by Toni Leland
“I’m sure she could, and then she’d tell Wheeler that someone was asking questions. The element of surprise is critical here. And besides, I have what we needed – a good overview of her everyday life and work. The rest will be up to Garrett.”
Dixie nodded, then grinned. “So, you still haven’t told me what you’re gonna to wear.”
Kim burst out laughing. “I have no idea! Jeez.”
“I think we should go shopping.”
~ ~
When Quaid returned to his office, several messages awaited him. He glanced through them, then picked up the phone. The vet who’d performed the post mortem exam wanted to discuss the results.
A woman answered, her voice brisk, her Midwest accent unmistakable. “Thank you for calling back, Mr. Quaid. I’m not sure why this case was such a rush job. There were no remarkable findings on necropsy, other than underdeveloped lungs. The animal apparently died of natural causes. I’ve released the carcass for disposal, unless you need anything else.”
“What about that injection site on the neck? Did you look at that? Any thoughts?”
A barely audible sigh. “I saw it, but I don’t believe it means anything. The hematoma was significant, but that most likely means a clumsy injection that missed the vein. There are a number of shots given to newborns – this was probably one of them.”
“What about the blood work? Did that show anything?”
“Those results won’t be available for a few days. The lab doesn’t work on weekends.”
Quaid shook his head. This woman was a drudge, plodding through her profession with little interest.
“Okay, thanks. I guess I’ll have to wait. Just fax me the necropsy report and, in the meantime, put the body in the freezer. We have to sign off on this before it can be destroyed.”
After saying goodbye, he opened the case file and located Dr. Morris’s birth examination report and the death report. Line by line, Quaid compared the notations. A few minutes later, he sat back and laced his fingers behind his head. The foal was healthy and normal at birth. The foal appeared healthy and normal at death, other than the obvious disadvantage of being dead. Why did he have the feeling that there was more to this case than what was visible? He glanced at the stack of Wheeler Arabians claims. With the large number of horses, seven foal deaths was not extraordinary. The 72-hour “live birth” window was in place for a reason – a newborn could fail quickly, often for no apparent reason.
He pulled the stack closer and examined each necropsy report, noting that all but one had been performed by the same seemingly disinterested veterinarian he’d spoken to minutes earlier. All the reports indicated heart failure or respiratory distress with no obvious trigger. In other words, the vet had no positive diagnosis for why any of the foals had died.
Gail stepped into the room. “How was the meeting in Cleveland? I heard there’s going to be a new director. What a surprise.”
“Indeed. It will be interesting to see how the transition goes. Harriett has been at the helm for many years and has her own way of doing things. I’m sure the new guy will want to change things – that seems to be the modus operandi for management shifts.”
Gail looked concerned. “I hope nothing happens to my job.”
“Don’t worry, you’re okay. I need you here.”
“Oh, good. I’ll see you on Monday.”
Quaid waved, then sat back and looked out the window. The view was not spectacular like his office in the Cleveland tower, where he’d had a panorama of Lake Erie. This newer office complex was situated off the Interstate and had mostly views of the parking lot or the advertising signs of nearby businesses. He shook his head. Life changes, and not always for the better, but maintaining an income was a priority, regardless of the view.
He picked up the phone and dialed the Ocean Club restaurant in Easton Town Centre.
“I’d like to make a reservation for tomorrow night, for two. And make that a table with a view.”
Chapter 17
The butterflies in Kim’s stomach seemed to be the size of robins. She pulled into the parking garage at Easton Town Centre, took a deep breath, and climbed out of the car. Somewhere, tires whined on the smooth concrete floors, and voices echoed in the cavernous structure. She smoothed a hand over her new emerald green sweater, noting again with pleasure how good it looked with the chocolate brown skirt. Dixie was a good shopper, and that was fortunate. Kim detested looking for clothes. But she was quite pleased with the way she looked at that moment.
Then a tiny bit of doubt crept into her head. What if this wasn’t a date? What if Garrett really only wanted to discuss the case? She’d feel like a fool, all dressed up and sending the wrong signals. And there’d be no denying she’d dressed up – he’d never seen her in anything but her casual, comfortable work clothes.
“Jeez, when did I become so neurotic?” she muttered as she walked toward the bank of elevators.
The ride took only a couple of minutes, then she stepped onto the upper level of the hub building of Easton. Below, on the street level area, throngs of people strolled the black-and-white checkerboard tile, or rode the escalators to the cinema entrance on the upper level. On any day of the week or weekend, Easton was a crush of activity, one of the healthiest sectors in the state. Anything a shopper or dinner patron might want was right there, all beautifully showcased in a classic American Main Street theme.
Kim moved away from the rail and entered the Ocean Club restaurant, pausing a moment to let her eyes adjust to the softer lighting. As she stepped up to the reservation desk, she felt someone close behind her.
“I’m right here.”
Garrett’s low voice sent a ripple through her stomach and, as she turned, a whiff of aftershave tickled her nose. She smiled into his handsome face, unable to think of a single thing to say, other than “hi.”
