Perfect Harmony: A Vivienne Taylor Horse Lover's Mystery (Fairmont Riding Academy Book 3)

by Michele Scott

  Of course, the more I learn about the whole night, the more I realize that it was a tragedy on a large scale—it’s like that night was the end of what Chris and Paisley started when they killed Joel.

  I know when the craziness started for me—when I couldn’t reach Riley or Austen. Of course, Harmony showed me how Chris had drugged Austen.

  And now I know what happened to Riley; he’d been lured into the situation easily enough. Paisley had texted him to say that she wanted to talk to him in private—and tell him something about Joel’s murder—before he met with Chris and James that night. She said she wanted to keep Riley from falling into their trap. She told him to meet her at the farmhouse. As soon as Riley walked in, Chris had him on the ground and then tied him to a chair.

  Now, I love Riley dearly—I really do—but I have to admit that I’ve so wanted to give him crap for being such a sucker. I mean—really? Who would have believed that line from Paisley? It’s like straight out of the what-not-to-do handbook. But maybe that’s why I love Riley so much. He’s trusting and in many ways still pretty naïve. I made him promise that he’ll never go off alone if we’re trying to get to the bottom of a murder.

  “How about I promise you that we never get involved with another murder, period,” he replied.

  “Good point,” I said.

  Once they had the guys, I was obviously the next victim. They’d gotten Janna easily, of course, by simply telling her she had to join them—with the awful photos Chris was using to blackmail her, she didn’t resist one bit. They all knew I’d go looking for Austen and Riley, so after James had brought Austen to the farmhouse, he’d gone to watch the cabin and followed me to the barn where I became easy prey.

  The rest of our survival tale is mostly about lucky breaks. Because, honestly, Austen, Riley, and I got lucky. I mean, we got really, really lucky, thanks to the unlikely hero and heroine who saved us—Emily and Tristan. It was kind of incredible for all of us at the farmhouse that they’d planned a romantic nighttime walk around the property, hoping to get some quiet time together. They’d been the first to smell smoke, and started running to investigate. On the crest of a hill, they’d seen the blaze and immediately started to panic that someone might be inside the burning house. That’s when Tristan had called 9-1-1.

  I still don’t know how any of us can ever thank them enough. Although, to tell the truth, there were actually two more people involved in saving us: Kayla Fairmont and Lydia Gallagher.

  Three days after coming home from the hospital, while I was in Harmony’s stall reassuring her for the millionth time that I was fine, my phone rang.

  “Vivienne?”

  “Yes.”

  “It’s Kayla.”

  “Hi,” I said.

  “Hi, honey. Are you okay? I’ve been really worried about all of you.”

  “I’m doing okay,” I replied. “I’m just really worried about Tristan. I don’t know what’s happening with him. It’s so sad. He and Emily had so many plans.”

  “I know,” she said. “They told me about their plans to work in Ireland. Maybe they’ll still be able to spend part of senior year there together. Right now, though, he has to heal physically. In a more emotional way, so do you and Riley and your friend Austen.”

  The way she said friend when she referred to Austen led me to believe that she knew we were more than friends. When I didn’t say anything, she continued.

  “You need to know something. You need to know that Harmony helped save you guys on that night of the fire, and so did Lydia.”

  “What?”

  “I’d been checking up on you pretty often through the horses, especially Harmony. I’ve known her since she was four years old, and have an especially strong connection to her. Through her, I got the sense that you were putting yourself in harm’s way trying to find out who was behind Joel’s death. Over the last month, I was feeling increasingly frightened for you. That’s why I suggested you back off from asking so many questions. My instincts were right. You were almost killed.”

  “I know.” I sighed. “But we also put the two really bad people in jail. I know they’re getting locked up for Janna’s murder, not Joel’s, but at least in my own mind I know there’s justice for his killing. There’s justice for a lot of people.”

  As I say this, I’m thinking of Wills, who did finally escape from under Chris Haverly’s cruel thumb, and saw justice served for the crime against his little sister, Anna.

  “I agree. But it was very dangerous.”

  “Did you know who murdered Joel all along? His horse, Melody, must have told you, since you’ve had long-distance communications with the horses all this time.”

  “Being so far away, I was never able to clearly get into Melody’s thoughts,” she says. “I can only manage long-distance conversations when I know the horse incredibly well. With Harmony, I have a strong bond. Melody, on the other hand, was raised on the East Coast. She was Joel’s horse when he was alive, and I never really got to know her. So, to answer your question: no. I had no idea what really happened to Joel. If I had, I would have made sure that Chris and Paisley were arrested immediately. I would’ve figured out how to make that happen.”

  “I wish that had happened. Janna would still be with us. Nobody would have been hurt.”

  “I wish that too, but it just wasn’t possible. Thankfully, Harmony came through for us. I was just getting ready to go to sleep in California on the night of the fire when I took a minute to check in with her emotionally. As soon as we connected, she showed me the image of James taking you from the barn at gunpoint.”

  “You must have been horrified.”

  “I was. But I couldn’t call the cops. How could I possibly explain that I saw you taken against your will through the eyes of a horse three thousand miles away from my home in Southern California? I tried calling your cell and obviously you didn’t answer. So, I called Lydia. I’d seen the roster and I knew you were sharing a cabin.”

