by Leigh Hearon
Annie saw Tabitha frown.
“I don’t know. There might be chemicals in there.”
“Of course there are! That’s to keep the bad stuff out! It’s solar heated, for heaven’s sake. You’re practically swimming in a mountain lake.”
Tabitha took two more hesitant steps into the water. Her indecision roused Gwendolyn, who stirred from her immobile position and propped one side of her face up with her hand.
“Honestly, Tabitha. Don’t be such a baby. If you don’t go in in the next five seconds, I’m going to push you in.”
Tabitha squealed and rushed forward into the water, her eyes tightly shut.
“See? It’s not so bad.” Gwendolyn turned over and resumed her tanning position.
“By the way, have any of you seen Nicole?” Her voice was muffled somewhat by the beach towel underneath her.
Annie and Liz tensed at the same time.
“Not for a while.” Liz’s response was technically true.
“Well, if you do see her, would you tell her I need to talk to her about something?”
“Sure.”
Liz glanced at Annie, with a glint of amusement in her eyes. Since Nicole deigned to talk to no one she didn’t have to, Annie knew chances were slim to none that Liz would have the opportunity to pass on Gwendolyn’s message. And Nicole sure wasn’t going to talk to her right now—of that, she was certain.
But here Annie was wrong. Once more, the patio door slid open, and Nicole’s angry face appeared, pointed straight at her.
“How dare you! You know nothing at all about what I do or how I train my horse! Who the hell do you think you are to judge me?”
Nicole was dressed in a short red cocktail dress and very high heels. She would have looked extremely pretty if her face weren’t so twisted in anger. It made her eyes bulge and her chin jut out. Annie had never noticed Nicole’s rather marked jawline before. Perhaps Douglas would have that fixed for her after the marriage. Annie willed herself not to reply.
“As for you,” Nicole snapped at Tabitha. “Stay out of my tack chest. I saw you looking in it earlier. Keep your dirty little mitts out of my stuff, you hear?”
Tabitha looked astounded.
“I didn’t go near your tack chest today,” she exclaimed. “I never go near your stuff. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I think you do. I’m warning you. There’s a surveillance camera back there. If I find anything missing, we’ll all know who did it.”
Nicole slammed the patio door again and walked with short angry steps toward the entrance.
Silence reigned for a few seconds, then Tabitha wailed, “What is she talking about? Why is she accusing me?”
No one answered. Instead, Annie did a head count on the patio, and asked no one in particular, “Where’s Lucy?”
No one knew.
* * *
Lucy, it turned out, had been down at the stables all afternoon, faithfully attending to Prince’s care. As Annie went upstairs to change for dinner, she saw Lucy walking toward the house, twenty feet ahead of the tuk-tuk that had managed to fit in all three trainers and Miriam. The foursome in the small vehicle looked to be in serious discussion. Annie would not have been surprised if Lucy had been asked to go ahead for reasons other than there was no more room for passengers. She had a very good idea the group was discussing Nicole’s treatment of her horse. Lucy certainly must have heard Nicole’s angry harangue even if she didn’t know the reason for it. It had been too loud to ignore.
Hollis proved to be an accomplished actor during the ritual cocktail hour. His game face was spot on, and in a few minutes, he had also managed to jolly the somber trainers into sharing his mood. Annie wasn’t sure who else had picked up on the fact that something was amiss in their small world although the sly look on Gwendolyn’s face made her suspect that she at least knew something was up after Nicole’s outburst. And she obviously had taken Nicole’s absence from the festivities as her cue to hold forth without fear of being upstaged. The only other person absent was Tabitha, who had spoken briefly to Hollis and apparently been given permission to skip the before-dinner social hour. Annie wondered if she was examining her body for a chemical reaction after her five-minute dip in the pool.
“I understand you brought three of Hilda’s horses with you.” Gwendolyn addressed Patricia with only a soupçon of snootiness.
“Yes, they’ve been staying at our rehab and training center for the past six months, just waiting to find new good homes.”
