CHAPTER 15

The morning sun was high in the cloudless sky, promising another scorching Southwestern day. Tonya wished she had a bottle of water as she sat beneath the kitchen window. Mike Torres was in the interview room.

“Now, Torres,” Kubisky was saying, “what can you tell us about Alana Symonds? Did you know her very well?”

Mike spoke quietly and respectfully. “No, sir, not well at all. She rode in some races with me, and exercised horses for some of the trainers I work for. That’s all.”

“Did you ever speak to her?”

“Not really.”

“I understand you had an argument in the starting gate with her and the Callahan girl.”

“Not an argument exactly.”

“What was it? Exactly.”

“They were holding up the start. I told them to hurry it up.”

“What do you think of women jockeys? Are they much competition? I hear you’re the leading rider here this summer.”

“Yes, I am. The two girl jocks get a few mounts here and there. I wouldn’t call them competition.”

“No? What would you call them?” There was silence from Mike.

The cop is trying to trap him into saying something he shouldn’t. The creep.

Mike didn’t respond.

“What do you know about the groom who was killed? Alfredo Gomez.”

“Nothing.”

“Any idea how he got that black eye?”

Mike hesitated for a moment. “I know he got into a fight with Graham Lynde. One of the trainers. At the beginning of the summer.”

“Did you see them fighting?” Kubisky sounded interested, and Tonya wondered why it took Alana’s murder for him to start investigating Alfie’s death. These questions should have been asked before. And what was Lynde doing fighting with Royce’s groom? Was this what Luis was hiding?

“I didn’t see a fight, just Lynde take a swing at him. Gomez didn’t fight back. Just walked away. Didn’t seem like much at the time.”

“What do you know about Carlos, the drug dealer?”

Kubisky seemed to be firing questions at Mike and switching subjects. What was he trying to do?

Mike maintained his cool. “I know he was supposed to be in with a cartel.”

“I understand you work with the track vet. Vets use all kinds of drugs, don’t they?”

“Of course, but we don’t buy ours from a drug cartel, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“Do any of the trainers buy drugs from them?”

“You’d have to ask them.”

Why didn’t Mike tell the cop about his argument with Lynde over doping?

Kubisky rustled his papers again. “This horse you’re riding in the last race today. The one that’s circled here. Anything unusual about that race?”

“Just another race.”

“Eight to one odds. Pretty good. Maybe I’ll put a fiver on her.” Kubisky chuckled. Mike was silent. “All right, Torres. You can go.”

Tonya heard the door close. Kubisky groaned as he shifted in his chair. “Well, Abarca, anything strike you as odd so far?”

“Yes, sir. Nobody seems to know anything about anything. What are they all hiding? Mendes knows more than he’s saying about the groom. And why did Sommers say he saw Jeffers at the Callahans’ at noon when we know he was there last night?”

“Bingo. Call him in, and we’ll ask him.”

Jeffers bustled in with the air of a man who had more important things to do. “He’s mistaken. I was nowhere near the parking lot yesterday. I was in the office all day. I went to see Royce last night when I heard someone broke into his trailer.”

“Oh? Who told you?”

“I ran into Doc Frey. He told me about the attack on the cat.”

“What time was that?”

“Around seven.”

“So you went right over to the Callahans?”

“Yes. It’s my job as--”

“The man in charge, we know,” Kubisky said with a sigh. “For being in charge at this dinky little track, you’ve had more than your share of trouble this summer. Any explanation for that?”

“Yeah,” Jeffers sounded peeved. “We have a bunch of wetbacks, drifters, and trouble-making females working here. It goes with the territory. The backstretches of these tracks are full of degenerates. Who else would work here? Lousy pay, ridiculous hours, back-breaking work. All we get is the scum.”

“All right, Jeffers. That’s all. Oh, when are you going to be putting a security camera in the parking lot. Seems to be a lot of action there.”

Tonya could tell Kubisky was needling Jeffers again.

“As soon as the board provides the funds. Maybe you could get your boss on that.”

