Rocky Mountain Revenge
Page 9
The hairs on her arms stood on end. Were his words a warning of concern or were they a threat?
Officer Wilkes smiled. “I’m sorry if that sounded mean, but I feel like I owe it to your daddy to step in and give fatherly advice since he’s no longer around.”
Before she could respond, Tina’s voice sounded over Chloe’s desk phone intercom. “Excuse me, Dr. Porter. Henry Green from Mountain View Ranch is on the line. His three-year-old Thoroughbred colt, Knight’s Honor, is in distress.”
She stood, dusted crumbs off her lap and crossed to the desk. “Thank you, I’ll take the call in here.”
“He’s on line two.”
Grace pushed a button, picked up the receiver and listened to Henry Green describe the horse’s symptoms. Sweating profusely. Labored breathing. Listlessness. Mountain View Ranch? Henry and Olivia Green. They had been the owners listed on the necropsy report for Mountain Shadow.
“Mr. Green, are there any obvious signs of colic? Distended belly? Abdominal pain?”
“No. That was the first thing I checked.”
Could Knight’s Honor have been drugged, too? If so, the colt needed fluids to help flush the drugs out of his system.
She had to go with her gut. “Mr. Green, I’m on my way.”
“Wouldn’t you rather me bring him to you? That’s how Dr. Osborne does things.”
Grace bit back the retort that she wasn’t Dr. Osborne. She was her father’s daughter, and she’d treat the patients of Blackberry Falls the way he would have.
“No. I’ll come to you.” She met Officer Wilkes’s gaze and smiled. “It’ll be less stressful for Knight’s Honor. In the meantime, see if you can get him to drink water. Don’t give him anything else, just water. Got it?”
The gasp on the other end of the line had her questioning her decision. “If it’s colic, water could rupture his stomach.”
“And if my instincts are right, we’re racing against time, and it could be the only thing that saves him.” She hung up before he could respond and turned to the man standing at her elbow. “Officer Wilkes, I’ve got to make a house call.”
“I don’t think the chief would approve.”
“That can’t be helped. This is an emergency. If you want to come, that’s fine, but I understand if you need to get home.”
“No, ma’am. I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
“You can call Evan while I gather what I need. Let’s go.” After informing Tina where she was going, she retrieved the keys to the clinic’s rigged-out truck, equipped to handle most emergencies. Then she gathered a variety of IV bags and headed out the side door.
While Officer Wilkes tried to reach Evan, Grace stowed the supplies in one of the metal storage boxes along the side panel of the truck bed.
“The desk officer said the chief was on the phone and had left orders to not be disturbed unless it was an emergency. Since it’s not, I asked the officer to give him a message telling him where we’re headed.”
She pulled out onto the highway and headed north. “Sounds like you did all you could do. I don’t think he’ll be too mad, though. It’s not like I’m going off somewhere unprotected, you’re with me.”
The older gentleman frowned, as if he wasn’t convinced Evan would be okay with the situation.
“Well, I trust you to take care of me. After all, you saved my life when I was nine.”
Henry Green had truly sounded upset. She would not leave an animal to die because of her own fears.
Please, Lord, I pray I’m not driving into a trap.
* * *
“Take the next left. In about a mile, the entrance to Mountain View Ranch will be on the right. You’ll see two large stone columns and a double wrought iron gate with horse silhouette cutouts.”
Grace followed the instructions as Officer Wilkes directed, thankful for his guidance. The landscape had changed more than she had expected in the fifteen years since she’d left the area.
“This is it.” Wilkes pointed to the gates that stood wide-open, awaiting their arrival.
Turning onto the asphalt drive lined with fenced pastures, she followed the road for a half mile, passing a two-story, lodge-style log home before ending at a massive post-and-beam barn.
Grace parked the truck next to the tall, open double doors. Other than the new entrance at the road, nothing about Mountain View Ranch had changed. With rolling hills and green pastures that looked like a postcard come to life, it was still one of the most beautiful places in Blackberry Falls.
