Death by Equine by Annette Dashofy (read this if txt) 📗

mentioning how much you hate being around the spa.”

Jessie had no intention of discussing her phobia of water with Sherry, and she wasn’t pleased knowing Doc had either. “I remembered your appointment. Saved me tracking you down.” Time to get down to business. Waiting until she had a good view of Sherry’s face, she asked, “How long have you known Doc was your father?”

Jessie expected Sherry to act surprised. To respond with denial. Or at least some cagey retort. Instead, she appeared unfazed. “Always.” She clucked to Sullivan and then added, “I grew up knowing.”

Not the response Jessie had anticipated. “Really?”

“How did you find out? I was under the impression Doc didn’t mention it to anyone else.”

Jessie rested her elbows on the railing. “He didn’t. Miguel Diaz let it slip.”

“Damn him. Can’t speak more than half a dozen words in English and he still can’t keep a secret.”

“Then why’d you tell him?”

“I didn’t. He overheard Doc and me talking about it.”

A theory began to take shape in Jessie’s mind. What if Sherry had sprung her true identity on Doc and he’d reacted badly. Rejected her. Wouldn’t that be a possible motive for foul play? “How long had he known?”

“Miguel Diaz?”

“No. Doc.”

“Oh. My mother told him as soon as she knew she was pregnant.”

So much for that idea.

“I didn’t get to spend much time with him when I was a kid. In fact, until I decided to follow in his footsteps and go into veterinary medicine, he never showed much interest in me. But then everything changed. I was ‘daddy’s little girl’ once I started college. We’ve been inseparable since I started helping him here.”

Jessie watched Sullivan chug around the circular pool. Every few strokes, the horse snorted. “Does Amelia know about you?”

Sherry chuckled. “Hell, no. Haven’t you heard? The wife’s always the last to know.”

Jessie cringed. News of Doc having an illegitimate daughter was going to be yet another shock for his widow. “I suppose you plan to tell her?”

“She’ll find out soon enough. As soon as the contents of his will are made known.”

Jessie caught a glimpse of an icy twinkle in Sherry’s eyes as she passed in front of her. “His will?” Jessie asked.

“Yep. Dear old Dad left his practice to me.”

If Sherry’s intention was to knock the wind out of Jessie, she succeeded. “How do you know that?”

“I just know.” Sherry barked a laugh. “You should see the look on your face. I told you not to get too comfortable around here. As soon as my license to practice comes through, you’re history, Dr. Cameron.”

Jessie clutched the railing. She’d thought she was going to be the one to blindside Sherry. At least Meryl would be happy to learn Jessie’s stint at the track truly was temporary. Jessie hadn’t really wanted the clinic. Had she? But if that were true, why was she beginning to think of Doc’s office as her office? She no longer called it “Doc’s desk.” It had become her desk. The backside felt more and more like home.

From across the pool, Sherry said, “You always thought of yourself as his shining star, didn’t you? Well, you were nothing but an employee. You always wanted to be his daughter, but you weren’t. I was.”

“I never wanted Doc to be my father.” Jessie hoped it sounded like the truth when she knew it wasn’t.

“Uh-huh.” The sarcasm in Sherry’s voice told Jessie she’d failed.

Time to try another angle. “The night Doc died,” Jessie began, keeping her voice low and controlled. “Did you know the call came from Miguel Diaz’s phone?”

The startled look on Sherry’s face suggested Jessie had chosen the right topic this time. “Miguel made that call?”

“He says no. But his phone is missing.”

Sherry’s pace slowed, but Sullivan’s lead line tugged her forward.

“I had Clown tested at OSU. In case you’re interested in what caused your father’s accident, someone administered acepromazine to Clown that night.”

Sherry stumbled but caught herself and kept walking.

“I understand he went after you once when he was tranquilized.”

“Went after?” Sherry fingered the scar on her face. “He tried to take my damned head off.”

“Any idea who might have tranquilized him?”

“No.” Sherry’s voice had grown tight. “How would I know?”

“Just asking.”

Sherry’s circuit of the catwalk brought her toward Jessie again, and her expression took on a hard edge. “Look. My father’s dead and nothing is going to change that.” She came closer to Jessie. “It’s a shame he didn’t stay home that night like he was supposed to. Then it would’ve been you in that stall.”

The now familiar pang of guilt hit Jessie in the gut again. It should have been her. The pang was joined by something darker, swirling beneath the surface of her thoughts like Sullivan’s legs churning in the murky water.

“If you keep butting in where you don’t belong,” Sherry continued, “someone might just give you a little shove, and you might end up taking a swim like old Sullivan here.” Her gaze locked on Jessie’s. Then a smirk crossed her lips as she passed. “Oh, I forgot. You can’t swim, can you?”

Eight

It wasn’t every day that Jessie received a death threat, so she wasn’t entirely sure what they looked or sounded like. Sherry’s cold voice, combined with the glint of pleasure in her eyes, shook Jessie. All afternoon as she made her Lasix rounds, the poolside exchange lurked in the periphery of her thoughts. Twice, she picked up her phone and punched in Meryl’s number. She wanted to dump this whole mess in Meryl’s lap and let a calmer head prevail. Twice, Jessie changed her mind before the call rang through. Meryl, never known for tact, was hardly a calmer head. In fact, Jessie imagined Meryl would be ecstatic to learn someone else would be taking over Doc’s practice. Jessie could almost hear Meryl shouting at her to get the hell out of there now and get back to the vet hospital where she belonged.

By six thirty, Jessie had administered her last dose of the diuretic for