“No. Not yet. If I know it’s coming, I’ll get you so you can see it.” He kissed him lightly, and Jameson hurried away just as quickly.
“I take it you’ll let him see the new foal, but not the actual birth,” Lucas said.
“Yes. He’s a little young for that. I feel like it could be any day, though. When I feel her sides, I can tell that her body is going through the preparations for birth. But I don’t think she’s in full labor yet.” Brendan leaned against his shoulder. “Most likely the foal will come at night when no one is around, and we’ll come into the barn in the morning with a new addition.”
“I was going ask if you breed any of your horses.”
“Yes. I’m thinking of breeding Lollipop come spring.”
“Why wait until then?” Lucas asked.
“Because horse gestation takes eleven months, and if I breed her in May, then she would give birth the following April. Jameson will be six, and by the time the foal is ready to be ridden, he’ll be eight or nine, and the foal can be his horse. They’ll grow up together, and Jameson will learn to care for it. If I’m lucky, they’ll be best friends just like I was with my first horse.”
“A car just came in,” Jameson announced. “It’s Mr. Greg.” Jameson shot to the front door as Brendan got up from his chair. “I let him in.” Lucas couldn’t help smiling at the cuteness. Brendan went to greet him, and Lucas stayed where he was, knowing that Brendan might have things to talk over with the lawyer that he didn’t want him to hear.
“So you found something,” Greg said a few minutes later. Lucas stood as Greg came in, and they hugged before sitting at the table. Jameson was back with his Legos, after announcing that he was making a “Hellephant.”
“Do you want a beer, water, maybe coffee?” Brendan asked.
“Water would be great. I’ve been talking all day, and my throat is sore. I gave a series of lectures at the law school, and my voice is coming to its end.”
Brendan got him a glass of iced water.
Lucas turned the computer so they could all see it, and once Brendan sat down, he started the clips of what he’d pieced together.
“He showed up a little before five in the morning, coming around the side of the house,” Lucas explained and let the various clips run all the way through. “We pulled some stills out of the video, and I have them right here.” He ran through them.
“Those are Jenn’s brother, Henry. I’ve known him almost as long as I’ve known Jenn. He still lives with his mother because he could never get his act together enough to get a life of his own. The thing is, I’m not sure if Jenn or her mother put him up to this. It could be either one.”
“Okay,” Greg said. “What we have is really good, and I can take this to the prosecutor’s office along with statements regarding the rest of the incidents that have happened. What I’d like you to do first is call the police. That way you can make a report and we can get their investigative help. Go ahead and do that now.” He gave Brendan the nonemergency number, and he stepped out of the room.
“Here’s my worry,” Lucas said in a soft voice. “What crime has really been committed? All the horses were returned and none of them were injured, thank goodness. So other than a few hours’ inconvenience, there is no damage. I don’t know what we really have here.”
“Criminal trespass is a possibility, but I think the most likely is criminal mischief. It’s tampering in a way that could cause harm or damage to property. We would need to prove intent, but I think we have that with the video. It wasn’t like they were here and the animals were let out by accident. These actions were intentional, and that carries a penalty. So we can get something quite serious out of this.”
Brendan returned and sat down. “They said they’d be here as soon as they could.”
The doorbell rang. “I get it,” Jameson called and ran to the door.
Brendan hurried after him, and when he didn’t return right away, Lucas followed. What the heck had happened now?
ChapterNine
Brendan noddedto the Amish man standing at his door, glancing outside where a young boy held the reins of the horse in front of a buggy. “Can I help you?”
“Yes. I understand that your horses got out, and they trampled some of my fields.”
Brendan groaned. “Won’t you come in?” he asked. “Yes, we had horses get loose. Someone came onto the property and opened all the stall doors and the paddock gates. I’m sorry for any damage or inconvenience. We got the horses back this morning, and they were out for only a few hours.” But he knew that it didn’t take long for livestock to damage fields and crops. “I’m very sorry.”
“No. I am sorry someone did this to you. That is not good.”
“We know who it is.” Lucas and Greg joined him. “This is my friend Lucas. He’s helping us here, and this is my lawyer, Greg. He’s helping us with the legal issues.”
“Elias Troyer.”
“Mr. Troyer,” Greg said. “How much damage was caused? If you could give us the detailed cost of any losses, we’ll see to it that you are reimbursed, and that will help the police ensure that the person who released the livestock is punished.”
His guest seemed surprised. “Oh. They damaged the edges of my corn fields and trampled through a field of hay that was about to be cut.” He scratched the back of his neck. It seemed as though he was expecting some kind of fight.
