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The grounds on the backside of the track were more impressive than Nikki anticipated. Roads curved in several directions, marked by signs pointing to the clubhouse, paddock and barns. A crusher dust walkway, restricted to horse traffic, was deserted at this time of night, but still well lit. There was no Escalade behind them so whoever had been following probably couldn’t get past the security gate. She relaxed against the seat, savoring the moment. Chico had made it to his race, safe and sound.
They drove toward the stable area where long narrow barns stretched in rows. A few horses poked their heads over stall doors, watching sleepily as they rolled past. Nikki reached over the seat and patted Gunner, grateful he hadn’t growled at the guard so close to Ana’s window. It was doubtful he’d have been permitted entry—support dog or not—if he’d shown any sort of aggression. But Gunner was totally chill. Jorge had invited him back up on the seat and he stared out the side window, ears pricked, seeming to regard this as a grand adventure.
The backside was a unique spot, crammed with horse paths, hot walkers and earthy smells. Hanging flower pots gave splashes of color while picnic tables and hammocks added a country feel. A white goat nibbled on a patch of grass, his coat gleaming beneath the barn light.
“Strange that goats can be loose while dogs have to be tied,” Nikki said, remembering how the goat at the stable where she and her sister had taken lessons had become a major nuisance. The owners had quietly found it another home.
“Goats are safer,” Ana said, barely glancing sideways. “They don’t scare the horses. And they eat the same food so they’re convenient. Some horses get upset without a companion. A goat is small and can travel with them.”
“Is that where the expression ‘he got his goat’ came from?”
“Maybe. Stealing a goat was the old-fashioned way of upsetting a competitor’s horse.”
Durant would go a lot further than kidnapping a goat, Nikki thought. But it was reassuring how the barn area was large and well lit. Chico was now just one horse among hundreds. He was safe; her job was done. And the last of her tension drained away.
“Let’s get a stall in that shedrow.” She gestured at a welcoming barn on her right. A double-wide hammock stretched between two trees, flanked by several wooden chairs. There was grass for Chico to nibble and also dorms close by, which meant convenient shower facilities.
“We’re not allowed,” Ana said, barely glancing sideways. “Those stalls are for the big trainers, the ones who stay here all year. That’s why they’re fixed up like that. Ship-ins use the shedrows further from the track. That’s where the Durant horses always go.”
“Does that mean Durant’s men have credentials? They can get in here without a horse?”
“Yes.”
Nikki squeezed her eyes shut, suddenly not quite as relaxed. No wonder Durant hadn’t tried anything risky on the road. He had the luxury of biding his time. “So Durant knows exactly where we’re going?”
“Well, I suppose,” Ana said. “Because Chico has an assigned stall, the third one in the shedrow. But I’ll be with him every minute, night and day, until the saddle goes on his back. After that, his jockey will take care of him. Chico’s jockey is one of the top ten riders here.”
“Do you know him well? Your jockey?”
“Not personally. But he’s ridden Chico eight times before.”
Nikki stared straight ahead, loath to voice her fears. However, Durant had already taken extreme steps to stop Chico from racing. He had men and money, and sadly almost everyone had a price.
“You’re certain,” she said carefully, “that your jockey can’t be influenced?”
“Absolutely. Durant tried to bribe Gary before. Told him to throw a race. But Gary rides to win, every time. Chico is in safe hands.”
Nikki rubbed her forehead. Perhaps money wouldn’t sway Gary, but there were other ways to influence. And some offers were difficult to refuse. “Does he live on the backside?” she asked.
“No, he owns a house off track. He rides for several big stables so doesn’t have to depend on Durant’s ship-ins. And Gary has no wives or daughters to rape.”
Ana spoke calmly, considering the assaults she’d endured. Amazingly, she didn’t want justice; she only wanted Chico. And it was comforting to know the jockey would give Chico a fair shake.