“The chief’s all for it,” Kubisky countered. “What’s the holdup?”

“Your boss isn’t the only one on the board.”

Tonya heard the door close as Jeffers left with Abarca. A few minutes later, Adam returned to say that Graham Lynde and Billy O’Casey had both left.

“Damn them! I told them to stay put.” Tonya heard Kubisky get up and gather his notes. “We’ll have to go after them. Let’s start with Lynde. I want to know why he’s punching grooms.”

Tonya got up from beneath the window, disappointed that she would not be able to overhear those two important interviews. She decided to find the two men and question them herself. How would she get them to open up to her, though? That would take some doing. The first person she would talk to would be Luis. She was sure he knew more about Alfie than he had told the police.

Royce’s barn was a frenzy of activity when she got there. Royce was on Howitzer and leading Gus alongside, heading for the track. When he saw Tonya, he stopped. Gus was dancing around the lead pony, anxious to get his morning exercise, and Royce had his hands full trying to control him.

“What are you doing, Dad?”

Royce was clearly frustrated. “Well, I’ve got no one to gallop my horses this morning, so I’ll have to lead Gus and hope this old pony can keep up with him. Hey, do me a favor. Go over to Lexi’s and ask if she has time to gallop Sable for me this morning.”

“Okay.” But Tonya knew that Lexi would have to exercise all three of her horses herself until Tonya recovered and she probably wouldn’t have time. “Maybe Chris will be by after he talks to Alana’s parents.”

Royce nodded. “Maybe.”

Tonya started down the shedrow toward Lexi’s barn. She found her just unsaddling Jake after his workout. “Hi,” Tonya said, suddenly remembering that she hadn’t seen Lexi at the track kitchen.

“Hi. Put his halter on, will you?”

Tonya took Jake’s halter down from the wall and replaced his bridle with it. “He doesn’t look like he even broke a sweat. And in this weather?”

“He’s being lazy. I swear he knows when I ride him that it’s not the real thing. If you don’t get back on him soon, he’ll be getting fat and out of shape.”

Tonya decided it was time to put away her fears of being injured again. She was as determined to ride again as she was to find Alana’s killer. “I’ll be here tomorrow.”

Lexi seemed surprised. “Are you sure? It’s only been a couple of days.”

“It’s not like anything’s broken. Just a bruise. I’m getting back to work tomorrow. Dad is short a rider now, and I can’t leave him on his own any longer. Tomorrow. By the way, how come you missed the interviews?”

Lexi flung Jake’s saddle onto the railing. “If that fat cop thinks I’m going to foul up my morning so he can ask a bunch of pointless questions, he’s dumber than he looks. I didn’t kill anyone, I don’t know anything, and I have work to do.” She turned the faucet and started hosing Jake down.

It suddenly came to Tonya that Lexi was the perfect person to help her think through the questions that surrounded these terrible crimes. She was logical, decisive, and intuitive about people as well as horses. “Lexi, why don’t you come over tonight? I think we may have some of your lasagna left. We can talk about Jake’s races and...stuff. I’d like to hear your thoughts on these murders. And I’m sure Dad would like to see you.”

Lexi looked sideways at Tonya. “You’re not planning on doing anything dangerous, are you? Like trying to play detective?”

“Well, the cops are getting nowhere. Kubisky treats Luis like a criminal, he’s asking about the drugs the vet uses, and he has a thing about Mr. Jeffers being in charge. It’s like all these murders are just an inconvenience to keep him from enjoying his last days on the job.”

“What about your handsome sergeant?”

“He’s not my sergeant,” Tonya said. “And I don’t know what he’s doing. I just want some answers. And I’m not going to sit around until the end of the summer, move on to another track, and forget this happened. Besides, who’s to say the killer won’t be moving on with us?”

Lexi tossed a cooling sheet over Jake and took the lead rope from Tonya. “I hadn’t thought of that. Okay. I don’t know what I can do, but I’ll come over tonight. Maybe we can make some sense out of it all.”

