A Secondhand Murder (29 page)

As we passed the feed room, someone called my name. “Mrs. … Mrs., Señora.” It was Carlos. He looked terrified.

When Antoine and I turned to enter the room, Carlos shook his head. “Alone.”

I told Antoine to walk on ahead.

“
They say you're not who you pretend to be.”

I opened my mouth to explain, but he interrupted me.

“
Not much time, Señora. Come with me.”

He grabbed my arm and led me through a back door in the feed room and out behind the barn. We ran to the far end of the second barn and entered. In the stall to our right, a mare, held by two stable hands, was struggling against a man whose hand was inserted into the poor animal's vagina.

“
What the hell?” I whispered.

“
Shh. Just watch.”

“
Hurry. This one's a real fighter, Doc.”

“
Hold still, bitch.” The vet shoved his hand in farther. “Got it.”

When he pulled his hand out, he held a plastic bag. It looked to be filled with some kind of powder. A very special, very illegal powder, it seemed. Carlos whispered in my ear. “Cocaine.” It must have been smuggled into the country with the polo ponies.

The vet, Dr. Phillips, dropped the bag into his medical satchel. “Just in time. Here come our customers. Too bad they won't be buying. I'd like to get this nag off our hands.” He roughly elbowed his way around the horse. Fear filled her eyes, but then something else appeared. If the stable attendants hadn't been holding her down, she would have charged him. Her front hooves left the stall floor for a moment, but she was pulled back, and the vet exited.

“
Drugs.”

Carlos nodded.

Voices echoed throughout the barn.

“
Let's get out of here. I don't want you mixed up in this. These people are dangerous,” I said.

“
Si.
I know.”

We left the way we came and stood for a moment behind the barn. What was I going to do? We needed reinforcements. Could I reach anyone? I punched Frida's number into my cell and got her answering service. I left a message and prayed that she or someone from the police could get here in time. Next I tried Nappi. No answer. The same for Madeleine. And Alex. And Jerry. Where was everybody? Shopping for the appropriate clothes to wear to an eight o'clock breaking and entering party?

“
I have to go find Rob and Antoine and warn them somehow. I'll try to keep calling my friends. Is there a phone you can safely use? Or a car?”

“
One of the stable attendants has a cell phone. I can try to find him, Señora.”

I wrote all the numbers of the eight o'clock gang on a scrap of paper I found in my bag. I kept my phone in case I could call again.

“
Here. Call these numbers until someone answers. Tell them Eve needs them here. Now.” I shoved him away from me and turned to enter the barn.

The entrance at the other end, the one we had just used, was darkened by two people. As I walked toward them, I recognized Eduardo and Constance. Hail, hail. Their gang was all here.

I was still wearing my disguise, full-skirted dress and brimmed hat with large dark glasses.

As I walked up to them, Rob turned and smiled.

“
We lost you for a minute there, honey.” He took my hand and pulled me close. “Let me introduce—”

“
There's no need,” said Constance. “She's Eve Appel and she has something I want. Hand it over.” She pushed her face up close to mine and stuck out her hand.

I tried to look puzzled, innocent, confused.

“
Don't play that game with me. Your family's made up of nothing but thieves.”

Eduardo stepped forward and placed his hand on Constance's shoulder, pulling her back. His knuckles turned white. How hard was he grasping her?

“
Shut up. You're just like your mother. Like all American women. You talk too much.”

Constance grimaced and reached up to grab the fingers digging into her shoulder.

Rob stepped forward. “You're hurting her. Let your wife go.”

Eduardo merely gave his oily smile and looked at Randolph, who pulled a gun out of his pocket.

T
he gun Randolph held was ugly. It looked huge, almost too big for his hand. Or was that just because Randolph was so small in contrast? It was clear from the way he held the weapon that he knew how to use it. I suddenly felt shorter.

The three of us stood very still, but I could tell that Rob and Antoine were poised for a fight.

Spelling pulled out another gun. No good. I saw Rob signal Antoine to stand down. Too much firepower.

“
Put your hands behind your heads and get down on your knees,” said Spelling.

We obeyed.

Eduardo, still grasping Constance's shoulder, barked sternly. “Go home. I'll be there soon.”

“
But she's got it. I know she does,” Constance whined.

He looked at her and sighed, the kind of sigh that came from a man holding fury at his core. As fast as the strike of a coiled snake, he slapped her. I jumped as if he had hit me. Constance ran from the barn, holding her cheek and sobbing.

“
Told ya. Women and horses. Got to get rough with them.”

Eduardo turned his reptilian eyes on Spelling.

“
Sorry, boss.” Spelling said. He seemed to retreat into himself, shrinking beneath Eduardo's cold gaze. Now there were two small men with large guns.

“
Search her,” Eduardo said.

Spelling leered at me. “Sure thing. My pleasure.” He gave his weapon to Eduardo. His hands patted and fondled my body, then he dumped out my purse and looked through it. “Nothing here.”

Eduardo narrowed his eyes. “I don't care, you understand, but my wife wants that locket you promised her.” He sighed again as if bored with this game of hide-the-prize. “Where is it?”

“
Tell him,” said Rob. “Then we can get out of here.”

Eduardo ran his fingers through his dark hair and shook his head.

“
I don't think so.” He signaled to Spelling, who dragged Carlos out of the feed room.

“
I'm sorry, Señora.”

“
One of my more loyal stable boys found him using a cell phone. He was trying to contact your friends, Ms. Appel.”

“
Oh, that's funny,” said Spelling.

Eduardo shot him another look of contempt.

“
Sorry, Boss.”

