by Toni Leland
“Four classes a day, six days a week, average ten riders each class. We have eighteen therapy horses and twenty-five trained volunteers.” She tilted her head and smiled. “We are always looking for more helpers.”
Quaid grinned and shifted his weight. “Sounds interesting. I might consider it once my life settles down. I just moved here in December.”
Sandy held out a business card. “When you’re ready, just give me a call.” Someone hollered her name and she grinned. “I have to help with a demo. Make yourself at home. And be sure to eat!”
“No worries there!” he said. “Talk to you later.”
Moving down the barn aisle, he stopped at several stalls to view the horses that provided such a service to challenged people of all ages. At one stall, a young man volunteer was explaining that the miniature horse peering through the lower bars was an ambassador of good will for the organization.
“Snoopy travels with us when we promote our work here. He’s also a great introduction to our program for individuals who might be a little afraid of the big horses.”
At the end of the stalls, Quaid found a doorway leading to what looked like a break room. Long tables were filled with all manner of pastries, fruit, cheese, cookies, brownies, and little sandwiches. His stomach growled and he picked up a plastic plate.
At that moment, his phone rang.
His sister-in-law’s voice was ragged with panic. “Garrett! There’s been a shooting at Ricky’s school! I don’t know anything else, but –” Her voice broke with a sob. “Can you come?”
Chapter 33
Fifteen minutes later, Quaid was racing down Interstate 70 toward Dayton, punching the radio scan buttons. His fingers trembled and horrible scenarios crashed through his head. The school shootings over the past few years had escalated into a terrifying epidemic, one that had every family on edge. He swallowed hard. He couldn’t think about losing Ricky, the only remaining blood connection to his beloved brother. Glancing at the speedometer, he eased off on the accelerator. Twenty miles an hour over the speed limit. Calm down.
A news update on the shooting finally gave Quaid some details. Two teachers dead, but no students harmed. He clenched the steering wheel, listening to the awful report of a student who’d barged into the teacher’s lounge, shooting. What’s a 12-year-old doing with a gun? He touched the button on his Bluetooth and called his sister-in-law.
“Jenna, I’m about half an hour away. Just heard a news report – no kids hurt.”
“Yes, we just got that information.” She exhaled heavily. “My god, Garrett, I can’t believe this. I’m so glad you’re coming. Meet me at the school. You know where it is?”
“Hang in there, it’s gonna be okay. See you shortly.”
He disconnected and shook his head as he took the ramp to I-675. On the surface, it seemed that everything would be “okay,” but Quaid had a hard time thinking about what this incident might do to Ricky’s delicate mental state. He’d only just begun to move past his father’s death and was beginning to return to normal. Now this.
~ ~
Kim glanced at her watch as the next class was called to enter the ring. Shareen would be in this one. Kim removed the lens cap and focused on the center of the arena, adjusting for the dim light. Her thoughts kept drifting from theories about Garrett’s mysterious suspicion to annoying worries about his visit to the open house. She let out a soft sigh. Her heart sure wasn’t in this right now. She just wanted to go home and have a comfy chat with Dixie.
Dixie, who is gone a lot lately. The joys of being in love.
Kim’s chest tightened with her own memories of that fragile emotion, remembering how she couldn’t bear to be away from Peter for more than a few hours. How the time had dragged when he was traveling on business and she spent the evenings alone in her apartment. A deep ache coursed through her heart. Those lonely evenings had been nothing compared to the void in her life when he walked out. Garrett’s lopsided smile intruded and she swallowed hard. Was she really ready to open herself to that kind of pain again?
The in-gate opened and seven ladies riding sidesaddle came through. Some of the riding habits were reminiscent of Victorian attire, while others were of the more modern English style. Shareen’s was of the latter, a chocolate brown skirt and jacket with matching top hat. She looked quite elegant on her lovely almost-white mare. Kim snapped off several shots of the exhibitors, then her mind wandered again.
