why now, why suddenly like this? I wondered if it could possibly be connected with the fact that now Kansas Lad is very ill, and probably won’t be in the race anyway.”
Probably a coincidence, but maybe best to keep an open mind, I thought. “So why come to me?” I asked.
“Simple, I would like you to come down to the Drake Stables for a few days,” Drake said. “Take a look around. See if you can find out anything. We’ll make your stay comfortable.”
I would hardly go if I thought it was going to be uncomfortable, but I did not pursue the point. “Why me though now?” I asked. “Blue Boy died three weeks ago. Why now? And why not the police, it would be a lot cheaper for you.”
Drake nodded and smiled. “That is an excellent question, Mr. Daniels. Why indeed?” he replied. “Two main reasons I guess. Firstly, we did go to the police, exactly three weeks ago, but they weren’t interested. Whatever they might say, our police force isn’t really that interested in a death of a race horse, even though the horse was worth over $200000.”
“And whose death was confirmed to be a natural death by a well respected veterinary,” I added. “And I imagine you are covered by insurance anyway.”
“Precisely,” agreed Daniels. “We are covered by insurance, but that only covers up to a point. It takes no account of potential winnings in the future. It also takes no account of the fact that the horse was deliberately killed.” He paused for a moment. “The police are also not interested in the other odd little accidents.”
I smiled. “As you say, accidents happen. I guess if the police spent all their time investigating accidents, they’d have no time for catching speeding motorists.”
“Guess not,” Drake agreed.
“And the second reason,” I prompted.
“Having a number of uniformed police officers all over the stables is not good for the image,” Drake replied. “Mercenary of me I know, but a fact nonetheless.”
“You’re still not saying, why me?”
“No reason really, Mr. Daniels,” Drake replied. “I suppose I could have picked anyone, it just happened to be you.”
You could’ve lied couldn’t you? We heard you were the best; or you come highly recommended; or …. What the hell, with such a recommendation how could I possibly refuse. Besides I imagined I would get paid for my troubles.
“We haven’t discussed my fees yet,” I pointed out.
Drake smiled and shook his head. “I’m sure that won’t be a problem.” He stood up, and handed me a piece of paper. “Directions to get to the Stables,” he continued. He held out his hand. “I look forward to seeing you in a couple of days time.”
He walked to the door, and without any further word, left.
* * *
Chapter Three
The Drake Stables
A few days out in the countryside sounded pretty good to me, I had to admit, and to get paid for my troubles, sounded even better. It all sounded too good to be true, and you know what they say about things that sound too good to be true. Let me tell you that’s a lot of hooey, I accepted the offer. No it wasn’t too difficult. What did I have to lose anyway? A few days, that’s all. No great hardship was it? I could spare a few days couldn’t I? The City could get along without me for a while. It would survive. Mama Dell’s wouldn’t go broke. The 51 Club wouldn’t close down. Chang’s would continue selling his chicken chow mein.
Mind you I wasn’t convinced that there was actually anything in need of investigating. I mean a couple of minor accidents that could happen to anyone, anywhere, why get all stressed up about that. Okay so I guess the death of a horse might be a bit upsetting. I can accept that. I mean after all $200000 is not to be sniffed at. But it was just one of those things wasn’t it, animals do get sick and they do die, I mean that’s life ain’t it? There’s nothing you can do about it. The horse has a heart attack, and goes to the happy racetrack in the sky. So what, these things happen every day. They’re not very nice I grant you, but that how it goes. No one said it would be easy did they? You don’t have to like it, just accept it.
Okay so now there’s a second nag that is sick. Definitely unfortunate I have to say, no question about that. But just another of those things that happen, something it ate maybe, who knows. Or maybe it’s a virus going around. Hey what do I know anyway? Still don’t mean there’s something going on does it? Something sinister I mean; something underhand. I mean this guy Drake, well he’s suggesting all kinds of things. Jumping to conclusions like that. Adding two and two and getting someone’s out to get him. I mean can you believe that?
