Page 48 of No Rules

Alex frowned. “But if they made money from betting against him, wouldn’t that be motive? What amounts are we talking about?”

“Under fifty thousand. Not worth the risk of getting caught.”

Unfortunately, Alex had to agree with Baxter.

“But I’ll see about getting you those reports once I’ve found someone willing to code them,” Baxter said. “And if you give me a minute, I’ll run a copy of the necropsy report for you.”

“Thank you.” Ryan sent the detective a warm smile. “We appreciate the professional courtesy.”

He could be so slick when he wanted to be.

Baxter held up a finger. “On one condition. If your investigation comes up empty, I expect you to back off and let us do our job.”

“Fair enough,” Ryan agreed. “We’ll keep you updated on our findings.”

“Good.” Baxter stood up to signal the end of their meeting. “Let me make that copy, and then I have work to do.”

A few minutes later, Baxter handed them a thick manila envelope. “I find out you shared this with anyone else, we’re gonna have a problem.”

Ryan nodded. “Is it okay to show this to our client?”

“Yeah, I can live with that. It was her horse, after all.”

As they left the police station, Alex figured they’d gotten what they came for. They’d managed to plant a seed of doubt in Detective Baxter’s mind, and that was one step closer to proving Marilyn’s innocence. Plus, he’d agreed to share some important documents with them.

Once they were back in the car, Ryan tore open the envelope. This was their first real break in the case, and Alex couldn’t help his excitement despite the grim contents of the report. He glanced over at Ryan, who was already engrossed in the report, his brow furrowing.

“Anything interesting?” Alex asked, trying to keep his voice casual.

“There’s a lot of medical terminology I’ll have to look up, but from what I can understand, Sam’s Promise died from a massive EPO overdose,” Ryan replied, his eyes still scanning the pages. “The dosage was so high, it caused his heart to rupture.”

“Damn,” Alex whispered, sick to his stomach at the thought of the poor horse’s suffering.

“Whoever did this knew what they were doing. This wasn’t some amateur mistake. This was calculated, and it was cruel.”

“So he wasn’t administered EPO to enhance his performance. He was deliberately overdosed with the intent to kill him.”

“It looks that way, but to know for sure, we need to talk to Dr. Simmons, the equine pathologist.”

Ryan already had his phone in his hand and had started the call. After being transferred a few times, he managed to get a hold of Dr. Simmons, who agreed to see them. “But if it’s urgent, you’d have to come over now, as I’m leaving for a trip tonight and will be out of town for a few days.”

“We’re on our way,” Ryan said.

When they arrived, a receptionist greeted them and directed them to Dr. Simmons’s office. As they stepped inside, the scent of antiseptic and old leather filled Alex’s nostrils. One wall consisted of floor-to-ceiling bookcases, all crammed to the max with books. Dr. Simmons sat behind a gleaming mahogany desk, the wall behind her holding her framed diplomas as well as some beautiful anatomical drawings of horses.

“Dr. Simmons, thank you for seeing us on such short notice,” Ryan said as they shook hands.

“Of course.” She gestured for them to take a seat. “I’ve known Marilyn for years, and I’m as eager as you are to get to the bottom of this.”

At least they didn’t have to convince her of Marilyn’s character. That was a plus.

“Great,” Ryan said. “We have the necropsy report here, and we’re hoping you can help us understand it better.”

Dr. Simmons took the report from Ryan and explained the findings in detail. As she spoke, an odd mix of fascination and unease filled Alex. Understanding the report was crucial to proving Marilyn’s innocence, but listening to the grisly details of how Sam’s Promise had suffered was difficult.

“Dr. Simmons, do you have any insights that might help us find out who did this?” Ryan asked once she finished her explanation. “I’m sure the cops asked you the same thing.”

She hesitated for a moment. “Well, I can’t say they asked me that specific question, but I did go over the report with them as well. And there’s one thing that strikes me as odd.”