#Nadir Jutley

[the-real-tc]

Bad Business Ch. 7: Every Breath You Take

Chapter 7

Every Breath You Take

Shooting Victim Identified

Hudson Times—Print Version

May 3, 2019

Nadir Jutley

Hudson Police have released the identity of the motorist shot yesterday on Range Road 292. 53-year-old Lisa Stillman was found unconscious in her SUV by Hudson veterinarians, Drs. Scott Cardinal and Ty Borden at approximately 12:15 p.m., local time.

Stillman was found to be suffering from two gunshot wounds. She was transported by ambulance to the South Calgary Health Campus where she underwent emergency surgery and is currently listed in critical but stable condition.

Police are asking for the public's assistance in the matter. Anyone who may have witnessed anything suspicious on the road at the time of the shooting is asked to call local police or the RCMP. In particular, authorities hope to speak with an individual riding a motorcycle who may have passed Stillman and might be able to provide further details. Thus far, police have no motive or suspects in the attack.

Hudson Chief of Police James Parker expressed his concern for Stillman, and for the safety of citizens of the town. However, he stressed there is no reason to believe there is any danger to the public at large.

Lisa Stillman is the owner of Fairfield Stables, a renowned thoroughbred racehorse breeding facility in Hudson that was established in 1951 by her late father, Matthew Stillman.

• Email: nadir_jutley

The ringing telephone cut through the silence that Friday morning. Jack pulled himself from the kitchen table. The call display indicated it was from the hospital, causing his heart to jump.

"Hello?" he answered after picking up the receiver. "Yes, this is Jack Bartlett."

He listened while the voice on the other line spoke a few words. Amy and Tim watched him carefully, both on edge.

"Thank you," Jack said once he heard everything the other party had to say. "Good-bye."

"Grandpa?" Amy asked, trying to read his expression. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes," Jack answered, his heart exulting and mind spinning with the information he had been longing to hear. "Lisa's awake. She's regained consciousness."

"Oh, Grandpa, that's great news! I'm so happy!" Amy exclaimed. She wrapped her arms around him in happy relief.

"Great news, Jack," Tim said, slapping Jack on the back.

"I've got to get up there," Jack said.

"Of course. I'll take you," Amy said. "Let me just get Lyndy ready. You're still okay to get Lou from the airport, right, Dad?"

"Yeah, sure," Tim said. "You two go on. Tell Lisa I'm happy she's doing better, Jack. God knows what an insufferable bastard you would become if she didn't make it."

Jack just shook his head while a lopsided smile tugged at his mouth. "Shut up, you idiot," he said.

"Just sayin'," Tim quipped, always needing to have the last word.

***

Upon arriving at the hospital, Jack hurriedly returned to the ICU floor. The despair he had felt throughout the sleepless night before had lifted completely. He approached the nurse's desk expectantly. "I'm Jack Bartlett," he announced. "My wife was admitted yesterday. Lisa Stillman."

This nurse, different from the one yesterday, did not have to consult her records.

"Ms. Stillman has been moved from the ICU to another room, Mr. Bartlett."

"You mean she's not here?" Jack asked, disappointed he would be delayed in seeing her.

"No, she's not," the nurse confirmed. "Let me find out for you which floor she's on now, okay?"

A few minutes later, Jack was at last on the correct floor, but he would be disappointed yet again. The nurse on this recovery ward informed him: "She's resting again now, Mr. Bartlett. But you can go sit with her as long as you don't disturb her."

"You go ahead, Grandpa," Amy said while holding onto her sleeping toddler. "Lyndy and I'll wait out here for you for a bit."

Jack patted his granddaughter's shoulder. "Thank you," he said.

***

"Hey, Cowboy..."

Jack jerked his head up at the sound of the thin, wispy voice. Lisa was looking at him through tired, heavy-lidded eyes.

"Lis..." he whispered in awe, thinking he would burst with joy at seeing her conscious again. He had drifted off to a shallow nap while sitting at her bedside thanks to the lack of rest the night before, now all he wanted to do was keep his eyes open to be sure they were not deceiving him.

Jack forced himself not to overwhelm her, so he refrained from peppering her with all the frantic questions that were burning within. He instead sucked in a deep, steadying breath before taking a measured approach. "I am so relieved you woke up. How're you feeling?"

Lisa blinked slowly, as if considering how to answer. "Terrible," she eventually replied, after swallowing a couple times.

"Here, let me get you some water," Jack said quickly, reaching for the cup on the bedside table. He brought the straw to her lips and she drew a quick sip.

"Thanks," she rasped, throat still raw despite taking a drink. He put the cup back after intuiting she was satisfied for the time being.

"Are you in pain?" Jack asked anxiously.

A grimace crossed her face as she nodded in the affirmative. "Head," she muttered. "Arm... and side..."

"I can get the nurse or the doctor," Jack said, already rising up to get someone.

"No," Lisa spoke with more volume. "Don't go... just yet."

"Okay," Jack said, settling back into the chair, brushing her cheek gently to reassure her he was not going anywhere. "I'll just use the call button, then."

"Mm-hmm," she agreed, eyeing Jack as he pressed the device at her side. A few beats of silence passed before she spoke again. "What happened... to me? The doctors haven't told me anything yet... or maybe I was too out of it to remember if they did."

Jack searched her face. The dark circles under her eyes stood in contrast to the frighteningly wan pallor of her skin. "What do you remember?" he asked, hoping to forestall discussion of the trauma she had endured.

She reflected carefully before replying. "I-I was driving to a meeting, wasn't I?"

"Yes," Jack confirmed with an encouraging nod. "You were. Do you remember anything else?"

"I can't quite," she murmured, frowning with the effort of trying to recall the details of that drive. "There was a guy..."

Upon hearing this, Jack stiffened in his seat, pulse quickening. Maybe she would remember. Maybe they would be able to find her shooter and bring him to justice, effectively ending this nightmare. "What 'guy'?"

"On a motorbike," Lisa sighed. "He was trying to pass me on the road. I think he was afraid to risk it... did we have an accident? Did something hit us?"

Jack shook his head.

"Oh, no. Please don't tell me I hit him."

A soft, sad smile formed on his lips at the misery on her face at the thought she might be the one responsible for her current predicament. "No, no," he said to reassure her. "You didn't do anything wrong, Lis."

"Oh. Good." She sighed, blinking in relief to have that fear assuaged. "What, then?"

Jack was spared having to reply when a wiry nurse with short salt-and-pepper hair appeared at the door.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, looking in at the two of them.

"She woke up from her 'nap'," Jack stated.

"Wonderful!" declared the nurse, whose name tag identified her as 'Cheryl'. She strode into the room purposefully, immediately checking Lisa's vitals and asking about her pain levels.

"I have a terrible headache. But... my arm and side... hurt the most," Lisa responded tiredly. "Pain is about a seven or eight out of ten, maybe?"

"Remember there's a tube in your side," Cheryl said, "but I'll get the doctor to see if we can do something about increasing your pain meds to take the edge off—now that you're fully awake."

Lisa nodded. "Okay. Thank you."

"Be right back," the nurse said, smiling at the couple as she departed.

"Do you remember anything else?" Jack prodded when he was sure they were alone again.

"Mm-mm," Lisa mumbled, giving her head a slight negative shake.

Jack could see her lack of recall was frustrating her. He made the decision right then to give her the truth, without any dissimulation.

"Lis," he began slowly, finding it difficult to formulate the words even though he had gone over in his mind a hundred times what he knew about the heinous actions that brought her here. "You went off the road on the way to the meeting. We're not sure exactly what happened or why, but... Someone shot you."

His words struck a chord of distress in her, frazzling her nerves. Her face crumpled in confusion and Jack noticed a perceptible uptick in her heart-rate monitor.

"Shot...?" she uttered fearfully, unable to make sense of this piece of news. "Wh-why? Who would...?"

"We don't know. We were hoping you would be able to tell us something," Jack said, placing a hand over hers in comfort, delicately trying to avoid the I.V. port and lines. "Now, Chief Parker has got people investigating. But it's like I told him: my beautiful wife doesn't have an enemy in the world who would want to do something like this."

"I can't—I don't understand," Lisa said, still not recovered from the shock of Jack's news. "I have no memory of that... I—there must be some mistake..."

"I talked to Chief Parker," Jack said calmly, trying to ground her and bring her some peace of mind. "Like I said, he's got everyone he can looking into this, okay? We're going to catch who did this."

And he'd better pray I don't catch him first, Jack thought to himself.

Lisa sighed and nodded. "Okay."

***

Hudson Police Headquarters

"Chief, the hospital just called," Patterson informed her boss. "Lisa Stillman has regained consciousness."

"That's good news," Jim said. "You and Kavanaugh get up there right away. We need to get her statement about what happened as soon as the doctors will let you speak with her."

"All right," Patterson said. "We're on our way."

***

Lou's hurriedly booked flight from New York was scheduled to arrive early that afternoon at Calgary International Airport. The entire time in the air was spent in dread remembrance of a similar trip years ago. That time, she knew she would be coming home to a dead mother and a comatose sister, the result of an accident that occurred during a crazy rescue mission to save Spartan. Lou wondered what would be awaiting her this time. The shock of hearing that her grandfather's second wife had been shot had still not worn off.

What on earth did you get yourself into, Lisa? Lou questioned silently. This is going to kill Grandpa if you don't make it. I saw what losing Grandma Lyndy did to him, and what it did to him when we lost Mom. So you'd better live. Oh, why is this even happening?

"Dad!" she called out to Tim when she spotted his cowboy-hatted figure waiting for her outside the Arrivals gate.

"Lou, honey," Tim said, giving her a quick hug. "Good news. Lisa woke up. Jack's with her right now."

"Oh, thank goodness!" Lou exclaimed, happy she did not have to ask the question about Lisa's state of health. "I was so worried."

"Yeah, we all were," Tim said as he motioned for her to head to his truck while taking her suitcases. "But it looks like she's going to be okay, so we can probably stop worrying."

"That's a huge relief," Lou said. "Do the police have any idea what happened?"

"The police are clueless," Tim replied gruffly. "No leads except there was 'some guy' on a motorcycle."

"That's too bad," Lou said. "I don't even know what to think about all this."

"Yeah, it's a real mess," Tim said as they reached his truck.

"Dad," Lou began tentatively, biting her lip. "What about Amy? How's she doing?"

"She's better, I think," Tim answered plainly. "She's not as mopey and depressed today, anyway."

"That's good," stated Lou. "I guess things are looking up, then. I don't think this family could take much more, honestly."

"Yeah, it's been rough," Tim said in agreement. "Listen, I've got to stop in at Maggie's on the way home. You mind? It's been overwhelming with everything going on lately."

"You haven't let a couple family crises get in the way of your duties at the diner, have you, Dad?" Lou chided in mock reproach.

"Absolutely not," Tim said. "After all, isn't that why you hired Jen? To make sure things run smoothly while you're away?"

"Yeah, yeah," Lou quipped. "Let's go. I'm tired and I want to call Katie and Peter when I get home so we can arrange for her to come back now that everything is improving."

***

South Calgary Health Campus

"The police are here," Nurse Cheryl announced to Jack and Lisa. "They would like to speak to Ms. Stillman about what happened."

"Don't know how much I can tell them," Lisa said, feeling better now that the pain was back within tolerable levels. "I don't really remember much."

"That's all right. You just do your best, okay?" Jack said encouragingly. "Tell them what you told me, and they'll take it from there."

Lisa nodded and a small sigh escaped her lips. "Okay. I'll try."

Jack stepped out of the room to make way for Detective Kavanaugh and Detective Constable Patterson to enter and to give them some privacy.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Stillman," Kavanaugh said. Both he and Patterson seated themselves so Lisa did not have to strain to look up at them. "I'm sorry we have to meet again under such awful circumstances."

Lisa looked warily at the pair. "Good afternoon," she replied, somewhat guardedly.

"How are you feeling?" asked Patterson.

"Better than I was a couple hours ago. Thank God for good pain meds," Lisa remarked with a sardonic twist of her mouth.

"Good, we're glad to hear that," Patterson said. "Think you can answer our questions about what happened yesterday?"

"I'll try," Lisa replied.

"Thank you," Patterson said kindly. "We appreciate you're willing to talk with us."

"We'd like to go over with you the details—as you can recall them—of yesterday afternoon when you were shot," Kavanaugh said. "Thanks to Drs. Cardinal and Borden, we have some idea, but we're hoping you can fill in the blanks."

"Okay," Lisa said with a slow nod. "What do you want to know?"

"Tell us about the drive in to Calgary," Kavanaugh started. "Did you notice anything strange or unusual during that drive?"

"Yes," Lisa answered after a brief moment of consideration. "Sort of."

"Explain what you mean by 'sort of', please," Kavanaugh said.

"There was someone riding a motorcycle who kept trying to pass," Lisa said.

"Can you describe this person?" asked Kavanaugh.

"Not really," Lisa replied. "The memory of it is hazy right now. I'm pretty sure he was wearing a helmet so I couldn't see his face, and I think he was wearing a black jacket."

"Was there anything else about that jacket that was distinctive? Logos? Patches?"

"No, sorry," Lisa said. "Either I'm not remembering, or there weren't any at all."

"Okay, thanks, Ms. Stillman," said Kavanaugh.

"Do you think you could perhaps tell us what kind of motorcycle he was riding?" Patterson asked.

Lisa shook her head once in the negative. "Honestly, I don't think I could. Sorry. I mean, maybe it was something on the sportier side? My grandson-in-law—that's Dr. Borden—had a Norton, and whatever this guy had didn't look anything like that bike. 'Sleek' is probably a word I'd use, but that is all I could say."

"What about the colour?"

Lisa closed her eyes and tried to remember if she had, in fact, seen anything distinctive about the bike. "Red, maybe?" she finally answered, opening her eyes to look again at Patterson. "I mostly saw it in my mirrors. I can't be positive. I'm sorry."

"All right, thanks for trying," Patterson said, her blue eyes showing a little disappointment. "Tell us instead a little more about your drive to Calgary. Is this something you do on a regular basis? What was your reason for heading there?"

"I belong to a private investors' group. I was heading for a meeting with them."

"Who knew you were going to be attending this meeting?" asked Patterson.

"Well," Lisa began thoughtfully, "besides my husband and our family members at Heartland—maybe a couple of my staff at Fairfield—only the members of the investors' group."

"Is this meeting a regularly scheduled thing?" Patterson asked. "Is there a specific reason your meeting was yesterday?"

"Yes, you see, we've, uh, lost a member recently," Lisa began, sucking in a ragged breath as she remembered Val, wincing slightly at the immediate discomfort in her side this activity brought.

"And who was this member?" asked Kavanaugh.

"The late Val Stanton," Lisa answered. "We were meeting because her son, Jesse, is interested in taking her place in the group. We were going to vote on his membership at this meeting."

This piqued Patterson's interest. "Were all the members keen on Jesse Stanton's admission to your group?"

"Oh, yes," Lisa replied. "It was really just a formality to vote him in. Jesse is fully in charge of Briar Ridge now that Val is gone. He'd like to continue her legacy with the group. Nobody in the group had any problem with that as far as I know."

"When was the last time you heard from Liam Comox?" asked Kavanaugh.

Lisa's brow buckled. "Liam Comox?" she repeated, surprised by the turn this line of questioning had taken. "I haven't seen him in years. Not since I fired him and reported him to the Steward's Office."

Kavanaugh continued: "Has he been in touch with you since? Any phone calls? Threatening letters? Emails?"

"No," Lisa said, wondering how on earth these detectives even knew about her former jockey. "Nothing like that at all."

"Thanks, Ms. Stillman," Kavanaugh said.

Patterson jumped in again. "Ms. Stillman, I'm going to ask a very difficult question now: are you and your husband having any marital issues?"

The shock that registered on her face should have been enough of a clue for the law enforcement officers they had taken the wrong tack, but Lisa responded anyway:

"Most certainly not," she said emphatically.

"I know we touched on this earlier when you spoke to us about Val Stanton's habit of 'flirting' with your husband, but have there been any infidelity issues in the past we should know about, on either side?" Patterson pressed.

"Zero," Lisa said in a clipped tone.

"You and Dan Hartfield were previously married," Kavanaugh stated in a matter-of-fact manner. "Why did that relationship end in divorce?"

"If you're really asking if Jack Bartlett had anything to do with my divorce, the answer is 'no'," Lisa said, trying not to lose her temper. "My relationship with Dan ended because he was a lousy husband and was more interested in what I brought to the table for our business interests. I hadn't even met Jack when I was married to Dan."

"Then would you say your divorce was an amicable one?" asked Patterson.

"Mostly, yes," Lisa replied honestly. "We remained business partners afterwards, and we're still very civil to each other."

"Do you have a will, Ms. Stillman?"

Lisa suspected this question might be coming, but was still taken aback when Det. Kavanaugh asked it.

"Yes, I do," she answered, trying to sound as calm as possible.

"And who's the main beneficiary?"

"My husband, Jack Bartlett."

"How much does he stand to inherit?"

"Everything."

"On paper, you're worth millions in assets, Ms. Stillman," said Patterson. "Let's be frank—"

"Yes, let's, " Lisa said, growing more indignant these officers were insinuating Jack might be the reason she was lying in this hospital bed.

"I want to emphasize right now that you're safe with us, Ms. Stillman, and we can make sure you stay that way if what happened to you is domestic in nature," Patterson said earnestly before asking the next question. "Do you think your husband is behind this attempt on your life?"

