Shadow Horse (21 page)

Even now, Jas’s heart twisted at the thought of losing Shadow. And not just because she’d lost so much already. She
loved
the giant goof of a horse.

But at the last minute, Miss Hahn had decided against adopting out Shadow. She had asked Jas and Grandfather to live with her at the farm. Jas would continue caring for Shadow and the other animals, and Grandfather would work as a caretaker. It was a second chance for both of them.

Jas hugged Shadow, her arms barely reaching around his huge neck. “You’re still mine to love,” she told him.
So why am I not totally happy?

Whirlwind
. Jas slid the worn photo from
the back pocket of her jeans. The mare’s head was high, her ears pricked for the camera. A tricolored ribbon hung from her bridle. Jas sat in the saddle, posing for the camera, too. Her expression was triumphant,
sparkling
. The picture had been taken last May after they’d won a championship at Devon.

Now the mare was gone.

A chorus of honking and clucking announced the arrival of Miss Hahn. Jas stuck the photo back in her pocket. She peered from the stall just as her foster mother strode into the barn, her stiff leg swinging. Trotting after her was an entourage of animals: geese, cats, and chickens. Jas had nicknamed them “the underfoot gang,” because they always got in the way. Old Sam, a German shepherd, and Rose, the farm’s potbellied pig, had been patiently waiting for Jas outside Shadow’s stall. But when they spotted Miss Hahn, they rushed toward her, tails wagging furiously.

“They’re like paparazzi stampeding a celebrity,” Jas said to her foster mother. “All you need is a red carpet and evening gown instead of a dirt floor and overalls.” Her light mood faded when she saw the solemn look on Miss Hahn’s face.

“Officer Lacey from Animal Control called. We have an emergency,” Miss Hahn said. “The trailer’s hitched and ready. Chase isn’t here yet, and I’d like some help. You still have time before lockdown. How about it?”

As part of her sentence for assaulting Hugh, Jas wore a transmitter around her ankle. It kept track of her whereabouts. She wasn’t allowed to leave the house except for preset times.

“Um …” Jas chewed her bottom lip. While living at the farm, she’d worked with many of the animals that were recovering from abuse. But except for a trip to a horse auction, she’d never been on an actual rescue, although she’d heard the gut-wrenching stories from Chase and the other volunteers.

“It’s your choice,” Miss Hahn said. “Not everyone has the interest—or the stomach.”

“I’ll go,” Jas said. “Rescuing is important, and I want to help.”

“Good. Grab a halter, a lead line, and a bucket of oats. I’ll let Officer Lacey know we’re on our way.” Without waiting for a reply, Miss Hahn strode from the barn.

Jas patted Shadow. “Don’t think for a minute this means no ride today. It’ll just have
to wait until this afternoon.” She gave him one more swipe with the brush, then laid her cheek against his sleek neck. Oh, how she loved this horse. Thank heavens she hadn’t lost him, too.

“Jas, I’ll meet you in the truck!” Miss Hahn’s voice rang from the office trailer. Hastily, Jas picked up the grooming box. When she opened the stall door, Sam leaped to his feet. Rose waddled after her to the supply room, grunting excitedly.

“You’re on a diet. Vegetables only, remember?” Jas said as she unbolted the pig-proof latch on the door. Rose squealed, her eyes barely visible in her folds of fat. Ignoring the pig’s demands, Jas slipped inside. She grabbed a halter and lead rope and dumped a cup of oats into a bucket. When Jas opened the door again, Rose stomped her stubby legs and cried, “Feed me, feed me, FEED ME!”

Jas sprinkled a few oats on the dirt floor before hurrying from the barn. Mr. Muggins, a new volunteer, was tossing cracked corn to the geese. Earl the rooster strutted around his legs. Jas waved to Mr. Muggins as she crossed the stable yard. The area around the barns and
office was fenced with woven mesh to keep the underfoot gang and other animals safely contained. But the dogs were allowed out the gate. Jas shut it securely behind Sam and wound around the pass-through built into a board fence, which circled the yard and the house. Miss Hahn was waiting in the pickup.