She eased the truck and trailer to a stop by a darkened shedrow at the rear of the grounds. Nikki glanced around, hoping to spot a hammock. No doubt Ana would sleep with Chico, but there wouldn’t be any extra floor space in his stall.
However, the truck’s headlights revealed a barn very different from the welcoming shedrows they’d passed. There were no chairs or flower baskets or even a grazing goat. There were also fewer horses in residence, judging by the absence of heads peering over stall doors. It reminded her of a one-star motel that catered to budget travelers.
Ana seemed content though and was already reaching for her door handle. “We need to get Chico’s stall ready before we unload him,” she said. “Water, hay, bedding. But I want to check it out first.”
“Doesn’t the track maintain the stalls?”
“Yes, but I want to look for any problems. Like sharp nails, loose boards, or moldy hay that could cause colic.” Her voice thickened. “I also worry about poison.”
Nikki shook her head in disgust. Durant was certainly a snake. There didn’t seem to be any limit to his nastiness. “I’ll have Gunner give it a sniff,” she said.
She pushed open the passenger door and signaled at Gunner. He scrambled over Jorge and leaped to the ground then waited as she clipped on his leash.
She waited a moment, scanning their surroundings, letting her eyes grow accustomed to the dark. She couldn’t see much beyond the shedrow but there were no other vehicles on the road and the only sounds came from a whinnying horse.
“Vehicles have to be parked away from the barns,” Ana said. “So it’s hard to tell if Mr. Durant was here. But I think Chico is safe now.”
She trudged toward the stall, her shoulders hunched. She might pretend she was no longer worried but her body language spoke differently.
No one should have to live with fear like that, Nikki thought, striding after her. The idea of poison was appalling. Gunner wouldn’t eat anything without permission but Chico was vulnerable. It emphasized how careful they’d have to be with his food and water.
Ana slid the stall door open, the sound jarring in the silence. Seconds later, she jumped back, so violently she almost tripped over Gunner. He cocked his head and stared in the stall, as if wondering why she was upset.
Nikki edged into the stall, comforted by Gunner’s reaction, or lack of it. No one was hiding in the corner, waiting to attack. It looked totally normal...except for a white object dangling by a rope hung from the rafters.
She pulled out her phone, using the light to identify it.
“A horse skull,” Ana whispered.
Nikki swept her light up and down, revealing a bony ridge on a narrow forehead and huge gaping eye sockets. Unlike a cow skull, it had both upper and lower incisors. Thankfully not human, but Durant’s message was clear. Chico was in danger.
Ana pulled a jackknife from her pocket, but her hands were trembling so much she couldn’t push the blade through the nylon rope.
Nikki eased the knife from Ana’s stiff fingers. “Let me cut it,” she said. “I’m a bit taller.”
She sliced the rope, relieved the skull wasn’t fresh. Unlike the arm in the field, it had no tissue. In fact, when she lowered it to the floor, Gunner barely gave it a cursory sniff.
“Take it to the dumpster,” Ana said. “I don’t want anyone else to see it.”
“Best to keep it so we can show it to authorities.”
“No!” Ana made the sign of the cross. “I don’t want it anywhere near Chico, or any other horse. It’s bad luck. Get it out of here. Por favor!”
Nikki moved the skull outside the door. Ana was visibly affected, more upset about an old horse skull than a human arm. Maybe because it was a threat to her beloved horse. However, it went against Nikki’s training to dispose of evidence. She rechecked her phone battery. However, it was too low to take a photo.
“I don’t want security asking questions,” Ana said, her voice strengthening. “They don’t like trouble here. Please. Throw it in the dumpster.”
Nikki gave a reluctant nod.
“You promise? You’ll get rid of it?”
“Yes, I promise.”
“Okay. Then I’ll help Jorge bring in the straw and hay.”
“We better check that Durant didn’t leave anything else,” Nikki said. The skull might be a diversion, designed to fluster Ana. Clearly it had worked.
