Blood and Roses (Holly Jennings Thriller) (19 page)

Holly needed to find out. And if he was, who was his Buffalo Bill?

38

The recurring nightmare had awakened Joque again in the wee hours of the morning and he had not been able to go back to sleep. It was now nearly noon. Though tired, he had a job to do.

And the nightmare fueled his desire to seek revenge, to get the job done. His adrenaline surged.

He touched the side of his face. The scars were barely visible, and the lies he had told as to why they were there had been convincing enough. But the truth of it had been nothing short of excruciating. From the moment he had been framed for a crime he could never have committed, to the scars on his heart, body, and face, to the moment he had been attacked behind the prison walls and left for dead. Seven years of hell, and now he was getting even.

With Quentin’s help. With Quentin’s help, Joque had become unrecognizable in a world that had ostracized him, and with a new identity he had been able to start fresh.

39

March 3, 2011

“There’s no need, man. We’re good,” Quentin said, his hand on the door of his Porsche. Ivy had followed him out of the bar and to his car. As planned.

“No. No. I’m in. I am. What do I do?”

Quentin smiled. “Get in.”

“Okay.”

Quentin waited for the guy to question him again. He didn’t. He got in the car like a good boy.

They drove a mile or two before Quentin spoke again. “As far as the world is concerned, you, Ted Ivy, are dead. I arranged it so that you got out on good behavior. I also arranged it so that you are a dead guy.”

Ivy looked confused, which was exactly what Quentin wanted.

Quentin nodded. “Yeah, you poor son of a bitch, you got some kind of nasty illness in prison and try as they might, you didn’t make it very long after your release.”

Ivy shook his head. “How?”

“Oh Christ, man! Again, how did you think you got sent up in the first place? Did you do those things they accused you of? Huh?
Did you? Did you start that fire? Kill those horses? Cause the death of the worker? Did you?”

“No! Of course not!” he snapped.

“Right. I know that. I know what slimeballs these pricks are. They killed my family.” Quentin pressed down on the accelerator. The Porsche moved at nearly 100 mph. “They killed my family and got away with it!” He slammed his hands on the steering wheel.

Ivy jumped in his seat.

“And I want them dead, Ivy. You should, too, for what they did to you, and I can make that happen. You know, my wife…my sweet wife was like you. She loved horses. She’d grown up with them. Those bastards destroyed nineteen beautiful horses, and you took the fall. Then they destroyed my wife and daughter.”

Once again, Quentin had told a partial truth—he had gotten Ivy out early. Money had talked. The part about him being dead on paper was not so true, and Quentin was banking on it that the guy wouldn’t go looking for answers, other than the answers that Quentin provided him.

No. Quentin needed Ted Ivy alive.

“I want them dead, too,” Ivy said quietly.

“Good.”

They pulled into a private landing strip. A chartered jet sat on the tarmac.

“What’s this? What are we doing?”

“New life, Ivy. New life. Let’s fly. What do you have to lose? You’re dead. You don’t have a dime to your name. I know. I’ve been following you since you got out two days ago. The money you spent on the beer is probably the last dollars you had, unless one of the dipshits who picked you up while you were hitchhiking gave you some cash.”

“You’ve been following me?”

Quentin nodded.

“Why didn’t you stop and pick me up on the road then?”

“Not how I do things, Ivy. Not even close. Get on the plane. Start your life all over.”

Ted Ivy followed Quentin onto the plane.

40

Holly left Golden Hearts and headed to Keeneland hoping to find Geremiah Laugherty, as Leann suggested she might.

She called Chad on her drive over to see if he could gather any information on Laugherty regarding the fire at Tieg’s place ten years before, and also anything on the groom who had gone to jail. The call went straight to voice mail.

She hadn’t spoken to Amar since Sunday. Maybe she shouldn’t have taken his remarks about turning over every stone so personally. The guy had obviously been through a painful loss. Maybe it had been his way of warning her to be careful rather than trying to tell her how to run the investigation. She gave him a call. No matter what he thought about the case, she needed some help in gathering intel, and she certainly couldn’t do it while driving. The trip to the state pen would take almost four hours. She knew that if she found Laugherty and had a discussion with him, she wouldn’t get up to Eddyville until it was too late to speak with Ivy. She figured she would make the drive anyway, find a place to stay and visit the jail early the next morning.

