Better to see her always as she was, ever before him, smiling, beckoning him to follow her. Where, Pam, where?

He did not question her guidance when, hours later, he turned westward on a highway that would take him through the Deep South and ever westward.

*   *   *

Back at Hopeful Farm, two men stood in the Black’s empty stall, their faces stricken with grief.

“He took the Black with him, Henry, that’s some comfort,” Alec’s father said. He was much taller and several years younger than the trainer. Henry was leaning heavily against the wall of the stall as if too confused to trust his bowed legs to hold him.

“When did you first learn he hadn’t gone to Paris?” Henry asked.

“Yesterday, when Hank came to my office and asked if the Black was with you at Aqueduct. I’ve been trying to get hold of you since then.” He paused to regain his train of thought. “I went to Alec’s office and found his packed bag and plane ticket. I knew something was wrong, but it wasn’t until I found the newspaper in the snow and saw his tracks …” His gaze turned away from the trainer. “He must have fallen often in the snow, Henry,” he went on finally. “The imprint of his body was all the way to the Stallion Barn.”

“He read of Pam’s death in the paper,” the trainer said sadly. “I know how he must have felt.”

“Do you?” Mr. Ramsay asked, not unkindly. “Do any of us really know?”

“He needed to see her,” the old trainer explained. “I could tell that by his riding. He was under a lot of strain.”

“We’ve all been under a lot of strain, too much strain.”

“I pushed him too hard,” Henry said regretfully. “I should have known better.” Placing his hand on the taller man’s arm, he added, “But I was afraid he was going to get hurt, Bill. I was worried for him. Maybe he thought different, but I knew he could be killed out there if he made many more mistakes. It’s hell …”

“It wasn’t the way Alec wanted it,” the taller man said, “but that’s all behind us now. I’ve already decided we need help to find him, Henry, professional help.”

“The state police, you mean. Have you notified them? He can’t just disappear, not driving a truck and trailer, not with a horse like the Black.”

“I’ve been advised to be careful, very careful about what we do.”

“Advised? By who?” Henry asked. “What we should do is call the state police right now! He’s been gone two days already.”

“I had Dr. Warson over to the house last night, and we talked about what we should do to find Alec.”

“Your friend, the psychiatrist? That’s crazy!” Henry said, concerned and angry. “What good is he?”

“He’s a close friend of the family,” Mr. Ramsay said patiently. “He’s known Alec a long time, ever since he was a little boy. It’s important, David said, that we understand what’s happened to Alec so we don’t make things worse than they are, even lose him.”

“Lose him?” Henry bellowed, unable to keep his voice down. “How could we lose him when he’s hauling the Black behind him?”

“I—I meant something more drastic, Henry,” Mr. Ramsay said quietly. “David pointed out to me that despite Alec having been so successful with his life, he’s been under great strain a long, long time. Oh, I don’t mean just the recent pressures, Henry, our need for more capital to operate the farm, all of which have added to the strain.