by Valerie Tate
Alex could attest to the fact that she had seen the name clearly written on the small label on the top of the metal cane. The cane holds a plastic tube called a goblet. The straws of semen are held within the goblet, in this case, just one 5ml straw worth $20,000.00.
“I’m very sorry this has happened, Alex. Have you contacted the lab in Germany?’
“No. That will be our next step. I wanted to check things out at this end first.”
“Well, I think it is obvious that the mix-up happened there.” There was a very distinct emphasis on the words ‘mix-up’. “We have very controlled measures in place to see that mistakes like that don’t happen here.” His tone was final.
The vet stood up. It was clearly a signal that the interview was at an end.
Chris said, “Thank you for your time. We’ll be in touch again once we have contacted the lab in Germany.”
When they got home, Julie wanted to know everything that had happened at King Valley so over barbecued chicken and salad they related the events of the afternoon.
As they described their sojourn at King Valley, Alicia relaxed gratefully into the padded comfort of her chair and thought how homey the white wicker furniture looked on the flagstone patio. Mosquito repellant candles glowed softly on the glass-topped table, doing double-duty – keeping the flying pests at bay and at the same time adding a sense of enchantment to the warm night.
“So what’s the next step?” Julie asked when they had finished.
“The next step is to talk to the lab in Germany,” Chris replied. “I don’t suppose you can you do a 3-way phone conference?” he asked Alex doubtfully.
“We can do better than that! We can do a video web conference! It’s how I participated in the lottery. There’s a six hour difference between here and Germany so it is the middle of the night there now. I’ll e-mail Deiter and set it up for tomorrow. If we call tomorrow morning it will be the middle of the afternoon there.”
“You’re so tech savvy! I never knew,” Alicia teased her. “Who is Deiter?”
“Dr. Deiter Schmidt. He runs the lab. He’s a vet and also a rider. Equestrian sports are huge over there. Think hockey over here, that’s how big they are. Top riders are stars.
“Deiter is a lovely rider. I’ve competed against him. That’s how I was considered for the lottery. Deiter loves Brin – her movement and confirmation and her breeding. He contacted me about the lottery and (I think) was instrumental in Brin being chosen. I can’t imagine what he’s going to think.”
Chapter 6
Early the next morning they were seated in front of Alex’s web cam on her computer, facing Dr. Deiter Schmidt at his lab in Germany. His classic Germanic face, was wreathed in smiles.
“So, Alex, what is this all about? Is there something wrong with the little one?” he asked in his excellent English.
“Not exactly. Deiter, I’d like you to meet my friends Alicia and Chris Mallory. They are helping me with a problem. There is no easy way to put this ... The foal is turning grey.”
The look on his face showed that he, too, had instantly understood the implications of the colour.
“How is this possible?”
“I had the DNA tested. It says he is by Par Hasard.”
“But that is impossible!” He threw his hands in the air as if tossing the suggestion to the realms of fantasy where it belonged. “It is true that Par Hasard is collected here, but there is no way that a mistake like that could have happened, especially since we were dealing with Danzig!” The blue eyes that had been filled with mirth were now wide with surprise and concern.
“Believe me, I was as shocked as you when the foal started shedding.”
“It must have been a mistake at the breeding centre. They must have used the wrong straw.” He’d run his fingers through his blond hair causing it to stand straight up, a comic sight at odds with his obvious upset.
“They tell me that that is also impossible. I was there for the insemination. They showed me the name on the cane before the insemination. I have the cane and goblet here. I kept it as a souvenir.”
Alex held the long, narrow silver cylinder with the yellow plastic straw at the bottom up to the camera. The name Danzig was clearly written on the tab at the top.
“Well that is definitely not Danzig’s,” was his immediate response.
“We’ve found that out but how can you tell from just looking at it?”
