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The units had handled many truly unique cases The sad deed his own life and created a lifesaving enterprise--just didn’t sound like the kind of puzzle that desperately needed to be solved

He shook his head, baffled "I needwith a unit As you’re well aware, awhat he shouldn’t because he’s ed to have a conversation with soo in easily? Yes The Horse Faro in as myself because I do have friends in the area But, God knows, that could be easy Enough people in law enforcement crack--that’s a plausible reason But I don’t understand how this even came to your attention"

"My cousin called me, Blake," Malachi Gordon said "She works at the Horse Farm and she’s convinced that Marcus Danby was murdered"

Great Someone’s relative was upset

Still

It was an invitation to get a foot in the door with Jackson Crow and one of his Krewe units

But if he was stepping in just because someone’s relative couldn’t accept the harsh fact that even the strongest person sometimes failed

That wouldn’t bode so well

"Why?" he asked Malachi "Why is your cousin convinced that Marcus Danby ent Blake, Marcus Danby told her that he was et this horse-assisted therapy," Joey Walters told Olivia as they walked around inside the pasture "Unless," he said, flashing her a belligerent glance, "it’s because our--" He hesitated a ue But he didn’t have folks anyuardians think we’re as stupid as horses and that they’ll so the du, before she looked back at Joey "Whatever lad to be working They’d all taken a few days off for Marcus’s funeral, but now they were back

And she was especially glad to be working because herthe autopsy reports

"They’re not smart--they’ll eat themselves to death if you let theenda," she said "They have their boundaries, just as we have ours And for your information, Mr Walters, horse therapy works well for those who tend to intellectualize everything You can’t bully a horse A horse can learn to trust you, but he or she requires you to be trustworthy, as well"

As if to emphasize her words, Trickster, the twenty-year-old ed him in the back

"Hey!" Joey said But he turned and looked at Trickster Theback at Joey

It was a si in Joey’s expression and the s her it was all a bunch of bull, but he already cared about Trickster and it was only their second ti attention to her," Olivia said "You brought her out here and then paid no attention to her She wants to be noticed She wants you to reht her out here"

"Yes, but you brushed her and talked to her and started walking with her She wants your attention"

"You taught h horses, as well Most of the time, a horse ant to be in control Isn’t that what you said? Not to let the horse push you around She just shovedelse to learn, Joey," Olivia told hiet soive her affection Life is like that, Joey You can love people--but you can hts and opinions, as well"

Joey’s smile deepened He stroked the horse’s cream-colored neck, and Trickster clearly enjoyed his touch

But then Joey stepped away "I’ll get attached to her--and then have to leave her, too," he said "I’ll be alone again, like after my parents died"

"Your parents would never have left you on purpose, Joey And Trickster won’t leave You’ll move on, but you can always come back and see her"

"Everybody leaves," he said sharply

Joey had been sent to the Horse Farm because his parents were both killed in an auto, unco out An athlete, he’d never been into drinking or drugs

That had changed

After his uncle had picked hiun to look for help Joey was enrolled at Parsonage House about ten miles from the Horse Farm The facility offered horse therapy to their "students"

"Joey, I’ic and unjust But like I said, you have to realize that they didn’t desert you, they loved you"

"It’s not fair!"

"No Life isn’t fair," she said quietly "We learn to cope with it the best we can" She paused and walked over to stroke Trickster’s forelock "Look at Trickster, for example She was a racehorse once upon a tireatness Then a jockey whipped her into frenzy and she broke a leg--and she orthless to the rateful for the races she’d won and theher euthanized But--"

Her voice broke, which surprised her She believed she’d accepted that Marcus was dead She hadn’t "seen" him since his death, and she and the rest of the e forith the work Marcus had deemed so important