Page 90 of The Jealous Girl

‘So that makes him the most valuable.’

‘And the foals too,’ Ben confirmed with a nod.

I leaned closer. ‘Then wouldn’t Martin want to sign those sales himself?’

‘Yes.’ Ben’s jaw tightened. ‘Unless…’ He paused.

‘Unless there’s a reason he didn’t want his name on the sales?’ I finished for him as a chill ran through me.

‘Special feed,’ Ben said suddenly.

I blinked. ‘What?’

‘Atlas had a dry patch a couple of years ago,’ he said. ‘Foals stopped coming. Income dropped. They changed vets, brought Harcourt in. He changed Atlas’s diet, gave him supplements, the works.’

‘Yeah, I remember Ryan adding something to his feed.’

‘This foal.’ Ben tapped the screen. ‘It’s the first one after those changes.’

‘Okay…’ I said and then it clicked. ‘And that’s the first sale with my signature.’

Ben met my gaze. ‘Yeah.’

We stared at each other, the weight of what we were thinking heavy and unsettling.

‘Why would they need my name on it?’

Ben ran his hand across his face. ‘If something isn’t right, the last thing you want is for it to be traced back to you.’

My stomach twisted.

‘So, you make sure it’s traced back to someone else,’ I said slowly. ‘Someone expendable. Someone who doesn’t even know they are involved.’

My phone vibrated on the table as it played an upbeat tune. I froze. It hadn’t played that tune in days.

‘Generally, when it makes a noise, it means you need to answer it,’ Ben teased.

‘It’s Ryan,’ I said, my gaze not leaving the name displayed on the screen.

‘I thought you said you guys weren’t in contact.’

‘We aren’t.’

‘I guess he changed his mind…?’

I arched an eyebrow. Usually, I’d be excited to hear from Ryan. But today…

‘Hello?’ I said tentatively.

Silence.

‘Kirsty?’ Ryan’s voice sounded strained.

Something tightened in my chest. ‘What’s wrong?’

Another pause.

‘Charlotte’s dead.’