I don’t have the answers, but I will get them. One thing I do know right now is that my suspicions about Emily and the possibility that she was in some way involved with Joel’s death are now at the next level. From what I’ve just seen, I don’t think she’s the innocent she’s been claiming to be. Then there’s the issue of what in the world she’s doing in secret with Tristan.
I finish up with Mel and then visit with Harmony, who gives me an earful about her eye, and repeatedly shows me pictures of carrots in her bucket. “I know you want more carrots, girl,” I say. “Tomorrow.” After a few more kisses, I walk back to the cabin feeling exhausted. I crawl into bed and turn my phone on vibrate to avoid having it ring later and wake any of my cabinmates—I have a feeling Austen will call me late, when he’s back from the night out with Chris. And if there’s any news flash, I want to get it right away.
CHAPTER twenty-six
I wake up the next morning before dawn and pull my pillow over my head as I realize it’s Sunday—and the Fourth of July. That means the pool party at Tiffany’s place. This is going to prove to be an interesting day, I’m sure of that.
Then, with a jolt, I realize it’s getting light outside, and that I slept through the entire night. If Austen or Riley texted me, the phone set to vibrate certainly didn’t wake me up! I feel for my phone and start to panic as I realize it’s gone. I know it was next to me on the bed when I fell asleep. It must’ve fallen off.
I hear someone snoring, and look around to see that my cabin–mates are all still asleep. I climb down off the bunk and, sure enough, find my phone on the ground. Good thing I have a case on it so it didn’t break. Kind of stupid of me to keep it on the bunk all night while I toss and turn.
I pick up my phone and am relieved to see that Austen did text me—after two in the morning. Home. Much to tell. You better be asleep! I love you.
My body relaxes as a sense of relief washes over me. I wonder what he has to tell me! I’m hoping that we’ll have some time alone to talk at Tiffany’s.
There’s another text. This one is from Riley. It came in around the same time that Austen’s did. Need a powwow. I’ll drive to Tiffany’s today. Meet Austen and me at Jeep at ten.
I feel elated but impatient to see and talk to the guys, and find out what they discovered. I don’t know how I’ll wait the three hours until ten rolls around.
I dress and walk to the Commons House for some coffee. The place is quiet this morning. I pour myself a cup of coffee and sit down on one of the couches, hoping to clear my mind.
I check my e-mail on my phone and am surprised to see one from Kayla Fairmont. The subject line reads: Important.
Must be about my senior year or something. I open it and read it through a few times, trying to comprehend it.
Hi, Vivienne,
I hope you’re enjoying Liberty Farms. You have such a great opportunity there to grow as an equestrian and I’m concerned you aren’t taking full advantage of it.
I’d like you to call me as soon as possible so we can discuss this.
Kayla
Um . . . Okay. Now what in the heck does all that mean?
My hands are shaking and I really don’t know why. I set the cup of coffee down on the table in front of me. As I stare at the e-mail again, I feel a surge of energy rush through my hands—and, oddly, it’s a familiar sensation. When I touch a horse who is communicating with me, I feel this same kind of energy. I feel what I can only describe as a surge.
What does this mean? I know that I have to call Kayla, but I’m scared.
I look for her number in my list of contacts and in seconds I’m dialing her. It’s very early on the West Coast, not even five o’clock in the morning, but I’m betting that she’s awake. She’s one of those people who tends to rise before the sun and get an early start with yoga or a jog. She’s typically riding by seven.
She answers after one ring. “Vivienne, I knew it would be you. Did you feel it?”
“Feel what?” I ask with some trepidation.
“The signal.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t understand what you mean,” I say.
“I was sending you a message, Vivienne. I was sending you the energy that we share with the horses.”
I can’t find any words to say.
She laughs. “Yeah. I know. Cat got your tongue. I told you that I knew about your gift. What I didn’t tell you is that I, too, have the gift of communicating with our horse friends.”
“W-what?” I stutter.
“I recognized it in you pretty quickly.”
“You did?”
“Yes, and it’s why I warned you to be careful before you left for the summer. It wasn’t because I was trying to do you harm. I’ve been trying to keep you from harm.”
“I’m really confused.” Kayla Fairmont has just thrown me for one big loop. But what’s new? I seem to be prime for them these days.
“I know you are,” she says. “But here’s the thing, honey, you are in danger. In my communication with the horses, I’ve picked up on something—that there is danger around you. One of the horses is putting you in harm’s way.”
“How do you know?”
“Well, that may take some time to explain. How much time do you have?”
“I have time. I need to know what you know,” I reply.
“Okay then, let’s talk.”
“You have this gift, Vivienne, and so do I, and sometimes it can get in the way of accomplishing your goals.”
“Can you back up a minute?”
“Of course,” she says. “I’m sure you feel overwhelmed by this.”
“Completely,” I agree, and sit up. “First, when and how did you know you could, um . . . talk to them?”
She laughs a little on the other end of the line. “Probably when I was about nine or ten. At first I thought I was hearing voices when I would be at the barn and then I began to realize that it was the horses speaking to me.”
