The Missing Horse Mystery

  business in your country. You have sponsors who pay

  for everything. You don't have to worry about whether

  or not you'll have a horse to ride or how you're going to

  pay for everything.”

  “You have good horses here.”

  “Your castoffs. Curio would be a mediocre horse in

  Germany.”

  “Michael!” Lee Anne protested. “That's not true.

  Why don't you quit arguing and just have a good time?”

  Throwing down his napkin, Michael stood up

  abruptly. “I'd love to, but I've got more important

  things to do. Like proving to the judges that I'm as

  good as the European riders. Good night and enjoy

  your dinner,” he said. Turning, he stormed out of the

  restaurant.

  “What was that all about?” Bess asked.

  Gunter shook his head. “That was about being too

  competitive. It's the I've-got-to-win attitude like

  Michael's that sours a sport.”

  “Michael doesn't have a bad attitude,” Lee Anne

  said. “And he's right. Riders in Germany don't have to

  scrounge for everything.”

  Lee Anne stood and faced the others, her cheeks

  flushed. “Michael's had to work hard to get where he

  is. He's sacrificed everything. If he doesn't do well at

  this show, he might lose Curio, too. The stress is really

  eating at him.”

  Nancy touched her friend's elbow. “Hey, we

  understand, Lee Anne.”

  Tears pricked Lee Anne's eyes. “You can't possibly

  understand. You have no idea how hard it's been for

  him. I'm sorry. I've got to go find Michael. I'll see you

  back at the motel room.” Picking up her purse, she

  hurried out of the restaurant.

  Bess stood up. “Lee Anne!” she called.

  “Let her go,” Nancy said. “She and Michael may

  need some time together.”

  “We can get a cab,” Ned said. “I, for one, would like

  to stay and enjoy a juicy steak.”

  Gunter raised his soda glass. “I second the motion.

  Bess?”

  With a sigh, she sat down and clinked glasses with

  him. “A toast to a pleasant evening. I think we'll have

  one now that Michael's gone. He really is a downer.”

  Nancy had to agree. Still, Michael obviously was

  under a lot of pressure. Though, Nancy wondered,

  what had Lee Anne meant when she'd said Michael

  might lose Curio? Did it mean he was so eager to win

  that he'd be desperate enough to injure or steal a

  competitor's horse?

  “Nan?” Ned's voice broke into her thoughts. “What

  are you going to order?”

  Nancy smiled. “How about the answers to my

  questions?”

  * * *

  “I know it's a cliché,” Nancy said to Ned as they

  stepped into the motel lobby. “But that really was the

  perfect ending to a great evening.”

  The dinner had been delicious. Since Gunter had to

  be up early to prepare for his ride, he and Bess had

  taken a cab from the restaurant. Ned and Nancy had

  chosen to take a leisurely walk back to the motel. It had

  given them time to catch up on how Ned's college

  classes were coming along this semester. Nancy filled

  Ned in on the news from River Heights.

  “The dinner was great,” Ned said, “except for

  Michael's outburst, of course.”

  “Yes. But that didn't seem to ruin anyone's

  appetite.” Nancy yawned. “Well, it's almost eleven, and

  I'm bushed.”

  “Me, too. Chasing bad guys is hard work.” After

  saying good night, Ned and Nancy headed for their

  rooms. Nancy unlocked the door to her room, opened

  it, and peeked in. The light between the still-made

  beds was on. The sound of running water came from

  the bathroom. She shut the door, slipped off her shoes,

  and fell backward on one of the beds, exhausted.

  Bess came out of the bathroom, dressed in pajamas,

  her face washed. “You made it.” She plunked down

  next to Nancy. “I thought maybe you'd fallen in a

  ditch.”

  “No. It was a beautiful night to walk. Also, it was

  nice to be with Ned and talk about friends and

  school—anything but horses.”

  Nancy laughed. “Did you and Gunter have a good

  time? He seems really nice, and his stories about life in

  Germany were interesting.”

  “We had a great time—after Michael and Lee Anne

  left.”

  Propping herself up on her elbows, Nancy glanced

  at the other bed. “Lee Anne's not back?”

  “No. And there was no message.”

  “I hope she's okay.” Nancy felt a pang of anxiety.

  Bess wrinkled her nose. “Maybe Michael bored her

  to death.”

  “Don't say that.” Jumping off the bed, Nancy picked

  up her purse.

  “Where are you going?” Bess asked.

  “We are going back to the showgrounds, so get

  dressed.”

  “Why?” Bess picked up a pair of jeans she'd draped

  over the bed.

  “To look for Lee Anne. If Michael is the thief who

  attempted to steal the horse, or if he's involved in any

  way, Lee Anne could be in trouble.”

  Ten minutes later Nancy and Bess were showing

  their parking passes to the guard at the front gate.

  Nancy wondered if they'd beefed up security since the

  attempted theft. Though even if they had, the person

  who'd tried to take Sweet and Klean probably had a

  legitimate pass.

  Nancy parked in front of Barn C. There were no

  other cars in the lot outside. The door at the end of the

  barn was open, and the aisle was dark.