“Great. See you later.” Tonya watched Lexi and Jake walk away and realized how much Lexi meant to her and to her father, and the thought made losing Alana just a little less painful.

***

That evening, the three of them sat at the table after finishing the lasagna and clearing the dishes. Henry was curled in Lexi’s lap with his eyes closed, enjoying her attention. Tonya produced a sheet of paper and said they should start by writing down the three people who were killed, who they knew, and who might have something against them. Then there were the three circled entries on the day sheets. Surely there was something there.

Royce was alarmed. “Wait a minute, girls. You don’t mean to say you’re going to get involved in this. It’s a job for the police.”

Lexi reached over and stroked his arm in a gesture that made Tonya realize they were closer than she had thought. “Don’t worry. We’re not going to do anything stupid. We just thought that if we could put some ideas together, we might be able to go to the cops with them. After all, we’re the ones who are here all the time. And we know the people on the backstretch better than they can know them, no matter how many questions they ask.”

Smart lady, Tonya thought, and she knows how to handle Dad.

“Well, okay. Just promise me you won’t do anything dangerous. Either of you.”

Tonya couldn’t help herself. “You mean dangerous like riding racehorses?”

“You know what I mean. Promise me.”

“We promise,” Tonya and Lexi said together.

“Speaking of questions,” Tonya said. “I heard Kubisky interview Luis today and--”

“How the heck did you manage that?” Royce said incredulously.

Tonya told him about opening the window and eavesdropping. “Anyway,” she continued, “Luis wasn’t cooperating with the lieutenant at all. He seemed to be hiding something from them, especially about Alfie. I wonder why.”

Royce shook his head. “Luis is a very private person. And he knows Kubisky’s attitude toward Hispanics. It doesn’t surprise me that he clammed up.”

Tonya made a note on the sheet. “I’m going to talk to him tomorrow. I’m sure he’ll open up to me. Next is Graham Lynde.”

“Why him?” Lexi asked.

“Mike Torres saw him punch Alfie.”

“What? Are you sure?” Royce asked.

“That’s what he told the cops.”

“So that’s where that black eye came from. But that was months ago. And what could that have to do with Alana?”

“I don’t know, Dad. Maybe nothing at all. I’m just making a list. Maybe you could talk to Lynde? Kind of feel him out where Alfie is concerned?”

“I can try. He’s kind of hard to get to know.”

“You know him well enough to warn me not to ride his horses. What’s that all about?”

Royce sighed. “This is the part of horse racing I really hate. The money drives some men to go to any lengths to win. Graham Lynde is one of them. Remember that horse that broke down in the morning? Lynde had been using corticosteroids on him. Injecting his knees with it.”

“What does that do?” Tonya asked.

“Brings down inflammation. And it works. But one downside is that it decreases bone density. That’s why a horse can snap a leg just doing a normal workout. Happens in races, too. One of racing’s dirty little secrets.”

“But those drugs are illegal. If a horse gets tested for them after a race, he’s disqualified,” Lexi said.

“Right. But who’s testing during training? No one. And at little tracks like these, testing is hit or miss. Mostly miss. It’s a terrible thing. Beautiful young animals dying. Jockeys putting their lives in danger.”

Tonya understood now why Royce refused to dope his horses. And why he warned her against riding Graham Lynde’s horses. It also explained Mike’s argument with him.

“But what about Doc Frey?” Lexi asked. “Is he involved?”

“No. In fact, I’m sure he’s trying to stop it. But he’s only one man.”

“Anyway, Dad, see if you can find out why Lynde was fighting with Alfie. Maybe Alfie knew he was getting the drugs from Carlos.”

“I’ll try.”

“Thanks.” She made a note. “Then there’s Billy O’Casey. He and Alana argued over her going out with Chris. And she was sure he caused the gate accident. And he might have been buying marijuana from Carlos. We still don’t know how Carlos got an ID to get on the backstretch. Maybe Billy got one for him.”

Royce looked skeptical. “Stay away from O’Casey, Tonya. He’s not to be trusted.”

