gone!"
"Robert didn't feel the same way about
Sterling as you did?" Michaela assumed this.
"No. He liked Sterling fine, but I
think he might've blamed him for Justin's death. They were at the
party together and Robert feels that Sterling should have stopped
him from driving home that night. But Sterling was with a date and
claims he didn't realize that Justin was intoxicated."
"Did Robert tell you that he blamed
Sterling?"
"No."
"Oh. So you were giving Sterling money?
I assume that Robert didn't know about it?"
"Not until Sterling told
him."
"He told him?"
"Yes. Sterling was not paying Robert
for the training and boarding bills here. I went to talk with him
about it. I explained that the money I'd been giving him was from
an insurance policy that we had on Justin and that he needed to use
the money to pay Robert, and for his rent and
education."
That must have been what Michaela
witnessed between the two of them the other day. Paige had tried
talking to Sterling about this. "I didn't know he was going to
school."
"He was taking acting classes. It was
his dream to be an actor and he would've been wonderful at it. He
promised me that he'd get caught up with his bills with Robert. He
went to talk to Robert. Things heated up, I guess, and Sterling
lost it and told him that it didn't matter that he owed him money.
Sterling laughed at Robert and told him where the money was coming
from. Robert was so upset. He came to me and asked me what I'd been
doing. I told him. I explained that Sterling was like a son to me
and that I was trying to help him. I got him to calm down after a
bit. Sterling had auditioned for a play and had promised to pay me
back because he'd gotten the part. Robert was still angry, but not
as much. Then this morning I found the letter. I guess he changed
his mind."
Michaela was more than confused. This
would take some time to digest. Sterling had played poor Paige. He
was an actor. She felt sorry for the woman on so many
levels.
She stood and tried to see if the
invoice she'd spotted on Robert's desk was still there. It wasn't.
She sighed.
"I'm sorry to have rambled on. I
shouldn't have troubled you," Paige said.
"No. Not at all. I'm glad I was here
for you." She put a hand on Paige's shoulder.
Paige nodded. Michaela said that she
had to go, as she had a riding lesson to give. She walked out of
the office, her brain twisted in frustration, for she had no real
clue as to what had just taken place, or the significance of any of
it. But if working around animals had taught her one thing, it was
that trusting your intuition usually meant that you were on the
right track. Her intuition told her that Sterling Taber had
maintained some interesting and complicated relationships, and that
more than one person had reasons to want him dead.
Sixteen
Michaela needed a breather and had
about an hour before she had to be back home to give a riding
lesson to Joe's little girl. Thank God that Joey believed in her
innocence and had no plans of removing Gen from the riding
center.
She walked down the stalls at the polo
field to say hi to Rebel. Someone had moved the horse and at first
she couldn't find her. She'd been moved all the way down to the end
of the row. The bay mare walked over to her as soon as she called
to her from the other side of the barred stall. "Hi, gorgeous, how
are you today? Tell you what, I've been better. Why'd they move you
down here?"
The horse's ears popped forward and she
stared at Michaela as if she were listening intently. The beautiful
thing about these animals was that they provided total and complete
therapy, and all for no money down. Well, that wasn't entirely true
when you broke down board, feed, and training, not to mention show
fees, vet bills, horseshoeing bills, etc. No, hardly free, but they
were really good listeners.
Michaela opened Rebel's stall door and
slid through. She stroked the mare's neck and scratched under her
chin, which made her toss her head about. The chin
"Robert didn't feel the same way about
Sterling as you did?" Michaela assumed this.
"No. He liked Sterling fine, but I
think he might've blamed him for Justin's death. They were at the
party together and Robert feels that Sterling should have stopped
him from driving home that night. But Sterling was with a date and
claims he didn't realize that Justin was intoxicated."
"Did Robert tell you that he blamed
Sterling?"
"No."
"Oh. So you were giving Sterling money?
I assume that Robert didn't know about it?"
"Not until Sterling told
him."
"He told him?"
"Yes. Sterling was not paying Robert
for the training and boarding bills here. I went to talk with him
about it. I explained that the money I'd been giving him was from
an insurance policy that we had on Justin and that he needed to use
the money to pay Robert, and for his rent and
education."
That must have been what Michaela
witnessed between the two of them the other day. Paige had tried
talking to Sterling about this. "I didn't know he was going to
school."
"He was taking acting classes. It was
his dream to be an actor and he would've been wonderful at it. He
promised me that he'd get caught up with his bills with Robert. He
went to talk to Robert. Things heated up, I guess, and Sterling
lost it and told him that it didn't matter that he owed him money.
Sterling laughed at Robert and told him where the money was coming
from. Robert was so upset. He came to me and asked me what I'd been
doing. I told him. I explained that Sterling was like a son to me
and that I was trying to help him. I got him to calm down after a
bit. Sterling had auditioned for a play and had promised to pay me
back because he'd gotten the part. Robert was still angry, but not
as much. Then this morning I found the letter. I guess he changed
his mind."
Michaela was more than confused. This
would take some time to digest. Sterling had played poor Paige. He
was an actor. She felt sorry for the woman on so many
levels.
She stood and tried to see if the
invoice she'd spotted on Robert's desk was still there. It wasn't.
She sighed.
"I'm sorry to have rambled on. I
shouldn't have troubled you," Paige said.
"No. Not at all. I'm glad I was here
for you." She put a hand on Paige's shoulder.
Paige nodded. Michaela said that she
had to go, as she had a riding lesson to give. She walked out of
the office, her brain twisted in frustration, for she had no real
clue as to what had just taken place, or the significance of any of
it. But if working around animals had taught her one thing, it was
that trusting your intuition usually meant that you were on the
right track. Her intuition told her that Sterling Taber had
maintained some interesting and complicated relationships, and that
more than one person had reasons to want him dead.
Sixteen
Michaela needed a breather and had
about an hour before she had to be back home to give a riding
lesson to Joe's little girl. Thank God that Joey believed in her
innocence and had no plans of removing Gen from the riding
center.
She walked down the stalls at the polo
field to say hi to Rebel. Someone had moved the horse and at first
she couldn't find her. She'd been moved all the way down to the end
of the row. The bay mare walked over to her as soon as she called
to her from the other side of the barred stall. "Hi, gorgeous, how
are you today? Tell you what, I've been better. Why'd they move you
down here?"
The horse's ears popped forward and she
stared at Michaela as if she were listening intently. The beautiful
thing about these animals was that they provided total and complete
therapy, and all for no money down. Well, that wasn't entirely true
when you broke down board, feed, and training, not to mention show
fees, vet bills, horseshoeing bills, etc. No, hardly free, but they
were really good listeners.
Michaela opened Rebel's stall door and
slid through. She stroked the mare's neck and scratched under her
chin, which made her toss her head about. The chin
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