“They actually speak to you?”
“Obviously not like opening their mouth and talking, but if you mean they transfer words to me, then yes.”
“Wow.” So I’m not going crazy then. Harmony is really using words with me.
“You don’t communicate that way yet, do you? Probably only in images, like a movie reel, or in feelings that translate as waves of happiness, sadness, or anger.”
“Actually, that’s typically how I’ve been communicating, but just recently Harmony started using words.” I can’t believe that I’m talking to Kayla about this. My mom and I had made a promise that neither of us would ever tell anyone.
She laughs. “Good. Is she the only one?”
“Yes. The rest are still talking to me through images and feelings.”
“They will all start talking to you before long. You’ll see. I’m not surprised that Harmony is the first one. She’s your girl and the two of you make a great team. I’m concerned, though, about what the others, and possibly even Harmony, might be communicating to you. There’s something dangerous happening in the barn there.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You may be receiving messages that aren’t accurate. Remember this isn’t an exact science. So it’s entirely possible for the horses to mislead you; it’s not conscious on their part, but it could still cause problems. To put it into terms that maybe you can understand better, think of the way rumors get started around campus. Once there is a miscommunication, things can start to snowball. Horses aren’t always reliable.”
“They’ve always been reliable to me.” I’m kind of getting angry at her rhetoric and am wondering if she’s trying to keep me from having communication with the horses.
“Don’t be overconfident, Vivienne. I’ve been picking up on some communications between you and the horses that make me very uneasy. I don’t want to see you ge
t caught up in something you can’t get out of.”
“So, you’re spying on me? I think I can handle myself.”
“But these communications keep you from focusing.”
“No, they don’t.”
“Are you sure about that?” she asks.
I sigh. “You just want me to be careful? Is that what you’re saying?”
“Yes, and maybe to start tuning them out a little bit while you’re there. Put all your focus on the riding goals. When you come back to Fairmont, I can teach you how to go deeper with the communication and help you from incorrectly reading them.”
I don’t know how to respond, because, the thing is, I don’t think I’ve incorrectly “read” the horses I’ve worked with before. I’m pretty sure they’ve all been reliable. I’ve helped my mom heal hundreds of them who’ve told me in their way what is hurting them. Why Kayla might be trying to make me insecure, I have no idea. But it seems like too much trouble to fight her. I decide the best way to play this is to simply agree with her. I put on my best fake smile, even though she can’t see me, and say, “That sounds great. I’m looking forward to that. And I promise to be careful.”
“Please do, Vivienne.”
I hang up the phone and the first thing I think about is how much I hate the way Kayla always says my name when she’s talking to me. For some reason it seems like a put down. In fact, everything about that conversation made me feel demeaned. Her treating me as if I don’t know how to utilize my gift is definitely not a pleasant way to start my morning. Besides, what the hell does she mean? If I can’t trust the horses, my list of real friends is getting very short.
CHAPTER twenty-seven
Feeling a little shaky from the unexpected chat with Kayla, I grab some cereal and sit down to eat. I feel a little better as I start to get food in my stomach, and my thoughts become more practical. Is she right? Is there a horse here at Liberty who is giving me misinformation? I can’t believe there’s a horse here who would maliciously try to harm me. I know for a fact that Harmony would never do anything like that. I’ve had only limited conversations with Axel, and hardly spoken to most of the other horses here—except for Melody.
I almost choke on my cereal as the horse’s name springs into my mind. Even I have to admit that some of her messages are strange and unclear. The one that reminded me of black smoke, and showed Emily, has thrown me for a real loop. I realize for the first time that during that conversation with Mel, I’d failed to get answers about why Wills had been petting her in a way that set off my inner alarms. The strange message she’d given me had completely distracted me. I need to go back to her for more answers. Maybe I’m getting closer to learning about what really happened to Joel the night he died. As I finish up and start walking back to the cabin, I think that maybe—just maybe—Kayla Fairmont gave me some great insight.
“There you are,” Janna says when I open the door. She looks like she’s been out all night, and not in a good way. For the first time, I notice bags under her eyes and I feel a pang of guilt as I realize I haven’t checked in with her on the whole Chris Haverly thing. I’m still a little haunted by what Austen said about the way Chris treated her roughly. Then there’s the fact that Janna has pulled away some—at least compared to the days when it seemed like my every minute with her was a personal inquisition.
“Quiet!” Emily hisses, rolling toward the wall. “Why are you yelling? Some of us are trying to sleep!”
Lydia is over by her bed, packing a bag for the pool party. She glances at me and says, “Looks like those two had some fun last night. I heard you come in around two.”
“Shut up, Gallagher,” Emily says and places the pillow over her head.
Two? That’s about the time Riley and Austen texted me.
“Where did you guys go?” I ask.
“Oh, a little party that Chris invited us to. We tried to find you to ask you, but you weren’t around,” Janna replies.
“You should be careful. Sounds like rule breaking to me,” Lydia says and tosses some tanning oil into her bag.
“I think there’s plenty of rule breaking going on around here,” Janna replies curtly and glances at me.