  “Are you sure we should go in?” Bess asked.

  “It does look deserted,” Nancy replied. She opened

  the car door and stepped out. “Still, I'd sleep a lot

  better if I knew where Lee Anne was.”

  Bess jumped out to join her. “Me, too.”

  The barn was illuminated by dim ceiling lights.

  Slowly Nancy walked down the aisle, glancing into each

  stall. The horses were quietly munching hay or

  sleeping in the straw.

  “Let's check to see if Gilly's awake,” Nancy

  whispered. “She may know where Lee Anne is.”

  Nancy went over to the stall Gilly slept in. The cot

  was neatly made up as if no one had been in it yet.

  “She's not here,” Nancy said.

  “Neither is Aristocrat.” Bess was peering into his

  stall. “Maybe she's out walking him or something.”

  “At this hour?” Nancy hurried over and peered into

  the horse's stall. The door was open, the stall empty.

  “What are you guys doing here?” a voice asked.

  Startled, Nancy jumped a foot, and Bess squeaked.

  Gilly was striding down the aisle.

  “Looking for Lee Anne,” Nancy replied. She

  gestured to the empty stall. “Where's Aristocrat?”

  Gilly's eyes widened in alarm. “What do you mean? I

  just checked on him,” she said as she rushed over.

  When she saw the empty stall, she clasped a hand over

  her mouth, stifling a cry.
“He's gone. Someone must

  have taken him!”

  7. A Secret

  Nancy put a hand on Gilly's arm. “Don't panic. Maybe

  Klaus moved Aristocrat.”

  Quickly Nancy, Gilly, and Bess raced up and down

  the aisle, checking every stall. There was no sign of the

  stallion.

  “This is terrible,” Gilly moaned. “Klaus will kill me. I

  left for just a second to get a soda, but some of my

  friends were hanging around at the little coffee shop

  that's open all night, and we started talking and . . .”

  Her voice trailed off, and she hung her head.

  “How long were you gone?” Nancy asked.

  “No longer than twenty, maybe twenty-five

  minutes.” Gilly wrung her hands. “I've got to call

  Klaus.”

  Bess patted her shoulder. “Maybe there's a simple

  explanation,” she said in a reassuring voice, but the

  look she gave Nancy was full of concern.

  “In the meantime we'll alert Security,” Nancy told

  her. “There's a guard checking the cars coming in and

  out of the grounds. Maybe he saw someone enter the

  barn.”

  “Maybe,” Gilly repeated, but she didn't sound

  convinced. When she left to call Klaus Schaudt from

  the barn's pay phone, Nancy and Bess headed for the

  booth at the gate. The security guard paged Texel at

  home, then called for two guards to report to the barn.

  While they waited for the chief of security to show

  up, Nancy and Bess told the guard at the gate, Fred

  Dunlevy, about the missing horse. “Did anyone leave

  with a horse in the last half hour?” Nancy asked him.

  Fred shook his head. “No trailers or vans went by

  here. So the horse must be on the grounds somewhere.

  We'll find him.”

  “Gilly will be glad to hear that,” Bess said.

  Five minutes later Texel roared into the show-

  grounds, gravel flying from beneath his truck tires.

  “Get in,” he growled, swinging open the passenger

  door.

  Without a word, Bess and Nancy scrambled inside.

  Texel wasn't wearing his cowboy hat, and his thinning

  hair stuck up as if he'd just gotten out of bed.

  “You girls better not have dragged me from a sound

  sleep in air-conditioned comfort for nothin'.” He cast a

  disgruntled look at them. “I mean, this isn't part two of

  your Halloween prank, is it?”

  “No,” Nancy said. “Klaus Schaudt's stallion,

  Aristocrat, is missing. We checked every stall in Barn

  C. His groom says she was away from him for only

  about twenty minutes.”

  Texel grunted, then took a mug from a cup holder

  on the dashboard. “Schaudt's stallion, huh?” he

  repeated after taking a sip. “Well, we'd better find him,

  or I'll never hear the end of it.”

  The barn was ablaze with light. When the three

  went inside, Gilly and two guards were checking all the

  stalls.

  Texel was about to say something when a loud voice

  barked, “Have you found him? Have you found my

  horse?”

  Nancy turned to see Schaudt stride down the aisle

  toward them. He was elegantly dressed in a navy blazer

  over a white shirt and a canary yellow vest.

  “Mr. Schaudt,” Texel said in his own booming voice.

  “We have not found your horse yet, but I have alerted

  my entire security crew. We will have an answer for

  you as soon as possible.”

  Schaudt didn't break stride. Scowling, he marched

  up to Gilly, who seemed to shrink into the concrete.

  “Miss Phillips has some explaining to do,” Schaudt

  said, his steely gaze riveted on her. “Like why she was

  gone long enough for this to happen.”

  “I just went to get a soda,” Gilly said, her voice a

  whisper.

  Schaudt's gaze didn't waver. “Then you should have

  had someone cover for you. I warned you not to leave

  Aristocrat. There have been too many unexplained

  incidents.” His eyes swung to Texel.

