Broken [In Revision 2023]

Chapter 8 - Reconosance

As if psychic, Maddy's best friend snapped her out of her gloom with a text. An invitation to coffee at one of their favourite haunts. She wiped the tears from her eyes and accepted the offer.

A double shot skinny latte later she was finally able to loosen up enough to laugh at her Katy's jokes. It felt good to smile, and the weight of the morning finally lifted off her shoulders.

"Is everything alright at home?" Katy asked between mouthfuls of a blueberry muffin.

"Meh, it's complicated." Maddy prodded her slice of coffee cake with her fork.

"It always is with your lot," Katy rolled her eyes playfully, "So what has your uncle done wrong now?"

"He's still breathing, I think that's what irritates people most." She scraped the sickly sweet frosting off of the top of the cake. She dropped her gaze to her plate. "Promise you won't tell anyone?"

"Of course," Katy slurped on her extra thick milkshake, "I'm not one to fuel that sort of gossip."

Maddy looked around the small coffee shop checking to see if any eager ears were within the vicinity. "He took in an injured wild horse."

"Okay..."

"It gave him hope, he actually got out of bed before noon and offered me some sound riding advice."

"That's awesome, good to hear Jake is on the road to recovery," Katy said excitedly.

"It's not that simple," Maddy said quietly, a sombreness to her voice, "it's illegal and he had to give him over to the authorities."

"So the horse has gone?"

"Yup, and now Jake is worse than I've ever seen him. I had to leave without riding." Maddy pushed her cake away, her appetite gone.

"No way, you never give up a chance to ride."

The pair of them sat without speaking for a moment, both trying to figure out a positive way forward. Katy ended up eating the leftover coffee cake, not caring about the fork she took large bites between mouthfuls of her milkshake.

"Can you get it back?" Katy asked, her attention focused on the trailer pulling into the parking lot. "The horse would have been put into the system right, so 'anyone' could adopt him, right?"

"I suppose, Jake made out it was impossible, but that could be the dark cloud talking." Maddy turned around to follow where Katy was looking. "Great, of all the people I wanted to see right now."

Her ex-aunt strode in through the door, she didn't see Maddy until after she collected her order and was walking out. She waved with a smug grin, "Sorry, I can't chat, I've got to get on the road big show tomorrow out of state, you understand."

"Sure," Maddy offered a sickly sweet smile, "don't let me keep you." She waited for Jenny to leave before letting loose a string of obscenities that made Katy look around uncomfortably.

"Wow, you really don't like her," Katy interrupted. Aware that several people had turned to look at them.

"The feeling is mutual, she hates that grandma gave Moonie to me, she knows that he's going to be top class." Maddy took out her phone and started looking for answers, scrolling through pages until she had all the information she needed. "Come on, let's get out of here, you've got a printer at your place right?"

"Yes," Katy said puzzled by the sudden change in her friend, "What are you up to?"

"You'll see."

"I don't like the sound of that. I'm no good with a shovel, so don't even think about asking for my help in disposing of the body." Katy tidied their table.