by Toni Leland
Or was the current premise correct: Natalie Danseur was crazy. Crazy enough to try to blame her misfortunes on someone else.
Before Quaid could convict her of that, he needed to track down the loose ends and get answers to a lot of unasked questions.
Natalie’s usually soft voice had a sharp edge.
“What are you doing here?”
Kim shifted her weight. “I just wanted to, uh, bring you up to date on our investigation.” She gestured toward the other side of the building. “The door was open...”
“But you had no idea I was here.” Natalie moved into a shaft of light from the window. “You came onto my property anyway. I should call the police.”
Kim took two steps forward, clenching her jaw. “They’ll be here soon enough. You want to tell me about the fire?”
Natalie’s jaw dropped and she frowned. “What fire? What are you talking about?”
“Really? You’re going to try to make me believe you don’t know?”
“Know what! For Pete’s sake, tell me...” She sucked in a hard breath. “Oh God, no! Not my barn!”
The intense and clearly gut reaction threw Kim momentarily, then she shook her head and walked toward Natalie.
“No, your barn is fine, as far as I know. But Knight’s had a fire early this morning.”
“Are the horses...is everyone...oh, God.” Natalie sank against a storage trunk and let out a hard breath. “And they think I did that?” Her chin began to tremble and a tear rolled down one cheek. “I loved that place, loved those people. They saved me when I was lost. I would never do something so terrible.”
Kim was totally confused. The woman standing before her was broken, maybe a little neurotic, but at that moment, she was in complete control of her emotions.
“I’m sure that you’ll be exonerated if you can provide an alibi for the time of the fire.”
Natalie whisked the tears from her face. “I most certainly can. I was with my psychiatrist all morning.”
Chapter 36
Natalie gestured toward the ramp. “Let’s go upstairs where it’s warmer. I’ll answer whatever questions you have.”
Kim followed the petite dancer, noting her narrow shoulders and ultra-thin legs. How would someone so tiny carry a baby? Where would she carry one? Obviously, as slim as she was, a baby bump would appear at a very early stage. There would be no way to keep it a secret.
Natalie unlocked her office door and gestured. “Go on in. I have to tell the cleaning people something.”
“Why do you have them here if you’re not even open?”
Natalie’s shoulders sagged. “They’re closing the place up for the winter. I’m finished for the foreseeable future.”
Kim watched defeat orchestrate Natalie’s every step as she walked down the hall toward the main doors to the performance arena. As long as Kim had been in police work, and as cynical as that could make a person, she’d always had a sense for the innocent. At that moment, she couldn’t imagine that Natalie Danseur had done any of the things of which they were prepared to accuse her. But the constant thread of revulsion that moved through Kim’s mind at the concept of endangering the horses’ lives was a strong equalizer. She couldn’t allow herself to falter for even a moment, she had to pursue this until it was finished. Those horses deserved it.
She stepped into the spacious office and moved to the windows to gaze at the nicely restored old neighborhood. She watched the snow blow and whirl, materializing from a leaden sky that stretched across the entire horizon. She felt let down and alone. What was she doing here? Trying to make someone else’s life miserable? Natalie’s situation, though different from Kim’s, was much the same. The blows that life dealt could make you or break you. Which had it been for her own situation? Sure, she’d recovered from the gunshot, had almost moved past the intense pain of losing Red, still foundered with the heartbreak that Peter had caused. But what did she have to look forward to? Six months ago, she’d been smug in her independence and free will. Now she wasn’t so sure. Was Natalie feeling those same emotions?
A small sound interrupted her musings and she turned as Natalie closed the door behind her.
Moving to the desk, she offered a rare smile. “Kim – may I call you Kim? – do you have horses?”
“I do, actually.”
“Then you’ll understand why I’m so upset over the epidemic in my barn, and insulted by the accusation that I would harm someone else’s horses, or put them in danger.”
Natalie’s manner was completely different than at any other time that Kim had spoken to her. She was forthright, strong, and clearly confident of her position. Was this the real Natalie Danseur, or perhaps another personality living in there? Or maybe she was simply a good actress.
Kim trod lightly. “I do, believe me. And we want to help you get to the bottom of this mess, but you haven’t been exactly forthcoming with answers to our questions.”
Natalie let out a long breath. “I’ve always been a private person. Growing up with grandparents can do that. They loved me and took good care of me, but had their own lives to live. I was mostly left to my own devices.” She smiled sadly. “Imaginary friends to keep me company, and dreams of one day becoming a prima ballerina to keep me going.”
Kim sucked in an involuntary breath, the memories of her own childhood with grandparents crashing into the mix. She pushed them away.
“We should probably talk about the fire thing first. You mentioned a psychiatrist?”
A shadow moved across Natalie’s features. “I see her once a week. You can check on it.”
Kim licked her lips. “Would you mind sharing?”
“It has nothing to do with my sick horses. As for the fire, the appointment is a solid alibi.”
Kim leaned forward, softening the distance and atmosphere between them. “When did you have your baby?”
