a question for you. Do you know who Carlos Castillo is?"
"What?" Lee's jaw snapped shut as her eyes shot back to focus on mine. "How does he come into this?"
"I'm not sure," I said. "I heard the name. I was curious. Just like you," I reminded her.
"Oh," Lee said slowly. Then, "Kids, I really need you to finish up the barn. And Dom, go get that new horse so Gail can do his teeth." This time she spoke with some emphasis.
After a second, Dom and Sophy moved off toward the barn.
"They're great kids, really." Lee smiled proudly at the departing backs. "Dom's my right-hand man."
"So, who's Carlos?" I asked.
"Dominic's illegitimate son," Lee snapped. "Born the same year as Dom."
I did some quick thinking. "Oh," I said.
"That's right. Born while we were still happily married, or so I thought. I didn't find out the kid existed for several more years."
"How did you find out?"
"The mother came and told me. She was fed up with Dominic by then, too. It was her idea of revenge."
"Oh," I said again.
"Right," Lee agreed. "Not pretty. That's what life with Dominic was like. There was always one woman after another."
"And eventually he left," I hazarded.
"Are you kidding?" Lee laughed. "No way would Dominic have left me. No, that wasn't his idea. He wanted to have the wife and kids and numerous girlfriends on the side. I just got tired of it."
"Oh," I said again. "And you say he had money?"
"Not when we were together," Lee huffed. "Oh no, then it was pretty much hand-to-mouth; I had to take a job as a waitress for a while. But after we were divorced, Dominic's father died and left him a great deal of money."
"But he still worked as a horseshoer?"
Lee laughed. "Dominic was as tight with money as he was promiscuous with his sexual favors. Can you believe it? He wouldn't even pay his child support. His own kids. I was always taking him to court. Or trying to, anyway. He was pretty slippery, old Dominic."
I could see Dom leading a black horse out of the barn and tried one final question on Lee. "Do you think Dominic left his money to Dom and Sophy?"
"I sure hope so. Who else did he have to leave it to?" Lee shrugged.
Carlos, apparently, I thought but didn't say. Instead I got the electric floats we used for teeth out of my truck and filled a syringe up with tranquilizer.
Dom handed the horse's leadrope to his mom and I gave them both my best professional smile.
"Let's do some dental work," I said.
NINE
I left Lee Castillo's place having successfully smoothed and leveled her black gelding's teeth, but with my mind buzzing with speculation. Detective Johnson had asked me point-blank if I knew of anyone with a motive to murder Dominic Castillo. Well, here was someone with a very obvious motive. Money. Alive, Dominic had failed to pay what Lee thought he owed her and her kids. Dead, it seemed, she believed he'd pay handsomely.
And from what Jeri Ward had told me, Lee was right. Though it sounded as though she had a surprise coming in the form of Carlos Castillo and his inheritance. But still, surely this was a good solid motive.
I worked my way through several relatively routine calls-shots and worming for a Morgan mare, a sole abscess on a Peruvian Paso, another bit of equine dentistry on an ancient gelding who was teaching a seven-year-old girl to ride. Just as I was leaving this last job, my cell phone rang.
"Gail, it's Nancy. Doug Hoffman just called to say he's bringing a horse in. He thinks it may have broken a hind leg up high. Jim's in the middle of another emergency call up in Felton. Can you come?"
"Yeah, I can. I don't have anything that's too important. Call Elaine Delgado and tell her I'll be at least an hour late to do her preg check."
"Will do."
I sighed as I hit the button to end the call. I hated broken legs. Generally speaking, a broken leg would mean I'd have to euthanize the animal. Horses were just not constructed to get by on three legs, as dogs and cats did so readily. Neither were most horses able
"What?" Lee's jaw snapped shut as her eyes shot back to focus on mine. "How does he come into this?"
"I'm not sure," I said. "I heard the name. I was curious. Just like you," I reminded her.
"Oh," Lee said slowly. Then, "Kids, I really need you to finish up the barn. And Dom, go get that new horse so Gail can do his teeth." This time she spoke with some emphasis.
After a second, Dom and Sophy moved off toward the barn.
"They're great kids, really." Lee smiled proudly at the departing backs. "Dom's my right-hand man."
"So, who's Carlos?" I asked.
"Dominic's illegitimate son," Lee snapped. "Born the same year as Dom."
I did some quick thinking. "Oh," I said.
"That's right. Born while we were still happily married, or so I thought. I didn't find out the kid existed for several more years."
"How did you find out?"
"The mother came and told me. She was fed up with Dominic by then, too. It was her idea of revenge."
"Oh," I said again.
"Right," Lee agreed. "Not pretty. That's what life with Dominic was like. There was always one woman after another."
"And eventually he left," I hazarded.
"Are you kidding?" Lee laughed. "No way would Dominic have left me. No, that wasn't his idea. He wanted to have the wife and kids and numerous girlfriends on the side. I just got tired of it."
"Oh," I said again. "And you say he had money?"
"Not when we were together," Lee huffed. "Oh no, then it was pretty much hand-to-mouth; I had to take a job as a waitress for a while. But after we were divorced, Dominic's father died and left him a great deal of money."
"But he still worked as a horseshoer?"
Lee laughed. "Dominic was as tight with money as he was promiscuous with his sexual favors. Can you believe it? He wouldn't even pay his child support. His own kids. I was always taking him to court. Or trying to, anyway. He was pretty slippery, old Dominic."
I could see Dom leading a black horse out of the barn and tried one final question on Lee. "Do you think Dominic left his money to Dom and Sophy?"
"I sure hope so. Who else did he have to leave it to?" Lee shrugged.
Carlos, apparently, I thought but didn't say. Instead I got the electric floats we used for teeth out of my truck and filled a syringe up with tranquilizer.
Dom handed the horse's leadrope to his mom and I gave them both my best professional smile.
"Let's do some dental work," I said.
NINE
I left Lee Castillo's place having successfully smoothed and leveled her black gelding's teeth, but with my mind buzzing with speculation. Detective Johnson had asked me point-blank if I knew of anyone with a motive to murder Dominic Castillo. Well, here was someone with a very obvious motive. Money. Alive, Dominic had failed to pay what Lee thought he owed her and her kids. Dead, it seemed, she believed he'd pay handsomely.
And from what Jeri Ward had told me, Lee was right. Though it sounded as though she had a surprise coming in the form of Carlos Castillo and his inheritance. But still, surely this was a good solid motive.
I worked my way through several relatively routine calls-shots and worming for a Morgan mare, a sole abscess on a Peruvian Paso, another bit of equine dentistry on an ancient gelding who was teaching a seven-year-old girl to ride. Just as I was leaving this last job, my cell phone rang.
"Gail, it's Nancy. Doug Hoffman just called to say he's bringing a horse in. He thinks it may have broken a hind leg up high. Jim's in the middle of another emergency call up in Felton. Can you come?"
"Yeah, I can. I don't have anything that's too important. Call Elaine Delgado and tell her I'll be at least an hour late to do her preg check."
"Will do."
I sighed as I hit the button to end the call. I hated broken legs. Generally speaking, a broken leg would mean I'd have to euthanize the animal. Horses were just not constructed to get by on three legs, as dogs and cats did so readily. Neither were most horses able
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