  “Lydia?”

  “Yes. I couldn’t tell her the facts, but I told her that I was worried that Chris Haverly and his crew were bullying you. I didn’t know what else to say. I was amazed at how quickly she agreed to help me. In fact, she said she’d do anything to help me find you. Lydia actually told me she’d never forgive herself if something bad happened to you.”

  I have to admit that I was a little bit surprised to hear this. I mean, I know that we’d agreed on a truce after I’d helped find Geisha’s heart murmur, but this showed that her concern for me was more than a truce. She actually cared. That is what I would have to call turning over a new leaf.

  “She said she’d call around to try and find you. Of course, I couldn’t alarm her and tell her the details of what I knew. I hung up and kept checking in with Harmony, and once she smelled smoke, I did too. I feared the worst. So I called Lydia back and told her to call nine-one-one and report a fire. I also asked her to trust me enough not to ask too many questions and cause delay. She handled it beautifully.”

  “Oh my God. You and Lydia saved us too. I bet she reported the fire even sooner than Tristan did.”

  “I think so,” she said. “Yeah, she handled it well. I just wish Tristan hadn’t been hurt. Then there’s Janna, and her death is tragic.”

  “I know, but you can’t blame yourself,” I said, even though I was busy blaming myself.

  We hung up the phone after agreeing that when I return to Fairmont in the fall, we’ll get together so she can help me with my skills. I have to say, I’m already looking forward to it. When the school year ended last year I didn’t think I could trust Kayla at all. Knowing that she played a vital part in saving our lives, I have to say that I really do trust her now. Especially given the support she showed for Tristan and Emily. How ironic is that? Kayla, the one woman I wasn’t sure about, has turned out to be incredibly honest and wonderful. And my mom—the one per
son I thought I could always trust—turned out to have told some whoppers.

  But we’re not giving up on each other. Not at all. My mom hasn’t left here since she broke the news about Holden. I guess there is something to be said about a silver lining, right? We’ve been able to talk about everything, and surviving a second maniacal killer in a year’s time has made me take a good look at life. A real good look, and what kind of person would I be if I couldn’t forgive a mother who has loved me, adored me, and always tried to protect me? Then there’s Holden. He wants to become more of a dad to me. We’ve had a few of our own heart-to-hearts. And you know what? I want him to be my dad.

  As far as Frank goes, I don’t think I need much from him. He did really choose to leave. Sure, my mother played a part in it all, but at the end of the day, it was his choice. He has another family now. I can learn from him as a rider, but as a daughter, I don’t think so. But the way things have played out has made me so much less angry at him.

  What’s really interesting—and I find I don’t object to it—is that I’ve noticed my mom and Holden have been spending time together, walking around Liberty Farms and eating dinner, just the two of them. The three of us have also spent some time together.

  It’s kind of weird, but for the first time in almost ten years, I feel like I might have a whole family. It’s different. It’s unique, but we are a family.

  CHAPTER fifty-two

  Today is my eighteenth birthday. We have to leave Liberty Farms in less than a week. My mom is going home in the morning. She knows that I’m okay and she really needs to get back to my little brother, grandmother, and her vet clinic. But she is refusing to leave until she throws me a party, which is planned for tonight. I have to admit, I’m kind of looking forward to it. Eighteen. It’s a big day. I won’t have to hide my relationship with Austen anymore.

  But it’s still morning, the party is hours away, and I’m out on cross-country for a lesson with Frank, alongside Lydia and Emily. I try to ignore everything but his instructions, because I feel terrible for both girls. Lydia is riding one of the horses from Liberty Farms, knowing that when she returns to Fairmont, Geisha will be retired to pasture. Emily hasn’t smiled since learning that Tristan was being placed in a private hospital. I know that she hasn’t seen him.

  “Okay, girls, we’re going to work on down banks and drops into the water today. So, let’s warm up with the down bank. Who wants to go first?”

  I decide first is better than last. “I’ll go,” I say.

  “Think choppy strides, nice and collected on the approach. Ride the middle of the horse over the jump, and put her on a loose rein,” Frank says.

  I take the instruction, reminding myself that he’s only a coach to me at this point.

  All three of us school the down bank pretty well, and Frank has us move onto the down bank into the water.

  “What’s different here,” Frank says, “is that your horse can’t see the water that’s coming up, so you need to really ride to the base, keeping your leg on, eyes up, and coming out of the jump keep riding the horse and then jump the cabin, which is a four stride.”

  Emily goes first and instead of loosening her reins to the buckle, she actually pulls on the mare, who chips in, taking an awkward stride close to the fence. It’s definitely ugly and she’s lucky the horse is honest, because the mare almost hangs a leg. Fortunately, Emily greased the horse’s legs and that’s what helps her slide off the jump. It wasn’t the horse’s fault at all.

  “Damn!” Emily says.

  “Okay, you need to do that again,” Frank says. “And this time, ride it on that loose rein. You pulled back and your horse stalled. It’s like braking. Come on. You can do it.”

