After running for what seemed like hours, Jonathan and Jennifer ducked into a small empty building near the concession stands. It took them several minutes to catch their breath as they flopped down on the bench inside and leaned against the wall. The building was completely barren, with the exception of the bench on which they sat. The complete lack of windows left them in near darkness. Only tiny streams of light shone in through cracks in the ceiling.
"Did that man really have a gun?" Jennifer asked worriedly. "Cause I thought I saw one in his hand."
"Don't worry about it, they're gone now. I'm sure we've lost them." He hoped they had, at least.
"Should we go to the police?" she asked him.
"No, not yet. I want to call Max first. He'll know what to do. I don't want to get anyone in trouble for us being here."
"Do you know who they were? And what were they doing to that horse?"
"I've seen one of them before--the taller one. I think he owns quite a few of the horses. Makes a lot of money selling champion horses, at least that's what I've heard from Max and his buddies. I'm not sure exactly what they were up to."
"Do you think they'll keep looking for us? They did chase us for quite a while."
He knew she was worried and wished he could do more to calm her fears. He knew that he never should have brought her here. "Listen, there is a lock on this door. I'm gonna go out and call Max quickly and I'll be right back. Lock the door behind me and don’t open it for anyone else. I promise I'll come straight back."
"Can't I come with you?" she begged with her eyes.
"You'll be safer here," he answered. Then, impulsively, he kissed her quickly on the lips before opening the door. "Lock it behind me. I'll be right back," he reassured her.
She watched him run off toward a cluster of buildings in the distance then closed the door and locked it carefully. After rechecking the lock several times, she slumped down on the bench once again. "What am I doing here?" she whispered to herself. She knew she never should have met Jonathan this afternoon. If her father only knew what she was up to she would be grounded till long after graduation. Why was she here? Her better judgement had told her to go the other way when Jonathan had first invited her to the park yesterday. But something in his eyes told her she could trust him. And something brought her back to him today. He stirred feelings in her that she didn't even know existed. What were these feelings? And why did they make her heart betray her head?
Lost in her thoughts, she didn't hear Jonathan knocking. As his knocking got louder, and more impatient, she was roused from her daytime dreams. She wasn't sure if she should open it--it could be anyone. She wondered if they should have established a secret knock. She didn't know what to do.
Jonathan answered the question for her. "Jennifer, it's me...open the door."
Recognizing his voice and knowing that no one else would know her name, she opened the door quickly. Jonathan stood there juggling two bottles of soda and a giant bag of popcorn. She laughed, then reached out to take the popcorn from him.
After he was inside, she relocked the door behind him.
"Did you get in touch with Max?" she inquired.
"Yep. He said for us to stay put and he'll find us. He'll know what to do." Jonathan's faith in Max was unshakable. "I thought I'd get us something to munch on while we wait. I don't know about you, but I'm hungry!"
"So am I. Though with all of the excitement I hadn't had time to think about it."
"I promise that one day I'm going to buy you some real food!" he said through his laughter.
"But I'm leaving tomorrow..."
"Then I guess we'll just have to cross paths again one day," he said confidently.
"I guess we will," she said hopefully.
They talked for what seemed like only a few minutes but was really over an hour. They wanted to know everything about each other, to share a lifetime of memories in a matter of minutes. The more they learned about each other, the more they wanted to know.
"Do you think that horse is okay?" Jennifer asked Jonathan, concerned.
"I don't know," he answered honestly. "I don't know what the doctor had in that needle. But I'm pretty sure that the other guy was the horse's owner so I wouldn't think he would harm it."
"I don't suppose we could go and check on her?"
"I dunno...Max said to wait here." He hated having to tell her no, he could see the worry in her eyes. But he didn't want to risk running into those men again.
"Please..."
"It's really not a good idea. And if I let something bad happen, your father will never let you come back here again."
"But those men won't be there. They'll never think that we would come back there. We wouldn't be that stupid."
"Oh, we wouldn't?"
"Well, we would..." She smiled at him, "But they would never expect us to be!"
Unable to argue with logic like that, Jonathan relented. "But we have to make it quick and get back here, Max is going to be looking for us."
"Okay, deal."
They passed the garden paddock along the way, pausing for Jennifer to admire the horses that were being exercised in the walking ring. Jonathan scanned the area, watching for any sign of the two men.
"C'mon, we've really gotta get going. I don't want to take any more chances than we already are."
