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Jessie knocked on Daniel’s office door not really expecting him to be there at nine o’clock on a Wednesday morning. He called out for her to come in. Apparently track CEOs didn’t get days off either.
“Jessie.” He rose as she entered the room. “How nice to see you.”
She doubted he’d feel the same once he heard what she had to say.
He motioned to a chair opposite his desk, which she accepted. “I hope you’re here to tell me you’re taking over Doc’s practice.”
“No. In fact, it might be out of my hands.”
Daniel sank into his own chair. “What do you mean?”
Sherry’s relationship with Doc wasn’t part of Jessie’s agenda. “Never mind. That’s not why I’m here.”
“Oh?” He rested his forearms on the desk. “That tranquilizer. Acepromazine. Did you ever find out why Doc gave it to Clown?”
“I don’t believe he did.” She told him about the records she’d tracked down at Doc’s house and the notations about the horse’s reaction to the drug.
“If Doc didn’t administer it, who did?”
“That’s what I’m trying to find out. According to Zelda, everyone knew about it, but maybe someone new to the track didn’t.” Jessie’s throat tightened. “Otherwise, whoever gave Clown the drug did it intentionally, knowing what would happen.”
“Sounds like you think someone meant for Doc to be killed.”
Jessie held his gaze. And her tongue. She waited for him to tell her she was crazy.
Instead, he asked, “Any idea who?”
“What do you know about Butch?”
“Butch?” Daniel frowned. “From security?”
“Yeah.”
“Not much. You suspect him? Why?”
“I heard he’s been doing some loan sharking on the side.” Sherry had made it sound viable. Coming from Jessie’s mouth, it sounded lame.
“Loan sharking.” The look on Daniel’s face suggested he agreed with Jessie’s latest assessment.
“That’s what I heard. And that Doc was blackmailing him.”
Daniel picked up a pencil and tapped it on the desk. “I’ll look into it.”
“There’s also Frank Hamilton.”
The pencil fell still. “What about Frank Hamilton?”
Jessie wondered if this was going to sound insane too. “I understand he’s been involved in fixing some races.”
“Damn it. I warned him if I ever caught him trying that again...”
Maybe Sherry wasn’t so far off base after all. Which left Jessie pondering the third name on Sherry’s list.
The pencil continued drumming. “But why would Hamilton have reason to harm Doc?”
“Apparently, Doc knew what was going on and was putting some pressure on him.”
“I’ll look into that too.” Daniel used his drumstick to jot a note. “How’d you find out all this?”
Jessie wasn’t sure she wanted to reveal her source. Then she thought of the pool. “Sherry Malone.”
“Ah.” He nodded as if he should have guessed. “She was Doc’s assistant, so she would know.”
“She’s also his daughter.”
The pencil slipped from Daniel’s fingers and clattered from the desk to the floor. “You’re kidding.”
“I don’t have a paternity test to prove it, but according to her, it’s true.”
Daniel swiveled his chair toward the window overlooking the outdoor paddock.
Jessie studied his profile. His strong jaw. Dimples that were aging into creases. A flush of warmth rose to her neck. She lowered her eyes and hooked a finger in her collar, giving it a tug. Good thing Meryl wasn’t here.
“Jessie? Are you all right?”
She looked up to find Daniel watching her. “Sherry believes Doc left her his practice in his will.”
“That’s what you meant about it being out of your hands?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
He turned toward the window again, but not before she caught a glimpse of something dark in his eyes.
Jessie stood. “I should be going.”
He swung around in his chair, as though he’d forgotten about her. “I’m sorry.” He flashed his charming, boyish smile at her. “I’m not a very good host. You don’t have to go.”
“Yes, I do. I have a lot of paperwork to catch up on.”
He rose and stepped around his desk. “I’ll check into Frank and Butch and let you know what I find out. You’ll keep me posted if you learn anything more?”
“Absolutely.”
He extended a hand and she took it. His grip was warm and firm. And gentle. She found herself wondering about that argument he’d had with Doc. But now wasn’t the time to ask.
It must have shown on her face. “Are you sure you’re all right?” he asked.
She looked up into Daniel’s concerned eyes. “Absolutely.” She threw in a smile for good measure before slipping her hand from his and beating a hasty retreat.
