Bluegrass Peril by Virginia Smith

At least he wasn’t too trusting to spot manipulative behavior. “Exactly. She went straight to it, which can only mean she planted it there.”
    Scott chuckled, shaking his head. “She’s a conniving female, I’ll give you that. But she wouldn’t be the first to pull that stunt. There’s nothing of any possible interest to the police.”
    “Maybe.” Becky shoved the top drawer on the file cabinet closed and crossed the room to her desk. “But did you see her shoes?”
    “Boots,” he corrected. “And what about them?”
    She slid into her chair, picked up a piece of mail and caught his gaze across the room. “They had high, narrow heels.”

SEVEN
    S cott had already started grooming Dark Diego when the students from the university showed up. The dark clouds had emptied themselves out midmorning, and the sun shining overhead had dried the horses enough that they could be groomed. His helpers, three girls and a guy, already knew about Haldeman’s death when they arrived.
    “I just can’t believe it.”
    Scott lifted his head to look toward the place where the four were perched on the fence, arms dangling over the top plank, while he ran the currycomb gently over Diego’s back.
    The pretty brunette, who introduced herself as Patti, shook her head. “I mean, last week he was totally fine.”
    The boy beside her, Mike, gave her a sideways glance. “He was killed. It’s not like you’d be able to see it coming last Friday.” He turned toward Scott. “And you saw the body?”
    His expression begged for details, but Scott refused to feed the kid’s morbid curiosity. He ran the comb over the stallion’s flank. “Yeah.”
    “So, was there, like, blood and gore?”
    “Mike, you’re disgusting.” Rachel looked at Scott. “I’m going to miss Mr. Haldeman. He really loved these horses.”
    “I know he did.” Scott gave the chestnut’s hair a final swipe with the currycomb. “Could you hand me the dandy brush, please?” He pointed toward the pouch hanging on a fence post.
    Patti dug out the brush and passed it over the fence. Scott stepped back up to Diego’s head and started at the top of his neck. As he flicked the brush expertly, Diego’s eyelids half closed, and his lower lip quivered with pleasure.
    “He likes this,” Scott said.
    The third girl, Teri, agreed. “Yeah, Diego loves it. Not like Alidor over there.”
    Scott glanced at the next paddock where Alidor grazed near his run-in shack. “A bit feisty, is he?”
    All four nodded. “Mr. Haldeman didn’t let us mess with him much,” said Mike. “Not unless Alidor was in a real good mood.”
    “But we can groom the others,” said Patti. “Do you want us to get started?”
    Scott looked at their eager faces. Actually, he preferred to groom all the stallions himself, at least this first time. That way they’d have an opportunity to get used to him, and he’d be able to do a quick checkup on each of them. On the other hand, if the horses were accustomed to having these four around they might appreciate seeing someone familiar in Haldeman’s absence.
    “Sure, go ahead. I’ll come around and give you a hand so I can check each one out.”
    With a nod they hopped off the fence and headed toward the barn. Their voices faded as they rounded the corner and disappeared inside. Scott went over Diego with the dandy brush and then swapped it for a body brush. The stallion stood with his ears perked forward, obviously enjoying himself.
    He’d read Diego’s file this morning. The stallion was something of a legend in the Florida racing circuit, having fathered more than five hundred stakes winners. An impressive record, and by far the most successful in terms of his career as a stud, though his lifetime earnings as a racer didn’t come close to that of some of the horses at the Pasture.
    Scott laughed at the horse’s delight as the soft-bristled brush caressed his forelock. “Yeah, this is the life, isn’t it? You’ve got a big space to