Fear Familiar Bundle

by Caroline Burnes

  The fact that Chancey had company struck Mary, and she felt a twinge of regret and a big spurt of relief. If Chancey had a guest, then she couldn't possibly take Mary up on her offer to go for another ride. That was the relief. But it would also interfere with Mary's plans to try to question Chancey. A third party would be a definite handicap.

  But it would be interesting to see who had ridden over to pay a visit to Chancey. Another horsewoman, no doubt, Mary thought grimly as she found a halter, slipped it over Shalimar's bridle and tied the mare.

  Kevin had been adamant about never tying a horse with the bridle reins. He'd explained at great length how even the best trained horses could become frightened or excited and pull back. When that occurred, the bit could damage the horse's mouth, or the leather reins could snap and the horse would be free, possibly running into even greater dangers in unfamiliar territory.

  The halter Mary found hanging beside the door on a wooden peg was forest green, a color theme that was repeated, she saw, in the blankets and leg wraps of the horses. A brass plate had been engraved with Chancey's name and address. "Nice touch," Mary said as she made sure her knot was secure. "Be good, Shalimar. I'll be back."

  She didn't hear the step behind her, but she caught sight of the moving shadow just as she was turning to walk to the house. She tried to step aside, but she saw the blow coming at her before she could really shift out of the way.

  "Stop!" she managed to yell just as a fist crashed into the side of her head. The blow was a glancing one, but it made her ear ring and knocked her to the ground. For a moment she felt as if the world swayed dangerously around her. Then her vision cleared, and she forced herself to her hands and knees and started crawling toward the door.

  The sound of running footsteps led into the bright sunlight. In a matter of seconds there was the sound of hooves striking the stone exit.

  At the sound of frantic hooves on the cobbled drive, Chancey came out the side door of the house, her expression plainly amazed. When she saw Mary crawling out of the barn on her hands and knees, she ran over.

  "Mary, did you take a spill? Was that your horse running down the drive?"

  "No, to both questions." Mary sat down and looked down the drive, hoping to catch a final glimpse of the man who'd struck her. "Who was here?"

  "Here?" Chancey looked around. "I don't know. I mean, no one, to my knowledge. Did you see someone?"

  "This isn't a game." Mary started to stand, but the dizziness washed over her again. "Someone was here. His horse was tied at your barn. He hit me."

  Chancey stooped down and put a palm on Mary's forehead. "No one was here, but you must have taken a nasty spill."

  "Chancey, his horse was tied at the barn."

  "A horse might have been tied here, but no one was visiting me. I've been in the house all day waiting on a call from a breeder over near Melrose. I've not left the house and I haven't had a single visitor."

  Head throbbing, Mary forced her eyes to stare directly into Chancey's. The other woman never flinched.

  "Help me to my feet, please," Mary said.

  "Maybe you should consider giving up horses," Chancey said as she braced herself to pull Mary to her feet. "Every time I see you, you're on the ground, smashed and broken. I suppose I can safely assume you and William haven't started a family yet."

  "I didn't fall," Mary said as she got her balance and shook free of Chancey. "My horse is tied. Do you understand? And my state of pregnancy is none of your business. That's exactly what I came to tell you."

  "You'd better hope possession by ghostly spirits isn't hereditary." Chancey grinned. "What will you do if William locks you in the turret until you conceive? Actually, I'm shocked that he's going to marry you until he knows you're pregnant. If I were him, I wouldn't take the chance that you might not conceive."

  "My mother was one of fifteen children, and I have eight brothers and sisters. We're a prolific family. I'm certain William looked it all up before he popped the question."

  "Well, you aren't much for staying on your feet, but you have a bit of wit about you," Chancey said, completely unabashed. "Come in and I'll make you a cup of tea. I suspect you came to ask me to go riding, but I can't leave the phone and I don't think you're up to it now. That's a bad knot over your ear."

  Mary put up her hand and felt the bump swelling beneath her fingers. It was terribly sore. If she and William didn't get to the bottom of what was happening at Mayfair, they'd both need skull reinforcements.

