Santa Clawed

that two strangers had entered.
    “All right, lads,” Tony called to the dog hounds, the proper designation for a male foxhound. “That’s enough.”
    Cooper flipped open her notebook as Rick asked Tony to tell him what he saw.
    When Tony finished, Rick asked, “Did you know Brother Speed?”
    The tall, thin man responded, “Yes. He’d come to our point-to-point races and also the steeplechase races at Montpelier. People told me he was once a jockey, a good jockey, made a lot of money—and I guess lost a lot, too.” Tony thought a moment. “I liked him.”
    Whitney added, “He was a good hand with a horse. He always wanted to be helpful.”
    “Did you ever hear why he retired from being a jockey?” Cooper asked. “Other than losing money?”
    “People talk,” Tony replied noncommittally.
    Whitney added, “We didn’t believe it.”
    “Tell me what you heard,” Rick pressed.
    “That he threw a race for big money. The Arkansas Derby.” When Rick and Cooper looked blank, Tony added, “It’s one of the important races leading up to the Kentucky Derby.”
    “Follow the horses, do you?” Rick inhaled the odor of clean hounds, heard their claws click and clack as they walked on the concrete.
    “Not really. Know a bit more about ’chasers. I just know the basic big races here because some of the hunt-club members have horses on the track, down at Colonial Downs, mostly.”
    “Did he seem to you to be a dishonest man?” Cooper kept scribbling.
    A surprised look crossed Whitney’s pretty features. “No. No. In fact, he would tell us sometimes—not preaching, just kind of like conversation—that we should pray, trust in the Lord. Guess he was pretty messed up on drugs back in his racing days. That will screw up anybody’s judgment.” She grimaced slightly. “Excuse my language.”
    Rick laughed. “We hear worse. In fact, we say worse.” He turned to Tony. “Did you see any car lights late last night?”
    “Big party across the street. We’re far enough away so we didn’t hear too much, but we could see cars drive in and out. We fell asleep—well, I fell asleep—at one.” She looked at her husband. “He was already dead to the world. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that. Anyway, I could see cars still leaving at one.”
    “Odd place to put a body,” Tony commented.
    “Convenient if the killer and the victim were at the party,” Cooper said.
    “You’ve been very helpful. If we think of anything else, we’ll call.” Rick shook Tony’s hand, then Whitney’s.
    Tony asked, “Officer Cooper, is Harry going to hunt the Saddlebred that movie star—I forget her name—gave her?”
    “Shortro.” Cooper knew all Harry’s horses but had resisted riding any of them, as she was afraid. “She says he’ll be ready to go next season. Says he’s really smart.”
    They drove to the tennis courts, then sat in the car. The heater provided comfort, since the wind would tear one to pieces.
    Cooper unzipped her heavy jacket. “I’ll start calling the people who were at St. Luke’s to see who came to this party.”
    “Call Doris. She’ll have a list. Save yourself time and trouble.” He named the executive secretary to the head of the real estate company, Alex Corbett.
    “I’m on it.”
    Rick hit the button to push his seat back farther and stretched out his legs. “I’ve searched for a connection to Christmas. The holidays are emotional land mines,” he said in a flat tone of voice. “Nothing that I can find.”
    “Doesn’t seem to be, unless this ruins Christmas for people we don’t know about. Obviously, it’s ruined for the order.”
    Rick watched the rescue squad remove the body. “They’ve put their hands under his legs. Good move. Better balance than tipping him back with his legs out, bent. If his eyes weren’t glassy, he’d almost look alive.” He blinked, then turned to Cooper. “There has to be a connection between Christopher and Speed, apart from being Brothers of Love.”
    “Well, they’re both dead.”
    “Very funny.”
    “Actually, there is a connection: money troubles before they became monks.”
    “Then let’s find out how many brothers also came up short.” Rick wasn’t hopeful about this line of reasoning, but it might lead to something bigger.
             
    Four hours later, Brother Speed had thawed on the stainless-steel table. Dr. Emmanuel Gibson carefully removed the brother’s clothes, with the help of a young intern, Mandy