“I know he was there. We don’t keep secrets. Besides, it was obvious you went because of the hangover you two had the morning after.”
“So I like to have a little fun,” she says. “I doubt it would get me kicked out of here. Not like what you’re up to. You and loverboy think you’re so incognito. Your cover may have been blown tonight, though, huh?”
The rage I’m feeling is threatening to boil over. I don’t want to start a fistfight with Janna, but I’m getting close to trying.
I take a deep breath to calm down. “That makes a few of us keeping secrets, now doesn’t it? I’m sure the staff here would be curious as to what you were doing at a rave off campus.”
As I say that to her it hits me. Austen’s birthday party wasn’t about her trying to get his attention. It was about her wanting us to be found out. She wants me kicked out of here. Or maybe she wants Austen kicked out of here. Why?
“What does that mean?” Janna asks.
“Nothing. It means we all have secrets we don’t want exposed.”
Emily walks out of the bathroom and I walk past her and head in to wash my face. “Don’t we, Em?” I ask, thinking of what Melody had shown me with Emily giving Joel that drink. I know Kayla said it might be misinformation, but it’s still enough to make me suspicious. Not to mention Emily’s thing with Tristan. I know it’s wrong, but I’m sure Em has some dark secret she’s keeping. Like everyone else around here, apparently.
“What?” she says after missing the conversation with Janna. “We all have secrets, don’t we?” I repeat.
“Oh, those. Yep. Plenty. I’m not worried, though,” Emily replies.
I shut the bathroom door behind me and wonder for the first time how Janna figured out that I’d be with Austen when he walked into the party. Had she followed us? Or was it just a lucky guess? Either way, she nearly got us 100 percent busted. I still don’t even know if anyone spotted the kiss we shared before he opened the door.
I turn on the faucet and sigh. I’m pretty sure that Emily and Janna are having a powwow behind my back at the moment. Do they know each other’s secrets? I’m not sure what they’re both hiding, but I intend to find out.
CHAPTER thirty-seven
Secrets, lies, and protection. Good God. I’m over it when I wake up the next morning. I want nothing to do with Janna or Emily. Oddly enough, Lydia is the one who is the least on my nerves at the moment.
I grab my morning wake-up call at the Commons House in the form of a steaming cup of coffee, and walk to the barn. I’m going extra early this morning in hopes of being alone.
What I’m craving is some quiet quality time with Harmony. If there is anything that can help me calm my mind and spirit, it’s spending alone time with my horse. I need to sort out everything that’s happened to me. There’s my mom and Frank, everything I’ve learned about Joel, and now this new college opportunity that Faith mentioned. On the one hand, would I really consider moving across the country from my mom to attend UNH? New Hampshire is really far from Oregon. On the other hand, maybe some distance would be a good thing after all I’ve learned.
The other thing on my mind, of course, is what Kayla said about there being another communicator here at Liberty Farms. I need to have a talk with Wills. I’m just not sure how to go about it. “So, hey, Wills? Are you the evil mastermind who’s been messing with Melody’s mind in an effort to screw me up?” Yeah—probably not the way I should go about it.
All I can say is that I’m hoping that my little magic session has removed any confusion from Melody’s mind.
I walk around the side of the barn and stop suddenly, taking a step back so I won’t be seen. I need a moment to process what’s in front of me. Melody is out in one of the back paddocks and she has company. And once I see who it is, I instantly know who the other communicator is. It isn’t Wills.
I stare in surprise as I watch Paisley stroking Melody’s neck. It takes all my willpower not to run over and rip the girl’s hands off Joel’s former horse. Poor Melody! Now I’m absolutely certain she has been manipulated on purpose. Paisley’s been “talking” to Melody and I can guess why she’s doing everything that she can to confuse the mare. Paisley knows what happened to Joel—and so does Melody.
I also realize that if Paisley is smart enough to block a horse’s communication, she likely also knows that I’ve been trying to talk with Melody.