A man in his early seventies strode out of the barn to meet them, a serious expression on his face. His hair had turned almost solid white and his face had a few more wrinkles than she remembered, but Grace would have recognized Henry Green anywhere.
His ranch had been one of the places she’d most loved going with her dad. As a child visiting the ranch, the Greens had allowed her to feed apples to the horses, skip rocks in the pond behind the main house, and climb the big oak tree that stood on the hill behind the horse barn. Nothing she’d ever done had upset Henry Green. Having married late in life, he and his wife, Olivia, had never had children. One might have expected he would have been like some of her father’s other clients who didn’t have patience for a curious child, but Henry had always been a laid-back person who didn’t get riled easily.
The elderly man pulled her into a quick hug the moment she stepped out of her vehicle. “Grace Porter, it’s good to have you home. Your daddy would be so proud that you’re working at his clinic.”
Her heart constricted at his words, and her throat tightened as tears stung her eyes. Her number one goal growing up had been to make her daddy proud, that was the main reason she’d followed him around begging to go on house calls the summer between third and fourth grade. The other reason had been her two-year-old sister at home, constantly following her around and getting into her things.
Henry moved back and commanded, “Now, grab your supplies and let’s save my colt.”
Grace quickly collected the items she’d brought with her as Officer Wilkes stood to the side talking to Henry. If the ranch owner wondered why she had an off-duty officer with her, he never let on. But why would he wonder when the gossip mill of Blackberry Falls had no doubt filled in every community member on the plight of the Porter sisters.
Her arms full, she nodded at the barn entrance. “Lead the way.”
The interior aisle of the barn was more than a hundred feet long and lined with stalls on both sides. The lower half of each stall had been constructed of tiger wood, a strong hardwood that would be difficult for a spirited horse to kick and splinter. The upper half was constructed of a matte-black, powder-coated steel railing.
“It’s awfully quiet around here,” Wilkes commented.
“That’s because we only use this barn for injured animals and foals. Got a bigger barn a little ways past this one. The ranch hands are out there now setting up a race between a couple of colts and a filly. You’ll probably hear them in a bit, when they get started.”
Henry paused outside a stall a third of the way down the aisle. Grace looked over the top railing and saw a magnificent chestnut colt with a white blaze lying listlessly in the corner, his labored breathing echoing in the small space.
“Did you give him water?” she asked as she followed the rancher into the stall. Officer Wilkes closed the door behind them and waited on the other side.
Henry nodded solemnly and patted the horse’s shoulder. “He drank about half a gallon then collapsed here and hasn’t moved again.”
Grace examined the animal. No signs of trauma and no obvious signs of colic. His heart beat fast and erratically. She pulled a needle, a stabilizer and two Vacutainer blood collection vials from the equine medical bag she’d brought with her.
“Can you get on the other side and help hold him?” She waited for Henry
to comply. Even though the horse was lethargic, she didn’t want to risk his jerking upward and injuring himself or her.
Once the animal was secure, she pressed her thumb against the base of his long neck so the jugular vein would bulge. It took longer than it should have for the vein to fill with blood, an indication the Thoroughbred may be dehydrated. Inserting the needle, Grace drew two tubes of blood. After she’d completed that task, she started a one-liter bag of IV fluid. Slipping an S-hook through the small hole in the top of the bag, she handed it to the rancher to hook onto the hay feeder.
“Are you still ruling out colic?” Concern laced his voice.
She nodded and continued administering care to the distressed animal.
“What do you think it is?”
“I think he’s had an overdose,” she replied softly. “But we won’t know if it’s from the same drugs that killed Mountain Shadow until we get the labs back.”
Grace met the ranch owner’s gaze, anger burned in his hazel eyes. He didn’t look like a man who had drugged his own horse.
