Blue Ribbon Trail Ride (5 page)

She nodded. “They did, but they're worried about it ending up in the paper and people getting upset that the ride might not take place. So Dad told the police to keep an eye open, but he said he didn't want to file an official report yet. We definitely don't want the thief to get spooked and not come again. Besides, the police didn't think there was much chance of catching the person, since there were a few dozen people in and out of here over those two days.”

Silence fell over the group. Finally Kate pushed to her feet. “Let's get that laptop up to the loft and pointed at the office door. Colt, did you bring a sleeping bag?”

“Yep. Unlike you girls, I thought ahead.” He winked. “
Now
try to tell me boys are weird or not smarter than girls.”

Melissa smirked. “We don't have to—we'll take a vote and win. But seriously, Colt. That's a cool idea about the bucket of manure. Now we need to spread the word and hope the thief takes the bait.”

Kate shivered. “And pray he didn't already spend our money and ditch the box. That would be a total catastrophe!”

Kate sighed with relief. Her parents had given them permission to take popcorn and sodas up to the loft for the evening. She propped herself on her elbows and looked at her friends. “We had an okay day, I guess. Only a half-dozen entries, but at least we got word out to all the people who are on our suspect list.”

Colt tossed buttered popcorn into his mouth and chewed, then asked, “Did you see any of them today? I never got a look at the ones you were talking about.”

Tori shook her head. “I didn't, but I wasn't with Kate every minute. We had lessons on top of everything else, and I won't miss a chance to ride Starlight.” She grinned. “I still can't believe he's mine. Well, mine and Mrs. Maynard's. He's such an awesome horse.”

Melissa took a sip of her soda. “That was pretty cool of Mrs. Maynard to give him to you. How often does she come to visit? I've been over to see her once in the past week, but with this event going on, I've been busy.”

“She comes at least twice a week to see Starlight. He's excited when she arrives—she always gives him a hug and carrots.” Tori giggled. “I'm not sure which he likes best, but I kind of think he's partial to the carrots.” She sobered. “But you're right. I still have to pinch myself to believe he's mine. Mrs. Maynard even told me she put me in her will—that if she dies before Starlight does, she's leaving a small fund to pay for his hay and board the rest of his life. I'll have to take care of shoes and shots and stuff, but that's fine. I told her I'd pay for all of that now, but she said I'm doing enough taking care of him and exercising him.”

“Wow! I wish I had someone doing that for me.” Melissa crinkled her forehead. “I've been kind of worried lately.” She pressed her lips together and stopped.

Kate touched Melissa's arm. “What's up? We won't make fun or tease you.”

“I know.” Melissa blinked her eyes rapidly. “You guys have been cool since you found out my mom is broke—not like the other people who pretended to be my friends. My mom told me she's not sure how much longer she can pay Mocha's expenses.”

Colt pushed the popcorn bowl aside. “Kate, did you say recently that your mom was talking about hiring part-time help for the barn? Is it something Melissa could do, even for the rest of the summer? You know, pay off her board and save their cash for the winter.” He smiled at Melissa. “That is, if you'd be willing to work.”

She blew out a hard breath. “That would be awesome!” She stared down at her clenched hands. “I've even been praying about it lately, but I didn't think God would care enough to do anything about it.”

“Seriously?” Kate sat up. “Wow! God could be answering your prayer and Mom's at the same time. She was thinking about running an ad. The barn is almost full now, and it's more work than she and I can do on our own. It'll be easier during the school year with Pete going to his class a few hours every day, but summer is rough. Want me to ask her?”

Melissa shook her head. “Thanks, but if I want the job, it's up to me to talk to her. Thank you both for mentioning it. It's pretty cool that God actually answered.”

Colt propped his feet on a pile of hay and leaned his back against a bale. “The webcam's set up, and we'll turn it on if we start getting sleepy, but what now? Just sit and hope someone shows up? Oh, and I got the bucket of horse poop mixed with a little water set on a tiny shelf above the door in the office. If the door opens, it's rigged to pull the pail over and dump the contents.”

“Way to go!” Kate smacked her hands together. “There's no way the thief can sneak in and get back out without us knowing it, even if we do go to sleep. We'll hear the noise and wake up.”

Tori grinned. “I brought a cowbell over that I borrowed from a friend of my dad's and set it inside the door too. That's the first thing the person's foot will hit, and it's loud.”

Melissa giggled. “How did you manage that without getting the bucket of manure on your head?”

“I did it this evening at the same time Colt set his trap.”

“We'd better whisper from now on. No one would sneak into the office in the daylight, but it's almost dark.” Kate peered over the side of the loft. “And maybe scoot back a bit so we can't be seen from the alleyway.”

An hour passed with whispers getting fewer and yawns becoming more frequent. Melissa turned on the webcam. “Just in case.”

“Right.” Colt nodded. “I was thinking I might shut my eyes for a minute or two. Then I'll probably wake up again and keep watch. You girls can rest if you want to.”

Kate shook her head. “I'm too wound up. But the rest of you go ahead.”

