by Lisa Wysocky
As for Ruthie, she’d been charged with Melody’s murder, my kidnapping and attempted murder, and a bunch of other charges. She was awaiting her own trial. The only thing they had on Garrett Ross, the man I’d thought of as Mr. Clean Cut, was drilling the exhaust system on my truck, which was serious, but he was testifying against Ruthie, so who knows what would happen to him. At Ruthie’s request, the young man had regularly followed prospective new church members, and that’s what he thought he was doing with me. Ruthie had told him it was the church’s way of vetting new members, to be sure they were worthy of joining. Some people will believe anything.
Allen had not yet been arrested but was under investigation. I’m not sure what the official term is for financial “book cooking,” but that’s what the sheriff ’s office was looking into. For now, Allen was on official leave. Until everyone knew exactly how involved he was, he was asked to stay home. The same with Emily. Fortunately, the riding center had been able to hire several other therapeutic riding instructors part-time.
As for the church, the elders got together and immediately removed Ruthie from her position as pastor, even though she was the church’s founder. They had not yet found a new pastor, but visiting pastors preached on Sundays while elders spoke during the Wednesday and Saturday services.
There was a big story in the Sunday edition of The Tennessean that the church elders were going to try to keep the church and riding center afloat. There was also a great deal of controversy over whether the church would get to keep the money that Melody left them. That question (and the status of the furniture that Melody promised me) would be sure to keep the lawyers tied up for some time, especially as Claudine and Brandyne were making a stink about the fact that the beneficiary that got the most money also caused Melody’s death. Not exactly true, as Ruthie and the church were separate legal entities, but I had to admit that I understood Claudine’s point.
I was thinking about a nap when my landline rang. I debated answering it and almost let it go to voice mail. But, I got up and went inside to look at the caller ID. When I saw that it read UNKNOWN, I realized it might be Gusher Black. His ID always came up that way, so I picked up.
“Merry Cat?”
“Dad?” I needn’t have asked. My dad was the only person in the world who called me Merry Cat. It was his quirky, shortened version of my full name.
“Daughter, it’s grand to be speaking with ya.” My dad was born in Ireland, but came to the United States when he was twelve. He always played up the accent more than he needed to. “Merry Cat, I’d love to chat, but I’m in a spot of bother. Could ya possibly find it in your heart to help your old dad?”
“I’ll try,” I said, but what I thought was, here we go again. My dad never contacted me unless he wanted something. “What can I do for you?”
“That’s the thing. I don’t rightly know. I think someone’s trying to kill me.”
–THE END–
MELODY’S SWEET TEA RECIPE
Ingredients
12 cups water
1-1/2 cups of white sugar (or less, according to taste)
10 tea bags. Melody preferred Luzianne, but Lipton works, too
One pinch baking soda
Lemon juice or slices to taste
Mint leaves
Ice cubes
Instructions
1.
In a small pot on the stove bring water to a boil.
2.
Stir sugar and baking soda into boiling water. Keep stirring until dissolved.
3.
Remove pot from heat.
4.
Add tea bags to water, steep 25 minutes.
5.
Squeeze tea bags against side of pot, then remove bags and discard. Melody put hers in her compost pile.
6.
Pour tea into ice-filled glasses, add lemon to taste, serve with a sprig of mint.
GLOSSARY
Barrel:
A horse’s trunk or midsection.
Bitless bridle:
See sidepull
Cavaletti:
A series of very low jumps used to school horses, usually less than one foot in height; also used to describe ground poles without risers.
Cinch:
A wide strap attached to a western saddle that runs under the horse’s barrel and is used to keep the saddle on the horse.
Clean:
Refers to the leg of a horse that has no blemish, scar, injury, or other deviation from normal.
Collection:
Occurs when a horse carries more weight on his hind legs than on the front. His back raises as he tightens stomach muscles and flexes at the poll to carry himself lightly. This makes impulsion from the hindquarters greater; the horse is more easily maneuvered, and can carry a rider with greater ease. The horse also reaches farther underneath his body with his hind legs to make more precise stops and turns.
