The Mystery Horse (4 page)

“We always stop working at noontime, anyway,” Danny explained. “The guests need a break and so do we.” He glanced at Henry who was rubbing his aching arms. “Don't feel bad, Henry. My arms hurt, too!”

When Jessie finished feeding Lamby, she discovered that the kitchen was empty. Mrs. Morgan and Danny had already passed out box lunches, and everyone was eating outside at picnic tables covered with bright red-and-white-checked cloths. They had left Jessie's lunch on the kitchen counter—a cheese-and-tomato sandwich, a glass of lemonade, and a thick wedge of chocolate cake.

She rinsed out Lamby's bottle and was about to bring her lunch outside when a magazine rack caught her eye. Would Mrs. Morgan mind if she borrowed a magazine to read while she ate her sandwich? Probably not, she decided. She thumbed through the pile and settled on a new issue of
Horse Sense.
Like her sister, she loved horses. She picked up her cheese sandwich and carried it to the kitchen table.

Jessie read about a Thoroughbred named Swaps, a Kentucky Derby winner. The article explained that the Thoroughbred is the result of many generations of careful breeding and is one of the fastest horses in the world. She finished the article and was flipping through the magazine when she gasped in surprise. There was a full-page picture of Star, the horse she had seen in the stable last night!

Except his name wasn't Star, according to the magazine. It was Wind Dancer. Jessie's hand trembled as she took a closer look. Wind Dancer was a beautiful chestnut-brown, with a white star on his forehead—just like Star. Yes, she was almost positive that Wind Dancer and Star were the same horse. But why would the Morgans change his name? And what would he be doing at a place like Sunny Oaks?

The caption beneath the picture said that Wind Dancer was a famous racehorse, and had a wonderful future ahead of him. He came from a distinguished line of racehorses. He was sixteen hands high and weighed eleven hundred pounds. Violet remembered the way the chestnut Thoroughbred had pranced into the barn, his head held proudly. He was every inch a champion and he knew it.

The question was: did the Morgans know it? And if they knew who he really was, why did they lie about him? Violet rolled up the magazine as tightly as she could and headed outside. She had to find Henry and the others and tell them what she had discovered.

CHAPTER 5

Stop, Thief!

J
essie was relieved to find Henry, Violet, and Benny sitting apart from the group, under the shade of an apple tree. They had finished eating, and Henry was whittling a chunk of white oak with his pocketknife.

“You missed lunch,” Benny said the moment Jessie sat down.

“I ate inside,” she said hurriedly. Then she showed them the magazine. “Look what I found in the house.” She flipped to the picture of Wind Dancer and waited for their reaction.

“Oh, what a great horse,” Benny said.

“Hey, that's funny,” Violet said. “He looks a little like that horse we saw last night.”

Henry leaned over for a closer look and then shook his head in amazement. “He looks exactly like the horse we saw.” His eyes met Jessie's. “They could be twins.”

“I think it
is
the same horse,” Jessie said. “The Morgans call him Star, but he's really Wind Dancer. He's a champion racehorse.”

“Do you really think so?” Violet asked. She peered at the magazine again. “You know, I think it
is
the same horse. But what's he doing at Sunny Oaks?”

“Maybe the Morgans kidnapped him,” Benny said. “Or horsenapped him.”

“I don't think so,” Henry said slowly. “It could be they don't know who he really is. Maybe they're boarding him for someone.”

“But it seems like they're hiding him,” Violet said. She still hated the idea that the chestnut horse was cooped up all alone in the barn, whoever he was. “And I didn't believe it when they said they had to keep him away from the other horses.”

“Racehorses are always around
lots
of other horses,” Jessie pointed out.

“That's right,” Benny said, his eyes wide. He was getting more excited by the minute. He loved solving mysteries!

“What should we do?” Violet's soft eyes were serious. “Should we say something to the Morgans?”

Henry thought for a moment. “Not just yet,” he said finally. “Let's give it a little time and see what happens. And let's try to get a look at that horse again.”

“Good idea.” Jessie was about to say more, but she spotted Daisy racing across the yard toward them.

“Hey, Jessie and Violet!” the little girl shouted. “Want to come with me? I'm going to feed Oliver.” She held up a bag of sliced apples and raisins, Oliver's favorite treat.

Jessie and Violet exchanged a look as they got to their feet. “It looks like she's not afraid of horses anymore,” Jessie said. Violet smiled.

It was mid-afternoon when Mr. Morgan stopped Henry on his way to the cattle shed. “Need to talk to you for a minute, son,” the farmer said.

“Sure,” Henry answered.

“I need a little favor. Mrs. Morgan wants to go into town to set up a booth for the fair. Daisy and the kids are coming with us, and Ms. Jefferies went for a walk around the lake. I wondered if you'd look after things here for me.”

“I'll be glad to,” Henry said. “Is there anything special you want me to do?”

Mr. Morgan started to say something and then stopped. “Well, not really. Just keep an eye on the farm, that's all.” He nodded and moved off before Henry could ask any more questions. Puzzled, Henry headed for his last chore of the day, pitching fresh straw into the shed.

An hour later, Henry was enjoying a tall glass of lemonade when he looked up in surprise. A car pulling a horse trailer was rumbling up the main road. Mr. Morgan hadn't said anything about visitors. Henry quickly crossed the yard and stood in front of the main house. But the car roared past him, blowing up clouds of dust. It was headed straight for the stable!

Henry took off at a run, and nearly collided with Violet and Jessie who were carrying a burlap bag of chicken feed between them.

“What's your hurry?” Jessie said, laughing. She lost her grip on the bag, and some chicken feed spilled on the ground.

