You Can Lead a Horse to Murder

by Tara Meyers

  When Ember heard a car headed their way, she thought at first that it must be Mel returning but was surprised to look up and see the sheriff’s SUV. By the time Becky and Walker made their way out to her, she’d already gotten the tack back in the barn and was brushing Butterscotch down.

  “I hope you don’t mind that I used your gear,” Ember said to Becky after nodding a hello to the sheriff.

  “Of course not, Ember! I saw you galloping. I forgot how well you can handle a horse.”

  “It’s been a long time,” Ember replied. “I’m extremely rusty. What’s up, Sheriff? I’m sure you heard about the fire.”

  Frowning, Sheriff Walker stuck his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Trenton filled me in. Good thing you happened to be there so early, Ember. Sorry that happened to you. While I still stand by my statement that Sanctuary doesn’t experience violent crimes very often, we’re unfortunately still prone to the same petty thievery every city attracts. Especially during our high tourist months.”

  Ember’s eyes narrowed slightly in response, and she pursed her lips. So, he was standing behind the drug-seeking, misguided-teen theory. “Deputy Trenton figured we must have left the back door unlocked, but I remembered later this morning that I heard the deadbolt being opened. How do you think he got in, then, Sheriff? I had to unlock the front door when I got there, and we confirmed all the windows were latched.

  Sheriff Walker stared at Ember long enough that it began to get uncomfortable. Shifting her weight, she glanced at Becky and then back at the older man. “I interrupted something,” she pressed, “and so I don’t think he had time to finish creating the scene. I’ll bet he planned on damaging the back door or a window before he left.”

  “Right.”

  Another long moment of silence increased the awkwardness until Becky had enough. “Oh, come on, Ben,” she lamented. “Ember has a point. The whole situation is freaking weird.”

  Turning his hard gaze on his old friend, Walker let out a long breath. “Becky, while I can appreciate the coincidence, weird doesn’t qualify as a reason to launch an investigation into the serious allegations Ember has made. Besides, that’s not why I’m here. As far as I’m concerned, the break-in is cut-and-dry. We’ll increase our patrols of the area and keep an eye out for any punks prowling late at night, but there isn’t anything more to be done.”

  “Then why did you come out here?” Ember’s voice held more bitterness than she intended, and the sheriff looked at her sharply.

  “Ember, I don’t want you to think that I’ve dismissed all of your concerns. But you need to understand my position here.” His tone softened, and he sounded genuine. “I’m an elected official, and I’m paid by the taxpayers to investigate criminal activity. Even if your suspicions of Ellsworth and his horse are accurate, it’s not a local law enforcement issue. If you’re set on pursuing it, I assume you’d need to contact the proper state agency that investigates insurance fraud and whatever licensing board governs veterinarians, for Doc Bernie’s alleged involvement. Honestly, on a personal level, I don’t see what good any of that would do, but it’s up to you.” Taking a breath, he scratched at his jaw and seemed relieved to finally be coming to the point of his visit.

  “Now, the leap that some sort of cover-up of this scam somehow led to the murder of Tom is another issue altogether, and one that I’m also happy to put to rest.” The sheriff rushed to explain, before Ember could interrupt. “I got the results of the autopsy, and it was determined to be inconclusive.”

  “Inconclusive?” Ember echoed. “How is that possible?”

  “You of all people should know that medicine often isn’t an exact science,” he replied. “I spoke personally with the State Medical Examiner. He explained that there were several wounds that could have been the COD, or cause of death. Two separate blows to the head resulted in massive trauma, one blunt injury to the chest cracked three ribs, forcing two of them to penetrate his lungs, though there was no pulmonary edema, or lung collapse, indicating he was already dead at the time of that injury. The puncture wound on his back pierced his descending aorta, or the large artery from the heart. Based on blood pooling, it appears that he was still alive at the time, so the ME figures it was either that or one of the head wounds that ultimately killed him.”

  “How can that be inconclusive?” Ember demanded, a headache beginning to throb behind her left eye.

