Runaway Murder

by Leigh Hearon

  SUNDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 15

  “You did beautifully!”

  “Thanks, Annie. Sammy did it all.”

  “I find that hard to believe. When will you know your score?”

  “Soon, I think. I’m pretty sure a runner sends them over to the office staff on a regular basis.”

  Liz was standing on the ground next to her horse, looking very happy and immensely relieved that her five minutes in the spotlight were over. Every few seconds, she patted Sammy on the neck and told him how wonderful he was. After a bit of this, Sammy decided to return the compliment and reached down to nuzzle her neck. Annie whipped out her smartphone and made both pose for a picture. She’d seldom seen a horse and rider look so content with each other.

  Miriam and Hollis joined the group, and Liz leaned forward to receive hugs from each of her hosts.

  “We’re so proud of you,” Miriam said, and Annie could tell she meant every word.

  “I’m just glad it’s over. And I’m so glad I had Patricia’s help. I almost forgot my stretchy circle. If she hadn’t been reading, I would have completely blown it.”

  “It’s amazing how easy it is to have a brain freeze during a test,” Patricia assured her. “But let’s not talk about what-ifs. I see Lucy and Amy coming over and don’t want to get Lucy’s nerves more on edge. She’ll be riding the same test in just a few hours.”

  “You got it. I’ll tell her how easy it is.”

  “Unfortunately, I don’t think that will wash,” Miriam said sadly. “I believe this is the third time she’s ridden this test. And that’s just at Darby Farms.”

  Annie felt her smartphone buzz in her pocket. It was Marcus with a travel update: “Got the wind at my back. New ETA is 11:50. Everything OK?”

  She knew the vague “everything OK” question really meant “is everyone still standing, and in particular, you?” She texted back, “Can’t wait. Everything’s fine,” and sent the message on its way. There would be plenty of time to fill him in later. Right now, Annie needed to talk to her hosts and decide on a game plan. She was very much aware that they had information the police would want and evidence that rightfully belonged in their possession. The question was if Hollis would feel the same urgency in delivering what they had and knew. She wasn’t sure she did—yet. Not while there was still a bit of sleuthing she needed to do. She began thinking of the best way to broach the subject when she realized Hollis was speaking to her.

  “Annie, I need to consult with Gustav about lunch. Because of the tight ride schedule, we’re having it delivered to the stables today, and I want to make sure everything’s in order. Why don’t you and Patricia show Miriam the horses you’ve brought down from Washington State? I’ll be back in two ticks.”

  Annie was sure this was Hollis’s way of telling her he intended to talk to Chef Gustav himself about the discovery of the dumbwaiter. She could only imagine the chef’s surprise when he opened the cabinet door in a few minutes and found two pulleys instead of a shelf with thermoses arrayed on it. She wished Hollis had asked her to accompany him but knew it would appear strange to anyone seeing her get in the car. She’d already run that risk once today.

  Miriam was using her cane this morning. Patricia gently took her by the arm that was still free.

  “I heard you tell the others that you occasionally still ride. I think I’ve got just the horse for you, Picante. He’s such a sweet, gentle boy, and I believe he is trained to third level. I definitely could see you on him.”

  “Dream on,” was Miriam’s laughing reply. But the glint in her eye as she proceeded with Patricia to the stalls belied what she truly felt. Annie was sure riding again was a challenge her hostess would be thrilled to meet head-on. And why not? Annie certainly intended to be riding when she was Miriam’s age, whatever that might be precisely.

  Patricia brought out, as she boldly had called him, “Miriam’s new dressage horse,” and this time, Annie noticed, Miriam had not demurred the moniker. To Annie’s annoyance, Gwendolyn seemed to magically appear beside them, and immediately addressed Patricia.

  “Remember, I want to ride Victory tomorrow. Perhaps around eleven or twelve, sometime before lunch?”

  Patricia looked up from where she was adjusting Picante’s halter. The slight irritation Annie noticed on her face disappeared by the time she responded.

  “That should be fine, Gwendolyn. I’ll have him tacked up by eleven, if that fits.”

  “Oh, I’ll want to use my own saddle. It’s the same model Steffen Peters uses.”

