Toni Petti - Horse Girl Homicide

Chapter Thirteen

Monica and I make another round trip and carry pails to her white mare and Delia's chestnut. On the third sortie, I learn that Kaiser is one of the few boarders that gets both beet pellets and HyGain. He gets an orange bucket and Monica feeds him lovingly, just like the others. Her respect for these animals and the way she cares for them all so passionately rules her out as the poisoner in my opinion. I don't think she's capable of harming anything.

On our last trip, Donkey rounds the bend into the Staff-Only section and we dispense our last ten pails, including two green buckets for Teo's racehorses. I'm about to ask Moni more about them, when she gives me the quiet sign. She puts a finger to her lips and nods at the storeroom where Dr. Swansea works on his books. I pet Prince and his frisky son while scanning the perimeter for Teo, but he's nowhere to be found. We quietly leave the area and Bernard waits for us in the feed room.

"Thank you, ladies. I think that went fairly smoothly." The barn manager checks water pressure gauges and adjusts one valve. Then he opens an electrical panel and turns-on ventilation fans and switches off banks of overhead lights. He toggles another lever and I hear the overhead doors close in two different parts of the complex. Finally, he turns to me and smiles, "Antonia, we owe you a tremendous thanks, and approximately four hours' wages."

"What's left to do?" I ask them, but Miss Locksley makes the safe motion from baseball.

"That's it." Mr. Delany says. "I'll feed Jasper." He picks up an empty steel dogfood bowl by the front door.

"We just wash out these buckets," Monica empties the wagon. I help her as Bernard circles the room preparing the donkey's dinner. Jasper brays and does a happy dance. He's a hungry beast-of-burden and eager to get his special meal.

"Give me a squirt." Bernard wants me to use my hose to add some water to the bowl; Jasper's dinner looks like trail mix basted in vegetable oil.

"What about the yearlings? And the pig? And the cats?" I'm listing things to feed because I need them to leave me unsupervised. My eyes are on the supply cabinet. I'd stuff Tanya's journal in the waistband of my underwear if I could just get ten seconds alone.

"Teo does all that." Bernard waves away my helpful notions. He plops the food bowl down in front of the donkey and unharnesses him from the wagon while he's distracted.

"Cats fend for themselves." Monica adds.

"And now we can have our supper." Bernard flashes his brown toothy smile. "Moni, have you invited Antonia to join us?"

"Oh no. Not tonight." I wave-off the idea and take a step back to make it clear I'm not staying. In truth, I'm starving, but more eager to finally escape. All I want to do is grab Tanya's journal and jet home. I'll text Ainsley to see where she's at and learn how thoroughly those two cops questioned her. Then I'll stay up late tonight and read that journal cover to cover. After that, I'll watch the GoPro footage I copied for myself on my laptop and sift that for clues. But I can't get my hands on that notebook with these two hanging around.

"Don't be silly. Of course, you're staying for supper." Monica dismisses my polite declination. "You probably haven't eaten anything all day."

"Maybe some peanuts?" Bernard suggests.

"No," I pour cold water on Mr. Delany's not-so-funny joke.

"You have to eat. It's distracted driving," Moni reasons; "you'll just end up stopping somewhere for chips and candy."

She's right about that, but that's not why I'm considering the offer. The blond woman ushers me out the door and Bernard turns off the lights. Jasper looks up from his feed bowl and winks both eyes to say goodnight. He sleeps in an open stall by the door, and so I'll probably see him later.