"Absolutely not," Lisa stated, her eyes burning like coals. A knot of discomfort bordering on nausea was gathering in the pit of her stomach and her head was starting to pound.

"You seem very confident of that," Kavanaugh said, noting her shift in tone and demeanour. "It has not escaped our notice you're significantly younger than your husband—"

"Look, if you think my husband is some kind of murderous gold-digger," Lisa interrupted tersely, sending both detectives a piercing glare, "let me make something perfectly clear: I am the one who pursued Jack. I am the one who wanted to get married. It took him nearly seven years to ask the right way, but I can assure you he wasn't after my money, and he still isn't. In fact, he is uncomfortable with the notion he'll have to deal with Fairfield if anything happens to me."

"Noted," Kavanaugh commented with a curt nod.

Lisa exhaled in relief the cops were unable to make their suspicions about Jack stick. This respiratory action again resulted in another localized jab of pain in her side.

"Thank you for giving us your honest answers, Ms. Stillman," Patterson said. "Can you think of anyone either in your personal life or your professional life who might want to harm you?"

"None," Lisa said.

"Think carefully, please," Patterson said.

"I'm sorry, I really can't," Lisa responded, losing all patience with this interview. "I just don't think I've ever made someone upset enough to want to do this to me."

Patterson smiled wryly. "All right, thank you for trying. I can see this isn't an easy thing to think about."

"Is that everything, detectives?" Lisa asked, barely hiding her discomfort now. "I'm suddenly feeling really tired and really lousy, and I think my pain meds are starting to wear off."

"We are for now," Kavanaugh said, looking to his partner. "We may have more questions later. Thank you for your cooperation."

"You're welcome," Lisa managed to articulate, though she was now bordering on retching while the headache was beginning to feel like a C-clamp screwed around her skull.

"We wish you a speedy recovery," Patterson said as she and Kavanaugh stood to leave. "If you remember anything else from that day, or if something new occurs to you that you didn't mention, please call us immediately."

"All right," Lisa managed to say.

"You still have our cards?" Kavanaugh asked.

"At my office."

"Here they are again," Kavanaugh said, as the two cops placed them on the bedside table.

"Thanks," Lisa said, not bothering to even look at the contact information as Kavanaugh and Patterson slipped out of the room. All she wanted now was to have Jack with her again and to close her eyes and rest.

They're only doing their jobs, one part of her mind argued. You know they had to ask those questions about Jack. She let out a slow breath in frustrated anger. But Jack would never hurt me! She argued back. But they don't know that, the other side rebutted. Lisa wore a frown as she contemplated this. She hated to think her husband would be the target of a misguided investigation into who had actually tried to end her life. What a complete waste of time and resources if they start hounding Jack. I need to do something about this...

***

Jack watched Kavanaugh and Patterson exit Lisa's room. They're done, he thought in relief.

"I'm heading back in to be with her," he said to Amy. "Thanks for bringing me here. Are you okay to ask Ty to come get you? You don't have to stay, and this is really no place for Lyndy to be for any length of time. I'll be okay to drive myself home later."

"Are you sure?" asked Amy looking at him carefully.

"Positive," Jack replied.

"Okay. I'll call Ty," Amy said, pulling out her cell. "Tell Lisa we're all so happy she's going to be okay."

"I will," said Jack. "'Bye for now. See you later tonight."

He stepped back inside Lisa's room and immediately noticed her low spirits.

"Hey, are you all right?"

"Not really," Lisa said in a low whisper.

"What did those cops say to you?" Jack asked with concern.

"I... I don't really want to talk about that now," Lisa said weakly, her stomach still unsettled and her head still aching. She also intuited Jack would be upset if he heard about the kinds of questions that had been asked of him. He had already been through so much in the past 24 hours, she wanted to spare him.

"Hey, did I tell you it was Ty and Scott who found you out on the road?"

She looked at him in surprise. "No," she uttered, face brightening despite her current miserable state.

Jack nodded. "They were coming back into town. They saw your Porsche and stopped right away. They saved your life, Lis."

"My angels," Lisa whispered. "Please tell them I say 'thank you.'"

"Well, you can tell them yourself when we bust you out of this joint," Jack said with a grin.

Lisa cracked a small smile. "Yes, I suppose I can."

"There's that smile I was hoping to see," Jack murmured happily, brushing his fingertips on her cheek.

"I think I need a nap," Lisa said.

"Then go ahead and have a nap," Jack said. "I'll be right here with you."

"Thanks," Lisa whispered, as her eyes drifted shut again.

Jack simply sat and watched while she dozed, hopeful the worst was behind them.

***

Hudson Police Headquarters

"Lisa Stillman was quite adamant her husband had nothing to do with her shooting," Kavanaugh said during their debrief with Parker of their interview with Lisa.

"She has had no contact from Liam Comox, and she could not name any other potential threats in her life," Patterson added.

"Hmm," Parker hummed with a frown.

"The only other connection we've come up with so far that links Stanton and Stillman is one Dan Hartfield," Patterson said.

"And all three of them belong to some investors' group that was meeting in Calgary yesterday," said Kavanaugh.

A knock on the door brought the conversation to a halt.

"Come in," Parker called.

"Chief," Constable Becket said, opening the door, "there's a man named Dan Hartfield who's demanding to see you."

"Speak of the devil," Kavanaugh muttered under his breath.

"What's this about Hartfield wanting to see me? What's his problem?" Parker asked, irritated at having been interrupted.

"The man's a nervous wreck," Becket responded. "He says he heard about what happened yesterday to Lisa Stillman. He says he thinks his life is in danger, too."

"Oh, does he, now?" Parker said, considering this piece of information. "Did Hartfield provide any proof to support that idea?"

"From what he's told me, he pointed to the fact that all the shooting victims in Hudson so far—Stanton and Stillman—were all part of some private investors' group he happens to belong to," Becket said. "He thinks there might be, and I quote, 'a hit list', and that he thinks he could be next."

"Patterson; Kavanaugh, go have a talk with him," Parker commanded. "See what he has to say for himself and this little investors' group... and why he thinks there might be a 'hit list', as he calls it."

"You got it, Boss," Kavanaugh said, as both he and Patterson made a hasty exit.

***

"Where's Chief Parker?" Dan asked upon seeing Kavanaugh and Patterson enter the room in which he was asked to wait.

"Busy," Kavanaugh said evasively. "We'll take your statement."

Dan scowled. "Okay, fine," he said. "As long as you take this right to him."

"If what you tell us is worth mentioning, we will," Kavanaugh commented dryly. "Now, we understand you have reason to believe your life is in danger?"

"Yes!" Dan exclaimed. "You need to believe me when I tell you someone is out to get the members of an investors' group I belong to. Someone out there obviously has a hit list, and he's already taken out three of us!"

"Three of you?" Patterson asked, surprised by this revelation.

"Yes! Please listen to me," Dan begged. "My life and all our lives in that group could be in danger."

Moved by Dan's palpable sense of fear, Patterson said, "Fine. Tell us everything you can."

Later

"So Hartfield insists Val Stanton and Lisa Stillman were targets because of this investors' group they all belong to?" Parker said during his debriefing with Kavanaugh and Patterson following their interview with Dan Hartfield.

"He also brought up one that was not on our radar because it happened up in Calgary over a year ago, and it was listed as a home invasion-robbery gone wrong," Patterson said. "Husband and wife by the name of Lanny and Paige Barick."

"I remember hearing about that one," said Parker, growing serious. "Get me a list with all names of all those investors, pronto!"

"Hartfield already did. It's right here." Patterson passed a piece of paper to the chief that Dan had provided.

"This is the full list?" asked Parker after reading the contents.

"Affirmative."

"Barick, Stanton, and Stillman have all been hit," Parker said. "Hartfield is convinced he could be next. These other names: Stanley Belmont, Fred Garland, Tanner Gunn, Emma Fitzroy, Jesse Stanton, and Connor Wiebe... If Hartfield thinks someone is offing the members of this group, we have a lot of ground to cover."

"Chief," Patterson said slowly, "when Kavanaugh and I were questioning Stillman at the hospital earlier today, she mentioned the reason she was heading into Calgary that afternoon was to vote on Jesse Stanton's admission into the group."

"You think there's some connection between that event and all the shootings?" Parker asked.

Patterson shrugged. "I don't know," she answered honestly. "Stillman seemed to think Jesse's membership was pretty much a done deal, so maybe not."

"Another point worth mentioning: Hartfield had been romantically involved with Stanton, and he and Stillman used to be married to each other," Kavanaugh said. "He doesn't stand to gain anything if Stillman is out of the picture—nothing we've uncovered yet, anyway."

"Interesting," Parker murmured, wearing a pensive expression. "Think there's a life insurance policy he's kept up all these years?"

"Could be," Kavanaugh responded. "Jesse Stanton seemed to think Hartfield was just as rich as his mother, if not more so. But maybe if we go digging, we'll find Hartfield is strapped for cash. Could be motive to want Stillman out of the way, at least, and this whole 'hit list' thing is a smokescreen."

"It's worth looking into," Parker said. "We know Stillman and Hartfield maintained business ties after they divorced, but this little private investors' group... I want the team to dig a bit into their activity, too. See if we can find any reasons why someone would want to bump off the members, just in case Hartfield isn't just being paranoid."

"Yes, sir," Kavanaugh said. "We're on it."

***

Upon arriving at Maggie's, Tim immediately fielded questions from several of the regulars as to how Lisa was doing. He was able to pass along the happy news she was awake and on the way to recovery in the hospital.

"Oh, my gosh, I'm so glad you came in today, Tim," Jade Virani said in a rush, catching him between taking an order to the kitchen and picking one up. "Small-town gossip is insane. Everyone in here's been talking about what happened to Lisa."

"Well, she's awake now and doing a lot better," Tim said. "So whatever they've been saying can stop."

"You don't get it, Tim," Jade said, eyes shifting around the diner. "Some of your loyal customers are saying some totally dumb sh—uh, things."

"Yeah? Like what?" Tim ventured to ask.

Jade sidled up closer to him and in a conspiratorial whisper said: "Stupid stuff like maybe Jack did it so he could make it rich off Lisa's will."

"That's ridiculous," Tim snapped in a heated tone.

"I know," Jade said, "but it's what some people are saying."

Tim let out a breath in exasperation, also taking a quick glance around at all the patrons sitting at the tables and squeezed into booths.

How can they think Jack could be capable of doing that to Lisa? The thought was preposterous, yet, some of these so-called loyal customers evidently could not resist proposing the worst theories possible.

"Okay, get back to work, Jade," Tim urged. "We're not paying you to stand around. But if you hear anyone else saying they think Jack somehow wanted to get Lisa out of the way, you and the rest of the staff have my permission to deny them service. Better yet, kick 'em out and tell 'em not to come back."

Jade's mouth twisted into a conniving smile. "Can I just spit in their food, instead?" she joked rhetorically, and continued on to the kitchen.

***

That same day, a phone call took place between two people.

"We've got a problem. Lisa Stillman just woke up," the first voice uttered.

"'We', Kemosabe?" the other voice spat in derision, followed by a barrage of profanity. "You absolute idiot! It was foolhardy to go after Stillman when you did, but you got impatient!"

"C'mon, man, you know I'm running out of time. Help me fix this. If it wasn't for me, you would never have had access to—"

"Yeah, yeah, fine," the second voice interjected with annoyance. "But you've just used up all the currency you earned with that one, understand? No more favours. No more unauthorized moves. We lie low now for the next little while, got it?"

"Yeah, I got it."

"Good. And listen: if those vets become a problem—"

"Don't worry; I'll take care of them," the first voice said.

"I was hoping you'd say that, since you're the reason they might be a problem in the first place!"

***

Later that same afternoon, a new conversation took place between two individuals that would have been of great interest to Chief Parker and his team of investigators. Unfortunately, those law enforcement officers were unaware it was happening, and were therefore unable to act upon it.

"Is your man still in Hudson?"

"Yeah, probably. He says he likes the scenery and he likes bear hunting. I hear there's been some sightings around those parts lately."

"Tell him to forget the freakin' bears. I've got a different quarry for him again—of the human variety. This one's a bit of a clean-up job. I'm counting on your guy to finish it right."

"'Clean-up', eh?"

"Yeah. The first attempt was seriously botched."

"I'm insulted you didn't contact me for the job in the first place."

"Heh. If it had been my call, I would have brought your man in again for this one. But I have a maverick who thought he could take matters into his own hands. Went off, half-cocked, and left me with this mess."

"I see. Give me the details and he'll get it done. "

"The target is currently a patient in the South Calgary Health Campus. Her name is Lisa Stillman. I'll send you a picture, as usual. I really don't care how it's done; your man just needs to make her dead, and he needs to make it happen before she can be discharged. The sooner, the better."

"Hmm. The hospital is risky. Too many cameras, too much security, and too many people crawling around. My guy will want extra. Call it 'danger pay'."

"How much extra?"

"Ten grand."

"Done. And when he's through offing Stillman, tell him to stick around Hudson for a little while longer. I have a feeling there might be a couple other loose ends for him to tie up."

"Fine. The more, the merrier!"

***

After contacting Rachel Stillman in Montreal and Peter in Vancouver, Lou was finally able to reach Lisa's aunt, who was currently enjoying a cruise of the Mediterranean. The woman did not mind the late call, and had been anxious for word on her niece's condition.

"Do you need me to come out to Alberta?" Evelyn asked. "I can get off at the next port of call and arrange a flight."

"No, Evelyn, you can stay right where you are for now," Lou said calmly. "Lisa's out of the ICU. There's no need to come rushing back."

"Are you sure?" Evelyn's husky voice was filled with worry.

"I'm sure," Lou said. "We'll call if anything changes."

"All right. Tell her I love her, will you, please, Lou? I hope those doctors and nurses are taking very good care of her."

"I'm sure they are," Lou said. "'Bye for now."

***

With Georgie's excused absence from school, Adam and Wyatt paid a call on their friend, both to get her up to speed on missed schoolwork, and for moral support.

Georgie, however, was interested in neither. Her mind was turned to matters of justice.

"Adam, what's the latest on your father's investigation into what's happened to Lisa?" she asked, as soon as homework was delivered along with the expected but nonetheless welcome words of concern from the boys.

"Sorry, Georgie," Adam said with a slow shake of his head. "My dad can't share details with me about an active case."

"Oh," Georgie said with a disappointed pout.

"But that doesn't mean we can't do some investigating of our own," Adam added.

"What—do we look like the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew to you?" Wyatt quipped.

Georgie made a face; Wyatt took the cue and quieted himself.

"Seriously, though," Adam said, "I have some theories."

"Like?" Georgie asked.

"Like the fact this is the second shooting to happen in Hudson where both victims were women who were in the horse business," Adam said plainly.

"Doesn't prove anything," Wyatt rejoined. "A lot of people in this town are in the horse business. It's, like, all you see around here. I mean, this town is practically built on equine-this and rodeo-that."

"Yeah, but not all of those businesses are as high-end as Briar Ridge and Fairfield," Adam pointed out. "They have some pretty exclusive clients. They're high profile. I've done some preliminary research. Fairfield is pretty famous in horse-racing circles, and not just in Canada. The same goes for Briar Ridge for showjumping."

"You think someone deliberately targeted Val Stanton and Lisa because of their high profiles in the equestrian business?" Georgie asked, stunned at what Adam was suggesting.

Adam calmly responded, "It's possible."

Wyatt snorted. "So, what—you think there's some psycho serial killer out there who's taking out women who train and breed horses for rich people?"

"No," Adam answered in his usual dry manner. "Serial killers tend to stick to a specific modus operandi. The news didn't provide a lot of details, but I've deduced Val Stanton was probably killed by a sniper with a rifle from a significant distance. Lisa Stillman was in her vehicle when she was shot, probably by someone with a handgun, and from close range. Val Stanton was shot once. Lisa Stillman was shot twice. Two completely different methods. It was clearly not the same person."

"Clearly," Wyatt said with a dubious shake of his head.

"Wait," Georgie said slowly, thinking now of the circumstances under which the Briar Ridge owner had died. "When Val was shot, she was riding Herring. Lisa had just lent him to Val so she could see if she wanted to buy him. What if—what if this has to do with Herring?"

"Why would someone kill someone else over a horse?" Wyatt sounded unconvinced.

Adam stared at Georgie. "How valuable is Herring?"

"Oh, I-I don't know," Georgie considered. "But Lisa's horses aren't cheap stock. He could easily be worth one hundred thousand, or more."

"A hundred thousand?!" Wyatt sputtered. "As in dollars? For a horse? You could buy a couple slick new cars for that amount."

"Not only that," Georgie said, looking between her two friends. "Olympic showjumping horses can be worth millions. And that's just the price of the horse. Stud fees is where the real money is for breeders like Lisa."

"'Stud fees'?" Wyatt echoed in confusion.

"You know, horse breeding?" Georgie said, searching his face for signs of comprehension.

"Whoa. People pay for that?" Wyatt exclaimed. "You mean, it doesn't just, like, happen? 'Born free'?"

Georgie rolled her eyes; Adam ignored his pal. "Georgie, what else can you tell me about this horse?"

"Um, not much, really. Lisa planned to have Herring as a hunter-jumper for when she goes on those faux fox hunts they do with the club. Then Val said she might be interested. Lisa's nephew's horse was the sire. I'm sorry; that's all I know." She shook her head while shrugging helplessly.

"See if you can figure anything else out," Adam advised. "There's got to be something special about him. He's still here at Heartland, right?"

"Right," Georgie replied. "We've kept him here since he belongs to Lisa, after all."

