Free Shadow Horse by Alison Hart Page A

he killed Whirlwind, too. But why, Grandfather? Does Phil know?”
    He shook his head.
    “Is he going to find out?”
    He shook his head again. “Worried about is ob.”
    “He doesn’t want to lose his job. I understand.” Phil had two teenage sons in college and a daughter ready to graduate from high school. Hugh paid him a good salary. If he was fired, he’d have to start all over.
    “Well,
I’m
going to find out,” Jas stated. “I have nothing to lose. Except you.” Jas clamped both hands around his, suddenly afraid to let go.
    Her grandfather swung his head violently. “Oo stay away from Hugh!”
    “I won’t go near him. Promise. But if you help me, we can figure out why Hugh killedWhirlwind. You must have an idea, Grandfather.”
    “Orget about Hugh. As oon as I am well, we’ll leave Stanford.” Struggling to lean forward, he drew in a ragged breath.
    “All right,” Jas agreed quickly. “Now calm down. I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”
    He slumped back in the wheelchair, his breathing ragged. Jas jumped up, searching anxiously for a nurse. Miss Hahn stood in the doorway.
    Jas’s heart fell to her knees. How long had she been there? Had she heard what they were saying about Hugh?
    “I’m not ready to go yet,” Jas said, her voice quivering with anger.
    “That’s fine,” Miss Hahn said. “The doctor wants to see us both. I’ll tell her it will be a few more minutes.”
    Arms rigid by her sides, Jas watched her leave. Her grandfather tugged on her hand. “Jas-s-s,” he said. “You eed to orget about Irlwind.”
    “But I can’t,” Jas declared. “I can’t forget about Hugh, either. Too much has happened. I’m just now realizing what kind of person he is.”
    Her grandfather made such a strange sound that Jas looked down at him. One side of his mouth was tilted almost wickedly, and she could see a trace of his crafty old self.
    She grinned back at him. “I knew you’d understand. I knew you’d help. Especially since he accused
you
of putting the yew in the paddock. The snake.” For a second, the thought of what Hugh had done made her tremble with anger; then she turned her attention back to her grandfather. “Now we need to get you well. Is there anything I can do?”
    He nodded. “Alk to Dr. Anvers.”
    “Dr. Anvers? But I thought your doctor here was named Bindera?”
    “It is. I ant you to alk to Anvers.”
    “Dr. Danvers! You mean Hugh’s vet?” Jas’s eyes widened.
    “Ee ad to ex-am-ine Irlwind after she died,” her grandfather continued, his voice insistent.
    “Why would he examine Whirlwind if she was dead?” Jas asked, not understanding.
    “Insurance.”
    Jas’s mouth dropped open.
Of course! Insurance!
Why hadn’t she thought of that? Hugh insured all his horses against accidentaldeath. “Do you think he killed her for the insurance money?”
    Grandfather shrugged, although only one shoulder was able to move. She touched his cheek. His face was pale with exhaustion.
    “Hey, that’s enough for today. I don’t want to wear you out completely,” she said, patting his arm. Someone had dressed him in a short-sleeved dress shirt and polyester slacks. Ever since she could remember, he’d worn jeans hitched up with suspenders and a long-sleeved denim shirt.
    “I need to bring you some work clothes,” she said. “That’ll make you feel more like your old self.”
    He nodded in agreement. “Tell me ow you are.”
    “I’m okay. Miss Hahn, my foster parent, runs this farm for rescued horses,” she said, choosing her words carefully. She didn’t want to scare her grandfather with her suspicions about Miss Hahn and Hugh. “Yesterday, we went to a killer auction and bought a horse. I’m supposed to work with him as part of my probation agreement.”
    Jas’s voice rose in excitement as she talked about the big horse. “I named him Shadow,because he likes to hide in dark corners. You wouldn’t believe what a mess he is, nothing like Whirlwind or