“And by the time we leave on Sunday night, we
should know all about it,” Bess added after a sip of
soda.
When they were finished eating, Bess decided to do
some more shopping. “I think I'll get one of those
children's books for Lee Anne. And maybe those
earrings and a T-shirt and—” She broke off with a grin.
“Ned and I are going to stop by Security,” Nancy
said. “We'll meet you at Barn C.”
After saying goodbye, Ned and Nancy hunted for
the security office. It was located near the front
entrance off the concourse. Peeking inside, Nancy saw
two desks and three file cabinets.
Texel sat at the far desk. He was leaning back in a
swivel chair, his boots propped up on the seat of a
second chair. A phone receiver was wedged between
his shoulder and his ear. While he talked into the
phone, he ate a hamburger. Waving the last bite in the
air, he gestured for Nancy and Ned to come in.
“I'll get back to ya,” he said, then hung up. “What
can I do for you?” he asked Nancy and Ned.
“We were wondering if you'd discovered anything
more about the fire,” Nancy said.
Texel crumpled the hamburger wrapper and tossed
it into a trash can.
“And why are you so curious?” he asked. “Maybe
because Chief McGinnis tells me you're some kind of
teen detective.”
“Chief McGinnis?” Nancy asked. “How did you
know we were from River Heights? And how do you
know the chief?”
“Hey, my job's finding things out.” Texel grinned.
“McGinnis and I go way back. I was a county deputy
for twenty-five years, sheriff for the last five. This is my
retirement job.”
He stood and stretched. “No leads on the fire,” he
said. “We tried to question everyone who has horses in
Barn C. No one heard or saw anything. Of course, I've
only got three guys to watch over this place on each
shift, and with one at the gate all day checking passes,
that doesn't leave much manpower for tracking down
clues.”
“Do you think the fire was deliberately set?” Ned
asked.
“No. I think it was just plain stupid,” Texel said.
“Somebody went into the stall and lit a cigarette and is
probably too embarrassed to admit it.”
“Probably.” Nancy thought back to the dropped
match. Was Texel right? She didn't think a sheriff with
so much experience would miss much. Of course, if he
did know something, he might not want to tell her.
“Thank you for the information.” Linking her arm
through Ned's, Nancy turned to leave.
“Ms. Drew.” Texel's stern voice stopped her. “You
let me in on anything you find out, you hear.”
Nancy nodded, though she could tell by his tone that
he wasn't asking a question. R. Texel was used to giving
orders.
“He's a tough one,” Ned commented as they left the
office.
Nancy headed for the exit. “Let's hope he can figure
out who started that fire. I'd hate to think an arsonist is
loose at this show.”
When they got outside, Nancy slowed down to put
on her cap and sunglasses. “We need to meet Bess at
Barn C. Let's walk through one of the other barns to
get there. It will be cooler, and I love looking at the
horses.”
They hurried toward Barn A. When they stepped
inside, they found the aisle deserted.
“Texel's right. There isn't much security for a place
this size,” Nancy said. “It's strange, considering how
valuable the horses are.”
“I guess the owners are supposed to keep track of
their own horses,” Ned said. He walked with Nancy
over to a stall. A huge gray horse stared back at them.
“Though it seems as if they're not doing a very good
job,” Ned added.
“I agree,” Nancy said. “Anyone could just walk into
these barns.”
A scream echoed through the barn.
“What was that!” Ned cried.
Nancy held her breath.
“Stop him!” The cry came from the other side of the
barn.
“Let's go!” Nancy grabbed Ned's hand and they took
off down the aisle. At the intersection, they turned left.
As they reached the other side of the barn, a woman
came running toward them.
Her cheeks were flushed, and she pointed toward
the far end of the barn. “Stop him!” she cried.
Nancy whirled in time to see a man dart out of the
barn. All she could make out was the tan shirt he was
wearing. Halfway down the aisle Nancy saw a horse
with its lead line dangling from its halter.
“Stop him!” the woman shouted. “He was trying to
steal my horse!”
4. A Clean Getaway
Ned and Nancy ran down the aisle. When they passed
the horse, it skittered sideways. The woman ran up and
caught the lead before the horse could bolt.
Nancy raced outside. The sun was blindingly bright,
and she stopped short. She looked toward the
showgrounds. The area was swarming with horses,
riders, and spectators. “There's no way we'll find him in
that crowd,” she told Ned in frustration.
“Maybe he went in the other direction,” Ned said.
Glancing toward the parking lot, Nancy caught sight
of a man disappearing behind a van. “That could be
him!” she cried. “He's wearing a tan shirt, just like the
person who ran from the barn. Let's split up.”
