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

by Michele Scott

  “It’s a game for him,” Riley says. “I’ve known the kid since I was fourteen. Not well, but enough to know that he’s seriously twisted.”

  “I don’t even know what to say. It’s just so stupid. Okay. Well, what did you guys do when he offered it to you?”

  “I told him that I couldn’t take it because, as an employee, I sometimes get drug tested,” Austen says. “He told me that it doesn’t show up in drug tests yet.”

  “What is it?” I ask.

  “Dermorphin mixed with ketamine and a few other items that he referred to as ‘secret ingredients,’ ” Riley replies.

  “You mean ketamine, the drug they use on horses as anesthesia?”

  “Yeah,” says Riley. “It’s used on people sometimes too. It’s forty times stronger than morphine.”

  “It was being used on racetracks and going undetected until recently,” says Austen. “Horses were running faster, not feeling the pain of their injuries, and finding the stamina to keep going. Chris told me that in humans, it makes you happy, high, and full of energy. It’s the ketamine in the drug that makes people feel euphoric.”

  “Okay, so then what’s dermorphin?”

  “It’s illegal on the track now, but there are all sorts of ways of getting around the rules.”

  “This is crazy,” I say. “When he told you it goes undetected, what did you say?”

  “I told him that I still wasn’t into it, just in case,” Austen replies. “But that it sounded interesting. And that is when things took a turn.”

  “Why?” I ask.

  “He made me an offer.”

  “What kind?”

  “He first basically said to my face that he knew I was pretty broke, since I was at Liberty as a working student. He suggested that if I wanted to make some extra cash that he could help me.”

  I shake my head. “No, no, no.”

  “Hear him out, Viv,” Riley says.

  “I told him that I’d be interested.”

  “Why?” I shout.

  “Because it will get me in close,” Austen replies.

  Riley nods. “And as for me, he thinks I took the little green pill. I was watching Paisley and James the whole time, along with Janna, because I think all of them were on the stuff. I just copied what they were doing, and acted way overly friendly and totally blissed out—apparently I’m such a good actor that Austen thought I was becoming BFFs with Chris. Emily was the only one besides Austen and me who didn’t get high. She was drinking. Don’t know where the booze came from, but she had her own little flask, and just kept doing shots. If I had to guess, I’d say Haverly supplied it. Seems to get whatever anyone needs. The guy is connected, that’s for sure.”

  “What’s the next move?” I ask.

  “Chris wants people using this stuff,” says Riley. “He likes the money and the power. If he thinks he has me hooked, then I’ll just buy it from him. And he will use Austen as a dealer,” Riley says.

  “He’s right, Viv. He basically told me that selling this stuff to kids at Davis would make me enough money to pay off my student loans and have something in the bank when I graduate.”

  “You’re making me nervous,” I say. “Almost like you see the logic in it.”

  “Of course I don’t,” Austen replies. “But I’m sure some kids would.”

  “We’re on to something, Vivvie,” Riley says. “I do think Chris and James had something to do with Joel’s death. Not sure what that is, but if we get in tight with these guys, I think we’ll find out exactly what happened.”

  I bury my head in my hands as we pull into Tiffany’s driveway, not sure if this news makes me want to smile or cry.

  CHAPTER twenty-eight

  My first thought when I walk inside the Parker house is that it seems more like a funeral home or an art gallery than a place where a family actually lives. The high ceilings, curving staircase, massive vases of fresh flowers, and paintings illuminated by track lighting add up to a place that looks expensive but not at all welcoming.

  Austen, Riley, and I give each other a look that says “OMG.”

  “Oh good, you made it.” Tiffany’s frosted pink lips curve into a cold smile as she greets us. She’s carrying a tray with sandwiches on it. “There’s a group already outside. Drinks are in the cooler. Help yourself. Pool is that way.” She points to two large French doors.

  “Is Mr. Parker here?” I ask. “I wanted to give him my condolences about Joel.”

