Flaxmead

by Brian Cain

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

  Kerry Snow ran his finger down the list of runners for the next week, he was having one of his moments of solace by the Creek at work, his weekend shifts. His finger stopped at Flaxmead, he checked the race, the Chairman's Handicap. He worked out the next race path for a winner and knew it was the Sydney Cup. He accessed his message send sort of like text messaging on a mobile phone but between pieces of equipment in the mine via the GPS screens. 'Flaxmead. The Chairman's Handicap. Grade two. Randwick next weekend. Step one to Flemington in November.' Mobile phones lit up and were answered at Fixed Hole operations, the word spread like a bushfire on a north westerly wind.

  Anna was trotting along on Meadow with Pipa the blue heeler in tow when she noticed the flashing light down by the creek on Kerry Snows vehicle. She walked her down to the waters edge, Kerry was sitting by the creek watching the water cascade over rocks, and the sound of the running water was soothing. Anna stood in the far side of the creek on Meadow her approach had been muffled by the recent rain swelling the flowing waters.

  "Hello mister you here again!"

  Kerry looked up form under his hard hat and his face lit up. "Anna, how ya goin love?"

  "I'm good."

  "Running Meadow wow, I'm stuck in here some people have all the luck. How's Flaxmead going?"

  "He's good, I'm going to see him shortly with Dad and Mr Harper."

  Kerry was puzzled. "Going to see him where is he?"

  "I can't tell you if I tell you I'll have to kill you."

  "Oh well I don't want that."

  He's somewhere safe where the bad people can't get him."

  Kerry frowned. "Bad people. What bad people love?"

  "Ones that don't want him to win the Melbourne Cup."

  "Who are they love?"

  "Don't know but dad said they'll come because he runs to fast."

  Kerry forced a smile. "Don't you worry love nothing will happen to him, I promise you."

  "Meadow is moving today too. Jessica will look after her. We have too many people coming here looking. "

  "Jessica Flametower Flaxmead's strapper?"

  "Yes, do you know her?"

  "No, I've seen her with Flaxmead and Meadow at race meetings."

  "Do you go to them?"

  "Yes we all do, we'll be in Melbourne in November."

  "Come and see us at a meeting and I'll show you Flaxmead. He's been getting a big head and showing off but he still does what I tell him."

  Kerry chuckled. "I'll bring some friends with me, lots of them."

  "Okay mister I gotta go, see ya." Anna turned Meadow climbed the bank from the waters edge and thundered off along the Greedy Piggy Creek tree line. Kerry got back in his vehicle and roared off towards operations control.

  Sunday, Anna and Dylan spent the day with Jessica and the horses. Meadow had been taken to Shangri La to keep Flaxmead company and help stem the flow of visitors at the Harper and Fields properties, housing Flaxmead elsewhere had stemmed the traffic but not stopped it. Jessica and the children were in run paddock below the broken back range, Graham and Bob were in a meeting with Winston. Graham was concerned he was becoming part of a conspiracy, he didn't want to be confrontational but asked the question in Winston's Shangri La office.

  "It wasn't long ago we were talking about if Flaxmead would make the ballot. He made the ballot and drew gate one for the first time. Was there any monkey business involved Winston?" asked Graham.

  "I admit I spoke to Wilson and Bartholomew but they later rang me asking how I had achieved it so there you go. Racing you win some you loose some, Flaxmead's had some shocking barrier draws this time he made the ballot and got a good one. Lets not look a gift horse in the mouth if you'll pardon the expression."

  Graham looked down to the floor from his seat opposite Winston across his modest desk with his arms folded. He looked back up and put his hands o his knees. "Jack Prendergast rang me and wished me luck, he has a horse called Blunderbuss drawn in the same race. This is unusual he suggested I tread careful. One of Creighton's horses made the draw Wolf Sheppard."

  "The horse that was second to Flaxmead at Randwick recently?" asked Bob.

  "Yes." replied Graham.

  "Creighton the gentleman we purchased the float from?" asked Winston.

  "Yes that's one of his businesses," replied Graham.

  "He asked a lot of questions I should have done some more digging, thought he was just a clued up salesman," added Winston.

  "He's after a Melbourne Cup to go with his Cox Plate and Caulfield trophies," said Graham.