Garrett stepped back and nodded. “You look beautiful. That’s a great color on you.”
“Thank you. Dixie picked it out.” Oh, great. Tell him you went shopping especially for this dinner.
Kim’s face warmed, but Garrett didn’t seem to notice. A moment later, his hand settled lightly at the small of her back as they followed the maitre d’ through the restaurant. Kim’s skin warmed intensely beneath Garrett’s hand. Other than rescuing her from the mob scene in California the previous year, he had never touched her. She let out a slow breath and smiled to herself. Dixie was right – this was definitely not a work meeting.
The maitre d’ stopped at a secluded table next to the window at the far end of the room, then stepped back while Garrett pulled out a chair for Kim. Garrett took the opposite seat and thanked the man. A waiter appeared as the maitre d’ moved away.
“Welcome to Ocean Club. May I start you off with something to drink?”
Kim ordered white wine and Garrett asked for a dry martini. She watched him talk to the waiter, intrigued at how different he seemed in a social environment. Though she’d shared meals with him in the past, it had never been for the sake of the meal and the company, but always chiefly a convenience – a way to transmit and receive information about whatever case they were working together. In the eight months she’d known him, they’d collaborated on two cases, and had now embarked on a third.
She really liked chasing down clues and figuring out people’s motives for the things they did. Apparently, Garrett thought she was good at it, hence the offer to join up with him at the insurance office. In retrospect, she should have accepted the job immediately, but pride had gotten in the way. She had thought her photography was more important. She’d spent several years building up her profession, a business that could be flattened by events beyond her control – like the economy or a fire – as she well knew. But her decision had been based on more than concern over her business. She’d also been torn about her growing attraction to Garrett, and the problems that situation could generate in a work environment.
His low voice startled her. “You’re certainly deep in
thought. Everything okay?”
She gazed across the table at the man who had taken up more and more of her thoughts.
“Absolutely. This is really nice – thank you for inviting me.”
A brief flicker of shyness flashed through his eyes, then he grinned. “We’ve been dodging bullets and bad guys for so long, we never have a chance to be normal people together. I thought this might be fun.”
The cocktails arrived and Garrett asked the waiter to bring an appetizer plate.
He lifted his glass to Kim. “Here’s to a new year in Columbus, Ohio.”
She touched her glass to his. “Hear, hear.”
“Okay, first the horse. What’s his name? Commanche?”
“Commander. Full registered name is Cody’s Brigade Top Commander.”
“Whew, that’s a mouthful. Sounds like he might have been named by someone with a penchant for the military.”
“I have no idea, but Mr. Brooks probably does.” She glanced at Garrett’s puzzled expression. “The barn owner. He trained the horse to drive. Says he was an amazing performance horse when he was younger.”
“Is he broke to ride?”
Kim began to feel nervous. “I’m not sure. I don’t actually know too much about him, to be honest.”
Garrett contemplated her for a minute, making her squirm even more. Then he smiled.
“Tell me again how you came to acquire this horse.”
Kim stared at her empty wine glass. When had that disappeared? She took a deep breath.
“Commander’s original owners were elderly and, at some point, they could no longer pay his board. Mr. Brooks footed the bill for a couple of years, but when the owners just moved away, he had no choice but to come up with a solution for the horse that didn’t involve spending more money on him. I just happened to be in the office when Mrs. Brooks was talking to someone who would take the horse off their hands, sight unseen.” She looked up, pain wrenching her chest. “That can mean only one thing – the kill auctions. I couldn’t let that happen.”
“So you bought the horse?”
“Not exactly. I paid his board bills and sort of adopted him.”
“So, technically, if someone isn’t paying his keep, he could still go to the killers.”
Garrett remained silent for what seemed the longest time, and Kim’s brain began making up arguments for the probability that he wasn’t going to want the horse. The worst part was that she hadn’t even told him the bad news about Commander. She had to do that. Her relationship with Garrett – if there were to be one – had to be based on trust. No more games.
She leaned forward and clasped her hands on the table. “Garrett, there’s more. Commander hasn’t been handled in a long time and I can’t tell you for sure that he’s even usable.” She took a deep breath. “And he hates women.”
Garrett burst into laughter and reached across the table to pat her hand. “And you saved that for last? You’re too funny!”
His hand lingered on hers as he continued. “I want to see him. I’ve been thinking for a long time about having another horse in my life. I think the time is right.”
Chapter 18
Quaid gazed at Kim’s smooth skin beneath his fingers. How many years had it been since he’d made such a gesture? His life had been compartmentalized into two main phases – “after Annie” and “after Ben’s death.” Whatever had gone before, he didn’t remember. All those years serving his country, planning to have a forever-after with the girl back home, probably a bunch of rug rats too – memories obliterated by the pain of loss.
He looked up at Kim. She also had a sad history, but he only knew a few of the details. Maybe the time had come to start really getting to know each other.
He withdrew his hand and smiled. “You asked me once about my former engagement. You still want to know?”
Her warm brown eyes widened and she tilted her head. “Only if you want to tell me.”