"You might want to consider keeping a close eye on him," Adam warned.

"Why? You think someone might try to steal him?" Georgie asked, suddenly uneasy at what Adam seemed to be suggesting.

"Maybe," Adam answered. "Right now, anything is possible, and Herring appears to be the only thing linking Val and Lisa."

***

South Calgary Health Campus

Despite wanting to stay awake, Jack eventually nodded off, emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion taking over. The turmoil of the past 24 hours soon played havoc on his dreamscape as phantom manifestations of Chief Parker and his investigators interrogated him about what happened to Lisa.

"Do you own any firearms?" the dream-Parker asked menacingly.

"A rifle," Jack replied, thinking Parker already knew the answer anyway.

"Does Lisa have a will?"

Jack knew he had to answer honestly. "Yes. Of course she does."

"And who's the beneficiary?" Parker asked.

"Well, I am," Jack replied.

The faces of the dream versions of Kavanaugh and Patterson seemed full of condemnation.

"But... that's all to ensure my—our—grandchildren and great-grandchildren will inherit the Fairfield property and business," Jack said, wanting to make them understand.

"I see," dream-Parker said, writing down notes on a notepad.

"Look, I don't expect to out-live my wife," Jack said, trying to keep his temper in check. "That will she made... she made it when she was worried about a possible health issue a couple years ago. It turned out to be nothing, thank goodness, and heaven knows I don't want to be saddled with a horseracing outfit. Lisa knows that. She was thinking of the kids, not of me."

"Mr. Bartlett, do you own a motorcycle?" Kavanaugh asked.

"No," Jack replied. "But my grandson-in-law does. A Norton." Wait, no, he doesn't, some part of Jack's brain argued. He sold it, remember?

"Mr. Bartlett, you're under arrest for the murder of your wife, Lisa Stillman," Parker said, reaching for a pair of handcuffs.

"Wait!" Jack shouted, fear building up inside him. "I didn't kill her! She's still alive! She's still alive!"

"Jack?"

Jack awoke with a start at the sound of Lisa's voice.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Jack opened his eyes. Lisa was staring at him with a puzzled expression. "Hmph," he muttered. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You were shouting in your sleep, honey," Lisa said.

Jack grimaced. "Uh, I had a bad dream."

"Want to tell me about it?"

"Not really," he answered, rubbing his face. The fear that had coursed through him when the dream version of Chief Parker was about to arrest him was already receding. "It was just stupid, irrational stuff. Didn't mean to wake you up."

"It's okay," Lisa said with a tired nod and a yawn. Her eyelids flickered shut and she drifted off to sleep again.

Jack sat himself straight up in his chair and resolved to stay awake this time, lest he slip back into another bad dream. Thank God that nightmare is over.

***

Chapter 8: Hunter and the Hunted

[the-real-tc]

Bad Business Ch. 8: Hunter & the Hunted

Author's Note: It is with extreme anxiety that I post this latest chapter. The stakes are higher than ever, and I'm afraid things still aren't being made very clear, and suspects will still be plentiful.

***

To the childless wife he gives a home, and gladdens her heart with children.

- Ps. 113

Chapter 8:

Hunter and the Hunted

Jack glanced up at the clock and pouted: it was three minutes to nine o'clock in the evening. An earlier announcement reminded all visitors of the approaching end to visiting hours for the day. His time with Lisa, in his opinion, had been all-too-short since she regained consciousness.

"I wish you could stay," Lisa said, even as she yawned, sleep threatening to overtake her. "Talking to the cops today still has me all wrung out."

"I know," Jack murmured. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"Jack, they had the audacity to suggest you might have had something to do with what happened to me," Lisa said, finally feeling comfortable enough to tell him. "They asked me about my will."

Jack grimaced, thinking about his own earlier bad dream. "I figured they would."

Lisa shook her head. "I tried to tell them there's no way my loving husband was capable of something like this."

"Thanks for that, Lis," Jack uttered, looking at her with great tenderness. She returned his gaze, thinking how lucky she was to have this wonderful man in her life. He held her right hand in his, gently massaging her knuckles with his thumb, making sure he avoided the I.V. lines.

Another announcement sounded now, insisting all non-staff make their exit as visiting hours were over.

"I guess this is goodnight," she said, reluctantly withdrawing her hand from his soothing grasp.

"But I'll be back tomorrow," Jack pledged as he stood to depart. "Maybe I can plan to stay overnight then, if they'll let me."

"Yeah? Promise?"

"I promise," Jack said, smiling indulgently. "I love you, Lis."

"I love you more, Cowboy."

He bent over her and kissed her lightly on the lips. He was rewarded by her smile of complete contentment. "'Bye," he whispered.

"'Bye," she answered, eyes already closing, but the smile lingered.

***

Jack waited for an elevator to reach his floor. With visiting hours concluded, non-staff activity on the unit had been winding down, and the corridors were fairly empty. When the elevator arrived, Jack stepped aside to let the single occupant—fully dressed in scrubs, surgical cap and mask—disembark. He stepped into the cab to descend. Jack nearly reached his parking lot level when he realised he had forgotten his hat behind in Lisa's hospital room. The thought crossed his mind to just leave it there for now; after all, it would be waiting for him tomorrow when he returned to see Lisa again.

No, he thought, head feels too bare. Plus, it would be another excuse to see his wife, even if it was for a few more seconds. He tapped the number on the display screen to Lisa's floor for the elevator to carry him back. So what if it was already past visiting hours? Surely they would not begrudge him this little errand.

"I forgot my hat," he said sheepishly to the nurse at the desk when he retraced his steps.

"Go on," she said with a knowing smile, waving him through.

***

Lisa had barely begun to drift off when she sensed the presence of someone else in the dim room. Probably another nurse coming for night-check, she thought sleepily. Things had reached a point where she simply let the hospital staff go about their business, whether it was checking her BP, temperature, I.V. lines, the pulse/ox machines, catheter, or whatnot. Sure enough, she could hear the sounds of the other person fiddling around with the medical machinery next to the bed. Next, her nasal cannula was gently removed. Without any warning, something soft yet unyielding dropped heavily onto her entire head, face and neck.

What on earth?! Lisa thought in panic, as her ability to draw a breath ceased completely. Something was suffocating her! Or was it someone?!

I can't breathe! Somebody help me! Her frantic thoughts screamed. She reached blindly for the call button, but it was not in its usual place by her side. Lisa next attempted to raise her right fist to combat this unexpected assault since her injured left arm would be too weak in this fight. Dull blows landed ineffectively on what she imagined might be her assailant's shoulder. She dug her fingernails uselessly into a large hand that was double-gloved. Whatever he was forcing down onto her face remained firmly in place. She tried to cry out, but her voice was totally muted by what she rightly guessed was a pillow. With her strength waning, Lisa desperately attempted to squirm away; the brute responded by leaning against her, using his body weight to keep her from escaping.

I need air! Lisa's already tortured lungs felt like they were burning. Pressure was building in her chest to intolerable levels. An awful stabbing sensation erupted in her left side without warning. Dizzying patterns of coloured blobs and flashes spun and swirled behind her eyelids like a kaleidoscope.

No! I can't die like this! Please, someone, anyone... please come now! Jack!

Blackness engulfed her as consciousness sank away.

***

The door to Lisa's room was unexpectedly closed when Jack arrived, causing him to wonder if there was some sort of private consultation or assessment going on between Lisa and her doctors. Odd for this hour, he mused. He gave the door a gentle tap just in case as he opened it. His eyes immediately fell on a nightmarish scene.

A man—dressed in the same scrubs and the same surgical cap and mask Jack had seen only minutes earlier on the elevator—was leaning over Lisa. Even from this vantage point, he could see the man was smothering her with a pillow. Not just smothering her; he was actively killing her.

Jack did not waste another second. A bellow of fury erupted from his mouth as he charged forward like a wild bull. His target barely had time to react, turning slightly in surprise at the sudden yell. From behind, Jack roughly locked his arm around the other man's neck to drag him away from Lisa.

His quarry delivered a swift elbow to the ribs, causing Jack to gasp in pain. His grip slackened. It was enough for the villain to break free and go on the offensive. Three hard blows landed in quick succession: first to Jack's gut, jaw, then his temple.

The old cowboy staggered back, bringing a hand up to cup the side of his aching head. Though he was hurting, a potent, blind rage continued to propel him towards this piece of scum who dared to harm his wife. Thankfully, he had a slight advantage in height and weight. First, Jack blocked another punch coming his way; next, he slung out a well-aimed fist of his own. With satisfaction, Jack felt his left knuckles connect solidly with the right cheekbone of the other man. Crunch! He followed with a right uppercut to the villain's chin, snapping his head back. An agonized grunt escaped his target's lips. Jack wanted to apply more damage, worked up as he was, adrenalin pumping through his veins. His initial yell of rage and sounds of their brawl, however, had begun to attract the attention of the staff, and the sound of scurrying feet and shouts outside the room put the attacker on alert.

"Code White! Unit 52! Code White! Unit 52!" droned a voice over the public address system.

"Outta my way, old man!" came the goon's muffled croak. He roughly shouldered Jack aside. Caught off-balance, Jack could not catch hold of him as he swept past to the freedom of the open door.

"Stop him!" Jack yelled hoarsely as he turned to give chase, but it was already too late. The other man was a good sprinter and had already disappeared down a hall to a stairwell exit. With dismay, Jack instinctively knew that by the time hospital Protective Services could converge on the unit, Lisa's attacker would be long gone.

Lisa! Was she okay?

"I need help in here, now!" he rasped, even as he rushed to her side. The pillow was still partially obscuring her head. Jack flung it aside to reveal a deathly pale face and blue lips just as three nurses bolted into the room.

"He-he was suffocating her with the pillow. I don't think she's breathing," Jack managed to gasp, horrified at the sight.

"Move aside!" Nurse Cheryl commanded.

Numbly, Jack managed to stumble out of the way, nearly tripping over his own feet.

This can't be happening... This can't be happening... The words beat through his brain cells on repeat mode while the nurses turned machines back on and checked Lisa's vital signs. He heard Cheryl call out "Code Blue!" and watched in disbelief as she began to administer CPR. The medical emergency in Lisa's room rang out over the public address system, bringing emergency staff hustling in with a crash cart.

"You'll have to leave," another nurse said, taking hold of Jack's arm. "Give them space. Let them work."

Jack allowed himself to be pulled out of the room, shock starting to overtake his senses as the adrenalin rush subsided.

Let her live, please! I can't... lose her... There was so much going on Jack lost track. Unidentifiable voices called out instructions.

"Charging!"

"Hands off!"

"C'mon, Lisa!"

Medications were administered. Machines whined and buzzed. Another stretcher arrived.

"Let's move!"

In a blur, the emergency team hustled Lisa's still form out of the room.

"Where-where are you taking her?" Jack called out to them. They paid him no heed and simply raced down the hallway towards a bank of elevators. He wanted so very badly to follow them, but Nurse Cheryl came to his side.

"She needs immediate surgery," Cheryl puffed, still catching her breath from her recent exertion. "Let them go."

"Surgery?!" he yelped, staring at her in stunned distress.

"She stopped breathing," Cheryl explained. "As a consequence, she went into cardiac arrest. We got her heart going again, but we think her lung re-collapsed. They're taking her to fix it."

"W-Will she be okay?"

"I don't know, Jack," Cheryl replied honestly, looking up at him with great sympathy. "I don't know how long she went without oxygen. There could be complications with her lungs. There could be irreversible brain damage. We just have to wait and see and let the doctors do their work."

Jack felt his gut clench and his fists tighten involuntarily, suddenly wishing there was something he could smash.

"Are you all right?" Cheryl asked, scrutinizing his face more intently now. "You were assaulted too, weren't you?"

"It's nothing," Jack muttered, rubbing his sore knuckles and working his jaw.

"Where did he hit you?" Cheryl asked in a tone that left no room for avoidance.

"Here, here, and here," Jack eventually admitted, indicating his abdomen, his jaw, and the side of his head.

"We should get you checked out."

"I don't want—" Jack protested, but she cut him off.

"Hey! You'll do your wife no favours if that guy gave you a concussion—or worse—a subdural hematoma when he hit you," Cheryl sternly pointed out. "Sit down here and don't move until I get a doctor. Understand?"

"Fine," Jack groused, recognizing the truth in her words. He sank into a chair, still unable to comprehend what had just happened.

That man tried to kill Lisa! If I hadn't forgotten my hat... if I hadn't come back... She would be... No, it was too awful to contemplate that tragic outcome. Even so, there was no telling if she would survive this second attempt on her life.

Overwhelmed, Jack put his head in his hands, feeling the tears come of their own volition.

***

Jack rebuttoned his shirt after having been checked over by a doctor fetched by Nurse Cheryl.

"Lungs sound clear," Dr. Kaminska said, pulling the stethoscope from her ears and pushing the vital signs monitor cart aside. "But your pulse is still rapid and your blood pressure is a tad high. I suppose that is to be expected after what you just went through. Do you take any regular medications, Mr. Bartlett?"

"Not really," he replied. "Only for angina. But I haven't had an attack in a long time."

"Do you have your nitroglycerin tablets with you now?"

Jack nodded.

"All right, I want you to take one right away if you start feeling any discomfort. Don't tough it out and don't delay."

"I won't," Jack said.

"Good. You're going to have some swelling and some ugly bruising for a little while after the punches you took, so please take it easy. If you start experiencing headaches, sudden increased pain or nausea and vomiting, I want you to come to Emergency immediately. All right?"

"All right. Thanks, Doc."

"You're welcome. I pray your wife pulls through," Dr. Kaminska said kindly. "What has happened here tonight is extremely outrageous and upsetting."

Jack merely nodded.

"Hospital security and the police will want to talk to you now," she added. "I told them no one was to disturb you until I had checked you over to make sure you were okay."

"All right," Jack said. "Send them in."

***

Parker Residence, Hudson

"Chief, there's just been another attempt on Lisa Stillman's life."

James Parker's eyebrows shot to the ceiling as this piece of news registered. "What?! Kavanaugh, what the hell happened?"

"Calgary's people were over at the hospital investigating. They're saying security video recording shows a guy dressed in scrubs getting off the elevator on the floor of her recovery room," Kavanaugh said. "Coincidentally, Jack Bartlett was just getting on the same elevator. Anyway, the scumbag's head and face were covered with a surgical cap and mask, so we have no facial details. He just breezed right into her room and no one batted an eye because of course he didn't look out of place. The only reason Stillman is even alive is because Bartlett back-tracked to retrieve his forgotten hat. Walked in and found the bastard trying to suffocate her with a pillow."

"Low-tech, but effective," Parker muttered in distaste, already making a move to get down to headquarters.

"Yeah. They got into an altercation. Bartlett says he grabbed the guy and got in a few good punches, but he took a few of his own. Security personnel were too late to nab him; he's still on the loose, but they think he fled on a motorbike."

"They 'think'?!"

"Hospital security cams around the time of the attack show the man dressed in the scrubs taking off on foot out of a south stairwell fire exit. He sprinted off through the parking lot and out onto Front Street. The next time they pick him up visually, it's on the traffic cams, and he's on a motorcycle. Unfortunately, they lost him once he was outside Calgary city limits, heading south. He must have turned off some country road somewhere and continued on to who knows where."

"Be impossible to track now," Parker lamented.

"They've issued a Canada-wide APB," Kavanaugh said. "We could get lucky."

"Yeah, right," Parker said, thinking how impossible it would be to find that particular needle in a haystack. "Is Stillman going to make it?"

"Last word is she was in surgery again," Kavanaugh said. "Her left lung re-collapsed in the attack. Time will tell if she'll pull through. If she does, I think we need to seriously look into some protection options."

"Agreed. Call the team back in and arrange a video conference with Calgary PD. Send them everything we have on the Stillman case so far, particularly the list of those investors. I'm on my way; we need to get to the bottom of this."

"Affirmative. See you soon."

***

Hudson Police Headquarters — 1:00 a.m.

"So, we're back to the targeted attack theory, then?" Kavanaugh asked.

"It would seem so," Parker replied. "And whoever it is, he's clearly not going to stop until she's dead."

"You know, I never liked Bartlett as our prime suspect, anyway," Patterson stated.

"Me, either, despite what he'd stand to gain with her out of the way," Kavanaugh remarked.

"The whole thing stinks, but not from the family," Parker declared. "I'm thinking it's got to be connected to this investors' group or her business life, and we need to find that connection before it's too late."

"The problem is we're not really turning up anything that would suggest a problem in her business life," Kavanaugh said.

"CRA audited her last tax season, though," another detective named Brian Benoit supplied.

"Yeah? They find anything fishy?" asked Parker.

"Nope. The only thing she was 'guilty' of was trying to sell a foreign property while trying to keep her business afloat here in Canada," Benoit said. "When the plan to sell the place fell through, she tried renting it. There were some seeming irregularities in her reporting of those rental revenues, but it was all sorted out."

"Yes, Jack Bartlett did mention that 'financial trouble' when I told him Lisa had been shot..." Parker said. "Time to talk to her staff and any business associates you can dig up, past and present. We need answers, and we need them fast."

"All right. We'll head to Fairfield Stables first thing in the morning to speak with her staff," Kavanaugh said.

"Good," Parker said.

Just then, the video call from the Calgary police went live, and Detective James Prescott's face popped up on the screen on the conference room wall.

"Thanks for taking the time out to chat with us, Detective Prescott," Chief Parker greeted the other man. "Any updates on the attack on Stillman?"

