It was raining hard when we left for Logan J. Kilkorn’s farm. I saw employees gathering our horses to take them back to the barns. Horses were moved inside when lightning was a threat.
I sat in the back of the Bentley with Baby, Lady Elsmere, and Shaneika as Charles drove the car. Behind the Bentley were two horse trailers—one carrying Logan Kilkorn’s foal with its surrogate dam and another carrying Jean Harlow with a companion goat. Lady Elsmere’s lawyers rode in a silver Lexus behind the trailers. After a half hour, our little caravan pulled up to the Kilkorn estate.
Charles blew the horn and a gatekeeper rushed out to open the large metal gates guarding the farm. He stopped once inside the gate and asked for the nursery barn. The gatekeeper gave him directions, saying the Kilkorns were waiting for the horses.
It was still thundering and yellow lightning streaked through the gray sky. The world looked ominous.
“You know it’s not too late to turn around and fight to keep these horses,” I said, losing my nerve. “It’s madness to give Kilkorn Jean Harlow.”
Lady Elsmere held up her hand. “Steady on, Josiah. All will be revealed.”
I held my tongue but it was hard. I thought this a dreadful mistake.
We finally made it to the nursery barn where Logan and Micah Kilkorn waited for us inside. The horse trailers, including our cars, pulled directly into the dry barn to escape the downpour.
The drivers exited their vehicles. Lady Elsmere, Shaneika, the lawyers, and I, with Baby on a leash, did the same.
Logan Kilkorn held up his hand. “What do you think this is—a parade?”
Lady Elsmere answered, “Ms. Todd and I would like to make sure the transfer goes smoothly. We don’t want to have you accuse us of the horses not being in one hundred percent condition when delivered.”
“That makes sense, but what’s the dog doing here? I don’t like dogs around my horses. It makes them jumpy.”
Shaneika spoke, “This dog is a companion for Jean Harlow. He calms her.”
“You mean the dog stays with her?” Micah Kilkorn asked.
“No, but the dog will help her get settled,” Lady Elsmere said. “Let me introduce you to the owner of the dog—Josiah Reynolds, my next door neighbor.”
“I know who she is. Seen her picture in the paper. She’s always stumbling over dead bodies. Can we get on with this?” Logan asked impatiently and apparently dismissing me.
“And these are my lawyers giving you a copy of our agreement,” Lady Elsmere said, graciously.”
Logan snatched the two copies presented and checked for signatures. Seeing that Shaneika and Lady Elsmere had signed and dated the contract, Logan looked at the trailers with interest. “Where’s the stallion, Comanche?”
“He has a cover this afternoon. He’ll be free tomorrow,” Shaneika replied.
“I want him first thing in the morning. I’m already scheduling covers.”
Shaneika suggested, “Let’s get the colt settled.”
A groom stepped up to help, but Lady Elsmere rebuffed him. “We’ll do this, son.”
The groom glanced at Logan Kilkorn who gave a nod to step back.
Charles and the driver of the horse van opened the back of the trailer. The driver led a mare from the vehicle into the barn aisle. Then Asa stepped down from the van leading the rambunctious colt.
“Who the hell is she?” Logan asked Micah.
Micah recognized Asa and blurted out. “That’s Billy. A girl I met at a bar a few days ago.” He glanced sideways at his father. He didn’t want his dad to know that was the night the colt was stolen.
Logan looked confused. “What’s she got to do with our colt, son?”
Asa brought the colt before the two men. “I’m the one who stole him, sir.”
Logan grew angry. “I’ll have you arrested then.”
Asa wagged a finger. “No, you won’t. You signed an agreement—no police if your colt was returned by one-thirty today.”
Logan and Micah gave quick glances at their watches.
“You have the contracts given to you by one-fifteen, signed, sealed, and delivered. However, we can have you both arrested,” Asa reminded Logan.
Logan yelled at Lady Elsmere, who was now sitting in a wheelchair in front of the Bentley. “June, what BS is this? We had a deal.” He tossed both contracts away from him.
Charles wheeled Lady Elsmere closer to Logan and Micah.
She said, “Logan, listen to me. It will be to your benefit. I don’t think you realize that you are being hoodwinked. If I leave here and press charges, you will be banned from every racetrack for life.”
“Ridiculous.”
Lady Elsmere said, “Just listen. Asa, tell Logan what’s going on.”
“Get on with it then,” Logan said, grudgingly. He didn’t like Lady Elsmere, but he respected her.
The foal was skittish, so Asa turned him over to Charles who held fast to his halter. “The plan was so simple, that I completely dismissed it out-of-hand. It was brilliant, Micah.”
Micah glanced nervously at his father. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”
“It’s about switching colts. This little guy is a good horse, but he’s not a great horse like Last Chance.”
Logan took a hard look at the colt. “This horse is not ours. We don’t have a colt with these markings.”
“But the white star and the stocking feet are the markings of Last Chance,” Asa replied.
“I don’t know what’s going on here,” Logan said, looking flummoxed. “Why did you bring me this colt, June?”
Lady Elsmere answered, “Because he is your colt, Logan—disguised as Last Chance.”
Asa said, “Let me prove it to you. According to the agreement, we are returning your colt.”
Shaneika stepped forward and sprayed a solution on a towel while reassuring the Kilkorns. “This won’t hurt the foal at all. It’s liquid detergent with baking soda.” She rubbed the towel over the horse’s forehead. “I think you can see for yourselves now.”
Logan Kilkorn peered closer. “His star is coming off. He’s been dyed!”
“Exactly. To match Last Chance’s marking. Now take your chip wand.”
The groom handed Logan the chip wand which he waved over the horse. A beep went off.
Lady Elsmere said, “I would like my lawyers to verify that the chip contains information that states this horse belongs to the Logan J. Kilkorn. Gentlemen, verify.” She waved them toward Logan and the wand.
“May we, sir?” they asked politely, taking the wand from Logan. They took a picture of the information on their phones and returned the wand to Logan.
Asa said, “Mr. Kilkorn, you look puzzled. Let me clarify the events of the past few days. How often do you come to the nursery barn?”
“I don’t. The colts and fillies are my son’s responsibilities. I handle the training of the juveniles and up.”
“Do you know how many foals were birthed this spring?”
“Seven of our own.”
“And those seven would be in this barn?” Asa asked.
“We keep our stock away from other owners’ horses.”
“Like Lady Elsmere, you board horses for other people?”
“Yes, but we keep only our foals in this barn.”
Asa said, “Very good. Then you should have only six foals with their dams right now—this little guy being your foal. Would you count the number of foals you have in the stalls right now?”
“Of all the foolishness,” Logan muttered, abruptly turning and strutting about the barn counting the foals inside the stalls. He came back looking sheepish and rubbing his chin in dismay.
“What did you find, Logan?” Lady Elsmere asked.
“Seven foals.”
Asa remarked, “But if I stole your colt, which I admit that I did, then you should have only six foals. Right?”
Logan shot his son a hard look. “That would seem so.”
Asa continued, “I propose that a switch took place between your foal and Last Chance. Shall we continue with the experiment?”
Logan agreed. “By all means. Let’s get to the bottom of this.”
When Micah began slowly drifting away from the group, Logan grabbed his arm. “Where are you going, son? Don’t you want to see what these folks have up their sleeves?”
“I have paperwork to do, Dad. You can handle this.”
“It can wait, boy. You stand right next to me,” Logan ordered before turning to Asa. “Proceed, young lady. You seem to be in charge here.”
Asa nodded to Charles who let go of the colt.
Everyone held their breath watching as to what the colt would do next.