  “Because of the size of the wound. It was small, Ember, and potentially matched one of the farrier tools found by the state police when they dug through the hay for evidence. Also, the circumstances at the scene. Tom was a farrier. He was in the stall of a client’s horse that he was scheduled to work on that week. Based on the evidence, as well as your professional eyewitness account, the most likely scenario is that Butterscotch caught him off guard and he fell on the hoof knife. Whether it was before or after he caught a hoof to his head is inconsequential. It would still be ruled accidental.”

  “Someone injected that horse with morphine!” Ember countered, her temper rising. “And it had to be someone who knew how to administer it intravenously. Like a stable owner!”

  If it were possible for Walker to blush, Ember had no doubt that his face would’ve turned red. Nostrils flaring, the sheriff’s demeanor lost any of the previous empathy. “Or a farrier! This might surprise you, but I take my job seriously. I already went out and questioned Bonnie and Carl about the morphine, Ember. It’s something they keep with their supplies, mostly for issues that come up with the cattle, but it turns out Tom sometimes used it when shoeing the horses. Something that isn’t that uncommon, I’m told.”

  Ember’s head reeled. Was it possible? Looking back at the sheriff and then Becky, she tried to think it through. Butterscotch was an unknown horse. It was possible that Tom might have thought to give him a sedative before working on him.

  “Maybe it was late,” she reasoned, “and so Tom just decided to use what he found on hand. If he wasn’t familiar with the difference in dosing between a regular injection and intravenous, it’s possible that’s how he overdosed him.”

  “That’s plausible,” Becky agreed. “I don’t like to speak ill of the dead, but he wasn’t the brightest crayon in the box. Except, where did the syringe go?”

  “That’s a good question,” Walker replied. “I don’t know if forensics collected the trash from the garbage cans in the barn. I’ll check on it, but it may not matter.” He turned back to Ember. “Since the state ruling was inconclusive, they went back to the regular exam findings, as well as the witness statements,” Walker explained, his voice neutral again. “Based on those findings, both the ME—Dr. Austin—and myself agreed to declare it as an accidental death. It’s over, Ember.”

  Nodding in understanding, Ember gave the sheriff a small smile. When he turned to walk away, the grin quickly faded. While she was more than eager to drink the Kool-Aid, her gut told her that the truth wasn’t nearly that simple.

  TWENTY

  Ember struggled under the weight of the last box, wishing she had thought to ask the delivery guy to put them in the different rooms they belonged to. She didn’t want to call for help and interrupt Mel’s work in the section of the clinic that was set up as a boarding area.

  They certainly weren’t going to advertise boarding services, since they didn’t have the manpower for it, but they were still required to have it for any animals recovering from surgery, or strays. The cages Doctor Chambers used were both small and archaic. Ember had a more modern philosophy when it came to pet care. She donated the smaller pens to Becky’s shelter and replaced them with ones that were three times as big, complete with built-in food and water holders, IV access, and even heaters. One corner of the room was now a cat enclosure, complete with climbing towers and multiple litter boxes.

  Dropping the box on the exam table, Ember looked around at the room. She was proud of what they’d accomplished. A fresh coat of paint and new cabinets did wonders. Not to mention updated decorations. />
  Catching her reflection in a small mirror over the sink, she smiled. She was wearing a brand-new clinic T-shirt with the logo Mel designed. She might not have chosen purple for the color since it clashed with her hair, but it still looked good. Apparently, Mel knew the shop owner, and he offered a two-day turnaround if they took the uniquely colored shirts.

  Tearing open the package and removing the various contents, Ember’s mind began to wander back to the conversation with Sheriff Walker the night before. She was trying hard to get beyond it, to simply accept the decision and “move on,” as everyone else seemed so keen on doing. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she found Tom’s body, or felt responsible for Butterscotch, but images from that dreadful scene kept running through her mind. She couldn’t shake it off.

  She jumped when the front bell chimed, indicating that the door was opened. Daenerys sprang from where she’d been sitting close by, and Ember rushed to follow her, calling out as she went.