“Because it’s yellow.” He said it as if it were a universal truth that must be understood by all. Seeing their lack of comprehension, he sighed and explained, “The straws and canes come in many colours. To help avoid situations such as yours, we colour code them. All semen taken from any particular stallion is always stored in straws of the same colour. For Danzig we always used purple.”
And there it was, so simple and so conclusive. No chance of an honest mistake, only one possibility – a deliberate fraud. But the question was, on whose part?
“I will look into this on our end, but in all honesty I can’t see how it could have happened here,” His relief was clearly apparent. “Even if one of our staff were to try to steal the straw by replacing it with one from another stallion, everyone here would know better than to use a yellow one. Everyone here knows the system.” There was clearly nothing more to say.
“Thanks, Deiter. I’ll let you know what we discover on this end.”
“I’ll look into things here, as well. One way or another, we will get to the bottom of this. Do you want me to contact the agent?”
“Not until we know what has happened. Then we’ll let them know. I still want a Danzig foal.”
The conference was at an end. They looked at one another, each one thinking the same thing. It was fraud and it took place at King Valley Breeding.
“I’ll bet they didn’t figure on the straws being colour-coded.” Alicia said. “It was the fatal flaw in their plan.”
“We’ll have to go back and tell them what Dieter said. They’ll deny everything, of course.” Alex said, dispiritedly.
“They’ll just say it was a mistake at the collection centre. They ran out of purple straws or someone used the wrong one.”
Chris was examining the yellow straw. “I suppose it’s possible, but in this case highly unlikely. They might make a mistake with a lesser known stallion, but I can’t imagine anyone being careless with Danzig. I would say it was a mistake at this end if it weren’t for the yellow straw with his name on it. That screams fraud.”
“But how do we prove it?” Alex asked.
Chris looked at Alicia. She had the thoughtful look that always meant she was planning on committing illegal acts. He hoped he was wrong. He wasn’t.
“I have an idea.” Of course she did. “I think we need to do what we do best. Snoop around! We need to have a look in the office and the lab,” and this was the kicker, “by ourselves.”
He knew it. “And just how are we going to manage that?” he asked with a dreaded suspicion.
“Well, I’ve been thinking about that, too.” Of course she had. “Thanks to Janey, we know Jon and Marci don’t live near the barn.”
“Yes, but Claire and Dean and one of the grooms do,” he reminded her.
“True, but the house is still fairly far from the barn. I think if we drive in openly, straight to the barn around 5:00 or 6:00 (when they will hopefully be having dinner), if they do notice us at all they will think we just want to ask them some more questions. One of us can keep watch while the other two search the office and the lab. If someone does come we’ll know in time to get out of the office and pretend to be looking for them in the barn. Then we say that we have talked to the lab in Germany and have some more questions for them. I’m sure we can think of a few!” She looked expectantly at Chris and Alex. They had to admit that it sounded doable and only mildly illegal.
“Ok, I’m in.” Alex said.
Two pairs of eyes turned to Chris. “Me, too,” he reluctantly agreed, seeing his law degree quaking i
n its frame.
“Good, it’s settled. Now let’s have breakfast. I’m starved!”
Chris had been thinking that Alicia didn’t seem to be jumping into her sleuthing mode as single-mindedly as was her wont. The reason became clear to him at breakfast when she walked in wearing boots and breeches and carrying a helmet.
“Wow! What’s all this?” he exclaimed.
“Alex loaned them to me, so I can start lessons again. Fortunately, our feet are the same size so the boots fit. The breeches are a little tight, though.”
Chris looked appreciatively at his wife’s long, slim legs in the skin-tight pants.
“No, they’re not,” he said with a lecherous grin.
“Hold that thought ‘til later,” she laughed. “Right now I’ve got a date with a horse!”
Alicia didn’t eat much breakfast after all. “Too nervous,” she explained. Afterwards, Chris went to the barn with her and watched while she groomed and tacked up Harley. He was surprised that she seemed to know what she was doing and even more surprised when she led the horse into the arena to the mounting block and hopped on. Alex told her to relax, that they wouldn’t do that much in the first lesson since she hadn’t ridden in a couple of years but after about thirty minutes of walk and trot exercises Alicia said she felt ready to canter and they set off around the ring in a comfortable rocking-horse working canter.
