The J D Bragg Mystery Series Box Set by Ron Fisher

Author:Ron Fisher [Fisher, Ron]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-04-08T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINETEEN

More people were arriving by the minute, and the place was beginning to fill up.

“Mr. Kennedy and I share the same veterinarian,” Natasha said. “Dr. Whitmore. If he had doubts about Kroll’s records or contracts, there were probably good reasons. Dr. Whitmore is a great vet. The best and most respected in the area.”

“Do you think he’s here tonight?” I asked Natasha. “I’d like to talk to him. See if he’ll add anything to it, or has heard anything about Kroll’s dead horse. It’s bound to have been a big topic of conversation lately.”

“I saw him when we came in. Let’s see if we can find him.”

We wandered around the room, grabbing a plate of food along the way. She introduced me to her neighbors, the Rosses, who employed Millie Johnson. They could have been as rich as King Solomon, but from their genuine friendliness to me and down to earth demeanor, they could have been anybody’s next door neighbors.

I met another nice lady, a widow from a family whose name was synonymous with the tobacco industry in America, and she was as warm and friendly as your favorite aunt. The rich may be different, but to some, it’s only the number of zeroes on their bank accounts.

Not everyone there were trust-fund-babies, but most were wealthy. I saw but didn’t meet, a retired network TV news anchor whom I would have known even if I was blind. I kept hearing his familiar baritone wafting across the room. Another was an aging, but still very recognizable major league baseball player, who I think I remembered reading somewhere lived in the area and raised thoroughbred horses. I didn’t get a chance to ask him if he did business with Wilson Kroll.

As we mingled, Natasha asked friends here and there if they’d seen Dr. Whitmore, her veterinarian. Some had seen him earlier; others hadn’t seen him at all.

We came upon a group of men out on the front porch, drinks in hand, a few of them grabbing smokes. We caught them laughing uproariously over something, but they quieted down as we joined them. If they were laughing at something too indelicate for Natasha’s ears, I couldn’t imagine what that would be. She could probably swap jokes with a group of Australian sailors. Obviously, it was the stranger on her arm that put the damper on them.

Chuck Norman and Teddy Crane were on the outside perimeter of the group, Teddy in his trademark hat and cowboy duster. They didn’t seem to be joining in on the joke. Both wore serious expressions as they watched us approach.

Natasha kissed Teddy on the cheek, but he was visibly cool to her. Chuck had probably told him we were talking about him and asking questions. I nodded to Teddy, but he didn’t speak. He just glared at me with undisguised distaste. I guess he’d come to dislike me as much as I disliked him.

Natasha looked at him with concern. She had felt his snub, and I knew her thoughts would be antithetical to mine.

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