“
According to my stable boy, this one,” Eduardo looked at Carlos, “took Eve here to get a glimpse of what Dr. Phillips was doing to the mare. That's not something I'd like to get around.”

Eduardo turned his back on us and walked a few steps away, then turned. His shoulders heaved in yet another one of his exaggerated sighs. His voice was soft, low and controlled, as if he were lecturing schoolchildren.

“
You see, Ms. Appel, I'm surrounded by idiots who all think they have the right to say whatever pops into their heads. Not just the women.” His eyes were hard. “No, the men, too. Stable attendants, my manager.”

Spelling opened his mouth to speak but closed it quickly.

Eduardo flicked the riding crop he carried against his leg. His eyes darkened. When he spoke, the control was gone.

“
Talking! All this talking. I need silence and I'm going to get it.” He struck the crop again and again on the palm of his hand. The sound echoed throughout the barn's interior and it sounded like a whipping was taking place. My arms ached from holding them on my head, and the pain moved down into my neck and back as if each stroke of the crop had landed on my flesh.

No one spoke.

“
Ms. Appel?” Eduardo said.

“
You want me to say something? Why should I when you're only going to kill us anyway?”

“
Yes, but it's how I do it that should concern you.”

“
Don't worry about us, Eve,” said Rob.

Eduardo gave the king of all sighs. “Yes, yes. You must worry about her.” Eduardo went into one of the empty stables and pulled out a bound and gagged Madeleine, her eyes wide with terror.

“
That's why you didn't answer your phone.” My tone sounded accusing. I didn't mean it to be, but fear was making me babble while I tried to think of a plan of escape.

“
I'm sure your other friends are similarly occupied. Eh?” Eduardo looked at Spelling and Randolph meaningfully, but neither man would raise his eyes to Eduardo's. Did that mean one of them hadn't completed his job? My heart thudded with hope.

“
You can't kill off the entire population of Sabal Bay just because you think I know something about how you run your pony business.”

“
I can't be bothered with what you and your friends know or don't know. I'm a busy man.” He flapped his hand in a dismissive gesture. “Take care of them. I'm going home to my wife. Just make certain you find that locket. Use whatever persuasive techniques you deem necessary.”

Dr. Phillips walked in. “Can I help? Maybe she has it hidden where we hide the cocaine on the horses. I could look for it.” The suggestion made me quiver with loathing and terror.

“
Whatever. Just find it.” Eduardo walked out the barn door without a backward glance. I saw someone else join him at his car. The personal secretary, the dark woman I'd seen standing next to him at the funeral. She reached up to him, throwing her arms around his neck. He detached himself from her embrace and opened the passenger door. She hesitated a moment, then lowered her head in a gesture of submission and got into the car. Eduardo sure had a way with women.

Spelling's voice drew my attention from the car back to the barn. “I already searched her.”

“
Not as thoroughly as I can,” said Phillips.

“
I think we should tie up our cowboy friends. Then we can work on the little one with the red hair. Go get some rope.” With Eduardo gone, Spelling assumed command.

“
I don't run errands for you,” said the vet. “There's rope in the feed room.” To Randolph, Phillips said, “Surely you're good for more than just standing there looking like an armed elf.”

“
I'm your boss. You wouldn't even have a job if I hadn't pulled those strings that allowed you to keep your license. That horse doping charge in Kentucky wasn't easily covered up, you know.”

“
If I leave, who's gonna do your ponies for you?”

Phillips took the gun from Randolph's hand and assumed the other man's position, his back up against the stall where the feisty mare was located. His movement caught her eye and his smell unsettled her. She began circling her stall nervously. Keeping his eyes on us, he ignored the mare's frantic head twitching and the pawing of her hooves on the straw. She was growing more disturbed. He must have heard her agitated snorts.

“
Maybe I should throw your little friend in there and let the horse take care of her.” He approached the stall and banged his foot against the boards, a cruel smile on his face. The horse whinnied and tossed her head, her eyes white with fear. She shied away from the noise, pushing herself up against the back of the stall; then, whirling around, she rushed forward. In a split second, she had reared up and brought her hooves down on the top rail of the stall, startling Phillips. He whirled about as she reared again, hooves careening toward his head. He jumped to one side, her hooves missing him by inches. The hand holding the gun came up and fired, but the bullet missed its target.

Spelling pointed his gun first at us, then at the horse, but it was too late, he had dropped his guard. Rob and Antoine jumped him. Spelling's gun flew through the air and landed at Randolph's feet. He reached down to grab it, but I kicked it away.

Now only the vet was armed. Phillips, pointing his gun steadily in our direction, stepped away from the stall and motioned us to take his place. The horse continued to rear, twist, and turn, her anxiety intensified by the sound of the shot and Phillips' aggressive posturing. Unbeknownst to Phillips—while Spelling and Randolph tried to locate the other gun on the barn's sawdust floor—I shoved the wooden slide that secured the stall door. The horse seemed to sense my intentions. She held back for a moment then rushed the opening, ramming through it and knocking Phillips down. I grabbed his gun. Antoine, Rob, and I stepped out of the angry mare's way as she reared, striking Phillips on the head. She raced toward Spelling and Randolph, who ran for the feed room. Phillips lay on the barn floor, not moving.

“
Is he dead?” I asked.

Rob felt for a pulse. “No, but he's got quite a cut on his forehead. He might be out for a while. It's a wonder she didn't kill him.”

“
I would have,” I said. The man disgusted me.

Carlos ran after the mare, who slowed at the sound of his voice. She nickered to one of her mates in an end stall. He grabbed her bridle and gentled her with soothing words and comforting pats.