  “Hello?”

  “Ember!” Mayor Gomez exclaimed happily when she saw her. “I’m so glad you’re here.” Waving a couple of sheets of paper at her, she hustled toward her. “I wanted to drop off the itinerary for the parade. I’ve also got the parade order sheet. You’ll see that you’re fourth in line! It will start in the arena at the rodeo, as is customary, and stop at the playfields at the high school. You must be there by seven Saturday morning. It will start at eight sharp, and we simply can’t be late. You have your sash, right?”

  Ember nodded and then smiled at the woman’s enthusiasm. It was hard not to be caught up in it just a little bit. Perhaps the weekend would turn out to be a fun time. Maybe she and Sean could watch the rodeo exhibition event Saturday night before the fireworks display. She’d mention it the next time she saw him.

  Or you could call the cell number on that card Nathan gave you. The thought was random, and Ember knew she was silly for feeling guilty about it. She’d accepted one dinner date and was by no means dating Sean. However, she’d always lived by a personal rule of not even casually seeing more than one man at a time. She’d had a front-row seat to more than one bad scene due to friends that had done it.

  “I’ve got my old mare, Bunny, available.” Mayor Gomez interrupted Ember’s internal conflict. “She’s been in her fair share of parades, I’ll tell you! I can have her there and waiting for you.”

  Ember hesitated. It wasn’t until that moment that she knew what horse she was going to ride. “Thank you, Mayor Gomez, but I’m going to ride Butterscotch.”

  “Butterscotch!” the older woman blurted, her expression changing. “Ember, I was incredibly relieved this morning when I found out Tom’s death was ruled accidental. But I don’t understand why you would want to flaunt that horse around. It’s a parade. A celebration. No one wants to be reminded about a tragedy, and how do we know he’s safe? No,” she continued, shaking her head and getting more worked up. “I don’t think I could allow that.”

  “Mayor Gomez, I don’t know what you heard, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with the horse,” Ember replied calmly. “He isn’t sick. He was acting out because of a drug he’d been given. The most likely conclusion is that Tom administered the wrong dose. Please don’t penalize Butterscotch because of that.”

  “Oh,” the mayor muttered, clearly thinking it over. “All I heard was that it was accidental, so I made an assumption.” Twirling a ring on her finger in what must be a nervous habit, she huffed once and seemingly made up her mind. “Are you certain he’s parade quality, Ember? You know how stressful that can be on a horse.”

  Relieved that her old teacher was being reasonable, Ember relaxed. Taking one of her hands, she gave it a reassuring squeeze. “I rode him for hours yesterday, Mayor Gomez. I may be rusty, but I still know horses, and he’s one of the most solid mounts I’ve ever been on. I’ll check with his previous owner first, to get her opinion, and I’ll let you know for sure by tomorrow. But I promise you, if he shows any signs of agitation, I’ll immediately remove him from the lineup.” Ember had a feeling that the best way to prove to everyone that both she and the horse were trustworthy was to literally parade both of them in front of the whole town.

  “Okay, I’ll trust you on this one.” Glancing at her watch, the mayor turned to go. “And Ember,” she continued, pausing with a hand on the front door. “It’s nice to have you back in Sanctuary.”

  Encouraged by the kind words, Ember tackled the next stack of boxes, revealing cans of special diet dog food. Of course, she thought as she hefted the top box onto a nearby counter. It would have to be something heavy.

  She was just stepping back to admire her dog food can pyramid in the waiting room corner, when her cell phone rang. She felt a small twinge of irritation when she saw the caller ID. It was Morton Ellsworth.

  “Sanctuary Animal Clinic,” she answered in as professional of a voice as possible.

  “Dr. Burns, I’m glad I reached you. This is Morton Ellsworth. I’ve been meaning to call and arrange a time to meet. I just so happen to have this afternoon free, if you would be able to come by and discuss a possible schedule for routine care of my herds. I’ve been having Dr. Clemens in Parker handle it since Bernie left, but I’d rather keep things local.”

