The Michaela Bancroft Mysteries 1-3 (41 page)

"What you need?'

"Some information on a guy named Bob Pratt.
He's a veterinarian. I thought one of your cousins might be able to find
something out about him."

"What gives, Mick?" He bent down to Gen.
"Go get the horse a carrot, sweetheart. Daddy and Miss Michaela are gonna
talk for a minute, okay?"

Gen nodded and walked toward the feed room, where
she knew Michaela kept the veggie drawer in the fridge stocked with carrots and
apples.

She sighed. "His sister was a friend of mine
and she was murdered yesterday. Bob is missing. Has been for the past four or
five days."

"Oh no. I'm sorry about your friend, but you
don't need to go messing into this. I'm smelling trouble here."

"Please. All I want to know is if the guy has
fallen off the wagon. He's had a drinking problem in the past, and his sister
helped him get back on his feet. I find it hard to think that he might be
involved in her murder, but with him incognito it does not look good. The
police seem to think he killed her and is on the run. I'm actually hoping he's
on a bender somewhere. And, that's where you or one of your cousins might be
able to help out. That's it. Just want to know if he is okay. That is all I
need to know, and then I'll drop it. Promise." She crossed her heart.

"Where was he living? And, what about where
he worked?"

"L.A."

"Okay, got some cousins in L.A. that might be
able to help me out. We'll see. But that's it.
Capisce
? No more this
crazy you-playing-Miss-P.I. business. Hear?"

"You got it. Thanks."

"Okay, so the guy lives in the City of
Angels. You know any of his pals? Where he works? His address, phone number? I
gotta have something to go on."

Michaela gave him the information that she had,
which wasn't much, other than his employer, that he worked the track, and had
been to rehab at Betty Ford within the last year.

"That's a start. Now you gotta do me a
favor." She knew this was coming. "You gotta call that director over
at Genevieve's school and tell her that you want to organize the riding
program. I've done a lot for you, Michaela." He crossed his arms over his
wide chest.

"You sure know how to guilt a girl, don't
you?"

He smiled. "You know and I know that you are
perfect for this." He took out his wallet and handed her a card.
"Call this gal, tell her you'll set it up."

She sighed. "Okay, Joe, I'll give it a
shot."

"Good woman. I knew you'd do it." He
pointed a finger at her. "Now go and work with my kid. I'll see what I can
find out about this Pratt dude."

Michaela looked at Gen walking back to them,
carrot in hand, her dark, curly hair pulled into a low ponytail in order to fit
her helmet over it, her big brown eyes staring straight ahead. She took the
little girl's hand. "Thanks."

Joe bent down and gave his daughter a kiss on the
cheek. "I'm proud of you, pretty girl. I know you're going to be great up
there today. Miss Michaela will take good care of you. Daddy is gonna come up
and watch soon. I have to make some phone calls." He winked at Michaela.

Michaela put a halter around Booger. He was
perfect for Gen. Calm, well behaved, with no intention of moving any faster
than a walk. The new horse she'd purchased from Hugh that morning, Geyser,
would be the right addition for Jude's daughter. Katie was up for the challenge
of a horse that would eagerly move out.

Together they brushed the horse. Michaela placed a
hand over Gen's on the brush and they stroked Booger's coat. She spoke in calm,
hushed tones. "That's good. See how clean he's getting?" Michaela
asked. "What a good job you're doing, Gen. Look at how pretty you're
making Booger. He likes that a lot."

Once Booger had the therapeutic saddle on him and
Michaela slid a headstall over his ears, she kept him on a lead line and, after
putting Gen up on him, led him up to the arena. There, Booger did as Michaela
asked him, and Gen finally smiled from ear to ear when Michaela put Booger into
a jog on the lead line. "Look at you ride Booger. You have a great seat.
Stay with the horse. Keep your bottom in the saddle. Wow. Nice job, Gen. Really
good."

After they finished their lesson they headed back
to the barn, where Michaela had Gen get the carrot out of the groom caddy.
Michaela broke the carrot into threes and reminded Gen to hold her palm flat so
the horse couldn't nip her fingers or hand. "He wouldn't mean to do
it," Michaela said. "But it could happen. So, we hold our hand out
like this." She held out her palm flat then, with the other hand she
smoothed Gen's hand out, placing a carrot in her hand and putting her own hand
underneath the child's to keep it stable. Booger took the carrot gently and Gen
smiled again. Peace and a genuine feeling of happiness came over Michaela for
those few minutes alone with the girl. This was what life was about. The
moments where a real connection happened.