  Emily rides the exercise correctly this time around, and fortunately, so do I. Lydia also nails it. I have to say that it’s been a decent schooling.

  When we’re through, Frank calls out to me before I take Harmony back to the barn. “Whoa,” I say to Harmony. She halts and Frank walks up to us.

  Emily and Lydia walk on ahead. It’s nice to see them handling each other well now. They’re no longer giving each other the silent treatment and they even seem to be friendly. I have to say, Lydia really has come a long way. I do think that knowing that Tristan got so hurt has allowed each of them to get past any animosity they may have had. Traumatic events tend to make people see what is really important in life, and not care so much about the small, stupid things.

  “Good riding today,” says Frank.

  “Thank you.”

  He smiles up at me and there are actual tears in his eyes. “Happy birthday, Vivvie girl.”

  I swallow back my emotion. He always called me that when I was little. All I can muster is another, “Thanks.”

  “I’m here. I really am. If you ever need anything at all, I’m here. I won’t abandon you again. Maybe someday we can have a relationship. I had no idea your dad was Holden. But I’m happy it’s him. He’s a good man. And maybe I can’t ever be your dad again, but hopefully I can one day be your friend.”

  I smile as much as I can back at him and say, “Yeah. Maybe that would be good someday.”

  I don’t cry. But boy, does this hurt. I take Harmony back to the barn. She tells me that she loves me. I reply with, “Dammit, don’t make me cry.”

  Sorry.

  Lydia and Emily are busy putting their horses away. Wills comes in after his lesson with Bernard. Tiffany has taken a hiatus, which makes sense, considering that Joel’s dad is divorcing her and she’s trying to help her horrible daughter deal with the trial. I wave at Wills.

  “Hey, Taylor, how’s it shaking? Eighteen now? Oh, you and your boyfriend are finally legal. You guys want to party with a minor? I’m available.”

  “You’re funny, Wills. Funny.” It’s a relief to see Wills back to his jokes and banter. Clearly, having Chris Haverly behind bars has improved his outlook on life. “Are you all healed up?” I ask. He’d been pretty banged up after the night of the fire. Yep, Wills had gotten involved in the chaos too. He’d actually played a major role in the plan hatched by Riley and Austen, because, unbeknownst to me, he’d finally revealed his whole story to them on the very same day that my mom had showed up and dropped the bombshell about Holden.

  While I’d been napping off the trauma of discovering my dad’s true identity, Wills had been bringing Riley and Austen up to speed on all the ways Chris had bullied him into drug dealing.

  He’d told them all the details: like the fact that Chris had killed Anna’s pony and drugged Melody. What I didn’t know until later was that they’d drugged Melody as a warning to Wills to do right by them, and that Wills’s sister, Anna, had been permanently paralyzed from the waist down because of it. Wills wanted his own revenge.

  That night of the fire, Riley was supposed to contact Wills to let him know where they’d be meeting Chris Haverly. The original plan was that Wills would hide out nearby the meet with a recording device on him. Wills had a hunting rifle and was going to pull it on Chris once they got the evidence on tape.

  In the end, however, Chris had pulled the plug on the “official” meet-up. Instead, he’d followed Austen down to the barn and attacked him with the syringe.

  When Wills couldn’t reach either Austen or Riley, he got into his car with the idea of driving around to look for them.

  Then he saw the flames from the farmhouse and knew something awful was happening. He turned his car back that way just in time to see Chris and Paisley drive past him. He called 9-1-1 for backup, explaining he was following two people he thought were responsible for arson, and then pulled a U-turn to follow their car.

  Of course, they’d been going to a rave. Wills had confronted Chris in the parking lot of the rave and started a fight, buying enough time for the cops to show up and take all three of them into custody.

  At the station, all three were questioned, but by
then, the true story was becoming evident as those of us at the farmhouse were being rescued and starting to explain the sequence of events.

  And now, Chris and Paisley await trial. And because they are eighteen they could face the death penalty for Janna’s murder. Here’s the most incredible part: There’s no way they can get out of the charges, because James also survived the fire. He’d apparently been capable enough after that blow to the head to crawl out, because the rescue workers found him on the scene and brought him to the hospital for smoke inhalation along with the rest of us.

  James got immunity for himself by agreeing to give details about the case—how he’d stolen the drugs from the vet group to make Big D, and how Chris was masterminding a plan to create a larger drug ring with the Russians.

  I have no idea if James is going to inform on them about Joel’s death. Proving they killed Joel would be another story. At least I’m sure they will go to jail for Janna’s murder. Plus, they are also being charged with attempted murder for the rest of us!

  I’m just happy that everyone now knows what I knew all along: Chris Haverly is a sociopath who thought his family’s fortune could save him from anything. I still can hardly understand why he did it. I guess it was greed, and the desire for power. The most horrible thing about it all is that he didn’t need the money. He is a spoiled rich kid who gets everything his heart desires. Yet control was what he really wanted. As for Paisley, I can’t decide if she’s more or less evil than Chris. One thing for sure is that she was so in love with him that she did everything he wanted her to. Yep, it became clear right away that she’d only been using James for his drug connection all along. She and Chris had been pulling the wool over his eyes for ages.