The Missing Horse Mystery

  “Oh, Lee Anne.” Nancy didn't know what to say.

  The evidence was pretty damaging.

  “Nancy?” Bess looked pleadingly at her.

  “All right. I'll keep poking around. But if all my

  snooping only proves that Michael is guilty, I won't lie

  to the police.”

  “I don't expect you to,” Lee Anne said, some of her

  old fire returning.

  Nancy touched her on the shoulder. “Good, but you

  have to tell me the truth.”

  Lee Anne lowered her gaze. “All right.”

  “I need to know how long you were with Michael

  last night. And where you went.”

  Lee Anne's shoulders slumped. “I wasn't with

  Michael last night,” she finally admitted. “When he left

  the restaurant, he drove off without me. I was too

  embarrassed to face you guys, so I walked back to the

  motel.”

  “But you came into the barn with him after

  Aristocrat was stolen,” Bess pointed out.

  “When I got back to the motel, I went to our room

  and called him, but he didn't answer. When it got late,

  I grew worried and went to his room to wait. At about

  twelve-thirty, he came down the hall. I told him we

  needed to talk. He agreed. But when we got inside his

  room, the phone rang. It was Klaus, telling us that

  Aristocrat had been stolen.”

  “You have no idea where he'd been all that time?”

  Ned asked.

  “He said he'd been doing some thinking about his

  riding career. That's all.”

  “Thanks for telling the truth,” Nancy said.

  “I'm sorry I lied, but I was trying to protect

  Michael,” Lee Anne said. “You kept asking me

  questions, as if you thought he was involved in the

  theft. But lying won't help him now.”

  Nancy was afraid Lee Anne was right.

  When they arrived at the motel, Bess got out of the

  Mustang with her friend. “I'm going to stay here with

  Lee Anne,” she told Nancy and Ned.

  “Good idea. We'll head over to the showgrounds to

  see if Texel found out anything more,” Nancy said.

  “Then I'd like to go see Gilly.”

  Lee Anne bent down to look in the open car door. “I

  want to go to the hospital with you, but I've got to be at

  the barn at four this afternoon to help feed the horses.

  With Michael and Gilly gone . . .” Her voice faded.

  “We'll pick you up about two,” Nancy said.

  “So you think the key to Gilly's assault is the horse

  theft?” Ned asked as he drove away.

  “It's got to be,” Nancy replied. “Gilly wanted to tell

  me something about the theft. But what could she have

  known that was so damaging that she was attacked?”

  “How about the name of the thief?” Ned guessed.

  “That could be it. The problem is, Aristocrat's been

  gone almost twelve hours. He could be out of the state

  by now, which means the police may never find him or

  the thieves. And Texel . . .” Her voice trailed off.

  Ned gave her a curious look. “What about Texel?”

  She told him Klaus's theory. “What if Klaus is right?

  What if Texel and his guards are operating a theft

  ring?”

  Ned whistled. “Wow. That would be tough to prove.

  Do you think Texel could be in on it? He seems as

  honest as they come.”

  “I agree,” Nancy said. “But right now I'm afraid to

  trust him. You see, Gilly did tell me something.”

  “What?” Ned braked at a red light.

  “She said if anything happened to her, I should

  check the scar on Aristocrat's hock.”

  For a second Ned just looked at her. “What do you

  think she meant?”

  “The hock is the joint on the hind leg, I know that

  much, but what the scar has to do with the theft, I'm

  not sure.” She shook her head. “Unfortunately, I now

  know what she meant when she said, If anything

  happens to me.' ” Nancy shuddered. “That makes me

  think she knew someone might come after her.”

  “This is getting dangerous, Nan,” Ned said. “I think

  you need to let the police handle it.”

  “Not yet. I want to find out something first.” Nancy

  shifted in her car seat to face him. “I have to know if

  Security is involved.”

  Ned cocked one eyebrow. “Let me guess,” he said in

  a teasing voice. “That means snooping around their

  office. Right?”

  Nancy grinned. “Yup. We'll do it tonight. If we get

  caught, we can say we were looking for Texel.”

  Ned chuckled as he pulled into the showgrounds.

  “You make it sound so easy.”

  “Don't worry.” Nancy squeezed his fingers. “It'll be

  a piece of cake.”

  “I found the guards' schedule,” Nancy whispered to

  Ned. She was rummaging through the top drawer of

  Texel's desk. Ned was hunting through the file

  cabinets.

  It was after ten o'clock at night. Bess was out with

  Gunter. Lee Anne had fallen into an exhausted sleep.

  Earlier, when the four teens visited Gilly, they'd found

  her unconscious. Still, the doctor remained optimistic.

  “When she does regain consciousness,” Lee Anne

  had stated firmly, “she'll clear Michael.”

  The doctor wasn't sure when Gilly would wake up,

  however, and Nancy didn't want to wait. If someone

  else was guilty, she wanted to nab the culprit as soon as

  possible.

  “According to this schedule,” Nancy told Ned, “the

  culprit timed the theft perfectly. He stole Aristocrat at

  midnight, during the guards' shift change.”

