The Missing Horse Mystery

  Nancy lowered her voice. “Perhaps there was a

  motive. Gilly might have caught Michael stealing

  Aristocrat.”

  Klaus's chin snapped up. “That is absurd.”

  “Not totally. You see, Mr. Schaudt, we discovered

  that one of the guards used to work for you, and

  Michael knew him. They might have planned the theft

  together. Perhaps they attacked Gilly when she

  stumbled onto their scheme.”

  Brows arched, Klaus assessed Nancy with his direct

  gaze.

  She didn't blink.

  “That's an interesting theory, Miss Drew. However,

  if Michael needed money, he didn't have to steal a

  horse. All he had to do was ask me for a loan. And

  Andy Brackett is too dense to plan a theft. Still, I will

  definitely mention his name to Mr. Texel.”

  “In the meantime,” Ned chimed in, “Nancy and I

  are going to your—”

  Letting out a shout, Nancy shoved Ned hard. “Look

  out!”

  The blow caught Ned by surprise. He stumbled

  backward, falling in a pile of manure. “What in the

  world—” he sputtered.

  Quickly Nancy crouched beside him. “I am so

  sorry!” she apologized loudly, cutting him off. “But a

  wasp was buzzing around your head, and you know

  how allergic you are to wasps.”

  “Oh, right,” Ned said quickly. “My allergies.” He

  glanced up at Klaus, who must have thought they'd

  both gone mad. “Thanks for saving me from the killer

  wasp, Nan.”

  Nancy bit her lip to keep from laughing. Holding

  out her hand, she helped him up. The seat of his shorts

  was covered with manure.

  “Oh, yuck. We'd better go back to the motel so you

  can change.” Nancy turned toward Klaus. “Thanks for

  the information. Make sure you tell Texel about

  Brackett and keep us posted on Michael.”

  Grabbing Ned's elbow, she hurried him out of the

  barn.

  “Couldn't you have thought of some other way to get

  my attention?” Ned complained playfully when they

  got outside.

  “I'm sorry I pushed you, but I didn't want Klaus to

  know we were going to his farm. Did you hear what he

  said?”

  Ned nodded. “When you asked Klaus whether he

  recognized any of the guards, he said no. Then two

  sentences later he mentioned that Andy Brackett is too

  dense to plan a theft.”

  Nancy stopped by the door of the Mustang. “Right!

  Only I never said Andy's name. Which means that

  Klaus knows Andy and knows he's working here.”

  Pulling her keys from her purse, she unlocked the

  door.

  “Why do you think he did that?” Ned asked.

  “Good question.” Nancy paused before opening the

  door. “Maybe Klaus knew he was working here all the

  time because he'd arranged it.”

  Suddenly Nancy's mind whirled back to the horse

  theft. She and Gilly had been sitting on the tack trunk.

  Gilly had been about to tell her something when they

  heard footsteps. Nancy clearly remembered the horror-

  struck expression on Gilly's face when she saw that it

  was Klaus.

  “Ned, I think I've figured out what Gilly was going

  to tell me,” Nancy exclaimed. “That Klaus Schaudt

  arranged the theft of his own horse!”

  12. Puzzling Clues

  “But why would Schaudt steal his own horse?” Ned

  asked.

  Nancy shook her head as she got into the driver's

  side of the Mustang. “I'm not sure. Perhaps Aristocrat's

  insured against theft and Klaus hopes to collect on it.”

  She pulled a towel from the floor of the backseat and

  draped it over the passenger seat. “Here. Sit on this.”

  Climbing in, Ned lowered himself gingerly onto the

  towel.

  “After you change, then we'll go to Schaudt's Iowa

  farm.” Nancy started the car. “I'd love to get a look at

  his files. If we can connect him to Brackett and find a

  reason for him to steal his own horse, we just might

  crack this case.”

  They stopped at a fast-food restaurant on the way to

  the motel and got a take-out order. Even though it

  wasn't quite lunchtime, the two were hungry after their

  quick breakfast. When they got to the motel, Nancy

  waited outside while Ned ran in and changed.

  “You look better,” she told Ned ten minutes later

  when he climbed into the Mustang wearing clean

  jeans.

  “Definitely an improvement,” Ned said, strapping

  on his seat belt as Nancy roared off. She'd gotten

  directions to Klaus's other farm from Lee Anne. It was

  about a half hour's drive.

  Reaching behind him, Ned pulled the two paper

  bags from the backseat and handed one to Nancy.

  “Now for those burgers.”

  Driving in silence, they concentrated on eating their

  lunch. The Illinois countryside was picturesque. Even

  though her mind was whirling with thoughts about the

  case, Nancy was able to relax—for the first time since

  she'd arrived at the horse park, she realized.

  They took the first exit off the highway after crossing

  the state line into Iowa, then headed west on a winding

  road. The farm was just beyond the second left turn.

  “Wow.” Ned whistled when Nancy steered the

  Mustang along the gravel drive. “Nice digs.”

