“Yes sireee, that would be nice. We should go now, Fanny. I don't think we should drink any more until we get back. Isn't it getting late?”
Sage eyed the two bottles before he risked a glance at the bartender, who nodded. “Did you two ladies drink both these bottles?”
“Yes, we did,” Fanny said smartly. “Neither one of us is a drinker. You know I hardly ever drink, honey. Sometimes, one needs to do things one doesn't normally do.”
“You went to that dump, didn't you, Mom?”
“We went to an
establishment
down the road and brought back this lovely chicken soup for your lunch. I don't like it when you get cranky with me, Sage.”
“I don't like it either,” Nealy said. “You should never get cranky with your mother. You only have one mother. You always have to treat her with respect. I know that because I'm a mother. The dump was . . . it was
quaint.
Wasn't it, Fanny?”
“Yes, it was quaint. The bread was good, too. I love homemade bread. Maybe I don't like the bread as much as I like the smell of it baking. Do you like the smell, Nealy?”
“Love the smell, Fanny. Just love it. Aren't we going somewhere?”
“Yes, you are,” Sage said, taking his mother's arm. He motioned for the bartender to help Nealy. “Let's take them up in the service elevator.”
Fanny reared back in her seat. “I will not ride up in the service elevator.”
“Ma, you and Aunt Nealy are drunk as two skunks. It won't look good if someone sees you looking like this.”
“Oh. Do you mind riding up in the service elevator, Nealy? Do you care if anyone sees you like this?”
“I don't know if I should care or not. We didn't care when we went to that dump. This place is pretty fancy. Yes, I care.”
Fanny sighed. “All right, we'll go up in the freight elevator. Ooops,” she said as she fell against her son. “I'm going to take my shoes off, Nealy. You can take yours off, too. I have a story to tell you about shoes. Marcus sent me hundreds of pairs of shoes when he first met me. Will you remind me to tell you, Nealy?”
“Absolutely,” Nealy muttered as she tottered after Fanny. “I probably won't remember till tomorrow, though.”
“Okay.”
Inside the elevator, Sage looked down at his mother. “Ma, what happened? It's only the middle of the morning, and you're skunked. What the hell happened?”
“Nothing happened. We brought some soup and some bread for your lunch. Why do you want to know?” She looked crafty.
“Because I need to know, that's why.”
“We brought you soup and bread for lunch. If you don't want it, all you have to do is tell your mother you don't want it. She's your only mother, pay attention to her,” Nealy said, waving her shoes around.
“I'm going to eat it. Ma, you're the only person in this whole damn town that ever gets chicken soup from that place. It's always closed for repairs. You decide to visit and all of a sudden there's soup and then things start happening.”
Fanny rolled her eyes. “It's just your imagination, honey. Oh, look, we're here, Nealy. I lived here for a long time. I decorated it, didn't I, Sage?”
“Yeah, after you smashed it up.”
“I might have
moved
things around a bit,” Fanny conceded. “I have these two wonderful red chairs. We're going to curl up in them and talk, Nealy.”
“After you drink a gallon of coffee,” Sage said, heading for the kitchen. “You two stay put and don't move.”
“She's the only mother you have. You need to talk gently to her,” Nealy mumbled.
“I should fire him,” Fanny said, flopping down on one of the red chairs. “Do ya ever notice, Nealy, how all of a sudden the kids are doing what you used to do for them. It's like overnight they become your parents. Is that a good thing? I hate it that I'm getting old, and they have to look out for me.”
“Don't do it, Fanny. I did that once and regretted it.” Nealy curled into a tight ball on the red chair opposite Fanny. They stared at one another as Sage clanked his way around the kitchen.
“We'll talk when he leaves,” Fanny hissed.
“I heard that!” Sage bellowed.
“He heard,” Fanny mumbled. “Shhh.”
The minute the coffee machine made its last plopping sound, he grabbed two cups from the cabinet and poured the dark brew almost to the brims. He settled them on a colorful tray the way he'd seen his wife do and carried it into the giant living room with the wraparound windows that offered a magnificent view of the entire town. He felt like laughing aloud when he saw his mother and aunt sound asleep. He bee-lined for the kitchen.
