Toni Petti - Horse Girl Homicide

Chapter Seven

"Peanuts," Ainsley replies.

"Go stable your horses," Terrence uses his cane to spider across the sand. "All of you!" He waves the girls away too vigorously and has to steady himself to recover his balance.

Delia and Monica are shocked to silence by Mr. Brummel's shouts and momentarily cease their anxious sobs. But they start mewling again after they collect their mares and leave the sand ring.

Ainsley circles her gelding too, but Bernard intercepts. The wiry barn manager tries to take Kaiser's reins but my friend holds-on tight and doesn't yield.

"Let me see those nuts," Mr. Delany practically assaults Ainsley. "They candy coated..? Barbeque?" He extends an open hand like he expects her to produce a sample.

"Back off creep." Ainsley warns him, "touch me again and you'll regret it."

"You're in some trouble Miss Chan," Bernard points to Cortes. "There'll be an investigation."

"Plain peanuts," Ainsley exhibits the snack in her palm. "See?"

Mr. Brummel wheezes and waves all the girls away again, and when I don't obey like the others, he frowns at me.

"Air ambulance," I hold up my phone to make it clear why I must remain, "it's coming." I point to the south lawn. He sees my device and realizes I made the important call, and what's more, they're still on the line.

"May I speak with them?" The bald rancher reaches, and I surrender my phone. I step away as he introduces himself. "I'm Terrence Brummel. My daughter has been crushed by her eleven-hundred-pound stallion." He listens a moment and then continues, "broken ribcage, very likely vascular injuries."

Jonathan and Candace crouch beside Tanya and I hear a mother tell her daughter to be strong and hold-on. It's too traumatic for me and I have to clear away. I shift my eyes back to the barn.

I watch Ainsley unlock the passenger door of my car and retrieve her phone. She still holds Kaiser's reins but but relinquishes the lead rope to Bernard who has followed her up the hill. She lets him take her horse so she can make her telephone call in peace.

On the other side of the complex, Monica and Delia lead their mares past Teodor who still lingers by the yearlings' pen. The young farmer just stands and watches everyone. He must be worried about his sister, but he's smart enough to realize he can't do anything.

Ainsley paces back and forth with her phone to her ear outside the posh front entrance. Who is she talking to? Her dad. What will he say? I know; he'll want to see my footage. She's going to come to me straightaway and ask for the GoPro camera's chip. She'll take possession of that media and there'll be no arguing with her because she owns everything. Arrghh. Think quick. Our signed agreement gives her total control. If Ainsley asks me for the recording, I'll have no choice but to surrender the memory card. That's in our contract. Why do I care? I don't need the video, but some part of me knows I'll want it in the future. I can already feel my self-preservation instincts turning-on. I'm innocent, but I may have to prove it. I'm not in any immediate danger unless Ainsley did poison the horse in which case, I'd be considered an accomplice. Did she poison the horse? I need to check for myself. I've got to transfer the file to my Lenovo and make my own copy.

On the hilltop, Miss Chan finishes her phone call and re-enters the equestrian center. I pull off my derby hat and sprint to my car which she has left unlocked. I disassemble the floral fascinator and remove the hidden GoPro. I power the camera down which ends the recording. My thumb is the perfect shape to depress and eject its microSD memory card. I use an adaptor to conform the tiny chip to a regular SD card which my laptop accepts. I click through my Lenovo's extensive personal security features and twenty seconds later, I'm supervising the speedy transfer of footage.