With a nod, Ned circled left around the rows of cars.
Nancy sprinted right, weaving her way past trailers and
trucks. When she reached the van, she dashed to the
other side. There was no sign of the fleeing man.
Ned jogged up. “I think we lost him.”
“We did,” Nancy said. “He could be anywhere. This
parking lot's as big as a football field.”
“Let's get help,” Ned suggested. “Texel and his men
should be alerted.”
Nancy agreed. When they reached the barn, Texel
was already there with two uniformed guards. They
were talking to the woman who had discovered the
thief. She'd phoned Security as soon as she'd caught
her horse.
“Ms. Drew,” Texel declared. “What are you doing
here?”
Nancy waved toward the parking lot. “We heard
someone yell for help. We saw a man flee and followed
him to the parking lot.”
“And you know for sure it was the thief?” Texel
asked.
“No, but it was a man, and he was—”
“Ms. Drew there are hundreds of men here today,”
Texel cut her off.
Nancy fumed for a second, then added, “He was
wearing a tan shirt, just like the person in the aisle.”
“Oh. Still”—Texel stuck a finger in Nancy's face—
“you leave this to Security.” Stepping away, he spoke
into his walkie-talkie. Nancy couldn't hear his words,
&nb
sp; but she hoped he was alerting his men. When he
turned back, he ignored Nancy and Ned. “Now, Ms.
Flanagan, finish your story.”
Nancy gritted her teeth. Part of her wanted to take
Texel's advice and leave, but the detective part of her
wanted to hear Ms. Flanagan's story.
“I was outside washing buckets when I heard the
clunk of hooves on the concrete aisle,” Ms. Flanagan
began. She was dressed in baggy shorts and an oversize
denim shirt. A bandanna covered her gray hair. “I
thought it was odd because the people who have horses
in this section of the barn were either at lunch, riding,
or watching the competition. When I ducked around
the doorway to see what was going on, I saw a man
hurrying down the aisle—with my horse!”
“Did you recognize him?” Texel asked.
Ms. Flanagan shook her head. “He had his back to
me, and for a second I was so stunned I just stood
there. When I finally hollered, he turned. I caught a
glimpse of his face and—” Hesitating, she plucked at
her lip as if unsure of what to say. “Well, he looked . . .
deformed or something,” she finally said.
“You mean he had a scar?” Texel asked.
“No. More like he'd been burned all over his face.”
She touched both cheeks to show what she meant.
Nancy tried to picture the man she'd glimpsed in
the parking lot. Had his face been disfigured? she
wondered.
Texel rubbed his chin. “Now, Ms. Flanagan,
someone who fit that description would stand out in a
crowd. Are you sure that's what you saw?”
“I only saw him for a second,” Ms. Flanagan said.
“When I yelled again, he dropped the lead and ran. I
was so worried about my horse, I didn't pay attention
to him after that.”
Texel looked at Nancy. “Does that sound like the
man you saw in the parking lot?”
“I didn't see his face,” Nancy reluctantly admitted.
Texel turned to his two men. “Circulate the
description to the other guards. Then start interviewing
everybody in this barn. I want to find that man.
Rumors of a horse thief will stir this place up worse
than hornets.”
Nancy was turning to leave when Texel touched her
arm. “I could use your help,” he said in a low voice.
“What?” She was surprised by his request.
“There are as many as fifty horse owners in this barn
alone,” he said to her and Ned. “I can't pull all my
guards off duty to interview everybody. I'd appreciate
you talking to anyone who rides or owns a horse in this
barn. Somebody might know this guy.”
“We'll be happy to help,” Nancy said. Ned added his
agreement.
“Good.” Nodding curtly, Texel strode off. “And
report to me as soon as you know anything,” he called
over his shoulder.
“Well, Nan, looks like you were recruited by the
chief himself,” Ned said.
“We were recruited.” Nancy took his hand. “Do you
mind?”
He grinned. “No. I love a good mystery as much as
you do.”
Nancy checked her watch. “We'd better meet Bess
and tell her what's going on.”
As they headed for Barn C, Nancy thought about the
two incidents. The fire and the attempted theft had
happened in different barns. Still, she wondered if
there was a connection.
When they found Bess, she was showing Lee Anne
and another girl her new earrings.
“Nancy and Ned,” Bess said, “meet Gilly Phillips,
Aristocrat's groom. She takes care of Klaus Schaudt's
horse—day and night.”
“Hi.” The girl smiled shyly. Her short wavy hair was
so blond it looked white. She was dressed in jeans,
paddock boots, and a tank top. Her figure was trim,
and her arms were tanned and muscular.
Nancy and Ned told the others about the would-be
horse thief.