  “So he must have known their schedule.” Ned

  opened the second file drawer quietly. “Here are the

  guards' employment records.”

  “Better check them out.” Nancy ran her finger

  across the schedule, noting who was on guard that

  night. Quickly she wrote down the names and what

  times they worked on a small pad.

  “Hey. This is interesting,” Ned said softly. “One

  guard, Andy Brackett, used to work for Klaus.”

  “Really?” Sliding the desk drawer shut, Nancy joined

  Ned. “How long ago?”

  “Just last year.”

  “Wow.” Nancy's mind whirled. “Not only would he

  know about Aristocrat but he'd know how valuable the

  horse was.”

  Flipping open the pad, she glanced at the names of

  the guards who'd been on duty the night before. When

  she saw Andy's name, her heart skipped a beat.

  “Ned.” Nancy held the pad up so Ned could see it in

  the dim light. “Andy was on duty from midnight until

  eight o'clock this morning. That means he could have

  been hanging around right before his shift. No one

  would have questioned why he was in one of the

  barns.”

  “So he could have stolen Aristocrat,” Ned said.

  Nancy waved the pad excitedly. “It also means one

  other thing: he was on duty when Gilly was attacked.

  What if Gilly found out that Andy Brackett had stolen

  the horse?”

/>   “He would have been able to sneak into the barn

  and go after her without anyone suspecting,” Ned said.

  “Right.” A gleam came into Nancy's eyes, and she

  snapped her fingers. “And one more thing— the police

  officer reported that Andy Brackett was the guard who

  checked Michael's pass at five o'clock. What if he was

  lying? What if it wasn't Michael who drove in?”

  Ned grinned excitedly. “Then we might be able to

  prove he's innocent!”

  11. A Surprising Twist

  “If we can prove Andy Brackett is the culprit, we would

  clear Michael,” Nancy explained. “Now that I think of

  it, even though Brackett was supposed to be working at

  midnight, I don't remember seeing him when we

  searched for Aristocrat.” In her excitement, her voice

  rose.

  Ned put a finger to his lips. “Shh. Somebody might

  hear you.”

  For a moment they stood and listened for any

  sounds coming from beyond the closed office door.

  When Nancy was certain no one had heard her, she

  whispered, “And maybe Gilly knew one of the guards

  was the thief. That would explain why she wouldn't

  confide in Texel.”

  “But what about Michael's car leaving the barn after

  Gilly was killed?” Ned asked.

  “Maybe Michael was working with Brackett,” Nancy

  said, her spirits sinking. “They may have known each

  other.”

  “Or maybe Brackett or someone else used the car to

  make it look as if Michael was guilty,” Ned suggested.

  “Good thought.” Before tucking the file folder back

  in the drawer, Nancy wrote down Andy Brackett's

  address. “We need proof other than Brackett's

  schedule and the fact that he used to work for Klaus.”

  “Let's ask Klaus about the guy,” Ned said. “Maybe

  he fired Andy or something. Revenge is a powerful

  motive.”

  Nancy closed the drawer. “Klaus will know what

  kind of a guy Brackett is, too.”

  For a minute she tried to picture the guard. The

  man was so unremarkable she barely remembered

  what he looked like. Short and balding?

  When they got back to the motel, Bess was saying

  good night to Gunter in the lobby. They were laughing

  together and didn't notice Nancy and Ned until the

  two came right up to them.

  “Oh!” Bess jumped back, blushing. “We didn't see

  you come in.”

  “No wonder. You were too busy,” Nancy teased.

  “Did you have fun tonight?”

  “A great time.” Gunter smiled. “We went

  Rollerblading.” His expression turned serious. “Though

  I hear I missed much excitement last night and this

  morning. I am sorry about your friend Gilly.”

  “We are, too,” Ned said. Bess reluctantly waved

  goodbye when Gunter headed for his room. “He's so

  much fun,” she said with a sigh.

  Ned walked with Nancy and Bess to their room.

  Bess unlocked the door, then pushed it open and

  peeked in. “I think Lee Anne is still asleep,” she told

  the others.

  “I'll say good night, then,” Ned said, yawning. “All

  that snooping around wore me out, too.”

  Nancy gave him a quick kiss. “Thanks for your help.”

  When she and Bess went inside, Lee Anne was sitting

  up in bed. Her hair was tousled, her cheeks pale. Bess

  had already gone into the bathroom.

  “Did you find out anything?” Lee Anne asked.

  “Maybe.” Nancy sat on the edge of the bed. “But I

  don't want to get your hopes up, so I'm not going to tell

  you everything yet. I do need you to answer some

  questions, though.”

  Lee Anne nodded sleepily.

  “Do you know Andy Brackett?”

  She knit her brow. “The name sounds familiar.”

  “He's one of the security guards. He worked for

  Klaus until a year ago.”

  “Now I remember. Sometimes Andy came to High

  Hills to haul horses. Mostly he worked at Klaus's other

  farm, so I didn't really know him.”

