in the air and his mouth watered. Carter liked to cook, but didn’t find much time to do it during racing season.
Herman pulled two frosty bottles of beer out of the refrigerator and handed one of them to Carter. Then he took a seat at the table. “Pull up a chair and make yourself comfortable. Gillian will be a while. That Castello guy never stops talking.”
It occurred to Carter that he didn’t need to stay until Gillian returned. He just needed to get Herman’s permission to take a blood sample from Picture of Perfection and he could be on his way.
On the other hand, he wasn’t in a hurry. He had looked over the Quest horses this morning and would do so again tonight. They all seemed to be in good shape and ready to be put through their paces tomorrow.
Carter sat down and took a long sip of his beer, savoring the way it washed down the back of his throat.
“Hope you don’t mind waiting for her in the kitchen,” Herman said. “This is where I spend most of my time. My Marie always wanted me to entertain guests in the parlor, but that’s much too fussy for an old cowboy like me. Now that she’s gone, I just bring folks here. Seems more homey, don’t you think?”
Carter agreed, hoping the informal atmosphere would make the man agreeable to his request. He took another sip of his beer, wondering how best to broach the subject of a blood test.
“You’re a veterinarian, aren’t you?” Herman asked him. “I think that’s what Gillian told me.”
“That’s right. I work for Quest Stables in Woodford County, Kentucky.”
Herman nodded. “They raise some mighty fine horses there. Do you suppose they’d mind my asking you for a second opinion? I’m sure they only hire the best. I’m willing to pay of course.”
Carter leaned forward, sensing an opening. “I’m always happy to offer advice. Is this about a horse?”
Herman shook his head. “No, my dog, Ranger. He’s a border collie and he’s come up kinda lame these last few weeks. My old vet retired to Florida last Christmas. I’m just not sure this new vet we hired knows what’s really wrong with him.”
“What’s he told you?
“That it’s probably a muscle strain and it just needs time to heal. The only thing is that Ranger doesn’t seem to be getting any better.”
“I can look at him now, if you want.”
Herman chuckled. “Well, the thing is, he’s not so bad that he can’t wander off. I haven’t seen Ranger in a while. He’s probably out chasing rabbits, though he certainly can’t run fast enough to catch them.”
Carter could see that Herman cared about his dog, just as the Prestons cared about all the horses at Quest. His respect for the man was growing by the minute.
“Did your vet do any lab work on him?” Carter asked him. Maybe instead of taking money for his opinion, Herman would agree to let him have a vial of Picture of Perfection’s blood. A barter that would satisfy both of them.
“Nope. I’ll show you what I’ve got.” Herman slid off his stool and disappeared from the kitchen. He returned a few minutes later with a thin file folder in his hand. “Here’s Ranger’s health records from the day he was born.”
Carter took the file from him and scanned the pages inside.
“It all looks fairly normal.”
“That’s good I suppose.” He tipped his beer bottle up and drained it. With a satisfied sigh, he set the empty bottle on the table. “Are you ready for another round?”
“Not quite yet.” Carter wasn’t certain he could keep up with the man. He watched Herman retrieve another beer from the refrigerator, then waited until he sat back down to broach the subject that had brought him here today.
“I’m hoping you might be able to do a favor for me.”
Herman reached for the bottle opener. “Name it.”
“I assume you’ve heard about the problem with Leopold’s Legacy?”
Herman nodded. “A real shame. That horse had Triple Crown winner written all over him. Any idea what happened there?”
Carter shook his head. “We’re still trying to figure it out. Despite all the rumors, there was no fraud involved. Somehow, Leopold’s Legacy was sired by another stallion. We just don’t know which one or how it happened. If we don’t figure it out soon, all the other horses majority-owned by Quest will be banned from racing.”
Herman furrowed his brow. “And you think I can help in some way?”
Carter sucked in a deep breath. “I knew you could help as soon as I saw that portrait of Picture of Perfection at the silent auction. He looks like the identical twin of Leopold’s Legacy.”
Herman was silent and Carter gave him time to soak in the information.
“I think it’s very possible,” Carter said at last, “that the same stallion that sired Picture of Perfection was also the sire for Leopold’s Legacy. But the only way I can prove it is with a blood test.”
“You don’t need a blood test. I can tell you that Picture of Perfection was sired by Apollo’s Ice.”
“We thought the same thing about Leopold’s Legacy.”
Herman got up from his stool and walked over to the large kitchen window that overlooked the rolling meadow. He stood there a while, not saying anything, and Carter wondered what he was thinking about.
At last, Herman turned around, an odd expression on his face. “So let me get this straight,” he said slowly. “You want me to give you permission to do a blood test to prove that Picture of Perfection wasn’t sired by Apollo’s Ice? Even when all his records say otherwise?”
“Quest Stables found out the hard way that the records for Leopold’s Legacy were wrong. The same thing could happen to Picture of Perfection.”
“That would be a strange coincidence, don’t you think?’
“I’d think you’d want to know the truth, one way or the other.”
Herman met his gaze. “It’s a hell of a lot for someone to ask.”
“I know.” He didn’t have a clue what Herman was thinking, but Carter knew he couldn’t back down now. Not when he was this close. “Will you let me do it?”
Gillian suddenly appeared in the open kitchen doorway, her green eyes blazing with anger. “Over my dead body.”
Four
Gillian hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but Carter’s words had frozen her in the doorway, their impact hitting her like a fist. He hadn’t purchased her portrait of Picture of Perfection because he liked her art. He hadn’t spent time with her because he was interested in her as an artist or as a woman.
It had all been a ruse.
Carter
