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The sun’s rays peeked in through her window as Christie woke the next morning. She stretched and enjoyed the pause between waking up and getting started on her day. Thankfully, it was Saturday, so she didn’t have to go in to work. It would also allow for everyone to settle in with their thoughts after the accident. She padded into the kitchen, hitting the button on the coffeemaker that she’d set up the night before. The smell of roasted coffee beans filled the air with their fragrant aroma. After the coffeemaker beeped, Christie pulled on a pair of slides and a long jacket before taking the coffee outside on the screened-in deck that comprised part of the north-eastern side of the house.
Even though the morning’s air was chilly with the humidity, the sun’s warmth enveloped her as she pressed both hands around the steaming cup. She sighed with contentment as her gaze went over the scenery which was now laden with frost. A tree close to the house, dripped with water, letting her know that the picturesque beauty she now beheld would be temporary. She settled into one of two wooden rockers, with padded back and seats in a barn-red buffalo check pattern.
Christie blew on the coffee before taking a sip of the hot brew, allowing its warmth to travel through her. Shielding her eyes with her hand, she spied some Axis deer grazing off in the distance. She picked up the binoculars on the table next to her and swiveled in her seat to see a large dually pickup arriving at the nonprofit.
Lana opened the door and climbed out, wearing a chambray jacket and her hair pulled back in a high ponytail. Last week, they’d had an aging mare come in and Lana was watching over the old lady with great care. In some ways, Christie realized that Lana was no less a hospice nurse than she had been. She was also thankful for Tom, who had a small apartment on-site in the building. They also had cameras that looked over the paddocks and interior bays, so at night he could keep watch.
Christie sat up. The cameras. Why hadn’t she thought of that? It would at least give some closure to how Gabe’s accident had occurred. She set the binoculars down and went inside to get dressed. Shucking into her jeans, a t-shirt, and topping that with a flannel shirt, she rolled up the sleeves of the blue shirt. Pulling on her boots, she grabbed a cap from the coat rack to corral her unruly curls.
Grabbing a left-over biscuit from last night, she smeared it with peanut butter and local honey, before taking a delicious bite, crumbs dusting her shirt which she brushed into the sink. Taking one last swallow of the now tepid coffee, Christie grabbed her work jacket from the peg next to the door.
Deciding to get in a ride, Christie made her way down to the barn, where she saddled up Champ before heading to Horse Haven. As she made her way toward the rescue, she enjoyed the morning ride as the sun grew warm on her back. Taking Champ over would allow her to lead one of the other horses for some exercise, as she didn’t have much she needed to accomplish at home.
She dismounted, waving at Rory, a faithful volunteer who met her at the barn doors, hauling a wheelbarrow full of hay.
“Morning, Rory All good?”
He nodded. “Uh, huh.” Rory wasn’t much of a talker, but he was a hard worker.
“Great. Listen, I thought I might take Chester out for a walk with Champ. Would that be okay?’
“Yep.” He lifted the wheelbarrow and walked off toward the paddock.
Christie grinned. Wow, three whole words. “Okay. Later then.”
She made her way inside, waving at Lana before heading upstairs to the offices. She passed down the hall and past the bathrooms to where an office had been set aside for the cameras and monitors, along with other maintenance and security items. Christie sat down in the swivel chair and pulled up the recording from yesterday on the monitor. She pressed play and scrolled quickly through the earlier time until she came to the moment where Gabe fell.
Wait, something wasn’t right. She went back to when the board members started arriving. She watched as everyone entered, chatting with one another as they made their way up to the offices. There was footage of Lana speaking with Tom, as well as other volunteers who came and went. She stopped the footage when she saw Gabe enter the barn. He was carrying his hardhat under his left arm, and a lunchbox in the other. Tears glistened as she knew how lovingly Maria always prepared Gabe’s lunches for him. He went out of sight and the next thing on the screen was when people were running toward him.
No, that can’t be right. She reversed the footage and replayed it again, this time looking at the timestamp. Someone had either stopped the tape during that time and then re-started it or had erased the footage. But who would do that? More importantly, why would they do it? If Gabe’s death had been an accident, it made no sense.