  “His other farm?” Nancy queried.

  “Klaus has a farm in Iowa, right across the state

  line,” Lee Anne explained. “He keeps his broodmares

  there. Aristocrat stays there in the spring during

  breeding season. Recently Klaus said something about

  getting a new stallion. I've never been to the Iowa farm

  because it has no riding facilities, but Michael goes

  there sometimes to work with yearlings.”

  “Thanks, Lee Anne.” Nancy yawned and started to

  undress. The lack of sleep was catching up with her.

  “Was that helpful?” Lee Anne slid back under the

  covers.

  “I hope so. Now go back to sleep.” As she pulled off

  her jeans, Nancy thought about everything she'd

  learned. Brackett must have worked with Aristocrat in

  Iowa, so he'd have to know how valuable the stallion

  was. And he might have known Michael, too.

  Nancy frowned. That meant the two could have

  planned the theft together, and when Gilly found out

  what they'd done . . .

  Nancy shivered, trying not to think about the groom.

  She glanced down at Lee Anne. Her eyes were closed,

  and she was breathing deeply. Nancy definitely didn't

  want to tell her friend the latest news, since it didn't

  help to clear Michael.

  “Boy, I feel better.” Nancy stretched. It was eight-

  thirty Sunday morning. Bess was already awake and

  dressed in shorts and a T-shirt.

  “You look nice,” Nancy said. “Going somewhere

  special?”

  “Gunter's riding later this morning. He invited me

  to come watch—and help.” She held up one foot.

  “That's why I'm wearing sneakers instead of sandals.”

  Nancy smiled. “Delicate sandals aren't too useful

  around horses. So you'll be with him most of the day?”

  “Yes, but maybe all four of us can meet somewhere

  for lunch.”

  “I think Ned and I are going to tour a farm in Iowa.”

  She filled Bess in on all they'd discovered.

  Bess looked sad. “I hope, for Lee Anne's sake, you

  find out Michael and this Brackett guy had nothing to

  do with each other.”

  “Me, too.” Nancy glanced around the room. “Where

  is Lee Anne?”

  “She left early. She had to feed the horses, and she's

  grooming and exercising Curio. She still insists that

  Michael's innocent and will be out of jail in time for his

  test tomorrow, so she wants Curio to be ready.”

  Looking in the mirror, Bess checked her hair, then

  picked up her purse. “See you later.”

  “Have a good time,” Nancy said. Reaching for the

  phone, she dialed the hospital. There was no change in

  Gilly's condition. Then she phoned Ned's room. His

  voice was thick with sleep. “Rise and shine, Detective

  Nickerson,” she said. “We have criminals to

  apprehend.”

  Half an hour later they were driving to the

  showgrounds. “We'll stop at the barn first and
ask

  Klaus about Brackett,” Nancy said as she drove into the

  parking lot. She and Ned had grabbed a couple of

  bagels from the buffet at the motel before heading on

  their way. “But let me do the talking.”

  “That's okay with me.” The window was down, and

  the rushing air ruffled Ned's brown hair. Nancy had

  dragged him out before he was quite ready, and he still

  looked half asleep.

  They stopped at the security booth to show their

  passes, then drove into the parking lot beside Barn C.

  “Good,” Nancy said. “Klaus's Mercedes is here. He

  might have some news about Michael.”

  They found Klaus in the barn, chewing out a young

  groom who held a bucketful of cleaning supplies.

  Nancy hadn't seen the girl before and wondered if

  she'd been recruited to help Lee Anne.

  When he saw Nancy and Ned, Klaus dismissed the

  girl with a curt “Be quick,” then turned to greet them.

  “Miss Drew, Mr. Nickerson, what brings you to the

  barn this morning?” he asked in his formal manner.

  “We've been looking into the theft of Aristocrat.”

  Nancy said.

  Raising his hands and lifting his chin, Klaus looked

  skyward as if imploring the heavens. “My poor horse.

  And now Michael. My head is splitting with all the

  pain.”

  And what about Gilly? Nancy wanted to add, but

  instead she said, “You mentioned that you thought the

  guards might have stolen Aristocrat. Did you recognize

  any of them? Perhaps one of them might have been out

  to High Hills.”

  “Hmm.” Klaus wrinkled his forehead as if pondering

  the question.

  Nancy had purposely refrained from mentioning

  Andy Brackett's name. She wanted Klaus to identify

  the man on his own.

  “No, I can't say I recognized anyone.”

  Nancy was surprised by his response. Andy Brackett

  might be nondescript, but if he'd worked for Klaus,

  Klaus should have recognized him.

  “I spoke with Michael this morning,” Klaus said,

  making a clicking noise of disgust. “My lawyer should

  have him out in no time—insufficient evidence. Those

  thickheaded police never should have arrested him in

  the first place.”

  Nancy studied the trainer's face. “You seem certain

  that Michael is innocent.”

  “I know the boy like a son,” Klaus said. “Besides,

  why would he attack Gilly? There is no motive, as you

  Americans say in your detective shows.”