Читать книгу Safe Haven - Evelyn Crowe A. - Страница 9

CHAPTER FOUR

THE AFTERNOON SUN was high overhead. There wasn’t even a breath of wind. The shock of stepping from the sweet coolness of the house into the heat of the day was like walking into an inferno. Avery’s limbs felt leaden, sweat promptly dampened her forehead and it was an effort to keep up with Logan.

She saw the boy, Benton, disappearing into the dark hole of the open barn doors. Who was he? she wondered, then remembered Logan’s saying to Jessie something about the boys being there today.

Once inside, she shivered as the breeze created by the overhead fans touched her damp skin. Four teenage boys were lined up outside a stall. When they saw Logan, they silently stepped aside to let him enter.

Logan recognized the pungent odor of sickness. From the sound of Allspice’s labored breathing, the horse was close to death. He hunkered down beside the animal and felt his pulse.

“What happened here?” he asked the boys.

They all hung back except Benton. His voice cracked with emotion. “We were just feeding them like we’ve always done, Doc.”

Avery stood there, horrified, as she looked at the horse, crumpled in the hay. His beautiful red-brown coat was slick with sweat. She wanted to clamp her hands over her ears with each rattling breath. “How sick is he, Logan? Can you give him something?”

Logan didn’t answer, but moved from stall to stall, evaluating each horse’s condition and listening to Benton.

“You know Allspice, Doc. He always has to be first or he kicks the stall. And he’s a glutton. But by the time we fed the others, Allspice was like that.”

“The feed?”

One of the other boys spoke up. “That was the first thing we thought of, Doc. Maybe it had soured. We took it away from all of them, but they’d eaten some—not as much as Allspice, but...” His voice trailed away in anguish.

Logan headed toward a row of feed bins against the far wall. He reached in, brought a handful up to his nose and sniffed. “It’s tainted,” he said. “Tom, empty the bins into those metal trash cans, then take it to the storeroom, lock the door and bring me the key. Under no circumstances are any of you to use any feed from that room.” He glanced at Avery.

“What can I do to help?” she asked.

“Come with me.”

Avery followed him toward the front of the barn, then through a green door, which he unlocked. She got a quick view of a small waiting room before she trailed him down a hall to another world, an environment of spotless stainless steel, high, glass-fronted cabinets with neat rows of labeled bottles. They passed through a set of double glass doors, and Logan stopped beside an examining table.

“I need you to call Tanner and tell him not to bring Molly here.” He pointed to a typed list of phone numbers taped to the wall as he stuffed vials of medicine and syringes into his shirt pockets. “If you can’t reach Tanner at home, try his cell phone. After you talk to him, call Dad and tell him to get in touch with Pierce. When you finish, come find me.”

He was barely out the door when she had Tanner on the phone. In an economy of words, and because she had no idea what had happened to the animals, she was curt with Tanner, but softened when he offered to call Mac and Pierce. As she talked, she had a chance to look around the office. There was an array of confusing items: instruments in glass drawers; tables on wheels which held colored bottles; what looked like a pressure cooker of some sort.

Remembering Logan’s orders, Avery gave one quick glance at the photograph of a child on the wall, then headed out. She found Logan kneeling beside Allspice, stroking the quivering horse’s neck and talking softly to him. She saw an empty vial and syringe.

“Is he going to be all right?”

Logan didn’t answer. She waited for what seemed forever, watching him tenderly care for the sick horse. When Logan finally looked up, she realized the harsh breathing had stopped.

Avery blinked back sudden tears. Not only for the horse, but for the pain in Logan’s eyes.

“Do you still want to help?” he asked.

“Yes,” she whispered.

“It won’t be easy, and if you’ve got a weak stomach, you better say so now.”

“I’ll be okay and I’ll do whatever you say.” She glanced at the motionless animal and had to ask, “Are they all going to die?”

“Not if I have anything to say about it.” His tone held grim determination.

Something about Logan changed, like light shifting across his face. She could have sworn she caught a glimpse of rage, just under the surface and ready to boil over.