  "He must have runners capable of a cup if he has those under his belt," enquired Winston.

  "He has but Flaxmead's burst onto the scene spoiling the fun. Prendergast mentioned the smiling assassin is in bad debt, he wouldn't have mentioned that unless it had a message in it," stated Graham.

  "The smiling assassin is that a person?" asked Winston.

  "Theo Delores, made a lot of money selling cars. They used to call him the chameleon, could sum up a buyer and blend into his surroundings clever salesman. He has a couple of problems on is gambling and drinking, not small stuff high rolling. Always owes someone a million or two. Mr ten percent is another term for him in racing circles, has a swag of horses all owned by someone else trained and run for ten percent of the earnings after expenses. His expenses are rumoured to include gambling debts. He runs horses for a few politicians, he actually knows little about training and racing a horse and a bloke called Taggart does a lot of work for him," said Graham.

  "Taggart, I know that name," interrupted Winston.

  Graham looked shocked, "You know Roy Taggart?"

  Winston back peddled. "I looked at some horses he had when I first came to Australia for Wilson and Bartholomew but smelt a rat," replied Winston.

  "You hit the nail on the head there. Taggart relies on Jimmy Cotton for his name. Has something on him, something that happened a long time ago. Cotton has disappeared and I hear someone is after Taggart that you don't mess with. That leaves the assassin looking for new people to do his dirty work and we wont know where from. I reckon that's why Prendergast mentioned the assassin."

  "I think I know someone who can help us with that," replied Winston.

  Little Lindy Cumberland had been very busy, at last she had a Sunday home with her parents. Susan and Glen noticed something was bothering Lindy, she looked glum and quiet for a young girls with the world at her feet. They conspired to find out what was troubling their daughter. She had been locked in her room for hours and they knocked entered to find Lindy on her computer on line to someone in face book. She logged out and forced a smile to her parents as they both sat on her bed next to her computer desk.

  "Lindy something is wrong, you are not the girl we had here a couple of weeks ago. You must tell us what is wrong, Flaxmead is a big responsibility is this what's bothering you," asked her father.

  Lindy looked at them but past them with no expression and said nothing.

  "Come on Lindy you're all we have we are worried," added her mother.

  "Its Lorraine," replied Lindy in a soft voice.

  "Lorraine, Lorraine who?" asked her father.

  "Lorraine Wills, she's second in the metropolitan jockey premiership if the guy who's first keeps winning shell loose it for sure," muttered Lindy.

  Her father took her by the shoulders and sat her between them on the bed. "That's the idea of premierships, what's so bad about that?" he asked.

  "She's a single mum and struggling, this is her last year she will ride. She wants to train next year so she can be home all the time with her little girl she four now," said Lindy.

  Glen glanced at Susan with a short smile. "Lindy you are leading the apprentices premiership, without Flaxmead it will be hard work?" stated her father.

  "The stable near her home will only give her a job as trainer on good money if she wins the premiership, she can win with Flaxmead."

  Her father leaned back a little. "
Oh. You want to help your friend?"

  "Yes, I want her to ride Flaxmead and win the Melbourne Cup. She'll get the job and be okay, she's thirty this year," mumbled Lindy.

  "You'll need to talk to Graham and Bob, Anna and Dylan may not understand," said her father.

  "That's why I'm so sad, what about the children," added Lindy.

  Lindys mother held her tight. "I'll talk to the children, I haven't taught in a primary school all my life for nothing. Besides Flaxmead will race more than one Melbourne Cup I'm sure."

  "Well we better make a trip to see the Field's, they'll probably be at Shangri La. I'll make some calls and find out," said her father.

  Creighton meet with the smiling assassin, he did the dirty on Prendergast assuring the assassin he, Leroy and Prendergast would back any efforts he made to shut Flaxmead down. At the worst he guaranteed they would hustle the horse in races by joining forces and instructing their jockeys to work together. He covered his tracks by telling the assassin he was the only contact the assassin would communicate with from the group claiming it would allay suspicion of any conspiracy. The assassin was happy with the agreement and partied with Creighton that night in a Melbourne casino, however this did not go unnoticed by another member of the racing fraternity who slipped away without being noticed.