“I was told Mountain Shadow died of a heart defect. Why that sorry, no-good, lying swindler!” Henry exploded.
“Who?”
“Never you mind. You concentrate on saving my horse.” Pushing past Officer Wilkes, Henry exited the stall and headed down the aisle of the barn, his footsteps fading after he entered the office next to the tack room and slammed the door shut.
It was obvious Henry Green wasn’t behind the drugging, but he knew who was. Grace looked at Wilkes and nodded toward the back of the barn. “Follow him and see if you can find out who he thinks did this.”
“No way. The chief will have my hide if I let you out of my sight. I’ll question Green when he gets back.” The officer leaned against the stall door and crossed his booted feet at the ankles in a stubborn stance.
“You know, Wilkes, whoever drugged this horse is most likely the same person who attacked me. Finding out their name is the best way to protect me.” She pushed to her feet and peered around him to look down the hall at the closed office door. “Go. Talk to him.” When he raised an eyebrow and didn’t budge, she added, “What could happen? You’ll be less than fifty feet away.”
EIGHT
Evan tapped a few keys on his laptop and hit Send.
“Okay, I emailed you the photos and bios of the employees of Porter Animal Clinic,” he said into the phone.
“Great. I’ll study them tonight, while I’m waiting for the phone call from the temp agency,” Randy Ingalls replied.
Evan prayed the agent’s plan to be hired as a security guard for the match race became a reality. “Do you know which ranches are taking part in the race tomorrow?”
“According to my source, there are a total of six. Two from Colorado Springs, one from Beulah Valley, one from Westcliffe, and two from Blackberry Falls...let me see.” Evan heard papers rustle on the other end of the line. “Hamilton Thoroughbred Ranch and Mountain View Ranch.”
“Hamilton Ranch was where Chloe Porter’s attacker jumped in a truck and lost Lieutenant Johnson. My men have been out there twice since the attack. The Hamiltons claim not to have seen anything, and neither they nor their hired hands could—or would—identify the truck or who it belonged to.”
“Could you send someone in to work undercover?”
“Not likely. The downfall of running a police station in a small community is that everyone knows all the officers.” Evan propped his elbows on the desk. “Of course, everyone knowing our officers can be an advantage, too, as it can lead some people to open up and tell us things. We’ll continue to work on that. Let us know if you need our help with anything on your end.”
“Sounds good. In the meantime, keep a close eye on Dr. Porter. If you’re right and the evidence she found ties back to the group running the match races, the target on her back will only get bigger by the minute. These people don’t play around, and they won’t take a chance on losing what they’ve built here.”
“Yeah, I know.” Evan puffed out a breath and reached to shut down his computer.
He ended the conversation, asking the agent to keep him in the loop. It was noon, and he had promised Grace he’d be back at the clinic fifteen minutes ago. Pushing away from his desk, he headed out his office door.
“Chief!” Officer Lane Newman called out when Evan walked past the dispatch room. “I have a message for you from Wilkes.”
Evan’s steps faltered, and he did an about-face, striding over to the desk and accepting the piece of yellow memo paper the rookie held in the air.
For: Chief Bradshaw
From: Officer Tom Wilkes
Time: 11:32
Message: Headed to Mountain View Ranch with Dr. Porter for a house call.
Mountain View Ranch. Agent Ingalls’s voice echoed in Evan’s mind.
The message had been left thirty minutes earlier. “Why am I just now getting this? You should have notified me when the call came in.”
The rookie shrugged. “You left orders not to be disturbed. I asked if it was an emergency. Officer Wilkes said it wasn’t and to give you the message before you headed to the clinic.”
“Get Wilkes—” He swallowed the rest of his command. Wilkes was off duty. He wouldn’t have his radio. Evan’s determination to keep his department from going over budget had put Grace in danger.
He pulled his cell phone out of his back pocket and hit a speed dial number. The call went straight to voice mail. “Wilkes, call in ASAP.”