Tori frowned. “Are you sure?”

“Yep. No way will I sleep.”

Tori sighed. “I am a little sleepy. Wake me up after a bit, and I'll keep you company.”

“Sounds good.”

Kate settled deeper into the pile of hay where she'd spread a blanket, envying Colt with his sleeping bag. She, Tori, and Melissa should probably go inside soon, but she hated leaving when nothing had happened yet. It would be awful if they came out in the morning and found the traps hadn't worked and the webcam had stopped running. What if the thief returned, and they missed him?

She rubbed her eyes and yawned. Maybe it wouldn't hurt if she simply rested her eyes. She shifted to a sitting position against a bale. No way would she go to sleep sitting up.

Her eyes drifted shut …

Sometime later, a loud yell and a thud jerked Kate upright. “What? Who?”

Tori thrashed on the blanket next to her, still asleep, batting at some imaginary thing in the air.

Colt rolled to a sitting position, then reached over and shook Melissa's shoulder. “Hey. Wake up. Somebody's downstairs.” He lowered his voice. “I think he stumbled into our trap. Hear that? It's the cowbell Tori planted. Come on! We need to catch him before he gets away.”

Kate woke Tori and looked around. The lights in the barn were mostly out, with only one at the entrance and one in the alleyway a few yards from the office door. Who had come in and turned off the lights while they slept? The thief? Was he thrashing on the office floor in horse manure? She scrambled to her feet and looked at Melissa. “Should we call the police?”

Melissa hesitated. “I'm not sure. Maybe we should run in and get your parents.”

Colt shook his head. “The thief could get away by the time we do that.” He snatched a rope hanging on a post nail. “I brought this in case we needed it. We'll tie him up and let your dad call the cops.” He slung the coil of rope over his shoulder, then hurried down the ladder to the floor below.

Kate heard mumbling and grunts coming from inside the office. She scrambled down the ladder after Tori and Melissa, then stopped next to her three friends. “It's definitely a man. What if there's more than one?” She shivered and rubbed her hands up and down her arms. “Are you sure we shouldn't call the police?”

Colt kept walking. “It might take all of us to tackle the robber.”

Tori rocked on her toes. “What if he has a gun? I want to get Mr. Ferris.”

Colt grabbed a shovel leaning against a stall door. “Come on. I'll bash him over the head with this if I have to, and we can tie him up. It'll be okay, Tori. As soon as we know we have him, you run get Mr. Ferris.”

She nodded. “Okay, I guess.” But Kate could tell she wasn't convinced.

The four of them crept toward the door, with Colt leading the way. He handed the rope to Kate, who followed close behind; then he raised the shovel above his head. “Shhh. Careful now.” He eased open the office door. “Come out with your hands up. We have you surrounded!”

The door flew the rest of the way open, and a man stood there. The light of the office streamed out the doorway, illuminating Kate and her friends but keeping his face in shadow. One thing Kate could tell was he didn't smell very good.

He took a step forward, and they all backed up. “What do you mean put my hands up? Kate, what is the meaning of this mess?” He pointed to his shoulders, where most of the sloppy manure had landed.

Kate gasped. She recognized the voice immediately, even if she couldn't see his face. “Dad? What are you doing out here?” She stepped back as far as she could and bumped into either Tori or Melissa. “Sorry.” She wrinkled her nose. “You smell pretty bad, Dad.”

“You think?” He stepped into the light of the alleyway. Wet manure clung to his shirt front and dotted his hair. He reached down to rub his ankle, and a glob of manure fell out of his hair and hit the floor.

He stood again, then glared as he crossed his arms. “Who did this and why? When that stuff landed on me, I stumbled forward and almost broke my ankle on something big and metal, and it was all I could do not to land on the floor.”

Now that Kate could see her dad, she could barely contain her giggles. She felt bad, but he looked
so
funny standing there dripping in wet horse poop! “Wow. You
are
a mess.” Then she sobered, realizing she and her friends could be in big trouble.

The outer door on the house side of the barn opened wider, and Kate's mom stepped into the dim light. She flipped the main switch, and every alleyway light and arena light sprang to life. “John? You've been out here a long time. Is everything all right?” She walked toward them, then stopped a yard or so away. “What in the world?”

“That's what I'd like to know.” He turned a stern gaze on Kate, letting it linger there for what felt like an eternity. “Are you trying not to laugh at me, young lady?”

“Uh …” She pressed her lips together hard. “Uh …” She couldn't help it. A giggle escaped. “You do look kinda funny.”

Tori gasped behind her. “Kate!”

Colt glanced from Kate to her father and back, then chuckled. “Yep. He kinda does. Guess he's not our thief, though, so we went to all that work for nothing.” He killed his grin. “We're really sorry, Mr. Ferris. We were trying to catch the robber.”

Kate's mother's mouth dropped open. “Now that doesn't make a bit of sense. Why would the person who stole my box come back again?”