While Michaela put Booger back in his stall, she
told Gen that there was a treat for her inside the tack room. The girl knew
what that meant. It had become a ritual since she'd started working with her.
Katie was also aware of the cookie jar. Michaela made sure that she baked a new
batch every few days for the girls, and when they were done with a lesson they
could have one.

Joe came into Michaela's office while Gen ate her
cookie. "I'm still checking this dude out, seeing what I can get on him.
I'll give you a call when I know something."

"Thanks," Michaela said, hoping inside
that Joe and the cousins would find out what had happened to Bob Pratt.

AFTER JOE AND GEN LEFT, DWAYNE SHOWED UP. He'd had
Rocky, who appeared to have recovered from his bizarre "attack" the
other day, out on the hot walker. Michaela kept her fingers crossed that it had
been an isolated incident.

"You doing good with that kid," Dwayne
said.

"Thank you. How is Rocky doing?"

"He be okay, you know. No more problems. The
vet call me and say he had some higher testosterone levels than normal. She say
that could be causing him a problem."

"Interesting. Did she know what might be
causing it?"

"No. She ask if you give the horses any kind
of bute or steroid."

Michaela laughed. "Oh, sure. I'm all about
drugging these animals up. Why would she ask that?"

"Dunno. I think she trying to figure it all
out. She say that she have Dr. Slater take a look when he get in tomorrow. She
don't seem to know. Say maybe something with his pituitary gland."

"Hmm. Okay, well, I'm glad Ethan will be
taking a look; if anyone can figure this out, it might be him."

"Michaela, you okay? You looking tired."

She sighed. "No. I'm not okay." She told
him about Audrey.

"Oh, lady, you been through a lot these last
coupla years. Losing Uncle Lou, then old Cocoa passing on," Dwayne said,
mentioning her chocolate lab, who she'd lost in the spring to old age.
"Now your friend." He shook his head. "Must be good things on
the horizon for you. Hawaiian spirituality tell us that when there are tough
times to be grateful, cause there are nothing but good things coming around the
corner. Everything happen for a reason and it serve you."

She touched his shoulder. He was good to have
around.

"Hey, hey! I'm ready for my riding lesson."

Michaela turned to see Camden bounding down the
breezeway. Holy cow! Was she actually wearing Wranglers and a pair of riding
boots? "Whoa! What is going on here?" Michaela stifled a laugh as she
remembered the last time Camden got on a horse and nearly broke her tailbone
falling off the other side.

"Oh, hey you. Didn't know you would be back
so soon from L.A. Yeah, well I decided that if I'm going to live on a ranch, I
might as well learn how to ride. And Dwayne is teaching me." Camden
flashed a smile at him.

"Huh. Really?" She glanced at Dwayne,
who had turned a shade darker than his native skin tone. He nodded. Okay, something
was up between these two.

"Yes. Really."

Michaela bit her tongue and for some comic relief
watched Camden in the arena while Dwayne gave her a riding lesson. To her
surprise, Camden did well up on the horse. She'd been on a horse more than a
few times of late, because there was no way that the Camden Michaela had out on
a horse a while back was the same woman on her mare Macy right now. She shook
her head, confused, and decided to let it go for now. But later, when Camden
had filled up on margaritas, she planned to ask her what in the world was
really going on. She'd never shown an interest in horses and she'd been living
with Michaela for almost two years.

She let the two of them finish their lesson and
went on down to the house where, to her surprise, she found a dozen pink roses
in her kitchen. Camden and her admirers. She picked up the card and saw that
they were for her: from Hudson Drake.
Looking forward to Saturday
.
"Great," Michaela said out loud. "What the hell am I going to
do?"

"About what?" She jumped and looked up
to see Jude Davis leaning against the kitchen doorway. "Sorry, it was open
and I saw you standing there. Didn't mean to frighten you. Who are the roses
from?" He walked into the kitchen.