"Oh, okay." She sighed with no attempt to mask her disappointment.
The stable area was only a short distance from the garden paddock. They snuck around the side of the building till they reached entrance from which they had run earlier. He didn't want to risk having the men see them. Jonathan almost wished that the guard from the main gate was nearby. Why had he let Jennifer talk him into this?
Jonathan entered the stable first, and after seeing that it was empty, he motioned for Jennifer to follow. Quietly, they went to the stall and entered.
"See, she's just fine," Jonathan said softly.
Jennifer brushed the horse gently with her hand. "She does seem okay." As Jennifer moved her hand down the horse’s nose, she nuzzled Jennifer's hand with her velvety nose. "She's so sweet. I hope they didn't do anything to hurt her. That doctor didn't seem to want to do whatever the other man wanted."
"We really should get out of here," he told her. He had been watching from the stall door in case company arrived.
"Just a minute."
While she looked the horse over he surveyed their surroundings. "She must be a champion or something," he commented.
"Why do you say that?"
"Well, this is the biggest stall I have ever seen. I know that the biggest ones go to the track champions or visiting champions."
The stall was much bigger than even the one that housed Cherry, across the stable. A giant pile of hay sat near the middle, a rake and a pitchfork leaned up against it. Even the window was even much bigger than the one in Cherry's stable. A trough of water was against the far wall. Shelves covered one wall, filled with grooming accessories--brushes, combs, and an array of clippers.
"Oh look, there's a sign with her name on it." Jennifer pointed to a small wooden plaque near the doorway. She walked over to it and ran her fingertips across the indentations caused by the engraved letters. "Destiny's Angel. What a perfect name for her!" She paused for a moment, then smiled. "Jonathan, do you believe in destiny?"
"I guess I never really thought about it," he admitted. "But I guess so. It was probably my destiny to meet Max." He hesitated before continuing. "And to meet you."
"I feel the same way...about you, I mean. I feel like I came here to California to meet you. Silly, huh?" She almost felt embarrassed by the admission.
"It's not silly at all." He completely understood, more so than he would even admit. He couldn't explain his attraction to this girl. Yes, she was pretty, but it was more than that. He was drawn to her, like he had never been before. "You know, maybe it was more destiny than either of us know. See, I usually sell my papers on a corner a few streets over from where I met you. But for some reason, that morning when I got up, I wanted to try someplace new. I don't know why, I just did. And if I hadn't I never would have met you."
"Really?"
"Really."
"So I wonder why we are meeting now, when we will have to say goodbye so soon?"
"I don’t know. There must be a reason though, don’t you think?" For the life of him he couldn’t think of a good one though.
"Do you think we’ll ever meet again, Jonathan?"
"I’m sure of it," he replied confidently and smiled at her.
"How can you be so sure?" she asked curiously.
"Do you always ask so many questions?"
"I’m serious, Jonathan. Why are you so sure we will meet again?"
Glancing up at the plaque, his eyes twinking, he replied "Because it’s destiny, remember?"
The clanging of a door startled them. Marshall and Dr. Andrews entered. Jennifer and Jonathan jumped behind the pile of hay in the center of the stall.
"You idiot!" Marshall yelled at the doctor. "You let them get away. I would have found them if you hadn't been so slow."
"They're just kids," the doctor replied, hoping it would somehow get him off the hook.
"Yeah, but those kids might tell someone what they saw here."
"I told you we shouldn't have done this. We were pushing our luck."
"Will you shut up?!" Marshall screamed. "I need to think here. We need a plan."
Marshall paced nervously, wringing his hands. Dr. Andrews, not wanting to provoke Marshall, just stood there silently, a bead of sweat running down the side of his face. As he wiped it away with his handkerchief, another one trickled down.
Inside the stall, Jennifer and Jonathan sat behind the haystack, wondering what the two men would do.
"Maybe they'll leave and go out looking for us again," Jonathan whispered to Jennifer, hoping to calm her fears.
"I don't have a good feeling about this."
"Let's just wait a minute and see what they do." He placed his arm around her shoulders and drew her close. "It'll be okay...I promise. I won't let anything happen to you," he whispered softly into her ear.
His words reassured her. She wanted to be anywhere else in the world at that moment. But if she had to be here, she was glad it was with Jonathan.