She turned a slow circle. The stall lacked the size and opulence of Chico’s home accommodations although it appeared safe. The floor consisted of packed dirt, raked clean of old hay and bedding. The walls were empty except for a steel hook hanging close to the door.
Ana pivoted, following Nikki’s gaze. “That bucket hook looks sharp. Some people don’t worry about things like that. But I’m going to take it out.”
She unscrewed the hook, slipped it into her pocket then slid her fingers along several boards. “I’ll grab a hammer from the truck and tighten some of these nails,” she said. “But otherwise everything is fine.”
Gunner seemed similarly content. He sniffed at a few urine stains but otherwise was more interested in staring out the door, checking the trailer where Jorge kept watch over Chico.
“You mentioned poison,” Nikki said, sliding the stall door shut so Gunner could concentrate. “What kind are we looking for? Gunner can find a lot of things but he’s not trained for that type of search.”
“Not technically poison.” Ana gave a dismissive shrug, clearly eager to take Chico off the trailer and into the relative comfort of his stall. “A horse’s stomach is easily upset. Something as small as a moldy carrot could cause colic. And a nail in the sole of his foot would make him lame. Durant wants to take him out of action, not kill him.”
Nikki poked at the hardened dirt with the toe of her shoe. Found nothing sharp or protruding. Certainly there was nothing that would bruise a horse’s tender soles. But the skull was too obvious. Durant hadn’t followed all this way just to leave a swinging bone.
She unclipped Gunner’s leash. “Search.”
Without the trailer to distract, Gunner swept around the stall, nose to the ground, checking every corner. He stopped and tilted his head, staring at Nikki, clearly not finding anything he considered worthy.
“Guess it’s okay,” Nikki said.
Ana wheeled toward the door. “Great. I’ll bring in the straw. And screw in a different hook for Chico’s water bucket.”
“Wait a sec,” Nikki said.
Gunner had trotted to the back of the stall, nose in the air. He rose on his hind legs, sniffing against the wall. On two legs, he was almost as tall as a horse. And at a horse’s eye level, there was a rounded hole in the board, too perfectly shaped to be a knothole.
He looked over his shoulder at Nikki and then sat, indicating a find.
“Good dog,” she said, using a pleased singsong voice.
Gunner’s tail thumped the ground, his lip curling in a happy smile.
Ana rushed to the back wall. Balancing on her toes, she pulled out her pocket knife and poked at the hole.
“A piece of apple,” she muttered, extracting it with the tip of her knife. “Damn Durant.”
“Think it’s doctored?”
Ana gave the apple a suspicious sniff. “Probably contains something illegal. Racing is closely monitored and horses are tested after each race. Something as simple as caffeine will show up. Durant knows Chico loves apples. He’d eat it, even if it smells a bit different.”
She gave Gunner a grateful pat. “You did well to find this. Now we know everything is safe.”
Ana looked relieved but Nikki couldn’t help scanning the surrounding darkness. Chico still had to get through the night and it was troubling that Durant knew the location of his stall. Especially one that was so isolated.
“I’ll grab a blanket and sleep in the aisle outside Chico’s stall,” she said. “So Gunner and I will be close by.”
“The truck and trailer would be more comfortable,” Ana said. “But I’m glad you’ll stay with me tonight. Thank you.”
“No problem.” Nikki found it remarkable that Ana was so gracious and not seething at Durant’s attempt to hurt her horse. She wouldn’t be nearly as forgiving.
“I know this wasn’t how you planned to spend your time,” Ana went on. “I’m sorry we wrecked your vacation.”
Nikki slid open the stall door, letting Gunner trot back toward the trailer. His tail was high, there was a bounce in his step and he hadn’t looked so proud since his gunshot wound. Clearly he relished having a job and thought guarding Chico was much more fun than jogging through the lonely woods. She was having quite a bit of fun too.
“No need to apologize,” she said, smiling over her shoulder at Ana. “Our vacation wasn’t wrecked. Not one bit.”