* * *
But as I said a few days in the country sounded good to me. So here I am packing a few things, and then I’ll be on my way. I’ve been given the directions how to get there. It shouldn’t be too difficult. Just head out north-west on the 684, into Connecticut, Drake had said. Then on past Danbury towards Woodbury. It was about seventy miles, so an hour and a half, two hours tops should do it. It’s now a quarter after ten. I’d be there for lunch.
I looked around the office once more. What I expected to see I’ll never know. I’ve told Detective Bates where he could reach me if he needed me. I’ve told the landlord, and Mama Dells. I told Chang at the Chinese, and Buddy at the 51 Club.
I think Chang will miss me. When I told him I would be away for a few days he said “You no stay bye bye long.”
I promised that I wouldn’t and that I would be back ‘plenty soon.’ I think he was pleased. There had been no comment from Mama Dell or Buddy. I wouldn’t be sending them a post card anytime soon. Okay, so I was now ready. I picked up my bag, one last look around, and left.
* * *
The trip was pleasant enough, and uneventful. It certainly was a great day weather-wise. Clear blue sky, and hot sun. If this kept up I was in for a great few days.
It was just after twelve thirty when I turned into the driveway leading to the Drake Stables and Stud. I could see the main house maybe a half a mile away. Over to the left were the stable blocks and tack rooms. All along the driveway was paddock after paddock. I pulled over, and switched off the engine. I got out of my car and walked over to the fence. The silence was breath-taking. It was so peaceful. No traffic noise, no police sirens wailing, no people shouting, no doors slamming, just the sound of the birds.
In the middle of the field was a dappled grey horse. It saw me and started to come towards me.
“That’s Candy Cane,” said a voice. I turned. Walking towards me was a young guy no older than twenty, twenty-five, I guessed. “She’s a four year old,” the voice continued.
I nodded, and looked at the horse. She was a big girl for a four year old. “She’s a beauty,” I said. Then I turned to look back at the young guy.
“She is, but she’s a naughty girl, though” said the young man, smiling. “She almost got out of her paddock a few days ago. Just as well that Jenny came by and stopped her.”
“Jenny?” I asked.
“She’s one of the stable girls,” the voice explained.
“Oh I see,” I replied. “What about you? You work around here do you?”
“I’m one of the stable boys,” he replied. “Terry Wood is the name.”
“Good to meet you, Terry,” I said holding out my hand. “The name’s Daniels, Jack Daniels. I’m going to be around for a few days.”
“I know,” the boy replied, taking hold of my hand and shaking it. “You’re a private detective aren’t you? We were told you were coming today.” He turned to look at the horse.
“Well, I best get on,” he continued. “She has to be taken out and back to the stables. He walked over to the gate, and opened it. “Come on Candy Cane,” he called out.
Candy Cane pricked up her ears, and looked around. She saw Terry and walked over to where he was waiting. He patted her on her muzzle. I got back into the car. I continued watching for a few moments, and then continued on up to the house.
&n
bsp; * * *
“Ah, Mr. Daniels, it’s good to see you,” said Drake emerging from the house. “I trust you had a pleasant journey.”
“It was okay,” I replied, as I walked towards him. I glanced around and nodded. “Nice place you have.” It seemed the right thing to say somehow, although ‘nice’ hardly did it.
Drake smiled. “We like it,” he replied. He held out his hand. I took hold and shook it.
“Do come in,” he said, stepping aside to let me pass into the house. “I’m sure you would welcome some lunch. Then we’ll get you settled in, and then I’ll show you around.”
It sounded good to me. The lunch part at least, I’ll let you know about the other part later.
* * *
We had lunch out on the terrace, overlooking more paddocks and a practice track. “That’s Grenadier going round now,” Drake explained.”We are hopeful he’ll do well in the Haydock Stakes in a few months time.”