Colic:
Abdominal pain that encompasses all forms of gastrointestinal conditions, as well as other causes of abdominal pain not involving the gastrointestinal tract. Because horses cannot vomit, it can be deadly.
Coming:
In fall, a horse is spoken of as “coming” the age she will be in the next year. A four-year-old horse in the fall is “coming five.”
Cross tie:
A means of tying a horse where a rope from each side of an aisle is attached to the side rings of the horse’s halter. Technically, the horse is tied “across” the aisle.
Croup:
The muscular topline area of the horse’s hindquarters beginning at the top of the hip and stopping at the top of the tail.
Desensitize:
The process of accustoming horses to potentially frightening situations by gently introducing them to unusual sights, smells, sounds, and movements.
Drive from the ground:
See ground driving
Fetlock:
The lowest joint on a horse’s leg. It corresponds to the human instep joint. Can also refer to the tuft of hair on the back of the horse’s leg above the hoof
Girth:
A wide strap attached to an English saddle that runs under the horse’s barrel and is used to keep the saddle on the horse.
Ground drive:
The art of asking a horse to move forward while a person walks behind with long reins to control the horse’s motion, speed, and direction. Often a precursor to harness driving and carrying a mounted rider.
Ground poles:
Poles of eight to ten feet in length spaced equal distances apart to help the horse develop cadence and balance at various gaits. Also a pole on the ground in front of a jump to help the horse and rider judge the take-off point.
Hands:
The height of the horse from ground to the top of her withers. One hand is four inches, so a horse 61 inches tall is 15.1 hands.
Junior:
A horse four years of age or under.
Loin:
The area on the topline of the horse between the back and the croup.
Long lining:
Similar to ground driving, but the human directs the horse’s movement using long reins while standing in the center of a circle. The technique also develops balance and collection. Sometimes used interchangeably with ground driving.
Mounting ramp:
A wooden or metal ramp wide enough for a wheelchair that ends in a platform of about three feet in height. The height of the platform helps a person with a physically disability get on a horse.
Narrow:
A term used to describe the width between the horse’s front legs, and thus, the width of the horse’s barrel. People with some disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, have an easier time riding a narrow horse than a wide one.
Pastern:
The part of the horse’s lower leg that is between the fetlock and the top of the hoof.
Point of buttock:
The outermost part of the rounded edge of the horse’s rump, when viewing from the side.
Polo wraps:
Fleece or other stretchy bandage material that is wrapped around a horse’s leg below the knee. Typically used for protection during riding, longeing, driving, trailering, and turnout.
Round pen:
A sixty-foot “round pen,” often made of pipe or wood, used for training horses on the ground and under saddle.
Senior:
For the purposes of most competitions, any horse over the age of four.
Sidepull:
A general term for headgear that controls a horse without the use of a bit.
Snaffle:
A simple bit with a joint in the center and large rings to attach reins to.
Split reins:
Reins with unconnected ends. Usually a long, thin style of rein in the western discipline.
Spooky:
Easily startled, skittish.
Surcingle:
A belt that passes around the belly of a horse with metal rings to pass reins through.
Trunk exercise:
An exercise that strengthen a rider’s core, such as truck twists; or leaning forward or back, or from side-to-side, then returning to center.
Two point:
Also known as the half seat, it is achieved by bending forward at the hips, lifting the fanny out of the saddle, and taking weight in the rider’s ankles and heels. The two-point helps balance a rider, as it cannot be achieved if the rider is ahead of or behind the horse’s center of balance.
Weanling:
A current year foal who has been weaned from her mother.
Wither:
The top of the shoulder where the neck joins the body; the tallest part of the horse’s back, located at the base of the neck.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Huge thanks to my publishers, Neville and Cindy Johnson at Cool Titles, for taking another stab at Cat and me. Their commitment to this series has made me strive harder to deliver. Thanks too, to the people of Cheatham County and the cities of Ashland City and Kingston Springs. Local residents will recognize that I removed the railroad tracks from the Kingston Springs city center. Other than that, and the fact that The Holy Church of the Mighty Happy and the accompanying therapeutic riding center exist only in Cat’s world, the town is depicted pretty much as it exists in real life.