  Tiffany frowns. “No. He’s not here. He’s away on business. I’ll pass that on, though. Go enjoy yourself.”

  As she breezes past us, Austen whispers in my ear, “Nice try, but you got the brush-off there.”

  We walk outside to where Chris, James, Paisley, and several other kids are already gathered. I spot Tristan and Lydia off in a corner of their own with some other Liberty kids who I don’t know all that well. Tristan sees me and sort of smiles. I look away.

  Down at the end of the pool, Emily and Janna are already on lounge chairs. I’m a little relieved to notice that they’re not hanging around with Chris. Of course, the minute the jerk spots us, he waves and motions for us to join his crew. “You guys go,” I say. “I need to use the bathroom.”

  “Hurry,” Austen whispers.

  I don’t really need to pee, but the thought of putting my actress face on for Chris after what I learned in the car isn’t something I’m ready for—not yet. I need a few moments alone.

  Back inside the mansion, I look for a bathroom.

  I walk down a long hall and see a handful of closed doors. I peek into them one by one, hoping I’ll find a bathroom. No luck. There’s a door toward the end of the hall that’s cracked open, and I push it open just in case. I find myself walking into a large den, furnished with a leather sofa and a massive mahogany desk. “Oh,” I say in surprise. Because standing inside the room in front of some shelving is Wills. He’s holding a framed photo in his hand. “Sorry,” I say. “I was looking for a bathroom.”

  He startles. “Oh jeez.” I see him wipe his face and set the photo down. “Sorry. I didn’t hear you.”

  “My fault. Guess I shouldn’t sneak up on people.” He tries to laugh. “You okay?” I ask.

  “Sure. Yeah.” He picks up the photo again and turns it toward me. “This is my sister. Anna.”

  I walk into the den and look at the photo. It’s an aha moment for me. The photo is a little girl on a gray pony, with a slightly younger version of Tiffany standing alongside them. It’s the pony Melody has been showing me for months—the dead one. I’m so surprised I go mute for a minute. Then I gasp, “She’s so cute.”

  “Are you okay?” he asks. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  “I’m fine. Weird being here, I guess. Joel was my friend.”

  “I knew him but we weren’t great friends or anything. My parents sold Melody to him after my sister stopped riding because of an injury.”

  “I guess your sister trained with Tiffany.” I point to the photo.

  He nods. “Yep.”

  I already know the answer but want to see what Wills will say. “Does she still have the pony? Your sister?”

  “No. He died.”

  “Oh no. I’m sorry.”

  Wills nods. “Yeah. Well, we better get out of here.”

  “Okay.” I can tell he isn’t going to elaborate on what happened to the pony, but all the same, at least this explains his connection to Melody. She was his sister’s horse. Now that I know that, it seems less odd that I sensed something strange in his connection with Melody the other day at the barn. I’m not sure what to make of this new fact except to say that it’s looking like Wills might be a far more complicated person than I imagined. And I think he has a skeleton or two in his closet.

  CHAPTER twenty-nine

  After finding Wills in the den
looking at the photo of his sister and the pony, I wander down another hall until I finally stumble upon a bathroom. As I’m coming out, I bump into Tristan.

  “We need to talk,” he says and grabs my hand.

  “No, we don’t.” I pull away from him and stare, hands on hips.

  “Please, Vivvie,” he says. “I just want to talk to you. This summer isn’t turning out how I planned. I thought we would be together. I thought we would work through what went wrong,” he says.

  “I’m sorry it’s not going as you hoped, but things change. And if you think I broke up with you because of Austen, you’re wrong.”

  “What, so you broke up with me because of some stupid photo? You must have been ready to end it, because you never even questioned the truth of what you saw. You didn’t even ask me to explain.” He runs his hand through his sun-kissed blond hair—hair I used to love to run my fingers through.

  “That’s what you don’t understand. The photo only made me wake up. It doesn’t matter when it was taken. What it helped me realize is that I’ve never really known you. You don’t share enough of yourself.”

  “You know me,” he says.

