Spur of Suspicion

By: Amy Simone

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

The Belle Étoile Dressage Center in the humid Louisiana Atchafalaya Basin is usually dedicated to polished brass and textbook shoulder-ins. However, the arrival of world-renowned clinician Miguel Santiago and his priceless 17th-century Spanish spade bit —a relic linked to the legendary Mission of Lost Stars—brings instant trouble.The tension snaps when the bit vanishes during a welcome dinner, shattering the barn's fragile facade with an "opera-house shriek" from melodramatic boarder Lady Portia Hawthorne. Trainer Sarah Delacroix, focused on keeping her business afloat despite being doubted and suspended from official duties, finds herself plunged into a spiraling bayou mystery.The theft is just the start of a campaign of escalating sabotage: ancient Spanish coins appear in hay and feed buckets, a champion horse's water is spiked with salt, causing colic, reins are deliberately sliced, and Portia’s own imported Warmblood is kidnapped. Sarah, aided by stable hand Jeremiah Thibodeaux and chaotic farrier Finn Moreau, realizes the thief isn't just after a relic, but is chasing a rumored hidden treasure.Using muddy footprints with a tell-tale spur mark, small brass rivets, and an ancient mission map, Sarah must race against the saboteur—who is now actively trying to burn down the barn and hurt her horses—to unearth the truth hidden beneath the cypress grove. If she fails, her beloved Belle Étoile may lose its reputation, its clients, and its fight against scandal for good.Saddle up and uncover the secrets hidden beneath the Spanish moss before the next storm washes away all the evidence!