Tonya ignored him and made another note. She had an idea how to get to O’Casey and knew her father wouldn’t like it.

“Who else?” Lexi said. “Who else might have been involved in any of this? How about Jeffers? I’d like to know why none of his precious security cameras ever record anything. If the killer knows where the cameras are, he’d have no trouble killing someone out of their range.”

“Yeah,” Tonya said, chewing on her pencil. “And Chris said he saw Jeffers coming here around noon the day my cat was attacked. At least it could have been him.”

“Come on, Tonya. You’re grabbing at straws. Like the cops say, what’s the motive? Billy was jealous and has a bad temper. I could see him killing Alana in a fit of rage. And if he is involved with drugs, that could be a motive for killing Carlos. But what did Billy have to do with Alfie? Nothing. Then there’s Lynde. He may have punched Alfie, but why would he kill Alana? And why would Jeffers kill any of them, let alone attack our cat? It doesn’t make any sense.”

Tonya leaned back and sighed, dropping her pencil on the table. “I know it. None of it makes any sense.”

Lexi was thoughtful. “You know what the problem is? We just don’t know enough about these people. I mean, we know what they do here, but where did they come from? What did they do before they came here? How much do we really know about anyone on the backstretch? We’re all in our own little worlds.”

Tonya had an idea how they could get background information on all of them. “I’m going to talk to Adam.” She remembered Adam’s warmth toward her and smiled to herself. She had never tried using her feminine charms on a man, but she was willing to do anything at this point. She made another note. “Okay. Last thing. Those circled entries found near the bodies. They have to mean something.” But looking up at Royce and Lexi, she realized they weren’t listening any more. They were looking at each other in a way that made Tonya feel like a third sock. “Well, we can leave that for another day. I’m going to bed. I have horses to gallop tomorrow.”

“Okay. Goodnight, kiddo.”

“Night, Tonya.”

Tonya left them together and headed for the bedroom, the two cats padding after her. After getting ready for bed, she turned off the lamp, opened the curtain, and sat on the bed looking at the cloudy sky. Henry was already curled up by her pillow while Clive sat next to Tonya, watching her and purring. She stroked his head absent-mindedly. “I don’t know what I’m getting into, Clive,” she told him, “but I’m not stopping until this is over. Whatever it takes.”

***

Arriving at the barn the next morning, Tonya greeted Luis who seemed subdued, unlike his usual cheerful self. He asked about her shoulder, and she told him it was well enough to begin exercising the horses again. In truth, it ached like mad, but she was determined ignore it. There wasn’t a rider on the track who wasn’t in some kind of pain. She walked down the shedrow toward Gus’s stall wondering how she was going to approach Luis about Alfie. Gus peered over the top of his door and nickered when he saw her. She had been so preoccupied with last night’s conversation that she forgot his carrot. She led him into the aisle just as Royce approached with Gus’s saddle.

“Am I glad to have you back. But are you sure you’re okay to ride?”

“Yes, Dad, stop worrying. When I’m finished with Gus, I’ll take Sable out. Then I’ll have to gallop Jake.”

Gus and Sable had been turning in one blistering workout after another as they were prepped for the Futurity. Both horses were coming to the race at their peak. It would take a perfect race from both horse and jockey to win this race. Royce was thrilled. He had two good horses in a race with a rich purse, and since trainers and jockeys each received a percentage of the winnings, he and Tonya stood to make a lot of money.

“Maybe we’ll be able to buy the farm from the Warrens,” he said one evening. “It’d be great to settle down in a home and get out of this trailer. We’ve lived like nomads for long enough.”

Tonya thought about what it would be like to live in that lovely old house with the acres of rolling pastures surrounding it. She imagined the white fences everywhere and yearlings romping and playing in the paddocks. She saw herself caring for the mares and foals and training young Thoroughbreds for the track. It sounded heavenly.

“I’d like that, Dad,” she said. “But first we have to win the race.” And, she thought, I’m not leaving here until I know who killed my friend.