Amar answered the call on the first ring. “How are you?” he asked.

“I’m okay. I’m knee-deep in this, and I’ve gotten a lot of information, but I need your help.”

“Of course.”

“Can you gather as much information as possible about a fire that happened here ten years ago, and everyone involved?” Holly went on to explain everything Leann had told him.

“I can do that. I’ll call you with what I find.”

“Thank you. Anything on your end?”

“Chad tell you about the protestors going to the Infinity?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve learned that Scott Christiansen and his wife are involved.”

“No kidding?”

“No. In fact, Mrs. Christiansen is very involved in the PAAC group,” he replied.

“Have you passed that on to Chad? That is really interesting. How much do we know about Mrs. Christiansen?”

“She works side by side with Scott. She manages the finances at Equine Health Systems and seems pretty solid. She volunteers at a youth center on the weekends, as well as being involved with PAAC. I have to tell you that I would find it difficult believing that either husband or wife might be even remotely sociopathic—much less serial killers. We know their alibis have checked. Chad is still running interviews with the employees at EHS. I did leave him a message. He isn’t answering his phone at the moment.”

“I know. I hope his wife is okay. If he calls you first, have him give me a ring, please.”

“I will. Stay safe, Detective.”

She pulled into the famous racetrack shortly after noon. She had not called home yet to let them know that she would not be home again tonight—she dreaded that call. No one was going to be thrilled, but if the rest of her day went well, then she would be heading back tomorrow afternoon.

Keeneland’s grounds were pristine. The main colors of the track and outbuildings were green, white, and gold. A large sign in gold stood at the front entrance. She wound around the drive,
spotting the building where the yearling sales were held annually. Leann had told her which way to go. She saw a green sign displaying the words
Track Kitchen
. She parked and got out. The barns were close by.

She walked into the kitchen. Numerous racing photos hung on the walls. The place was emptying out. The smells of bacon and other food floated all around. A hostess offered to seat her.

“I’m looking for Geremiah Laugherty.”

The young woman smiled. “Mr. Laugherty is at his regular table.” She pointed to a corner table, where Holly spotted the man.

She thanked the hostess and headed over to the table. Laugherty looked intent on some papers spread out in front of him and didn’t glance up until she sat down. When he did, he seemed quite surprised. “Detective?”

“Hello, Mr. Laugherty. How are you?”

“Pardon me if I don’t recall your last name.”

“Jennings. Detective Jennings.” She did not offer her hand. This guy was slime, and she had pegged him from their initial interview back in San Diego. He had been a tad too charming, too congenial. Now she knew the truth. He had a foul temper. Liked to knock women around and had a lack of self-restraint when it came to money, according to Leann.

“That’s right.” He smiled his smarmy smile and snapped his fingers. “What brings you all the way out here to bluegrass country?” He took a sip of coffee. “Did you find Tommy and Katarina’s killer?”

She shook her head. “Afraid not.”

“Oh.”

“I’m sure that you’re also aware of Marvin Tieg’s murder.”

“I am. It’s awful. I don’t know what’s going on.” He shook his head. “Just horrendous. Do you have any leads?”

“That’s why I’m here, Mr. Laugherty. I’ve spoken with some folks regarding these cases and your name came up. A couple of times, actually.”

A waitress walked over and asked if she wanted any coffee. Although the place smelled great, she decided she ought to focus on why she was here. She turned down the coffee and offer for a menu.

“Oh? My name came up? Why is that?” He shook his head and put his papers in a pile, turning them over.

“It’s my understanding that you and Mr. Tieg used to do business together.”

“We did. But I haven’t had any dealings with Marvin in nearly ten years.”

“I see. Is that because you two agreed after the barn fire at his place that it was probably a good idea to part ways?”

Laugherty’s face drained of color. “No, Detective. I moved on. I’ve been working for Sheikh Farooq for some time now. Before going to work for the sheikh I trained horses for various owners.”

