Covert Reich by A. K. Alexander Read Free Book Online Page A

not like about racing. He’d recently fired one of the best jockeys to come through his stable for drug use.
    Addiction .It would have been so easy for Kelly to piece all of this together if Lupe Salazar had been addicted to something. Kelly could treat addiction. She would know exactly what she was dealing with and how to handle it.
    She needed to figure out the missing pieces. But as the emotions of the day finally caught up with her, she began to shut down. As she listened to the announcer and pounding hooves on the TV, she dozed off. Tomorrow she would see what she could figure out. She would do what she always did when she needed answers—make an early morning visit to the L.A. Equestrian Center, and, if time permitted, take Sydney out for a short trail ride before work. Syd had a way of helping her see things in a different light. Now it was time for sleep.

 
     
    CHAPTER THIRTEEN
    Kelly locked the house up behind her and stepped into her Land Rover. She’d fed Stevie T and left a light on in the entry and kitchen since she planned to return late. Her shift would start at nine and go for 12 hours. Leaving at 6:00am would give her enough time to visit her horse, and maybe get some perspective out on the trail.
    Thirty minutes later, the rich scent of earth, dew, and freshly cut hay hit her as she opened the car door. Nickers and whinnies echoed across the grounds from the equestrian center. It was breakfast time and the horses were definitely ready to eat. She knew her timing wasn’t great, but it was either today or wait for the weekend.
    Kelly let out a low whistle as she walked down the barn aisle. A big bay mare popped her head out and turned to face her. Sydney nickered a gentle hello. Kelly smiled. “I’m happy to see you, too.” In fact, she was more than happy…she was relieved. Tears welled in her eyes. She was exhausted and reeling from Jake’s horrible death. This was the only place she could come and find peace, even if only for a short while.
    “Hey big girl.”Kelly slid a hand down Syd’s face. She reached in her pocket and brought out the apple slices she’d prepped at home. Syd took it eagerly. “I hope this makes you feel a bit better about being late for breakfast.” Kelly knew it wasn’t kosher to take Sydney off her feed schedule, but she’d only be an hour behind by the time she was finished with her.
    She took Syd out, put her in the cross-ties, and quickly groomed her. After tacking the mare up and putting on her helmet and gloves, Kelly led her out to the mounting block and got on. A few minutes later, she and Syd were walking at a leisurely pace on one of the back trails behind the equestrian center. Tree branches reached across the wide path, leaves blowing gently in the slight breeze. The sun shone strong overhead with only a puff of cloud here and there, dotting the powder blue sky. For the first time in 24 hours, Kelly felt like she could breathe again. And, more importantly, think.
    In the 30 minutes it took her to arrive back at the center, Kelly had analyzed her situation multiple times. She needed to get a hold of the charts on the two other women who died like Lupe Salazar. Unfortunately, Jake had been her primary connection in the morgue. She didn’t know the other pathologists well, and she’d been out the days those two young women came in. She wished Dr. Pearson was around. He was a far more amicable man to deal with than Pierce Brightman. But Brightman had been OBGYN on both Lupe Salazar’s case and one of the other young women. Amicable or not, Kelly knew she needed to have a chat with him. Would he have the same strange reaction Jake had with her? What if something happened to Brightman, or her, as a result? Paranoia was beginning to get the best of her.
    And then there was Jake.
    Kelly played her conversation with Jake over and over in her mind. She thought about Lupe Salazar and Baby S. and what the reports detailed. She would need to see if the other women