Three minutes later he was talking to his twin in Atlantic City. “The two of them are shit-faced, Birch. Right now they're both passed out. Yeah, yeah. She brought back that damn chicken soup. She's the only one in this whole damn town that ever gets that chicken soup. She wouldn't tell me a thing. She only goes there when she's desperate, you know that. I have no clue what it means. My guess is she wants something, and they're the only ones who can give it to her. I heard her tell Aunt Nealy they'd talk after I left. Off the top of my head, I'd say it has something to do with our old chef Willow. Birch, I got this lump in my throat a little while ago when I looked at Mom. I felt the same thing at that last board meeting when I saw her. She's old, Birch. You need to come back here more often and spend time with Mom. I feel like bawling. You know what, I'm not sticking my nose in her business. If she wants to go to that dump and . . . do whatever it is she does there, then so be it. I'm even going to eat that damn soup. When the shit hits the fan, I'm going to look the other way. I don't even know why I'm getting so bent out of shape. Mom has been taking care of herself and us and this casino for as long as I can remember. I guess she knows what she's doing. And if she doesn't, then it will be up to us to pick up the pieces just the way she's picked up after us. Jeez, now I feel better. Nice talking to you, Birch.”
Sage smacked his hands together in satisfaction. It always helped when he talked to his twin.
In the living room, he stared down at his mother and for a moment relived a few old memories. As far as he was concerned, she was the best mother in the world. He bent over to kiss her wrinkled cheek. “Be happy,” he whispered before he left the room. The lump stayed in his throat until he made his way to the Harem Bar, where he picked up the two paper sacks and carried them to the kitchen. “Heat this up for me, will you? I'll sit over here in the corner and eat it.”
Â
Â
It was seven o'clock when Fanny and Nealy sat down in the foyer of the rehab center.
“What do you think, Aunt Nealy?” Sunny asked.
“I think it's a beautiful place. It's very homey-looking. I like it that no one wears a uniform. I feel a lot better now that I've seen everything. I hope Emmie can adjust.”
“It will take a while. There's a whole process you have to go through. It's like the stages of grieving. In the beginning, she'll fight it and do nothing to help herself. Then she'll give in and go with the flow. Then she'll get tired of feeling so bored and sick and decide to fight. At the fighting stage you literally fight and claw to get out of here. You do everything you're told plus more because you want to go home. Emmie isn't like me and Harry. This
is
our home. She'll want to get back to Gabby and back to her horses at the farm. She'll do it, too. You'll see.”
Nealy leaned over to hug her niece. “Thanks for telling me all that. I'll come back next month to see her if she wants me to. I understand the rules are what makes this place work, so I'll obey them. I won't call or come until it's time to do so.”
“Will you call me from time to time to let me know how Jake's doing?” Sunny asked.
“Of course I'll call you. He's going to do just fine. I don't want you to worry about him one little bit.”
“He said he'll drive out here this evening to say good-bye.” Tears filled Sunny's eyes. “I just want him to be happy.”
Nealy nodded. “I'll send pictures. Will you . . .”
“I'll ride her tail every chance I get. I can be relentless. Harry can, too. I'll keep you posted. I gotta go, Mom. We have chapel at seven-thirty.”
“It's very peaceful here, isn't it, Nealy? It costs an outrageous sum of money to operate this place. Just so you know, Nealy, the other side of the street helps. I couldn't have done this without their help. Every year they kick in millions so that people like Sunny and Harry can live here and not worry about cost. Half of all our revenues from both casinos goes to this facility and its sister center in Reno. The waiting list to get in here is mind-boggling. You might want to think about building a center like this in Kentucky. You have a ready-made setup already. You raise millions every year with your Derby Ball. Seven or eight acres of ground would do it. Metaxas would probably help you out. You could do it, Nealy.”
Nealy rubbed at her temples. “I have the Queen Mother of all headaches. How about you? I could do that, couldn't I? I swear, I'm never, ever, going to drink like that ever again. I still can't believe I drank a whole bottle of bourbon.”
“I guess we should start thinking about going back to the casino. I'm glad now I didn't give Sage an argument about the car service. I was seeing double there for a while. We still have to get changed and hit the other side of the street. That means we dude up in our finery and make nice. Oh dear, I forgot all about this,” Fanny said, fishing the white envelope out of her pocket.
“What is it? A bill or a receipt for the soup?”
“None of the above.” Fanny smiled. “It's
their
contribution for the second half of the year. They're always prompt. Sometimes they're actually early, like now. They don't have to do it at all, and that's what makes it so extra special.” She waved the check in front of Nealy, who swooned at the amount. Fanny continued to smile as she tucked the check into her purse.
“We can go now. Are you glad you came, Nealy?”
