Page 34 of Dirty Looks

Alex looked confused and then his mouth quirked in a half smile. “There hasn’t been time for that.” And then he gestured for us to follow him. As we walked I noticed the movement of people inside the various buildings and horses being tended to.

“I’ve been in the foaling stall since about midnight,” he said, leading us into an area where another worker was laying down fresh hay. “Then I went home and caught a couple hours sleep and showered. I just got back to work. It was a busy night.”

“Oh, wow,” I said, looking at the new chestnut foal. And then I said it again as I saw a spotted foal in the stall next to him.

“In three years these horses will be champions,” he said, grinning. “It’s a good day for Chesapeake Farms. I’ve got two more mares ready to drop at any time.”

“I can see why you didn’t have time for TV,” I said.

“Why? What’s going on?” Alex asked.

“Can you tell me your whereabouts last night between six and midnight?” Martinez asked him.

The man’s smile slowly faded as he looked at us both. But he answered. “Yeah, sure. I was here. I’m always here. I live in the house closest to the stables. You can see it from here. I’ve been checking on Francis and Sadie here off and on for a couple of days. I went home around seven to get something to eat and take a shower. I came back around ten to check on them again. Icould tell Sadie was in some distress so I went ahead and called the vet. He got here about eleven. Dr. Buford is his name. He can confirm the time.”

“You live with anyone?” Martinez asked.

“God no,” he said, laughing. “I’ve tried that. Women tend to like for you to pay more attention to them than horses. I’ve never found a woman who was more fun to be around than a horse. So I live alone. Though I have company from time to time.”

“Did you have company last night?” Martinez asked. “Can anyone corroborate your whereabouts?”

“Not unless someone was looking in my windows,” he said. “Are you going to tell me what this is about?”

“Evie Lidle was kidnapped from the house last night and murdered,” Martinez said. “Her body was found in Regent Park early this morning.”

“Impossible,” he said, shaking his head. “No way anyone got in there and took her. This place is locked up tight.”

“We agree,” Martinez said.

Alex’s brows rose in surprise. “You think it was one of us? Someone who lives on the property?”

“I think if it’s impossible for anyone to get in from the outside, then the choice we’re left with is that someone was already on the inside.”

Alex shook his head and said, “Look man, my life is an open book. Feel free to ask anyone about my whereabouts. The whole team here was working our tails off. I can vouch for all my people. There was no time or reason for any of us to drive up to the main house. You can check all the cameras. They’re everywhere in this place.”

“Are the cameras down here on the same system as the ones at the house?” I asked.

Alex shrugged. “I guess so. I don’t really know. That’s a question for Alan Goble. He’s the security guy.”

“We’ve met,” Martinez said. “How long have you worked here?”

“Going on seven years,” he said. “Mrs. Lidle lured me away from a competing farm. Paid me almost double to breed her champions. I’m happy to say I’ve lived up to the pay increase.”

“Congratulations,” Martinez said. “When was the last time you saw Alan Goble?”

Alex put his hands on his hips and chewed on his bottom lip. “I’m not sure. We don’t really cross paths all that often.”

“That’s not what we heard,” I said, raising my brows.

Alex snorted. “Alan’s a horndog. Thank God he has a competent team. I told him to stay out of my stables with his girlfriends. He can do whatever he wants on his own time and with who he wants, but we have a reputation for being one of the top racing farms in the country. I don’t need him screwing it up. The second time I caught him I reminded him that I don’t give second chances. What? Is he crying about a broken nose now? I’m not sorry for it.”

“You punched him?” I asked.

Alex grinned. “Yeah, and it felt good too. Alan is always running at the mouth about how he’s some highly trained operative and he knows how to kill people with a spoon or some stupid crap like that. I guess he’s not so highly trained when his pants are around his ankles. He didn’t even see my fist coming. I thought I was going to get fired for sure.”

“How long ago was this?” Martinez asked.

“Three or four weeks ago,” Alex said.

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