I’m no judge but it seemed to me that Grenadier was doing just fine. Mind you the track was empty, apart from him, so there was no pressure. Things might be a bit different running with twenty or more others.
* * *
With lunch over I was taken to my room where I was to spend the next few days. I can tell you that I’ve got no complaints. I could happily spend the rest of my days in a place like this. I looked out of the window, and over to the stable block. A couple of the stable boys were grooming the horses. It sure beat the view of the traffic from my office window.
There was a knock on the door. “Yes,” I called out.
The door opened. It was Drake. “All settled in then?” he asked. “Care to have a look around?”
I nodded. I needed to walk off the lunch. “Love to,” I said, and followed him out of the room.
* * *
A short while later we arrived at the main stable block. “We have one hundred and forty acres here,” Drake explained. “Mainly laid out as paddocks, but we also have two practice tracks. We have twenty four stables, one of which is currently vacant for reasons you already know about. We have fiftteen horses currently in training for racing, and eight available for stud.” He paused for a moment and smiled. “We charge anything up to a half a million dollars to have your mare serviced.”
“Serviced?” I repeated puzzled.
“Yes, Mr. Daniels, that what we call it around it,” he replied. “Serviced. It sounds a bit business like I grant you.”
“Half a million,” I repeated. “And you get people paying that?”
Drake started to laugh. “Yes we do,” he replied. “Several. People come here from all over the Country, and even Europe.”
It was all very impressive I thought, but as nice as it was, I knew that I wasn’t here to admire the scenery. “Mr. Drake exactly why am I here?” I asked. “I mean what is it that you expect me to do? I know nothing about horses, or stables, or, what did you say, mares being serviced.”
Drake thought for a few moments. “Mr. Daniels ….” he started to say.
“Make it, Jack,” I said.
“Okay Jack,” replied Drake. “You know what I think about these so called accidents, and my horse dying like that.”
“I know what you think,” I said. “And you know what I think. Things happen. It’s unfortunate, but it’s a fact. You just have to get on with it.”
Drake nodded. “Yes I know what you think, and certainly accidents do happen. But I would like you to have an open mind. Have a look around, get to know the place, and the people. Talk to them, find out about them, and what they think. Take your time. You can stay as long as you like, as long as it takes. Come to your own conclusions as to why those events happened. And we’ll talk again.”
“And if I talk to people and I come to a conclusion, and say they were just things that happen, what then?” I asked. “Will you be satisfied?”
Drake heaved a sigh, and shrugged. “If that is your reasoned conclusion, well then so be it, that’s what they will be, things that just happen. End of story.” He smiled, but his eyes told a different story.
I heard the words, but I was far from convinced.
“So, Mr. Drake, where ….”
“The name’s Jason,” he replied.
“Okay Jason.” I said. “So where do we start?”
“That’s entirely up to you Jack,” Drake replied. “It’s your investigation, but anything you need just call. I suggest you meet the people that work here. I suggest you start with our trainer, Michael Purcell. Then it’s up to you. Go where you like, speak to who you like.”
Sounded fair enough to me, he wasn’t going to pressure, or cause me any difficulty. It was being left all up to me. Okay, so let’s keep an open mind, and see what happens.
* * *
Chapter Four
Michael Purcell
The following morning I woke early. To be absolutely honest about it I hadn’t really slept that well anyway. Strange room maybe, I don’t know. I mean the room was comfortable enough, I’ve no complaints there, and it was certainly quiet and peaceful. All I heard was the swish of the leaves in the trees, and the birds singing. It made a welcome change to the constant hum of traffic, and the wail of police sirens, that I was used to back in the city. Strangely enough though, I never had a problem sleeping back there.
I can’t even blame the bed, because it was great, soft just the way I like it. But I just lay awake for hours, sleep would not come. Jason’s words kept coming back to me, over and over. He had been so convinced that the accidents had all been deliberately carried out. And yet he had given in to my way of thinking, just like that. Just a little bit too easily, I thought. Would I really be able to sway him like that, I wondered, to be able to convince him that they were just accidents, and nothing more. I had my doubts.
