Evelyn Crowe - Safe Haven

“What happened here?” he asked the boys.

They all hung back except Benton. His voice cracked with emotion. “We were just feeding them like we’ve always done, Doc.”

Avery stood there, horrified, as she looked at the horse, crumpled in the hay. His beautiful red-brown coat was slick with sweat. She wanted to clamp her hands over her ears with each rattling breath. “How sick is he, Logan? Can you give him something?”

Logan didn’t answer, but moved from stall to stall, evaluating each horse’s condition and listening to Benton.

“You know Allspice, Doc. He always has to be first or he kicks the stall. And he’s a glutton. But by the time we fed the others, Allspice was like that.”

“The feed?”

One of the other boys spoke up. “That was the first thing we thought of, Doc. Maybe it had soured. We took it away from all of them, but they’d eaten some—not as much as Allspice, but...” His voice trailed away in anguish.

Logan headed toward a row of feed bins against the far wall. He reached in, brought a handful up to his nose and sniffed. “It’s tainted,” he said. “Tom, empty the bins into those metal trash cans, then take it to the storeroom, lock the door and bring me the key. Under no circumstances are any of you to use any feed from that room.” He glanced at Avery.

“What can I do to help?” she asked.

“Come with me.”

Avery followed him toward the front of the barn, then through a green door, which he unlocked. She got a quick view of a small waiting room before she trailed him down a hall to another world, an environment of spotless stainless steel, high, glass-fronted cabinets with neat rows of labeled bottles. They passed through a set of double glass doors, and Logan stopped beside an examining table.

“I need you to call Tanner and tell him not to bring Molly here.” He pointed to a typed list of phone numbers taped to the wall as he stuffed vials of medicine and syringes into his shirt pockets. “If you can’t reach Tanner at home, try his cell phone. After you talk to him, call Dad and tell him to get in touch with Pierce. When you finish, come find me.”

He was barely out the door when she had Tanner on the phone. In an economy of words, and because she had no idea what had happened to the animals, she was curt with Tanner, but softened when he offered to call Mac and Pierce. As she talked, she had a chance to look around the office. There was an array of confusing items: instruments in glass drawers; tables on wheels which held colored bottles; what looked like a pressure cooker of some sort.

Remembering Logan’s orders, Avery gave one quick glance at the photograph of a child on the wall, then headed out. She found Logan kneeling beside Allspice, stroking the quivering horse’s neck and talking softly to him. She saw an empty vial and syringe.

“Is he going to be all right?”

Logan didn’t answer. She waited for what seemed forever, watching him tenderly care for the sick horse. When Logan finally looked up, she realized the harsh breathing had stopped.

Avery blinked back sudden tears. Not only for the horse, but for the pain in Logan’s eyes.

“Do you still want to help?” he asked.

“Yes,” she whispered.

“It won’t be easy, and if you’ve got a weak stomach, you better say so now.”

“I’ll be okay and I’ll do whatever you say.” She glanced at the motionless animal and had to ask, “Are they all going to die?”

“Not if I have anything to say about it.” His tone held grim determination.

Something about Logan changed, like light shifting across his face. She could have sworn she caught a glimpse of rage, just under the surface and ready to boil over.

AVERY GRIPPED Possum’s lead as she walked the dainty dappled-gray mare around and around the paddock. She’d learned from watching two of the boys, also walking horses, how to hold the lead rope close to the side of the animal’s face so she could pet her and talk to her. Raul was walking King Moe, a black stallion too ill to be ornery, the boy said, and Tony was walking Hopalong, a pretty, light brown horse with a white tail and mane.

She discovered a lot about the boys as they walked. They were working for Logan without pay as punishment for getting into trouble at school. From the way they cared for the horses, she didn’t think they minded their punishment. She would have learned more, but the increasing heat, worry and the struggle to keep the horses on their feet and walking soon took all her energy.

She lost track of time or how long she’d been walking until Logan came out, shoved a wide-brimmed straw cowboy hat on her head and handed her a bottle of water, insisting she drink some now. Then he clasped her chin in his hand and searched her face. He smiled as he said, “Your nose and cheeks are turning pink. Keep the hat pulled low.”

She was perfectly still and gazed steadily into his eyes. “I’m okay.”

Logan nodded and reluctantly dropped his hand. He was impressed that she didn’t complain or want to quit because she was tired, dirty and hot. “If you feel dizzy or nauseated at all, don’t be ashamed to speak up.” He busied himself examining Possum. “You don’t have to prove anything to those kids. Believe me, you’re not tougher than they are just because you’re older.”

“You don’t have to rub it in,” she mumbled softly, but not so softly he didn’t hear.

He hid a grin as he pulled a full syringe from his shirt pocket. “Those kids are used to working in the heat.” He gave Possum a shot.

“How are the other horses, Logan?”

“Mac’s Lady isn’t going to make it, but Dad’s not ready to let go of her yet.”

He saw her eyes fill with tears. “What happened?” she asked. “Have you found out what made them sick?”

The truth could send her running to Haven to jump on the first available bus. He glanced at her again. Disheveled and tired, she still managed to look tempting. And strong. Nevertheless he sidestepped her question. “Pierce’s taking samples of the feed to be analyzed.”

“Do you have any ideas?” she asked.

Strong and persistent. He sighed. “There’s little doubt that they were poisoned.”

“Oh, no! Surely you’re wrong. Who would do something like that? And why?”

Logan shrugged, unwilling to put words to his demons.

Avery caught sight of Raul and Tony inching closer, their youthful curiosity aroused enough that caution was forgotten. She tried to keep her gaze on Logan so the boys wouldn’t feel as if they were suspects. But she sensed a change in Raul’s and Tony’s demeanor.

Raul’s stiff stance radiated outrage. Black eyes narrowed and shimmered like polished rock. The jerk of his head and the defiant flip of his long ponytail were further outward signs of anger. “Doc, we didn’t...” For all his bravado, words failed him.

Tony looked scared sick and seemed unable to say anything at all.

Logan glanced around. “I never thought you did, Raul.”

“But Sheriff Middleton will, won’t he?”

Tony found his voice. “I swear, Doc.”

Logan began examining the other two horses. “Let me handle the sheriff.”

“But—” Raul began.

“Raul, I’ve seen you with the horses. Whatever your problems at home or school, I know that it isn’t in any of you to hurt an animal.” Whatever had almost killed off his stock was far more sophisticated than anything a bunch of teenage boys could come up with. Logan patted each horse, pleased to see the medicine and attention were working. “Keep them moving, boys. Don’t let them cool down yet.”

“They’re scared and worried,” Avery said, when the two youths had led their charges away.

“I know. No matter what we find out, there will always be those who believe the kids had something to do with this mess.”