"Okay, here's what we're gonna do," Marshall said confidently. "The first thing we're gonna do is get that damn horse out of here. Without her, there's no evidence and they can't prove a thing. A bust for doping and I'm all done."
"But Marshall, what about..."
Marshall interrupted him. "What about the money? We'll have to sell her at another track. With her reputation we shouldn't have any problems. A champion like her should bring in a good buck anywhere."
"I told you, Marshall, I don't want to do this anymore."
"You don't have a choice, remember?"
Though the men were down near the end of the stable, their voices carried and Jonathan and Jennifer were able to hear every word clearly.
"Jonathan, what are we going to do? They're going to take her. They're coming in here!"
"Shhh...we don't want them to hear us."
"Here's the plan," Marshall's voice boomed. "We'll pull her from the race. You go find her jockey and tell him that there's a problem with her. He'll believe it, considering recent events. Tell him she's being moved from the track and you want him to accompany her."
"Why would we need him?"
"We don’t, you moron! But we've gotta get him out of here, just in case. We don't want him telling anyone anything accidentally. He might think it's strange but he'll come with you. After all, that horse is his meal ticket. He's down in the jockey housing area. Take him to your clinic. I'll get in touch with you later."
"And what are you going to do while I do that?"
"I'm gonna get the horse out of here! GO!"
With that, the doctor ran from the stable.
"Jonathan! He's coming!" Jennifer was panicking.
"I've got an idea."
Marshall strolled over to the stall. This had certainly gotten complicated. If those kids hadn't seen them, by this evening he would have been making a serious deposit in his bank account. Oh well, he thought. He had bigger problems now. He had to get this horse out of here--and fast! If he could take her away for just 24 hours the evidence would be gone.
As he entered the stall, he was shocked by what he saw. There on the ground, next to Destiny, Jennifer cowered with a terrified look on her face. What luck! Maybe he wouldn't have to pull Destiny from the race after all.
"Where's your friend?" he asked loudly.
"I...I don't know," she stammered as she got up and brushed the hay from her clothes.
"What do you mean, you don't know?" He didn't have time to play games with her.
"I can't find him," she lied. "Maybe he left."
He walked closer to her and smiled evilly. "Oh, I think he'll be back for a pretty girl like you." He reached out to touch Jennifer's cheek and she backed away to avoid his touch.
"What's the matter?" He laughed. He circled Jennifer, eyeing her up and down. "Do I make you nervous?"
She just wanted this to be over. But she trusted Jonathan and he had promised her that it would all be okay. "Please don't hurt me."
"Hurt you? Why would I do that? I just want to have a little talk with you and your friend. The sooner he gets here, the sooner you can be on your way. I'm sure we can reach an...an understanding of sorts."
"I told you...I don't know where he is."
"I can wait. I just hope he isn't too long. I'd hate to have to do anything to persuade him to come back."
Jonathan jumped out from behind the haystack, just as Marshall's back was turned to him. The handle of the rake rose over Jonathan's head and came down swiftly on the back on Marshall's head. Marshall slumped to the ground moaning. Jennifer quickly ran to Jonathan and positioned herself behind him, burying her face in the back of his shoulder. He turned around and pulled her into a hug.
"It's okay," he told her.
Almost as if on cue, Max rushed in with a couple of security guards in tow.
"I thought I told you to stay put," he said to Jonathan, shaking his head and rolling his eyes.
"How did you find us?" he asked Max.
"We almost didn't! This was the last stable we were checking. We've been all over this place. You both okay?"
"Yeah, we're fine," he said, looking at Jennifer to confirm that it was the truth.
After a short explanation from Jonathan about what had happened and where they could find Dr. Andrews, the security guards escorted Marshall from the stable. Marshall sneered at Jonathan as they dragged him away.
Alone at last, Max began his questioning. "What were you thinking? You could have gotten yourself killed!" Then, realizing he was just happy to have him safe, he pulled him into a bear hug. "Just don't try anything that stupid again, ok?" He smiled at the young man he had grown to love as a son.
"It wasn't Jonathan's fault," Jennifer interrupted. Jonathan and Max turned to face her.
"I don't believe I've had the pleasure," Max said to her, taking her hand in his and kissing it lightly. "Jonathan, perhaps you could introduce me to this lovely young lady."
Jonathan stepped to Jennifer's side. "Jennifer, I'd like you to meet my friend, Max." And then to Max, "Max, this is Jennifer."