Then it occurred to me that the only reason for me being there was to actually confirm what he already believed, and to justify his suspicions, to provide the proof maybe. Then, and only then, would he be able to go to the police, and they would listen.
Then I wondered exactly how much could I find out anyway. All of the events, accidents, incidents, whatever you called them, had taken place some while ago. Blue Boy’s death was over three weeks ago. Was anything left that was worth investigating? I doubted it. Certainly I could talk to people, and certainly I could get their opinion, but that’s all it would be, their opinion. And you know what they say about people’s opinions. Ask twenty people what they think, and you will get twenty different answers, and there would still be no proof. To be sure of anything I really needed to experience something myself, to be around when it actually happened.
Meet up with the people, Drake had said. Get to know them he said. Get to know what they thought, he said. Okay, it was worth a try I guessed. I had nothing else to do anyway. Well apart from breakfast that is.
I got up, got dressed, and just followed the smell of bacon frying. I wondered what else it would lead to. Pancakes and maple syrup came to mind.
* * *
Breakfast over, I ventured out. It was yet another beautiful day. The sun was shining in a cloudless blue sky, and all seemed right with the world. I thought of the so-called accidents, the fire, and the death of Blue Boy. It was hard to imagine that such things could have been deliberate, and that they could happen in such a beautiful spot as this. But of course that’s the trouble with accidents, they can happen anywhere, and at any time.
Michael Purcell, the trainer, was the first one that I met up with. Drake had suggested that I start with him. He was just coming out of one of the stables. Drake had told me a lot about him whilst having breakfast. In his late fifties, Purcell had been with the Drake set up for just a little over five years. Originally from Kildare in Ireland, his reputation as a trainer was world renowned, and his horses had won every major race both in Europe, and in the States.
He smiled as I came into the stables. “Ah, now it’s Mr. Daniels,” he said. He hadn’t lost his accent. “I was told that you’d b
e around.” He hung up the bridle that he was carrying, and came up to me. “’Tis a beautiful morning,” he said looking up at the sky.
I nodded in agreement. “Do you mind if we talk as we walk?” he asked. “They like to see me you understand.” He waved his arm towards the stables.
“They?” I repeated, puzzled.
“The horses,” he replied. “I say good morning to them all, and give them a nuzzle.”
“Oh I see,” I replied. Not entirely sure what a nuzzle entailed.
“Do you like the horses, then?” he asked.
I explained that I liked them right enough, but knew nothing about them. “You don’t see too many of them in the big city,” I said. “It’s much too dangerous with the traffic.”
“Do you ride?” he asked.
I smiled, and nodded. “Sure I ride,” I replied. “It’s a six year old goes by the name of Saturn, out of General Motors.”
Purcell started to laugh. “Now that’s very funny Mr. Daniels. I like a man with a sense of humor,” he replied. “A man with a sense of humor is normally kind to animals.”
“Oh I like animals right enough.” I replied. “Back home we used to have a dog, Gyp was his name. A bitzer, you know a bit of that, and a bit of this.” I paused as I remember. “He was a great dog.”
“What about now?” Purcell asked.
I shook my head. “Oh no, not now, I couldn’t have a dog where I live,” I started to explain. “I’ve got a small apartment in Brooklyn, and there’s no pets allowed.”
“That’s a shame,” said Purcell.
“There’s a stray cat at the office,” I continued. “Well in the yard at the rear. We all feed her, she’s seems to be doing alright.”
“But no horses,” said Purcell, smiling and shaking his head.
“No,” I replied. “No horses.”
So I’m guessing that you won’t be joining us on our early morning gallops then.”
“Mr. Purcell, I’ve never been on a horse, not even as a young kid,” I replied. “I just never felt the need. So I think I’ll give that a miss if you don’t mind.”