"Nothing past what we already know," Prescott said. "No hits on the APB, unfortunately."

"Anything shake out on your end with the list of the members of the investors' group we sent you?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," Prescott replied. "One of the names you gave us, 'Tanner Gunn'—we interviewed Gunn a year ago when the Barick murders took place. Lanny Barick and Tanner Gunn had some joint business interests at the time not related to their investors' group. Nothing raised any flags back then, but with the Stanton death and now these attempts on Stillman, we took a second look."

"Go on," Parker asked.

"We know Gunn was able to collect on an insurance policy when Barick died,"��Prescott said. "Now, before you get all excited, Gunn did have a valid reason for having that policy. The two of them had that shared business venture and had reciprocal life insurance policies. It's not unusual for this sort of thing to be in place so that if one of the business partners dies, the loss isn't so severe for the surviving partner."

"Right, 'insurable interest'," Parker said with a nod.

"Exactly. If Gunn had died first, Barick would have collected."

"Yeah, nothing really illegal about that, on the surface," Parker said.

"Right, but I'm waiting to hear back from one of my C.I.s who might have something that could be useful," Prescott said. "See, we had insufficient cause to dig deeper into Gunn's affairs a year ago, but now that all this has happened, we're digging deeper. And from what we're uncovering, it looks like he's been involving himself in some shady stuff."

Parker seized on this point. "How 'shady' are we talking?"

"We found out Gunn has been banned from every reputable casino in Western Canada," Prescott said, "and my informant thinks he's been frequenting some illegal gambling places in Calgary, Edmonton, and points in between."

"So Gunn has a gambling problem," Parker said. "Does he have a debt problem, too?"

"That's what we're trying to find out," Prescott answered. "There's some loan sharks a couple of my undercover guys are hoping to talk to."

"All right, keep us in the loop," Chief Parker said. "And thanks for doing the legwork on this angle."

"You're welcome," Det. Prescott said. "This hospital attack is our investigation, after all. We're of course very concerned about Ms. Stillman's safety."

"As are we. You think this guy is going to try again, don't you?" Parker asked.

"Undoubtedly," Prescott replied. "Whoever it was went to great lengths to stay concealed. This was no random attack."

"So what's your plan?" asked Parker.

"Given the seriousness of the situation, we believe desperate times call for desperate measures. I have a hunch about what's going on, so I'm recommending to my chief we place an immediate protection detail on Stillman if she pulls through tonight."

Parker nodded. "I was thinking the same," he said. "I only hope it will be enough. Now tell me more about this hunch of yours."

***

South Calgary Health Campus

"Tim, I need you to get up here to the hospital as soon as you can."

The sound of his ex-father-in-law's voice in his ear at this hour was not a pleasant one for Tim. "What? Why? What time is it?"

"Late!" Jack snapped.

"What's the matter?" Tim asked, Jack's tone making him change his line of questioning as concern for Lisa's well-being now replaced his irritation at being awakened. "I thought you'd be back home by now. Is Lisa okay?"

"Someone just tried to kill her, so no, she's not okay!"

"What?!" Tim exclaimed in disbelief. "Did you say someone just tried to kill her? Again?"

"Just get your butt down here, would you?" Jack implored. "I'll explain everything."

"Fine," Tim ground out. "All right. I can be there in about 45 minutes. You're lucky it's night so I'm not going to get stuck in traffic."

"Quit yapping and get moving!"

"All right! Hold your horses, I'm moving. Geez."

***

The news that Lisa had been attacked in her room meant the family at Heartland was on a razor's edge of anxiety. They all wanted to race out to the hospital in Calgary; Jack insisted it was enough for Tim to be there for the time being. After all, with visiting hours over for the night, they would not all be welcome to loiter in the hospital hallways.

While Lyndy slept in Katie's room, Lou, Amy, Ty, and Georgie decided to keep vigil together in the living room, silently waiting for any word, but it was an uneasy silence that gripped them. For that reason, everyone was startled when Ty's cell phone buzzed around 5:00 a.m.

Ty recovered quickly and looked at the screen. TIM. "It's your dad," he said to Amy and Lou.

"Hello, Tim?" he answered, rising from the couch as he did so. He listened carefully to the message being relayed by his father-in-law, making every effort not to let his emotions overtake him.

Three pairs of eyes remained fixed on Ty, each set trying to glean something—anything from his posture or his face that would tell them what was being discussed; anything that would tell them if they should prepare for the worst, or if they should be relieved.

"Thanks, Tim," Ty eventually said. "I'll tell them." He swallowed slowly and ended the call, slipping the phone into his pocket.

"What's going on?" Georgie asked with trepidation, unable to contain herself any longer.

Ty paused for a moment before responding, able only to speak a few words at first. "Tim says..."

"What?" Amy asked, eyes wide.

Ty blinked furiously. He felt his throat constrict, but knew he had to speak the news Tim relayed.

Georgie looked to be on the verge of tears. "Ty?" she whispered.

Somehow, Ty managed to get his mouth to sound out two more words:

"Lisa's gone."

With a cry, the teen fled up the stairs to her room. Lou was torn between wanting to comfort her daughter and dealing with her own emotions at this disastrous news.

"No," Amy whispered, feeling hot tears springing up beneath her eyelids. She leaned into Ty and he brought his lips to the side of her head, giving her a gentle kiss while wrapping his arm around her shoulder. No one said anything for several beats.

Lou finally broke the stifling, uncomfortable silence. "I should go up there," she said dully, staring up towards the loft. "I just have no idea what to say to her right now."

Lou tapped gently on Georgie's bedroom door. She could hear quiet sniffles coming from her eldest daughter, and her heart plummeted. Georgie always experienced emotions very deeply, usually expressing them openly and unabashedly.

"Georgie, honey, can I come in?" Lou softly called.

A muffled sigh and hiccup was the only response.

"I'm coming in," Lou said, ignoring the lack of verbal answer.

Georgie was sitting on her bed, legs drawn up, face buried in her arms.

"I'm a really horrible person!" Georgie exclaimed, raising her head to look at her mother.

"What? Why do you say that?" Lou asked, completely thrown by this unexpected outburst. "Georgie, what are you talking about?"

She came and sat next to Georgie, draping her right arm around the teen's trembling shoulders.

Georgie's tearstained eyes met Lou's. "When I first got here... when Clint let Jack be my temporary guardian... I..."

More tears flooded Georgie's eyes, as if she were recalling a particularly bitter memory.

"You what, Georgie? It can't be that bad," Lou said encouragingly.

Her words came tumbling out. "But it is, Lou! I said really terrible things to Lisa when she came to see Jack. All I knew was she was Jack's girlfriend, and I was mad because I thought she was going to make him spend less time with me, and I thought she was this rich, snobby, stuck-up lady. I was horrible to her, and I never told her I was sorry. I never got to take it back, and now..."

"Oh, Georgie..." Lou murmured. "Sweetheart, you have to know Lisa would have never held that against you. I've said horrible things to her, too."

"You have?" Georgie asked, in spite of herself.

"Oh, yes," Lou admitted with a sigh. "And if there's anything I can tell you about Lisa, it's that she was always quick to forgive... and she was usually the first to apologize. If she was ever upset at you for whatever it was you said, I'm sure she forgot about it a long time ago. She loved you, Georgie. She loved all of us. As if we were her own."

Speaking those words now, Lou felt a sudden void she had not experienced since hearing about Marion's death. It's like losing Mom all over again, she thought. Why did I never truly notice how much a part of this family's life Lisa became? Now she's gone...

Lou held her daughter even closer to her.

***

Fairfield Stables

"No!"

"Mr. Wilkes, I know this news comes as a shock," Det. Kavanaugh said as calmly as possible to Harry after his emotional reaction when told about Lisa. "I'm so sorry. You and the staff here at Fairfield have the sympathies of the entire Hudson police department."

Head groomsman and almost lifelong Fairfield employee Harry Wilkes raised his head from his hands. "How is this possible? I-I thought she was okay! I thought she was recovering after what happened! Now you're telling me someone got to her right in her hospital room last night?! How?!"

"That's what we're trying to find out," Patterson said in a soothing voice. "That's why we're here. It's vital we find out as much as we can about her life here at Fairfield as soon as possible. You can help us with that. Do you think you can answer some questions?"

Harry tried to compose himself even as tears spilled down his cheeks. "I'm sorry, I need a moment. Wait a minute, how is Jack? Is Jack okay? Does her sister—does Rachel know what's happened?"

"Mr. Bartlett is as well as can be expected, Mr. Wilkes," Patterson said gently. "I'm sure Ms. Stillman's sister has been notified."

Harry nodded and impatiently brushed aside the tears. "Sorry," he said again after blowing his nose. "This is so shocking and upsetting. I'm not sure how much help I can be, but of course I'll answer your questions. Anything to help you nail the bastard who did this."

"Thank you, Mr. Wilkes. We understand you worked for Matthew Stillman for many years before he passed," Kavanaugh began. "Then his daughter inherits Fairfield and steps in and makes massive changes to how things had been operating. Off the record: how was Lisa Stillman as a boss?"

Harry's eyes misted again, his gut clenching as he heard Kavanaugh use the past tense when referring to the woman he had watched grow up.

"Lisa... Lisa was a great boss," Harry gulped, swamped with emotion. "Not just to me; to all of us. Case in point: When she was going through a rough financial patch during the economic downturn a couple years back, she did everything she could not to lay off any of the staff, even though that's what her accountant recommended. I've known her since she was a wee little kid. She might have paid my salary, but Lisa was also a good friend. Everyone who worked for her would say the same thing. She could be demanding—it's a demanding business—but she was also fair."

Kavanaugh fired off a volley, calculated to catch Harry off-guard: "You said 'everyone who worked for her'. What about that jockey Lisa sacked about eight years ago?"

Harry fielded the question easily. "Who, Liam Comox?" A slight sneer crossed his face as he remembered the arrogant young man. "Never liked the guy, but Lisa saw potential in him. If there's anything she was guilty of, it would be that she was too generous with how many chances she gave someone; how much stock she put in them to be a better person. Anyway, last I heard, Comox went out East... Somewhere in Halifax or something like that. As much as I disliked him, I really don't think he had anything to do with this."

"And what about that manager—Laura Monson—who resigned last year under a cloud of controversy?" asked Patterson.

"Lisa wasn't even in the country when all that business with Shooting Star occurred," Harry said dismissively. "And Laura's decision to resign from Fairfield was her own."

"All right, level with us, Mr. Wilkes: did Lisa have any enemies in her business dealings? Disgruntled clients?" asked Kavanaugh.

"'Enemies'? 'Disgruntled clients'?" Harry echoed as he frowned, the furrows in his brow creasing deeply. "Not really. Fairfield is well-respected all over the world. Sure there have been clients who weren't happy with every single horse they ever bought from Lisa. But that's the nature of the business. Horses can come up lame. Winning potential isn't always fully realised. Like I said: Everyone loved Lisa. Well, that is to say... almost everyone..."

Kavanaugh looked at him sharply at this admission. "Explain."

Harry did not answer for a few beats, fumbling to find the right way to phrase the unsettling thoughts flitting through his mind. "Okay, it's not something we like to talk about," he began slowly, "but there are a lot of people out there who want to see horse racing go away. Permanently. They point to horse fatalities on the racetrack as reason enough to shut down the sport entirely. Fairfield has not been immune to that kind of criticism."

"And that 'criticism' you're talking about—anybody in particular been more than just a critic?" Kavanaugh queried.

There was a short pause while Harry considered the question carefully. "There was an animal rights group a while back," he eventually muttered, voice dripping with contempt. "Lisa got some nasty emails when one of her horses died in an accident on the racetrack. But it was an accident, pure and simple—not due to animal cruelty or mistreatment—not that any of it mattered to that particular group."

"Did Lisa report these 'nasty emails' to the police?" asked Patterson.

Harry frowned slightly. "I'm not sure. Maybe. She really didn't let that sort of thing get under her skin. Lisa loved those animals and she made sure they got the best care when they were at Fairfield. I just can't believe what's happened. Lisa didn't deserve this. I thank God her father isn't around anymore, because this would have killed him. I don't know what we're going to do... Lisa... you poor kid..."

"Mr. Wilkes, once again, you have our sympathies," Patterson said. "Thank you for answering our questions. I know this news has been very difficult for you."

Harry blew his nose again and nodded. "You're welcome. Is there anything else I can do?"

"Just a few more questions, if that's okay," Kavanaugh said.

"All right," Harry said, resigned to the fact the cops were still not finished. "Go on."

"Can you share with us what you thought about Lisa's marriage to Jack Bartlett? A man several years older, and significantly less wealthy than she was?"

"Wait, you think Jack had anything to do with this?" he exclaimed. "That's the craziest thing I've ever heard. From the times I've been able to meet him, he was nothing but devoted to Lisa. And compared to her ex-husband Dan, Jack is head and shoulders above. Lisa was never happier than when she got married to Jack. You're barking up the wrong tree, detectives. There's no way Jack Bartlett would hurt Lisa!"

Kavanaugh and Patterson exchanged a look. If there had been any lingering doubts as to Jack Bartlett's innocence, Harry had put them to rest.

"Is that all, now?" Harry asked, willing himself to calm down.

"That about covers our questions, Mr. Wilkes, but the last thing we need from you is access to all of Lisa Stillman's office files, computers and laptops, everything."

"I assume you came with a warrant?" he asked.

Kavanaugh showed Harry the document.

"Thanks," he said after looking at the judge's signed request. "Come with me. You take whatever you need if you think it will help catch the monster who did this."

"Chief, we've picked up Stillman's office PC and her work laptop along with a bunch of office files and correspondence," Kavanaugh said after dialing his boss' cell before driving off from Fairfield.

"Excellent. We'll get Benoit and the computer forensics team to go over Stillman's digital files and emails," Parker said. "See if they can come up with anything."

"We may already have a lead on that," Kavanaugh said. "Harry Wilkes says that 'Animals Have Rights Too' group had been sending Stillman some nasty messages, criticizing the horseracing industry."

"Oh, really," Parker said. "Looks like we need to find out if that animal rights group has been doing more than just sending 'nasty' messages critical of horse racing."

"You think they'd resort to murder to save the lives of a few horses?" Kavanaugh asked as he paused before buckling his seatbelt.

"I think people will resort to whatever means necessary if they think their cause is justified."

***

BREAKING NEWS

Shooting Victim Succumbs to Injuries After Brazen Second Attack

May 4, 2019

The Hudson Times—Online Version

Nadir Jutley

The motorist critically injured in a shooting on Range Road 292 has died. Calgary homicide detectives are actively investigating after the case took a dramatic turn last night at the South Calgary Health Campus. The victim, identified as notable Hudson resident Lisa Stillman, had initially undergone life-saving surgery, but was attacked in her hospital room by an unknown assailant. Attempts to revive Stillman by hospital staff were unsuccessful.

Police believe the killer managed to obtain a hospital ID access badge and entered the unit dressed as a medical professional. He escaped before hospital security personnel could apprehend him. Traffic cameras in the area appear to show the same man fleeing on a motorcycle. A Canada-wide APB has been issued.

Hospital administrators were not at liberty to comment on the incident due to the on-going nature of the investigation, but wish to assure the public that there is no current risk to patient safety.

Lisa Stillman was a well-known member of the local and international horse racing community. She was the owner and operator of Fairfield Stables, a thoroughbred breeding facility established by her late father, Matthew Stillman, in 1951.

She is survived by her husband, Foothills Rodeo Hall of Fame inductee Jackson Bartlett, one sister Rachel Stillman, nephew Benjamin Stillman, as well as numerous step-grand, and great-grandchildren.

Calgary Police are asking anyone with information to contact them immediately.

Email: nadir_jutley

***

Hudson Police Headquarters

It did not take long for Parker's team to uncover unsettling messages while combing through Lisa's email account.

"Look at this one, Chief," said Det. Benoit. "This must be the group Wilkes was talking about: a group calling themselves 'AHRT'.

"Yes, that's that group. I've heard of them before," said Parker.

"Yeah?" Benoit said, turning to look at his boss.

"They're small, but they have chapters all over the country, including one here in Alberta. Stands for 'Animals Have Rights Too'. They've had a few protests here and there; mostly at the racetracks and especially at the Calgary Stampede. A couple of their members once got into an altercation with some chuckwagon fans. But anyway, what does the email say?"

"See for yourself," Benoit said, swiveling the monitor around for Parker to read.

Re: STOP ANIMAL CRUELTY NOW!

Lisa Stillman: someone should make you run around in circles until you drop dead. or until you break both your legs and they have to put you down. wouldn't that be sporting? we would pay to see them euthanize you and everyone else like you in the horse-killing business. you're all sick and what you do to horses is loathsome. you know what you are doing is wrong. you breed these animals to such extremes that it is no longer natural. you force them to race when you know their legs cannot tolerate the stress. they die painful and unnecessary deaths. and it's all your fault. we're warning you: leave the horses alone. stop the barbaric practice of horse breeding for racing, or face the consequences!

-AHRT

"What do you think? Sounds like a threat to me," Benoit said.

"But nothing specific, aside from that vague 'or face the consequences' bit," sighed Parker. "I wish Stillman had reported this when she received it."

"Hey, you guys, you'll want to see this!" Kavanaugh called out to the team. "This is the latest entry from the AHRT Blog. As in they just posted it. It's pretty chilling."

ANIMALS HAVE RIGHTS TOO

A Blog

Date: May 4, 2019

Someone's Offing Rich Horsey People. We Ain't Even Mad.