Four more farm dogs met her at the back door of the house. She let all five inside the kitchen, found her baseball cap, and ran to the truck. She stuck the bucket into the truck bed, slid into the passenger’s seat, and shut the door. Tucking her light brown hair behind her ears, she put on the cap.

“Here’s the situation,” Miss Hahn said as she drove down the rutted drive. “Planner’s Bank foreclosed on a small farm about five miles from here. The place was owned by a man convicted of making and selling meth. When he landed in jail, his wife couldn’t make the mortgage payments. Two weeks ago, she took off. Yesterday the bank’s loan officer inspected the property and discovered a horse behind the house. It was in a small paddock with no shelter, food, or water.”

Jas blinked in disbelief. “She just left it?”

“Abandoned it without a thought. Like it was a piece of trash or a sofa. I take that back—she
took
the sofa.”

“What condition is it in?”

“Officer Lacey’s exact words were ‘it brought tears to my eyes,’ and he’s seen some grim situations.”

Jas’s stomach knotted. Maybe coming was a mistake.

Miss Hahn turned off the main road onto a dirt lane. “I haven’t been back here for years,” she said. “Sure is run-down. Though not much worse than our place,” she admitted as the truck bumped down the lane, which wound through cedars and locust to a brick ranch house. “Hay prices are sky-high because of the drought. That doesn’t leave much for maintenance.” She gave a worried sigh. “I’ll be glad when your grandfather moves in to help.”

She pulled the trailer around a loop and parked under an oak. Jas rolled down the window. The place was eerily silent.

“We must have beat Officer Lacey here,” Miss Hahn said. “He’s bringing permission from the bank to remove the horse.” Draping one arm on the back of the seat, she faced Jas, her mouth set in a line.

“While we’re waiting, I have some news.” Miss Hahn’s gaze darted to the windshield.

Jas tensed. Her foster mother’s hesitation signaled one thing:
bad
news.

“Mr. Jenkins called. He’s the president of the company that insured Hugh’s horses. The company’s lawyers are putting together a case against Hugh for insurance fraud. As expected, Hugh’s hired a big-name defense lawyer. It’s going to be tough to nail him.”

Jas gripped the halter, too angry to speak. Whirlwind
was
gone—but Hugh hadn’t killed her. The dead horse in the paddock had been a look-alike that Hugh had poisoned. Then he’d claimed it was Whirlwind in order to collect the insurance money.

It had only been a week ago, during an unexpected encounter with Hugh, that Jas had discovered the truth.

Whirlwind’s not dead, is she? You killed another horse, a ringer. Then you sold her to someone else
.

That’s right, Jas. It took me a while to find Whirlwind’s twin. But I obviously did a good job, since even you never suspected it wasn’t her lying dead in that paddock
.

You’re evil, Hugh. You may not have killed
Whirlwind, but you killed a horse and then made it look like it was Grandfather’s fault. And for what?

Money
, Jas thought bitterly. The insurance company had paid Hugh $50,000 for a dead horse they thought was Whirlwind.

“Unfortunately, since they have no proof the mare is alive, Mr. Jenkins says the company can’t pursue a case against Hugh for Whirlwind,” Miss Hahn said, breaking into Jas’s thoughts.

“Unless I can find her,” Jas said.

A rumble of tires signaled the arrival of Officer Lacey.

“How?” Miss Hahn asked as she opened the truck door. “Hugh’s too smart to tell anybody where she is, which means the odds of locating her aren’t good. I’m sorry, Jas.” Before climbing out of the truck, Miss Hahn asked, “Are you okay?”

Jas nodded, although she
wasn’t
okay. That day when she’d been alone with Hugh, he’d confessed that Whirlwind was alive. But it was only her word against his. When the insurance company took him to court, he would admit nothing. That meant she had to find Whirlwind. Finding her alive would be
solid proof that Hugh had committed insurance fraud.

Jas pictured Hugh’s arrogant, mocking face.
You’ll never find her, Jas. Never
.

“Only I
will
find her,” she whispered fiercely. Then a thought made her shiver. Hugh would be determined to keep her from finding Whirlwind. How determined?
Ruthlessly determined
. After all, he’d already murdered two horses.