“This is ridiculous,” she muttered. “When this class is over, I’m outta here.”
Twenty minutes later, she entered Shareen’s barn. Albert was bent over, examining one of the mare’s hooves, and Shareen was talking to someone at the end of the aisle.
“Albert, I’ve decided to take your advice and see some of the sights before I head home.”
He straightened up and smiled. “Good for you. But be sure to let us know where you’re headed.”
Kim grinned. “Will do. Thanks.” She walked past him and approached Shareen, who’d just turned back toward her own stall area.
“Shareen, I’m taking off now. I have some nice shots of that last class, and now I’m going to go be a tourist.”
Shareen’s dark eyebrows arched. “Are you all finished with your investigation?”
“Yes, and when it’s over, I’ll tell you who we were after.”
Shareen laid a hand on Kim’s arm. “Not to worry, I was just being curious.”
Kim smiled. “See you tonight.”
As she left the barn, her irrepressible nosiness kicked in and she made a hard left, headed straight for the Wheeler barn. The incident the night before had been outlandish, at best. Why would Wheeler have reacted so strongly without even taking the time to find out what Kim wanted? Or what she had seen? With the obvious link between Léon and Wheeler, it appeared that some horse trading was going on. But the question was: whose horses were involved?
She slowed her step as she approached the entrance, then peered around the corner. A groom swept the floor at the far end of the aisle, but no one else seemed to be around. Kim moved into the aisle. The French accent was unmistakable.
“They have cleared quarantine and will be at your farm on Tuesday. You must pay the hauler before he will unload them.”
Vivica Wheeler’s sharp tone reverberated through the air. “What? I’ve already paid a fortune for those horses and now you’re telling me I have to give the driver a tip?”
“It is the way things are done in this business. You want particular horses, you pay for that privilege.”
Kim’s chest caved. They had to be talking about underhanded dealings.
Léon’s voice grew louder. “I will call the driver now if you want out of the deal, but I warn you, if I do, your name will be on a list of those with whom we will not deal.”
Wheeler’s voice dropped to such a low level that Kim could not hear the words, but the tone said the woman had given in.
Kim hurried away from the area, planning how she’d transmit this information to Garrett. Would he care? If it didn’t involve the insurance claims, probably not. But, maybe it would – he seemed to be coming around to Kim’s way of thinking, that seeing the big picture was as important as examining the details.
As she hurried out the door, she collided with someone.
“Oh, I’m so –” Her jaw dropped and she sucked in a hard breath.
She was staring into the gaunt face of the skinny man in the cowboy hat. A face that had haunted her since the disappearance of the beautiful show jumper, Talisman.
Jasper Martin.
Chapter 34
Kim closed her mouth and regained her composure. “Don’t I know you?”
“Maybe. I meet a lot of people.”
Kim decided to take it to the limit. She held up her camera. “I’m Kim Kovak. I think I might have taken some photographs for you.”
A flicker of wariness passed through his eyes. “I haven’t had horses in a long time. You’re probably mistaken.”
He moved
to the side to pass, but Kim wasn’t giving up this opportunity.
“Wait. Aren’t you Jasper Martin?”
His head snapped around and his pale blue eyes narrowed. “Who wants to know?”
Kim’s thoughts raced. Good cop? Bad cop? Dumb broad? How best to get some answers from this man who had dominated her thoughts since last summer?
Martin stepped back. “You from the IRS?”
Kim chuckled lightly. “Oh, no, nothing that exciting.” She gave him an earnest look. “I took photographs of Talisman just before you discovered he’d been stolen.”
All the color washed from the weathered face and his shoulders slumped. “That was the worst day of my life.”
Kim blinked. The man had no reason for a charade at this point. He’d filed his theft claim, been paid $150,000, and disappeared off the grid. She watched his body language. This was no pretense.
She softened her voice. “Hey, would you like to go get a cup of coffee?”