Whatever, as Harmony would say. But, what does Janna mean, exactly?
She clearly isn’t going to explain further, because the next second she goes over to Emily and pulls the pillow off her head. “Get up. We’ve got another partay to go to.”
“Ugh,” Emily replies.
Lydia looks at me and rolls her eyes. Wait a minute, is she trying to bond with me? What is this? She’s gotta be up to something. I ignore her.
“Chris is giving us a ride. Need one?” Janna asks.
“No. I’m good.” I don’t tell her whom I’m riding with.
I get ready and we all head out of the cabin around the same time. Although you can see Tiffany’s house from the farm, it’s still a distance and the road winds up and around to it.
I’m at Riley’s Jeep before the guys are. When I finally see Austen, it takes all my self-control not to run over and throw my arms around him.
“Hey,” he says as he makes it to the Jeep and smiles at me. He glances around, then leans in for a kiss. We’re too paranoid to let it last, though. “Interesting night last night.”
“Sounds like it.”
A second later I spot Riley walking toward us.
We all get into the Jeep, with Riley behind the wheel. “Somebody better start talking about last night,” I say.
Riley looks over at Austen.
“Riley was right,” Austen says. “Those guys are all about drugs.”
“Did he offer you any?” I ask.
“Not at first,” Austen replies. “But Riley drove Chris so he had extra time in the car with him, and his story is different from mine. I figured we should both talk about what we saw firsthand, and then see where we’re at.”
“Good plan. You first.” I knew they needed to be quick, though, because it wouldn’t take too long to get to Tiffany’s place.
“When I got there, Chris was kind of subdued with me,” says Austen. “But he gave me high fives and all when I came in, and introduced me to his friend James.”
“Paisley’s boyfriend? I can’t stand that guy,” I say.
“Yeah, well Paisley isn’t winning any charm awards in my book, either. She’s a real freak.”
“In what way?”
“Well, she’s been fairly easy to deal with at the barn, I guess. Sure, she has weird mood swings, but she keeps out of my way and even acts all intimidated by me sometimes. She never says much. But last night, she was like a different person. She was all over James, and chatted me up like we were BFFs or something. She was telling me how much she loved Joel’s horse, Melody, and that the horse should be hers but that her stepdad sold the horse to Fairmont Academy. She went on about what a jerk Joel’s dad is—especially since he made her get a job as a working student this summer.”
I shake my head. “Oh boohoo. I feel so sorry for her. Did she say anything about Joel?”
“Funny you should ask, because when she was carrying on about the horse, I finally said, ‘Didn’t your brother die?’ Instead of what you’d expect, this funny smirk crossed her face and she said that he killed himself after a bunch of pathetic drug problems and a stint in rehab.”
“I don’t believe that! Is that true, Riley?” I ask.
“Not when I was around. You have to remember, though, that I wasn’t close to him at all for two years prior to us meeting at Liberty, and a lot can happen during that time.”
“I know, but don’t you think he would have said something to you when he came to Fairmont? He was pretty forthcoming in telling you what had been going on around Liberty Farms with Chris, after all.”
“Well,” Riley replies, “maybe he didn’t feel like sharing everything.”
&n
bsp; “I really don’t believe that he was in rehab at any time. I just don’t,” I say. “It’s a tactic to cover something up.” Anger rushes through me and my ears start feeling hot. “I can’t believe she’s still being awful to Joel, even now that he’s dead. I feel like killing her!”
“Easy, Viv,” Riley says. “Don’t get so worked up. Austen and I are for sure onto something, and you have to play along. You’ve got to keep your cool if we’re going to make this happen.”
“Sorry. Sometimes I just can’t take her bullshit. But it’s fine. What else?”
“Her boyfriend, James, walked up about that time and asked what we were talking about,” says Austen. “She told him that we were talking about Joel. He eyed me and then said that we shouldn’t be talking about morbid things and that it was time to move on.”
“And Chris Haverly? What happened with him?” I ask.
“That’s when it got interesting. Like I said, he was pretty subdued at first. I noticed Riley buddying up to him and talking throughout the evening.”
“Yeah, man, at first you even doubted my motives,” Riley cuts in.
“Look, Reed, you’re one helluva actor. To me it looked like you were the best of buds. I had to ask you because I had to. You know that,” Austen says.
“Vivvie once told me to keep my enemies closer than my friends. That’s what I’m trying to do here. I had to play it up, and you have to admit that it worked,” Riley replies.
“It did. It sure did.”
“Oh God, can you two cut to the chase, please?” I plead.
“Chris offered us something called Big D,” Austen says.
“Big D?”
Riley nods. “He didn’t tell us where he got it, but he claims that the high is better than heroin, ecstasy, cocaine—anything out there. He told us that you can either take it in pill form or shoot up with it. And he said that it’s making him rich.”
“What? That kid comes from more money than God!” I say. “Why in the world would he need to pull in cash by dealing some kind of designer drug?”
Perfect Harmony: A Vivienne Taylor Horse Lover's Mystery (Fairmont Riding Academy Book 3) Page 13