  Ember wasn’t sure what to make of the offer. The sheriff made it clear the two were friends, and she didn’t know how much he’d shared with the stable owner about her allegations. She figured he’d be shunning her at this point rather than offering to hire her. Intrigued, she wanted to hear what he had to say. “Sure, Mr. Ellsworth. I’d be happy to talk with you about it.”

  “Great!” he exclaimed. “Then I’ll see you at three!”

  ***

  Knowing Ember was a fan of coffee, he already had a pot set out in his study when she arrived. She noticed he opted for a glass of whatever liquor was in the decanter next to it.

  Rather than sitting behind his desk, he chose one of the two high-backed leather chairs and then gestured for her to take the other, the same one she sat in just four days earlier.

  Morton Ellsworth was much more controlled and put together than he had been the other night. Dressed in a sharp-looking blazer with a clean shave and styled hair, he was a rather handsome man. Far from the haggard and weary owner in the stables. It drove home to Ember how desperate he’d been and how close to the edge their finances must be. While Sandy was quite drunk when she made her declarations, she probably wasn’t exaggerating.

  “Look, Ember,” he began, clasping his hands together while leaning toward her. “I’m not going to waste your time. Shall we address the elephant in the room and get it out of the way?”

  Bracing herself for what she was sure was going to be an uncomfortable confrontation, she appreciated his directness.

  “Doctor Bernie Chambers is a good friend of mine. His son and I were best friends until he moved out of Sanctuary some years ago, but Bernie remained a sort of father figure to me. What happened with my stallion was preventable, but I can’t and don’t place all the blame on Bernie. I knew he was having some medical issues, and I should have been paying more attention. Even after what happened, I continued to use Dr. Chambers until he retired, and we all miss him very much.”

  Trying not to be obvious, Ember let out a long breath of relief. Confused at where the conversation was going, she reasoned the sheriff must not have said anything to Ellsworth. Or else he was simply pretending not to know. He was a smart man, and he knew what to say to get what he wanted.

  “So, can we acknowledge that, yes, there was an unfortunate mishap last year, but that it has no bearing on our working relationship? Because I really do need a local, reliable vet.”

  Waiting a moment to make sure he was done, Ember then smiled at him. “What happened between you and Dr. Chambers isn’t any of my concern,” she said pleasantly. “Unless,” she added casually, “it pertains to any of my current clients.”

  Morton’s calm exterior shell waivered as a flicker of irritatio
n darted across his features. But then he leaned back and crossed a leg over his knee. “I don’t see how it would.”

  Ember allowed the silence to draw out just long enough to accentuate the tension, then her smile widened. “Then tell me about your cattle, Mr. Ellsworth, and what kind of care they need.”

  Half an hour later, after discussing past, present, and future expected needs, the stable owner left to go retrieve previous records from the office out in the barns.

  Right on cue, Sandy followed in his wake, blowing into the room with such purpose that she didn’t even notice Ember at first.

  “Oh!” she exclaimed, after reaching the desk and opening a drawer before looking up. “You again.” Dropping the folder, she splayed her hands on the desktop, leaning over it like a judge delivering a verdict in court. “This is getting to be a habit.”

  Determined not to be intimidated, Ember sat up straighter. “Your father invited me out to talk about working for him. As a vet,” she added somewhat lamely.

  Chortling, Sandy looked down her nose at her. “Sure. Whatever you want to believe.”

  Ember decided she liked the woman much better when she was drunk. It was amazing how, after all of these years, all the old feelings from high school came rushing back so easily. Instantly, Ember was the same young girl that was constantly teased for her looks and name. Refusing to give in to the emotions, she pushed back.

  “Based on what you told me the other night, although you might not remember it so well, you might benefit from the money you’ll save by hiring me over that high-priced racket out of Parker.”

  Raising her eyebrows, Sandy straightened and crossed her arms. Tilting her head, she appeared to be measuring an opponent before a boxing match. “How is the practice going? I saw your new page on Facebook. Cute.”