Page 43 of Honoring Freedom
She squinted. “It’s highly poisonous to horses. Where would they get to the plant? We know there’s none on the property.”
“Good question. If I had to guess, someone tossed dried berries into the feed, which can easily be overlooked. The sires were fed a different grain and supplement than the other horses.”
She crossed her arms over her waist. “What do we do?” She stayed quiet long enough he wasn’t sure she’d continue. “Midnight and Requiem were worth millions. Keller, this is a tragedy for Requiem’s future. He is no longer a viable sire, at least not an iota of what he was worth.”
He could see the sheen in her eyes. This was not only a hit to Sagebrush Rose, but a direct one to Freedom.
“This will disqualify him for breeding.” He hated seeing the sadness that crawled across her features. He understood all too well how much time, energy and money breeders invested in sires. “He’s still a good horse.”
“Yes…of course, but…” her words faded.
“I think it’s time you brought Sam in on this.”
She nodded. “Agreed. It’s also time we take a closer look at anyone who would have access to the horses. I’d bet everything I have that Kent Downs had something to do with this indirectly, even if he denies it.”
“What do you mean, even if he denies it?” Keller inquired.
Wrinkles formed around her eyes. “I went to see him.”
Keller narrowed his eyes at her. “You went to see him? Why the hell would you do that?”
“I was angry.”
“Not only is that dangerous, but what if he did play a role in poisoning the horses? This gave him ample time to cover his tracks and get rid of any evidence.”
She rubbed her temples. “I get it, but that man infuriates me. He’s the only one who has anything to gain by doing this.”
“If your instincts are right, this makes him even more dangerous.”
“Especially if he’s got one of the crew here handling his dirty work.”
“Any of the workers could have gotten to the horses.” Since that night at the bar when he punched Downs, Keller had been digging into the guy’s background. Turns out, the man started from nothing and made a fortune in real estate and development, nearly matching the wealth of the Rose family. He wasn’t well liked in Sagebrush Pine—hell, all of Wyoming. Downs made landowners rich though. Keller had overheard the town's most influential residents mention that Downs had been eyeing Sam Rose's land for years. “We can’t just accuse Downs. We need proof.”
She looked a bit sick. She turned and headed for the open barn doors.
“Where are you going?”
“Go and speak to Daddy and explain the situation. I have something I need to do,” she said over her shoulder.
“Freedom, tell me you’re not doing what I think you’re doing,” Keller called after her, but she kept on walking.
*****
“Sorry to interrupt your dinner but seeing as how you killed my horse and poisoned another I think I deserve the opportunity to intrude.” Freedom hated the man sitting at the sophisticated dinner table eating his fancy seven course meal off elegant bone china.
“Sorry, boss. She slipped through the kitchen,” Tribe said as he clamped his beefy fingers around her elbow and pulled her toward the doorway.
“Let go of me!” She jerked her arm, but he held it tightly.
“It’s okay, Tribe. Let the little lady say her peace.” Kent licked his fingers like a lion licking the blood of his prey off his talons. He even had the dark eyes.
“Yes, boss.” Tribe stepped near the door to loom.
“Leave us. I’m sure I’ll be safe.” Kent chuckled.
Freedom didn’t wait before she stepped over to the table and leaned her hands on the edge. “You have a lot of nerve.”
“Are you still spewing this gibberish?” He drank thirstily from his wine glass.