Chapter 2: The unexpected
The plane landed smoothly and safely at Paris airport. After disembarking Alec and Henry headed for the Black's quarantine designated area.
While tending to a very ill mannered Black, Alec over-heard a conversation between two grooms. They were talking about Equine Influenza and how for horses had already caught the epidemic. One of these had since died of oxygen starvation. The two grooms walked off to complete there chores before dark.
Alec just stood there, comb half way through the Blacks mane. Then quickly finished his duties, almost knocking the water bucket flying more than once and then hurried off. In the growing darkness, the stable yard looked deserted from the entrance. Alec then remember something that he had heard Henry talking to his father about four days before they were due to fly to France.
"Mr Ramsey strange things have been know to happen at Paris stables", Henry had said.
"What are you saying things have been known to happen", Mr Ramsey had replied in utter confusion.
"Days before the Arc D'Trimophe meet, horses have been know to become ill, and in some cases die"
"That's probably just and old wives tale, so that they don't get swamped with enters"
At that moment his mother had come along the landing and would have made a great fuss if she found him listening in as she called it. So he had left never hearing Henrys reply to the questionable theory.
At that point his gaze was taken away from the stable entrance and onto the track. It appeared at first that there was a ghost horse on the track. Snapping himself back to reality he found that it was an actual horse.
After helping with the recapture of the run-away horse Alec Headed for the stewards office. Alec wanted to get to the bottom of this quickly , the race was in a 10 days and he didn't want anything sabotaging the Black. Even though he thought they would probably be more scared of the Black than the Black was of them.
The stewards were all small, plump men in their late 60's. the smallest and plumpest of the lot looked up when Alec entered.
"Bonjour Monsieur" the steward greeted then seeing the puzzled look on Alec's face quickly added "Hello Sir". Alec warmed to the man quickly and began to ask him questions on the Outbreak of Influenza and other matters.
"Mr Banglien, I heard that there is an outbreak of Equine influenza" Alec popped the question
"Indeed there has, Mr Ramsey, indeed there has"
"Do you know what has caused the outbreak
"We believe it to be a horse called Ring Rader"
"Where is Ring Rader know then"
"He died of oxygen starvation a couple of days ago"
"Thank you"
The conversation continued, they discussed the Blacks chances against Moscow flyer and the other competitors.
Alec left the room ten minutes later. After the revelation of Mr Banglien Alec had finished the conversation and left.
Now though the last words of the steward buzzard through his head "Do you know that if I didn't know better I would say that someone was attacking theses horses".
If it was sabotage then why, who would attack class marathon runners?
The plane landed smoothly and safely at Paris airport. After disembarking Alec and Henry headed for the Black's quarantine designated area.
While tending to a very ill mannered Black, Alec over-heard a conversation between two grooms. They were talking about Equine Influenza and how for horses had already caught the epidemic. One of these had since died of oxygen starvation. The two grooms walked off to complete there chores before dark.
Alec just stood there, comb half way through the Blacks mane. Then quickly finished his duties, almost knocking the water bucket flying more than once and then hurried off. In the growing darkness, the stable yard looked deserted from the entrance. Alec then remember something that he had heard Henry talking to his father about four days before they were due to fly to France.
"Mr Ramsey strange things have been know to happen at Paris stables", Henry had said.
"What are you saying things have been known to happen", Mr Ramsey had replied in utter confusion.
"Days before the Arc D'Trimophe meet, horses have been know to become ill, and in some cases die"
"That's probably just and old wives tale, so that they don't get swamped with enters"
At that moment his mother had come along the landing and would have made a great fuss if she found him listening in as she called it. So he had left never hearing Henrys reply to the questionable theory.
At that point his gaze was taken away from the stable entrance and onto the track. It appeared at first that there was a ghost horse on the track. Snapping himself back to reality he found that it was an actual horse.
After helping with the recapture of the run-away horse Alec Headed for the stewards office. Alec wanted to get to the bottom of this quickly , the race was in a 10 days and he didn't want anything sabotaging the Black. Even though he thought they would probably be more scared of the Black than the Black was of them.
The stewards were all small, plump men in their late 60's. the smallest and plumpest of the lot looked up when Alec entered.
"Bonjour Monsieur" the steward greeted then seeing the puzzled look on Alec's face quickly added "Hello Sir". Alec warmed to the man quickly and began to ask him questions on the Outbreak of Influenza and other matters.
"Mr Banglien, I heard that there is an outbreak of Equine influenza" Alec popped the question
"Indeed there has, Mr Ramsey, indeed there has"
"Do you know what has caused the outbreak
"We believe it to be a horse called Ring Rader"
"Where is Ring Rader know then"
"He died of oxygen starvation a couple of days ago"
"Thank you"
The conversation continued, they discussed the Blacks chances against Moscow flyer and the other competitors.
Alec left the room ten minutes later. After the revelation of Mr Banglien Alec had finished the conversation and left.
Now though the last words of the steward buzzard through his head "Do you know that if I didn't know better I would say that someone was attacking theses horses".
If it was sabotage then why, who would attack class marathon runners?