He smelled good—kind of tropical, coconut maybe.
He looked good, too. He always looked good with his blue eyes and rugged
features, and he dressed how she liked a man to dress—simple; jeans, nice
shirt. No sport coat today. Sunday was his day off. She set down the card.
"Oh, um, just this guy who…well, I met him at the races and he knew some
of the same people that I know and I don't know, I gave him my card and I kind of
offered to do him a favor."

"Favor? Must have been a pretty good
one." Jude smiled and rocked back on his heels. It was a nervous habit
that Michaela had noticed.

"Wait, no, it's nothing. I only told him that
I'd relay a message for him." She thought back to the conversation she'd
had with Hudson and her plans to inform Audrey about Bob. It was not something
she wanted to get into with Jude, the cop.

"Must have been some message."

"Jude!" she implored.

"Hey, no big deal. So, some guy sent you a
dozen roses. I'm not dumb. Men are going to pursue you. And I personally don't
mind a bit of competition."

"You don't?" She wasn't sure how she
felt about that. "Why?"

"Because I plan on coming out the
winner."

"Really?"

"Really."

He walked over to her. His eyes reflected a bright
intensity. "I think I can top the flowers." He pulled her into him
and kissed her. The touch of his lips, his hands on her waist, all of it
shocked her, but she didn't resist. The kiss was sweet, smooth, and really
nice. It shot a surge of electricity through her as her heart raced and what
felt like a thousand butterflies fluttered in her stomach. Wow. She hadn't been
kissed like that in a very long time. In fact, she wasn't sure she'd ever been
kissed like that at all. She pulled away from him. "Yeah."

"Yeah what?"

"That was better than roses."

He pointed at her and started to leave.
"There is more where that came from."

"Wait. Where are you going? Why did you come
by?"

He smiled. "Just to say hi. And see when
you'd like to go out for dinner. How about Friday?"

"Friday? Oh, uh…"

"Oh no, no. You just told me that the kiss
beat out the roses."

"It did. Definitely. Hands down. It's that,
um, it's Summer and Ethan Slater's baby shower–barbecue thing on Friday. God, I
don't even know exactly, but it's kind of this couples thing, and I
thought…"

"Yes, I'll go."

"I didn't ask."

"You were going to though, weren't you?"

"Maybe."

"So we'll have dinner another night. Friday
we'll go to a baby shower–barbecue instead." He laughed. "See you
Friday."

"See you Friday," she uttered, bringing
her fingers up to her lips, still burning from Jude's touch.

MICHAELA TRIED TO MAKE LIGHT OF JUDE'S KISS, but it
stuck with her for the rest of the day. Why did he have to go and do that? It
only made everything that much more confusing. But confusing about what? she
chided herself. He liked her, she liked him; maybe they could have something
together. Why did that have to mean
confusion
? Why couldn't she be more
like Camden and just go with it, and if it didn't work out…well, then it
didn't. But she wasn't like that. As much as she thought she'd like to be, she
simply wasn't, and therefore Jude's kiss caused her confusion, some stress, as
well as a smile when she thought about it.

What wasn't making her smile and was also making
her crazy was Audrey's murder, and she wondered if the police had made any
headway at all in the investigation, other than focusing on Bob as the killer.
She hesitated to pick up the phone and call Detective Merrill. What kind of
questions could she ask him anyway? She did want to know if they had discovered
anything new. It probably wasn't such a good idea to call Merrill, and she knew
she should drop it anyway. She was doing what she could by asking Joe to help
her out, and he'd promised to give her a call if he found out anything.

The sun was going down, which meant it was time to
feed the animals and make herself some dinner. She'd let Dwayne have the night
off since he'd covered for her while she was in L.A. Funny, she hadn't seen
Camden
or
Dwayne since the riding lesson. She couldn't wait to quiz
Camden about her newfound interest. Where had they disappeared to?

She filled the wheelbarrow with several flakes of
hay and distributed it to her "kids." She then went back into the
feed room and filled buckets with supplements for the handful she fed them to.
Rocky nickered as she came to his stall with his bucket of treats. She dumped
the contents into his feeder and he immediately dove in. "It's the good
stuff you like, isn't it?" She laughed, and then stopped as she thought
she heard someone else laugh. Where was that coming from? There it was again.
Definitely laughter.