“Very glad.”
Â
Â
It was nine o'clock when word went out on the street that Fanny Thornton Reed and the most famous jockey in the world were going to visit the opposite side of the street. From windows high in the casinos, the owners watched the two women cross the street.
They were wined and dined like visiting royalty. They posed for pictures in each casino, pictures that would run in all the daily papers the next day. As they left each casino, they were handed small velvet sacks full of sterling silver dollars. “I have thousands of these,” Fanny whispered. “I give them to the grandchildren at Christmastime. Save yours for Gabby.” Fanny reached down to take off her shoes.
“I'm whipped,” Nealy said, taking off her shoes, too. “This town is just now starting to jump and it's after midnight. Is it safe to be walking around a town like this at this time of night, Fanny?”
“Oh, yes. In case you haven't noticed, we have an escort, front and back. Sideways, too. I told you, they take care of me. Do you want to go somewhere and get an ice-cream cone?”
“I'd like that, Fanny. I really would. Do you lick yours from the bottom to the top or do you go top to bottom?” To Nealy it was the most serious question in the world.
“I bite off the top and then I lick from the top. How about you?”
“Isn't that amazing? I do the same thing. I like cherry vanilla. What's your favorite?”
“Chocolate. I always manage to drip.”
“Me, too,” Nealy said, going off into a peal of laughter. “I forgot to call Hatch.”
“Oh, well,” Fanny said. She slapped her thigh and burst into laughter.
Within minutes the word whipped down the street for the second time. Fanny Thornton Reed was back in town. So was the most famous jockey in the world, the owner of two prize Thoroughbreds and two-time Triple Crown winnerâand she loved their town.
6
Cordell Lancer was as weathered as time itself. His skin was like old shoe leather, darkened by the sun and the elements, his legs so bowed a cow pony could have run between them. He watched now, his denim blue eyes speculative as Nealy listened to what he had to say. He hiked up one of his bowed legs over the board fencing so he could straddle it and stared off across the paddock. “I know I'm fairly new to Blue Diamond Farms, Nealy, but that don't change nothing when it comes to horses. Any horse man in this state will vouch for me, but then I think you already know that. It pains me to be telling you all these negative things about your daughter, but fact is fact. I told her I thought Gadfly had an ulcer, and she said no, he didn't. She told me to stay away from him because he was mean as cat shit. The
reason
that horse was mean as cat shit was because he was hurting. Once the vet came out and treated him, he started doing better, but that didn't change his attitude none toward Emmie. She must have done something to get his dander up because every time he saw her he pinned his ears back.”
“Did you or anyone ever see her do anything to him?”
“Nope.” He shook his head. “You know horses. Sometimes there's no figuring what they're afraid of. Some horses are afraid of everything from a rattling plastic bag to thunder. Others don't worry about anything. I'm thinking your Emmie was in a lot of pain herself and did something that Gadfly took personally.”
“Let's you and me pay Gadfly a visit,” Nealy said as she headed for the yearling barn. She rubbed at her throbbing temples. She'd had little, if any, sleep the night before, and the minute her feet hit the floor, a headache blossomed behind her eyes. She'd gulped aspirin to no avail. Emmie. Emmie. Emmie. All she could think about was her daughter.
“I think you might be right, Cordell. I'm having a hard time with all of it. Maybe all she did was raise her hand to him, and maybe she even hit him. When I got here, everything seemed, at least on the surface, to be right as rain. Then all this stuff rears up and slaps me in the face.”
“Yes, ma'am, that's the way of it sometimes.”
“Now that I think of it, every time I went near Gadfly, Emmie was with me. I guess he reacted. Did she mistreat him? What? I need to know.”
Cordell pushed his hat farther back on his head. “If I knew the answer to that, I'd tell you. The best I can suggest is that you ask her. I never saw anything, and no one else saw anything. I would have heard something like that. A horse don't turn mean on his own. He's good with the grooms, with everyone but Emmie. You ain't gonna believe me until you see for yourself.”
Nealy followed the farm manager to Gadfly's stall. She automatically reached into her pocket for a mint, holding it out, something she wouldn't have dared to do just days ago. Gadfly snorted as he pawed the ground. Nealy laughed out loud when the big horse tried to nuzzle her pocket for more mints. “Well, I'll be damned,” she muttered.
