Beauty & The Beast (Book 1)

19. Proof

Catherine and Tess arrived at the polo club the next morning, intending to speak with the owner.
Tess was impressed by the place as they walked up to the stables.

"This is where they send troubled teens? Where do I sign up?"

Cat pushed her hair out of her face, the dust from the horses galloping past floating around them. "Look at these people - "

"Practicing their score - "

" - not a care in the world - " Cat adds.

"Getting really good at it."

"No big decisions to make."

Tess groans, looking at Cat. "Oh my God, don't tell me this about what balloons to pick for your stepmonster's bridal shower."

Cat shrugs. "Hey, you're still talking about softball."

They enter the stables and Tess walks toward a wall of polo sticks. "Now I'm talking about polo." She takes one down and turns the blunt end to Cat. "Look at the end of this."

"Same shape as Tommy's bruises," Cat confirms. They walk further into the stable to look around some more.

"You must be the detectives," a beautiful, blonde woman in her late forties comes walking towards them dressed in riding clothes. "I'm Lois Whitworth, president of the Hawkshire Polo Club and the Achieve To Ride Program." She reaches them. "How's Tommy?"

"He's in a coma."

She closes her eyes. "Oh my God, I was gonna go visit him in the hospital today but I didn't wanna intrude."

"Sounds like you were close," Cat notes.

"Ah, people send us their children, they become our children." Tess eyes the woman curiously. "It's just heart breaking that we can't control what happens outside of our cocoon."

"Your cocoon have security cameras?" Tess asks, having looked around and not seeing any.

"Only in the clubhouse," Lois looks in the clubhouse's direction then turns back. "But I thought this happened in the city?"

"Actually we have reason to believe it happened here," Cat says looking at Tess then Lois.

"What?"

"Tommy's dad mentioned that he finished the program six months ago, but do you know if he was still coming up here?" Tess asks.

"Yeah," Lois nods. "He did so well we put him on payroll. He would clean the stalls, maintain the grounds." Lois started leading them outside. "He actually played quite a bit of the sport, he was very good."

"He have any rivals? Enemies?"

"No, not out here. We're a very close, loving community."

Cat takes out the watch in the evidence bag she had brought to ask about. "So close that you gave him this?" She hands the bag to Lois. "That's a pretty nice watch."

Lois looks closely at the watch. "No, this is my husband's," she says and glances up at them. "Where did you get this?"

"You didn't notice it was missing?" Tess questions, still gaging Lois's reactions.

"My husband passed away two years ago." Lois looks at the watch, worry in her eyes.

"So he stole it?" Cat frowns.

Lois sighs and shakes her head. "I know, this is the hard part of my job, you take in a kid like Tommy with all of his issues, you think you're making a difference, but..." She shrugs.