***
JESSIE HAD SKIPPED breakfast, and her rumbling stomach insisted she make a detour on her way to the office. Armed with a second large coffee and a Styrofoam container of toast and scrambled eggs from the rec hall, she wrestled open the clinic door and trudged across the exam area. She set her “brunch” on the desk and popped open the lids, savoring the aromas. No sooner had she taken her first bite than a familiar voice called from outside.
“Hello? Jessie?” Catherine Dodd stood just inside the big doorway, out of the rain.
“Come in,” Jessie called around a mouthful of bread. She chewed fast and managed to swallow by the time Catherine reached the office. “What brings you all the way out here?” Catherine rarely strayed into the backside.
“I hope you don’t mind. I need to talk to someone.” Catherine pointed at the container on the desk. “I’m sorry. I see I’ve interrupted your breakfast.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Jessie flipped the lid closed and motioned toward the couch. “Have a seat.”
Catherine brushed a hand across the vinyl as though that might make it acceptably clean before sitting down.
Jessie suppressed a smile. “Catherine, how do you always manage to look so put together? Not only do you look like you stepped out of the pages of Vogue, but you stay so...clean.”
Catherine glanced down at her perfect pale blue skirt and jacket. “What do you mean?”
“I put on clean jeans and a t-shirt in the morning, and within an hour I’m covered in cat hair, hay, and straw.”
“Maybe you should stay out of the barn.”
Jessie studied Catherine’s face for some sign of humor. There wasn’t any. “Maybe I’ll give that a try.” Jessie waited for a laugh or a grin, something—anything—to show Catherine recognized the irony in her words. When none was forthcoming, Jessie cleared her throat. “What did you want to talk about?”
Catherine let out a shuddering, damp sigh. “Jessie, do you think Milt might be having an affair?”
Jessie choked. “An affair? Milt?”
Catherine extracted a tissue from her jacket pocket. She didn’t reply but watched Jessie intently.
Jessie gazed into her coffee cup, imagining Milt’s face with all its good ol’ boy charm. She thought about how he and Meryl had been making eyes at each other a few days earlier. No doubt about it, Milt was a shameless flirt. But Jessie couldn’t fathom him ever taking it further.
Catherine touched the tissue to the corner of her eye. “You know I was the one who broke up Milt’s first marriage.”
Jessie hadn’t. Maybe he was capable of taking it further.
“I’ve heard the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.” Catherine sniffled. “This spring, I was certain Milt had a girlfriend on the side, so I decided to retaliate.”
The office suddenly felt too close. Too confined. “Why are you telling me all this?”
“I can’t stand it anymore. I need to talk to someone about it. We’ve known each other forever, and you know everyone involved. Plus, I trust you won’t repeat any of this.” Catherine again dabbed at her eyes, careful not to smudge the mascara. “I slept with Doc.”
What? While Jessie adored the man and his brilliant mind, she couldn’t picture Catherine, with her perfectly styled hair and matched suits, together with Doc and his dusty blue jeans and shabby hat.
“Doc was such a wonderful, sweet lover. Incredible really...” Catherine’s face took on an ethereal smile. Jessie sensed she had drifted away to a place Jessie did not want to think about.
“Does Milt know?”
Catherine snapped out of her reverie. “Oh, Christ, no.”
“You sure?”
“Absolutely. Milt would never be able to hide something like that from me. He would be crushed. I’m certain he doesn’t know. And I don’t want him to find out.”
From experience, Jessie knew exactly how Milt would feel. Betrayed. Devastated. Heartbroken. She wouldn’t wish that on her worst enemy, let alone a friend. “I won’t say a word.”
“Thank you.” Catherine lowered the hand clutching the tissue to her lap. “Are you positive you don’t know anything about him having an affair?”
“Not a thing.” Nor did she want to.
Catherine nodded. “I’m probably projecting my own guilty conscience on him.” She stuffed the tissue back in her pocket. “It’s good to be able to talk to someone about these things.” She stood and moved to leave, then hesitated. “I almost forgot. Could you take another peek at Blue sometime when you get a chance?”