“Told ya. Ain't nothin' wrong with this horse. When the vet gives the okay, you might want to train him right along with Hifly. The boy did well today, Nealy. His butt is hurting him some, so I sent him off with liniment and told him to take a good long soak. First days are always the worst. Tomorrow he'll probably be wishing he was dead when he has to work those sore muscles. Everything is in good shape. We can manage now that you're back in the saddle. It bothers me, to be telling a mama her offspring wasn't up to snuff. Didn't want to do it. Tried talking to Emmie a few times, and she told me to shut up or she'd give me my walking papers. I like it here, Nealy, and I'd like to stay as long as you'll have me. I'll try to live up to Dover Wilkie, but that's gonna be mighty hard. Good man, Dover.”
“Yes, he is. I hope he's happy in his retirement. Do you think I should check on Jake?”
“No, ma'am, I don't think any such thing. Eighteen is just about a man around here. He needs to be taking care of himself. It was a good idea to put him up in the cottage so he fends for himself. Now if you want to be taking him a pie or something, I don't object to that. We'll see what he's made of tomorrow morning when he has to report to the barn at four A.M.”
Nealy whirled around when she heard her name called. “Hatch! What's wrong?” she asked, running toward him.
It was then that she noticed her husband had shed his jeans and boots and now wore a business suit. “You look like you're going somewhere.”
“Take a break, Nealy, and let's go up to the front porch. I asked Gertie to fix us some fresh coffee.”
“Sitting on the front porch with my husband at this time of day is a real treat. Cordell said Jake did well, and he's soaking in a hot tub about now. Oh, Hatch, he told me so many disturbing things about Emmie. I wanted to cry. I still want to cry. He thinks she mistreated Gadfly, and the horse had an ulcer, something she refused to acknowledge. I'm having such a hard time with this. If we're going to blame all the neglect on her condition, and that seems to be what we're doing, how could she have been so stupid to ignore the kind of pain she was going through? I don't think I'm ever going to understand that.”
“Who knows, honey? You can't change what's happened. All you can do is pick up the pieces and go forward. Placing blame does no good. Move forward. I'm sorry I took you away from here. I never should have done that. I know you said you were ready to leave and that you went with me willingly, but it was wrong. You belong here. This farm is you. Without you, it's nothing. We've seen the proof of that.”
Nealy smiled at her husband. He always made her feel good. “I think you're giving me far too much credit. I'm only as good as the people who work for me. Now, tell me why you're all dressed up at five o'clock in the afternoon.”
“I'm taking Willow back to Las Vegas. She's prepared to give a statement. At this point in time, I don't know what the police have in the way of information. There is every possibility they might arrest her. There's no way in hell she can get bail because she's a flight risk. Like she said, she's a lot of things, but she's no murderer. I'm taking the case because of Emmie and Nick, and that's the only reason.
“We have a seven o'clock flight. I'll call you later tonight. Nealy, I don't know how long I'm going to have to stay in Vegas. Will you be okay here by yourself?”
“I'll be fine. Are you staying at Babylon?”
“Yes. Fanny insisted. She said I could use the penthouse as my base of operations. I'll call her this evening and tell her Jake had a good day.”
“I'll miss you,” Nealy whispered.
“Do you have any idea how much I love you, Nealy?” Hatch whispered in return.
Nealy giggled. “I know exactly how much because I love you the same amount. So there.”
“Then, on that happy thought, I'm afraid I have to run. I really don't want to represent this young woman, Nealy. I don't like her or her lifestyle. She really thinks what she's done is okay. She says she didn't hurt anyone. It's the thrill of the chase and then the adrenaline rush when it's time to skip out. Nick is well rid of her, but try telling that to his heart. I suspect he still has feelings for her. He'll never admit it because it makes him feel the fool. I went into the law believing every single person has the right to their day in court and you are innocent until proven guilty. If they charge her with murder, it's going to be a different ball game.”
Nealy shrugged. “Maybe she's missing something in her body chemistry the way I'm beginning to think Emmie is missing something in hers, too. I guess in time we'll know all the details. Travel safe, Hatch, and don't forget to call me when you land so I don't worry.”
“Will do, lovely lady, will do. Nealy, I don't know how long I'm going to be gone. I need to hear you say it's okay. I feel like I'm deserting you.”
Nealy stared down at the flower borders. She could feel her heart swell with love. “It's okay, Hatch. You aren't deserting me, so take as long as you need. I want you to represent Willow to the best of your ability because that's what you do. I don't ever want that to change. Now pucker up, mister.”