Don't get us wrong. Of course it's not cool when some gun-crazy lunatic goes on a killing spree. But when his victims happen to be the very people who contribute the most to the unchecked cruelty towards horses? Well, let's just say we're not shedding any tears.

The first was Valerie Stanton, owner of Briar Ridge Stables in Hudson in the province of Alberta, Canada. Now she was a piece of work. Rumor has it she once sold her own daughter's prize jumper to slaughter. He barely avoided the meat truck, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Former Briar Ridge Stables staff and trainers report Stanton was abusive and would flip out over the slightest problems and mistakes. She was known to use whips on horses that did not clear jumps. Anyway, she won't be using whips any longer because some generous soul put Stanton out of her misery with a well-placed bullet.

The latest offender to take a much-deserved dirt-nap is Lisa Stillman, owner of Fairfield Stables, also of Hudson, Alberta. You'll remember this particular piece of horse-murdering scum. It was her horse Pioneer that had to be put down at Century Downs a few years ago. These bloggers personally warned Stillman numerous times about the dangers of breeding thoroughbreds to the point that their legs are so spindly they can't run a quarter-mile without breaking a foreleg. She of course completely ignored everything sent her way, choosing instead to risk the lives of innocent animals, all for the allure of a big prize purse and fame. Stillman won't be chasing after blood money ever again after a couple bullets flew her way. We're pretty sure one went straight through her cold, dark heart, and the other went through her thick skull. (At least something finally did!)

Oh, in case you needed any more proof of Stillman's proclivities and the kind of company she kept, here's an undated picture of her at Santa Anita with Riley and Elspeth Penfield. The Penfields are another couple of royal snobs who fancy themselves horse racing experts. Yeah, so expert that every race horse they've ever owned came in nearly dead last, and as a consequence ended up dead in the glue factory.

You're all of course familiar with Santa Anita, where it's "abandon all hope, ye who enter here"—if you happen to have four legs, a tail and a mane, that is. Over a dozen horses have met grisly deaths at Santa Anita within the past 10 years. They should switch around the order of a few letters in "S-a-n-t-a" and get a much more appropriate name for the place, if you get the drift.

Anyhow, we salute you, whoever you are, for making this world a safer place for equines everywhere; at least those in Hudson. You deserve an award for your service.

-AHRT Staff

"Disgusting," Patterson said with a shake of her head.

"What I wanna know is how these 'AHRT Staff' writers knew those details about Stillman's shooting," Benoit observed. "We made sure the media never specified."

"Could be a lucky guess, or even a little creative wishful thinking on their part, but you're right," Parker said. "It's a little too much of a coincidence Stillman was shot in the left side and the head. I want to talk to these people, Benoit. Get me some names and addresses. I have so many questions for them."

"Okay, we have some of these AHRT people in the system already," Benoit said after a few keystrokes returned the desired results. "Mostly public mischief stuff and some restraining orders. One, in fact, issued by Valerie Stanton a few years ago, like her son said."

"Names, please, Benoit."

"Coming up, sir," Benoit said. "We've got a Margot Gwyneth Carpenter of Red Deer, Alberta; Layton Luther Moffett of Calgary—"

"Layton Moffett?" Patterson repeated, looking at the picture of the man in question as Benoit flashed it on the TV screen. "Chief, he was on the scene at Lisa Stillman's shooting."

Parker glared back at her. "Are you certain?"

"One hundred percent, sir," she asserted. "He stopped his little orange Smart car along with some of the rubbernecking drivers that afternoon. The difference was he actually got out. Didn't get in the way, but was asking questions of anyone who would give him the time of day."

"Then it's possible he could have seen her injuries from where he was," Benoit said.

"Possibly," Patterson replied slowly. "It would explain how the AHRT staffers knew where and how many times Stillman was shot so they could write it up for the blog entry."

"I still don't like it," Parker grumbled. "Let's bring Moffett in for a bit of questioning; find out exactly what he was doing out here and how much he knows about what happened."

***

Hudson Police Headquarters

Layton Luther Moffett appeared wary and alert when Chief Parker sat down with Detective Kavanaugh to question him two hours later.

After reminding the young man he was merely being questioned and that he was free to go at any time, Parker began to drill him.

"Do you recognize the name 'Lisa Stillman'?"

"Sure do," Layton said with a bob of his head, almost cracking a smile. "Heard she just died. Heard someone shot her and then someone attacked her in her hospital room. Guess someone really wanted her dead, eh? What is this world coming to?"

"What were you doing out on Range Road 292 on the afternoon of May 2nd?"

"I was out for a country drive," Layton said airily.

"No crime against that, of course," Parker said.

"Nope," Layton said. "You're going to ask me why I stopped on that drive, aren't you?"

"As a matter of fact, we are," Parker said. "Why did you stop?"

"Because there was a car accident," Layton said. "I know First Aid. I thought I could be of assistance. But the paramedics were there already, so it was all good. I mean, all good then. Obviously it wasn't 'all good' for Lisa Stillman once she got to the hospital."

Both Parker and Kavanaugh took note of his almost blasé attitude. He seemed almost pleased to talk about what he knew of Lisa's fate as a small smirk tugged at his lips.

"You live in the northwestern quadrant of the city of Calgary," Parker said, returning to Layton's reasons for lurking around Hudson. "Do you often take drives out to Hudson?"

"When the mood strikes me," Layton said with an air of indifference, peering at his fingernails.

"What do you know about a horse by the name of 'Herring'?" Parker asked.

Layton's glance shifted from his hands to Parker's face. "I heard Lisa Stillman was the owner," the young man finally answered after a few beats. "I heard he was hurt by a bear after..."

"After what?" Parker prompted.

Layton swallowed. "After that Valerie Stanton woman from Briar Ridge was shot dead."

"And what can you tell us about that, Mr. Moffett?" Kavanaugh asked.

"Only what I saw in the news," Layton replied, though the officers could see he was growing more nervous.

"Funny that," Parker said. "The name of the horse was never made public. Care to change your answer?"

Layton appeared instantly uncomfortable. "Okay, look," he said, squirming slightly. "Our staff occasionally pose as potential buyers for horses we think are at risk for abuse or the meat truck. Herring was one of those horses."

"Let's say for a moment we believe you," Parker said, humouring the man, "how did you find out it was Herring that was injured?"

"We just put two and two together," Layton replied. "I called the Fairfield office a few weeks ago saying I was interested in buying him. Look, the Fairfield website lists all its available stock for everyone to see. It's not a crime to look at horses on websites, is it?"

"No, it's not," Parker conceded. "Now get to the part where you know it was Herring!"

"I called Fairfield again yesterday," Layton said. "I said I had not forgotten about Herring and hoped Fairfield had enough safety precautions in place to prevent bear attacks from happening like the one I'd read about."

"So you were just fishing for information," Kavanaugh said.

"Yeah," Layton admitted. "And the man I spoke to told me all the horses at Fairfield were safe, but that unfortunately they could not control what happened to horses off-site, and that Herring had indeed been hurt. He was all apologetic, like I'd be upset I couldn't buy the horse right away and they'd lose out on a sale. It's always money with those people."

Parker and Kavanaugh exchanged a look. The story seemed plausible.

"Look, if no one there is concerned about that horse past what profits it can make them—"

"Enough with your posturing, Mr. Moffett," Parker snapped in annoyance. "We're not done questioning you."

Layton crossed his arms in sullen defiance. "What else, then?"

"We know Valerie Stanton had issued a restraining order against you and the other members of the 'Animals Have Rights Too' Alberta chapter. If we find out you've been in violation of that—"

"She's dead now, so why should it matter?" Layton smarmily interrupted. "But even when she was alive, I didn't pass within 100 yards of Stanton, or her horses, or her property after that bogus order was placed. I'm a law-abiding citizen who exercises his right to freedom of speech and freedom of expression. People like Valerie Stanton and Lisa Stillman get away with animal abuse all the time, and you people turn a blind eye. You waste your time threatening us with arrest when you ought to be investigating people like them for verifiable crimes against innocent animals."

"Are you done?" Parker asked, unmoved by Layton's impassioned speech.

"Yeah," Layton mumbled. "Can I go, now? I haven't done anything wrong, and I certainly didn't shoot Valerie Stanton or Lisa Stillman, if that's what you're really wondering. I don't even own a firearm."

"We already knew that," Kavanaugh said, "but thanks for saying so."

"One last question, Mr. Moffett," Parker said.

"What?"

"You were driving into Hudson when Lisa Stillman was shot," Parker said. "Do you recall passing someone on a motorbike heading in the opposite direction?"

"Maybe," Layton said.

"Yes or no, Moffett!" Parker barked.

"Look, I read the papers," Layton eventually said. "I know you were looking for a guy on a motorcycle as a 'person of interest' in the shooting, or whatever. And you know what? Yeah, I did see a guy on a motorcycle when I was driving in to Hudson that day. But that's all I'm going to tell you, because quite frankly, whoever that guy is? He's a hero for trying to take out Stillman. He deserves an award."

"Kavanaugh, get him out of my sight," Parker growled in disgust. "I don't want to see you in Hudson ever again, Mr. Moffett, do I make myself clear? Now get out of here!"

***

Chapter 9: Dark Horse Candidate

[the-real-tc]

Fic Update. Bad Business: Chapter 3 Or Worse

Author's Note: Things are about to get bumpy, and I'm sure theories will start flying around, which is all well and good. There are going to be some disturbing events and imagery here and in upcoming chapters, so I'll repeat the "triggering" warning and the "abusive comments will not be tolerated" piece again. Thanks to all the extremely encouraging comments and reviews so far. I'm pleased you're all following along.

***

To the childless wife he gives a home, and gladdens her heart with children.

- Ps. 113

Chapter 3:

Or Worse

***

Hudson Times—Online Version

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Hudson Area Residents On Alert Due to Bear Sightings

Nadir Jutley

Fish and Wildlife officials are responding to reports of a bear in Hudson county. An alert was issued after several ranchers caught sight of the animal over the past week. April is typically when bears emerge from hibernation. Residents of Hudson county are being asked to be extra vigilant, especially around dusk and dawn, when bears are most likely to be active.

If you see the bear, contact Fish and Wildlife at 555-625-1540 immediately. Do not approach, and do not provoke the animal.

• Email: nadir_jutley

***

"Hey, Ty," Amy called softly, "did you see this report about a bear in the area?"

Ty looked up from his reports. "Yeah," he replied. "Scott and I got the alert at the clinic yesterday afternoon."

"Good," Amy said, though she was still pouting, thinking about all the potential areas her country vet husband and his boss could encounter the beast while making their rounds to rural ranch lands. "Be careful out on those calls, okay? You and Scott go to some pretty remote places sometimes..."

Ty smiled in spite of himself. "Now who's being overprotective?"

"Ty," she said, eyeing him sternly, "I'm serious. I—I just don't want anything to happen to you, okay? After Mongolia..."

The last thing Ty wanted at that moment was to rehash falling nearly fatally ill on his first trip to Mongolia, and then being abducted and left for dead the second time—not to mention the near-fatal encounter with one of the poachers on his own home turf.

"Hey, Scott and I are always careful," he said, attempting to reassure her. "He's got his tranquilizer all the time, at the ready. The chances of us encountering that bear are pretty slim. It may even have moved on by now."

"Okay," Amy said, mouth still drawn downwards.

Now who's being overprotective? Ty's gentle rebuke echoed in her mind. She chided herself mentally, knowing her worries were probably unfounded. After all, Ty had not said a word when she departed on Sunday with Georgie to participate in the faux fox hunt event. She had enjoyed every minute of the ride, though she did choose not to vault any of the jumps on the course this time around. If I'm going to ride, I don't have to take unnecessary risks, she reasoned. It would be one line of defense she figured she could bring up if Ty ever did say something negative about her decision to ride during her pregnancy.

***

Five Days Later...

"Val Stanton is missing," Jack announced as he shut the door behind him.

Lisa looked up from her laptop, her brow instantly creasing. "'Missing'? What do you mean missing?"

"The police are out at Briar Ridge now. I saw them there when I was driving back from my supply run. Something in my gut told me there was something really wrong with that picture, so I stopped in to see what was going on. I got to speak with Jesse, and he says Val went out for a ride late this morning and didn't come back when he expected her to. She was supposed to meet some clients with him at 1:00 p.m., and she never showed. It's of course way past that time now."

"Did you say she went out for a ride late this morning? I had Herring trailered over there yesterday so she could try him out," Lisa said, genuine worry replacing her initial curiosity. "I hope she wasn't thrown and is lying injured somewhere—or worse."

"Right now, no one knows, but Jesse did mention she took Herring," Jack said. "Val unfortunately didn't go out with her cell phone, so they can't track her that way. Chief Parker is going to have his officers combing the areas Jesse said she was known to go when she went for a ride."

"Do they need any help? I mean, we could always saddle up and check where her property meets up with Heartland," Lisa suggested, pre-emptively shutting down her laptop. "She can't have gone too far."

"We could take a look," Jack agreed thoughtfully. "But I hate to say it: I have a bad feeling about this, especially with all those bear sightings lately."

Lisa shook her head once as she stood to face him. "Let's not go down that road yet," she said, putting a hand on his arm. "We should ride out and hope for the best. I'll head out to the jumping pen to let Georgie know where we're going."

"I'll tell Amy and Ty when I get the horses saddled."

Upon hearing that Val was missing, Georgie immediately halted her jumping practice and dismounted from Phoenix. She followed Lisa to the stables and asked to come along for the search, but Jack firmly nixed her request.

"No, you stay put," Jack said in a voice that left no room for discussion. "We don't know why she's missing. This could be a very serious situation, and someone needs to stay in the house with Katie right now."

For a moment Georgie felt a surge of indignation, like she was once again the immature child who was always left out of the action. This time, though, she came to the realisation all on her own what Jack was not verbalizing: He suspected Val could very well be hurt or even dead, and did not want Georgie to be on hand to see those suspicions confirmed.

"You're taking your rifle?" Lisa asked, eyeing the weapon uneasily as Jack climbed up into Buddy's saddle.

With a nod, Jack said gruffly: "We don't know what's out there, Lis. It's just a precaution."

"Right. Of course," Lisa said, and nudged Venus to head out, simultaneously double-checking to make sure she had her cell phone in her jacket pocket.

***

Daylight hours faded to the point Jack and Lisa knew it was time to return. Searching in darkness would be futile. Reluctantly, they turned the horses back toward the ranch house, having trekked along the property line separating Heartland from Briar Ridge. During that time they spotted nothing resembling either Val or Herring.

"Did you find anything?" Georgie asked anxiously when they eventually made it into the kitchen after seeing to Buddy and Venus' post-ride needs.

"Nothing," Jack said wearily.

"It's definitely a concerning situation," Lisa added. "Herring is a—a very well-behaved, steady horse. And Val is an experienced rider. But I can't help thinking that she could be lying out there somewhere with a broken leg or—"

"If that's the case, someone will find her," Jack interrupted, hoping to swing her thoughts back to a positive mode.

"I hope so."

Despite all their differences over the years, Lisa shuddered interiorly at the notion something horrible could have happened to Val.

"Hey, isn't Herring micro-chipped?" Georgie asked.

"He is," Lisa said, turning to look at the teen. "And I think I know where you're going with this, but those chips aren't designed to be tracked by GPS."

"Oh, right," Georgie said with a defeated pout. "I guess I thought it could be an easy way to locate him."

Lisa pursed her lips, then said: "It was a good thought. It's just too bad that's not how it works. If it were, we would have tracked Herring hours ago—the moment we knew he and Val were missing."

Georgie sighed. "Okay. Too bad. I really hope she's okay, and Herring, of course."

"Me, too."

***

MISSING PERSONS REPORT

Tuesday, April 16

Hudson Police are seeking public assistance in locating a missing local woman.

Valerie Jane Stanton, 59, was last seen on the morning of Tuesday, April 16 departing her residence of Briar Ridge on horseback and did not return at the scheduled time.

She is described as 5'5", approximately 130 lbs., with blonde hair and blue eyes. She was wearing English-style riding attire and a riding helmet, as pictured.

The horse she was riding is chestnut in colour with one white sock on his right front foreleg.

Stanton's family believes she could be in medical distress due to an undisclosed health issue.

Anyone with information about Stanton's whereabouts are asked to contact Hudson Police immediately at 403-555-7799.

Photo courtesy Stanton family

***

The sun was just cresting the horizon when Lisa pulled into Fairfield the next morning. She was pleased to see some of her staff already seeing after the never-ending list of duties assigned to them. The smart maroon jerseys with the Fairfield logo that distinguished her staff from visitors or clients brought a smile to her face. It was something her father would never have done, but once Fairfield had started to become more well-known past local circles, adding this touch of professionalism had seemed to be the right move.

Ten minutes later, she had mounted up on Cinders and was cantering out towards her usual morning destination: Lookout Point. The familiar sights and sounds brought a welcome comfort to her troubled mind. Neither she nor Jack had enjoyed a restful night. Thoughts of the missing Val Stanton and the horse she was riding had proven to be a burdensome distraction. With no news on Val's whereabouts this morning, their worry had not abated. Lisa figured with daylight hours now upon them, the police would probably be resuming their search.

Where could Val possibly be? Lisa fretted for the hundredth time. Again, she pushed back the unsettling thought that Val could have fallen from Herring. Who goes off riding without a cell phone these days in case something like this happens?

