“Now, would you like to know why I've asked you these questions, which have nothing to do with horses, hounds, or the weather for Tuesday's hunt?”
“I would.” He smiled.
“A stray fact wandered in through someone Sam Lorillard knows, one of the alcoholics who hangs around the station. Ben Sidell told me this. When Mitch and Anthony picked up odd jobs delivering furniture for Berry Storage, Donnie Sweigert always drove the truck. Nothing too strange about that, but what
is
interesting is that those men only made deliveries to coaches or trainers.”
“Ah.” He held his breath for a moment. “You're thinking this has to do with performance-enhancing drugs, maybe even recreational drugs. Have you said anything to Ben?”
“He's smart. I expect he's there ahead of me.”
“It's deeply disturbing. Not only are three people dead, but other lives are being ruined. The chances of a high school athlete and then a college athlete making it to the pros are tiny, infinitesimal. But every kid thinks he can do it. Even more damaging, less than twenty-five percent of black male basketball players at Division 1A schools graduate. Graduate!” He exhaled loudly, which made Tonto stand up on his hind paws to make sure Walter was okay. “Here, bud.” Walter gave him a small piece of pumpernickel. “I guess every one of us needs a dream. I don't mean to sound negative, but more than a dream, they need a degree.”
“Not negative, just realistic. I probably have this fact wrong, but I remember reading somewhere that of all the college male basketball players, less than three percent will make it to the pros, and out of that percentage, most will wash out in five years.”
“Sounds close enough to me.”
“I don't know what to do. I don't want to say anything. That would be stupid, kind of showing my hand too early. This is inside our tent, I think. The finger points at Clay Berry or Xavier. Possibly Sam, because of his connection to the railroad station gang. From time to time Sam would help deliver furniture. I guess those who had any muscle power left took a job with Berry Storage from time to time. Makes me sick to think of it. I've racked my brain to see if anyone else could be doing this, using the Berry Storage as a distribution point. When you think about it, it's pretty smart. Furniture with drugs hidden inside.”
His voice remained even, then rose. “Hard to think of Clay or X being involved in drug sales.”
“Yes. Well, I don't know anything, but I have this instinct, like when I know where my fox is.”
“Your instincts have kept us all going.”
“And now I know something else.”
“What?”
“Professional athletes are on everything but roller skates.”
CHAPTER 35
Each time he blew the horn, Shaker's ribs hurt, taped though they were. Yesterday's rare day of sunshine was followed by more gray clouds this Tuesday.
In the far distance, the grand estate of Rattle and Snap, a Georgian pile, red brick with massive white Doric pillars, reposed on a hill overlooking its snow-filled acres. While it was exquisitely beautiful, everyone who bought it lost pots of money, eventually leaving it to the next rich outsider.
Sister, back leading the field, wondered if places didn't have good spirits or bad spirits. Maybe the Chinese were correct in lining up their buildings and doorways according to their ideas of energy. Feng shui made as much sense as any other system for attracting luck.
The hunt club enjoyed a bit of luck as Alexander Vajay, owner of Chapel Cross, purchased a lottery ticket, one of the scratch kind, and won a thousand dollars. He happily gave half to the hunt club before the hounds took off this frosty morning.
Alexander, with his dark Indian skin, white teeth, and expressive eyes, delighted Sister and the members. He and his family had been members for only a year, but their exuberance, matched by their warmth and sophistication, had made the family quite popular.
Tuesday's field consisted of twelve people: Tedi, Edward, Sam, Gray, Crawford, Marty, Alexander, Xavier, Clay, Ronnie, Jennifer, and Sari. The girls lucked out with a snow day. Two flakes of snow make principals shaky, the result being kids make up snow days well into May and sometimes June. It was one way to learn that one pays for one's pleasures, but Sister always thought if a child had mastered the work, let him or her go.