Thanks to Jamie, Glenn, and Jenn of the Horses in the Morning crew (horsesinthemorning.com) for again being such good sports about allowing themselves to be part of Cat Enright’s story. And, thanks to real-life music journalist Chuck Dauphin. Both are making their second appearance in the series.
Kudos also go to Bill Vandiver at The Edge Salon in Brentwood, Tennessee. (theedgesalon.com). He has been a trenendous supporter of Cat Enright from the moment she was first published, and his talent with hair is genuine in both Cat’s worlds and ours. I appreciate his willingness to be part of The Fame Equation.
Thanks too, to Jane Muir who confirmed my suspicions regarding the cart versus buggy debate.
Many thanks also go to Mike Breedlove, the real sheriff of Cheatham County and an all around good guy, who lent his considerable time and talents to make this book better. I have known Mike a long time and he has always been a supporter of mystery authors. He was with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for many years, and has been a panelist at a number of mystery writing conferences, including Killer Nashville. If I got any of the local law enforcement details wrong, the fault is entirely mine.
Publisher Cindy Johnson requested a small role in the book, and I always think it is a good sign when your publisher wants to be written into the story. I hope I did her justice. She is an amazing woman.
SheilAnne Smith at the Appaloosa Horse Club helped with specific questions regarding show rules, points, and the medallion system, and the character of Sandy Sweet, the sidewalker, is named in honor of Sandy Sweet Lovato. Sandy founded the Stampede of Dreams Therapeutic Riding Program, but passed away after a tragic car accident in 2014. She was a huge fan of Cat Enright and I hope she would be pleased with her namesake here in the book.
To those of you who have not yet discovered therapeutic riding, please check it out. There are nearly eight hundred PATH (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horseman-ship) centers across the United States, as well as a number of EAGALA (Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association), E3A (Equine Experiential Education Association) AHA (American Hippotherapy Association) and many other centers. There is sure to be one near you.
To you, the reader, Cat and I so appreciate you picking up The Fame Equation, as well as the earlier Cat Enright books. I hope you enjoy Cat’s latest mystery. If you do, please tell others about it, and her. Many adventures lie ahead for Cat, but she has told me that public demand is the only reason she will agree to share them with you. So, tell your friends what you think. In the meantime, please visit Cat and me at LisaWysocky.com or at CatEnrightStables.blogspot.com.
READER QUESTIONS
1.
What draws Cat to horses?
2.
Which character would you most like to spend time with, and why?
3.
Why do you think Jon took four years to let Cat know his secret?
4.
Do you know anyone like Agnes? If so, how do you relate to that person?
5.
Do you think celebrities carry any special burdens? If yes, what are they?
6.
How does the setting impact the story?
7.
In what ways are Cat’s friends important to her?
8.
What professional field do you think Darcy should go into? Would she make a better lawyer, lobbyist, or social worker? Or, should she do something else?
9.
How ready is Cat to take on Bubba full time? Do you think he will be better off with her than with his father?
10.
How do you explain Sally Blue’s continued odd behavior? Is she really psychic?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lisa Wysocky is an award-winning author, clinician, riding instructor, and horsewoman who helps humans grow through horses. She is a PATH International instructor who trains horses for therapeutic riding and other equine assisted activities and therapies. In addition, Lisa is the executive director of the nonprofit organization Colby’s Army (ColbysArmy.org) formed in memory of her son. Colby’s Army helps people, animals, and the environment. Lisa splits her time between Tennessee and Minnesota, and you can find her online at:
Facebook.com/ThePowerofaWhisper
on Twitter @LisaWysocky, or at: LisaWysocky.com or CatEnrightStables.blogspot.com.
Author photo on back cover by Monica Powell, wardrobe by Wrangler/VF
Jeanswear, hair by Bill Vandiver at The Edge Salon.
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