Give First Place to Murder Read Free

for a nervous breakdown. Where was Pat? Where were the police? I took a quick look at the feed room door. The bolt was still in place. No one had tried to go in, but that wouldn’t last much longer. Where was Dan?
    Chovalo appeared in the doorway, nodded to me gravely, picked up a brush, and started to go over the mare with it.
    “ She looks pretty good.” Irma’s voice, directly behind me, almost sent me to the ceiling. “What do you think, Chovalo?” she went on. “Does she have a chance to win?” Irma gave me a quizzical look, but her attention was on the horse.
    “ She probably will not win, but I think she will receive a ribbon,” was the answer. “Bryce will get all she has to give.” Chovalo looked past Irma and studied me for a moment. I leaned against the door jam, trying to appear nonchalant. He looked a little puzzled, but said nothing. Instead, he started to gently rub oil into the horse’s soft muzzle and over her eyelids, letting the black skin show through. I watched him, thinking that, from his tone of voice, he wasn’t a member of Bryce’s fan club.
    “ There,” he said. “She needs only the final brushing before she goes into the ring.” He looked over at Susannah. “Now we will give the rest of the horses a little lunch and make sure that they have water. Rusty should be doing this, but as he is not here...” He let the statement hang in the air. Susannah took it up immediately.
    “ Shall I do hay while you do water?”
    Chovalo smiled for the first time I had seen, although it was hard to tell under that abundant mustache, and nodded to her. She headed for the feed room door. I flung myself in front of it.
    “ You can’t go in there,” I gulped.
    “ Why not? Come one, Mom. We don’t have much time.” She tried to push past me.
    “ No.” This time I almost screamed it.
    “ Ellen. What on earth is the matter with you?” Irma’s voice was full of surprise, and a little irritation. “Please move. I’ll help too.”
    I stood my ground, trying frantically to figure out how not to tell them what was in the room until the police arrived.
    “ Mom?” Susannah was staring at me, her eyes questioning, wondering if she should be alarmed.
    Chovalo hadn’t said a thing, but there was a stillness building around him as he watched.
    I gave up. “You can’t go in because Rusty’s in there,” I told them.
    “ Is that all!” said Susannah, relief evident. “Let me at him. I’ve been dying to get my hands on that lazy little no good.”
    I winced at this unfortunate choice of words and plowed on. “He’s dead. The police are on their way.”
    “ Dead?” Susannah said.
    “ Dead!” Irma echoed.
    “ The police?” said Chovalo.
    I nodded.
    “ But...” started Susannah. She had reached for the bolt holding the feed room door closed. She abruptly snatched her hand back.
    “ How...?” interrupted Irma. She stared from me to the door, then back to me.
    Chovalo seemed to melt back into the stall beside the mare. I was sure he picked up a bucket and put something into it, but I was distracted by the sound of a car coming fast down the barn aisle, a squeal of brakes, the slam of a door. Dan Dunham. The Marines had landed.
    Dan paused, stared at each of us in turn, reserving the longest stare for me, then walked toward us. He was followed by Pat, who climbed out of the passenger seat.
    “ Ellen’s there, guarding the door,” she said.
    “ I can see that,” Dan replied.
    I had started to smile with relief at the sight of him, but could feel it fade. He looked downright unfriendly, and I had no idea why.
    “ I understand that you have a body.” Dan’s syntax made me give a little nervous laugh.
    “ Most people do.” The words were out before I could stop them, and instantly I knew it was a mistake. Dan was in no mood for grammar, and even less for nervous jokes. Everything about him bristled, even his neat little mustache. Sure were a lot of mustaches around here today, I