He disconnected and tried Grace’s number. Voice mail.
Wadding up the yellow paper and tossing it on the desk, he turned and raced outside to his vehicle. What if his officer and Grace had been ambushed?
* * *
Grace pulled the earpieces from her ears, draped the stethoscope around her neck and ran her hand along the Thoroughbred’s flank. His pulse had become less erratic and his breathing less labored. The fluids seemed to be working, and the toxins were being flushed out of his body. Still, she needed to contact Dr. Underwood at the Anderson Vaughn Equine Hospital in Pueblo West to let him know the animal would be transported to his hospital for further observation.
Grace slipped her cell out of her pocket. Ugh. No service. Another downside of small-town living. She’d have to find a spot with a stronger signal. Sliding her hand along the blaze that ran from Knight’s Honor’s forehead to his muzzle, she leaned in and whispered, “We’re going to make you all better.”
The colt neighed softly, and she kissed him, his hair tickling her nose. “I’ll be right back, boy.”
Slipping out of the stall, Grace headed for the main entrance. Her sneaker-clad feet barely made a sound on the concrete floor. The barn was eerily quiet except for the murmur of conversation coming from the office. She prayed Henry Green was opening up to Wilkes about who he suspected of drugging the horses and why.
Once outside, she checked her phone again. A weak signal but not nearly strong enough. She needed to hear Dr. Underwood, and he needed to hear her. Rounding the corner of the barn, she saw the oak tree still standing proud and tall on its hill overlooking the barn. Hmm. It couldn’t hurt to see if a slightly higher elevation would improve cell reception.
“How’s Knight’s Honor?”
Grace jumped at the sound of a woman’s voice behind her.
Turning, she saw Olivia Green headed in her direction, a wicker basket clutched in her perfectly manicured hand. In her mid-to late-sixties, wearing a royal blue pantsuit with her platinum blond hair perfectly coiffured, Olivia looked like she’d walked off a fashion runway. A socialite from New York who’d given up high society for small-town life when she married, Olivia Green had always been the most elegant woman in Blackberry Falls.
“He’s stabilized.” Grace lifted her phone. “I’m trying to call the equine hospital to let them know to expect him.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Green. It’s nice to see you.”
“Why don’t you go back in and use the phone in Henry’s office?”
Grace shrugged. “He and Officer Wilkes are in there talking. I didn’t want to disturb them.”
“Okay, dear. I understand.” Olivia raised the basket she carried. “It’s well past lunchtime, and I know Henry hasn’t eaten a thing, so I brought you all some sandwiches and fruit.”
“That was sweet of you.”
“It was nothing. A woman likes to feel like she’s contributing when there’s a crisis, and I like to feed people.” The woman waved her hand dismissively. “Now, go make your call. I’ll peek in on Knight’s Honor before going back to the house. And I’ll leave this basket on the bench outside his stall.”
Grace hiked up the hill, taking in the view of the farm around her. She noticed the newer, larger barn farther back on the property. There was a large training area adjacent to it. Several onlookers watched as three horses with riders prepared to race inside the arena. It looked like the Greens had built a successful horse breeding and training business since she’d left Blackberry Falls.
A smile tugged at her lips. From the outside, Henry and Olivia Green seemed like an odd couple. He was a no-nonsense, down-to-earth man, most comfortable in blue jeans and boots. The total opposite of his wife. But they doted on each other and had always seemed to have a strong marriage.
A moment of sadness washed over her. Would she and Evan have had a marriage like the Greens’ if she had stayed in Blackberry Falls instead of running like the scared woman-child she’d been? No sense fretting over it, since she’d never know.
Raising her phone, she checked the screen. Good, she had service. Clicking through her contacts, she moved closer to the tree to lean against the trunk. When she did so, she connected with something solid, but not hard like a tree. Startled, she whirled around and came face-to-face with the man who had attacked Chloe and wanted Grace dead.