They'd had a few good runs in the snow but nothing longer than fifteen minutes. It was one of those hunt-and-peck days, but still, anything beats a blank. The temperature nudged up to the midforties and then skidded right back down into the midthirties. Sister wondered what was behind it. Probably another storm, more snow. No one would be likely to forget this winter.
Shaker circled back toward the outbuildings behind the mansion. He might have a chance to pick up a line going in or out of the hay barns. The puddles in the dirt road were shining ice. The ice, close to an inch thick, could bear the weight of a hound, but not a horse.
Aztec, careful with his hooves, mistrusted the shine off the frozen puddles. He'd try to sidestep them, but too many puddles filled the road. Sister squeezed him on. He did it, but complained by flicking his ears back and tightening the muscles along his spine as though he was going to hump up.
“Don't even think about it.”
“I don't like this,”
Aztec answered.
“Oh, come on.” She hit him with her spurs.
“I'm doing it, but I still don't like it.”
He vaulted the puddle instead of going through it.
Fortunately Sister had a tight seat. “Wiener.”
“I'll take any jump in anyone's hunt field, but I don't like
ice.”
He kept going, his trot eating up the yards.
This chase, out of a trot for all of five minutes, ended a mile and a half from the mansion, the fox ducking into the abandoned mule barns. Back before World War I, Melton supported a workforce of over three hundred laborersâ men, women, and children. The main cropsâapples, hay, corn, and some tobaccoâneeded many hands to plant, nurture, then pluck. All the old tobacco barns, built of heavy stone, stood, the lingering smoky scent tangible even to the human nose.
Mindful of Shaker's ribs and his pride, Sister felt they'd been out for two hours, shown some sport on a dicey day. As he dismounted, blowing “Gone to Ground,” she waited for him to finish.
Riding on Showboat, she signaled him by tapping her hat with her crop. He nodded. He hurt more than he cared to admit.
The field, feeling the precipitous temperature drop now that they weren't moving along, sighed with relief.
Gray rode with Sister as they turned back.
“What I most like about Melton is the mile-long drive lined with sugar maples.”
“It's a beautiful estate,” she said.
“Did you watch Westminster last night?”
“Glued to the set. Loved the English setter in the hunting dog division. Thought the corgi was fabulous in the herding group. Course tonight we see hounds, terriers, and toys. And then the Best in Show. I guarantee it won't be a hound, no matter how spectacular the hound. Just makes my teeth hurt, I hate that so much!” She laughed at herself. “I've half a mind to take my hounds to Madison Square Garden and really give the audience a show!”
Crawford joined them. “Sister, I have an idea about the staff.”
Her eyebrows rose. “Love to hear it.”
“What if we advertised in Horse Country's newspaper and
The Chronicle of the Horse
for an intern? You know, someone in vet school or a college kid who rides on the show-jumping team. You and Shaker would have help in the summer, and it wouldn't cost as much as full-time help.” He caught his breath, the cold air stinging his throat. “If it proved efficient, then in the fall we could organize some fund-raisers for a permanent position.”
“Excellent idea,” Sister replied. “Even if we couldn't hire full-time help, we'd make progress. Excellent,” she repeated.
Sister turned to see how the others were coming along behind them. Sam and Marty rode well to the rear, far away from Xavier, Clay, and Ronnie, all three in an animated discussion.
Back at the trailers, Sister asked Ronnie, “What was that all about?”
“Sam Lorillard.”
“Oh.”
Ronnie loosened his horse's girth. “X swears he's drinking again, but X hates him so much we're taking it with a grain of salt. I don't know.” He shook his head.
“Here.” She took the saddle as he took off the bridle, then slipped on a high-quality leather halter from Fennell's in Lexington, Kentucky.
“You know, Ronnie, when you were a Pony Clubber with Ray, I told you to keep the saddle on the horse, but to loosen the girth. They get cold-backed in this weather if you take the saddle off.”