“I remember several of them,” Gwendolyn mused. “One of them was an incredible Warmblood Hilda had brought over from Denmark. I think she called him Victory. All dressage bloodlines on the dam’s side and an elite jumping stallion on the other. Do you remember what happened to him?”
“He’s actually one of the ones we brought with us.” Patricia gave Gwendolyn a warm smile Annie was sure she did not feel. “He’s been a bit difficult to place because he is so pedigreed and talented. Frankly, there aren’t many people qualified to ride him. I can’t be sure, but I suspect he’s trained to fourth level. Would you like to meet him?
Gwendolyn smiled broadly. “Super. Perhaps when Marcus arrives. After all, it is his horse now. I’d like his opinion, as well.”
Annie seethed from where she was sitting but decided to sip her martini rather than speak.
“Of course,” Patricia said smoothly. “I’m sure Marcus will be happy to see you ride him. Although be aware that I don’t think Victory had any dressage training when he was at Colbert Farms. I understand that Hilda was more into jumping.”
Gwendolyn gave an exaggerated sigh.
“It’s true, although believe me, I tried to change her mind several times. She simply liked the thrill of the jumps. If the British hadn’t outlawed fox hunting, I’m convinced she would have flown over every season just to be in the pack when someone yelled ‘Tally Ho!’”
Patricia smiled again, this time a bit less warmly.
“Yes, well that’s one equine sport that I believe has passed its prime. Still, England does offer marvelous cross-country courses, many of them on private lands.”
“Never appealed to me. I just got the dressage bug early and never looked back. But Hilda, well, she wouldn’t miss the Rolex if her life depended on it.”
Gwendolyn turned toward Annie.
“Do you know that’s where Marcus and Hilda first started dating, after years and years and years of not seeing each other?”
Annie finished the last of the martini she was holding. It was simply remarkable how Gwendolyn could turn any conversation into one about Marcus.
“I had no idea.”
“Oh! Well then, let me tell you. Hilda was there as usual, and Marcus was practically dragged there by one of his entrepreneur clients who happened to be based in Lexington. They met in the tent serving G and Ts. Can you imagine?”
“I’m sure it was a surprise for both of them. Although I’m sure Hilda was much more into the show than Marcus was.”
“Isn’t that the truth! Tell me, have you been able to interest Marcus in any of your local horse shows? You must have a rodeo where you live, all the way out in the country.”
“Not yet. But thanks for the suggestion.”
“Did you ever ride in a rodeo, Annie?”
The question came from Lucy, who was steadfastly sticking to her belief that Annie was the direct descendant, if not the reincarnation, of Annie Oakley. She inwardly sighed.
“I barrel raced as a teenager, when I was active in 4-H.”
“How exciting!”
“It really was,” Annie said grudgingly. She remembered the thrill of entering the ring at a full-speed gallop, slowing only to make three rapid turns around three strategically placed barrels, and trying to leave the arena even faster than when she came in.
“Do you still race?”
“No, I gave it up when I was a senior in high school. It can be a dangerous sport for both horse and rider. I
saw my best friend lose her balance on a turn and crash into a barrel. She spent six months in the hospital and had to relearn how to walk. And frankly, I didn’t think I was doing the horse any favors. There are a lot of ligament injuries in horses that barrel race professionally, just like the one you were afraid Prince might have had. It didn’t seem fair to subject the horse to the sport long term. We had our fun, then he was retired.”
Lucy nodded. “Just like Charlotte Dujardin and Blueberry,” she said dreamily. Gwendolyn snorted.
“Who’s Charlotte Dujardin?” The name was unfamiliar to Annie.
The face of every woman in the room fell on her, some showing disbelief, others pity, and in Gwendolyn’s case, scorn.
“She’s an elite British dressage rider, Annie,” Patricia told her gently. “The best ever to compete in the Olympics. Almost a year ago, she retired her performance horse, saying he deserved a rest. He’s a Dutch Warmblood named Valegro, but his stable name is Blueberry. His farewell performance was televised live on the Beeb in 2016.”