I see Paisley take a treat from her pocket and start to offer it to Melody. That’s when I lose it and start running toward them. I hear myself scream, “No!”
Melody eats the treat and then, with ears forward, she looks at me. Paisley also turns to me with a smirk on her face. She takes a step back as I come charging at her. “What did you give her?” I yell.
“An apple cookie treat. Why? What’s wrong?”
I freeze, unsure what to say. I can’t just admit out loud that I’ve got this gift of talking to horses. Because, what if I’m wrong about Paisley? Maybe she isn’t the communicator. My gut says yes, but what if she isn’t? My mind races and I seize on the first thing that comes to mind.
“She can’t have sugar,” I blurt out wildly. “She has a thyroid issue.”
“Really? That’s the first I’ve heard of it, and I think I would know. The horse did belong to my brother.”
“She’s a school horse now, and Holden told me. And Joel was never your brother.”
That smirky smile spreads across her face again. She crosses her arms. “Joel was my brother and he would want me to have this horse.”
“No. No, he wouldn’t.”
Melody is tossing her head around and swishing her tail. I know she’s uncomfortable with the obvious conflict that’s happening. I can sense it.
“I know who you are,” I say. “I know what you’re capable of, and I’m going to prove you were involved in Joel’s death.”
She laughs. “People told me you were weird, but now I know you are definitely crazy. Joel killed himself. And as far as knowing what I am capable of, I don’t know what you mean.”
“Well, one of us is right. Either I’m crazy, or you’re evil. I suggest you leave. And I suggest you stay away from Melody.”
Melody has walked away from us and is standing in the corner of the paddock not eating, just standing.
Paisley laughs. “What are you going to do about it?”
I sigh. I see Melody’s lead rope on the gate and go get it. I walk over to the mare and hook her onto the lead rope. “Since you won’t leave, we will.” I walk Melody past her. As I do so, I catch a whiff of her perfume and have a sudden memory. She’s wearing the same scent I smelled sitting on the porch outside the farmhouse watching the fireworks! Paisley had either been there when we were, or had recently visited. But why?
I open the gate and turn back to see Paisley watching us, and I don’t like the look in her eyes at all.
“It’s okay,” I whisper to Melody. “I won’t let her near you.”
Melody pulls back a little and I make a clicking sound with my tongue to get her to move forward. “Come on.”
She doesn’t budge. I taste bitterness in my mouth like I did when she showed me Emily handing Joel the drink. I feel sick to my stomach again. That dark smoke billows into view but then just as suddenly clears. Now I see an image clearly, and the mare is showing me something I haven’t seen before. Waves of guilt wash over me as I realize that Emily has been innocent all along. And I feel sick with horror as I witness what really happened to Joel.
CHAPTER thirty-eight
I knew that Chris Haverly and his minions were bad. I’d known it from the moment I laid eyes on the guy. However, what Melody just revealed to me—and this time, I definitely believe she’s communicating the truth—is far worse than I ever expected. Because what I’ve just learned is that Chris, Paisley, and James are killers. They conspired and carried out Joel’s murder, and th
ey got away with it. Now it’s up to me to bring them to justice.
My hands are shaking because I’m also realizing that Joel’s murder was premeditated. The three of them actually plotted it, and, to cover up the truth, Paisley was doing everything she could to mess with the horses’ brains while we were in Lexington—she especially targeted Melody. Finally, now I know why my connections with the horses when we were at championships were so vague and confusing. The one piece that’s missing is whether Paisley knows that I have the same gift as she does.
Another reason I feel so off-kilter is because everything I just learned from Melody is bringing back all my memories of the time around Joel’s death. The thoughts tumble through my mind: Joel leaving the celebration party in Lexington kind of early; his decision to tell Emily the truth that he was gay; the obvious happiness he felt to know that Melody was going to be his horse forever, thanks to Kayla.
