Death by Equine by Annette Dashofy (booksvooks txt) 📕

Daniel’s shoulder to see Greg climb out of the state police SUV. Daniel released her and crossed to the stainless-steel sink and counter.

Greg’s gaze shifted between them. “Hey, Jess. Daniel.”

Daniel gave a nod of acknowledgment.

“What’s going on?” Greg said to Jessie. “I got your message that you wanted to talk to me.”

“I did.” But alone.

Daniel crumpled his empty cup and tossed it in the trash before turning toward Greg. “You missed the mob scene.”

“Oh?”

“It was nothing.” Jessie tried to sound nonchalant. “Concerned horse owners and trainers. That’s all.”

“She handled them like a pro. You should use her for riot control.” Daniel grinned as if nothing were wrong.

Jessie marveled at his acting skills.

“Are you okay?” Greg asked her.

“Yes, of course.”

“What did you call him about?” Daniel asked. “Have you come up with anything new about Doc’s death?”

Was she imagining the ominous tone in Daniel’s voice? She looked at Greg, her eyes wide, and hoped he’d be able to read her silent plea. “Nothing new. I just needed to talk to you. About personal stuff.”

One of Greg’s eyebrows hiked up his forehead.

“The lawyer you’ve hounded me to get. I wanted to ask you about a few names I’ve come up with.”

Greg’s second eyebrow joined the first one. “Really?” He sounded pleased. The bastard.

“Well, you don’t need me for this.” Daniel stepped between Jessie and Greg, stopped, and looked at her. “Unless you want me to stick around.”

“I’ll be fine.” She hoped her relief didn’t show.

“By the way, did you happen to see anyone hanging around my barn this morning when you were there?”

Her mouth went dry. “No. Why?”

“Someone broke the lock on my tack room door.”

“Really?” Greg said. “Did they take anything?”

Daniel glanced over his shoulder at him. “I didn’t notice anything missing.”

Greg pulled out his notebook. “Do you want to file a report?”

“That won’t be necessary. Nothing appeared tampered with. No signs of anyone being in there at all. Except the broken lock.” Daniel’s gaze stayed on Jessie.

“Do you want me to take a look at it?”

“No. Thanks just the same.”

Jessie fought to remain expressionless. It had been way too long since she played poker in college. And she was never very good at it. She studied Daniel’s face, struggling to read his expression. Apparently, he was a much better poker player than she.

“I’ll leave you two to your personal business. Keep me posted about the testing, okay?”

“Absolutely.”

Daniel caressed her cheek with the back of one finger and then strode out of the clinic.

Once he was gone, Jessie let out the breath she’d been holding and sank against the doorframe.

“What the hell was that all about? You didn’t call me here to talk about lawyers.”

“No, I didn’t.” She motioned for Greg to follow her into the office. “I need to sit down.”

Eighteen

“You know, Jess, of all the idiotic things you’ve done, breaking into Shumway’s tack room ranks right up there.”

Exasperated, Jessie deposited the tabby, who had been snuggling in her lap, onto the office floor. “I admit it wasn’t my finest moment. But seriously. I just told you Shumway may not be his real name. He may have killed someone and served time for it, and Doc was probably blackmailing him. And all you can say is I’m an idiot?” She stood and stormed around the desk to lean against the file cabinets.

Greg remained seated on the sofa, Molly in his lap. “What exactly did you hope to accomplish? You can’t verify the drug you found was the same one injected into that horse.”

“I hoped I wouldn’t find anything. I hoped to prove he’d never taken possession of the stuff in the first place.” She’d hoped—and failed—to prove Sherry was trying to throw suspicion on an innocent man.

“Still wouldn’t prove anything. What if he’d left it in his truck? Or at his house? Or what if he’d tossed what was left in the trash?”

“Okay,” she snapped. “I’m a lousy detective. I get it.”

Greg rubbed Molly’s black ears in silence. When he spoke again, his tone was softer. “You really care for this guy, don’t you?”

She remembered how Daniel had looked in his suit. Thought of the kiss at her back door. God, she wanted things to be different. To be easy. She wanted to look into Daniel’s eyes and feel safe in his arms. She wanted a little sappy romance in her life.

Greg’s voice sliced through her fantasy. “I really wish you’d let go of your obsession with a murder that never happened.”

She wheeled on him. “You still don’t believe Doc was murdered?”

Greg hesitated before replying. “I think you’re stirring up stuff that could get you into trouble. You’re not making a lot of friends over this, you know.”

“I can’t help the quarantine.”

“I know you can’t, but it’s more than that. Shumway saw you by his stable and now the lock to his tack room is broken. He’s not a moron, Jess. And there’s everyone else you’ve been accusing. Whether or not one of them had anything to do with Doc’s death, none of them are looking too favorably at you right now. You’re poking a sleeping bear with a stick.”

He had a point. “So what do we do?”

“What do you mean ‘we’?” His annoying grin had returned.

“I mean about Daniel. I have the vial of ace from his tack room. It looks to me like it’s missing about one dose.”

“Damn, you’re good. You can tell just by looking at it, huh? Besides, that vial doesn’t mean a thing. How many partially used bottles of tranquilizer do you suppose there are around this track? Twenty? Thirty maybe?”

At least. “But not everyone who has one also has a reason to want Doc dead. Or a past conviction for murder.”

The patronizing smile vanished. “I admit that bothers me. Do you know anything at all about his conviction?”

“Just what Milt said Doc told him. And if it got out, Daniel would lose his gaming license.” She eyed Greg. “Can’t you use your cop database and quietly do some digging?”

“Not if I value