| |
Having found no sign of Natalie at the Frazier home, Carl returned to his truck and sat inside with his legs dangling outside. He stared below the open door at the asphalt of the driveway, trying to think with a mind that seemed to have gone blank. He reached to the truck’s console for his cell phone, defeated, and tapped Sarah’s number.
“I think it’s time to call Jeff and let him know what’s going on here,” Carl said when Sarah answered.
It was 8:30; almost an hour past the time Natalie was to meet Sarah. “Yes,” Sarah agreed. “I’ll stay here at the barn and wait for some word about Natalie, but I’m going to go see if Sonny’s heard anything.”
“Okay.” Carl tapped Jeff’s number.
“Hey, Carl!” Jeff answered. “Are you guys on the road?”
“Not yet,” Carl said hesitantly. “We have a problem.”
“Santos and I just finished breakfast and are about to go back to check on Fury,” Jeff said. “Hang on a second,” Carl could hear him talking to Santos, then a rustling sound when Jeff repressed his phone to his ear. “Okay, Carl. I’m good. What’s going on?”
“Sarah got to the barn a few minutes before I did.” Carl paused, dreading telling Jeff, “Natalie wasn’t there, Jeff. Sarah called her, but there was no answer, so she left a message on Natalie’s cell phone, then tried the house. There was no answer there, either. We figured Natalie might have run over to the horseman’s kitchen and locked up before she left. When I unlocked the barn, though, it was clear that she hadn’t been there this morning. I took a ride out to your place to see if she had broken down somewhere along the way, and Sarah explained to security that she was supposed to have met Natalie, and she wasn’t here. The guard said he’d alert the other security staff and have a look around the track. He checked back with Sarah a few minutes ago and said that so far, they’d had no luck. There’s no sign of her, and she hasn’t returned Sarah’s call.”
“You said you went to the house. Was the red truck there?”
“I’m still outside your house,” Carl told him. “The truck is gone. I checked the house doors and they were locked. I even walked around and checked the windows. As far as I could see, nothing seemed out of place.”
“She always forgets to charge her darn phone,” Jeff grumbled. “Still, she wouldn’t be late getting to the barn, particularly today. What time was she planning to meet you and Sarah?”
“I told her I’d be there by eight. Sarah was planning to meet her at seven-thirty. She got to the barn at seven-fifteen. I was there shortly after that.”
The telephone line went silent. Carl waited.
“Did you call the police?” Jeff asked.
“No,” the jockey replied. “We wanted to talk to you before we called the police. We were hoping that you might have spoken to her or had an idea where she could have gone.”
“I’ll call the police,” Jeff said. “I’ll tell Santos what’s going on, and then I’m driving back home. I’m leaving here as soon as I can. Tell Sarah I’ll meet her at the track and take her back to the house to wait.”
“Do you want me to drive to Laredo to ride Fury?” Carl hated to ask under such worrying circumstances, but he needed an answer. “Or should I stay here and keep searching for Natalie?”
“You come on down to Laredo and plan to ride. If I scratch that colt, Natalie will have my head. Santos will be able to get Fury to the paddock and get him saddled. We know enough people down here that I can find somebody to help Santos. I’d appreciate it if you can get to the paddock a little early in case they need another pair of hands. Natalie is usually there to keep him settled. If she doesn’t make it to the paddock, it will probably be helpful for you to be there in her place. He responds well to you.”
“No problem,” Carl said. “Do you want me to see if Sonny can shake loose and ride along? It would make it easier if we had him with us, before the race. He was going to stay here and take care of the horses, but if you’re coming back, Sonny might be of more help in Laredo.”
“Good idea,” Jeff agreed. “Talk to Sonny or have him call me. If he can ride up with you, it will solve our paddock problem. Fury is raring to go. Ride him like you did in the Angelina, and you have a good chance to cross the wire in front. Can you stay overnight and follow Santos and Fury home tomorrow?”
“Sure, Jeff,” Carl told his friend. “Not a problem. I’ll take care of it for you. Just let me know if there’s anything else I can do.”
“Thanks, Carl. Are you driving your truck?” Jeff asked.
“Yes,” Carl responded. “I’ll put a trailer hitch on it, so I’m good to tow Fury back tomorrow.”
“That would be great.” Jeff said. “I’d rather not leave him there any longer than necessary. I brought the small trailer, so it shouldn’t be a problem for you.”
Carl closed his door and started the engine, “We won’t have any problems, don’t worry. Besides, Santos will be with me, and maybe Sonny as well.”
“Alright. I’ll talk to Santos and be on the road in a few minutes.” Jeff said. “I’ll watch for your truck on the highway.”
“I’ll fill Sonny and Sarah in, and one of us will call and let you know if Sonny will be along with me.” Carl promised. “Either way, Sarah said she’s going to wait at the barn until we know something, so you can meet her here when you get back.”
“Thanks, Carl,” Jeff’s voice quavered, slightly. “I’ll talk to you soon.”
When Carl finally arrived back, Sarah and Sonny were quietly talking outside of the barn.
“Jeff is on his way back from Laredo now,” he shouted as he stepped out of his truck. “I’ll need your help, Sonny. I’ve got to attach a trailer hitch to my truck. We’re racing Fury.”
Sonny looked surprised, but Sarah looked relieved. “I was hoping Jeff wouldn’t scratch him,” she said. “No matter what, Natalie would want Fury to run this afternoon.”
“True,” Carl said. “Sonny, Jeff wanted me to ask if you could go to Laredo with me. Santos will be by himself, and even with me in the paddock before the race, we sure could use your help.”
Sonny nodded. “Absolutely. I’ll help you with the hitch, but I’ll need about twenty minutes to go home and throw some clothes together.”
“No problem. I’ll follow you and we can leave from your place.” Carl turned to Sarah. “I’m sorry you won’t be coming along with us.”
“I think it will be better that I wait here,” Sarah said, smiling nervously at the jockey. “The race is being live streamed, so I can watch the race with on my computer, with Jeff, when he gets home. Maybe Natalie will be back by then to watch with us.”
While Carl and Sonny struggled with the hitch, Sarah escaped into the barn to hide her tears. Flight whinnied, so Sarah stroked filly’s face. “Where could she have gone, Flight?” Flight snorted and shook her head, as if to say she had no idea, either.