Shock blanched Natalie’s face and her chin began to tremble. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it, swallowing hard. She looked away.
“How did you know about that?” she whispered.
“Charles told us.”
Natalie took several deep breaths, struggling to regain her composure. When she looked up, her eyes brimmed with tears.
“I found out I was pregnant just before I learned that my husband was having an affair...” She swallowed hard. “...with my boss.”
Kim nodded, but kept silent.
Natalie turned her chair and gazed out the window, her voice softening to almost a whisper. “I’d thought my life was finally turning around. And it was, but not in the way I’d expected.”
“Your husband continued with his indiscretion, even knowing he was going to be a father?”
“I never told him. I couldn’t. I just quit Knight’s and retired to my own barn to figure out what my next move might be.”
“Is that when you got the idea for your own theater company?”
Natalie shook her head. “We had been planning to do something like it for a long time. Purchased the horses, had them trained, but hadn’t gone any further. Damon wanted to wait until we were completely ready before making the change.” She let out a sharp breath. “I guess I found out what he was really interested in doing with his life.”
Kim gazed at the sorrowful woman before her. How could this seemingly genuine victim possibly orchestrate such a bizarre and insane plan for revenge?
Kim softened her tone. “What did you have, a boy or a girl?”
A sob bubbled up with Natalie’s reply. “I lost my baby girl a month after I left Knight’s.”
Quaid pulled up behind Kovak’s car and dialed her number again. Same thing – it went to voice mail. An uneasy stir moved through his chest, a dèjá vu of last summer when she’d been on her own in an isolated place with danger. He climbed out of the truck and walked up to the driver’s side of her car to peer in the window. Her phone lay on the seat, plugged into the charger. He glanced at the van parked by the curb, then up at the building.
At that moment, two men came out of the service door.
Quaid strode toward them. “Is the owner in there?”
“Yeah, she’s meeting with some woman.”
“Could you let me in? I need to talk to both of them.”
One man narrowed his eyes. “You got ID? Can’t let just anybody in there.”
Quaid pulled out his PI license and the man looked at it, then nodded. “I’ll call Miss Danseur, ask if she wants to see you.”
Quaid had no choice but to agree. A moment later, the guy closed his phone.
“She’ll meet you at the door over there.”
He turned to stow some equipment in the back of the van, and Quaid moved toward the service door, arriving just as it swung open.
Natalie’s cheeks were flushed and her eyes glistened as though she’d been crying. “Come in, Mr. Quaid. Kim and I were just finishing up.”
Chapter 37
Quaid followed Natalie up the stairs, wondering how Kovak’s conversation had gone. Danseur seemed subdued, entirely different than the last time he’d been with her. Without a heads up from Kovak, he’d have to keep his mouth shut until he knew what was going on. Danseur certainly didn’t act like someone who’d been confronted with the circumstantial evidence they had on her.
Quaid glanced at her tiny body. Kovak might be right about the baby thing. Danseur would be very pregnant at this point. He grinned to himself. Maybe she had a friend carry it for her.
Natalie opened the door to her office and Quaid entered. The look on Kovak’s face was warning enough.
He chuckled. “Hey, you guys started without me.”
Natalie leaned against her desk. “So, where are you with the investigation into my sick horses?”
Quaid glanced at Kovak and she nodded once, giving him the go-ahead.
“We watched the security camera footage you gave us, and the only person who showed up was your husband, once in a ten-minute span. We’ve questioned him and he says he came to talk to you about details of the divorce.”
Quaid watched the emotions register across Natalie’s face, the most intense of which was utter surprise and disbelief.
“He said that? When was he there? I never talked to him, I haven’t talked to him in months.”
“He did say that you weren’t there, but the timing of his visit coincides with the incubation period of the disease.”
Natalie’s dark eyes widened. “Oh, God, why would he do something like this? He got what he wanted, he left me – where’s the retribution?” She shook her head and pushed away from the desk. “I think you’re wrong. Damon was as invested in Dream Horse as I am, both emotionally and financially.”
Kovak spoke up. “But you still think Knight is behind this.” It was a statement, not a question.
Quaid watched Kovak’s body language. They’d never interviewed a suspect together, but he did know her well enough to see that she was about to release a zinger.
Natalie hesitated. “I thought...well, I knew how upset Mark was about me jumping ship just before the season’s opening production.”
Kovak moved in for the kill. “Tell me, Natalie, just why do you think the man who gave you your life back would do such a thing over something so petty? Doesn’t that seem out of character to you? Mark Knight is a hard working, honest man who also lost a lot as a result of your husband’s indiscretions. Why would he take that out on you?”
Natalie simply stared, her mouth open as though she might speak if she thought of an answer.
Kim forged on. “You want to tell us why you lied about the security camera inside your barn? Or tell us how you conveniently moved a pregnant mare out of the barn just before the disease appeared?” She took two steps closer to Natalie. “And why, exactly, did you visit a farm in Aurora that the state authorities had quarantined for strangles?”