  Nancy exhaled. She hadn't realized how tense she

  had become, even though Schaudt hadn't been

  reprimanding her.

  “We're working on those incidents,” Texel said.

  “We've had a guard at the front gate all evening. He

  reports that no horses were transported from the

  showgrounds. That means your stallion's here

  somewhere.”

  Schaudt took a step toward Texel, his back ramrod-

  straight. “Then why aren't you looking for my horse?”

  he asked, his tone accusing.

  Without a word, Texel met the other man's gaze.

  “We are,” he finally drawled. “If you have a photo of

  the horse, it would help greatly.”

  “I brought one just for that purpose.” Schaudt

  plucked one from his jacket pocket, handed it to Texel,

  then scowled at Gilly. “I'm not through with you yet,

  Miss Phillips. But right now I need to look for my

  horse.”

  Whipping around, he marched out of the barn.

  Gilly burst into tears. Covering her eyes, she raced

  in the opposite direction.

  For a second no one said a word. Then Texel waved

  the photo at the two guards. “Look at this; then check

  every stall in every barn. I'm going to call the county

  and state police. If we don't find Aristocrat, I'll fax

  them a copy of this photo so they can keep their eyes

  peeled for any vans on the highway this late at night.”

  As Texel and the guards were leaving, Lee Anne and

  Michael came into the barn from the parking lot.

  “What's going on?” Michael asked. “Klaus called me

  and told me to come over here. He said there was a

  problem.”

  Michael and Lee Anne were still dressed in the

  clothes they'd worn to dinner. Since it was almost

  midnight, Nancy wondered where they'd been since

  they left the restaurant.

  “Aristocrat's gone,” Nancy explained.

  Lee Anne blinked. “Gone?”

  “What do you mean he's gone?” Rushing over to the

  stallion's stall, Michael looked inside, then turned to

  Nancy. “Where's Gilly? What's being done to find the

  horse?”

  “Klaus bawled Gilly out, and she ran off,” Nancy

  explained. “Klaus and the guards are checking all the

  barns. Texel went to call the state and local police.”

  “Poor Gilly.” Lee Anne bit her lip.

  “Poor Gilly—nothing,” Michael snapped. “Klaus

  should have chewed her out. It's her job to watch

  Aristocrat.”

  While he talked, he walked up and down the aisle,

  peering into the other stalls. “At least the other horses

  are okay.” He ran his fingers through his thick hair in a

  gesture of frustration. “Man, I don't need this. I've got

  to be ready for my dressage test in the morning.”

  “You go and get some sleep,” Lee Anne told him.

  “I'll stay here.”

  “Are you sure?” Michael glanced down the aisle, his

  expression anxious. Nancy couldn't tell if he felt guilty

  or just
worried because the stallion was gone.

  “Yes,” Lee Anne reassured him. “Klaus will

  understand.”

  Michael snorted. “True. One thing Klaus does

  understand is winning. Well, I'm out of here.” His gaze

  flicked to Nancy before he hurried away.

  Nancy faced Lee Anne. “Bess and I were worried

  when you didn't come back to the room. Where did

  you and Michael go?”

  Lee Anne seemed to grow tense. “We just went

  somewhere to talk. Why?”

  “Hey, don't get so uptight,” Bess said. “It was late,

  and we didn't know where you were. We came to the

  barn to look for you.”

  “Oh.” Lee Anne's shoulders relaxed. “Sorry. Today's

  just been so crazy. I mean, when I invited you two to

  come to the show, I never dreamed all this would

  happen. Then on top of it, Michael's been so upset.

  I've never seen him like this.” When she looked at

  Nancy, tears glistened in her eyes.

  “Do you think something's bothering him other than

  the usual show pressures?” Nancy probed.

  “If it is, he's not telling me.” Lee Anne sniffled.

  “And now this . . .” She waved to Aristocrat's empty

  stall. “What a nightmare.”

  Putting one arm around Lee Anne's shoulders, Bess

  gave her friend a hug. “Cheer up. Fortunately, you

  invited a great detective and her best friend to the

  show. We'll help find Aristocrat.”

  “Thanks.” Lee Anne wiped her eyes with her fingers.

  “Which means we'd better do something.” Nancy

  thought for a minute. The guards were searching the

  other barns, so that was covered. She thought about

  the missing gray trailer. “I think we should check the

  parking lot. Someone could have loaded Aristocrat into

  a van or a trailer, just waiting for a chance to drive out.”

  Bess nodded. “That makes sense.”

  “Gilly keeps one of those big flashlights by her cot,”

  Lee Anne said. “Poor Gilly,” she said as she went to

  retrieve it. “Klaus is one of the greatest riders and

  trainers, but he treats his horses a lot better than he

  treats his human help.”

  Flicking on the flashlight, Lee Anne led the way

  from the barn to the parking lot. As the trio went from

  trailer to trailer, Bess huddled close to Nancy. “I don't

  want some man in one of those masks to jump out at

  me,” she confessed.

  A half hour later they'd worked their way to the

  chain-link fence that circled the outer perimeter of the