“I know, I know,” he answered as though he were still twelve, pony in hand. “But Regardless,” his horse was named Regardless, “is cold-backed. I have this big gel pad.” He took the saddle from her, stepped up into his trailer tack room, put the saddle on the saddletree and the bridle on the bridle rack, and plucked out a blue gel pad wrapped in warm towels. “Feel it.”
“Still warm.”
“These things are amazing. They'll stay warm for hours.” He stepped down, put the pad on Regardless's back, looped a soft web overgirth over it. Then he draped on the sweat sheet, pulling a sturdy blanket over all. “This really works.”
“I should have known not to chide you. You were my best Pony Clubber, even better than Ray Jr.”
Ronnie beamed. “Thanks.”
“Ronnie, forgive me for asking you this. I don't want to put you on the spot, but, well . . . can you in your wildest imaginings think that Clay could be part of a criminal ring, whether it's furniture or something else?”
He faced her as he stood on the other side of his horse, putting his arms over Regardless's back. “No. But having said that, do we truly know anyone? I guess we're all capable of things that aren't pretty. But no. He makes enough money honestly.”
“Greed. It's a vice like lust. Or maybe I should say it's one of the seven deadly sins.” She stood close to Ronnie. “It's irrationalâobviouslyâand Izzy has expensive tastes.”
“That she does. Wraps him around her little finger.” Ronnie grimaced for a second. “Still, I can't imagine Clay as a crook. Just can't. Now,” he lowered his voice as he rubbed Regardless's forehead, “I can imagine Izzy doing many out-of-the-way things.”
“Yes, I can, too. Think she's faithful to Clay?”
After a long pause, Ronnie replied, “No. Do you?” “No, but I can't judge these things.” She sighed, then brightened. “Let me tell you again that your lottery ticket idea was just the best.”
“How about Alex winning a thousand dollars?”
“I know. Five hundred for the club, and every dollar helps as you well know.”
“Yes.” He smiled sheepishly. “Obviously, I don't have the gambler's gene.”
“That's why you're treasurer.”
On the way back to the farm, driving slowly on roads that remained slick in some spots, while the slush turned to ice in others, Sister and Betty rehashed the day's hunt.
Betty fretted, “I hope that kid of mine is being sensible.”
“She'll be at the stable. She left before we did, and she's a good driver.”
“She's young. She hasn't seen as many bad roads as we have.”
“Betty, there are days when I look like nine miles of bad road.” Sister laughed at her. “Stop worrying.”
Betty scrunched back down in the passenger side of the truck. “You could never look like nine miles of bad road.”
“Aren't you sweet?”
“Ha.”
They rode in silence for another mile, then Sister said, “You never know the length of a snake until it's dead.”
“Huh?”
“My dad used to say that. I was thinking about the fire, all that. Might be a long snake, you know?” Sister answered.
“Whoever is behind this will screw up sooner or later. They always do.” Betty crossed her arms over her chest.
“But that's just it,” Sister became animated. “They already have. If everything's running smoothly, seems to me, you don't have to kill people.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. Get rid of people or partners, and the money is all yours, if it's about money. And when you think of it, why two drunks and one, well, working-class guy. Doesn't seem to me much money there. Sorry to call Anthony a drunk. Seems disrespectful somehow.”
“He was.” Sister gripped the steering wheel tighter. “I keep remembering his laugh, the time he threw the basketball from half court when the buzzer sounded in the game against Lee High his senior year. Jesus, what happens to people?”
“Life,” Betty said.
CHAPTER 36
Back at Roughneck Farm, Sister had just hung up the phone after a glowing conversation with Gray. She glanced out the kitchen window. Snow was falling heavily.
She reached across the counter to turn up the radio, 103.5. Mozart's “Turkish Rondo” played.
“Always makes me think of fat people dancing.” She laughed, then performed a rumba across the uneven heart pine floor.
“Mental!”
Golly giggled, but followed Sister, batting at her legs.
Raleigh and Rooster, ever attuned to Sister's emotions, jumped out of their fleece-lined dog beds to dance with her. Raleigh turned in circles as Rooster hopped on his hind legs, only to suffer a whack from Golly on his swishing tail.