Jessie rubbed her eyes, still trying to get the vision of Catherine with Doc out of her brain. “What’s wrong with him?”
“Nothing really. Well, nothing new. I just wanted you to check him and make sure. Maybe the break has healed better than you expected. Do you think you could x-ray him again?”
“I doubt I’d have anything more to tell you than I did last time.”
“I know, but I’d still like another set of x-rays.”
“Sure.”
“Good. I’ll call you and set up an appointment.” Catherine performed a flawless pirouette on four-inch heels before ambling out the door, waving one dainty hand as she went.
Jessie stared at the container of cold eggs. Even if they’d still been hot, she didn’t think she could choke them down. She picked up the box and dropped it in the trash.
Jessie had started entering the first of Doc’s old records on her laptop when a knock on the office door jolted her. She looked up to find Milt grinning through the glass. She waved him in.
“Hey, darlin’.” Milt closed the door behind him. “What’re you doing here on your day off?”
“Paperwork.”
He ambled in and flopped down on the old sofa. “Anyone ever tell you that you’re a workaholic?”
Jessie made a face. “Yeah. Greg.” She watched Milt sprawl out, crossing his ankles as they hung off the not-quite-long-enough couch. The Dodd family were certainly making themselves comfortable in her office today. “I’ve got nothing better to do, so I’ve started computerizing Doc’s files,” she said.
“Why bother if you don’t plan on taking over his practice?”
Jessie snorted. “I didn’t think you paid attention when I told you I wasn’t staying.” She tried to focus on the information she was typing, but Milt’s question stuck in her head. Why was she bothering with Doc’s records? Why was the idea of Sherry inheriting his practice creating knots of tension in Jessie’s shoulders? And why was Jessie hoping Milt had been right about Doc not leaving his practice to Sherry?
“Hello?”
Jessie realized Milt had been talking. “I’m sorry. What?”
“I said, I pay attention to everything you say, but I also know when you’re kidding yourself.”
Before Jessie had a chance to come up with a retort, the office door crashed open. She jumped, certain the glass was about to shatter. A crimson-faced Frank Hamilton stood in the doorway.
Milt jumped to his feet. “What the hell, Hamilton?”
“This has nothing to do with you, Dodd.” The paddock judge didn’t take his eyes off Jessie. “My business is with the doctor. You should go find a horse to shoe.”
Jessie recalled her last face-to-face with Frank Hamilton in the paddock. That night he’d been stern and authoritative, dressing her down for encroaching in his territory. The man who stood before her now displayed no such self-control. She shot a pleading glance at Milt.
The blacksmith hooked his thumbs in his jeans’ pockets. “I’m not going anywhere with you acting like this, Hamilton.”
Jessie released a breath.
Hamilton ignored the blacksmith and took two steps toward her. “You, Dr. Cameron, are meddling in affairs that are none of your concern.”
The man stood several inches taller than Jessie, but she countered his attempt at intimidation by rising slowly from her chair and stalking around the desk. Keeping her voice low, she said, “Get out of my office.”
“Or what? Are you going to turn me in to Daniel Shumway again?” He took another step closer. “I don’t appreciate people threatening my job. I told you before to stay out of my paddock. Now I’m telling you to stay the hell out of my business.”
Milt took one long stride and grabbed Hamilton by the arm. “You wanna tell me what this is all about?”
Hamilton tried to tug free. “Stay out of this, Dodd.”
Milt’s grip held. “Sorry. Can’t do that.”
The two men glowered, fists clenched. Before they could come to blows, Jessie jumped in. “Sherry told me you’ve been fixing races, and Doc knew about it.” Neither man blinked. “I told Daniel and got the impression he wasn’t surprised by the news.”
Milt and Hamilton continued to glare at each other, however a hint of a smile flickered across the blacksmith’s face. “At it again, are you, Hamilton?”
The paddock judge tried to wrest his arm free. “No, I’m not. And no one can prove otherwise. Not you. Not Shumway.” His gaze turned to Jessie. “Not you either. And certainly not Doc.”
The tone of his voice sent a chill through her. “Certainly not Doc,” she said. “Seeing as he’s dead.”