Alex walked over and stood beside Chris at the rail.
“She’s a natural you know. She has the feel and the balance. It also helps that she’s so fit. Strong core muscles are a necessity for maintaining your position and not relying on the reins.”
“It’s the Tae Kwon Do.”
“That’s the second time that’s been mentioned. How long has she been taking it?”
“We’ve both been doing it for a year now.”
“Is she good at it?”
“Terrifyingly good!” He repressed a shudder in remembrance. “If she asks you to let her practice on you, don’t! And if you ever hear a sound like the hiss of a snake, run!”
“The hiss of a snake?”
“It’s the sound she makes as she strikes. She clenches her teeth and exhales all the air at once. It sounds like the hiss of a snake.”
Alex looked at Chris to see if he was joking. He wasn’t. She laughed as she walked back into the ring. It was good to have the old Ali back!
Chapter 7
It all went as planned, for a while. They drove into the driveway at King Valley at 6:00. There was a car parked at the house near the road but none by the barn. Alex parked the car and then they walked in quite openly, calling to ask if anyone was there. There was no reply except for an occasional nicker from the horses.
“Good. Just as we thought. They’re all home having dinner,” Alicia said gleefully.
Chris groaned inwardly. Secretly he had been hoping that at least one staff member would be on duty in the barn and they would have to abort the mission.
“I just had a thought. Some barns have monitors to hear if there is any commotion that might mean a horse has got cast.” Alex saw the uncomprehending look on Chris’ face, one that he had worn a lot in the last few days. “Sometimes the horses lie down or roll over and get their feet and legs too close to the wall and then they can’t get up. They can panic and injure themselves thrashing around,” she explained. “Someone has to go in and help them, usually by pulling them away from the stall wall by the tail. Anyway, they also have video monitors in the foaling stalls although they probably won’t be on if the stall isn’t in use.”
“Just be quiet going through the barn and watch for video cameras,” Alicia warned. “It’s the office we want to have a look at. I’ll keep a look-out while you two search it. Alex will be more likely to recognize something that might prove useful. I’ve brought some surgical gloves so we don’t leave any fingerprints. Take them off fast if anyone comes.”
Alex was impressed. She knew what a sacrifice it was for Ali to be the look-out when she loved snooping.
The office was neat and orderly as might have been expected of Jon Allardyce. Alex carefully searched the desk drawers while Chris checked out the files on the computer. They were mostly client records and billing. Nothing that looked suspicious.
“Everything seems open and above-board here,” he reported.
“I’m not surprised,” Alex replied. “These days, most people are aware that nothing is ever truly deleted from your hard-drive. If I wanted to keep a record of something that I might need to destroy, I’d keep it on paper.”
They found it tucked in between some veterinary medicine reference books on the shelves behind the desk, a slim binder with no title on the cover. Inside there was a list of names that Alex immediately recognized as the who’s who of top stallions. Beside each name was a number and a letter – Amiral 2 B, Briar 1C, Popeye K 1A, Rohdiamant 3C... – with nothing to suggest what the number or letter meant. In places, a number was crossed off, a 2 becoming 1 or a 3, 2.
“Look,” she said, “there’s a photocopier over there. Let’s make a copy of this so we can study it later.”
Meanwhile, Alicia was discovering that being the look-out was definitely the short end of the stick. What had possessed her? Snooping was her favourite part of any investigation.
Feeling like Kilroy with just her eyes and nose showing, she peered around the corner of the stall closest to the door. There was nothing happening down at the house, no one in sight on the drive. She wondered what, if anything they were finding in the office.