  White four-board fences ran parallel to the drive,

  enclosing lush pastures on both sides. In the field on

  their right, a dozen mares with foals grazed. On their

  left, a small band of yearlings romped.

  When they topped a low hill, Nancy braked and let

  the car idle as she surveyed the farm below. The

  fencing ended at a large, very modern barn surrounded

  by trees. No cars or trucks were visible.

  “Doesn't look as if anyone's here,” Nancy said.

  “Good. I didn't want to have to explain myself to

  some farmhand.”

  Nancy drove down the hill. Even though no vehicles

  were around, a caretaker could be on the premises. “If

  we do meet someone, we'll say we met Klaus at the

  show and he sent us to see his yearlings. That way, we'll

  at least get a tour of the place.”

  Ned chuckled. “Like we have the money to buy a

  horse.”

  Nancy parked. As soon as she switched off the

  engine, she heard dogs barking from somewhere

  around back.

  Ned furrowed his brow. “They sound big and

  mean.”

  “Let's hope they're penned,” Nancy said. She

  opened the car door, then waited. No dogs came

  barreling around the barn. “I think we may be okay.”

  Cautiously Ned opened his own door and climbed

  out. When he shut it, it made a sound as loud as a

  shotgun blast. “If that doesn't bring someone—or some

  critter—running, then there's probably no one here.”

  “We'd better hurry, though, before someone does

  show up.” Nancy headed toward the barn. A set of

  double doors open
ed onto a wide aisle. She stepped

  inside. It was cool and dark out of the sun. Stalls

  flanked the aisle. As Nancy walked past them, she

  noted the brass name tag over each stall door.

  “All of the horses must be outside,” Nancy said as

  she looked into an empty stall. Then she heard a nicker

  and the thud of a hoof banging a wooden wall. “Almost

  all,” she corrected.

  The two hurried down the aisle. Nancy stopped in

  front of a closed wire-mesh stall door. The name tag

  read Salut.

  “This must be Klaus's other stallion,” Nancy

  guessed. The horse moved in front of the door and

  pressed his nose against the screen. “Hi, big guy,” she

  crooned as she studied him.

  Nancy frowned and moved closer. “Wow. This horse

  could be a ringer for Aristocrat. He's the same color,

  with no white markings.”

  “That's interesting,” Ned said. “How do we know

  he's not Aristocrat?” Ned asked.

  “We don't know,” Nancy said. “But I know how to

  find out. Before she was hurt, Gilly told me to look for

  the scar on Aristocrat's hock. Remember? That's the

  way to identify him.”

  She unlatched the stall door. “This stallion is

  wearing a halter. If you hold him, I'll check his hind

  leg.”

  “I hope he doesn't bite.” Ned followed her into the

  stall. The big horse snorted suspiciously, but stood

  quietly while Ned held the cheekpiece of his halter.

  “Easy, guy,” Nancy soothed. Talking quietly, she

  moved around to the stallion's flank. Gilly hadn't said

  which hock, so she needed to check both.

  Putting her left hand on his right flank, Nancy

  rubbed him to let him know she was there. He was

  such a powerful horse that one kick would have sent

  her flying.

  “Just looking to see if you have a scar,” she told him.

  Reaching down, she felt the joint in the hind leg. She

  probed the smooth hair gently until her fingers found a

  rough, jagged spot running along the inside of the leg.

  “Ned!” Nancy whispered excitedly. “I found the scar

  Gilly was talking about!”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. So that means either this is Aristocrat or Salut

  is his twin in every way.”

  “And if this is Aristocrat, then your hunch was

  right—Klaus stole his own horse,” Ned said grimly.

  “But why would he steal his own horse and then

  house him in his barn?” Turning, Nancy gave the horse

  a solid pat on his neck.

  “Someone other than Gilly could have figured out

  that this is Aristocrat.” As the stallion nuzzled her

  fingers, she frowned in confusion. “Unless . . .” She

  thought a minute, trying to make sense of it all. “Unless

  the horse that was stolen wasn't Aristocrat. I remember

  Gilly telling me that she couldn't find his scar. Maybe

  when she bathed him, she suddenly realized that the

  horse at the show wasn't Aristocrat at all.”

  “Why would Klaus pass off another horse as

  Aristocrat, then steal it?” Ned asked.

  Nancy gave the horse one more pat, then followed

  Ned from the stall.

  “And if that is Aristocrat in there”—Ned jerked his

  thumb toward the horse—“then who and where is

  Salut?”

  Nancy locked the stall door behind her. “There've

  got to be answers to all our questions somewhere.”

  “I'll bet Klaus Schaudt knows the answers,” Ned

  said.

  “I doubt that he'll volunteer any information,”

  Nancy said. Hands on hips, she looked up and down

  the aisle. “We'll have to hunt for the answers ourselves.

  Let's try searching the office.”

  “That must be it.” Grabbing Nancy's hand, Ned led

  her down the aisle to a closed door. “Let's hope it's not

  locked.” Ned turned the knob, and the door opened.

