Black Diamond Read Free

obstacle was suppressing judgment of this jockey that I saw crowding Danny dangerously close to the rail when he fell.
    â€œThey must have a reason. What do the pictures show, the stewards’ videos of the race?”
    â€œWe were tight together just after the eighth pole. Danny was inside on the rail. My horse bore in. I switched the whip to my left hand, the hand between us. I wanted to haze my horse toward the outside away from Danny without breaking stride. That was when Danny tumbled. I never touched him. The films don’t show I did. But they don’t show I didn’t either. They just show the whip in my left hand.”
    I had to sit down to get some order to the thoughts that were flowing too fast to process.
    Danny is gone. That’s number one. Hard on that one, I had to decide if I could possibly find the commitment to represent the man who was charged with killing him.
    A far third were all the more mundane points screaming for attention, like how did Danny’s death that morning result in an indictment so fast? And why was the grand jury interested anyway? Rough riding, even an occasional assault between jockeys, is handled by the track stewards, or the racing commission in an extreme case.
    And constantly hovering over my private mental din was the picture of Danny, with his wife, Colleen, just three years married, and the two-year-old bright light of his life, Erin, who would also have to endure that stinging absence for the rest of their lives.
    I became aware that Hector was speaking, and I had to reach a decision.
    â€œâ€”because I can give you $10,000 right now.”
    He laid an envelope on my desk. I was focused on other things.
    â€œI was at the track yesterday, Hector. I saw Danny fall. It was—unnatural. Like he just lost control of his arms and legs. I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt for the moment. Assuming it wasn’t contact with you, what else could have caused it?”
    Hector sat back in the chair, still rigid, but his silence and body language spoke of stalling.
    â€œThat’s a question, Hector. I haven’t taken your case yet. I want an answer. You were the closest to it. What’s your explanation?”
    â€œI don’t want to say anything about Danny. This shouldn’t come from me.”
    â€œReally. Then who else? I’ll be straight with you, Hector. You know Danny and I were close. Like brothers. I need a reason to take this case. It’s only fair to you too. What caused Danny to lose control in the middle of a race?”
    I could sense that I was going to get minimal information from this source. Hector’s stalling was tipping the balance to the side of all those nerve fibers that were screaming, “Stay the hell away from this.”
    He finally broke the silence.
    â€œThere was some talk around the jockeys’ room, Mr. Knight. Like maybe Danny was back into some heavy stuff before the race.”
    â€œWhat stuff? You mean drugs?”
    Hector held up his hands.
    â€œIt was probably just talk, Mr. Knight. I didn’t know Danny that well. The Latinos tend to hang together. Mind our own business.But there was a buzz around the other part of the jockeys’ room yesterday about Danny. I could just pick up traces. It was a big race for him. Coming back. You know. He seemed—”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œJumpy. Maybe he took something that caused a seizure. I only know it had nothing to do with me.”
    â€œDid you ever see him take anything?”
    â€œI didn’t pay that much attention. Like I said, the Latinos were at one end of the jockeys’ room. He was at the other.”
    This was getting complicated. If we took the case, we might have to bring out ugly things about Danny to save a client. On the other hand, I brought my own answer to that question right out of my gut. Danny had cleaned up his act. He would not have taken even a diet pill before that race. My certainty was