“I see.”
The only person who memorialized Annie’s last performance as a barrel racer was her mother, who was sitting in the crowd with a Kodak Instamatic. She wondered if the photo even existed now.
“Where’s Tabitha?” Harriett finally seemed to notice that one of her students, if not her star one, was missing.
“She said she had something to attend to at the barn that couldn’t wait,” Hollis said. “Under the circumstances, I didn’t think I should deny her request.”
Everyone in the room knew what that meant. Annie had seen Tabitha’s habit of going from calm to hysterical in about six seconds. If something was bothering her, it was easier to give in as well as give her a wide berth until the immediate crisis had passed. Annie only hoped Tabitha wasn’t returning property she had actually stolen from Nicole’s tack trunk.
A tuxedoed waiter came onto the patio to announce that dinner would be served in five minutes. It was everyone’s cue to drink up, freshen up, or do whatever needed doing. Annie instinctively knew that Chef Gustav would not be amused by any latecomers to the table.
She felt Miriam’s cool, thin hand on her arm as she stood up to deposit her martini glass on a tray.
“Do you have a few moments to talk? I’d like to fill you in on what’s been happening, and, for obvious reasons, I’d like to keep this among ourselves.”
“Of course.”
Miriam led Annie to a quiet corner, far away from the rest of the crowd and the pool.
“As you can imagine, Nicole was quite upset at your seeing her with Andy. She thought you had no right to be, as she put it, ‘spying on her.’”
Annie felt blood rush into her face. She was instantly angry.
“I wasn’t ‘spying on her.’ I heard a horse in distress and went to investigate. What I saw told me the reason for his distress. I came and told you. End of story.”
“I know, Annie. I realize you had only the horse’s best interests at heart and acted accordingly. And there was strong evidence that Nicole was misusing her aids and applying far too aggressive force.”
“I should say so.”
Miriam sighed. “The problem is that dressage riders are allowed to use hyperflexion with their horses. It’s called LDR, or low, deep, and round. The hard job is knowing when the line has been crossed.”
“Miriam, I’m not a dressage rider. But I do know when a horse has no control over his own flexion and is being forced into an unnatural position. And that just seems wrong to me.”
“The fact that Nicole was found using hyperflexion in a place where she knew no one would see her certainly adds strength to your story.” She sighed again. “I’ve discussed it with all three trainers. We have no authority to report this incident to either the technical delegate or to Judge Bennett.”
Annie’s eyes flashed. She stared at Miriam, silently asking her to explain.
“If a witness from a governing body had seen it, we would have instantly known whether Nicole’s use was reasonable or not. Since no such person saw it, we have no recourse except to give her the benefit of the doubt.”
Annie felt her heart begin to pound in her chest. She couldn’t believe Nicole was going to get away with her outrageous treatment of her horse.
“In other words, she’ll be allowed to ride on Saturday.”
“Yes, Annie. Nicole’s been severely reprimanded. She’s been told not to use hyperflexion again on her horse without one of the trainers present, and to only train and ride her horse where she’s in eyesight of a trainer.”
Annie said nothing. There was nothing that she could say. She had no voice in the matter.
“She’s also been strongly advised not to discuss this episode with you and to behave civilly to you at all times. If she doesn’t, I want you to tell me immediately.”
“I’m not going to bother you if that occurs, Miriam. I can take care of myself. I’ll only come to you if I think she’s abusing her horse again. The horse can’t speak for himself. In fact, he couldn’t even see for himself this afternoon.”
Annie felt tears welling up, a reaction that often happened when she had no place to put her anger. It irritated her to no end every time it happened.
“I want you to tell me. Now, let’s go in to dinner and try to put all of this behind us. It’s probably good that Nicole’s off with her young man tonight. Hopefully, she’ll enjoy a good dinner and several glasses of wine and come back in a better frame of mind.”