  Nancy stepped inside. A window illuminated the

  small paneled room. It was furnished with a wooden

  desk, a swivel chair, shelves, and a file cabinet.

  Paintings of horses decorated the walls.

  “What are we looking for?” Ned asked.

  “Any evidence that Andy Brackett worked here and

  insurance forms on Aristocrat.” Sitting down in the

  swivel chair Nancy started opening the desk drawers

  while Ned headed for the file cabinet.

  For ten minutes they worked in silence. Nancy

  searched through every drawer in the desk, locating

  stacks of new bills, correspondence from horse owners,

  and show schedules. Nothing had Brackett's name on

  it.

  “Hey, the stuff in this file drawer might be helpful,”

  Ned said. “Klaus has a folder on every horse.”

  Nancy popped out of the desk chair. “Let's see the

  one on Aristocrat.”

  Pulling out a folder, Ned held it up. “There's also

  one on Salut.”

  Quickly they scanned the two folders.

  “Here are Aristocrat's registration papers,” Nancy

  said. “They state his color, breed, sire, and dam.”

  “And here are Salut's.” Ned took out a piece of

  paper and held it next to the one Nancy was holding.

  “They have the same parents. No wonder they look like

  twins. The only difference is that Salut is two years

  younger.”

  “How could they possibly have the same scar?”

  Nancy wondered. She pulled out several stapled

  papers. “Hey, here's Aristocrat's insurance policy. He's

  insured for one hundred thousand dollars.” She

  frowned. “That's odd. Lee Anne said he was worth

  about two hundred thousand.”

  “Then he's worth more than his insurance would pay

  off if something happened to him,” Ned pointed out.

  Nancy heaved a sigh. “Which means all this knocks

  out my hunch that Klaus stole his own horse.”

  The sound of tires on gravel made the two teens

  start. “Someone's here!” Nancy gasped.

  Hurriedly, they replaced the folders, then pushed

  the drawers and file cabinets shut. Nancy tiptoed to the

  door that opened into the barn and peered around the

  jamb. No one had come into the barn. “We can make a

  break out the far doors to our left, then run around to

  my car when the person comes inside.”

  “Whoever it is will still see your car,” Ned

  whispered.

  “I know, but we'll have to take a chance that we can

  get away before they see us.” Gesturing to Ned, Nancy

  burst out of the office and raced for the open doors as

  loud barking erupted behind her.

  Without slowing down, she tossed a glance over her

  shoulder. Two burly rottweilers came galloping toward

  them, teeth bared.

  Nancy felt her stomach churn as the dogs charged

  down the aisle after them, foam flying from their

  mouths. There was no way she and Ned would make it

  to the car in time!

  13. An Explanation

  “This way, Nan!” Ned grabbed her hand, pulling her

  sharply to the right. She st
umbled after him into an

  empty stall. Whirling, he slammed shut the wire mesh

  door.

  Growling and snarling, the two dogs threw

  themselves at the door. Ned and Nancy had to brace

  their shoulders against it to keep the dogs from forcing

  it open. Nancy could feel the heat of their breath as

  their sharp teeth tore at the wire.

  “Zeus! Apollo! Down!” a firm voice commanded.

  Instantly the dogs backed off. Whining, they circled

  twice, then sat in the middle of the aisle. Nancy and

  Ned exchanged relieved glances. She didn't think they

  could have held the dogs off much longer.

  Klaus Schaudt strode into view. He halted in front of

  the closed door and studied them. “Miss Drew, what

  are you and your friend doing in my barn?”

  “Klaus, are we glad to see you!” Nancy greeted the

  trainer with forced cheerfulness. “Thank you for calling

  off your dogs. They scared us half to death.”

  That part was true, Nancy thought. She couldn't

  exactly say she was glad to see him. Nothing had

  confirmed her suspicions that Klaus and Andy Brackett

  were working together, but until she had some

  answers, she didn't trust the man.

  “We were following the lead about the guard who

  worked for you,” Nancy explained. “May we come

  out?”

  “Of course. Zeus and Apollo were only doing their

  job. They are my farm's security. Usually I let them

  roam while I am gone. They definitely deter

  trespassers.”

  “Gee, I can't understand why,” Ned muttered,

  eyeing the dogs as he opened the door and stepped

  into the aisle. Nancy followed right behind him. The

  rottweilers were still obeying the sit command, but she

  knew if Klaus gave the word, the dogs would be at their

  throats.

  Klaus folded his arms. “You should have told me you

  planned to come to the farm, Miss Drew,” he said. “I

  would have advised you not to bother. I informed Mr.

  Texel about Andy Brackett, but the man seems to have

  disappeared. I'd say that points to his possible guilt in

  the theft of Aristocrat.”

  “It does appear that way,” Nancy agreed. “And since

  he worked for you, he must have known the stallion's

  value.”

  Klaus nodded. “He knew. And since he was a guard

  at the horse park he was in the perfect position to steal

  him. I thank you for discovering that fact. I wish I had

  identified him earlier.” He folded his arms over his