Puss 'N Cahoots

way.”
    “He sure was smart enough to hide it.” Harry lowered her voice.
    Everyone in the barn was at late lunch or taking a siesta before the madness of the final night, but still, she half-whispered.
    Joan’s tone was definitive. “I ask myself what could Jorge do that someone else couldn’t.”
    “And?”
    “He could go back and forth to Mexico. He had his green card. He could speak to people on the phone from Mexico or Arizona or wherever. He was learning a lot from Manuel, he was becoming a good horseman, but that’s not special enough. This has to do with his background.”
    “You’re right.” A lightbulb turned on in Harry’s head, although the wattage was still pitifully low. “INS.”
    “Or against them.”
    “What do you mean, Joan?”
    “I mean, what if he was bringing people here?”
    “I considered that, but wouldn’t he have been off the farm more? How could he do that? Did he go back to Mexico a lot?”
    “Christmas, but he could leave in the middle of the night. Larry and I wouldn’t know. We’re down at the end of the road, and Mom and Dad wouldn’t know. Their bedroom doesn’t face the farm road. It’s possible.”
    “Did he have a cell phone?”
    “No one can find it. He had one. I saw it enough times.”
    “Ah. Well, now what?” Harry reached up to scratch Mrs. Murphy’s ears.
    “I don’t know.”
    “Larry still showing tonight?”
    “Yes. I’m nervous, but he said we have to go on. We owe it to Shelbyville. They’ve been good to all Saddlebred people.”
    “Joan, you don’t think all this is some kind of effort to destroy the show?”
    “No. Every county has their date. Hurting Shelbyville would only hurt them. People use those shows to prepare for this one and for Louisville.”
    “What if a county wanted to get as fancy as Shelbyville?”
    “Sure brings in the horsemen’s dollars, and the tourists, too. Nothing to stop county commissioners from building up a show, a fairgrounds. The trick is getting the residents to pay for it via taxes, but, hey, the fairgrounds here are used nearly every week of the year. It generates revenue and pays for itself. That’s a long-winded answer, but there’s no gain for anyone to hurt this show.”
    “What about the animal-rights nuts? They like to stir up trouble and they don’t mind twisting the facts.”
    “They’d go right after us straight up. This isn’t direct. They’d take public credit for the disruption.” Joan, always three steps ahead, had considered that. “We aren’t abusive.” She paused. “Not that that matters.”
    “Weird, isn’t it? No one loves animals more than you and me, and now there are people actually saying we shouldn’t domesticate them. Hell, they’ve domesticated us. Well, I’m off the track and I’m sorry. It’s been pretty intense here.”
    “You saw the explosion?”
    “Heard it and ran right out. If Ward, Benny, or horses had been there, they’d be in pieces all over the parking lot. It was by the grace of God that Benny left the van once he cranked it to warm up. He walked over to Charly’s barn to talk to Carlos.”
    “Whoever did this wanted them dead just like Jorge.”
    “Connected?” Harry thought so.
    “I believe it is, but I don’t know why. Something to do with the illegal workers. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
    “I think about illegal workers, but Ward works like a slave. It’s only himself and Benny. If he were part of some kind of smuggling ring, wouldn’t he have help at his own barn? He could afford grooms. Maybe he’s getting close to whoever did kill Jorge.”
    “That’s what I’ve come to think, but…” She took a while. “I don’t know. I don’t think I’ll relax until the five-gaited class is over, and Larry, Manuel, the boys, and the horses are back at Kalarama. Harry, I’m not sure I want to know.”
    “You do.”
    “Well, then I don’t want anyone else to know I know except you, of course.”
    “One other thing.” Harry scrupulously did not spill the beans about Renata leaving, but she did say, “Renata gave me Shortro.”
    “She did!”
    “She’s grateful I found Queen Esther. She promised to help me with my wine if it turns out potable. ’Course, that’s three years down the road. Guess she wanted to do something now.”
    “How good of her. He’s a great guy. The Shortros of the world should be gold-plated. That wonderful mind.”
    “You’ll lose a boarder. Sorry.”
    Joan laughed. “He