Hamilton lunged at Jessie. She tried to step back, but her leg hit the desk. She scrambled to keep her balance. Milt hauled Hamilton away from her, but the paddock judge swung his free arm. The fist connected with Milt’s jaw with a sickening pop. Jessie yelped. Milt staggered. Caught himself. And charged.
Hamilton oofed as Milt’s shoulder impacted his midsection. The next thing Jessie knew, Hamilton slammed into her, sending her over the desk. Something jammed into her back as she tumbled sending electrical sparks of pain screaming up her spine. Pens, veterinary reports, and notes went sailing. With Hamilton on top of her, they both skidded across the desk.
Jessie expected to go all the way over. She pictured herself landing headfirst in the office chair. But the weight of the paddock judge not only crushed the air out of her, it dragged her to a stop.
Hamilton groaned.
Jessie wished she could groan too. She hadn’t realized how big a man Hamilton was until all two-hundred-pounds-plus of him flattened her. She tried to maneuver her arms in closer to her body so she could leverage him off, but he didn’t budge.
Suddenly the weight lifted. Jessie gasped for air. She looked up to see that Milt had hoisted Hamilton up by his collar. “Jessie, darlin’, are you all right?”
Her initial reaction was hell no. Something hard and sharp bit into her back. Her ribs ached. She was bent backward over her desk and still feared she might end up on her head. The only word she could muster was, “Ouch.”
Milt shoved Hamilton down onto the sofa and caught Jessie’s arm. She let him pull her up to sit. His gaze looked past her, and his eyes widened. “Oh, mercy.”
She turned and discovered why her back stung like she’d tangled with a porcupine. Her laptop lay in shambles where she’d fallen on it. The screen’s glass had shattered in a design to rival a spider’s web. Instead of showing the record she’d been working on, it looked like an abstract painting complete with a rainbow of color. Several of the keys had popped from the keyboard. Jessie suspected some of them might be imbedded in her back. She swore.
Milt wiped a hand across his mouth. “Don’t suppose you had that stuff backed up, did you?”
Jessie stood and winced at the pain. “Some of it. Not all. None of what I did today.” She looked at the floor where all her notes and two manila folders of Doc’s records lay scattered. She swore again.
Frank Hamilton staggered to his feet. Milt turned toward him, braced to take a swing. Hamilton held up both hands. “Enough, Dodd.” He sidestepped to the door without taking his eyes off Milt and Jessie. “I’m filing assault charges against both of you.” He pointed to Jessie. “And if you ever say one word about me again, I’ll sue you for libel.” Then he wheeled and stormed out.
“That would be slander,” Jessie called after him. But he gave no indication he’d heard her. She eyed Milt. “If he’s going to sue me, he should at least get the charge right.”
Milt chuckled. “And he’s filing assault charges against both of us?”
“I assaulted his back with my face. If the cops come after you, send them to see me. He took the first swing. I saw it.” She reached around to rub the sore spot on her spine. “My poor laptop.”
Milt circled the desk and bent to pick up a handful of papers. “I’ll help you sort these.”
She took them from him. “Don’t be silly. Besides, there’s no rush. I can’t do much until I get a new computer. Go on. Get outta here.”
He frowned at the mess and then at Jessie. “I shoulda busted him one in the jaw.”
“What good would that have done? Then he’d really have grounds for assault charges.”
The frown turned into an impish grin. “But it would’ve been fun to give him a bloody lip. That no-good jackass. Gives the rest of us track people a bad name.”
She nodded in agreement. “Go home, Milt. And thanks.”
He thumped her on the shoulder and walked away.
As he crossed the exam area, Jessie remembered her visit from Catherine. She’d been trying to forget it, but there was one issue she needed to address. “Hey, Milt,” she called from the office door.
He turned toward her.
“Tell Catherine I’ll stop by tomorrow afternoon.”
A look of puzzlement crossed his face. “Why?”
“She asked me to take some new x-rays of Blue’s foot.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know why she wants to waste more money on that boy, but she’s the boss.” With a wave, he left.
Jessie returned to her desk and scooped up an armload of records. She thought of Frank Hamilton and his threats of an assault charge. Dumping the papers next to the mashed laptop, she reached for the phone. If anyone was going to bring the cops into this mess, it was going to be her.