He gazed at her, then nodded. At that moment, Kim saw not one vestige of the confidence and charisma of the famous horse trainer he’d once been.
He looked at a battered watch peeking from the edge of a worn flannel shirt sleeve. “I have about an hour before I load some horses.”
Kim started walking toward a concession stand. “Oh, you work for one of the ranches here?”
“No, I haul horses now. Headed out to Montana today, then pick up two more and take ’em to Idaho. It ain’t glamorous, but it’s a living.” He stopped walking and turned toward Kim, a frown wrinkling his forehead. “Why are you so interested in what I’m doing?”
She met his gaze, then looked away. She only wanted the answer to one question. If she messed this up, she’d never know. Best to play it safe.
“I just felt so bad when I heard about Talisman’s theft. It’s horrible, I mean, you’d think an animal would be safe in a secure barn.”
“Depends on whether the barn is secure. That one wasn’t.”
Kim ordered two coffees, then turned to Jasper
“What do you mean by not secure?”
He removed the lid from the coffee cup and stared at the curl of steam rising from the brew.
Anger edged his voice. “The woman owner was a crook. She saw a chance to make some money by selling a valuable horse, then playing dumb about it.”
“That’s not true! Teri – ”
Too late, Kim realized her goof. Martin’s face morphed into a dark scowl and he leaned right into her space.
“Hey, I know you! You were there at the barn that day.” He stood up. “I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but you can get the hell outta my face.”
He turned away and Kim jumped up, knocking over her coffee.
“Wait! Jasper, I’m not the enemy. I’ve agonized over the situation for months. I just want to know what happened, and I think you have some answers.”
He stared at her for a long moment, then his features relaxed. “Why do you think the Fortune woman wasn’t involved?”
Oh man, just how far do I want to go with this?
She licked her lips and took a deep breath. “Later on, I was working with the insurance investigator and we eventually discovered that a national theft ring was stealing valuable horses and replacing them with look-alikes. That’s what happened to Talisman.”
Martin’s eyes had widened as Kim talked, and he nodded. “Yeah, the horse in Tee’s stall was a real ringer. Anyone else wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference.” His face relaxed and a hint of a smile creased his cheeks. “Tee was a feisty sucker, hard to handle. The horse they used for the switch was real nice.”
“Yes, he is. His name is Bandit and I own him now.”
Martin cocked his head. “You didn’t find his owner?”
“It’s a long story, but I’d rather hear yours. What really happened?”
Martin sat down, leaned his elbows on his knees, and gazed at the ground. “I screwed up.”
Kim waited. Maybe, at last, she would know the truth.
Chapter 35
Quaid could see the police barricade from a couple blocks away. A cold, sick feeling crawled through his gut. How could these things be happening in the greatest country in the world? Where had we gone wrong, that children who should be playing tag and hopscotch were wielding guns and killing their classmates and teachers?
He slowed as he approached a uniformed officer at the entrance to the school road. The cop stepped forward and Quaid rolled down his window.
“I’m family. My nephew’s in there.”
“Your name, sir?”
“Garrett Quaid.”
“Identification?”
Quaid handed over his driver’s license.
The officer checked the name against his list and handed the license through the window, then turned and gestured toward an area packed with cars. “Park over there, sir. Someone will give you further instructions.”
The road was lined with news trucks and other official cars and, farther ahead, red and yellow emergency vehicles surrounded the near end of the school building. Quaid drove slowly through the maze, then parked the truck and climbed out.
A burly man in a firefighter’s uniform stepped up. “Families are waiting in that white tent. Please don’t go anywhere else.”
Quaid strode toward the staging area for family members, pulling out his phone. “Jenna, I’m here. Where are you?”
A hand touched his arm and he looked down into the tearstained face of his sister-in-law. She launched herself into his arms and held him tightly, her body trembling, her sobs muffled against his jacket. Remembering his own horror at the thought of losing Ricky, he imagined what she must be feeling.