The still snow-capped Rocky Mountains glowed in the bright, early sunshine. Lisa reined in Cinders and simply sat for a few moments, taking in the awe-inspiring view. No matter how often she took this ride and gazed out at these mountains, they were different, beautiful and new every time. She was about to urge Cinders forward again when a flicker of movement caught the corner of her right eye.

A wild whinny of terror reached Lisa's ears, followed by the fierce pounding of hooves. Cinders reacted by giving a whinny of his own while shaking his head, sensing danger.

Lisa's gaze now fell on a chestnut horse that circled them in confusion and fright. A few ugly, bloody gashes stood out in stark relief on the left hindquarter, flank, and thigh. The saddle and pad were missing.

"Herring!" Lisa cried in recognition. She quickly dismounted. If this was Herring, her missing horse, then where was its rider, Val?

"Herring," Lisa called softly, dread billowing up inside her. The chestnut horse shook his head furiously when Lisa approached. He snorted once then bolted away from her.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Lisa tried to lower her voice, slowing her steps so as not to frighten the horse further. She realised he must be suffering a great deal from his injuries, the cause of which Lisa could not yet determine, but she had a strong suspicion a bear's paws had inflicted the damage. She took a few furtive glances around, but saw no sign of anything of a predatory nature. Besides, the wounds looked as if they had been bleeding for some time.

Where is Val? Lisa wondered again in a panic. If Herring is hurt, Val could be, too...

Lisa cast her eyes down to the grassy ground in search of anything resembling a human form. Her eyes soon fell upon mangled black leather. That must be Val's dressage saddle, Lisa thought, recognizing the shape of the riding gear. It obviously got snagged on something or pulled off. That's why it's lying here. Not far away, Lisa spied a torn saddle pad soiled with dirt and blood. Oh, no. Val could be lying here anywhere. She took a few careful paces forward, keeping close watch on Herring at the same time. The last thing she wanted was for him to be so spooked he took off for a wooded area, or worse, towards the road where he might be hit by some careless driver.

"Val?!" Lisa chanced a shout. "Can you hear me?"

She kept pacing around slowly, keeping her eyes peeled. After about five minutes, Lisa thought she spotted something unusual. About ten paces away, she identified what appeared to be a human-shaped lump, partially obscured in the ankle-high wild grass. Lisa's heart dropped to the pit of her stomach.

"Val?" she called with growing trepidation. She crept closer, then stopped at five paces, having now, even from this distance, seen enough to know getting any nearer would be a bad idea. She pulled out her cell phone and immediately put in a call to the Hudson police department. Val Stanton had indeed fallen from Herring as Lisa had feared, and from what she could see, the other woman would never be getting up again.

***

At 9:00 a.m. that same morning, Ty's phone buzzed just as he was finishing a quiet breakfast with Amy. "It's Scott," he said, looking at the screen.

"Go ahead," Amy said with a nod, figuring it could be something urgent.

"Hi, Scott," Ty spoke, rising from the table and moving to the living room area of the loft. "Lookout Point? Yeah, I can be there in about twenty minutes... Okay, 'bye."

"Work emergency?" Amy asked with a knowing smile.

"Yeah," Ty said with a frown. "It's weird, though. Scott said the police called him out to Lookout Point. Something about a horse and a crime scene."

"A horse and a crime scene?" Amy gasped, remembering Jack and Lisa's fruitless search the evening before. "Val Stanton and Herring... You don't think this has anything to do with them, do you?"

"Scott didn't say, but I hope not," Ty said, moving quickly to stow his breakfast dishes in the washer. He planted a kiss on his wife's cheek before hurrying into the bathroom to finish cleaning up for his departure.

"See you later," Amy said, catching him for a parting kiss when he emerged. "Love you."

"Love you, too," Ty responded, kissing her again. "Give Lyndy a kiss for me, too, okay?"

"Of course. Now go on; don't be late."

***

By the time Ty reached Lookout Point, he saw a coroner's van pulling onto the road back towards town. He quickly spotted several police vehicles along with Scott's truck. Two constables stood beside their SUVs, ostensibly there to direct traffic or to encourage nosy onlookers to keep driving past. Ty, unsure of what he should do, pulled to a stop behind Scott's truck. One constable approached and Ty lowered his window expectantly.

"This area has been declared a crime scene; you'll need to continue on," said the young constable, whose nametag identified him as 'Becket'.

"I've been called out here," Ty said. "I'm Dr. Borden. I'm a veterinarian and I work with Dr. Scott Cardinal."

"I.D., please?" Becket asked.

Ty provided his license.

"Okay, stay right here," Becket said after handing back the card. He keyed his radio. "Chief, Dr. Borden has arrived. You're expecting him?"

Chief Parker's deep voice came over the radio, confirming Ty had indeed been summoned and should be permitted to enter the area.

"Follow me," Becket said nodding to Ty. "I'll take you to the spot."

"Thanks," Ty said, growing more uneasy with the entire situation. He stepped out of the truck's cab, vet kit in hand. He followed close on Becket's heels across the uneven grassy terrain, over the rise in the landscape, and down towards a perimeter cordoned off with large orange barriers and yellow crime scene tape.

Within that perimeter Ty could make out a small cluster of uniformed personnel and numbered yellow tags on the turf. He then spotted not one, but two horses outside the perimeter. To his utter surprise, he now saw Lisa was holding the rein of one of those horses.

That's Cinders, he thought, recognizing the dapple grey horse from the time Lisa and Jack had reconciled during an ill-fated trip to Montana. The other horse was being kept away from everyone by Scott for some reason. Now as he neared, Ty could see the horse being minded by Scott was indeed injured.

Ty caught Lisa's eye as he made his way past the perimeter towards his mentor. In that brief exchange, he read in her expression shock and horror. She was speaking with Chief Parker, but he could not make out their conversation. With the presence of the coroner's van he had seen only moments earlier, a new sense of foreboding gripped Ty. He wondered what Lisa was even doing at Lookout Point amidst all these police officers, but then remembered her habit of riding out to this location on most mornings—a habit she had retained even after moving in at Heartland.

"Hey, Ty, thanks for coming," Scott said. The horse he was minding let out a loud snort and kicked at the turf as soon as it spotted Ty.

"Easy, easy," Scott said soothingly.

"Whoa, what's going on with this guy?" Ty asked.

"This is Herring," Scott said of the chestnut horse. "And it looks like he's been attacked by a bear. Lisa thinks he's been out here all last night."

"All last night?" Ty repeated, instantly registering the horse's name and why it sounded familiar. "Scott, Val Stanton was supposed to be riding Herring yesterday. The coroner's van I just saw..."

Bleakly, Scott answered Ty's implied question. "Val's dead, Ty. Lisa found her body."

Ty closed his eyes and exhaled his shock. "Aw, man. That's terrible. Was she thrown, or something?"

Scott shrugged. "I don't know. Chief Parker and his team were already here when I arrived. I didn't get a look at the body. My immediate concern was for Herring. Lisa said he was spooked by Cinders and absolutely would not calm down. Wouldn't even let her approach with Cinders so close. That's why they called me. I've just administered a sedative. It's a small miracle he let me get near enough even for that, because everyone was ready to go with a tranquilizer gun. Anyway, I called you because Herring is Lisa's. She asked for you."

Despite the sedative Scott administered, Ty noted the horse was still skittish. Its eyes roved in an agitated fashion, and it was wary of any movement. This was demonstrated right at that moment when Chief Parker ambled over to the veterinarians. Herring gave a wild cry and stamped a hoof.

"Whoa," Scott said in a gentle tone. The horse managed to settle enough for Parker not to feel threatened.

"Thanks for coming, Ty," the senior officer said. Turning to Scott, he added, "Dr. Cardinal, one of my guys is going to come and take those photos of the wounds on Herring now like we talked about earlier, just in case we need anything for evidence later. Do you think he can keep still enough for that?"

"The sedative should really be taking effect now, but no sudden moves," Scott warned.

"We'll do our best," Parker said, waving over a member of his forensic crime scene team. The young man clutched a large kit stuffed with photography equipment, listened to Parker's instructions about what he needed, and carried on with his task.

"I think the best thing would be to get him trailered to Heartland since it's so nearby," Ty said, while the photographs were being snapped. "And he does belong to Lisa, after all."

"Fine," Parker said with a brisk nod. "Let my guy finish up here, then I'll sign off on that transport."

Ty looked over once more at Lisa, concerned for her state of mind after finding Val. Her body language said it all as she stood rigidly in place, tightly gripping Cinders' rein with her left hand, her riding helmet pressed snugly against her side in the crook of her right arm.

Parker was speaking to her again now, and Ty saw her nod her head a couple times. He rightly assumed it was about the arrangement to bring Herring to Heartland. Ty wondered why she had not yet approached them, but remembered the injured horse's current mental state. Whatever happened out here, this poor horse has been severely traumatized, Ty realised. Everything is spooking him right now.

"I'm finished here," the forensics photographer finally said, and backed away calmly and carefully from the injured animal.

"Thanks," Scott said. Then, turning to Ty, added, "Let's get these wounds cleaned up now. I'm worried about how long they've been left exposed like this. I don't want infection to set in."

"Right," Ty said in agreement. He cast one last glance back at Lisa. She waved a gloved hand before placing her helmet back on her head in preparation to ride Cinders back to Fairfield. He waved back, then set to work with Scott to clean and bandage the wounds on the afflicted horse.

***

"The police are here with the trailer," Jack announced as he peered out the kitchen window.

Lisa set down her mug of tea. "Thanks," she murmured, still dressed in her riding attire. She had immediately driven back from Fairfield after depositing Cinders and had arrived at Heartland only minutes earlier.

Jack watched things unfold from the porch. Lisa, Ty, and Amy gathered at the trailer and they spoke with a pair of constables. He watched Lisa sign some sort of official paperwork.

With that piece of business taken care of, Ty and Amy began the task of offloading Herring. Lisa said something to them Jack could not determine, but seemed to him to be words of encouragement. The constables departed, their job having been completed.

"Scott administered a sedative on site," Ty said to Amy, as he slowly guided the animal towards the stables. "Herring was really agitated from the pain and the trauma of the attack, we think."

"Poor guy," Amy said.

"It's a miracle he was able to get close enough for that," Ty repeated what his mentor said at Lookout Point. "Scott mentioned they were almost ready to use the tranquilizer. We cleaned up the wounds as best we could out there, but we still need to watch for signs of infection."

Amy nodded in understanding.

"What comes next, now that he's here?" Lisa asked.

"I can deal with the physical side; we're all hoping you can cope with his behavior, Amy," Ty answered as they entered the barn. "He's terrified of everything right now. You'll see once the sedation wears off."

"No wonder," Amy said, noting the bandages Ty and Scott had applied to the left flank, hindquarter, and thigh. "After what he's been through, he's going to need a lot of help."

"I'm game if you are, babe," Ty said with a smile.

"I most certainly am, Dr. Borden," Amy replied, stretching up to kiss him.

Lisa smiled at the sight. "I'll let you two get to it," she said, sending them a wink as she parted company, confident her horse was in the right hands.

***

Despite knowing Herring would most likely make a full recovery under Ty and Amy's expert care, Lisa's face was grim when she was once again inside the kitchen.

"How bad is it?" Jack ventured to ask, immediately noticing her gloomy expression.

Lisa sat down at the table before giving an answer. She took a sip from her mug, but the tea had grown tepid in her absence and failed to help ward off a chill she was suddenly experiencing.

"The bear got some pretty good swipes in," Lisa finally responded, a slight tremor passing through her frame at the memory of seeing the extent of Herring's injuries. "Some of those claw marks are pretty deep. But that's not the only concern. He's been really traumatised psychologically by the attack. Right now he is sedated; Amy is hoping to work with him later."

Jack observed her with concern. "Are you okay?"

"I will be," she said, looking up at his face and reading there a combination of love and worry. "I'm much more upset about Val. When I saw her lying there, facedown, I just knew. It was awful, Jack."

"I'm so sorry you had to find her like that, Lis," Jack said, gently placing his hand over hers.

"I can't imagine what could have happened. From what I was able to see, her jacket... her jacket was bloodstained. Do you think the bear—"

"I really don't know," Jack interjected quickly, wanting to divert his wife's line of thinking. "No use dwelling on it until the police finish their investigation."

"You knew her longer than I did," Lisa stated carefully. "You were the friend she leaned on when she was going through her cancer battles."

"Right," Jack said slowly with a nod of agreement.

"She had feelings for you, Jack," Lisa added. "You know she did; I won't pretend I didn't notice. Years back she let me know in no uncertain terms she was keeping you in her life, despite knowing we were a serious item."

"Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?" asked Jack, surprised the conversation had swayed in this direction.

Lisa exhaled. "I don't really know. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around everything, I guess. What I'm trying to say is, despite Val not being my favourite person on the planet, I certainly never wanted her dead, and certainly not like that."

"Come here," Jack said, opening his arms. Lisa got up from her seat and slid onto Jack's lap. He encircled her in a tight embrace, nuzzling the side of her head. The earlier chill that had descended upon her melted away with the warmth of his body so close to hers.

"Mmm..." murmured Lisa. "Thank you. I needed this hug."

"You're welcome," Jack whispered.

***

Hudson Times—Print Version

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Briar Ridge Owner Found Dead

Nadir Jutley

Prominent Hudson businesswoman Valerie Stanton was found dead early Tuesday morning. Stanton had earlier been reported missing by her son, Jesse Stanton. He told this reporter he advised authorities his mother had been out horseback riding on Monday and had not returned by the appointed time. He immediately reported this absence, as he was particularly concerned for her well-being due to an undisclosed health issue.

This reporter learned local veterinarians, Drs. Cardinal and Borden were called to Lookout Point and an injured horse was removed from the scene for treatment.

Chief of Hudson Police James Parker has issued the following statement:

"At approximately 7:15 a.m. on Tuesday morning, the body of Ms. Valerie Stanton of Briar Ridge Stables was discovered by a Hudson resident out on a horseback ride up at Lookout Point. Ms. Stanton had evidently fallen from her mount. Our preliminary examination shows that any injuries suffered in that fall did not ultimately contribute to her death. At this time, we cannot comment on the precise cause of death except to say we believe Ms. Stanton did not die from natural causes.

"We would also like to issue another warning to the public about the bear that has been seen around Hudson. There is evidence the horse Ms. Stanton was riding came into close contact with that animal and suffered some injuries as a result."

Chief Parker said he would make more details public as they became available.

Briar Ridge staff and neighbours reacted with sadness and shock at the news.

Stanton was the owner of Briar Ridge Stables, a world-class showjumping training facility. She was predeceased by her husband, Alexander Stanton, in 2004; she is survived by two adult children, Jesse and Ashley.

• Email: nadir_jutley

***

"I still can't believe Val is dead," Georgie said, staring blankly. "We just saw her at the faux fox hunt last week."

"It's crazy," Lou uttered in agreement. "I don't get it. What on earth could have happened? And this part about 'Ms. Stanton did not die from natural causes'. What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means whatever happened to her wasn't natural, and it wasn't an accident," Tim spoke up. He made a slashing motion across his neck.

"Dad!" Lou cried in dismay, staring at him in shock at his crude gesture.

"What? That's exactly what it means," he said in his defense. "Someone or some thing killed Val. But I'll wager this is a case of foul play."

Lou glared at her father. "You didn't have to be so—so graphic about it."

Tim was about to give some smart retort, but was stalled when Georgie spoke up.

"I rode for her... And I did a school project on Briar Ridge," murmured the teen, voice toneless. "I learned so much from her, even if I didn't agree with her business model. She wasn't the easiest person to deal with, you know? She could be so demanding and so mean sometimes, but I-I don't know how anyone could want to hurt her."

"Hey, come here," Lou said softly, beckoning her daughter for a hug, which the girl quickly accepted. "Don't worry yourself about it, honey."

"Make no mistake: someone did her in. And all I have to say is the cops better catch the person responsible," Tim remarked. "Last thing we need is a killer on the loose in Hudson."

***

The man's phone buzzed.

"Speak," he said, upon accepting the call.

"They found the body."

"I know. It's being blasted in the local paper."

"Hmph. My client wasn't expecting her to be found for another few days."

"Not my problem."

"You're sure no one saw you out there?"

"I was long gone before the body was discovered. No one saw me. You can take that to the bank."

"Okay, fine. My client just wants to be sure."

"Tell your 'client' I did what I was paid to do. I don't control what happens afterwards. If he was so concerned about when or how someone eventually stumbled upon that woman's corpse, he should have added 'disposal' to the list of duties."

"You do that, too?"

"If my price is met."

"Good to know. I'll keep that in mind."

***

Hudson Times — Print Version

Thursday, April 18

Cause of Death Released

Nadir Jutley

At a press conference yesterday, Hudson Police Chief James Parker announced a stunning development in the death of prominent Hudsonite Valerie Stanton.

"The coroner has determined that Ms. Stanton's death was the result of a single gunshot wound," Parker revealed. "We have no suspects at this time, but we are asking for the public's help in this matter. Sometime on the morning of the 15th, Ms. Stanton was out on horseback at Lookout Point near Highway 23. We are asking for any hunters, hikers, or motorists in the vicinity at the time to please come forward with any information."

When asked by this reporter, Chief Parker admitted they are treating the death as "suspicious", but ultimately stated the shooting could be accidental in nature.

"The fact that we've had several bear sightings and the fact the horse Ms. Stanton was riding was attacked by a bear is reason enough to believe someone might have been aiming for one of those predators. The possibility certainly exists Ms. Stanton could have been struck by a stray bullet. This is why it is crucial we speak to anyone who might have been out hunting in the area on Monday, the 15th."