Kate kicked at a piece of manure that had dropped from her father's shoulder. “Well, you see … that's why we wanted to make those calls and tell people we were going to extend the entry period for another two days. We called everyone we thought might be suspects, as well as the barns and horse clubs.”

Kate's mom stepped into the nearby tack room, then came out with a towel. “Suspects?” She handed her husband the towel. “Here. Why don't you see how much of that you can wipe off? Or better yet, how about you rinse off in the wash rack here in the barn. Then you can shower in the house, and we'll hear the rest of the story.” She turned to Kate. “And while he's doing that, I want the four of you to do the best you can cleaning up the mess in the office. You'll have to give it another scrubbing tomorrow.”

Twenty minutes later they all met in the kitchen and gathered around the table, waiting for the hot chocolate to heat and Kate's dad to return from his shower. The mugs and her dad arrived at the same time, and he settled into his chair with a grateful sigh. “This sure smells a lot better than I did. I'm not sure my clothes will ever be the same.”

“I'm really sorry, Dad. We didn't mean to hurt or scare you, or make you stink.” Kate giggled again. “But I do wish I'd had a camera when you stepped into the light.”

“The camera!” Melissa exclaimed. “The webcam is probably still running, if the laptop battery isn't dead by now. It's all recorded.”

Kate's dad groaned, and her mom laughed. “Now there's a video Kate can save to show her kids someday—their grand­father covered in horse poop while they all stand around thinking they caught a thief.”

Kate's dad shook his head, but he managed a grin. “Not happening, Nan. Now let's get to the bottom of this. You said you hoped the thief would get word you'd extended the entry days so he'd come back and try again? But what's this I heard about suspects? How did you come up with that idea?”

Kate plunged into the story. “Tori and I noticed more than one person who eyed that box or asked questions about it. Our neighbor up the road even said he wants to buy it if Mom sells it. You should have seen the look on his face when he saw it. So we called those people to let them know what we were doing—and it might have worked if you hadn't stumbled into the trap first.”

She ducked her head. “Not that it's your fault or anything. We should have told you what we were doing, but we figured you wouldn't think it was safe for us to stay in the barn and keep watch. But all we caught was you, and we never saw anyone else, so I guess it was a dumb idea.”

Tori raised her hand. “What made you come out to the office?”

Kate's mom took a sip of her cocoa. She set it down, then waved her hand in front of her mouth. “Hot! I'll answer that question. It's my fault your dad stumbled into your trap. I was going to come check on you, since it was nearing your bedtime, but I was too tired to get out of my easy chair. I also wanted to see how many entries we ended up with. I brought the metal cash box Dad got for me into the house today, but I left the entry forms on the desk in the office. Your father offered to go get them.” She reached across the table and patted his hand. “Now he probably wishes he hadn't.”

He grinned. “Now that I'm clean, I have a whole new outlook. A lot worse happened to me in the Marine Corps, let me tell you. I saw you kids were asleep, and I hated to wake you, so I turned off a couple of lights, then headed to the office to search for the papers. I planned to let Colt sleep and wake you girls when I came out. It was a shock when the bucket of manure landed on me. I'm thankful you used a small plastic pail instead of a metal bucket.” He made a face. “I'll live. Although my toes and ankle still hurt where I smacked my foot against a big brass bell. Where'd that thing come from, anyway?”

Tori averted her gaze. “It's the biggest cowbell made, according to a friend of my dad who collects them. We hoped the thief would trip over it and get tangled in the cowbell rope if the manure trap didn't catch him. Now I feel terrible that I thought of it.”

His chuckle turned into an outright laugh. “Our quiet, kind Tori has a cunning side that we've never seen. Interesting. But don't worry about it. You're forgiven, and my toes aren't broken.” He tweaked a strand of her hair.

Kate laced her fingers around her mug. “So are we busted? Are you guys mad at us?”

Her parents exchanged a silent look. Then her mom gave a slight nod and settled back in her chair. “This one is all yours, John.”

He smiled. “You aren't busted this time, because you were trying to do something good. As much as I'd like to be mad at you, I have to admit I did worse when I was a kid. Not that it makes it right for you not to bring us in on your plans, but I get it.”

Kate slumped. “Thanks, Dad.”

“Hold it.” He held up his hand. “You aren't getting off that easily. I expect the four of you to clean that office from top to bottom. Not a bit of manure had better be in there by noon tomorrow, and I expect it to smell fresh and clean when you finish.”

Colt looked at the girls, and they all nodded.

“Do you want us to finish it now?” Kate asked.

“No. You need to get some sleep, and so do your mother and I. It's late, and I have to work tomorrow. Colt, instead of you bunking in the barn loft, how about you go shut off that webcam and bring your sleeping bag into the living room? We have an extra pillow, and you can sack out on the couch.”

“Sounds good, sir. I'll grab everything now.” He pushed his chair back, then stood.

“Not alone, you won't.” Kate's dad stood as well. “We don't know if that thief is still on the loose. On second thought, get your sleeping bag, and let's leave the webcam running. You never know—your idea might not have been dumb after all.”