“So why did you move on from Tieg? Did you get any of the payoff from the insurance company?” She was going in for the kill with this asshole.

His face turned red. “That’s ludicrous! Who would say something like that? I don’t have time for this nonsense.” He stood.

“I think you should sit down. You may very well be in danger,” she said calmly. Laugherty stared at her, his eyes wide and somewhat empty. Now Holly could buy that this guy might actually be a killer. She had seen eyes like Laugherty’s before, and they were usually on the face of a psychopath. “I’m very serious, Mr. Laugherty. You could be a target for this killer.”

He sat back down. “Why do you say that?”

“Tell me about the groom in prison for that fire. Think maybe he could have anything to do with the murders?”

“Ted Ivy? No way. That guy is sitting in a jail cell for the next ten years. He was sentenced to twenty.” He shook his head. “And for the record, no one was set up. That idiot even admitted he’d committed the crime. So why you would come in here and say something so ridiculous to me is mind-boggling.”

She ignored his comment. “Do you think that maybe this Ted Ivy has a vendetta, even though he
admitted
he was the one who started that fire and caused the deaths of that man and those horses? Think that maybe the guy has some anger toward you, toward Tieg?”

“I don’t know. He’s a sick bastard, just like the one who killed the jockeys and now Marvin.”

“Exactly.” Holly smiled. “This killer is a sicko. And sickos create all sorts of scenarios in their heads. They tend to believe their own lies. They manipulate people. They can even
charm
the pants off people.” She stared hard at him, even though she doubted he understood her meaning.

“What are you getting at?” he asked.

“Ted Ivy…he have any good friends you know of?”

“How would I know? I barely knew the guy ten years ago. Where are you going with this, Detective, and why would you tell me that I might be in danger?”

“Have you seen the movie
Silence of the Lambs
? Or maybe a better analogy is the book
Red Dragon
, same author. Not quite as popular as
Silence of the Lambs
, but the story is just as creepy. Although
Red Dragon
was a better book. I thought so, anyway. Critics even say so. Not sure about the movie. I do think
Silence of the Lambs
was a better flick than either adaptation of
Red Dragon
—”

“What the fuck are you getting at?” Laugherty yelled.

She smiled and let out a chuckle. The real Laugherty exposing himself. “Basically, I am suggesting that one killer may be leading another. I’m a detective. I see a lot of shit. But I have to say that
both of those movies scared the crap out of me. You know, guys in jail meet all sorts of other inmates. They bond. They make agreements. They lie. Imagine that. One might tell another who is getting out before he is that he has a lot of money socked away. Maybe he promises it to him in exchange for a favor.”

“Ivy didn’t have a pot to piss in, and no, I never saw either movie. And I don’t read fiction. If you think Ivy has someone on the outside doing his evil bidding, I think you’d better look at other possibilities. Ivy wasn’t that bright.” Laugherty gathered up his pile of papers. “I’ve got to go now. I have a horse to prep for travel.”

“I bet you need that horse to win. Big purse like that would help, wouldn’t it, Mr. Laugherty?”

He stood up again.

Holly continued to press. “You have a bad habit, I understand, of not managing your finances all that well. Bet you’d do almost anything to stay afloat.”

He placed both hands on the table and shot back at her. “I don’t know why you came to see me. I don’t know what your game is. And I don’t like being fucked with, Detective.”

“I bet you don’t.” She lowered her voice to a near whisper. “Especially by a woman.”

“I think you should go back to California. You won’t find a killer here.”

She stood up and eyed him. “And I think you should watch your back. You never know where a killer lurks, really. Now do you?” She turned and walked out ahead of him. Pleased she’d gotten under his skin.

41

The fabulous Infinity grandstand and grounds blew Elena away. Never before had racehorses been given double stalls where they could move in a twenty-four-foot-square space. There were plush accommodations on the grounds for owners, trainers, and jockeys as well. She couldn’t get enough of the place and, surprisingly, she could not get enough of O’Leary. He was all she had been thinking about—besides her horse and the race. Their long drive had been pleasant. They’d flirted and they’d talked seriously, finally falling into the familiar rhythm of comfort that they’d had and then lost so many years before.