Hatch looked down at his watch and groaned. Nealy kissed him long and hard. “That's so you'll hurry back. Go on, honey, or you'll miss your flight. I'll be here waiting for you.”
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Jake crawled out of the bathtub. Every bone and muscle in his body protested as he dried off and wrapped himself in a robe. He eyed the bottle of liniment sitting on the vanity. He decided he wouldn't be a wimp or a
wuss
if he rubbed in the ointment. After all, Cordell had given it to him, so that had to mean others had experienced the same muscle pain after a hard day. He was exhausted when he finished rubbing the foul-smelling liniment on his legs, thighs, buttocks, and arms. He tottered over to the sofa and collapsed. How was it possible, he wondered, to be in so much pain, in every part of his body, all at the same time? He bolted upright, clenching his teeth. His mother was always in this kind of pain, and so was Emmie. What he was experiencing was
nothing
compared to what his mother and Emmie were enduring.
He clenched his teeth and forced himself to walk to the kitchen, where he fixed himself a pot of green tea. He drank two cups before he wolfed down the Kraft macaroni and cheese he'd prepared before his bath. He looked at the dishes piled in the sink. Tomorrow was another day. His mother's words rang in his ears.
Don't leave a mess behind you for someone else to clean up
. He sighed as he filled the sink with soapy water.
Damn, I forgot to hang up my towel in the bathroom.
His mother always said if you didn't hang up your towel, it would smell the next day. He retraced his steps to the bathroom to hang up the towel. He also dried off the vanity with tissues. Good. Maybe now he could sit down and think about his day. He groaned when he remembered the dishes.
Fifteen minutes later, his new abode tidy, he sat down in a recliner to relax. The moment he stretched out his aching legs, he remembered his promise to call his mother. He struggled out of the chair and dialed his mother's number from memory.
“Jake! Oh, sweetie, Harry and I have been sitting here willing the phone to ring. Are you okay? How did it go? Do you like it? Is everything okay?”
“Mom, today was the worst day of my life. All those bad days with the doctors and the hospitals can't hold a candle to what I went through. I'm okay, and I'm not complaining. I love it. I really do. Tomorrow I know I'm going to hate it because if I'm as sore as I am right now, tomorrow is going to be ten times worse. Cordell gave me some liniment that smells like manure. I smell like manure, Mom.”
“Oh, honey, the first few days are always the worst. Take it easy and work your way slowly into things. When you hang up you should go to sleep.” Disappointment rang in Sunny's voice.
“Hey, Mom, it's okay. I expected it. Cordell said I did real good for the first day. He said I have a natural ability.”
“Really?” Her voice rose an octave.
“Yeah, really. Big surprise, huh? If my body didn't hurt so much, I think I might have actually enjoyed myself.
“Mom, I'm afraid to go to sleep. What if I don't hear the alarm at four o'clock. No, three-thirty. I have to be in the barn at four. I sleep like Uncle Sage. Aunt Iris said we both sleep like we're dead. I'm going to have to get another alarm clock for backup.”
“I'll call you, Jake. Put the phone by your bed, and I'll ring it till you answer. You know Harry and I don't sleep well, so it won't be a problem. But only until you get yourself a backup alarm clock. Is it a deal?”
“Oh, Mom, you're the greatest. You got yourself a deal.”
“What did you do today? Tell us all about it. I have you on the speakerphone so Harry can hear at the same time.”
“I did everything, Mom. You name it and I did it and if I didn't help, I watched. I started off riding this pony, a pony, Mom, and let me tell you I felt silly as hell, but I stayed on. Then I got on a bigger horse, a mare. She was real gentle but my rear end will never be the same. I helped groom the horses, I mucked stalls, picked their hooves, I swept the breezeway, fed the horses, helped the hotwalkers. I cooked two packages of macaroni and cheese and ate both of them. I also had two cups of green tea. I'm okay, Mom. I know I have to go to a store and buy vegetables and fruit and I will as soon as I settle in. Before you can ask, yes, I'm taking my medication. I'm going to watch some horse-racing videos, and if I don't fall asleep, I'm going to read up on some jockeys. Are you and Harry okay, Mom? Did you hear anything about Emmie?”
“Harry and I are fine, honey. Unfortunately, we know nothing about Emmie. You know how it works for the first month you're here. Sage called and said Gabby is having the time of her life on the mountain. My phone time is almost up, honey, the light is blinking. Take care of yourself. I love you.”
“Mom?”
“What is it, Jake?”