Blood and Roses (Holly Jennings Thriller) (14 page)

Brendan had a way of sending serious tingles through her. Here he was, this big guy who worked out and was stronger than an ox. He had a gorgeous Irish lilt, greenish-blue eyes that sparkled when
he smiled. He had a zest for life and a zest for her. If you met him for the first time he would appear rough and tumble, the kind of guy who enjoyed a good whiskey and an occasional cigar. In reality, he adored his family, had a huge place in his heart for the tiniest of beings, and understood people and animals better than anyone she had ever known. All part of why she loved him so much.

Brendan whispered in Holly’s ear, “I think maybe there’s a little bad in you, too, but there is not an ounce of ugly.”

“I may show you the bad me later,” she whispered back.

“I like that. Take your mind off the case again.”

“Yes, but not for long.”

“Uh-oh. I don’t like the sound of that,” he said.

She sighed. “I have to go to Lexington in the morning. There’s a horse trainer that we think might be able to help with the case.”

“How long will you be gone?”

“I fly out tomorrow. I’ll get my answers and try to get a flight back at night. If not, it’ll be the following day. I’m sorry.”

“You are good at what you do, Detective. I can’t tell you not to go. It’s your job. I can tell you that I don’t want you to go and that I am going to sulk about it, but that is because I am selfish and want you here with us.”

“I know, and I want to be here with you. It won’t be long.” She stood and put her arms around his neck, running her fingers through the waves in his hair. She grazed his lips with hers.

“Stop! Get a room,” Megan said as she stepped out on the patio.

“Meg. We would, but you damn kids are always here,” Brendan replied.

“Ouch and seriously yuck, Dad!”

“He’s kidding,” Holly said.

“No he’s not.”

“She’s right. I’m not.” He laughed.

Megan crossed her arms and stuck out a hip, typical teenager stance. “Did Dad show you what he was building you yet?” she asked.

Chloe and Maddie suddenly appeared. “Is the chicken ready?” Chloe asked.

“Yeah, Daddy. We’re hungry,” Maddie added.

“What are you building me?” Holly asked.

“Oh boy, I am really in trouble here. Thank God I’ll have Petie when you move in. I’m going to be eaten alive by all you females,” Brendan said.

“I warned you.” Holly took his hand. “So. What are you building me?”

“Come on.”

He led her around to the side yard. Brendan’s place was situated on a double corner lot, giving him one of the larger backyards in Point Loma. He’d been able to do quite a bit with it, including building a swing set when the girls were younger, cultivating a flower garden and a vegetable garden, installing a Jacuzzi, and adding a lot of greenery. He had the green thumb that Holly didn’t.

“I wanted to wait and hope you wouldn’t discover it just yet, but we have big mouths in this family.” He gave Megan the stink eye.

In front of them stood a rather large hole about eight feet wide, ten feet long and three feet deep. “What is it?” Holly asked.

“It will be your koi pond,” Brendan replied. “Remember last year when we went to Sea World and you fell in love with the koi ponds and said you’d love to have one?”

“I do.” She smiled.

“You’re going to get one. It’s my move-in gift to you. I figured it’s getting close to the time when we put your place up for rent and you start packing. We only have a few months until we make this thing legal.”

“We do. Yes. I love it. And I love you.”

“Oh God, do not kiss again. Please,” Megan groaned.

“No kissing. We want chicken,” Chloe said.

Holly leaned her head on his strong shoulder. She was happy here, happy with him, and happy with their family. Happy in the moment and wishing she could stay, because she had no clue what the next few days would bring.

Somehow she doubted it would have anything to do with happiness.

27

Early Monday morning, and Elena’s nerves were rattled. Time to move Karma out to Sin City. She loaded the trailer with the necessities—grooming kits, liniments, medications, ice machines for the mare’s legs, her blankets, all of the peripherals. Elena would normally have flown her in or had a professional hauler transport her. But there was something different about this time, other than it was the biggest event they had ever been to. Elena was filled with an unfamiliar urgency and felt the need to be the one in charge of her filly. Maybe it was because they had come so far together. Elena didn’t know, but she was going to trust her gut.

She finished loading the tack room and headed to the barn to get Karma. Perez planned to drive out with the bug.