  "I will take some tea." Her head didn't bother her nearly as much as Chancey's attitude— the woman was practically bubbly, as if she had something to hide and was working very hard not to show it. Mary wanted to get inside Chancey's house. No way did she believe the blonde was innocent.

  "What kind of horse was your mystery man riding?" Chancey asked. "Did you see him?" She motioned Mary up the steps in front of her.

  "I didn't get a look at the man. The horse was a bay. Very nice. Well behaved."

  "No distinguishing marks?"

  Mary looked back at Chancey. Was that relief in her eyes? "I didn't see clearly," Mary confessed. "I'd recognize it if I saw it again."

  "Lots of bay horses around these parts."

  "Yes," Mary agreed as she took a seat on the sofa where Chancey waved her.

  "I'll get some tea. It won't take but a minute. Make yourself at home, and maybe you should call William. I don't want him coming over here and blaming me for this incident. I thought he was going to lynch me over the fall you took."

  "William is very protective of me," Mary agreed. She craned her neck around to make sure Chancey had gone to the kitchen and could not see her. "I'd like to borrow your bathroom, please."

  "Down the hall, second door to the left."

  "Thanks." Mary got up and tiptoed to the stairs. Chancey's bedroom would be on the second floor, as would her bath. Moving as silently as possible, Mary forced her protesting body up the stairs. She found the bath and quickly went through the medicine cabinet. To her disappointment, there were no prescription drugs anywhere in the bathroom.

  "There was a bath downstairs." Holding a plate of cookies, Chancey was standing at the foot of the steps as Mary came down. Her expression was wary. "Were you looking for something?"

  "Some aspirin," Mary said, knowing she wasn't a good liar.

  "I don't like people wandering around my house." Chancey's voice was edged with anger.

  "Sorry, Chancey. I didn't want to worry you by asking for aspirin. I thought I could find them myself."

  "Next time, ask." Chancey put the plate down. "I'll be right back. With some aspirin."

  Mary took a seat on the sofa, eager now to get back to Mayfair. She'd learned nothing concrete and had gotten herself knocked in the head. It wasn't much of a record for an investigator.

  Chancey returned with the tea tray and a vial of aspirin. She shook out two and gave them to Mary.

  "Thanks." Mary took them with a swallow of tea.

  "Glad to see you're able to drink. One day you're going to break your neck in a fall."

  "You'd better keep an eye on your horses. Someone was out there." Mary felt her temper begin to flare.

  "I don't believe that for an instant. What I believe is that you were pretending to be injured as a perfect scheme to get in my house."

  "So what horse did you hear running down your drive?" Mary felt she'd hit the winning question. Her smile was victorious.

  But Chancey wasn't about to yield so easily. "Maybe it was Slaytor, tired of haunting Mayfair. Maybe he has better taste in women than his heir."

  "Maybe." Mary stood. "I'd better start home."

  "Why did you come here, Mary?" Chancey stood, too.

  "For tea, what else?" Mary sensed the anger of the other woman, and she knew that backing down was the worst thing she could do.

  "You came to spy on me." Chancey was furious. Two high spots of color marked her cheeks. "Admit it, you were spying."

  "Do you have some
thing to hide?" Mary saw the dart strike home. Chancey tried to cover her reaction, but she wasn't quick enough.

  "How far are you willing to go to try and get William? Or is it Mayfair, Chancey? How far?"

  Chancey stepped forward. "You'd better watch yourself, Mary Muir. You aren't a MacEachern yet, and there are plenty of people around Kelso who would just as soon see you go back to your symphony seat in Edinburgh. You aren't the right woman for William. I'm not the first to say it, nor the last."

  "I doubt William will be greatly influenced by your choice in picking his wife." Mary's own temper was stretching the limits of her control.

  "William is a fool. His entire heritage is at stake, and he doesn't even realize it."

  "Don't underestimate him, Chancey."

  Chancey walked to the door, opened it and pointed out. "Leave now, Mary, while you still can."