  “Of course.”

  Gwendolyn turned to Annie. “You don’t mind if Marcus watches me ride?”

  Annie stifled her desire to stuff a sock down Gwendolyn’s throat. “It’s not for me to say. Marcus makes his own decisions.”

  “Oh, I’m sure he’ll want to see this.” She nimbly turned and walked away.

  “Exactly when do you expect Marcus to arrive?” Miriam asked when Gwendolyn was out of earshot.

  “His latest ETA was right before noon. Is that all right?” Annie asked anxiously. “I suppose I should have told Chef Gustav he’d be here for lunch.”

  “Not at all. Gustav always has enough food for several surprise guests. No, I was just wondering how much time I have left to convince Gwendolyn not to make a complete fool of herself.”

  “I’m sure you’ll find a way. I hope so, anyway.”

  What Annie had really wanted to say was, “Why not just let her?”

  Patricia was doing her usual superb sales job, although Annie knew that convincing Miriam she needed a dressage horse was a bit like shooting fish in a barrel. She decided to leave her to it and walked down the main aisle. She saw the heads of Amy and Lucy poking out of Schumann’s stall. They had just finished braiding his mane.

  “He looks very handsome,” Annie observed, and got two smiles in return.

  “Yes, he does. You might think about grooming as a new career, Lucy, before you blow another test today.”

  Annie recognized the voice; she’d just heard it back at Picante’s stall. And Miriam was not around to stifle her words. Annie couldn’t hold back any longer. She turned to Gwendolyn, who was languidly propped up against a nearby wall, and said what she’d wanted to say the moment she had arrived.

  “I’m sick and tired of hearing you tear down every single person you encounter. I realize the concept of supporting fellow riders eludes you, but the least you could do is just shut up when you’re around them. Does it bother you that no one likes you, Gwendolyn? It would bother me. But Lucy and I don’t have to worry about that because we treat people nicely and actually care about them. Just the way we do with our horses. You, on the other hand, don’t even care about developing a relationship with the horse that’s working so hard for you. And that is truly unforgiveable. If anyone needs remedial work, it’s you. Starting with your brain.”

  Annie had tried to speak softly but, by the time she was done, realized she was nearly shouting. She stopped abruptly and waited for the fallout. But all Gwendolyn could do was open and close her mouth like a widemouthed bass waiting for someone to drop in the baited hook. Well, she had delivered the bait, and all she could do now was hope Gwendolyn would take it. But she didn’t hold out much hope. When Gwendolyn managed to slink away, Annie glanced over at Lucy, who had stopped grooming and was now looking at her with radiant eyes.

  “That was super. Just what I wished I had said a long time ago.”

  “Lucy, you’re a fine rider. Your horse adores you. I’m sure you’ll do very well today. Don’t let people like Gwendolyn get to you. They’re just not worth it.”

  Annie walked off in the direction opposite the one Gwendolyn had taken. She’d just told one potential suspect she was a great person and told off the other. She was pretty sure she’d gotten the order right. But it was time to find Hollis and talk turkey about this new evidence and what to do about it.

  But Hollis was nowhere to be found. She did find Tabitha and Harriett outsid
e Jackson’s stall, arguing over whether or not a star-studded saddle pad was permissible in the show ring. She veered off before they could see her. This was one topic that was out of her depth, and she had no desire to enter into the fray.

  Annie finally spotted Hollis at eleven thirty, the same time that copious amounts of food arrived. Trays and trays were wheeled into a separate room at the back of the office. Annie felt almost guilty that their group was going to dine so sumptuously but not enough to stop from grabbing a wedge of cheese on a passing plate. Between moving furniture and telling off snooty riders, she’d worked up quite an appetite.

  Hollis spoke as soon as she approached him.

  “Deputy Collins is here today in plainclothes. I’ve given him the bare bones of what we discovered. He’s looking at the dumbwaiter now, and he’s none too happy that you’ve absconded with the mason jar, which is what I assume you did, Annie. He’ll want to talk with Lucy and Gwen but has agreed to wait until after the show. All we have to do is make sure neither leaves the grounds. He’s assigned two plainclothes deputies to watch them and told me frankly he’d like every guest to have a tail but just doesn’t have the men.”