It’s so horrifying and disgusting knowing what they’ve done. Of course, Melody didn’t show me everything that led up to murder. She only showed me what she’d seen directly. Luckily, I can piece the rest together.
Everything that Melody just showed me is so awful, but I replay it again my mind:
“You said there was something wrong with my horse,” Joel said. “She looks fine to me.”
“Oh. Yeah. Well, I actually called you here to give you another chance,” Chris said.
“No. I told you that I won’t sell your stuff. I won’t be involved in it. Not at all. You’re twisted, man. I want you away from me, my friends, and my horse. I warned you that if you don’t back off, I’m going to the cops with what I know.”
Chris shook his head. “I don’t like threats, and I don’t like to have to be concerned about idiots like you and what you might go telling people.”
That’s when Paisley walked up.
“What do you want?” Joel asked.
As he turned and asked her this, Chris twisted Joel’s arms behind his back, and Paisley stuck a needle in his neck. Almost immediately Joel went limp.
When Melody played this all out to me, I was stunned by the violence and cruelty.
“Did you bring what we need?” Chris asked Paisley.
She held up a handful of prescription bottles. “It’s all here. We need to get him out of here.”
“Where’s James? Did you call him?” Chris asked.
“I’m here.” James walked up to them. Joel was lying motionless on the ground. “What the hell, you guys? Is he . . .”
“Dead?” Chris said. “He will be. He probably almost is.”
“What the hell?” James asked again.
Chris shook his head. “I don’t like traitors. I don’t like being told no. Joel here could have been a big problem for us.”
“He’ll be a bigger problem if you guys don’t get him into his room and make it look like a suicide,” Paisley said.
“You think you’re going to get away with this?” James asked.
“Yes. We are. Get his legs and help me. Now, you idiot. Before we get caught!” Chris said.
Melody’s communication had come to me along with a mix of confusion, sadness, fear, and anger. And at the very end of the communication, the last image she showed me was Paisley turning back to her and looking deep into her eyes. I’m betting that’s the very moment that Paisley started messing with the horse’s thoughts and memories.
I can’t believe the way they killed him. I can’t believe how heinous they truly are!
I’m also continuing to feel ashamed over my false assumptions about Emily. I was so ready to believe that she played a part in Joel’s death, but did that ever really make sense? Kayla’s condescending words in Kentucky about communicating with horses echo in my ears: You don’t have enough skill and insight yet to really understand how to handle it. She had a point, but I was too egotistical to see it. This, plus everything else, has me on the brink of tears.
All I can think about is finding Austen—my voice of reason. He’s been in this with me from the moment I arrived here.
I realize with a sinking feeling that I’m going to have to tell him how I know everything. I’m going to have to watch his eyebrows rise with disbelief as I explain that I’ve had this very special gift of talking to horses for as long as I can remember. Austen isn’t the only one who needs to know, either. Riley does too.
I’ve got to figure this all out.
The rest of the day passes by in a fog. I take a lesson from Tiffany, then give Harmony a bath, but it’s like I’m only half there.
The other half of me is obsessed with what I’ll say to Austen and Riley, and whether or not Melody is safe. If Paisley figures out that I’m a communicator—and she must realize there’s one here—then the horse could be in danger.
I take one last trip to the barn before dinner hour hits to give Harmony a treat and a kiss. I also give Melody a pat as I leave the barn. “We’ll make this right,” I tell her. I show her Joel’s face in my mind and then scales, the symbol for justice. This horse knows like I do that Joel was murdered. She even witnessed it.
I feel certain that the injection Paisley gave to Joel was dermorphin. What else could knock someone out like that? Then James and Chris carried him back to his room and set it up to look like a suicide. The questions I have now are: Why didn’t the autopsy report show the presence of that unusual drug? How had they gotten away with it? I couldn’t count the number of people who’d told me about Chris Haverly’s huge store of money and power. Could he have paid someone off? An intern in the coroner’s office? It wasn’t hard to imagine. He is a true sociopath or a psychopath—or both. I’m going with both.
