Mystery of the Midnight Rider (Nancy Drew Diaries #3)(19)

"Look out—loose horses!"





CHAPTER EIGHT




Fast and Loose



MORE VOICES CAME FROM VARIOUS DIRECTIONS, picking up the shout: "Loose horses! Loose horses!"

“Oh my gosh,” one of the teen girls said. “I hope my pony didn’t duck out under his stall guard again!”

She and the other girls rushed off around the comer of the barn. My friends and I followed, swept up by the general excitement.

“Uh-oh,” George said as we rounded the comer and skidded to a stop.

Three horses were running around wildly in the grassy area between barns. Two of them were big bays, and the third was a rangy liver chestnut.

“That’s not Midnight, is it?” Bess said, pointing at one of the bays.

George gasped. “It does look like him! And check it out, there’s Dana trying to grab him.”

I saw that George was right. Payton’s trainer was among those trying to catch the loose horses. She was moving slowly toward the excited bay, her arms out as she spoke soothingly to him.

“Hold up. Actually, I don’t think it’s Midnight.” I peered at the horse. It was hard to get a good look, since he was currently dodging back and forth trying to avoid Dana. But then he lifted his head so I had a clear view of his face. "Nope, it’s not him,” I said with relief. “See? That horse has a white star on his face, and Midnight doesn’t.”

"Oh, you’re right,” Bess said. “Look, I think Dana’s got him.”

We watched as several people, including some of the teenage girls we’d just been talking to, helped catch the other two horses. Soon all three escapees were heading back into the barn.

“Whew, that was kind of crazy,” George said. "The action never stops around here!”

Bess laughed, but I just rubbed my chin. "Yeah.” I agreed. "It’s kind of suspicious, isn’t it?”

George looked surprised. “What do you mean? Do you think someone let the horses out on purpose? Why?”

“Yeah,” Bess put in. “Especially since none of them belonged to Payton.”

"I know. But doesn’t it seem awfully coincidental that one of them was a big bay gelding from Dana’s barn? One that looks a lot like Midnight?” I shrugged. "I mean, we all mistook him for Midnight for a second there. Maybe someone else did too.”

“Oh!” Bess’s eyes widened. “I didn’t think of that. So you think this really could be connected to the case?”

“I don’t know. But we can’t rule it out. Let’s go find Payton. I think we need to talk to her about all this.”

We headed into the barn. A couple of grooms and a middle-aged woman were fussing over the recently recaptured bay gelding, who was now standing quietly cross-tied in the aisle.

"Excuse me, do you know where Dana went?” I asked one of the grooms.

“I’m not sure.” The groom seemed distracted as he ran a rag down the horse’s legs. “Tack room, maybe? She was talking to Payton in there when the horses got loose.”

“Thanks.” I led the way down the aisle.

As my friends and I neared the tack room, we could hear the sound of a raised voice. “Uh-oh,” Bess whispered. “Sounds like Dana’s not happy.”

“Sounds like Payton’s not either,” I said as another angry voice joined in.

I wasn’t sure we should be listening to their argument. But it wasn’t as if they were making any attempt to be quiet—half the bam could probably hear them. My friends and I took a few steps closer, stopping just short of the doorway.

"... and it’s like you don’t even care about your own reputation anymore, let alone mine!” Dana was yelling.

"That’s not fair!” Payton exclaimed, sounding upset. "If it was up to me, I wouldn’t even be at this show!”

“Huh?” George murmured, raising an eyebrow at Bess and me.

“Shh,” I hushed her, leaning closer to the door.

"Look, I know you’re upset about missing your friend’s party or whatever—,” Dana began.

"It’s my cousin,” Payton snapped, cutting her off. "My favorite cousin, who’s been like an older sister to me my whole life. And it’s not just some party—it’s her wedding!”

“Okay, whatever, I’m sorry,” Dana said. “But in this industry, you need to be willing to make sacrifices. And it’s not every day that the chef d’equipe wants to show up and watch you ride…”

Unfortunately, she lowered her voice just enough so it was impossible to make out whatever she said next. I backed up a few yards, and my friends followed.

“This adds a new wrinkle,” I said quietly. "It sounds like Payton wanted to skip this show to go to her cousin’s wedding.”

"I wonder if that’s the family obligation that’s keeping her parents away until tomorrow night,” Bess said.

“Probably,” I agreed, remembering Payton’s comment the day before. "In any case, Dana must’ve insisted she skip the wedding so she could ride in front of the Olympics guy.”

“Maybe Payton’s parents, too,” George said. "It sounds like they’re pretty competitive and ambitious.”