Blood and Roses (Holly Jennings Thriller) (18 page)

“Not much, I have to admit.”

“This pretty chestnut here…that’s his coloring…is Cay. You may have heard of him. There was a bit of a scandal surrounding him last year, and then he had an injury that kept him from going back to racing, so my sister and I, along with a handful of others,
put together the funds to purchase him, and now he’s ours.” She smiled.

“He’s gorgeous.”

“Yes he is.”

Leann opened the stall and slid through, handing the horse a carrot. “I’ll let you give some of our older guys some treats.” She slid past the stall doors. “Shall we see a few more?”

“I’d love to,” Holly replied.

They walked on through the barn with four-legged onlookers nickering at them. The barn opened out into the paddock area. Upon spotting Leann, horses trotted over and stopped at the fence. Leann handed Holly a carrot. “Hold it in the palm of your hand. This is Sprite. We pulled him off the back of a slaughter truck headed to Kansas. This horse gave all that he could on the track, won over a half a million dollars. Then, when he couldn’t run any more, he was sold off from owner to owner, lost an eye, and given up on. When we got him here, he needed to gain three hundred pounds. He’s been here now for ten years and just had his twenty-fifth birthday.”

Holly held the carrot out to the old guy, who greedily sucked it down, his whiskers and soft lips grazing the palm of her hand. She then rubbed a hand down his face. He was almost black except for the graying whiskers and a strip down his nose. “Hey old guy, had a tough time of it?”

Leann nodded. “He did. I have story after story like that. This place runs on volunteers and donations. My fiancé, sister, and I put in our own funds to keep things moving, but it’s not easy when you’re looking at a hundred head. And we get calls every day about more of these guys needing homes. I’ve got two semis constantly on the road. They’re both out now bringing back six horses from different places. We’re hoping to expand and open a facility up in Arlington as well. We’ll see.”

“It’s amazing that you do what you do,” Holly said.

“Wish we could do more, though. It’s just not enough.” She frowned and handed the horse next to Sprite a carrot. “This is Ridge. He had a tendon injury and was sold off to a family who then wound up not being able to afford him. The kids wanted to keep him, but in their efforts to give him some shelter they nearly starved the poor guy to death. There are a lot of people, Holly, that just are not meant to have these animals. And there are not enough facilities like ours to take them in. It’s a sad state we’re in. And, now all of the tracks have been closed down in Canada. That’s going to pose a huge problem. Lots of people are out of work, and they’re euthanizing the foals. It’s not good.”

“What? Why?”

“Because racing has been getting a bad rap for some time. Eight Belles, Barbaro—horses the people were rooting for—had catastrophic, fatal injuries out there. You couple that with the scandals that crop up and the seedy side of gambling, and people begin to pay attention. Throw in animal activists and things are bound to get heated. Change becomes a requirement, or at least a demand. Right now, there is a bill in Congress to federally regulate the sport here in the States. There are some tracks where certain drugs are legal, some where they aren’t. It’s a state-by-state thing.”

“What’s your position?” Holly asked.

Leann sighed. “It’s tough. I agree that changes need to be made. I think since we haven’t seen a Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978 that we as breeders need to look at the problem from that standpoint. Have we bred them too lean? They break down faster these days. They aren’t the sturdy animals we once had out there on the tracks. These guys are far more fragile, and when fragility is on the track at three years old, you get one problem compounded with another. The real issue, though, isn’t with your high-stakes races and higher-profile tracks. It’s the racinos—racing
casinos—cropping up all over the country. Purses are worth more money than the horses. They are racing casinos. Young, poorly bred, not-well-trained horses with inexperienced jockeys and greedy owners and trainers give the sport a bad name.”

“Sounds awful,” Holly said.

“It is. We can’t turn a blind eye to that kind of damage out there. We need to raise awareness, and if the federal government getting involved does that, then so be it. I am creating a breeding program here that I hope will help build a stronger Thoroughbred again.”

“You think these horses should be raced when they’re older?”