"Glad to meet you," Max said, with his usual charm. "Any friend of Jonathan's is a friend of mine."
"It's nice to meet you too, Max. Jonathan has told me so much about you."
Max looked at Jonathan inquisitively, tilting his head down slightly and raising his eyebrows.
"Don't worry," Jonathan laughed. "I didn't tell her THAT much!"
Max growled. "Well, don't believe anything he tells you!"
Jennifer laughed. She could see the affection between the two of them. It was clear that Max thought just as much of Jonathan as Jonathan did of him. "Actually, everything he told me about you was sweet."
"Sweet, huh?" Max said to Jonathan.
"I lied," Jonathan joked.
Destiny whinned.
"See, even she knows the truth!" Jonathan said through laughter.
An hour later, Jonathan, Jennifer and Max sat in the security office, giving their statements to the police officers that had been called by track security. Jennifer was worried as she needed to be back to the hotel to meet her father in just a little over an hour.
Officer Kendall was in charge of the investigation. After filling out the necessary paperwork, he attempted to explain it all to the group.
"Well, here's what we know." Looking to Jonathan, "The man that you clobbered with the rake was Marshall Webster, a prominent horse owner, who has made a considerable amount of money by breeding champion quarter horses and selling them to the highest bidder. His accomplice, the doctor, was David Andrews. A couple of the other officer's picked him up at the veterinary clinic he runs not too far from here. He was only too willing to tell us what he knew."
Jonathan spoke up. "He didn't seem to want to go along with the other guy. It seemed like maybe he was being forced into it."
"That's exactly what was happening. Apparently, Dr. Andrews had been involved in some illegal betting activities with Mr. Webster's former partner. Mr. Webster's partner died earlier this year and while going through the paperwork in his partner's office, he discovered a paper trail linking the two. So he had been blackmailing Dr. Andrews into helping him with some medical issues with his horses and in return he would keep his mouth shut."
"What do you mean, medical issues?" one of the track security people asked.
"Have you ever heard of horse doping?" the officer asked.
"Sure," Max said. "That's when they use drugs to get the horses to run faster."
"You're right," Officer Kendall confirmed. "Usually they use some sort of performance enhancing drug but apparently this time it was a painkiller."
"A painkiller?" Jennifer asked. "Was there something wrong with Destiny?"
"According to her jockey, who was with Dr. Andrews when we arrested him, the horse had recently been having some lameness in her two front feet. Dr. Andrews told us that he gave her two injections of a drug called Saraphin, a vegetable based painkiller. It is used to help a horse perform when it is sore or injured."
"Is that legal?" Jonathan asked.
"The American Quarter Horse Association rules say that...hold on." He shuffled through the papers in his hand. "Here it is." Reading from the paper, he continues, "It says that no foreign substance or drug which is of such character as could affect a horse's performance is acceptable. So, although it isn't one of the drugs they test for, it would be in violation of the association's as well as the track's rules and Mr. Webster could have been banned from racing."
"If she wasn't healthy, why didn't they just pull her from this race, let her recover, and reenter her in a few weeks?" Max asked the officer.
"Well, as it turns out, Mr. Webster wasn't planning on keeping Destiny's Angel. He apparently had a buyer all lined up for her and the deal was supposed to be closed after today's race. So he figured that he needed Destiny to perform well in order to get his full asking price. See, Destiny was named the best amateur in the world just 3 months ago. But according to her jockey, recent lameness in her front legs has all but ended her career. Mr. Webster just wanted to get one more good race out of her so that he could unload her to a willing buyer."
"And he didn't even care about the horse?" Jennifer asked sadly.
"Some of them don't," a tall, distinguished looking man added as he entered the room quietly. "You see, the quarter horse industry is a subculture of it's own, based on big money and serious competition. Most of us are in it for the love of the animals but, unfortunately, there are those who want to win at all costs." He looked around the room and sensed the confusion. "Perhaps I should introduce myself. I'm Joseph Russo. I was the buyer who was lined up to purchase Destiny's Angel."
"Well, I'm about done here," the officer stated. "Unless any of you have anything else to add?"
They all nodded silently. The track security officers escorted Officer Kendall from the room, leaving Jonathan, Jennifer, Max and Mr. Russo standing there.
"Jonathan, I understand I owe you and your friend a rather large thank you," Mr. Russo said gratefully. "I had every intention of buying Destiny's Angel immediately after the race and without your help I would have been none the wiser." He extended his hand to shake Jonathan's.