  Brushing past her and going down the steps, Mary felt a tingle of panic. Chancey's warning had more than one meaning. And she was the type of woman who acted on her threats.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Mary rubbed the towel over Shalimar's body. The horse had actually worked up a good sweat on the ride home. "You're a lovely lady," she whispered as she worked. In a very short time, Mary had learned to love riding. Each time she was around Shalimar she learned more and more of her horse's unique personality. They were well matched.

  The hard-bristled brush was missing from the grooming kit, so Mary walked into the tack room to look for it. Kevin kept everything neat, tidy, and in its place. The brush had probably fallen out of the kit and was lying on the floor of the tack room.

  Moving around the saddles and other equipment, Mary went to the back of the room and bent down to search the floor. Beneath several old saddles she caught a glimpse of a tangle of nylon and pulled it forward.

  The forest green halter was almost new. Her fingers beginning to tremble, Mary turned it over. There were two holes where an oval brass plate had been attached.

  "What are you studying, Mary?" Kevin's voice was soft.

  "Nothing." She dropped the halter to her side.

  "A mighty fascinating nothing."

  "It's a halter. I found it while I was looking for a brush."

  Kevin closed the distance between them. "Whose halter do you suppose it is?"

  His voice was so soft, so gentle, that Mary had to imagine it contained a note of threat. She felt her heart begin to accelerate. "I think it belongs to Chancey. Our halters here at Mayfair are blue. Hers are green."

  "As are other farms in the area." Kevin's eyes caught the afternoon light. Little lines drawn tight around them made him seem tired, upset.

  Mary wanted to back away from him, but she knew better. If he was the one who had been poisoning William, she could not show him she was afraid of him— or that she suspected him. "Shalimar was excellent today. She gets better and better. You're doing a wonderful job with her."

  Kevin held out his hand for the halter. He took it, flipping it over and over again in his hands as he examined it.

  "She's a wonderful mare. It was generous of William to give her to you. I expect he paid a lot of money for her. And I'm sure Chancey got her cut of it by one hook or crook."

  "Chancey?"

  "She's got a finger in every horse deal that goes down around here. She knows buyers and sellers. I'm certain she must have helped find the horse."

  "But she was here when Erick brought Shalimar up." Mary remembered the day as if it were only hours before. What she couldn't remember was what color halter the mare had been wearing.

  "She was here, so what? It doesn't mean she didn't tell Erick about the mare. Chancey comes from nothing, and she's done well by herself, finding horses and trading horses. She's an accomplished business lady, and I have no doubt she was handy in finding that mare for you." He held up the halter. "I'd say this proves it. Forest green is Chancey's color, as you say. I'll see this gets returned to her."

  "Thanks." Mary turned away from him and busied herself looking for a brush. "Kevin, has anyone else been out riding today but me?"

  "I've been up at the ring with a young horse I'm training over the fences. I couldn't say. Why do you ask?"

  "Just wondering. It was a lovely day for a ride. Have you seen William?"

  "Here he comes now." Kevin nodded toward a tall figure walking rapidly toward the barn.

  "Mary." William's face showed barely concealed excitement. "Come up to the house, quickly."

  "Is it Darren? What happened?"

  For a moment the excitement left William's face. "I never found him. He wasn't about the grounds or in the house. I checked thoroughly. I suppose whatever he wanted, he figured out himself."

  Not likely, Mary thought to herself, but said nothing. William did not want to believe his childhood friend could be involved in the happenings at Mayfair, but she was not as generous. She would ask a few questions herself. "What is it that has you so excited?" There were things she had to tell him, too.

  "Remember Dr. Faulkner, the veterinarian we rushed Familiar to? He has some news on Familiar's condition."

  Mary suddenly went still in his arms. She'd completely forgotten the possibility that something in Familiar's lab work might show up. "Oh?"

  "Come inside and I'll tell you." He kissed her cheek. "I've ordered a special dinner for tomorrow evening." He turned to Kevin. "I hope you'll join us, Kevin. Erick is staying, and I've invited some of our neighbors. This is a celebration."

