PT: One of the vendors at a show I was at was offering a very good deal. And I’d read about how it was important for identification in case Lucian Five was lost or stolen. We’d be able to prove it was really Lucian Five.
FDA: What makes you think the microchip was responsible for your horse’s death?
PT: Lucian Five was fine before the implant. He’s an older horse, and he’s allergic to a lot of things he could take when he was younger. Some common sedatives act as a stimulant for him. He can’t even take bute, except in very small doses. He didn’t react right away, so maybe the chip was like those time-release cold capsules. I’m not a vet, but I’ve been around horses and vets all my life, and I know there was something strange about that chip.
Bute. It might as well have been written in red. I highlighted it on my copy of the transcript, so it was at least in pink. I looked over at Matt, who seemed engrossed, and not sleepy. And anyway, Trumble had mentioned bute only peripherally. Nothing to stop for right away.
FDA: So you hired a private detective. Why not report the incident to whoever takes care of medical regulations for shows?
PT: They just care whether some competition rule was violated. I wanted to know what happened to my horse. I wanted some proof that the chips were responsible, so I hired Ms. Martin to find out what they were made of, or something—without alerting the vet who put it there. She specializes in crimes against animals, and she said she would take care of reporting her findings to the proper authorities, once she figured out what happened.
I put the transcript on my lap and stared up at the ceiling, as if the textured white paint swirls were the repository of all my knowledge.
Matt stopped, too. “Here’s one big loop closed,” he said.
I nodded. “From a dead horse in Houston to Nina Martin in Revere with horsewoman Lorna Frederick’s phone number in her pocket.”
“So it’s possible her murder and all the other side problems have nothing to do with the Charger Street lab. It could be just Lorna the equestrian who’s involved,” Matt said.
I was only too eager to dismiss Lorna the scientist from wrongdoing. I hated having members of my profession caught at being less than perfect. Much more acceptable if Lorna the horsewoman committed the crimes.
“The FDA link is strange,” I said.
Matt nodded. “I see your thinking. According to Jake Powers, the regulating body for drugs in show horses is USA Equestrian. So why did Nina have an FDA card in her pocket?”
“Presumably, USA Equestrian monitors drugs that are already approved by the FDA, and they would only care about certain dosages that would affect a horse’s performance.”
“I’m thinking Nina Martin must have stumbled upon something bigger than a horse show,” Matt said.
“A drug that’s regulated not only by horse show rules, but by the US government.”
“Then how do Wayne Gallen and his warnings and pranks fit in? Was he just blowing smoke to get close to MC?” Matt asked.
I blew out my own smoke, in the form of a loud, confused sigh, and shook my head. “And the Alex Simpson email? And the reference to bute in the transcript?”
“But according to what Jake said, bute is almost like aspirin, so who knows?”
“Has Houston been able to connect Rusty Forman to anyone?”
“Negative. It’s like he walked out of prison and flew to Revere to kill Martin.”
We both shrugged and returned to the transcript.
FDA: You said the vet who did the implant was a Dr. Owen Evans?
PT: Right. He’s new, but my old doctor retired and recommended him.
FDA: And Ms. Martin told you she was going to investigate Dr. Evans.
PT: Yes, when she made her initial report to me. She said she planned to look into other deaths of Dr. Evans’s patients, and also the people who made the microchip. Next thing I knew she was off to Houston Poly. She was such a nice lady, born right here in Houston, a real Southern lady, if you know what I mean, even though she was in a kind of unladylike line of work. Do you really think she was murdered because of this investigation?
HPD: Is there anything else you can tell us about the circumstances? Anything else you think we should know about? PT: I don’t think so.
“Well, there it is,” I said.
Matt looked up. “Yes?”
“Nina was looking into a vet, and that took her to Houston Poly where we know she signed up for MC’s class. So her vet investigation must have led her to the Houston Poly buckyball people. Remember she asked MC to put her in contact with someone who could help her with her fullerene paper.”