  “No, Tristan. I don’t. You keep secrets. You work hard to hide what you don’t want others to know. For me to be with someone, I need to really know their fears, their secrets, all of it. Obviously you shared things with Lydia that you never seemed comfortable sharing with me.”

  “But I don’t love her!”

  I turn to walk away. “It doesn’t matter.”

  He grabs my arm and turns me back around. Out of nowhere, he kisses me. It’s so familiar that I linger a second too long, and then come to my senses and push him away. I glance behind me down the hall, horrified to think someone might have seen. But it’s empty, nobody around.

  As he pulls back, he looks at me pleadingly. “That matters, doesn’t it?” he says.

  “No.” I shake my head. “It doesn’t. “Especially not since I saw you and Emily coming back together one night from the barns. What are you two up to? And does Lydia know about it?”

  He raises his eyebrows. “Seriously? For someone who doesn’t care about me, you sure seem to be watching me. Look, forget about Emily, she was just having a tough day and wanted to talk. We were at Fairmont together for two years before you came along, remember? We actually have a lot in common. We’re friends. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. This is about us. Just say you forgive me. Please. That’s all I need. If you won’t come back to me, just let me know that you forgive me.”

  “Yes. I do. But there’s really nothing to forgive. You were just being you.”

  “Vivvie,” he says. “Stay.”

  I walk away without looking back, feeling more than a little shaken. Back out at the pool, the party looks to be in full swing. I notice Chris in a corner talking to Austen, who is nodding his head enthusiastically. Riley is in the pool playing volleyball tennis with James, Janna, and Paisley as if they’re all the best of friends. Lydia is sashaying around, looking for Tristan, if I know her, and Emily is passed out on a lounge chair. Tiffany is playing the hostess with the mostest. Wills is in the corner, and it looks like he’s doing what I am—observing. He’s up to something; I just don’t know what it is. I have the unreal feeling that I’m in some kind of nightmare that I desperately want to wake up from.

  CHAPTER thirty

  Chris said he’ll set up a meeting when he has the details lined up,” Austen says as we drive back from the pool party. “Probably in a few weeks; he’ll call me to solidify everything. I told him that I’m ‘in,’ and will sell whatever this Big D stuff is to kids on campus when school starts in the fall. He told me that I’ll make about twenty grand a month and we’ll split the profits in half.”

  “How are you going to get out of it?” I ask.

  “Catch him before the summer is over. Prove he’s manufacturing the drugs and is building a team to sell them.”

  “How’s that going to help us find out what they did to Joel?” I ask.

  “Now that I’m getting in so tight with him, he’ll talk. I believe that,” Riley says.

  “He hasn’t so far,” I reply.

  “We can do this,” Austen says. “We really can.”

  “We’ve got to try,” Riley says. “What else do we have? If we can get Chris and James to trust us, they might tell us if they were involved in Joel’s death. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”

  “Of course it is,” I say. “But not at the expense of something happening to either one of you.”

  “Nothing is going to happen to us,” Austen says.

  “Everyone talks about how dangerous Chris is,” I reply. “And you two are walking right into that danger, and I’m just supposed to stand back and let it happen?”

  “No. You’re the smart one,” Riley replies.

  “What does that mean?” I ask.

  “I think he means that you have a way of figuring things out, usually better than we can. We can gather facts and piece some of them together. But, Viv, you have an analytical kind of mind. I don’t how this will all come together, but I think you’re the one who will figure it out,” Austen says.

  “Yeah, well, I think you guys give me too much credit.”

  We get back to Liberty Farms and park the Jeep.

  “Hey, let’s take a break from this for a few, okay?” Riley suggests. He looks at his watch. “Fireworks start in a few. I heard that we can see them well from the old farmhouse. Want to take a walk out there?”

  “Sure,” we both reply.

  We hike on out to the old farmhouse with stars and the moon lighting the way. I want to hold Austen’s hand. Heck, I want to throw my arms around him and kiss him, but we’re here with Riley, so we maintain our cover of “good old buddies.”