Reaching her horse’s stall, she sensed someone come up behind her. She turned around. “O’Leary! You startled me.”

“I’m sorry. You heading out?”

“Yeah. Just me and the girl.”

“Wait a minute, you’re hauling her? Alone?” he asked.

“Um, yeah. I’ve been hauling horses since I was seventeen. I think I got this.”

“Oh, I know you’re capable. But you got yourself an animal worth—what? If I had to guess, a cool few mil. She wins this race, and she’s gonna be worth even more. And you plan to drive alone with her for the next seven hours?” He shook his head.

“You always did think like a thriller author. What? You think I’ll get jacked and she’ll be stolen. You really should write a book. I always thought so.”

“Maybe I will. Maybe I am.” He smiled. “But I’m serious, El. I don’t like you doing this on your own.”

She slipped the halter over Karma’s ears and a chain up over her nose, attaching the lead rope. “What do you propose I do?”

“Take me with you.”

“You’re…wait a minute, you’re serious?”

“As a heart attack. Yes, El. Do I think you’ll get jacked out on the highway? No. But I really do think it’s safer to have someone with you. I don’t mean to push myself on you. I know I can be that way.” He paused and met her gaze, real concern in his eyes. “But let me go with you.”

She led the horse out of the stall and walked ahead of O’Leary. “You got your stuff with you?”

He held out a backpack. “I travel light. Pair of jeans, a couple of T-shirts, breeches, and my riding boots. I’m sure I can find a Laundromat out there if I need to.”

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you had this planned,” she replied and kept walking. The clipping of the horse’s metal shoes meeting solid ground echoed down the aisle.

He jogged next to her and the horse. “Nah. I was heading to the airport when I stopped by to see if you were around.”

“What about your plane ticket?”

He shrugged. “I’m a nervous flier, you know that. The only real kind of flying I like to do involves four legs and dirt kicking up out the back. Besides, I can fly somewhere else some other time. Maybe I’ll fly you to Cabo.”

She shook her head, laughing. “You’re lucky I’m taking you to Vegas.”

“That I am. That I am.”

28

Where in this wide world can man find nobility without pride, friendship without envy, or beauty without vanity?
Here where grace is laced with muscle and strength by gentleness confined.
He serves without servility; he has fought without enmity.
There is nothing so powerful, nothing less violent; there is nothing so quick, nothing more patient.
—Ronald Duncan

Racehorses discover, when they are a year or two old, that they were born for a reason.

They learn to take a bit in their mouths—first something soft and gummy, then something metallic and cold.

They’re doted on by veterinarians, prodded and poked and pampered.

They’re shod, their legs are wrapped, they become familiar with the twitch.

They learn to bear a saddle, to stand in the cross-ties while a strap is tightened around their bellies, and then they learn to bear a rider.

29

Monday morning came too quickly. Both Brendan and Chloe sulked as they drove Holly to the airport the next day. Brendan’s good-sport attitude had lessened once the alarm went off. Megan thought it was cool that Holly was headed to Kentucky on official police work, and Maddie was thrilled to pieces that her best friend would be staying with them for a couple of days.

The drive to Lindbergh Field took only seven minutes. The early morning sky was already blue and clear—typical San Diego weather. They rode mostly in silence, with Chloe frowning and Brendan mirroring her. “Guys, it isn’t like I’m going for a week,” she said. “It’s two days. Maybe three. I am flying in, going to go see this guy we want some answers from, and then heading home.”

“I don’t understand why Chad can’t go,” Brendan replied.

“For one thing, his wife is due to have a baby in the next couple of weeks.”

“We’re trying to plan a wedding in three months!” Brendan snapped.

“Oh, come on. New baby? Wedding?” She quickly realized how cold that seemed. “I’m sorry, Brendan.” She did not want to argue in front of the girls. She took a deep breath. “This is my case. I am the lead investigator on this thing. I don’t go out of town that often, guys. We’ll make the plans when I get back. We agreed on
small and quaint, Brendan. Right? It won’t be that difficult. This will all come together.”

“But you work all the time,” Chloe interjected.

Now that hurt.