  Annie nodded at Hollis approvingly. She was so relieved that Hollis had informed the police already and not waited until after the show. And by doing so he’d achieved just what he’d wanted. Hollis’s promptness in relaying the new information probably was why Deputy Collins had agreed to put off his interrogation of the two women until after the public had dispersed.

  “I moved the mason jar to my suite. I didn’t want to take the chance that anyone would use it even though the house is supposed to be off-limits. I’m sorry if that makes Deputy Collins unhappy, but it was my best judgment.”

  “Let’s be honest with each other, Annie. Don’t you really mean you didn’t want Lucy or Gwendolyn to have access to what we assume is poison?”

  “It’s not quite that simple.”

  Annie briefly told him about finding Gwendolyn’s door unlocked and the much more public display of the dumbwaiter in her suite.

  “The thing is, Gwendolyn made a big point last night at dinner of telling us how she locks her door every night. She was shocked that the rest of us didn’t, but we agreed that from now on it would be prudent to do so. If she is the killer, it makes no sense that she would leave her door unlocked this morning. It doesn’t make sense even if she isn’t.”

  “So, either Gwen hasn’t been locking her door as she says she has, or someone’s managed to find a duplicate key to get in.”

  “Looks that way. Which means, in theory, any guest could have accessed the dumbwaiter in Gwendolyn’s room. The dumbwaiter isn’t hard to get to, not as it is in Lucy’s room. All the woman had to do was make sure Gwendolyn was out of the house.”

  Hollis sighed. “And since our guests have spent most of their days down at the stables, it wouldn’t have been difficult to find a time when she knew Gwendolyn was riding and wouldn’t return to her room for some time.”

  “All very true. I’ll make sure Deputy Collins gets the mason jar as soon as I can manage it. I may need another clandestine ride back up to the house.”

  “We’ll find a way to do that.” Hollis looked a bit pained. “It’s still hard to reconcile myself to the idea that one of our guests is a cold-blooded killer. Let’s give it a rest. It’s nearly time for Lucy to ride. Let’s go cheer her on.”

  Now that the local gendarmes were up to speed, this seemed like an excellent idea. Then she needed to find Deputy Collins and hand over what she’d taken from the dumbwaiter cupboard. It occurred to her that picking up evidence was beginning to become a bad habit. But this had been done for the best of reasons. No one else needed to die.

  * * *

  Annie spotted Lucy’s cheering section at once. Amy, Miriam, Patricia, Liz, Tabitha, and Harriett were all standing together in a small circle just beyond the spectator stands. Melissa was talking to Lucy, but when Hollis and Annie joined the group, she began walking over, too.

  “She’s not reading?” Annie whispered to Patricia.

  “No, Lucy said she wanted to do it on her own. And frankly, she probably does have the test memorized at this point.”

  Annie looked at Lucy to make eye contact, but Lucy wasn’t looking at her supporters, or anyone, for that matter. Her gaze was straight ahead, and Annie realized that somehow Lucy looked different. Perhaps it was the way her chin now seemed to jut out a little, or the way she was seated in the saddle. In any case, Lucy looked composed and calm. But there was something more to her demeanor that Annie had not seen before. What was it? Ah, yes. A sense of determination. Lucy looked determined. As if she wasn’t depending on anyone but herself and her horse.

  The tinkle of the bell sounded, and Lucy continued to slowly walk Prince in a large circle until he was near the entrance of the ring. She halted, but almost immediately asked Prince to walk again, which in three strides became a trot. Annie could hear Amy and Melissa pull in their breaths as Lucy entered the ring and turned squarely onto the centerline. Halfway down, she halted and made her salute. Annie noticed even Prince seemed to nod a bit in deference to the judge. She heard Melissa and Amy exhale, and turned toward them. Melissa looked very pleased.

  “Notice how straight Prince is? Lucy tends to start her halt late and in her rush her horse often ends up crooked. The fact that he’s not means she prepared him well for the transition. And that’s a very good sign.”