I walk out of the barn and find myself wanting to throw up. Unscrambling Melody is something I should be proud of, because it helped me learn the truth. But all I want to do is cry.
I can’t help myself, and tears spring to my eyes as memories of Joel run through my brain. Had he woken up after that first injection? Had he suffered? How scared he must have been! As I form a plan in my head to catch three cold-blooded killers, I’m becoming more and more convinced that my best friend and my boyfriend have to be let in on my little secret.
But how?
Before I change my mind, I send a group text to the two of them that says: Need to see you both for dinner. I have a surprise for you.
Then I go a step further to commit myself, and text: I have a unique power.
Now if I decide to back out, I’m going to have to come up with a really terrific story, because, let’s face it, how do you backtrack on that statement?
Austen replies almost immediately, and my stomach sinks. When and where? I wouldn’t miss this for the world.
A minute later Riley chimes in. Intrigued. “A unique power.” You are always full of surprises.
“Yeah, I know,” I say out loud as I brush away more tears. “Just full of surprises.”
CHAPTER thirty-nine
I ask the guys to meet me in the parking lot and they’re waiting when I show up. The plan is for Riley to drive us to the diner where we can have a conversation without a bunch of Liberty Farms kids surrounding us.
“Hey, Vivvie.” Austen smiles at me.
Riley lifts me off the ground. “Unique power! What’s this all about?”
“Let’s head out and I’ll tell you when we get there.”
We all pile into the Jeep, and Austen asks, “You have a good day?”
“Yeah,” I reply.
“Oh God, will you two cut the crap? I so know that you guys are together. I’m pretty sure everyone knows around here.”
“She’s just an old friend. That’s all,” Austen says.
“And you suck as a liar. Look, I may not have known Vivvie for as long as you have but I can tell when she’s all into a guy. I could tell with Tristan after the first week. With you, I could tell the minute I s
aw you two together in the Commons House. All you had to do was glance at her and her eyes lit up.”
“Riley!” I’m not as irritated at him for calling us out as I am at him for mentioning Tristan.
“Vivvie!” he mimics me.
“Vivienne?” Austen says, and I can tell by the way he says it that he’s asking me if we should come clean or not.
“Yes. Fine. Austen and I are more than just friends. If you knew that, then you could’ve let us have a few moments alone on the Fourth. You know, fireworks and all that!”
“Ha. I was messing with you guys! But I knew it!” Riley says. Then he turns to Austen as he pulls out onto the main road. “Really. I’m sorry, man. Didn’t mean to mention Tristan.”
Austen shrugs. “His loss. Eventually we can let everyone know we’re together, but for now we can’t.”
“Yeah. I get it. I know you risk being sent home and so does she. You’ve actually done a good job keeping it a secret. I liked the way you two tried to cover things up when you arrived at that surprise birthday party together. That was hilarious. And obvious. I’m really not sure how you didn’t get busted by Faith.”
“I said he was like a brother to me.” My face heats up.
“Gross,” Riley says.
“Kind of disturbing,” Austen replies.
“I had to say something.” Riley doesn’t have the best filter and can drive me crazy, but I know, after all we’ve been through in the past year, that his heart is true. “It’s obviously worked. We’re both still here. Speaking of the surprise party, I’ve been forgetting to tell you guys something about that night. I think Janna set the whole thing up to get us busted.”
“What?” Riley says.
“Yeah. I honestly think she knew that Austen and I would probably sneak out on his birthday to get some time alone. So she planned the party knowing we’d stumble in together. She’s smart. If we’d been kissing when the lights came up, for example, Faith would have been forced to kick us both out then and there. It was close.”
“Why would Janna want us kicked out of here?” Austen says.
Perfect Harmony: A Vivienne Taylor Horse Lover's Mystery (Fairmont Riding Academy Book 3) Page 17