  Mary felt her misgivings double. The last time they'd had a dinner party, Clarissa McLeod had turned up with a medium and a bag of tricks. "Are you sure this is wise?" she asked in a soft whisper.

  "We're celebrating, love. It's time we set the date for the wedding."

  "What about tomorrow?" She whispered the question, knowing William had not forgotten his appointment at the hospital.

  "It's all taken care of. All of it!" He kissed her cheek, then turned to Kevin. "I want you and your parents there, Kevin. This will be a special day for Mayfair."

  "We'll be there," the younger man said before he moved away to check on a horse that was stomping impatiently in a stall.

  "This is crazy," Mary whispered urgently in William's ear. "Whoever is trying to hurt you will love this opportunity."

  "Perhaps, but we'll be ready for them."

  He took her elbow and started toward the house. "In the meantime, let's have a cup of tea, a few fresh scones, and a chance to plan our evening."

  "William!" She pulled away and turned to face him.

  "What?" he asked, startled by the expression on her face.

  She started to speak but stopped, glancing over her shoulder to find Kevin staring after them. She remembered exactly what tack was on Shalimar the day she came to Mayfair— a saddle and a bridle. She'd arrived already tacked up! She hadn't been wearing a halter at all.

  * * *

  "KEVIN LOOKS suspicious, but I can't imagine him working with Chancey. They've been competitors for so long." William was still mulling over Mary's recital of the turn of events at Chancey's barn.

  "And if Kevin is in this, so is Sophie," Mary said bleakly. "I wish Dr. Faulkner would call back." She glared at the black telephone on the desk in the library.

  "He will," William assured her. "He had an emergency. I know the medical doctors here work hard, but the veterinarians have it even tougher. I don't believe they ever sleep."

  Mary picked up the telephone. "Maybe I can track him down."

  "He'll call as soon as he gets back in the office." William looked up to find Familiar walking into the library. The cat leapt onto the sofa and brushed against William's arm.

  "I was just curious where he had to go." Mary knew the sudden anxiety she felt was foolish, but she couldn't help herself. "I think I'll call, just to ask. Maybe we could meet him somewhere." She didn't wait for William to object. In a moment she had the vet's nurse on the phone.

  "We're expecting important news from Dr. Faulkner. If we kn
ew where he was, we might be able to meet him on his way back," she explained. As she spoke, she felt her dread grow. It wasn't unreasonable for a vet to go out on an emergency call. She had no reason to worry— still, she did.

  "I see," she said. "Thank you." She replaced the receiver.

  "Mary?"

  "He's gone to Chancey's."

  William's jaw tensed. "Well, she could have a sick horse. Maybe this is just a coincidence."

  "I was there not two hours ago. None of her horses were sick. They were fine. She's called him there because somehow, some way, she learned what he was going to tell us. He could be in great danger!"

  "How could Chancey learn such a thing?"

  Mary's green eyes were blazing. "I don't know. But I think we should go there. Now! If Dr. Faulkner is in danger, it's because of us."

  William didn't waste time agreeing. He grabbed his jacket and the car keys. Mary was right beside him, and not two steps behind was a sleek black cat.

  * * *

  AT LAST, they're beginning to put two and two together. It took me a while. That little spell of snarling, biting, clawing and foaming must have addled my brain. But now all of my gray matter is clicking, and things are beginning to come into focus.

  For one thing, I was out in the barn earlier today when the Queen of the Pixies returned from her visit. Kevin was also at the barn when Mary left. He's a much better rider than she is, and I'm sure he knows the shortcuts, but why would he go to Chancey's when he knew Mary was heading that way? It just doesn't make sense. Unless he and Chancey had to hide something or get rid of something. Now, that's a possibility. But he could have telephoned Chancey. She could have pretended not to be home when Mary arrived, if there was something to hide. Gads, I don't think my brain has cleared sufficiently yet! The more I think this through, the more loopholes I find.

  At least by going to Chancey's I'll get a chance to scope out the lay of the land for myself. I know the bipeds are going to be looking for clues, but their vision is inferior, and they work at a disadvantage, being so high up there above all the really interesting stuff.