Рита Браун - Puss 'N Cahoots

Ward no sooner got the words out of his mouth than Booty appeared, in the company of Miss Nasty.

“Benny, take a hike,” Booty ordered.

“Hike, hike, hike,” Miss Nasty echoed Booty, and for whatever reason this put her in an especially good mood.

Benny shifted the bridle to his other shoulder, looking to Ward.

“He stays right here, Booty. What the hell is this about? I’ve been through as much as I care to handle today.”

Booty half-smiled. “I won’t be as tedious as your insurance agent.” He glanced at Benny, deciding to go forward. “Here’s the deal. I know you serviced Renata, so to speak. You carried the mare to your farm.” Ward stayed expressionless as Booty kept on. “I don’t mind. She got what she wanted out of it. I don’t even want to know what she paid you. But I want to know two things. Did Jorge bring Queen Esther to you?”

“I told you he did.” Ward ignored Miss Nasty, who left Booty’s shoulder and now pulled on the hem of his jeans.

“I don’t remember you telling me that.”

“Alzheimer’s,” Ward joked, but Booty didn’t laugh. “What’s the next question?”

“Did Charly pay you, too?”

“What’s Charly got to do with it?”

“Oh, come on, Ward, don’t play me for a fool. You’re smarter than that and so am I. Renata doesn’t breathe without Charly.”

“What are you talking about?” Ward raised his voice. “I don’t know what Renata and Charly are doing, but I can tell you I didn’t talk to him. The only person I talked to was Renata.”

“He’s behind it.”

“Well, go talk to him. I don’t know anything about it.”

Booty clucked to Miss Nasty.

“I don’t want to leave yet.” The monkey dropped Ward’s hem to snoop in the hospitality room. Might be something scrumptious in there.

Checking his watch, Booty’s eyebrows raised. “Damn, time gets away from me.” Two long strides and he entered the hospitality room, just as Miss Nasty unwrapped a cold Reese’s peanut butter cup. She left the small refrigerator door open, which Booty closed. “Miss Nasty, no sugar.”

She popped it in her mouth, trying to swallow it whole. With tremendous effort and a few chews while eluding Booty, she managed.

Booty came out with Miss Nasty in tow.

Ward stepped closer to Booty. “I don’t know what your worry is about Charly. Seems to me I have more to worry about than you do. Benny and I could have been blown to kingdom come, and, well, Charly knows all about explosives.”

Booty, holding the monkey’s paw as she walked along with him, her eyes watering from swallowing such a big hunk of candy, said, “Don’t do business behind my back.”

“I don’t think doing business with Renata is doing business behind your back. I’ve kept up my end of the bargain concerning you.”

Booty’s tone dripped sarcasm. “Everything concerns me. If Charly did set up the so-called theft of the horse with you, then how do I know you aren’t siphoning off money elsewhere? Maybe you bring in a load of merchandise on the QT.”

“I wouldn’t do that. I’ve been straight up.” Ward’s jaw jutted out.

“Good.” Booty’s tone improved. “If there’s one thing I hate it’s a double cross.”

Ward and Benny watched him as he strutted toward his barn, nodding and smiling to all and sundry, Miss Nasty waving, too.

“Peculiar mind,” Benny intoned.

“I’ll say, but he’s one hell of an organizer. I learned that going for the pickups.”

“Yep. Booty succeeds at what he does.” Benny said no more. He kept his personal feelings to himself, a habit learned the hard way.

“Whenever you get that flat sound in your voice, I know you’re not telling me what you’re thinking.”

“What I’m thinking is, what the hell is he worried about? No one has tried to kill him.”

“Maybe he thinks he’s next.” Ward watched as Booty disappeared into the mass of people.

“Be a blessing.” Benny couldn’t help it, it slipped out.

“Sometimes I think that myself.” Ward picked up a can of hoof dressing and entered a stall.

Booty walked into Charly’s barn, finding Charly back in the small dressing room. Carlos was in one of the stalls.

Booty pulled aside the curtain as Spike hollered to the other cats, “That damned monkey is in here.”

“Shut up,” Miss Nasty called back, then ran out into the aisle to irritate the cats, an activity in which she richly succeeded.

“I’ve been thinking.” Booty sat on a navy and red tack trunk. “You sure let Ward off the hook easy.”

“Did we have any choice?”

“Yeah, we could have cut him out.”

Charly shook his head. “Too risky. Plus he does good work, and he is the one who will get arrested first.”

“Well, I’m not overfond of reducing my own profit.”

“Half a loaf is better than no loaf. Ward’s tight-lipped, does what he’s told, and he’s bright enough. He can learn more of the business and hopefully create more profit, which will offset our slight loss in making him a full partner. Plus we don’t have to pay Jorge anymore. There’s a penny saved.”

“There is that.” Booty leaned in toward him. “I figure you and Renata contacted him to steal Queen Esther.”

“The hell I did.” Charly’s face turned bright crimson. “That was her idea.”

“I don’t believe you. She’s an actress. Playing a public scene with you is her bread and butter. Why should I believe you? You both get something out of it.”

“What do I get out of it?”

“Renata.” Booty listened for a moment to one of Miss Nasty’s shrieks and decided it wasn’t life-threatening, since she was cussing cats.

“My relationship with Renata has been rocky, but relationships between trainers and clients can be that way. She’s wound tight.”

“Then let me just say this: if you and Ward are running a little sideline behind my back, I’m going to get really angry.”

“I would, too.” Charly, irritated, rested his hand on the metal crossbar of the portable clothes rack. “Look, I’ve got to get ready. I have a boatload of clients going this last night, and there is the five-gaited stakes, which I’ll be winning.”

Silky smooth, Booty said, “I’ve given that a lot of thought. I’ll be winning that class, Charly, because if you don’t bring Frederick the Great down just enough to come in second, I’m telling the press about Renata stealing her own horse. Might even tell them you were in on it.”

Charly, for a second, didn’t move a muscle. “You son of a bitch.”

“I don’t like a double cross. For all I know you killed that Mexican, too.”

“You’re out of your mind. Out of it! I wouldn’t kill Jorge.”

“Well, you damned well blew up Ward’s van. You’re the only one who could do it. Eliminate someone who knew too much, not just about our business but about Renata. Also increases your profit.”

“Come on, anyone can find information on the Internet about how to build and plant a car bomb.”

“Maybe so, but I know you have that skill, thanks to the United States Army. You’ve even got the medals to prove it, and,” he drew this out, “I know you’re in love with Renata.”

“For Christ’s sake, Booty, Ward’s no threat to Renata.”

“No?” Booty’s eyebrows rose. “He stuck us for a full third of a share. Blackmailing Renata could be very lucrative. She oozes money.”

“You’re crazy.” Charly’s lips turned white with rage.

“You made a mistake, buddy, a tiny mistake, but I picked up on it.”

“Oh, and what might that be?” Charly wanted to hit Booty so badly he was shaking.

“When you and Renata performed your screaming match at Kalarama’s barn, you pointed a finger at her and said, ‘I know about you.’” Charly’s face was blank. Booty continued, “A comment like that stays with people. Now, most folks when they heard about it assumed you meant she was sleeping with you. Me, I’m a little different. I investigated. I’ve got more friends than you think.”