“No time to explain,” Henry gasped. “Just follow me.” He was panting when he reached the stable, and he took several deep breaths. The car had pulled right up in front of the stable, and two men were trying to open the padlocked door.

“Wouldn't you know it? It's locked up tight,” one man said disgustedly to his partner.

“I told you to bring the crowbar, Hank. Only a fool would leave a stable unlocked.”

“Well, we'd better think of something quick, before they get back,” the man named Hank said. “It looked like they were heading into town, but we don't know how long they'll stay there.”

Henry decided it was time to speak up. “May I help you with something?” His tone was polite, but firm.

“Who are you, boy?” Hank looked questioningly at Henry.

“I'm Henry Alden.” Hank edged closer, but Henry stood his ground. He noticed that both men were tall with dark hair, and they were dressed casually. The one who hung back was wearing expensive black cowboy boots with silver toes.

“What do you want?” Henry asked. He knew without turning around that Violet and Jessie had come up behind him.

There was a long pause while the two men looked at each other. Finally the one with the silver-toed boots moved toward the children. “We're here to pick up one of the horses,” he said casually.

“Which one?” The words were out before Violet even realized she had spoken.

“Why, the big chestnut one, little girl,” Hank said. He smiled, but Violet thought his eyes looked hard and cold. “Do you know which one we mean?”

Violet shook her head. Of course she knew which horse he was talking about, but she decided to say nothing.

“How about you?” Hank moved past Henry to stand in front of Jessie. “Have you seen a big chestnut horse with a star on his face?” Jessie shook her head, and the man threw up his hands in disgust. He turned to his partner. “Well, now what do we do, Ryan?”

Ryan tried the padlocked door again. The aging wood creaked a little, but the lock held. “There must be some way in here,” he muttered. He walked back to Henry. “That just leaves you. I bet you could figure out a way to get in the stable. Maybe you even have a key.”

Henry didn't flinch. “Why are you here?” His voice was strong, but his heart was beating fast.

“Oh, we should have explained that,” Hank said. “We're here . . . ” He paused and glanced at Ryan.

“We're here to take one of the horses to the veterinarian. The big one with the star . . . he's got a bad foot.”

“The veterinarian?” Mr. Morgan hadn't said anything about a horse going to the vet's, and Henry was more suspicious than ever.

“Well, you'll have to come back tomorrow,” Henry said firmly.

“Now that's not such a good idea,” Ryan said thoughtfully. “The poor horse must be suffering. He really should be treated right away.”

Violet glanced at the horse trailer behind the car. It was burgundy-colored and there was no name on it. “What's the name of the veterinarian?”

Hank scratched his head. “Well, that's easy. It's Doc, uh, Doc . . .”

“Doc Henderson,” Ryan said smoothly. “Maybe you've heard of him.”

Violet shook her head. She was suspicious, too. What did the men want with Wind Dancer?

Jessie turned as Benny scampered over to them. He looked at the shiny horse trailer. “Neat!” he exclaimed. “Is there a horse inside?”

“Not yet,” Hank said. “I don't suppose you know how to get into the stables, do you?”

Benny looked at the padlocked door and shook his head. “No, you'll have to wait until the Morgans get home. They should be here any minute.”

Violet wanted to hug him. That was exactly the right thing to say!

Hank gave a worried look to his partner. “Maybe we should come back another time,” he said, backing toward the car.

“I think we'll have to,” Ryan replied. He had his car keys in his hand and seemed eager to be on his way.

“That would be a good idea,” Henry said firmly.

He stared at Henry for a long minute. “We'll be back.” He was scowling and his voice was cold.

The moment the car rumbled back down the drive, Violet turned to Henry. “What was that all about?” she asked. “Do you think they were here to kidnap Wind Dancer?”

“Something's going on,” Henry told her. “We have to let the Morgans know right away. Wind Dancer could be in real danger.”

As soon as the Morgans pickup truck pulled up in the driveway, all four Aldens hurried over. Mr. and Mrs. Morgan were busily unloading some bags of grain from the truck.

“Well, it looks like we have a welcoming committee,” Mrs. Morgan said, smiling.

“We have something really important to talk to you about,” Henry told her. “In private.”

Mr. Morgan looked serious. “Come inside the house, children.” He waited until everyone was settled in the den. “Now what's this all about?”

“We know about Wind Dancer,” Jessie blurted out.

“You call him Star, but we know who he really is!” Violet chimed in.

“Some men were here today to steal him!” Benny said, his eyes wide. “But we stopped them just in time.”

Mrs. Morgan put her hand to her mouth. “Oh, no!” she cried.

“Slow down,” Mr. Morgan said. “Now, Henry, start at the beginning and tell me exactly what happened.”

Henry told him about the men trying the padlocked door, and he gave a good description of the car and the horse trailer. When he finished Mr. Morgan shook his head.

“I guess I should have been honest with you last night,” he said. “I lied when I said the horse was named Star.”

“Then Star really
is
Wind Dancer!” Jessie said. “I knew it the moment I saw his picture in
Horse Sense.
”

“We're keeping his identity a secret to protect him,” Mrs. Morgan told her. “He was nearly stolen last month, and his owners wanted a nice safe place to board him for a couple of weeks. Sunny Oaks seemed like the perfect spot.” She shook her head sadly. “But now the thieves are after him again.”

“What can we do to help?” Henry asked.

“Just don't tell anyone what you know,” Mr. Morgan said. “And I'll keep him hidden in that back stall as much as I can.”

“Doesn't he ever get out?” Violet asked. “I feel so sorry for him.”

Mr. Morgan smiled at her. “Now don't worry about him. I make sure he gets some exercise. I take him out every other night on the old bridle path that runs around the pond.” He paused. “I suppose I'm taking a chance, but I wait until it's dark, so no one can spot us.”