Alberta Fish and Wildlife had previously issued a warning about a bear in Hudson county, and they repeated that warning today. If spotted, residents are asked to call 555-625-1540. Do not approach the animal in any circumstance.

Valerie Stanton was the owner and operator of the renowned Briar Ridge Stables. She was also a member of the Hudson Chamber of Commerce, and was the recipient of the Hudson Businesswoman of the Year award in 2006. She is survived by her two adult children, Jesse and Ashley.

The funeral for Stanton will be held on Tuesday, April 23 at the Hudson Funeral Home at 1:00 p.m.; a private burial will take place at the Highwood Cemetery.

• Email: nadir_jutley

***

The atmosphere around the dinner table felt quieter and more sombre than usual that Good Friday evening with just Jack, Lisa, and Georgie sharing a meal. Katie was off to spend the Easter long weekend and an extended spring break in Vancouver with Peter. Lou had departed for New York to deal with her Maggie's franchise business, and would be gone for the next month or so. Surprisingly, Tim was spending a rare evening at Big River for his evening meal. Lisa had extended an invitation to Ty and Amy to come by; the couple had declined.

Jack was feeling the weight of the uncommon silence. He reflected on how much a lively dinner hour had become the norm over the past several years.

It was such a contrast to the time immediately following Lyndy's death when dinners tended to be low-key affairs. Back then, it would be a setting for four: Marion, himself, Lou and Amy. Even then, sometimes he would be eating alone if he had been out dealing with the herd. At other times, he would be eating with just Amy and Lou if their mother was looking after a particularly difficult client horse. Then Scott entered the picture for a few years when Marion sponsored him. Soon after, both the former juvenile delinquent and Lou left Heartland to spread their wings and pursue higher education and careers, bringing the number of those at the dining table down to a paltry three.

Jack's thoughts drifted to Amy and Ty's newest patient. From what Lisa reported upon Herring's return from his fateful ride with Val up to Lookout Point, Jack knew the horse suffered some trauma due to the bear's attack, not unlike what Bear the horse had suffered a few years in the past. A shiver ran down his spine at the thought of Val's body lying on the ground next to Herring as the ravenous predator approached. He swiped a hand across his face, hoping to blot out the images his troubled imagination conjured.

"You all right?" asked Lisa, upon seeing this action.

"Fine," he replied, suddenly self-conscious.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, Jack," Georgie added. "You seemed really out of it for a few minutes."

"I am fine, both of you," Jack insisted, trying to ignore Georgie's unsolicited observation. "Not particularly happy, mind you. After all, I've just lost a friend and neighbour, and nobody seems to know what the heck happened to her, but I'm fine."

"Okay, honey," Lisa said placatingly.

Figuring now was as good a time as any to bring up the subject, Jack said, "I don't mean to sound like a worry-wort, but it would give me a great deal of peace of mind if you skipped your usual morning rides out to Lookout Point for the next little while, Lis."

"Oh, I have no intention of going out there anytime soon, believe me," Lisa said with a shudder. "Not after..."

She let her words die on her lips. No, after finding Val's body, Lookout Point would be crossed off her list of riding destinations for the foreseeable future.

"Good," Jack grunted in relief and approval.

They all turned their attention back to the food on their plates, any further conversation having dried up completely. Mention of Lookout Point and the knowledge of what happened to Val ensured no one would be in the mood to say much of anything else.

***

Easter Monday

"How's Herring doing this morning?" Lisa asked Amy as she walked inside the barn.

"Physically, better. Mentally, not so much," Amy replied with a slight frown. "He still won't go near any of the other horses when I try to turn him out in the paddock. I'm afraid he thinks any large animal is a threat. But like I said, his physical wounds are healing well, thanks to Ty. No signs of infection."

"Okay, good," Lisa said.

"I'm actually thinking of trying a little canine therapy with him."

"Oh?" said Lisa, looking at Amy with interest at this comment.

"Yes," Amy said. "Remi was a great help with that mare-foal pairing we had a few weeks ago. She had a calming effect on the mare. The less we humans interfered, the more Sassy was willing to let the foal approach. The same thing might work for Herring. Remi's a smaller animal than a horse or even a person, so he might not spook so easily in her presence."

"Makes sense," Lisa said with a smile of admiration at Amy's astute observations. "You just keep doing what you do, Amy. I know everything will turn out just fine."

"Thanks, Lisa," Amy said. "You've always had faith in me, right from the start. I don't think I've told you how much that means to me."

"Well, you deserve it, 'Miracle Girl'," Lisa said affectionately. "Okay, I'll let you get back to it. See you later; I'm off to Fairfield."

***

Chapter 4: Let the Dead Bury Their Own Dead

[the-real-tc]

Bad Business Ch. 3 Or Worse

Author's Note: Much to my chagrin, I noticed I forgot to upload this chapter the first time around. Things are about to get bumpy, and I'm sure theories will start flying around, which is all well and good. There are going to be some disturbing events and imagery here and in upcoming chapters, so I'll repeat the "triggering" warning and the "abusive comments will not be tolerated" piece again. Thanks to all the extremely encouraging comments and reviews so far. I'm pleased you're all following along.

To the childless wife he gives a home, and gladdens her heart with children.

- Ps. 113

Chapter 3:

Or Worse

Hudson Times—Online Version

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Hudson Area Residents On Alert Due to Bear Sightings

Nadir Jutley

Fish and Wildlife officials are responding to reports of a bear in Hudson county. An alert was issued after several ranchers caught sight of the animal over the past week. April is typically when bears emerge from hibernation. Residents of Hudson county are being asked to be extra vigilant, especially around dusk and dawn, when bears are most likely to be active.

If you see the bear, contact Fish and Wildlife at 555-625-1540 immediately. Do not approach, and do not provoke the animal.

• Email: nadir_jutley

"Hey, Ty," Amy called softly, "did you see this report about a bear in the area?"

Ty looked up from his reports. "Yeah," he replied. "Scott and I got the alert at the clinic yesterday afternoon."

"Good," Amy said, though she was still pouting, thinking about all the potential areas her country vet husband and his boss could encounter the beast while making their rounds to rural ranch lands. "Be careful out on those calls, okay? You and Scott go to some pretty remote places sometimes..."

Ty smiled in spite of himself. "Now who's being overprotective?"

"Ty," she said, eyeing him sternly, "I'm serious. I—I just don't want anything to happen to you, okay? After Mongolia..."

The last thing Ty wanted at that moment was to rehash falling nearly fatally ill on his first trip to Mongolia, and then being abducted and left for dead the second time—not to mention the near-fatal encounter with one of the poachers on his own home turf.

"Hey, Scott and I are always careful," he said, attempting to reassure her. "He's got his tranquilizer all the time, at the ready. The chances of us encountering that bear are pretty slim. It may even have moved on by now."

"Okay," Amy said, mouth still drawn downwards.

Now who's being overprotective? Ty's gentle rebuke echoed in her mind. She chided herself mentally, knowing her worries were probably unfounded. After all, Ty had not said a word when she departed on Sunday with Georgie to participate in the faux fox hunt event. She had enjoyed every minute of the ride, though she did choose not to vault any of the jumps on the course this time around. If I'm going to ride, I don't have to take unnecessary risks, she reasoned. It would be one line of defense she figured she could bring up if Ty ever did say something negative about her decision to ride during her pregnancy.

Five Days Later...

"Val Stanton is missing," Jack announced as he shut the door behind him.

Lisa looked up from her laptop, her brow instantly creasing. "'Missing'? What do you mean missing?"

"The police are out at Briar Ridge now. I saw them there when I was driving back from my supply run. Something in my gut told me there was something really wrong with that picture, so I stopped in to see what was going on. I got to speak with Jesse, and he says Val went out for a ride late this morning and didn't come back when he expected her to. She was supposed to meet some clients with him at 1:00 p.m., and she never showed. It's of course way past that time now."

"Did you say she went out for a ride late this morning? I had Herring trailered over there yesterday so she could try him out," Lisa said, genuine worry replacing her initial curiosity. "I hope she wasn't thrown and is lying injured somewhere—or worse."

"Right now, no one knows, but Jesse did mention she took Herring," Jack said. "Val unfortunately didn't go out with her cell phone, so they can't track her that way. Chief Parker is going to have his officers combing the areas Jesse said she was known to go when she went for a ride."

"Do they need any help? I mean, we could always saddle up and check where her property meets up with Heartland," Lisa suggested, pre-emptively shutting down her laptop. "She can't have gone too far."

"We could take a look," Jack agreed thoughtfully. "But I hate to say it: I have a bad feeling about this, especially with all those bear sightings lately."

Lisa shook her head once as she stood to face him. "Let's not go down that road yet," she said, putting a hand on his arm. "We should ride out and hope for the best. I'll head out to the jumping pen to let Georgie know where we're going."

"I'll tell Amy and Ty when I get the horses saddled."

Upon hearing that Val was missing, Georgie immediately halted her jumping practice and dismounted from Phoenix. She followed Lisa to the stables and asked to come along for the search, but Jack firmly nixed her request.

"No, you stay put," Jack said in a voice that left no room for discussion. "We don't know why she's missing. This could be a very serious situation, and someone needs to stay in the house with Katie right now."

For a moment Georgie felt a surge of indignation, like she was once again the immature child who was always left out of the action. This time, though, she came to the realisation all on her own what Jack was not verbalizing: He suspected Val could very well be hurt or even dead, and did not want Georgie to be on hand to see those suspicions confirmed.

"You're taking your rifle?" Lisa asked, eyeing the weapon uneasily as Jack climbed up into Buddy's saddle.

With a nod, Jack said gruffly: "We don't know what's out there, Lis. It's just a precaution."

"Right. Of course," Lisa said, and nudged Venus to head out, simultaneously double-checking to make sure she had her cell phone in her jacket pocket.

Daylight hours faded to the point Jack and Lisa knew it was time to return. Searching in darkness would be futile. Reluctantly, they turned the horses back toward the ranch house, having trekked along the property line separating Heartland from Briar Ridge. During that time they spotted nothing resembling either Val or Herring.

"Did you find anything?" Georgie asked anxiously when they eventually made it into the kitchen after seeing to Buddy and Venus' post-ride needs.

"Nothing," Jack said wearily.

"It's definitely a concerning situation," Lisa added. "Herring is a—a very well-behaved, steady horse. And Val is an experienced rider. But I can't help thinking that she could be lying out there somewhere with a broken leg or—"

"If that's the case, someone will find her," Jack interrupted, hoping to swing her thoughts back to a positive mode.

"I hope so."

Despite all their differences over the years, Lisa shuddered interiorly at the notion something horrible could have happened to Val.

"Hey, isn't Herring micro-chipped?" Georgie asked.

"He is," Lisa said, turning to look at the teen. "And I think I know where you're going with this, but those chips aren't designed to be tracked by GPS."

"Oh, right," Georgie said with a defeated pout. "I guess I thought it could be an easy way to locate him."

Lisa pursed her lips, then said: "It was a good thought. It's just too bad that's not how it works. If it were, we would have tracked Herring hours ago—the moment we knew he and Val were missing."

Georgie sighed. "Okay. Too bad. I really hope she's okay, and Herring, of course."

"Me, too."

MISSING PERSONS REPORT

Tuesday, April 16

Hudson Police are seeking public assistance in locating a missing local woman.

Valerie Jane Stanton, 59, was last seen on the morning of Tuesday, April 16 departing her residence of Briar Ridge on horseback and did not return at the scheduled time.

She is described as 5'5", approximately 130 lbs., with blonde hair and blue eyes. She was wearing English-style riding attire and a riding helmet, as pictured.

The horse she was riding is chestnut in colour with one white sock on his right front foreleg.

Stanton's family believes she could be in medical distress due to an undisclosed health issue.

Anyone with information about Stanton's whereabouts are asked to contact Hudson Police immediately at 403-555-7799.

Photo courtesy Stanton family

The sun was just cresting the horizon when Lisa pulled into Fairfield the next morning. She was pleased to see some of her staff already seeing after the never-ending list of duties assigned to them. The smart maroon jerseys with the Fairfield logo that distinguished her staff from visitors or clients brought a smile to her face. It was something her father would never have done, but once Fairfield had started to become more well-known past local circles, adding this touch of professionalism had seemed to be the right move.

Ten minutes later, she had mounted up on Cinders and was cantering out towards her usual morning destination: Lookout Point. The familiar sights and sounds brought a welcome comfort to her troubled mind. Neither she nor Jack had enjoyed a restful night. Thoughts of the missing Val Stanton and the horse she was riding had proven to be a burdensome distraction. With no news on Val's whereabouts this morning, their worry had not abated. Lisa figured with daylight hours now upon them, the police would probably be resuming their search.

Where could Val possibly be? Lisa fretted for the hundredth time. Again, she pushed back the unsettling thought that Val could have fallen from Herring. Who goes off riding without a cell phone these days in case something like this happens?

The still snow-capped Rocky Mountains glowed in the bright, early sunshine. Lisa reined in Cinders and simply sat for a few moments, taking in the awe-inspiring view. No matter how often she took this ride and gazed out at these mountains, they were different, beautiful and new every time. She was about to urge Cinders forward again when a flicker of movement caught the corner of her right eye.

A wild whinny of terror reached Lisa's ears, followed by the fierce pounding of hooves. Cinders reacted by giving a whinny of his own while shaking his head, sensing danger.

Lisa's gaze now fell on a chestnut horse that circled them in confusion and fright. A few ugly, bloody gashes stood out in stark relief on the left hindquarter, flank, and thigh. The saddle and pad were missing.

"Herring!" Lisa cried in recognition. She quickly dismounted. If this was Herring, her missing horse, then where was its rider, Val?

"Herring," Lisa called softly, dread billowing up inside her. The chestnut horse shook his head furiously when Lisa approached. He snorted once then bolted away from her.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Lisa tried to lower her voice, slowing her steps so as not to frighten the horse further. She realised he must be suffering a great deal from his injuries, the cause of which Lisa could not yet determine, but she had a strong suspicion a bear's paws had inflicted the damage. She took a few furtive glances around, but saw no sign of anything of a predatory nature. Besides, the wounds looked as if they had been bleeding for some time.

Where is Val? Lisa wondered again in a panic. If Herring is hurt, Val could be, too...

Lisa cast her eyes down to the grassy ground in search of anything resembling a human form. Her eyes soon fell upon mangled black leather. That must be Val's dressage saddle, Lisa thought, recognizing the shape of the riding gear. It obviously got snagged on something or pulled off. That's why it's lying here. Not far away, Lisa spied a torn saddle pad soiled with dirt and blood. Oh, no. Val could be lying here anywhere. She took a few careful paces forward, keeping close watch on Herring at the same time. The last thing she wanted was for him to be so spooked he took off for a wooded area, or worse, towards the road where he might be hit by some careless driver.

"Val?!" Lisa chanced a shout. "Can you hear me?"

She kept pacing around slowly, keeping her eyes peeled. After about five minutes, Lisa thought she spotted something unusual. About ten paces away, she identified what appeared to be a human-shaped lump, partially obscured in the ankle-high wild grass. Lisa's heart dropped to the pit of her stomach.

"Val?" she called with growing trepidation. She crept closer, then stopped at five paces, having now, even from this distance, seen enough to know getting any nearer would be a bad idea. She pulled out her cell phone and immediately put in a call to the Hudson police department. Val Stanton had indeed fallen from Herring as Lisa had feared, and from what she could see, the other woman would never be getting up again.

At 9:00 a.m. that same morning, Ty's phone buzzed just as he was finishing a quiet breakfast with Amy. "It's Scott," he said, looking at the screen.

"Go ahead," Amy said with a nod, figuring it could be something urgent.

"Hi, Scott," Ty spoke, rising from the table and moving to the living room area of the loft. "Lookout Point? Yeah, I can be there in about twenty minutes... Okay, 'bye."

"Work emergency?" Amy asked with a knowing smile.

"Yeah," Ty said with a frown. "It's weird, though. Scott said the police called him out to Lookout Point. Something about a horse and a crime scene."

"A horse and a crime scene?" Amy gasped, remembering Jack and Lisa's fruitless search the evening before. "Val Stanton and Herring... You don't think this has anything to do with them, do you?"

"Scott didn't say, but I hope not," Ty said, moving quickly to stow his breakfast dishes in the washer. He planted a kiss on his wife's cheek before hurrying into the bathroom to finish cleaning up for his departure.

"See you later," Amy said, catching him for a parting kiss when he emerged. "Love you."

"Love you, too," Ty responded, kissing her again. "Give Lyndy a kiss for me, too, okay?"

"Of course. Now go on; don't be late."

By the time Ty reached Lookout Point, he saw a coroner's van pulling onto the road back towards town. He quickly spotted several police vehicles along with Scott's truck. Two constables stood beside their SUVs, ostensibly there to direct traffic or to encourage nosy onlookers to keep driving past. Ty, unsure of what he should do, pulled to a stop behind Scott's truck. One constable approached and Ty lowered his window expectantly.

"This area has been declared a crime scene; you'll need to continue on," said the young constable, whose nametag identified him as 'Becket'.

"I've been called out here," Ty said. "I'm Dr. Borden. I'm a veterinarian and I work with Dr. Scott Cardinal."

"I.D., please?" Becket asked.

Ty provided his license.

"Okay, stay right here," Becket said after handing back the card. He keyed his radio. "Chief, Dr. Borden has arrived. You're expecting him?"

Chief Parker's deep voice came over the radio, confirming Ty had indeed been summoned and should be permitted to enter the area.