  Annie nodded. She watched Lucy continue her trot down the centerline and turn left to make her first circle. A few hours before, Annie had watched Liz do the same thing, and had noticed that Liz’s circle was a bit more oblong than round, although she had no intention of repeating that observation to her friend. But Lucy’s circle seemed spot on. So did the next one. And the next. Nor did Prince’s pace seem to vary. The rhythm of his trot was sure and consistent. Annie saw that Prince was now at a walk, but it was no leisurely stroll, but rather a big, bright walk that told Annie the horse, at least, was enjoying his time in the arena. Lucy then urged him into an even, light canter that was beautiful to watch. She led Prince into another circle at this gait, and again, it was good, solid, and round, with no discernible slowdown that Annie could see. Lucy next changed direction and led Prince through another circle at a canter, this one a bit smaller than the first ones, but just as accurate as before. A minute later, she watched Lucy again trot down the centerline and halt. She made her salute, watched the judge return it, then walked Prince out of the arena. Annie realized that throughout Lucy’s test, no one within their small group had made a sound. She wasn’t sure if anyone had breathed.

  Earlier today, she’d expected cheers to ring out as soon as Liz and Sammy had exited the ring, but she now knew that didn’t mean Lucy’s test was quite over yet. Instead of dismounting, Lucy walked Prince over to a volunteer steward, who’d carefully inspected his mouth, Lucy’s blunt spurs, and her whip. Patricia had explained that the steward was making sure riders had used only accepted bits, had not abused their spurs or left marks on their horses, and that the whip was regulation size.

  Annie had to content herself with walking over to the proud rider after this exercise was complete, along with everyone else, and instead of whoops and yells, extend her congratulations in a civilized tone of voice.

  “You were amazing,” Amy said. “What happened?”

  Annie realized Lucy could have chosen to take umbrage at this remark, but instead, she good-naturedly replied, “I just decided to ride for myself. For myself and Prince, I mean, and forget that the rest of you were there.”

  “Thanks a lot,” Melissa said, just as good-naturedly.

  “You know what I mean. You couldn’t be in there with me, telling me what to do any longer. It was time for me to put everything you’d told me into play.”

  Annie could see Melissa close to tears. She was so proud of her student and what she had just accomplished.

  “I can’t wait to see your score,” s
he simply told Lucy. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve set a new record at Darby Farms.”

  Hollis and Miriam were effusive in their praise. Liz and Patricia heaped so many accolades on her that Lucy had to tell them nicely to stop. Even Harriett told Lucy that she’d ridden very well.

  “You could learn something by watching those circles,” she said sternly to Tabitha. “Did you notice how Lucy didn’t counterbend her horse to get him in the corners? She actually used her inside leg!” Tabitha was polite enough to nod and tell Lucy she’d done a great job.

  Annie added her own congratulation to the other well-wishers surrounding Lucy and Prince. She was infinitely glad that neither Gwendolyn nor Nicole had been there to try to belittle Lucy’s successful test. Although she wondered where they had been keeping themselves, especially Nicole, whom she hadn’t seen since she had emerged from the Packard this morning, looking extremely put out for having to take such a luxurious ride down to the stables. She couldn’t be back at the house, and there weren’t that many places to hide here. As much as she dreaded another encounter with the woman, Annie felt she needed to know her whereabouts. Everyone else was right with her, except Gwendolyn, of course, who was probably off someplace licking her wounds. Nicole was the only truly missing guest. Annie decided she really should make sure she was all right. She wished a plainclothes deputy were watching her.

  A moment later, she lost all interest in finding Nicole or anyone else. Because walking toward her, and looking more handsome than any man had a right to, was Marcus. His face lit up in a wide smile when he spotted her, and Annie abandoned all care for behavior codes at dressage affairs and ran straight to him. He took her in his arms. She searched for his lips, found them, and for one long minute, felt that she could melt into his body forever and never miss her own. Finally, she took him by the hand to lead him to where she had so suddenly left the Darbys and everyone else.

  Lucy was still astride Prince. Marcus walked up to her, and said, “Are you the rider who was just in the arena? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more beautiful performance. Please accept my sincere congratulations.”