“No, look, Father, if your dead girl and mine are the same, I don’t blame her for being pissed.” I began to fish my phone from my bag, intending to compose a text to CeeCee. Her investigative skills were superior to mine. “Can you tell me anything more about her death? Anything else at all?”
“It was a long time ago, Susannah. Before you moved to Carmel. I suppose I could ask Father Francisco . . . he’s still the headmaster at Sacred Trinity. I believe the funeral was held at the chapel there. I wish I could remember her last name. I believe I heard from Father Francisco that the family moved away afterward. Well, that would be understandable. Who would want to stay in the area after a thing like that?”
“Oh, no, who would?” I wasn’t even trying to mask my sarcasm. “Did they shoot the horse, too? Because I’m sure everyone blamed the horse. They always do.”
Hey C.C., here’s more 411 on Lucia. Went to Sacred Trinity approx. 9-10 yrs ago. Died in horseback riding accident. Coroner listed cause of death as asphyxiation.
PS Is everyone insane? Not counting you, of course. And Jesse.
NOV 17 12:45 PM
“Was Becca there when it happened?” I asked Father Dom.
“It says right here in her file that she attended the Academy of the Sacred Trinity all-girls Catholic school in Pebble Beach for first and second grade. As I said, that would have been around the time of the tragedy. She then switched to Stevenson School the following year. One has to assume there’s a good reason for her to have made such an abrupt transfer—”
“Becca did mention an accident,” I said, thinking back to our conversation the day before. “She said her mom left ‘after the accident.’ ”
The poor child.” Father Dominic shook his head. “So much sadness in her life, and in such a short time.”
“I think Lucia’s the one who got the real short end of the stick there, Father.”
“True. A year after, Becca transferred from Stevenson to a charter school, but that appears to have been a failure as well, because now, of course, she’s here.”
My mind was whirling. This was a lot of information. A lot of information about which there was nothing on the Internet.
Well, that made sense. Sacred Trinity wouldn’t want to be associated with something so sad, and they had the money to make sure any reference to it stayed off Google.
“Do you remember where the riding accident occurred?” I asked. “Was it on Sacred Trinity grounds?”
“I honestly can’t recall,” Father Dominic said. “I suppose it would make sense that it was Sacred Trinity. They have facilities there for students to stable their own horses.”
“They should have facilities there for their students to stable their own space shuttles with what they charge for tuition.”
Sacred Trinity was one of the many private schools in the Carmel area with which the Mission Academy was in competition. But with Trinity’s chic location on Pebble Beach’s exclusive 17-Mile Drive, their Olympic-sized pool, tennis courts, lacrosse and soccer fields, and, of course, horse stables and riding trails, the Mission Academy was barely in the same league. All we had to offer these days as far as extracurriculars was basketball, Mathletics, and the spring musical. It wasn’t any wonder Sister Ernestine didn’t want to piss off Lance Arthur Walters. The daughters of royalty and celebrities attended Sacred Trinity.
The granddaughters of Andy Ackerman, the host of At Home with Andy, attended Mission Academy.
“But Sacred Trinity is located within the community of Pebble Beach, and the resort there has an equestrian center, too,” Father Dominic said, loyally coming to the defense of a fellow Catholic school. “The accident could easily have happened along one of its riding trails, not Trinity’s. Horseback riding is such a popular sport these days, especially among the wealthy, everyone seems to be doing it, even though it can be so very dangerous. And I don’t believe there are any equestrian safety helmet laws in California.”
I eyed him with affectionate skepticism. “Oh, okay, Father D. I’m sure that’s the reason Lucia’s been sticking around so long, trying to protect Becca, because she’s upset about California’s equestrian safety helmet laws.”
“There’s no need for more sarcasm, Susannah. Sacred Trinity is one of the premier girls’ schools in the country. And Pebble Beach is a five-star resort. Surely what happened to the poor girl could only have been a tragic accident, not . . . whatever you’re thinking.”
“You know one of the things I love most about you, Father D, is that you always see the best in people.” Smiling, I patted him on the shoulder. “Even in premier girls’ schools and five-star resorts.”
“And one of the things that troubles me most about you, Susannah, is that you’re always prepared to see the worst in everyone. Didn’t you work at the Pebble Beach Resort one summer when you were in high school?”
“I did,” I said. “That’s how I know they aren’t perfect.”
“False modesty is not a very attractive quality, Susannah.”
“Fine. Yes, they hired me to work as a babysitter at the resort.”