She stepped back and whisked the tears from her cheeks. “I’m just glad you’re here. God, this so horrible.”
“Do we know anything else? When will they release the kids?”
“They told us that a counselor is in the building talking to them. The police want to remove the bodies before the children come out.” Jenna looked toward the emergency vehicles. “That shouldn’t be too much longer.”
As she spoke, the front doors of the building opened and three people walked alongside a gurney draped in black plastic. A moment later, another gurney came out and the second body was loaded into a coroner’s van.
Quaid laid a hand on Jenna’s arm. “Do they have the shooter?”
She nodded. “They took him away earlier. Twelve years old. What could have happened to that poor kid to make him do something like this?”
“Look! They’re bringing the kids out.”
Teachers and SWAT members appeared, leading an orderly line of students from the building, walking toward the tent. The parents were not so orderly. Like a swarm of bees, mothers and fathers and uncles and aunts raced toward the children they thought they’d lost. Jenna tore away from Quaid and ran with them. He watched as she gathered Ricky’s body against her, saw the terror and relief on the boy’s face. The road ahead would be a long one, but like the trip through Arlington Cemetery, Quaid would be there.
Chapter 36
Jasper continued to stare at the ground, seemingly lost in bad memories. Kim resisted the urge to try to get the conversation flowing. He could just as easily change his mind about talking to her. A couple of young girls walked by, leading their horses and giggling over some teen secret.
Jasper looked up and watched them pass, then sat up straight. “Beautiful animals.” He looked at Kim. “Maybe someday I’ll have horses like that again.”
Kim saw the longing in his eyes. For whatever she’d thought about him in the beginning, it appeared that his many problems had taken the wind out of his sails.
“You ask what happened. Well, ma’am, just about anything bad that you could think of.” He propped a leg over his knee and crossed his arms. “I got into a little trouble with the Internal Revenue Service a couple years ago and they came after me for tax evasion. Confiscated all the bank account
s, dragged my sister into it for being an accessory, and slapped a restraining order on us so we couldn’t even sell a horse to pay the suckers their fines.”
Though Jasper’s tone sharpened, his facial expressions were a clear indication that he knew he’d caused his own problems.
“A couple of horses disappeared out of my front pasture one night. They were nothin’ special, just schooling horses, but someone stole ’em. I suspect they ended up in a dog food can, but it gave me an idea about Talisman.” He glanced over, his eyes warming with some inner light. “He was my favorite horse. Had him since he was a baby. I couldn’t let them sell him off, so I figured if he was ‘stolen’, at least I might be able to hang onto him for the future.”
Kim’s pulse ticked up a bit. Here it comes. He’s gonna admit the insurance fraud.
Jasper removed his hat and ran a hand over his balding head. “I called that Fortune woman out there in Ohio, out in the middle of nowhere. Made arrangements for Tee to spend a few months there until the Feds got done with their business. Figured I’d go get him when the dust settled. Me and him could start over again after all my debts were paid off. Hah! I found out they weren’t never gonna be paid before I die.” His face transformed into a scowl. “I don’t know why I’m tellin’ you this stuff. I’ve never told anyone.”
Kim gently encouraged him. “Maybe you need to. Keeping things bottled up inside isn’t good.”
“Maybe. Well, anyway, my great plan didn’t work out so great. The dang horse really did get stolen.”
Kim’s jaw dropped. “What do you mean? Didn’t you orchestrate the whole charade to get the insurance money?”
Jasper’s eyes narrowed and an ugly sneer curled his lip, removing all traces of vulnerability. “So that’s what this is all about. You’re here to chase me down for the insurance company.” He stood up. “This conversation’s over.”
She jumped up. “No, wait! I’m not here in an official capacity. I was deeply involved in the case and there were some giant holes in the story. You looked good for the fraud, but we couldn’t prove it because we couldn’t locate you or Talisman. So, you got paid.” She stepped closer. “And you’re saying you didn’t organize the switch?”