"You're welcome," Jonathan replied.
"What will happen to the horse now?" Jennifer asked Mr. Russo.
"I still plan to buy her, just for a much lower price now. She won't be racing anymore but I have a ranch in Santa Barbara and I think she'd be a wonderful addition there."
"Really?" Jennifer said, relieved. "I was worried about what Mr. Webster would do to her."
"Mr. Webster won't be going to jail, will he?" Jonathan inquired.
"In all likelihood, no. He might face some charges stemming from his dealings with the two of you, like a weapons charge, but nothing major. Though doping the horse was immoral and against track rules, it wasn't actually illegal. He will be banned from all race tracks in the state of California though and for a man in his business that will be a severe penalty."
"Good," Jennifer added.
"Well, I've really got to be going," Mr. Russo said to Jonathan and Jennifer. "But before I go, I wanted to give you this, Jonathan." He handed Jonathan an envelope. "It's just a little something in appreciation of that whack you gave Marshall Webster on the head." He laughed. "I've been wanting to do that myself, for a long time now!"
Jonathan attempted to hand the envelope back to Mr. Russo who pushed his hand away. "No, really, I want you to have it. It was very nice meeting you all and thank you again."
He exited as quickly as he had entered. Jonathan looked into the envelope, his eyes growing big. "Wow, there must be…well, there must be a LOT of money here."
"That was nice of Mr. Russo," Jennifer commented.
"Here, half of this money is yours," Jonathan told her. "It’s only fair…"
"No, I can’t take it…it’s yours. You’re the one who ‘whacked’ him, as Mr. Russo said, right? Besides, if I suddenly have all this money my father will ask questions." She suddenly looked alarmed. "Speaking of which, I’ve got to be going, my father is gonna kill me if I’m late!"
"Max," Jonathan called to his friend who had retreated off into a chair in a far away corner to allow them to speak privately. "Can you give us a ride? Jennifer’s gotta be back to her hotel soon."
"Sure kid. C’mon, lets go."
Max dropped the pair off at Jennifer’s hotel twenty minutes later. The whole way from the racetrack Max had entertained them with his stories, telling Jennifer about some of Jonathan’s exploits, as well as his own. She could see why Jonathan liked Max so much and he obviously cared a great deal for Jonathan. If she hadn’t known better, she would have thought they were father and son. In reality, what they were was probably much closer than most father-son relationships.
Arriving at Jennifer’s hotel in record time, Max turned around to the back seat of the sedan and reached out for Jennifer’s hand. He kissed it lightly.
"Thanks for the ride, Max," she told him, "And everything else too. I’m glad I got a chance to meet you."
"The pleasure was all mine, Jennifer. And I have a feeling we’ll meet again." Max looked at Jonathan and grinned.
"You think so?" She asked, hopefully. "How do you know?"
"I just do," he replied as he winked at her.
Jonathan and Jennifer got out of the car and Jonathan paused to speak to Max through the open driver’s window.
"You want me to wait here for you, kid?" He lit a cigar and shook the match to extinguish it before tossing it on the ground.
"Nah. I want to talk to Jennifer for a minute. I’ll see you at home later."
"Ok, but don’t be too long. I don’t want you getting into trouble with her father." He laughed at Jonathan, remembering the trouble he had found at that age. For a moment he wished he could trade places with his young friend. Seeing Jennifer waiting on the steps he hollered, "Goodbye, Miss Edwards."
"Goodbye Max." She waved slowly as the car pulled away.
Jonathan strolled over to Jennifer. "How long before you have to meet your dad?"
Glancing at her watch she answered, "I’ve got about 10 minutes. He’s probably already upstairs waiting. If I’m late, he’ll kill me."
"I don’t suppose you’d be crazy enough to meet me tomorrow for a little while when your dad is at his meeting, would you?" He looked doubtful. "After today I wouldn’t blame you if you said no, but I’d really like to see you one more time. Since I didn’t get the chance to surprise you today I thought maybe you would let me tomorrow. It won’t take long, I promise."
"Sure," she spoke quickly.
"Sure?" She had surprised him. He had expected to have to convince her.
"Why not?"
"You really are brave, aren’t you? Or are you just crazy?" He smiled happily. "What time can I pick you up?"
"Well, my dad will probably leave around noon…"
"I’ll be here at 12:01," he said and ran off into the distance.
