One Mystery Solved

 Agent Danvers and Chief Lynch follow a lead on the abandoned foals.  It leads them to a dilapidated house on the edge of Doll County.  It looks like no one's lived there for years, but someone answers the door! 

Tate: Afternoon, ladies.  (notices Lynch's uniform)  Oh, no.  I was seen?  But I was so careful! 

Lynch:  You were pulling a horse trailer behind a tractor, in a residential area, in the middle of the night.  We traced the tag on the trailer - which is expired, by the way - to this address.  

Tate (heavy sigh): Am I under arrest? 

Carol: Not yet.  Tell us why you dumped those horses.  Then we'll decide. 

Tate: The horses belong to my great-uncle.  When I got here, he'd already shot the mare and was taking sights on one of the colts.  He gave me til morning to get rid of them.  I didn't know what else to do, so I found that nature sanctuary and took them there.  Wild horses happen, and I figured at least this way they'd have half a chance.

Carol: Where's your uncle now?  We'd like to speak to him. 

Tate: State Psychiatric Hospital.  He was mean as a snake before the accident and now...  some kind of brain damage.  We were contacted because he can't live on his own and I was given the honors of dealing with all of this.  

Carol: Accident?  

Tate: He has a hoarding problem, he tripped coming down the stairs, and fell two stories.  Through and over various rubbish.  Then some of it fell on him.  (laughs weakly) Must have looked like some slapstick bit.  

Lynch (to Carol): I have an idea.  Can you take the information to verify this while I make a call?  

Carol: This is highly unusual, Mr. Windu.  I'm not sure what... 

Mace: We're an unusual place.  (to Tate) Lynch tells me you're more ignorant than malicious.  That right? 

Tate:  I was trying to protect the colts with what I did.  Uncle didn't give me time to find a better way.

Mace: Here's the deal.  You sell Windu Acres the foals and whatever else we might find around here, for the cost of your fines.  Everybody's happy.   Lynch said she will put in a good word for you with the county, not that jail time usually happens for something like this.

Tate (to Carol): Is this legal? 

Carol (grinning): Barely. 

Mace: Of course, it all depends on what she finds checking your story.

Tanner:  Carriage is solid, it just looks rough.  Got a bit of fancy stuff rubbing one wheel.  We could do carriage rides in summer like we do sleigh rides in winter.  And Fred would go ape for that little camper playhouse.

Tate: There's a roof thing for this buggy.  I couldn't figure it out, but I have no idea what I'm doing.  

Carol: Just got a text from Lynch.  He seems to be telling the truth and the county will accept the arrangement.

Mace: Excellent.  (Looks around) Good thing we brought The Tank, huh? 

    

Carol: Don't leave town anytime soon, Mr. O'Malley.  We still need to question you about another matter.

Tate: Those women who were run over?  All I know about that is what I read in the papers.  

Carol: Charlie Lake's work is what led us to you.  She worked for the county parks. 

Tate: Sorry.  I can't help you, but I'll be here. I'm single, childless, and unemployed.  Got nowhere better to be.