Holly sighed. “I promise everyone in this car that when I am finished with this case, we will go on some amazing vacation together and you won’t even hear the words
crime, police, detective
, or
case
. Deal?”

Brendan eyed her. He finally cracked a smile. “I’m sorry, too. I miss you when you aren’t around. And I need help keeping these three in line.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder and laughed.

“Oh sure, Dad. You let the girls do whatever they want. It’s like party town at our house,” Megan said.

Holly smiled. “Uh-huh, so the truth comes out.”

“Megan. Isn’t there a car you’re hoping to get sometime in the future?” Brendan said.

“Oh. I mean, Dad is awesome with all of us when you’re gone, Holly. I’m serious. When he says something, we all listen. Especially them.” She pointed to the two younger girls.

“Uh-huh. You already dug yourself in,” Brendan told her.

“I believe you.” Holly turned around and winked at Megan. “I miss you guys, too, when I’m gone. But you all do need to keep in mind that this is my job, and trying to make me feel guilty is not good.”

Brendan pulled up curbside in front of United’s terminal. He got out and grabbed her bag from the trunk. She opened up the back door and gave each girl a hug and kiss. “I will bring gifts.”

“Don’t listen to them,” Megan whispered. “They are
so
working you.”

Holly smiled at the teen. “Ya think?”

Chloe hugged her mom but still didn’t smile.

Brendan kissed her. “See you. Two days. Be careful.”

“Always. You better hurry so you can get them to school on time.”

She held back her own emotions and headed through the double doors with her carry-on and on up to the special security zone set apart for law enforcement.

Once she went through a complete security check and received approval to travel with her gun, she grabbed a Starbucks and sat down at the gate. She had about ten minutes before boarding.

As she settled into the seat, her cell rang. Chad again. “Hey, Inspector Clouseau, what’s the story this morning?” she said.

“I may have something interesting, but I don’t know if it means anything, so just hear me out.”

“Always.” She set her coffee down and watched as people walked by with their carry-ons rolling behind them.

“Okay. We know this guy likes to cat-and-mouse us some. We’re theorizing, based on the notes he’s left us, that he’s working with someone else. But I dug deeper into the note, the clues there. The Carpenters’ song ‘We’ve Only Just Begun’ is in John Carpenter’s movie
In the Mouth of Madness.
Now get this, that movie is the third in a trilogy. An apocalyptic trilogy.”

“How does that relate to a madman murdering influential people in the racehorse scene?” Holly asked.

“Not sure. But like you, I also have intuition. Only I call it a gut feeling. And if I were a betting man, which you know I am not, I would bet that this apocalyptic trilogy is significant to our killer. And I bet it is connected.”

Holly closed her eyes and leaned back. This case was getting bigger by the second, and her head hurt. She hated to admit it, but something told her that Chad could be onto something. One killer. Two killers. Torture. Illegal substances. Now possibly an apocalyptic killer, which would cast an entirely new light on things. “You
may be right. Share this with Amar and get his impressions. You heading out to Equine Health Systems for the employee interviews this morning?” They had agreed that, with Holly going out to Kentucky, Chad needed to be in charge of the process over at Equine Health Systems.

“Yes,” he replied. “First I have to take Brooke to the doctor for a check. She hasn’t been feeling well. After that, her mom is coming in to help so that will free up my day to spend at Scott Christiansen’s place for those interviews.”

“Good. I hope your wife feels better.”

“Thanks. Me, too.”

“What about Amar? I haven’t spoken with him since we left Hodges’s place. I figured it’s a little early to call right now. I’ll be in flight shortly. Can you give him a buzz, run this by him, and see where he’s at with things?”

“No problem.”

“Thanks. Hey, I have to go. They’re starting to board.”

“Be careful, partner,” he said.

“Always.” She clicked off her phone.

She boarded the plane, took her seat, and closed her eyes. She hated flying. It scared the shit out of her—and her experience from a couple years ago hadn’t helped. She’d almost died when a madman she’d been tracking had crashed the small plane he was piloting. A shiver went through her as her memory took her back to that day. Gunter Drake had planned to kill her. She’d almost lost everything. Somehow she had survived. Thankfully.

Then another dark thought entered her mind. What did this killer, or killers, have in store for her? Did they know she was coming after them with a vengeance?