“I think that’s a start. What I don’t think is that racing needs to be shut down. Yes, there are some real jerks in this world. There are people in this game who are in it only for the money, the greed. But there is a flip side. There are a lot of us who love these animals. We love the tradition and the sport. We are devastated when we lose a horse. Every single one of these animals, whether they are rescues or our breeding stock, is loved. I have a relationship with each one. When I hear it said that all people in racing are shady, I shake my head, because the fact of the matter is that these animals are bred to do exactly what they do—run. And giving their all for the jockey on their back is what they do best. They love it. They really do.”

Holly could appreciate the woman’s passion, and it was nice to see someone who felt so much for these animals.

“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to ramble, I just have some opinions.”

“Opinions are good,” Holly replied.

Leann smiled. “How do you know Rafael?”

It was time to be truthful. “Actually I’m a detective, Ms. Purdue. I’m investigating the murders of Tommy Lyons, Katarina Erickson, and Marvin Tieg.”

“Oh.” She looked stunned. “Horrible situation, and it has a lot of people talking.”

“I’m sure it does.”

“I suppose you came here to ask me some questions then, rather than visit the horses.”

“Both, actually. Getting your take on the industry is good, and the horses are beautiful, but yes, I do have some questions. Can you tell me about the victims? Anything at all? Mr. Torres believed that you could help me out.”

“Why don’t we go back to the house? Maybe I can help.”

37

Holly followed Leann to the house, where they walked into a quaint family room painted in a light beige. White wicker furniture with a floral print on the cushions sat atop an oak hardwood floor, and artwork featuring famous racehorses adorned the walls. Leann sat down in an oversized chair and motioned for Holly to take a seat on the sofa.

Leann reached over to a small jeweled bowl, removed a large diamond ring, and placed it on her finger. She smiled. “Just got engaged recently. I take the ring off when I’m out with the horses.” She flashed the marquise-cut diamond at her.

“That’s beautiful,” Holly said. A twinge of guilt wove through her, bringing to mind the wedding plans Brendan was so excited to make. Leann glowed when simply sliding the ring onto her finger. It wasn’t that Holly didn’t feel excited about her upcoming nuptials, but as with everything in her life, she had compartmentalized her emotions. A little stick in her heart made her wonder if she was so different from other women. “When are you getting married?”

“In about six months. Danny, my fiancé, is a great guy. Wish you could meet him. He should be in sometime tomorrow with the load from Colorado. We have the same love and respect for the animals, and it’s just worked out for us.”

“That’s great. I’m engaged, too.”

“Wonderful.”

Holly smiled. “Thank you. I don’t want to take up too much of your time, Leann. I know you have a business to run, but Rafael Torres suggested you might be able to help me. Very interesting guy.”

Leann laughed. “You can say that again.”

Holly grew serious. “Can you give me any insight into these cases? Do you know anything? Why did Rafael send me to see you?”

Leann leaned back. “As you said, Rafael is interesting, and he’s also discreet. He’s a big deal in our world. He may have sent you to see me because he knows I’m not shy with my opinions.”

“Okay. I’m all ears.”

Rascal came in and lay down at Holly’s feet.

“Rafael sometimes helps me with the stallions when Danny is out of town. He was over here two days ago, after Tieg had been killed and the news started spreading. He was working with the older stallions we keep here, and I invited him in for some dinner. It got late, and we had some drinks with our dinner and started talking about Tommy, Katarina, and now Marvin. And I couldn’t help thinking of Geremiah Laugherty.”

“Geremiah Laugherty?”

She nodded. “Laugherty trains for Sheikh Mahfuz Farooq. The sheikh is a wonderful man. He’s given a lot to the sport and, like us, he loves his animals. Laugherty is one of these trainers who, I think, isn’t quite the man he pretends to be. I think Rafael agrees with me but won’t say anything because that’s how he is.”

“I met Laugherty in San Diego after the murders of Katarina and Tommy. Katarina was riding one of the horses he trains.”

“I know. Good horse, too. Owned by Farooq. I was surprised to see Katarina on one of the sheikh’s horses. It was a bold move, considering his culture. I think he did it because of Laugherty.”

“Why is that?”

“I don’t want to speak ill of anyone, especially the dead, and I didn’t know Katarina, but there were rumors that she was sleeping with Laugherty to work her way up the ladder.”

