was typically
sensitive and the scratching caused Rebel to bare her teeth with
her top lip turned up, as if she were smiling or laughing at
Michaela. "Oh, so you find my woes amusing. Wish you could talk;
bet you know something about all the strangeness that goes on
around here."
She continued to pet the horse. She
rounded behind the animal and saw that her back leg had been
wrapped. That was not unusual. Horses acquired cuts and scrapes at
times that caused the grooms to have to treat the superficial
wounds and then wrap them to keep the flies away and prevent the
area from getting infected.
Michaela noticed that the wrap was
partially off. She bent down and rewrapped it, uncovering a fairly
deep cut. Looked as if maybe she'd rubbed up against something
sharp. Kind of like what had happened with Lance Watkins's dapple
gray gelding. Rebel had probably gotten the scrape in the other
stall and that was why she'd been moved. Michaela retightened the
binding. As she started to stand, something shiny caught her eye.
She bent back down and brushed away the shavings to get a better
look. She stared for a moment as her mind registered what it was.
Then she picked it up. Oh, wow! Someone would be looking for this:
a tennis bracelet. Each diamond had to be a carat and had obviously
cost someone a lot of money. She started to stand when she heard
voices in the corridor.
Juliet Mitchell sat astride her
chestnut gelding, and Zach Holden walked next to them. Neither
noticed Michaela. "You did good out there," Zach said. "All you
need is to relax. He can tell that you're tense." He gave the horse
a firm pat on the neck. Michaela was about to step out of the stall
and say hello.
"Tense! Of course I'm tense! How the
hell could I not be stressed out?"
Michaela shrank back inside the stall.
Maybe now wasn't the best time to reveal herself. She'd never heard
Juliet so…edgy. The girl was always well mannered, typically
soft-spoken, definitely upper crest. It was possible that, like her
father, the young woman had a hot temper hidden beneath her
polished exterior.
"Think about it, Zach." She slid off
her horse. "We have to get that letter out of Sterling's apartment.
Do you know if the crime scene tape has come down?"
Oh boy. This was mighty interesting. No
way was Michaela going to announce her presence now. What were
these two talking about? A letter? What letter? She ducked back
down, the bracelet gripped in her hand.
"I don't know why you even sent him
that. What was the purpose?"
"Look, I know it was stupid. Really
stupid." She started to cry. "I don't even know if it's there
anymore. I had to send it to him. I was scared of him and I thought
that was the best way to get him to leave me alone. I tried to send
an e-mail but I thought a letter would be more final, more to the
point. I had no idea it would wind up like this."
"It's okay. I understand. It has to
still be at his place. You mailed it on Friday? Maybe he hadn't
gotten it by Saturday. Or maybe he didn't read the letter. It might
still be in his mailbox."
Michaela watched the two through the
stall bars.
"What if the police find it? The things
that I wrote in there…it was bad, Zach."
"The police are focused on Michaela
Bancroft."
Michaela bit down hard on her
lip.
"We both know she didn't do it," Juliet
replied.
"But until we get that letter, we have
to let the police think what they want. We can't tell them
anything. It will ruin your life, our life, and so many others in
your family."
"It feels wrong."
"I know," Zach said. "But we can't
afford not to be protective right now. Not until we know for sure.
And then we can decide what to do."
Michaela watched as he pulled Juliet
into him. "You didn't do anything wrong."
Juliet nodded. Zach lifted her face up
and kissed her. "We'll get through this together."
Get through what together? Michaela had
no idea what they were up to. She started to sink down lower in the
stall as she saw Zach turn her way.
"I promise
sensitive and the scratching caused Rebel to bare her teeth with
her top lip turned up, as if she were smiling or laughing at
Michaela. "Oh, so you find my woes amusing. Wish you could talk;
bet you know something about all the strangeness that goes on
around here."
She continued to pet the horse. She
rounded behind the animal and saw that her back leg had been
wrapped. That was not unusual. Horses acquired cuts and scrapes at
times that caused the grooms to have to treat the superficial
wounds and then wrap them to keep the flies away and prevent the
area from getting infected.
Michaela noticed that the wrap was
partially off. She bent down and rewrapped it, uncovering a fairly
deep cut. Looked as if maybe she'd rubbed up against something
sharp. Kind of like what had happened with Lance Watkins's dapple
gray gelding. Rebel had probably gotten the scrape in the other
stall and that was why she'd been moved. Michaela retightened the
binding. As she started to stand, something shiny caught her eye.
She bent back down and brushed away the shavings to get a better
look. She stared for a moment as her mind registered what it was.
Then she picked it up. Oh, wow! Someone would be looking for this:
a tennis bracelet. Each diamond had to be a carat and had obviously
cost someone a lot of money. She started to stand when she heard
voices in the corridor.
Juliet Mitchell sat astride her
chestnut gelding, and Zach Holden walked next to them. Neither
noticed Michaela. "You did good out there," Zach said. "All you
need is to relax. He can tell that you're tense." He gave the horse
a firm pat on the neck. Michaela was about to step out of the stall
and say hello.
"Tense! Of course I'm tense! How the
hell could I not be stressed out?"
Michaela shrank back inside the stall.
Maybe now wasn't the best time to reveal herself. She'd never heard
Juliet so…edgy. The girl was always well mannered, typically
soft-spoken, definitely upper crest. It was possible that, like her
father, the young woman had a hot temper hidden beneath her
polished exterior.
"Think about it, Zach." She slid off
her horse. "We have to get that letter out of Sterling's apartment.
Do you know if the crime scene tape has come down?"
Oh boy. This was mighty interesting. No
way was Michaela going to announce her presence now. What were
these two talking about? A letter? What letter? She ducked back
down, the bracelet gripped in her hand.
"I don't know why you even sent him
that. What was the purpose?"
"Look, I know it was stupid. Really
stupid." She started to cry. "I don't even know if it's there
anymore. I had to send it to him. I was scared of him and I thought
that was the best way to get him to leave me alone. I tried to send
an e-mail but I thought a letter would be more final, more to the
point. I had no idea it would wind up like this."
"It's okay. I understand. It has to
still be at his place. You mailed it on Friday? Maybe he hadn't
gotten it by Saturday. Or maybe he didn't read the letter. It might
still be in his mailbox."
Michaela watched the two through the
stall bars.
"What if the police find it? The things
that I wrote in there…it was bad, Zach."
"The police are focused on Michaela
Bancroft."
Michaela bit down hard on her
lip.
"We both know she didn't do it," Juliet
replied.
"But until we get that letter, we have
to let the police think what they want. We can't tell them
anything. It will ruin your life, our life, and so many others in
your family."
"It feels wrong."
"I know," Zach said. "But we can't
afford not to be protective right now. Not until we know for sure.
And then we can decide what to do."
Michaela watched as he pulled Juliet
into him. "You didn't do anything wrong."
Juliet nodded. Zach lifted her face up
and kissed her. "We'll get through this together."
Get through what together? Michaela had
no idea what they were up to. She started to sink down lower in the
stall as she saw Zach turn her way.
"I promise
Similar Books
