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Doc wondered if the fact that Liam was admitted to the same hospital as Fiona was part of the way she’d been found. Something they’d sort out later.
The Winchester police arrived a few minutes later. The process of explaining what had transpired took longer than Doc liked. He could feel Fiona’s frustration at the delay of getting to the hospital to see her father.
During the entire questioning, Seamus pretended to be Liam, insisting Fiona was mistaken about his true identity. Doc figured he would keep up the pretense for as long as possible.
“Arrest him now and we can sort out the identity theft angle later,” Doc advised the officers on scene. “He fired that gun at me, and you’ll find three slugs that will match his weapon, one in the desk and two in the wall across the room.”
Doc was surprised when Teddy brought Patrick into the house, the young man’s wrists bound with rope from the barn.
“Who’s this?” the office demanded with no small amount of annoyance.
“My cousin Patrick,” Fiona said. “He’s Seamus’s son, and I heard the two of them plan to drug Savior’s Journey to give my father’s horse, Fiona’s Folly, an advantage in the race.”
When Patrick realized the police had his father in handcuffs, he immediately threw his father under the bus.
“It was all his idea, I didn’t want to go along with the plan, but he told me he’d kick me off the farm if I didn’t help him.” Patrick glared at Seamus. “He has pretended to be Liam for the past forty-eight hours.”
Doc glanced at Fiona who paled. She crossed to her cousin. “Patrick, you need to tell me what happened to my father.”
“Shut up!” Seamus screamed. “We want a lawyer.”
Doc arched a brow. “Speak for yourself, Seamus. Patrick, you should probably get your own lawyer. I don’t think it would serve you well to share one with your father.”
“Tell me about my father!” Fiona grasped Patrick’s bound arm. “What did you do to him?”
“I didn’t do anything,” Patrick protested. But then he added, “I think I need a lawyer.”
Fiona spun away from her cousin, her expression wrecked. “Please, Doc. Please take me to see my father.”
“Of course.” He glanced questioningly at his boss.
“Go ahead.” Rex nodded, dug the key fob from his pocket, and tossed it to him. “I’ll stay here to help sort things out.”
“You can’t leave,” one of the cops protested. “The detectives will want to talk to you.”
“Give them this number.” Doc rattled off the number for his disposable cell phone. “And they can find us at the Lexington Medical Center if they want to speak in person.” He grimaced when he realized they’d left their rental on the other side of the farm. “Fiona, you may want to stay here. I’ll have to get the car.”
“No, I’ll come with you. We’ll take Syracuse.” Despite the seriousness of the situation, the corner of her mouth tipped up in a half smile. “He’s strong enough that we can ride double back to the barn.”
Doc wanted to protest, as he hadn’t ridden a horse since he was a kid and had attended a birthday party that included pony rides. But he knew Fiona was desperate to see her father. “Okay. Let’s do this.”
Fiona led Syracuse to the side of the front porch. “You get on first. Then I’ll join you.”
It was easier said than done, but he managed. A few minutes later, Fiona kicked her heels and used her hands on Syracuse’s neck to steer him across the lawn toward the barn. The horse seemed to listen to her, despite not having a saddle or bridle. He was impressed, and soon, they were able to slide off the large animal. Fiona opened the fence to the corral and urged Syracuse through.
Together, they jogged back to the SUV. From there, he knew it would take another twenty minutes to reach the hospital.
“He’s going to be okay, Fiona.” Doc held her hand as he drove.
“I’ve been praying since Seamus admitted he was in the hospital.” She sniffed, then tried to smile. “I’m trying to maintain a positive attitude. Although I will admit I’m not sure why they didn’t finish him off. The way they tried to do with me.”
Doc nodded as he had the same thought. “My theory is that the gunman asked at the front desk which room Seamus Murphy was in, and the clerk might have asked for a clarification about if he wanted to visit Seamus or Fiona Murphy. Both of your names would have been listed in the system. Hearing that, he decided to find and eliminate you, as your father wasn’t a threat.”
“Yeah, that makes sense.” She stared at their clasped hands. “I remember arguing with my father about horse racing because Howard Lock, the owner of Savior’s Journey, was upset after we won the Derby. My father’s response was along the lines of the best horse won, despite the fact that he poached Howard’s trainer.”
“I can see why that would make you upset,” Doc agreed.
“I eventually got over being angry, mostly because I truly thought Fiona’s Folly was a better horse.” She sighed and shook her head. “Now, I’m not so sure. Regardless of that, I want to thank you for everything. I wouldn’t have made it through this nightmare without you.”