The strain of waiting was causing a rising tide of anxiety. Just as she was sure she couldn’t stand not knowing what was happening in the office any longer, something touched her shoulder. She leapt as if stung, spinning around to find the aisle behind her empty. Heart pounding, she searched for an answer then, with a relieved giggle, realized what it was. An inquisitive nose was poking out between the bars of the stall. Keeping one eye on the driveway, she gently tickled the tiny lips and they nuzzled her fingers, inspecting the strange latex covering. Slowly, a chestnut head emerged. Furry ears pricked forward as the lips investigated her cheeks. Entranced, she cautiously stroked the white blaze and gazed into the soft brown eyes. Then she peered into the stall to get a better look at him, no her she amended, a lovely little chestnut filly.
“You little darling!” she cooed, completely smitten.
As she played with the foal, she made a mental note to have the wall between two of her new stalls removable. At some point she was definitely going to need a broodmare stall.
It was then she heard it. The sound of footsteps on gravel! Plastering herself against the stall, she peered around the corner. Dean was fifty feet from the door and closing fast!
Cursing her own stupidity, Ali sprinted down the aisle and burst into the office. “Dean’s just outside the barn door!” she whispered frantically.
The conspirators froze and then turned accusing eyes her way.
“I thought you were keeping look-out!” Chris whispered furiously. “What happened?!”
“A foal,” she admitted, wincing. “I’m sorry!”
They heard Dean calling, “Is anybody here?”
“So what are we going to do now?”
Alicia looked wildly around the room as if it would somehow provide her with an answer. “I don’t know. Do you think we could just bluff it out. Let him find us sitting here, waiting for someone?” She looked hopefully at the others.
“I’m not giving Marci something like that to hold over my head!” Alex hissed. “Think of something else!”
“OK. Plan B. Alex, peak out the door and see where he is.”
“Why should I look out? You got us into this. You look out!”
Her heart thudding like a jackhammer in her chest, Alicia held her breath and slowly inched the door open, praying that Dean wasn’t waiting on the other side. She put her eye to the crack in the door and peered out. Thankfully, no other eye peered in. She saw Dean’s back heading for t
he lab at the far end of the barn aisle.
“He’s going to the lab!” she whispered. The others rushed to the door behind her. “Once he goes in we have a minute to get out of here and go out the other way to the paddocks.” He was almost to the lab door. She slowly began to ease the door open. “One... two...three... STOP!! He didn’t go in. He’s coming back this way!”
She shut the door quickly and turned to meet Alex’s angry gaze.
“Ali, I could just kill you! What do we do now?”
“Kill her later,” Chris said quietly, checking out the windows. “Look, there’s no screen. We can get out this way!”
He lifted the sash, swung his legs over the sill and dropped to the ground. Alex and Alicia quickly followed and then he softly closed the window and they collapsed against the barn wall and let their racing hearts return to a less lethal rate.
Breathing hard, Alex gave Alicia a baleful look. “That was too close! Any bright ideas as to what do we do now?”
Alicia straightened and took a deep quivering breath. “Yes. When in doubt, go on the offensive. We stroll back in and tell Dean, in an entitled, bitchy sort of way, that we’ve been looking all over for someone to help us.”
And that’s what they did. Echoing his “Is anybody here?” they walked towards the entrance. He met them at the door, trying not to show his displeasure but not quite succeeding. Damage control was definitely in order. Forget bitchy. Plan B was needed – conciliation.
“Hi, Dean, so nice to see you, again.” Alicia greeted him with an ingratiating smile. “We were hoping someone would be here.”
“This is our dinner hour,” Dean told them, definitely frosty. “Can I help you with something?”
“We were hoping to see Jon or Marci. I guess we should have phoned first. We’re sorry if we took you away from your dinner!” An apologetic smile this time, coupled with a sincere gesture of remorse.
Dean caved. Mission accomplished. “That’s OK. I’d finished eating,” he admitted. “But I’m afraid you can’t see Jon and Marci. They’re out for the evening. Perhaps I can help you,” he offered in a more friendly manner.