Live and Let Growl (27 page)

“I told Sheldon what happened,” he said. “What he's actually telling the authorities is anybody's guess.”

We discovered the answer to that quickly enough. The officers declared themselves to be both shocked and saddened to hear that a second calamitous accident had befallen a member of the Gates family. It was tragic that a group of frisky Thoroughbred yearlings had spooked in the fog and that Billy'd had the misfortune to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Nobody mentioned that fact that Billy, a lifelong horseman, would have known better than to allow the pasture gate to swing open wide. Nor did anyone inquire why Aunt Peg and I were there so early in the morning, or what we might have seen. Indeed, although Faith drew several curious glances, no one said anything to us at all.

I decided that was probably just as well. I was in no position to contradict whatever story was being offered up for public consumption. I'd heard mention of a gun but never actually seen one. Nor had I witnessed Billy and Daniel fighting, or the yearlings bursting through the open gate. In fact, now that the fog had cleared and the world around us came into sharper focus, the whole episode was assuming a hazy, dreamlike quality in my mind.

As for Aunt Peg, she waited with a ferocious scowl on her face until Billy's body had been loaded into the ambulance and the vehicle had disappeared down the driveway. Then she turned and strode purposefully into the barn. By that time, Daniel was already heading toward his SUV. Faith and I hurried to catch up. I didn't want him to forget that he was our ride.

Aunt Peg emerged from the barn only minutes later. She slid into the front seat and reached around to fasten her seat belt.

“What an unholy mess,” she said. “I left my contact information with Gates and told him to call me if he needs help getting Miss Ellie's dogs sorted out. As for the rest of it, the entire episode already seems to be covered with whitewash.”

“That's for the best. Don't you think?” asked Daniel, sounding relieved.

Neither Aunt Peg nor I replied and we made the rest of the trip back to the hotel in silence. Once there, Faith and I scrambled out of the vehicle and went directly to our room. I had thought that Aunt Peg might want some time alone with Daniel, but by the time I was slipping the keycard into its slot she had already caught up to us.

I opened my mouth to speak but Aunt Peg held up her hand.

“Don't ask,” she said.

On the whole, I supposed I would have preferred giggling.

We checked out of the hotel and left Kentucky later that morning. There was no reason to stay for the Thoroughbred sale now, no need for me to miss even a single day of school. Aunt Peg typed our destination into the minivan's GPS and set the cruise control at eighty miles an hour.

Most days, I'd have protested her need for speed. But as we pulled onto 64 and headed east, I didn't say a single word. Instead I pulled Faith into my lap, closed my eyes, and wished fervently for a deep sleep that wouldn't contain any dreams at all.

* * *

Faith and I made the last leg of the journey on our own. Driving from Aunt Peg's house in Greenwich to ours in North Stamford, I could already envision our homecoming. When we let ourselves into the house, everyone would come to greet us. The boys would jump up and down with delight. The Poodle posse would rally around Faith. Sam and I would kiss....

That lovely fantasy began to unravel as soon as we pulled in the driveway. The front door to the house flew open and our three-person/five-dog welcoming committee came spilling out onto the lawn. I barely got the Volvo stopped before we were surrounded.

“Mommy's home!” Kevin squealed. “Bring me a present?”

Davey dodged around his younger brother. “Good, you're back,” he said. “What's for dinner?”

My answer was drowned out by the sound of barking Poodles. As I stepped out of the car, I was nearly bowled over by Tar. Sam reached out and grabbed me.

He started to say something, then just shook his head instead. He pulled me close and I rested my cheek on his chest as Faith leapt from the car to join the fray. Mayhem erupted around us.

We were home at last. And it was perfect.

Nearly a month later at the end of April, long after spring break had ended and life was once again blessedly normal, Aunt Peg called to say that she had news.

“Lucky Luna had her foal early this morning,” she said. “She's a bay filly with a star on her forehead just like her dam. Erin says that she's big, and healthy, and built like a racehorse.”

“Oh, Aunt Peg,” I said with a laugh. “You can't seriously be thinking of racing her?”

“You never know. I do like to keep my options open. But there's something else Erin told me. Now that Billy's gone, Gates has been promoted. Erin thinks that Sheldon might be grooming him to assume his rightful place in the family business.”

“That's wonderful,” I said. “Good for him.”

“Even better, Gates has given up his apartment and moved into Miss Ellie's house. He and the Fab Four are keeping each other company and getting along splendidly.”

I suspected Aunt Peg had been meddling again. But for once, her interfering ways didn't bother me a bit.

“Somewhere,” she said with satisfaction, “Miss Ellie is smiling right now.”

I liked the sound of that.

Laurien Berenson
is an award-winning author. She's most noted for her Melanie Travis series of murder mysteries based on school teacher Melanie Travis who owns and shows full size pedigree Standard Poodles. The series includes:
Doggie Day Care Murder, Hounded To Death, Chow Down
and
Raining Cats & Dogs
. Berenson is an Agatha and Macavity nominee, winner of the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award and a four-time winner of the Maxwell Award which is presented by the Dog Writers Association of America. She lives in Kentucky with her family.