Christie sat back in her chair, her fingers steepled in contemplation. She needed to talk to Lana about it. There had been something on that tape someone didn’t want others to see. Whoever had fixed the tape had also done a good job of making it appear that nothing was amiss. If you’d been glancing at it, chances are that the deleted minutes wouldn’t even be registered in the viewer’s mind.
Since the room was left open during the day, anyone could have access to the computers or office supplies. She saved the recording in the cloud and then made her way out of the room, locking it behind her. She’d need to let others know that from now on, the door needed to remain locked during working hours and at night. She’d leave a note for Alice, her administrative assistant, that anyone needing access would have to come through her to unlock the door.
Now that she had this knowledge, what should she do with it? Was this something for the Sheriff, the coroner, or someone else? Lana would be busy all morning, so she’d have to wait to get her opinion on it. For now, she could take out the horses for some exercise.
She made her way downstairs and to the back of the barn to head outside. Next door she found Rory filling the horse’s feed into their stalls. “I’m ready for Chester.”
Rory coaxed the old boy from out of his stall. The old gelding rarely wanted to venture outside, but once he and Champ had bonded, he was okay following him for walks on the property. She’d returned Chester back to Rory when she saw Lana sitting outside, taking a break. Now would be a good time to talk with her.
“Lana, I have something I want to share with you.”
The woman shielded her eyes. “Me first. Okay?”
“Okay.” Christie took a seat next to her.
“I got a call from Teresa—”
“Oh, no. Please tell me she isn’t opening old wounds.”
“She’s trying, but I think I can handle her. I, well, I may have hinted that we may have a couple of spots at the Gala depending on when the article comes out.”
Christie removed her jacket and sat down next to Lana. “Why you little minx. I wish I would have thought of that.”
“But now I feel bad. It’s pretty much a bribe to print good things.”
“More like you aren’t going to take any guff from someone who’s trying to stir up trouble. I think you did the right thing.” Christie draped the coat over her arms.
Lana faced Christie. “You do? I hardly slept last night thinking about it.”
Christie crossed her legs. “I wouldn’t give it another thought. However, there is something that we do need to discuss.”
“Yes?”
“Someone doctored the video footage before Gabe’s accident.”
“What?” Lana replied.
“Deleted or did something to the footage. There’s a gap. It’s not long, but it’s definitely there. I want us to lock the door to the office supply room during the day from now on. I plan to let the volunteers know that Alice will need to open the door for them.”
“Okay, good. But does this mean—” Lana’s eyes grew wide.
“That Gabe was murdered? I don’t know, but someone had to have a reason for deleting that footage. We need to figure out why. And more importantly, who.” Christie rose from her seat. “I also need to figure out if I should share this information with someone.”
“I think you should call the coroner. He may be interested in hearing that news, since I believe he’s the one who’ll be investigating.”
Christie nodded. “Yes, that’s what I’ve been thinking, but wasn’t sure. I’ll call him tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow’s Sunday.” Lana smiled.
“Oh yeah. My days seem to run into one another.” Christie replied.
Lana stood up. “Well, I need to get back to it. See you tomorrow after church for lunch?”
Christie nodded, “Of course. You know Pop.”
“Great.” Lana started into the barn before turning back to Christie. “Oh, I forgot. The caterer is bringing in food on Monday so we can do some taste-testing.”
“It’s a bit early for that, isn’t it? The gala’s still a month away.”
“Yes, but she wanted to do it since we didn’t do anything over the holidays. Plus, who doesn’t like a free lunch for the staff and volunteers?”
“True. Do I need to do anything? Set up a space?”
Lana replied, “No. She was here yesterday, so she picked out the best spot for the catering area.”
“Okay. Good.” Christie waved before heading back to mount Champ and ride home. As she made her way past Mesquite trees, it occurred to Christie that the caterer had also been present yesterday. The first thing Christie needed to do when she got home was make a list of everyone who had been on the premises of Horse Haven and could have seen what happened to Gabe.
Or worse, could have had a hand in his death.