“I know Roberta Flanagan,” Lee Anne said. “She
owns several terrific horses. In fact, in the last show she
and her horse Sweet and Klean won the Intermediate
One competition.”
“Blew Michael right out of the competition,” Gilly
said matter-of-factly.
Lee Anne rolled her eyes. “Don't remind me. He
stewed for days.”
“Well, I hope they catch the thief.” Gilly glanced
nervously into Aristocrat's stall. The brown horse
pressed his nose against the mesh door and blew softly.
“The grounds are full of valuable horses.”
“Just how much is a horse like Aristocrat worth?”
Nancy asked.
“I think Klaus has him insured for two hundred
thousand dollars,” Gilly said.
Ned whistled. “Wow. That's a lot of money.”
“Yes, but he's a good investment. Aristocrat is
passing on his talent to his foals. They're gorgeous,
smart, and fantastic movers. Even when Aristocrat
can't compete anymore, he'll still be valuable as a
stallion.”
“The chief of security has asked us to help him
interview owners and riders in Barn A,” Nancy said.
“He's hoping someone noticed a man with a scarred
face.”
“I'll help you talk to people,” Bess volunteered.
“Good.” Nancy looked at Lee Anne and Gilly.
Lee Anne raised one hand, palm out. “Count me
out. I have to school a horse, bathe Curio, then braid
another horse.”
“I won't be able to help, either.” Gilly stooped to
pick up a bucket of cleaning supplies. “If I leave
Aristocrat for too long, Klaus bawls me out. Now I
know why he's so edgy. It would be easy to steal a
horse at a show.”
“Why isn't security tighter?” Nancy asked.
“More security would be difficult,” Lee Anne
explained. “They check passes at the gate, and the
grounds are fenced. Still, people drive in and out day
and night with horses in trailers. Even if you have a
full-time groom, your horse is left alone sometimes,
which means anyone could open up a stall, lead your
horse out, load him on a trailer, and leave. Horses don't
wear dog tags, so it would be impossible for anyone to
check the identity of every horse coming and going.”
“Can't you lock the stall doors?” Bess asked.
Gilly shook her head. “Too dangerous if a fire breaks
out.”
Nancy thought about the new information. If the
horses were even half as valuable as Aristocrat, a show
like this would be the perfect target for thieves.
After the group said goodbye, Nancy, Ned, and Bess
started back to Barn A. Nancy stopped halfway there.
“Before we start talking to owners and riders, let's
check the parking lot one more time.”
“What do you think you're going to find?” Ned
asked.
“I'm not sure. But if the man was intent on stealing
the horse, he must have had a van or trailer, as Gilly
; said, to haul the horse away. Maybe someone saw a
man with a scarred face leave. It would be great if we
could get a car or truck license number.”
“That only happens on TV shows,” Bess said.
Nancy laughed. “Maybe we'll get lucky.”
Bess and Ned went over to talk to a man unloading a
horse while Nancy wandered toward the van where
she'd seen the man disappear. She tried to follow what
she thought might be the path he would have taken
from the barn, just in case he'd dropped something.
When she reached the van, she checked it over
carefully. Twin Meadows Stables was written on the
side of the big truck, with a city and state written
underneath. Nancy doubted a thief would drive off in
something so conspicuous. Still, she tried the cab
doors. They were both locked, and the ramp to the
back was shut tightly.
When she went to the other side of the van, she
noticed it was parked next to a gray horse trailer. The
trailer had been unhitched from the vehicle that towed
it, so it stood by itself. The back doors and ramp were
secured, but when Nancy walked around to the far
side, she noticed that the door leading to the front of
the trailer was ajar.
She stopped. Maybe the open door simply meant
the owner had been careless. Or maybe someone—like
a fleeing thief—had used the trailer to hide inside.
Nancy knew she had to check it out. Glancing over
her shoulder, she hunted for Bess or Ned. Neither was
in sight.
Taking hold of the handle, she pulled the door open.
The inside of the trailer was dark.
Stooping, she stuck her head inside. A net full of hay
hung from a center post. She pushed it aside, and her
heart leaped into her throat.
A man's face leered down at her, his lips distorted in
a twisted smirk. One eye dangled from a bloody socket.
The other was fixed on her in a hideous stare!
5. Suspicious
Nancy recoiled from the grotesque face, banging her
head on the top of the doorframe. With a scream, she
flung herself away from the trailer.
Heart racing, she backed away, bumping into the
van behind her. For a second she stood frozen in fear,
her gaze riveted on the open door.
In a flash her mind replayed the image of the face—
the slack skin, misshapen head, and dangling eye—and
suddenly she realized what she had seen: a mask.