  When we get to the farmhouse, I’m instantly a little creeped out. It’s pretty dilapidated and the story about it being haunted is in the back of my mind, even though I know that’s silly.

  We walk up the steps of the porch and take a seat. There is a slight breeze, which is refreshing since even late into the evening, it’s still quite hot and humid. It’s funny, but I catch a whiff of what smells like expensive perfume, as if someone was recently here. I know it’s not really worth bringing up to the guys, who will only make fun of me being worried about ghosts. I tell myself that it’s only the scent of honeysuckle that the wind has carried our way.

  I almost jump in surprise when I hear a loud pop, then laugh as I recognize the searing fizzle that follows—fireworks. The sky explodes in showers of blue and green light as we ooh and ahh at the sight.

  Austen takes my hand. Riley is on the other side of me and doesn’t seem to notice anything. I squeeze his hand and we continue to watch the splashes of colored lights brighten the sky—and I momentarily forget all my gloomy thoughts.

  When the fireworks are over, we all walk back to our cabins. Riley and Austen leave me in front of mine. We must be putting on a good show, because Riley, who is fairly intuitive, doesn’t seem to be picking up on our vibes. Like, how could he miss the fact that we desperately want to kiss each other good night? But the guy seems clueless.

  “See you guys tomorrow,” I say.

  They both wave and head off to their own cabins.

  At least I do get a love you as a text message when I get inside. He then texts me the smiley face emoji blowing a kiss, and I blow one back to him. The whole exchange makes me feel a little guilty about Tristan’s kiss. Not that I was into it—I wasn’t. But I wouldn’t have wanted Austen to see us. I immediately type a text back telling him that I love him too.

  CHAPTER thirty-one

  The next morning I wake up early and meet Holden and Dr. Vermisio at Harmony’s stall. I’m pleased James isn’t with them. I’m not sure how well I would’ve held it together if that had been the case.

  “Morning,�
� Holden says, smiling.

  I smile back. “Good morning.”

  “Ready? I’m ready. I bet you’re ready. I’m sure Harmony is ready,” Holden says.

  I take a step back and look at him. He seems a little anxious, not like his assured, confident self. “I’m ready.”

  I pull Harmony out of her stall and put her in a pair of cross ties so Dr. Vermisio can examine her again. When he’s finished, he goes back to his truck for the sedation and the laser. I whisper in Harmony’s ear as to what’s about to happen and that she’ll be okay. I promise her that. She retorts with, I understand.

  The vet puts a needle in her vein and she doesn’t even flinch. That’s my girl!

  Holden rubs his hands together. “Let’s do it. I know we’re all ready to get this over with.”

  I look at him. He’s being so weird. Everyone is weird around here. Forget about the drugs. Maybe it’s in the water.

  I’m relieved an hour later when the vet is finished and Harmony is coming out of the anesthesia. Holden has a stupid grin on his face. “What are your plans for the rest of the day since you have it off? Swim, hang out . . . ?”

  “I don’t know. I’ll probably stay with her for a bit.”

  “Good. Good plan. Okay. I’ll take care of the bill and you stay with Harmony.”

  “Okay.” I shake my head at how strange he’s being. Like I’d have scheduled anything besides spending time with my girl after her surgery. I check out Harmony’s eye. The cyst is gone. I’m so relieved. “You can completely see again, sweet girl. You can.”

  No kidding, Vivvie. She then adds a thank-you.

  “That’s my girl, full of wit and sarcasm. You’re welcome.”

  I wait a bit longer before taking Harmony back to her stall. Once I take the halter off, my phone rings. I see the call is coming from Kayla. I peer out of Harmony’s stall and see that the vet and Holden are gone, so I take the call.

  “Hi, Vivienne. We need to talk. Are you alone?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. I’ve been doing some long-distance work with the horses there and you’re in trouble. You’re being given mixed messages and I think they’re coming from Melody. We need to do something about it.”