“Hey!”
“Anything that moves is fair prey to Golly, Killer Queen
Among All Felines!”
The calico sang her own praises.
As the short musical piece continued, the four became sillier and sillier, each influencing the other until the music stopped. Sister, laughing until the tears ran down her cheeks, dropped to her knees, hugged the squirming dogs, wildly happy, then scooped up Golly as she stood up. She held the cat like a baby, burying her face in her longhaired tummy. If anyone else did this, Golly would rearrange his or her face. She purred.
“Are we nuts or what?” Sister then turned the cat over, putting her on her shoulder.
“Yeah!”
Raleigh danced to the next selection on NPR, another Mozart.
“So ungainly.”
Two tiny streams of air from Golly's nostrils brushed Sister's hair.
“I don't think I've laughed this hard since we ran up on Donnie Sweigert drenched in fox pee! Course, I couldn't laugh then.”
“Never did bag a deer,”
Raleigh said.
“Weather,”
Rooster, doing his best to dance, replied.
“Messed up the last of deer season.”
The phone rang again.
“Gray, did you miss me?” She insouciantly spoke into the mouthpiece.
His heavy voice lifted a second. “I did. But I called to tell you that Dalton Hill just phoned me to say he's with Sam on Garth Road in Charlottesville. He stopped when he noticed Sam's Toyota off the road right there where you turn to go back to the Barracks,” he said, referring to the famous show stable, its turnoff being right after a deceptive curve in Garth Road. “He said Sam is drunk, blind drunk.”
“Oh. Gray, I'm so sorry. Would you like me to come over?”
“Well, I've got to get my brother.”
“I'll pick you up. One of us can drive Sam's truck back if it's not wrecked.”
“Weather's bad.”
“I've driven in worse.”
By the time Sister and Gray had reached Sam and Dalton, Dalton had managed to dislodge the truck, which was now parked on the shoulder.
Sam, sprawled on the front seat, was out cold.
“Dalton, I don't know how to thank you.”
“Dumb luck. I happened to be heading home this way. Given Sam's record, I thought if the sheriff found him, he'd lose his license for good.”
“And be put in jail.”
“Perhaps that's not a bad thing.”
Gray took a deep ragged breath. “I know,” he said as he fought back tears. “I thought he'd beat it this time. I really did.”
“Gray, drive my truck. I'll drive the Toyota with Sam in it.”
“No, we'll do it the other way around. If he comes to and pukes or gets belligerent, you won't have to deal with it or clean it up.” He paused as snowflakes whitened his salt-and-pepper hair. “This is it. This is the last time I help him. I can no longer be my brother's keeper.”
“Gray,” Sister put her hand on his shoulder. “You did more than your share for him. More than your share by far.”
Gray dropped his head, then looked up, “Getting worse, the storm.”
“I can follow you to wherever you're taking him.”
“Thanks. We'll turn left at Owensville Road, and I know you'll go straight to get home.” Sister smiled. “Thank you, Dalton.”
“No need.” He nodded and climbed back into his Land Cruiser, a vehicle that can get through just about anything.
Sister followed Gray as he negotiated the twisty road, snow blowing across it as the winds intensified. She was sick at heart for Gray and for Sam, too.
Gray helped his brother to bed at the old home place. He and Sister took off Sam's clothes, tucked him in, and put a wastebasket by the bed in case he did get sick and couldn't make it to the john.
“I'm not staying with him. I'm afraid I'll kill him when he wakes up.”
“Good decision.” She looked down at Sam, oblivious to the grief he was causing, and felt a rustle of anger at him. “Come home with me. You don't have to entertain me or vice versa, but tonight's the kind of night when you need a friend.”
He lightly placed his hand on the back of her neck. “You're a good woman, Jane.”
That night as the winds howled, Sister held Gray as he fell asleep. She stayed awake for another hour and thought about the miseries people inflict upon others when they won't be responsible for themselves.