The waiter materialized out of nowhere to serve their appetizers, his presence slowing down Quaid’s momentum. A few minutes later, they were alone again and his brain floundered. He sampled a stuffed mushroom while he decided where to start.
“I spent most of my Army career overseas, but during one tour stateside at Fort Dix, I met a girl who’d grown up in Belmont County, just like me.” He grinned. “She’d gotten outta Dodge, just like me, and found herself an excellent job at one of the museums in Trenton. We hit it off pretty good, then I was transferred to the Caisson Platoon at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. That was tough, but before I left, I gave her a ring. She was going to give her notice and move to D.C., where I planned to retire in a few years.”
Kim watched him steadily as he talked, but her expression gave away nothing about what she might be thinking.
“So, you need to understand that the Caisson Platoon is an elite group, highly motivated, extremely dedicated to the work, and for that tour, our lives were basically on call. I had almost no free time, and Annie only came to visit a couple of times.”
He fiddled with the napkin while images of the rest of the story played through his head.
Clearing his throat, he continued. “About two-thirds of the way through that tour, I managed to swing a three-day weekend by trading duty with another soldier. I hustled my butt up to Trenton to surprise her.” He had to stop a moment as the old rage rose in his chest. “I let myself into the apartment with every intention of setting up the table with wine and roses to greet her when she came home from work.”
Quaid glanced at Kim. Her face was pale and drawn – she’d guessed what came next.
“Annie was already home, happily screwing some guy in the bedroom. So, there you have it.”
Kim’s voice was soft like velvet. “Garrett, I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah, I was too, but better to learn it before the wedding.”
“Did she have any explanation?”
Quaid snorted. “Yeah, she said she didn’t want to play second fiddle to the military. Wanted a normal life.”
Kim remained silent, clearly lost in her own unhappy memories of a fickle lover.
Quaid shook his head. “Listen, don’t feel bad about it. That was almost eight years ago and, compared to my brother’s death the following year, it’s less than important.”
~ ~
Kim’s throat had tightened during the end of Garrett’s story. At least in her own sad tale, Peter hadn’t been unfaithful – he’d just abandoned her once she was “broken.” She couldn’t imagine what it must be like to discover an infidelity such as Garrett had. She gazed at his rugged face. He usually didn’t show his feelings, but they had definitely been right on the surface in the telling of this tale.
She picked up her napkin as the waiter set a plate of steaming lobster pasta in front of her. Good timing.
She leaned across the table and peered at Garrett’s plate. “What do you have?”
“Chilean Sea Bass. I love this stuff. Used to get it all the time in Virginia.” He winked. “Hard to believe the flatlanders like it too.”
All solemnity had evaporated and Kim smiled. “So, you mentioned a horse in your life again. Tell me about the others.”
He chuckled. “I had an Appaloosa when I was a kid. Of course, all I truly wanted was a red bike, but we lived out in the boonies and you really couldn’t ride one on those dirt farm tracks. So the Appy was my ride. I didn’t appreciate him much then, but we had some good times together.”
Kim teased. “That’s been a very long time ago – I think you’re ready for another horse fix.”
“I think you’re right. How ’bout I meet you at your barn tomorrow?”
Chapter 19
Dixie’s lights were on when Kim pulled into the driveway, and she hadn’t been in the house five minutes before she heard a knock on the door.
She grinned as she opened it. “What a surprise.”
Dixie cocked her head. “Well? How was it?”
Kim stepped aside to let
Dixie in. “You’d think we were teenagers, with all this dating excitement.” She closed the door and turned around, her face feeling as though it might crack from her smile. “I had a wonderful time.”
“Did you behave yourself? No business talk?”
“I did, and so did he, although when he walked me to my car, he thanked me again for making the trip to Coleville. I had e-mailed our findings to him this morning and he said we did a good job.”
“So when are you going to see him again?”
“Jeez, Dixie, get right to the point, why dontcha? He’s coming to the barn tomorrow to meet Commander.”
“Excellent.” Dixie headed toward the door. “I just wanted to be sure you’re doing this right.” She turned back, her expression soft. “I want you to have a good life, be as happy as I am. We’ve both earned that.”
~ ~
The sun’s brilliance on the snow-covered fields made the view of the landscape almost painful as Kim drove toward Running Brook. She’d spoken to Mr. Brooks the day before, even before she knew that Garrett would be coming today. Commander had been working on the long lines for a couple of days and Brooks seemed to think the horse would be just fine. Kim certainly hoped so. She’d called the barn earlier to give them a heads up for Garrett’s visit so they’d have a chance to groom the horse for presentation.
As she turned into the driveway to the barn, she glanced in the rearview mirror. Garrett’s truck was right behind her. A little skip ran through her pulse. Whether it was from anxiety over Commander or pleasure at seeing Garrett again, she didn’t know.
He unfolded out of his truck and waved. “Good timing.”
Faded blue jeans hugged his long legs as he strode toward her. He wore a classic forest green plaid lumberjack shirt over a black turtleneck. Another ripple jiggled through Kim’s stomach and, this time, it had nothing to do with the horse.