Innocence

Please not Sparkles. Please. Please. Please. I can’t lose her.

Quickly, I injected Sparkles, who barely responded to the stab. Jaxson knelt beside me while using the tubing and mineral oil. Methodically, I checked Sparkles to see if there were any other entry points of the poison in case it were administered via the skin.

“Do you see anything, London? The mineral oil and tube is in.”

Jaxson grabbed a bucket as the tube worked getting Sparkles’ stomach contents out. Hopefully the oil was administered fast enough to stop the absorption before permanent damage was caused. “It doesn’t appear there are any cuts. I’m checking her feed.”

I went over to the bucket and saw it full of her treats along with pieces of a plant. My heart sank. I knew this plant well.

Hemlock. A poisonous plant that led to death in many cases if not caught in time.

Dread filled me. “It’s Hemlock, Jaxson. Crushed in a bucket full of treats.”

“Fuck.”

Kneeling in front of Sparkles, I ran my hand through her soft black coat. Jaxson called the vet. “Hang in there, girl. Hang in there. Please don’t die. I’m so sorry. So, so, sorry.”

I had to keep it together. Hearing my distressed voice, Sparkles tried to raise her head. “Shh . . . stay right there. I’m okay.”

The breathing evened out but more shallow. Sparkles relaxed as I soothingly spoke to her. I knew this was normal, but I was scared. What if she was taken from me? I tried not to let myself slip back into old habits.

Please let her be okay.

Jaxson brought me to his lap. “The vet is on her way. We’re supposed to inject another stimulant shot in thirty minutes.”

I nodded. “How did she get hemlock in her treats bucket, Jaxson?”

“I don’t know, sweetheart. We’ll look at the security feeds to see if there are any answers.”

There was no doubt this was done intentionally. Jaxson knew it too. I was able to tell by the stiffness of the way he held himself.

Was there a note?

Anything?

Something that would connect the incident to Charles?

I started searching through the hay. Then everywhere. “What are you doing, London?”

“Seeing if they left a message.” Then a fearful thought formed. “Can you call my dad? See if everyone is okay? I’ll check on Ty.”

Jaxson grabbed me and brought me to him while holding the phone to his ear, keeping me from leaving. “Hey, Mom. Is Ty with you? Okay. Sparkles’ been poisoned. Yeah. Keep him in the house. Call Dad.” He hung up the phone. “Hey, Ken. Jaxson. London wanted me to let you know Sparkles is sick. We have a vet coming to see her. She’s hanging in there. I will.”

Before I was able to ask, Jaxson sat us back down near Sparkles. “Everyone is okay.”

I leaned back against Jaxson. “Do you think this was an accident?”

“No, I don’t.”

The tenseness in his jaw told me Jaxson was holding something back.

It was the middle of the night. The vet came and left after attending to Sparkles. It was comforting the vet believed Sparkles would pull through. The question was if there would be permanent damage. Her vitals were strong as I watched her stomach rise and fall in a steady motion. The frothing of her mouth finished hours ago.

We were nearing hour twelve after I found her. Generally death occurred within ten hours of the onset of symptoms with hemlock poisoning. With each hour that passed, the burden of my heart lessened more. I wanted to sob with relief, but kept myself calm for Sparkles’ sake. Later, I would be able to fall apart.

Someone poisoned my horse. No other horses had treat buckets, but only the normal feed. After investigating further, there was no doubt it had been intentional.

No note had been discovered.