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“Are you sure your mount’s good enough?”
“Oh, he’s good enough, all right. Demon is as fast as they come. As is Baker, who’s riding for me. Without Stoddard for competition, we’ll win by a dozen lengths.”
“Then we’ve got to bring Stoddard around.”
“Indeed. I don’t think it will be a difficult task. To begin with, Archer and Parrish will have no trouble finding him for their little talk. Stoddard practices at Epsom daily, accompanied by Tyreham and Brackley. Tomorrow Raggert will be joining them as well, supposedly to provide last-minute suggestions.”
“Supposedly,” Coop repeated. “I take it you want him there for another reason.”
“I certainly do. Tomorrow is the final day of Stoddard’s test trials. The Epsom meeting begins on the twenty-fifth, which will preclude further practices. Thus, tomorrow is also the day for Archer and Parrish to pose their business arrangement to Stoddard. And I want Raggert to overhear the outcome of that chat.”
“What if the outcome isn’t to our liking?”
“Should that happen—and I don’t believe it will—I’ve made provisions to ensure the race anyway.”
“Yeah? How?”
“That’s my concern, not yours.”
Coop’s mouth thinned into a menacing line. “Getting paid is my concern.”
“You’ll get paid, Cooper,” Lanston assured him. “We’ll all get our long-awaited money.” Pensively, he smoothed his neck cloth. “Now, to continue: I intend to be in the stands at Epsom tomorrow morning to keep Tyreham occupied. Instruct Archer and Parrish that they’re to waylay Stoddard during that time. Tell them to make the offer attractive and the alternative terrifying. My guess is, the lad will be an easy target. He might love his work, but he’s poor, he’s naive, and he’s alone. With the right incentive and the appropriate threat, he should give us no trouble.”
“That’s what you said about Aldridge.”
Lanston bristled. “Aldridge was an entirely different matter. He’s an established jockey, perhaps the finest one on the turf. He was seasoned, financially secure, and disgustingly ethical. Tact was what was needed to sway him, something you and your lowlifes lack. I should have handled that one myself.”
“Really?” Coop bit out. “How? By marching into the paddock and announcing you’re running this whole scheme? By telling everyone you’d have been bankrupt if you hadn’t recouped your losses from this illegal operation? Now that would have given you high marks at the Jockey Club.”
“Shut up, Cooper.” Beads of perspiration dotted Lanston’s brow. “I may be a thief, but at least I’m not a killer.”
“No?” Coop inquired in a low, taunting voice. “Funny, I thought that was what you meant to do to Aldridge when you got your hands on him.”
“Damn you.” The earl took out a handkerchief and dabbed at his forehead. “If you hadn’t murdered Redley, I’d never have to—”
“If I hadn’t murdered Redley, he’d have blackmailed us out of every pound we earned or turned us over to the magistrate,” Coop snarled. “So shut your bloody aristocratic mouth. I did what had to be done and took care of the whole thing without dirtying your noble hands. The entire procedure will repeat itself when we find Aldridge—this time with your blessing. So let’s stop playing games, Lanston. Just do what you do best—issue the orders, let me carry them out, then pay me.”
“If the process is that simple, why haven’t your men found even a clue as to Aldridge’s whereabouts?”
“Because you wanted the cheap way out. Because, as you well know, Archer and Parrish are brainless fools, useful only for browbeating terrified jockeys. Let me handle the job alone. I cost a lot more, but I’ll get it done—fast.”
Lanston wet his lips. “How much and how long?”
“Twice what you’re paying them, plus the cut I usually get for being the middleman. Give me a week once we’re done at Epsom. Not only will I find Aldridge, I’ll eliminate him.” A scathing laugh. “And you’ll never have to hear the details or feel guilty when you go to church.”
“All right. Do it.” Lanston dragged a shaking arm across his brow. “But I can’t stop wondering—what if Aldridge didn’t hear us talking at Newmarket? What if he has no idea you killed Redley? What if we’re murdering the man for nothing?”
Coop spat at the ground. “We’ve been over this a dozen times, Lanston. I don’t know if Aldridge heard us or not, but he sure as hell saw us. And that’s enough to make him one big walking risk.”
“If he knew something, wouldn’t he have gone to the authorities by now?”
“Maybe. Maybe not. It depends on how scared he is. It’s a hell of a lot easier to disappear than to die.”
“But he didn’t disappear, at least not immediately.”
“He was probably hoping we hadn’t noticed him
that day at Newmarket. Even when Archer and Parrish started pressuring him into throwing races, he most likely prayed he was only another jockey on our list, instead of a potential obstacle whose loyalties we were testing. But once Parrish painted that death threat on the stall, he knew we were after him. He panicked and bolted.”