Annie smiled and nodded. She held little hope of that happening. Nicole looked like the type of woman who held a grudge until she got revenge. And even then, she probably hung on to the grudge.
Tabitha appeared in the dining room just as the waiters had finished serving the first course. Her soup bowl was at her usual place; Hollis had insisted. But Tabitha didn’t sit down. She stared wildly around the table, looking at each person accusingly.
“Which one of you has stolen Jackson’s rhythm beads?”
No one said a word. The words sounded preposterous. What was the woman talking about? Was she referring to the clanking necklace of small stones she’d seen around the Friesian’s neck?
“I know one of you took it. I went back to make sure Nicole was full of—was wrong about my taking anything from her tack chest. I thought she might be trying to set me up. But now I can’t find Jackson’s beads anywhere! You all know how important they are to me. Which one of you took them?”
Tabitha’s sentence ended in a high screech. Hollis immediately rose and quickly led her out of the room. Annie saw the woman uncontrollably shaking.
A short silence followed, broken by the sound of Miriam clinking her wineglass with her sterling silver knife. She raised the glass and spoke gaily, as if nothing of consequence had just occurred.
“Chin chin, everyone. And bon appétit!”
Chapter Nine
THURSDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 12
The day that had started with minor bickering had evolved into a major skirmish on several fronts. Nicole was furious at her. Tabitha was furious with everyone. Throughout dinner, Gwendolyn behaved like an army spy, trying to find out what the trainers knew and weren’t saying. Annie still felt resentment toward all of them for what she considered giving Nicole a pass. She knew it was a decision based on the rules, but still felt that her own opinion had been diminished.
She declined Liz and Patricia’s offer to go for a leisurely walk around the property after dinner. Tonight, she felt as world-weary as Patricia had the previous night. And she wanted to talk to Marcus in the worst way. Gwendolyn’s insistence on sharing the halcyon days of the Marcus-Hilda romance had stirred an unnamed fear in Annie’s heart. She needed to be reassured, and badly.
She made a point of thanking Chef Gustav for yet another magnificent dinner. It seemed the least she could do, especially since everyone else had rushed off after coffee without a thought for the person who had prepared it. She omitted telling the beaming chef t
hat as wonderful as the breast of duck had tasted, the rancor of recent events had succeeded in dampening even her appetite.
She took a shower, checked her e-mail, then her voice mail, and found one message. It was not from Marcus. It was from recently promoted Undersheriff Kim Williams, who wanted her to know that the opening celebration of Alex’s Place had brought in more than twenty thousand dollars in donations. This was good news, indeed. Annie had reviewed the construction costs along with other trustees at the last board meeting for Alex’s Place, and the invoices seemed shockingly high. But then, Travis Latham was determined to spare no expense at “doing the thing right,” as he put it. A few dollars to offset the cash both Travis and Marcus were constantly shoveling out would be most welcome.
She then talked briefly with Lisa, who assured her that the horses, dogs, sheep, and one cat were doing fine. Glancing at her watch, she saw that it was nine o’clock. Marcus should be home by now. She punched in his cell number and held her breath until he answered.
“Annie! I was hoping to hear from you tonight. How are things in Southern California?”
“Oh, all right, I guess.”
“That doesn’t sound very promising. What’s going on?”
“Where do you want me to begin?”
“The beginning is usually good.”
“Well, the good news is, or rather was, that Patricia lined up a prospective buyer for Beau Geste even before I arrived yesterday.”
“Excellent news! I had a feeling the show would generate some interest.”
“Well, it did. The woman was absolutely taken with the horse, the letter of agreement was signed, and all we were waiting for was the vet check, our home visit, and of course the money.”
“But something went wrong.”
Annie found her throat had an enormous lump in it.
“Terribly wrong. The buyer died in a car accident just a quarter mile from the Darbys’. It happened a few minutes after she left us. And she was so happy.”
Annie swallowed hard. She was not going to cry. She hadn’t when she’d heard the news and wondered why Betsy’s accident was affecting her so much now.
