Death at Dingo Creek by June Whyte

Author:June Whyte [Whyte, June]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery
Publisher: Junewhyte Books
Published: 2018-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

13

QUESTION TIME

When Maggie opened Wind Song’s stable door and stepped inside she found the other four riders, Sally, Dan and the Forrester twins, gathered around the mare and muttering together like a coven of witches. On seeing her they exchanged agitated glances and immediately went quiet. All very clandestine and furtive. Maggie felt a shiver run up her spine. Why were all the riders here? What were they up to? Slightly flustered, she turned to thank Kayla for her help, but the young groom had already disappeared.

“Bit of a weird one, that,” said Sally from her crouched position beside Wind Song as she ran her fingers up and down the horse’s front leg. She slowly got to her feet and wrapped an arm around the gray mare’s neck. “Not only is the kid petrified of horses, she rarely opens her mouth.”

Maggie dropped her vet bag on the straw bedding and moved to examine her patient. “Why would Suzanne hire Kayla if she’s scared of horses?”

“Guess she felt obliged to give the kid a trial.” Sally shrugged one shoulder. “Kayla’s the daughter of that despot in the kitchen, Mrs. Richards, the Montgomery’s adored, can-do-no-wrong, housekeeper.”

Interesting. Why would the housekeeper want her daughter working in a job she hated? A tidbit to pass onto Emily?

“But hey, man, whatever you do, don’t trust her,” warned one of the Forrester twins, either Cameron or Caleb. Maggie had given up trying to work out which was which ten seconds after they’d been introduced at the dinner table the night before. “Kayla slinks around the stables spying on everyone, and then goes and dobs you in to her ogre of a mother.”

“And of course, Mrs. Richards falls over her own feet in her hurry to get to Mark and pass on the information,” put in the other twin.

“Who she has a big fat crush on.”

“Guess Kayla won’t worry me then.” Maggie looked up at the riders who’d huddled around Wind Song, all watching her examine the mare’s slightly swollen leg. Why were they so close? Were they threatening her? “’Cos I’m not vying for a spot on the team.”

“Won’t matter,” said Caleb or Cameron, dolefully. “Doesn’t matter who makes a mistake – Mark knows within minutes.”

“Makes you wonder if that’s the reason they employed the little weirdo,” added his twin.

Dan ran a hand through his carrot-colored hair making it stand on end and then, fingers tense, he dug into the top pocket of his jacket and pulled out a cigarette. With horror, Maggie watched him step back and then lean against the wall and take a puff.

“For goodness sake, Dan, put that cigarette out, immediately. You should know better than to smoke in a stable. Geez, it’s the first thing you learn when you become involved with horses.”

“Calm down Doc, it’s not real,” he said waving what certainly looked like a cigarette at her with a cheeky grin. “It’s a ‘cigalike’. Better known as an e-cigarette. See, there’s no fire, just batteries, and I’m not smoking, it’s called, vaping.

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