John had explained to Sam about Sherlock's discovery of Karl Hunter's lapel pin with the insignia from the Sport Horse Breeding of Great Britain organization, whose main branch was in Edenbridge. She was suitably impressed by Sherlock's keen powers of observation, but she was dubious that it provided any link to the case. When she voiced this concern, he said, "Let's follow your leads then. Oh, that's right. You have none."
He smiled without mirth and looked back out the side window, clearly annoyed.
It wasn't long before they pulled into a small farm on the edge of the town. Sam parked her Audi in the dusty lot, nearest the only building on the property that didn't look like a stable. They figured there must be an office of sorts somewhere. They had no real plan but to ask questions about Karl Hunter of anyone who was present to see what, if any, information they could get.
There was an office there as they suspected, and when they entered, the office manager looked up at them, surprised.
"Oh, hello," he said, standing up behind his cluttered desk. "I'm Stan Beardsley, general manager. How can I help you folks today?"
John took the lead while Sherlock took the opportunity to scan the office.
"Hi, I'm John Watson, this is Sherlock Holmes and Samantha Sloan. We were wondering if you could answer a few questions about Karl Hunter and his involvement with your organization."
Stan looked at them guardedly. "Karl Hunter. Been on the news a lot lately. Shame about his wife. Are you with the police?" he asked, sensibly.
"We are consulting detectives working with NSY on this case," answered John, hoping that would be enough.
The manager was under no obligation to answer any questions for anyone other than the police, but he seemed open to doing so. Sherlock noticed he didn't ask for any identification…a trusting sort.
"Wow. Sure. OK," said Stan sitting down again, and motioning for them to do the same. Only Sherlock remained standing, looking around the room.
"Well, how involved is Mr. Hunter with your group? What does he do here?" asked John, only now taking his notepad out of his pocket.
Stan thought for a moment. "Well, he's owned several horses over the years which are graded by us. He runs them in shows and breeds them, you know?"
John nodded. "Do you know him very well?"
Stan shook his head. "Not very well. Seen him around now and again, but his partner's the one as takes care of things mostly. His partner's a vet, so he knows his way around the horses. Karl is more of a silent partner. Still though, he seems like a nice enough bloke," added Stanley sincerely. Sam scanned his demeanor for any signs of deception, but he was being open and honest. He was not hiding anything that she could see.
"Can you tell us who his partner is?" asked John.
"I can do better than that. I can introduce you to him. His name is Archie Brooks. He's out in the barn right now checking one of our mares. He does work for a lot of owners."
Stan hauled himself out of his chair and led them to one of the barns. John had changed into jeans and sturdy shoes, but Sherlock and Samantha were a little overdressed for the occasion. In her defense, Sam hadn't known beforehand she would be going to a horse barn, but Sherlock was just plain obstinate. He didn't appear to be offended by the manure or the smell.
"Archie!" called Stan, trying to attract the man's attention.
A thin man with black hair and delicate features came around the corner at the call of his name. He had a towel and was wiping his hands.
"Archie, these folks are working with Scotland Yard on the Karl Hunter case. They wanted to ask us a few questions. Can you spare a few minutes?"
At the mention of Scotland Yard, Archie's back stiffened.
"Are you cops?" he asked in an unfriendly tone.
"Consulting detectives," said Sherlock dryly.
"Mr. Brooks, how well do you know Karl Hunter?" asked John, hoping to catch the man off guard before he decided to shut them out.
"Not too well. We've done business together, but I stay out of his personal life, mind you," he added quickly. He held up his hand and turned his face away from them. Sam picked up on this possible distancing behavior, but she needed to see him answer more questions.
"Did you notice any unusual behavior prior to Mrs. Hunter's disappearance?" asked Sam, eager to get his response.
Archie flushed and said "No!" He shrugged. "I don't see him very often. This is just a hobby to him, not a full time job." He shrugged again. Sam saw this and translated it in terms of her training. A shrug might indicate that the speaker doesn't believe what he is saying. She looked at Sherlock and gave him a meaningful look to indicate she thought Archie was lying. Sherlock picked up on this and busied himself on his cell phone looking something up.
"Stan said you were partners. You must have known him quite well," objected John.
"He owned the horses, but all the shows were entered in my name. He didn't want the publicity," said Archie. Sam judged that much to be true.
"He didn't come around very often. Just a few times a year to check on things," added Archie. True again.
"Did you see him at the time shortly before his wife's disappearance?" asked John, thinking that pressing the line of questioning might yield something.
"No," said Archie, his voice dropping in volume.
Sam saw this as a possible sign of deception.
At this point, Sherlock whirled around holding up his cell phone. "Archie, I suggest that you cooperate to the fullest extent possible. What with your gambling debt and past brushes with the law, we could make things…difficult for you."
It was a bit of a lie, of course. They had no legal jurisdiction over the man. But with the three of them standing there claiming to be with Scotland Yard, it was more than Archie could take. The police had never questioned him originally, not even realizing Karl Hunter's involvement with the organization.
Archie was flummoxed, and didn't know quite what to say at this point.
Sam picked up on his confusion and pumped him further.
"Did he say or do anything out of the ordinary before his wife's disappearance?" she asked, giving him a soft, inquiring look and putting her hand on his arm. It worked on most men. It was an added perk of being beautiful.
Archie looked at her and deflated under her beautiful gaze.
"Now that you mention it, he did," said Archie, licking his lips nervously. "I didn't do anything wrong," he added quickly.
"We understand, Archie," said Sam sweetly. "Just tell us what happened, honey."
Sherlock and John exchanged looks. Sam's tactics were certainly coming in handy.
"Well, he asked me about a certain drug. One that we use to sedate the horses when they're hurt," he said nervously.
"Acepromazine?" asked Sherlock. Archie looked at him surprised.
"Yes! How do you know?" asked Archie, now looking worried.
"Chemistry graduate," explained John jerking his head towards Sherlock.
"Well, I told him about it," said Archie, "but I didn't give him any! The thing is…" he said very hesitantly, "the thing is there was a syringe that went missing."
"I can't prove it was him that took it!" he added hastily, looking at their alarmed expressions.
"I'm not in trouble, am I?" asked Archie, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Not as long as you cooperate," said John, who was now in the process of dialing Lestrade to fill him in on the latest details.