“It’s our impression that Katarina and Tommy were an item,” Holly said.

“I don’t know about that.” Leann shrugged.

“Why do you think Laugherty might have something to do with the murders?”

“He’s a weird man. We dated briefly. I haven’t shared it with anyone, not even my fiancé, but Laugherty knocked me around some and was controlling. He also has a thing for gambling, and I think he runs into money trouble here and there. There was something that he said to me one night about how if I didn’t mind him, he knew people who would make sure that I did. He’d been drinking. It was after he’d had a horse win a major stakes. He was celebrating. But Geremiah is one of those guys who turns mean after a few drinks. He told me there were things he’d done in the past, things he’d been in charge of, that would make me mind him if I knew.”

“I sensed there was something wrong with that guy when I interviewed him. All charming and manipulative.”

“That’s him. There’s a story from ten years ago that Laugherty and Tieg were tied into—it was shut up real quick and people moved on, but some of us home-growns wonder if there was something more to it than what came out.”

“What’s the story?”

“Tieg owned a farm here before he became famous. Laugherty trained his horses. Tieg had some very nice horses. His place and the horses were insured for a lot of money. One night the barn burned down and killed all nineteen animals. A farmhand who was trying to get the horses out also perished. It was a tragic loss. One horse in particular, named Dirty Games, was a real up-and-comer.
I think he was insured for several million by Lloyd’s. Anyway, turned out a groom who had an issue with both men set the barn on fire. The groom was convicted and I think got fifteen to twenty years in the state pen.”

“But you think there’s a part of the story that never came out?” Holly asked.

“I think Laugherty is a bad man. I know he is. I think maybe the groom agreed to start the fire because they were going to pay him. But that didn’t happen. I don’t know. I was living in Europe at the time, helping exercise horses in the UK. I moved back about a year after that, but the word was still around that maybe Laugherty and Tieg had been more involved than they let on.”

“Why would you even consider dating Laugherty then?”

“Years passed, and I stopped believing the rumors. So did most people. The groom—I think his last name was Ivy—had admitted to the crime. I met Laugherty at a party. He was good looking, charming, polite…at first. Things changed after we started sleeping together, and then after that night, the things he said to me, I had to wonder about what had really happened with that barn fire. Had Tieg and Geremiah been in financial straits and needed the insurance money? It’s happened before in the horse world. It will happen again.”

Holly nodded. “And this Ivy? The groom, he’s in the Kentucky State Penitentiary?”

“As far as I know. It’s a few hours from here. Up in Eddyville.”

“And Laugherty? He’s back in Lexington at the sheikh’s farm? Or is he still in California?”

“I assume he’s here. I heard that once Whiskey was invited to the Infinity, they brought him home. However, they’re probably on their way to Vegas by now. My sister already has her horse there. I can get a hold of her if you’d like and ask.”

“That would be great.”

“Hang on.” Leann took the cell phone off the table next to her.

Holly glanced around the room. Warm and cozy. She saw a photo on the stand next to where Leann had been sitting and picked it up. Leann stood next to a nice-looking man, his arm around her, both of them smiling and looking ecstatic. Her stomach sank as that same guilt of not being with Brendan and her family washed over her, because she knew she would not be making the afternoon flight back to San Diego.

Rafael Torres had been right. Leann Purdue was a wealth of information, or at least had some insight that no one else had given her.

“My sister just texted back and said that Farooq and his horse aren’t expected until late tomorrow. That means Geremiah is still in town.”

Holly nodded. “Know where I might find him?”

“When he’s in town, you can pretty much find him having a late breakfast at the track café at Keeneland. But I steer clear of it because of him.”

Holly stood. “Thank you for everything.” She patted Rascal on his head and left Golden Hearts. She needed to ask Geremiah Laugherty a few questions, as well as drive up to the state pen. If there had been some kind of cover-up and this groom Ivy had been framed or coerced, could he be one in a duo of killers? She was feeling a bit like Clarice Starling in
Silence of the Lambs
, but it was a possibility. Killers got ideas from books, movies. What if this groom was a regular Hannibal Lecter?