Danseur’s stunned surprise evaporated and her dark eyes flashed with anger. “You have to be kidding! You’re accusing me? Is that what you’ve spent your time and my money doing? Get out! Get out now. You people make me sick.”
Quaid read the scene, trying to assess just how good an actress Natalie Danseur might be. Her responses to Kovak’s machine gun questions were too genuine, the timing between the information and her reactions too quick to be calculated. If she’d actually committed the crime, she’d have prepared herself for these questions well ahead of time. No, this woman was really the victim, not the perpetrator. But if not her, then who?
Quaid took a step forward, throwing what he hoped was a meaningful glance at Kovak, who set her jaw and looked away.
He tempered his tone. “Natalie, you have to understand that we follow the information we gather. You did hire us to do that and, well, some of what we’ve found seems incriminating.” He gave her his best smile. “But I’m sure you can clear up any uncertainties we might have.”
With an angry glance at Kovak, Natalie moved to behind the desk. “The camera in my barn has been broken for some time. I kept meaning to get it fixed before my mare was ready to foal, but I didn’t.”
“Why did you move the mare?”
Natalie’s features softened. “She’s extremely valuable. I worried that something might go wrong when her foal came, and no one would be at the show barn. I have a little house a few miles from the track. The property includes a small barn. That way, I’d be close by at night if she went into labor. Someone else looks after her during the day.”
Quaid watched her tell the story, recognizing the truth and caring behind the tale.
“Just curious – why is this horse so valuable?”
Natalie’s face lit up with sheer pleasure. “She’s a direct descendent of one of the finest Ukrainian dancing horses in history. Plus being in foal to one of the current great performance stallions gives me a double treasure.” Natalie’s happy expression faded a bit. “She would have been the foundation for the future Dream Horse troupe.”
“Would have been? Is the horse okay?”
“Yes, but Dream Horse Ballet isn’t. I burned through most of my inheritance getting the project up and running, and the monthly dividends from my trust fund aren’t enough. This strangles disaster has set me back to the point where I don’t think I can recover.”
Quaid thought about that for a moment. Whoever had set up the crime must have known it would permanently put Dream Horse out of business. Who might know enough about Natalie’s circumstances to orchestrate the plot? DeMarco, for sure. Or could Natalie be right in her suspicions of someone from Knight’s?
At that moment, Kovak cleared her throat. “Natalie, I’m sorry I came on so strong before. Once a cop, always a cop...I’m still trying to get the hang of being subtle.”
A tiny smile twitched the corners of Natalie’s mouth. “You have a long way to go.”
The tension faded, Kovak smiled, and Quaid took instant advantage of the change in atmosphere.
“You know anything about that farm in Aurora? The one with the strangles quarantine?”
Natalie shuddered. “I heard about it some three days after I first noticed a runny nose in my barn. I wracked my brain to see if any strangers had visited me, or if anyone from the race barns had been out to that farm, but I came up with nothing. Obviously, someone brought it in. My vet mentioned that such a large outbreak was unusual, what with today’s preventive medicine. Thank God all my horses had been vaccinated, or the end of this story would be much different.”
“How are they doing?”
“Getting better by the day.”
Kovak spoke up. “When was the last time your horses were away from your barn? Did you take them to the theater to practice?”
“No, it’s easier to work them in the practice arena at the barn. I was planning to wait until the week before we opened to do dress rehearsals at the theater.” Her shoulders drooped. “That would have been next week.”
“So it appears that your horses became infected right there where they live. Does any of your staff work at other barns
? Would any of them inadvertently or intentionally have had contact with the farm in Aurora?”
“I pay my barn staff double what they can earn anywhere else, just so that they’ll be available all the time when I need them. If any of them are moonlighting, I don’t know about it.”
Quaid shook his head. “If any of them were moonlighting, they could have been a direct conduit for the disease. We’ll need to talk to all of them.”
Natalie picked up a sheet of paper from the desk and handed it over. “There are only three, plus six dancers, but here is the contact information.”
She looked drained. Her dark eyes were dull and her pale skin even whiter than usual. Quaid took pity on her.
“I think that’s all for now. We’ll follow up on what you’ve told us and get back to you sometime tomorrow.”
Natalie nodded. “I’ll walk you to the door.”
Quaid was acutely aware of Kovak’s silence as the three of them moved down the hall toward the stairs. She had something on her mind and he’d probably hear about it the minute they were alone. He gazed around the walls at the elegant trappings and gold-framed posters of dancing horses and Natalie Danseur in full costume. The idea of ballet horses and ballerinas was unique and intriguing. He hoped the Dream Horse Ballet would eventually make its debut.
Natalie unlocked the service entrance to the street, then turned. “I’m going out to the barn to check on horses, then home to stay with my mare. Please call me as soon as you know anything. I answer my phone twenty-four hours a day.” She opened the door and a gust of wind blew snow across the threshold. “Hope this doesn’t live up to the weatherman’s expectations.”
As Quaid strode toward his truck, he glanced over at his partner. Her jaw was set and she gave him a hard look as she spoke.
“See you back at the hotel. We need to talk.”