"Follow me," Becket said nodding to Ty. "I'll take you to the spot."

"Thanks," Ty said, growing more uneasy with the entire situation. He stepped out of the truck's cab, vet kit in hand. He followed close on Becket's heels across the uneven grassy terrain, over the rise in the landscape, and down towards a perimeter cordoned off with large orange barriers and yellow crime scene tape.

Within that perimeter Ty could make out a small cluster of uniformed personnel and numbered yellow tags on the turf. He then spotted not one, but two horses outside the perimeter. To his utter surprise, he now saw Lisa was holding the rein of one of those horses.

That's Cinders, he thought, recognizing the dapple grey horse from the time Lisa and Jack had reconciled during an ill-fated trip to Montana. The other horse was being kept away from everyone by Scott for some reason. Now as he neared, Ty could see the horse being minded by Scott was indeed injured.

Ty caught Lisa's eye as he made his way past the perimeter towards his mentor. In that brief exchange, he read in her expression shock and horror. She was speaking with Chief Parker, but he could not make out their conversation. With the presence of the coroner's van he had seen only moments earlier, a new sense of foreboding gripped Ty. He wondered what Lisa was even doing at Lookout Point amidst all these police officers, but then remembered her habit of riding out to this location on most mornings—a habit she had retained even after moving in at Heartland.

"Hey, Ty, thanks for coming," Scott said. The horse he was minding let out a loud snort and kicked at the turf as soon as it spotted Ty.

"Easy, easy," Scott said soothingly.

"Whoa, what's going on with this guy?" Ty asked.

"This is Herring," Scott said of the chestnut horse. "And it looks like he's been attacked by a bear. Lisa thinks he's been out here all last night."

"All last night?" Ty repeated, instantly registering the horse's name and why it sounded familiar. "Scott, Val Stanton was supposed to be riding Herring yesterday. The coroner's van I just saw..."

Bleakly, Scott answered Ty's implied question. "Val's dead, Ty. Lisa found her body."

Ty closed his eyes and exhaled his shock. "Aw, man. That's terrible. Was she thrown, or something?"

Scott shrugged. "I don't know. Chief Parker and his team were already here when I arrived. I didn't get a look at the body. My immediate concern was for Herring. Lisa said he was spooked by Cinders and absolutely would not calm down. Wouldn't even let her approach with Cinders so close. That's why they called me. I've just administered a sedative. It's a small miracle he let me get near enough even for that, because everyone was ready to go with a tranquilizer gun. Anyway, I called you because Herring is Lisa's. She asked for you."

Despite the sedative Scott administered, Ty noted the horse was still skittish. Its eyes roved in an agitated fashion, and it was wary of any movement. This was demonstrated right at that moment when Chief Parker ambled over to the veterinarians. Herring gave a wild cry and stamped a hoof.

"Whoa," Scott said in a gentle tone. The horse managed to settle enough for Parker not to feel threatened.

"Thanks for coming, Ty," the senior officer said. Turning to Scott, he added, "Dr. Cardinal, one of my guys is going to come and take those photos of the wounds on Herring now like we talked about earlier, just in case we need anything for evidence later. Do you think he can keep still enough for that?"

"The sedative should really be taking effect now, but no sudden moves," Scott warned.

"We'll do our best," Parker said, waving over a member of his forensic crime scene team. The young man clutched a large kit stuffed with photography equipment, listened to Parker's instructions about what he needed, and carried on with his task.

"I think the best thing would be to get him trailered to Heartland since it's so nearby," Ty said, while the photographs were being snapped. "And he does belong to Lisa, after all."

"Fine," Parker said with a brisk nod. "Let my guy finish up here, then I'll sign off on that transport."

Ty looked over once more at Lisa, concerned for her state of mind after finding Val. Her body language said it all as she stood rigidly in place, tightly gripping Cinders' rein with her left hand, her riding helmet pressed snugly against her side in the crook of her right arm.

Parker was speaking to her again now, and Ty saw her nod her head a couple times. He rightly assumed it was about the arrangement to bring Herring to Heartland. Ty wondered why she had not yet approached them, but remembered the injured horse's current mental state. Whatever happened out here, this poor horse has been severely traumatized, Ty realised. Everything is spooking him right now.

"I'm finished here," the forensics photographer finally said, and backed away calmly and carefully from the injured animal.

"Thanks," Scott said. Then, turning to Ty, added, "Let's get these wounds cleaned up now. I'm worried about how long they've been left exposed like this. I don't want infection to set in."

"Right," Ty said in agreement. He cast one last glance back at Lisa. She waved a gloved hand before placing her helmet back on her head in preparation to ride Cinders back to Fairfield. He waved back, then set to work with Scott to clean and bandage the wounds on the afflicted horse.

"The police are here with the trailer," Jack announced as he peered out the kitchen window.

Lisa set down her mug of tea. "Thanks," she murmured, still dressed in her riding attire. She had immediately driven back from Fairfield after depositing Cinders and had arrived at Heartland only minutes earlier.

Jack watched things unfold from the porch. Lisa, Ty, and Amy gathered at the trailer and they spoke with a pair of constables. He watched Lisa sign some sort of official paperwork.

With that piece of business taken care of, Ty and Amy began the task of offloading Herring. Lisa said something to them Jack could not determine, but seemed to him to be words of encouragement. The constables departed, their job having been completed.

"Scott administered a sedative on site," Ty said to Amy, as he slowly guided the animal towards the stables. "Herring was really agitated from the pain and the trauma of the attack, we think."

"Poor guy," Amy said.

"It's a miracle he was able to get close enough for that," Ty repeated what his mentor said at Lookout Point. "Scott mentioned they were almost ready to use the tranquilizer. We cleaned up the wounds as best we could out there, but we still need to watch for signs of infection."

Amy nodded in understanding.

"What comes next, now that he's here?" Lisa asked.

"I can deal with the physical side; we're all hoping you can cope with his behavior, Amy," Ty answered as they entered the barn. "He's terrified of everything right now. You'll see once the sedation wears off."

"No wonder," Amy said, noting the bandages Ty and Scott had applied to the left flank, hindquarter, and thigh. "After what he's been through, he's going to need a lot of help."

"I'm game if you are, babe," Ty said with a smile.

"I most certainly am, Dr. Borden," Amy replied, stretching up to kiss him.

Lisa smiled at the sight. "I'll let you two get to it," she said, sending them a wink as she parted company, confident her horse was in the right hands.

Despite knowing Herring would most likely make a full recovery under Ty and Amy's expert care, Lisa's face was grim when she was once again inside the kitchen.

"How bad is it?" Jack ventured to ask, immediately noticing her gloomy expression.

Lisa sat down at the table before giving an answer. She took a sip from her mug, but the tea had grown tepid in her absence and failed to help ward off a chill she was suddenly experiencing.

"The bear got some pretty good swipes in," Lisa finally responded, a slight tremor passing through her frame at the memory of seeing the extent of Herring's injuries. "Some of those claw marks are pretty deep. But that's not the only concern. He's been really traumatised psychologically by the attack. Right now he is sedated; Amy is hoping to work with him later."

Jack observed her with concern. "Are you okay?"

"I will be," she said, looking up at his face and reading there a combination of love and worry. "I'm much more upset about Val. When I saw her lying there, facedown, I just knew. It was awful, Jack."

"I'm so sorry you had to find her like that, Lis," Jack said, gently placing his hand over hers.

"I can't imagine what could have happened. From what I was able to see, her jacket... her jacket was bloodstained. Do you think the bear—"

"I really don't know," Jack interjected quickly, wanting to divert his wife's line of thinking. "No use dwelling on it until the police finish their investigation."

"You knew her longer than I did," Lisa stated carefully. "You were the friend she leaned on when she was going through her cancer battles."

"Right," Jack said slowly with a nod of agreement.

"She had feelings for you, Jack," Lisa added. "You know she did; I won't pretend I didn't notice. Years back she let me know in no uncertain terms she was keeping you in her life, despite knowing we were a serious item."

"Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?" asked Jack, surprised the conversation had swayed in this direction.

Lisa exhaled. "I don't really know. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around everything, I guess. What I'm trying to say is, despite Val not being my favourite person on the planet, I certainly never wanted her dead, and certainly not like that."

"Come here," Jack said, opening his arms. Lisa got up from her seat and slid onto Jack's lap. He encircled her in a tight embrace, nuzzling the side of her head. The earlier chill that had descended upon her melted away with the warmth of his body so close to hers.

"Mmm..." murmured Lisa. "Thank you. I needed this hug."

"You're welcome," Jack whispered.

Hudson Times—Print Version

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Briar Ridge Owner Found Dead

Nadir Jutley

Prominent Hudson businesswoman Valerie Stanton was found dead early Tuesday morning. Stanton had earlier been reported missing by her son, Jesse Stanton. He told this reporter he advised authorities his mother had been out horseback riding on Monday and had not returned by the appointed time. He immediately reported this absence, as he was particularly concerned for her well-being due to an undisclosed health issue.

This reporter learned local veterinarians, Drs. Cardinal and Borden were called to Lookout Point and an injured horse was removed from the scene for treatment.

Chief of Hudson Police James Parker has issued the following statement:

"At approximately 7:15 a.m. on Tuesday morning, the body of Ms. Valerie Stanton of Briar Ridge Stables was discovered by a Hudson resident out on a horseback ride up at Lookout Point. Ms. Stanton had evidently fallen from her mount. Our preliminary examination shows that any injuries suffered in that fall did not ultimately contribute to her death. At this time, we cannot comment on the precise cause of death except to say we believe Ms. Stanton did not die from natural causes.

"We would also like to issue another warning to the public about the bear that has been seen around Hudson. There is evidence the horse Ms. Stanton was riding came into close contact with that animal and suffered some injuries as a result."

Chief Parker said he would make more details public as they became available.

Briar Ridge staff and neighbours reacted with sadness and shock at the news.

Stanton was the owner of Briar Ridge Stables, a world-class showjumping training facility. She was predeceased by her husband, Alexander Stanton, in 2004; she is survived by two adult children, Jesse and Ashley.

• Email: nadir_jutley

"I still can't believe Val is dead," Georgie said, staring blankly. "We just saw her at the faux fox hunt last week."

"It's crazy," Lou uttered in agreement. "I don't get it. What on earth could have happened? And this part about 'Ms. Stanton did not die from natural causes'. What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means whatever happened to her wasn't natural, and it wasn't an accident," Tim spoke up. He made a slashing motion across his neck.

"Dad!" Lou cried in dismay, staring at him in shock at his crude gesture.

"What? That's exactly what it means," he said in his defense. "Someone or some thing killed Val. But I'll wager this is a case of foul play."

Lou glared at her father. "You didn't have to be so—so graphic about it."

Tim was about to give some smart retort, but was stalled when Georgie spoke up.

"I rode for her... And I did a school project on Briar Ridge," murmured the teen, voice toneless. "I learned so much from her, even if I didn't agree with her business model. She wasn't the easiest person to deal with, you know? She could be so demanding and so mean sometimes, but I-I don't know how anyone could want to hurt her."

"Hey, come here," Lou said softly, beckoning her daughter for a hug, which the girl quickly accepted. "Don't worry yourself about it, honey."

"Make no mistake: someone did her in. And all I have to say is the cops better catch the person responsible," Tim remarked. "Last thing we need is a killer on the loose in Hudson."

The man's phone buzzed.

"Speak," he said, upon accepting the call.

"They found the body."

"I know. It's being blasted in the local paper."

"Hmph. My client wasn't expecting her to be found for another few days."

"Not my problem."

"You're sure no one saw you out there?"

"I was long gone before the body was discovered. No one saw me. You can take that to the bank."

"Okay, fine. My client just wants to be sure."

"Tell your 'client' I did what I was paid to do. I don't control what happens afterwards. If he was so concerned about when or how someone eventually stumbled upon that woman's corpse, he should have added 'disposal' to the list of duties."

"You do that, too?"

"If my price is met."

"Good to know. I'll keep that in mind."

Hudson Times — Print Version

Thursday, April 18

Cause of Death Released

Nadir Jutley

At a press conference yesterday, Hudson Police Chief James Parker announced a stunning development in the death of prominent Hudsonite Valerie Stanton.

"The coroner has determined that Ms. Stanton's death was the result of a single gunshot wound," Parker revealed. "We have no suspects at this time, but we are asking for the public's help in this matter. Sometime on the morning of the 15th, Ms. Stanton was out on horseback at Lookout Point near Highway 23. We are asking for any hunters, hikers, or motorists in the vicinity at the time to please come forward with any information."

When asked by this reporter, Chief Parker admitted they are treating the death as "suspicious", but ultimately stated the shooting could be accidental in nature.

"The fact that we've had several bear sightings and the fact the horse Ms. Stanton was riding was attacked by a bear is reason enough to believe someone might have been aiming for one of those predators. The possibility certainly exists Ms. Stanton could have been struck by a stray bullet. This is why it is crucial we speak to anyone who might have been out hunting in the area on Monday, the 15th."

Alberta Fish and Wildlife had previously issued a warning about a bear in Hudson county, and they repeated that warning today. If spotted, residents are asked to call 555-625-1540. Do not approach the animal in any circumstance.

Valerie Stanton was the owner and operator of the renowned Briar Ridge Stables. She was also a member of the Hudson Chamber of Commerce, and was the recipient of the Hudson Businesswoman of the Year award in 2006. She is survived by her two adult children, Jesse and Ashley.

The funeral for Stanton will be held on Tuesday, April 23 at the Hudson Funeral Home at 1:00 p.m.; a private burial will take place at the Highwood Cemetery.

• Email: nadir_jutley

The atmosphere around the dinner table felt quieter and more sombre than usual that Good Friday evening with just Jack, Lisa, and Georgie sharing a meal. Katie was off to spend the Easter long weekend and an extended spring break in Vancouver with Peter. Lou had departed for New York to deal with her Maggie's franchise business, and would be gone for the next month or so. Surprisingly, Tim was spending a rare evening at Big River for his evening meal. Lisa had extended an invitation to Ty and Amy to come by; the couple had declined.

Jack was feeling the weight of the uncommon silence. He reflected on how much a lively dinner hour had become the norm over the past several years.

It was such a contrast to the time immediately following Lyndy's death when dinners tended to be low-key affairs. Back then, it would be a setting for four: Marion, himself, Lou and Amy. Even then, sometimes he would be eating alone if he had been out dealing with the herd. At other times, he would be eating with just Amy and Lou if their mother was looking after a particularly difficult client horse. Then Scott entered the picture for a few years when Marion sponsored him. Soon after, both the former juvenile delinquent and Lou left Heartland to spread their wings and pursue higher education and careers, bringing the number of those at the dining table down to a paltry three.

Jack's thoughts drifted to Amy and Ty's newest patient. From what Lisa reported upon Herring's return from his fateful ride with Val up to Lookout Point, Jack knew the horse suffered some trauma due to the bear's attack, not unlike what Bear the horse had suffered a few years in the past. A shiver ran down his spine at the thought of Val's body lying on the ground next to Herring as the ravenous predator approached. He swiped a hand across his face, hoping to blot out the images his troubled imagination conjured.

"You all right?" asked Lisa, upon seeing this action.

"Fine," he replied, suddenly self-conscious.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, Jack," Georgie added. "You seemed really out of it for a few minutes."

"I am fine, both of you," Jack insisted, trying to ignore Georgie's unsolicited observation. "Not particularly happy, mind you. After all, I've just lost a friend and neighbour, and nobody seems to know what the heck happened to her, but I'm fine."

"Okay, honey," Lisa said placatingly.

Figuring now was as good a time as any to bring up the subject, Jack said, "I don't mean to sound like a worry-wort, but it would give me a great deal of peace of mind if you skipped your usual morning rides out to Lookout Point for the next little while, Lis."

"Oh, I have no intention of going out there anytime soon, believe me," Lisa said with a shudder. "Not after..."

She let her words die on her lips. No, after finding Val's body, Lookout Point would be crossed off her list of riding destinations for the foreseeable future.

"Good," Jack grunted in relief and approval.

They all turned their attention back to the food on their plates, any further conversation having dried up completely. Mention of Lookout Point and the knowledge of what happened to Val ensured no one would be in the mood to say much of anything else.

Easter Monday

"How's Herring doing this morning?" Lisa asked Amy as she walked inside the barn.

"Physically, better. Mentally, not so much," Amy replied with a slight frown. "He still won't go near any of the other horses when I try to turn him out in the paddock. I'm afraid he thinks any large animal is a threat. But like I said, his physical wounds are healing well, thanks to Ty. No signs of infection."

"Okay, good," Lisa said.

"I'm actually thinking of trying a little canine therapy with him."

"Oh?" said Lisa, looking at Amy with interest at this comment.

"Yes," Amy said. "Remi was a great help with that mare-foal pairing we had a few weeks ago. She had a calming effect on the mare. The less we humans interfered, the more Sassy was willing to let the foal approach. The same thing might work for Herring. Remi's a smaller animal than a horse or even a person, so he might not spook so easily in her presence."

"Makes sense," Lisa said with a smile of admiration at Amy's astute observations. "You just keep doing what you do, Amy. I know everything will turn out just fine."

"Thanks, Lisa," Amy said. "You've always had faith in me, right from the start. I don't think I've told you how much that means to me."

"Well, you deserve it, 'Miracle Girl'," Lisa said affectionately. "Okay, I'll let you get back to it. See you later; I'm off to Fairfield."

*** Chapter 4: Let the Dead Bury Their Own Dead