Biting down on his lip, he carefully set the needle onto the spinning record once more and cranked up the volume. This time, over the continuous click of the tumbling rocks, the thunderous beat of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” echoed through his sanctuary. Seconds later, Robert Plant’s howling scream shook the rafters and burned through his brain.
To no avail.
His mother’s cigarette-rasp of a laugh was louder than it all.
“You’ll never drown me out. No matter what you do, son, I’ll be with you until your dying day.”
Chapter 23
“It spit at me!” Chloe cried, dismayed. Nikki was holding her daughter, letting Chloe’s feet balance on a fence rail so that they could observe some of the other animals at the stables where Phee took riding lessons. One male llama had obviously taken offense, laid his ears back, and hurled a wad of spit in Chloe’s direction. “Icky!” Chloe proclaimed, about to burst into tears.
“You’re okay.” Nikki smothered a laugh as she swiped the bits of detritus that had landed on her daughter’s shirt.
“Am not okay!” To her mother’s horror, Chloe spat back at the animal, but by this time the llama had lost interest and was wandering toward a small herd of alpacas nearer the barn.
“Hey, no, honey,” Nikki said. “We don’t spit.”
“The llama did.” Chloe crossed her pudgy arms over her chest and glared at the offending beast, who had long forgotten her.
“I know. He was mad or scared or something.” Nikki plucked her daughter from the railing. “Come on, let’s watch the rest of Phee’s ride.”
“I hate him.”
“We don’t hate,” Nikki corrected. She set her daughter onto the gravel path. “Let’s go.”
“I hate him,” Chloe repeated indignantly. “He’s not nice.”
“Okay. You hate him. Now, come on.”
Chloe threw one last angry glance through the rails at the offending llama, then followed Nikki into the covered arena, where the smells of horses—oil, leather, dung, and urine—mingled with the dust that was forever kicked up as the riders guided their mounts through obstacles and over jumps. The ceiling rose over twenty feet or more, thick crossbeams supporting fluorescent lights, while open-air windows allowed breezes to flow through the expansive space.
The arena was attached to the stables, separated by a short flight of stairs leading to an office and reception area with windows that overlooked the entire complex.
“There she is,” Nikki said, once they were on the bleachers that lined one side of the building. She held her daughter so the girl could see over the barrier between the riding and viewing areas and Chloe could get a better view. Nikki pointed to the middle of the arena, where Phee, tucked low in the saddle, guided a sleek bay gelding over a jump.
“Ooh!” Chloe said.
“Isn’t she doing great?” Nikki asked, but her attention was drawn to the instructor in riding top, breeches, boots. A small glittering cross was at her neck, a long, dark braid down the middle of her back. Annabelle Van Camp. On the sidelines, encouraging Phee, urging her on and praising her as she trotted, then cantered, the bay around the vast oval.
Just as Nikki had hoped.
Just as she’d planned when she’d offered to pick her niece up earlier in the day. “I’m taking Chloe to the park this afternoon anyway, so I may as well just grab Phee on the way home,” she’d told Lily, who was grateful for one less errand.
“No argument from me,” Lily had said.
Now, as Phee’s lesson was finished, Annabelle approached horse and rider, then patted the bay’s shoulder as Phee dismounted. “Great job,” she told the girl.
“Thanks!” Phee, a little breathless, was all smiles.
Quickly, Nikki carried Chloe down from the viewing area, but at the sight of her approach, Annabelle visibly stiffened. “Looks like you had an audience,” she said to Phee.
“Hi, Aunt Nikki!” Phee, her cheeks rosy, her eyes bright, waved toNikki and Chloe before taking off her riding helmet. “I’ll be a few minutes.”
Nikki knew the drill from her own days of learning to ride. After the lesson the rider was expected to take care of the horse, cooling him down and removing the tack, and seeing that he was comfortable. All part of the lesson.
“We’ll wait,” she said, as Phee was already leading the gelding through the long, wide hallway to the stables, the horse’s hooves echoing as he followed. Chloe spied a speckled pygmy goat in an enclosure next to the main, barnlike doors and was distracted while Annabelle started for the half flight of stairs to the office.
Nikki flagged her down. “Hey,” she called out, “I’d like to talk to you.”