AVERY GRIPPED Possum’s lead as she walked the dainty dappled-gray mare around and around the paddock. She’d learned from watching two of the boys, also walking horses, how to hold the lead rope close to the side of the animal’s face so she could pet her and talk to her. Raul was walking King Moe, a black stallion too ill to be ornery, the boy said, and Tony was walking Hopalong, a pretty, light brown horse with a white tail and mane.

She discovered a lot about the boys as they walked. They were working for Logan without pay as punishment for getting into trouble at school. From the way they cared for the horses, she didn’t think they minded their punishment. She would have learned more, but the increasing heat, worry and the struggle to keep the horses on their feet and walking soon took all her energy.

She lost track of time or how long she’d been walking until Logan came out, shoved a wide-brimmed straw cowboy hat on her head and handed her a bottle of water, insisting she drink some now. Then he clasped her chin in his hand and searched her face. He smiled as he said, “Your nose and cheeks are turning pink. Keep the hat pulled low.”

She was perfectly still and gazed steadily into his eyes. “I’m okay.”

Logan nodded and reluctantly dropped his hand. He was impressed that she didn’t complain or want to quit because she was tired, dirty and hot. “If you feel dizzy or nauseated at all, don’t be ashamed to speak up.” He busied himself examining Possum. “You don’t have to prove anything to those kids. Believe me, you’re not tougher than they are just because you’re older.”

“You don’t have to rub it in,” she mumbled softly, but not so softly he didn’t hear.

He hid a grin as he pulled a full syringe from his shirt pocket. “Those kids are used to working in the heat.” He gave Possum a shot.

“How are the other horses, Logan?”

“Mac’s Lady isn’t going to make it, but Dad’s not ready to let go of her yet.”

He saw her eyes fill with tears. “What happened?” she asked. “Have you found out what made them sick?”

The truth could send her running to Haven to jump on the first available bus. He glanced at her again. Disheveled and tired, she still managed to look tempting. And strong. Nevertheless he sidestepped her question. “Pierce’s taking samples of the feed to be analyzed.”

“Do you have any ideas?” she asked.

Strong and persistent. He sighed. “There’s little doubt that they were poisoned.”

“Oh, no! Surely you’re wrong. Who would do something like that? And why?”

Logan shrugged, unwilling to put words to his demons.

Avery caught sight of Raul and Tony inching closer, their youthful curiosity aroused enough that caution was forgotten. She tried to keep her gaze on Logan so the boys wouldn’t feel as if they were suspects. But she sensed a change in Raul’s and Tony’s demeanor.

Raul’s stiff stance radiated outrage. Black eyes narrowed and shimmered like polished rock. The jerk of his head and the defiant flip of his long ponytail were further outward signs of anger. “Doc, we didn’t...” For all his bravado, words failed him.

Tony looked scared sick and seemed unable to say anything at all.

Logan glanced around. “I never thought you did, Raul.”

“But Sheriff Middleton will, won’t he?”

Tony found his voice. “I swear, Doc.”

Logan began examining the other two horses. “Let me handle the sheriff.”

“But—” Raul began.

“Raul, I’ve seen you with the horses. Whatever your problems at home or school, I know that it isn’t in any of you to hurt an animal.” Whatever had almost killed off his stock was far more sophisticated than anything a bunch of teenage boys could come up with. Logan patted each horse, pleased to see the medicine and attention were working. “Keep them moving, boys. Don’t let them cool down yet.”

“They’re scared and worried,” Avery said, when the two youths had led their charges away.

“I know. No matter what we find out, there will always be those who believe the kids had something to do with this mess.”

Avery cringed. “The stigma never goes away, no matter how innocent you are.”

Logan didn’t comment on her statement, but tucked the tidbit of information away to mull over later. “Give a holler when you’ve had enough, and someone will spell you.”

Avery returned to circling the paddock with Possum. The only real relief in the long afternoon heat came when they stopped and allowed the horses to drink. After she and the boys hosed down the sweatsoaked animals, they took advantage of the cool water themselves and indulged in a friendly water fight. Afterward, the boys loosened up enough talk about themselves. Their crimes were so typical of teenage boys that she laughed. But it seemed parents, teachers and the law of Haven, Texas, kept a careful and collective watch on their young people. As Avery resumed walking Possum, she secretly admired their efforts.

“Are you sleepwalking or daydreaming?”

Startled, Avery jerked to a stop. “Hi, Mr. Monahan.”

“I thought we’d agreed you’d call me Mac.”

Whatever she was about to say was drowned out by the roar of an engine. “What’s that?”

“Tanner finally got the tractor running. He’s going to bury those poor horses.”

“I’m sorry Mac’s Lady didn’t make it.”

“She was a fine quarter horse. Logan trained her and Tanner rode her at the rodeos before he bought Molly.” Mac waved at the boys, then pulled off his hat, scrubbed at his lined face and sighed loud and long. “This is a sad day, I tell you, when someone’s so evil they take their hate out on defenseless animals.”

“Does anyone have any idea who would do such an awful thing?”

Mac’s lips thinned and the expression in his hooded eyes looked downright deadly. He shook his head. “Ain’t got a clue. ’Course, you might ask Logan that same question.” He paused. “Who knows, he might just tell you. But the boy’s being his typical closemouthed self with us.”

They walked side by side around the paddock, silent, both listening to the clamor of the tractor. Eventually the noise faded away to a faint rumble, and Mac took the lead rope from Avery. “I hope all this hasn’t scared you. I mean, you ain’t leaving, are you?”

The question brought an immediate response, one she didn’t have to consider. “No.” Where would she go? She would have loved to ask Mac why he’d been so determined to hire someone to take care of Logan, when it was as obvious as the nose on his face that Logan was capable of looking after himself.

“Why don’t you take a breather? I’ll stay with Possum.” When she hesitated, he said, “Go on, get out of this heat. You might check with Logan and see if he needs you for anything else.”

Avery stopped just inside the barn door to let her eyes adjust to the darkened interior. She savored the coolness for a moment, then made a face as she caught a strong scent of disinfectant. As she moved past the line of empty stalls, the smell became sharper until it stung her nose and made her eyes water. She halted near the open doors of the two stalls where the horses had died, and saw Benton and Tom, outfitted with rubber boots and face masks, scrubbing the floors.

Just then she heard the deep tones of men’s voices coming from the direction of Logan’s barn office. Though she couldn’t make out the words, she could hear the anger. As she rushed around the corner on her way there to ask Logan if there was anything else she could do, she realized her mistake. Sound traveled oddly in the barn and she’d misjudged where the voices were coming from.

She blundered into a solid body and was thrown off balance. Her hat tumbled from her head. As she struggled to right herself, the man whipped around to catch her. In that awkward and embarrassing couple of seconds, as she tried to regain her footing and apologize, she spotted the silver, five-pointed star pinned to his shirt. The shock of seeing a policeman stopped her cold. When she was finally able to breathe, she strangled on her own air and disguised her fear and nervousness with a coughing fit.

The distraction afforded her time to recover her wits. Obviously the man with the badge was the sheriff Logan had mentioned earlier. But the distraction also cost her. Now she had the concerned solicitation of three men focused on her. Waving them away, she recovered and forced herself to smile. But like a guilty criminal, she couldn’t bring herself to hold the sheriff’s steadfast gaze. Instead, she stared at the other man standing beside Logan.

He had to be the brother she hadn’t yet met—Pierce. He had the family’s good looks, though he wasn’t as tall as Tanner, nor as muscular as Logan. His eyes were hazel instead of brown or black, and they lacked the compassion and passion of Logan’s, the fire and flirtation of Tanner’s. But his gaze held something that startled her. She recognized the look of someone living in his own personal hell. Her mirror reflected the same expression every morning before she was able to hide it.

Logan stepped into the growing silence. “Avery, this is Sheriff Middleton—Ross.” He grasped Avery’s elbow and half turned her. “And this is my brother Pierce. He’s the middle brother.”

“You’re the hired girl from Houston?” Ross asked, studying Avery intently.

Avery was relieved that he scooped up her hat and held it out to her. It gave her somewhere to look besides his eyes. Take the hat, Avery, before he thinks you’re brain damaged or that you’ve got something to hide. “Thank you,” she said softly as she held the straw cowboy hat in both hands, barely stopping herself from tearing it into tiny shreds. She stood perfectly still under the sheriff’s piercing green gaze.

“It’s a little hotter here then around the coast. Takes some getting use to. You don’t sound much like you’re from Houston. Where ’bouts in the city did you live?”

“Come on, Ross,” Logan grumbled good-naturedly, “you take your job too damn seriously. Avery has no earthly reason to kill off my stock. Instead of standing here shooting the bull with us and overworking your brain, you might take that sample you insisted on having to the lab.”

Ross laughed, then flipped a half-full specimen bottle in the air and neatly caught it. “You better have a closer look at those kids, Logan. I’ve warned you about taking juveniles in. My sister hated them here, you know.”

“Yes, Ross. She told me enough times and so did you. But I didn’t agree with Becky or you then, and I haven’t changed my mind. I’ll tell you this just once more. Despite all the trouble they’ve gotten up to, Ross, those four young men would never deliberately hurt an animal. Not even if they had a reason to hate me, which they don’t.”

“If you say so.” Ross touched the tip of his hat, looking at Avery. “You be careful, you hear?” He gave Logan and Pierce a kind of arrogant salute as he strolled away. Pierce called after Ross and followed him out of the barn.

Avery had observed the interchange and was confused by the mixed signals, wondering if it was a man thing and she’d just imagined it. But she had a strong feeling that Logan, and perhaps Pierce, didn’t have much use for Ross. And the sheriff was a puzzle. He didn’t seem much fazed by the urgency of the situation.

She suddenly had a headache and said the first thing that popped into her mind. “The gene pool isn’t too deep here in Haven, is it?” Logan stared at her. “Well, there’s no doubt that Jessie and Ross are related in more ways than one—as are you Monahans.”

Logan threw back his head and laughed. He must have needed such a release after all the tension and horror of the day. He caught sight of Tanner approaching. “Little brother thinks I’ve lost my mind, Avery. Maybe he’s right.” He shook his head.

“I saw Pierce before he left,” Tanner told him. “He said to tell you he was going to take a specimen to another lab in San Antonio rather than wait to hear what Ross has to say. He’s got a couple of calls to make before he can leave, but more than likely he’ll head out this evening. He also said to tell you he’ll call just as soon as he gets the results.”

Whatever Logan was about to say was cut off by the sharp sound of tires skidding on the gravel driveway and the repeated blast of a car horn.

Logan froze and was pitched back in time. He could clearly hear the scream of brakes, the sound of metal twisting around metal. He thought he could feel the vibration of the impact shimmying through his body. The knife-sharp pain of his memories seldom left him, and he’d often thought that his own death would have been preferable to living through what came next....

He felt Tanner touch his shoulder. Mercifully, the nightmare ended, and both men set off at a run for the barn door.

Avery still wondered at Logan’s reaction to the sound of the car. What hell had he relived? Could it have been his wife and son’s accident? She hurried from the barn herself, only to be pulled up short as a young black woman and what appeared to be her daughter rushed toward Logan. The child had something wrapped in a pink blanket cradled in her arms. She was crying so hard she could barely talk.

“Doc Logan,” the child finally managed to gulp as she held out the blanket. “Sugar’s hurt bad.”

The mother stepped forward. She wasn’t in much better shape than her daughter. “One of the neighbor’s dogs attacked Sugar when she and Annie were in the front yard.”

“Did the dog bite Annie, Rosemary?”

“No, thank heavens.”

Logan went down on his knees. He didn’t try to take the injured animal from the child’s arms, but gently folded the blanket back to reveal a small poodle, the white woolly fur stained with blood.

“I’m sorry, Logan, but Annie wouldn’t hear of taking Sugar to anyone else. She insisted we bring her here.”

Annie gave a hiccupping sob. “Jamie always said you were Dr. Dolittle—you talked to sick animals and made them feel better. Please make Sugar better, Doc Logan.” She hiccupped again. “Please.”

The mention of Jamie’s name twisted the knife of pain in Logan. As hard as he tried to cut himself off from all reminders of Jamie, his son’s friends weren’t going to allow him that little luxury.

“Annie,” he said, “Sugar and I need two very important things. First, you must be brave. Second, you have to let me hold Sugar.” He met the child’s gaze, swallowing visibly around the lump in his throat. “You and your mom can come to my office and wait while I examine her. But I can’t help her if I can’t see where she’s hurt, Annie.”