Emma laid down her hamburger before speaking. “Oh, I’m sure those people really did see someone. There are several riding stables around here, you know. Old Towne belongs to Sunshine Stables, but some people forget it’s private property. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone was riding out there, but I think it’s just the old story coming back to life. I suppose I need to put up some new ‘No Trespassing’ signs, though.”
The three continued eating in silence.
“Have you heard anything new from the sheriff about Diamond Girl?” Bailey interrupted the silence as she set down her milk glass.
Emma shook her head. “Instead of branding my horses, I have microchips embedded in their necks. Now, if the thief tries to sell Diamond Girl at a horse auction, the microchip will be scanned, and it will show that she has been stolen. Authorities can then be called to make an arrest. The sheriff is hoping the thief will eventually show up at one of these auctions. He doesn’t really have any other leads on the case.”
Bailey stuffed her last bite of hamburger into her mouth. “I sure hope we find her soon.”
Emma nodded as she stared at her plate. “The longer it takes to find Diamond Girl, the farther the thief can take her.”
“Keep praying about it, Emma,” Bailey encouraged. “Doesn’t God answer all our prayers if we have faith?”
McKenzie hadn’t noticed the dark circles beneath Emma’s eyes until now. McKenzie knew how much her instructor loved her horse, and she could tell Emma hadn’t been sleeping much.
McKenzie felt a lump form in the bottom of her stomach.
“You’re right, Bailey,” Emma said after a moment. “God does answer all prayers, but He doesn’t always give us what we ask for. He gives us what He knows is best for us.”
McKenzie stacked the empty plates and carried them to the sink. She knew Emma’s words were true. But she felt God was directing her to keep searching for Diamond Girl.
“Emma, would you care if Bailey and I go out to Old Towne before it gets dark?” McKenzie rinsed the dishes and placed them in the dishwasher.
“Sure, go ahead,” Emma said with a slight smile. “But you girls have done enough walking for one day. Since the horses are put away for the night, why don’t you take the four-
wheelers? You have driven one haven’t you, Bailey?”
“I drove one several times at the stable where I practice back home,” Bailey said.
“Good.” Emma turned to McKenzie. “You can show Bailey the smaller four-wheelers. Be careful and don’t be gone long.”
Minutes later McKenzie led the way to the machine shed and stepped inside. She grabbed two helmets, giving one to Bailey.
McKenzie pointed to a small four-wheeler. “That one’s for you,” she said. She hopped on the seat of a red ATV that she had ridden many times before.
Bailey climbed onto the blue four-wheeler. As the girls pressed the starter buttons, the engines roared to life.
McKenzie steered her ATV through the large doorway and motioned for Bailey to follow. Soon, both girls were headed down the tree-lined path that led to Old Towne.
The sun hung low in the sky, casting long, dark shadows.
Mosquitoes buzzed around their heads while vultures hovered on the ground ahead of them. They flapped their heavy wings and soared into the sky when they heard the roar of the engines.
At the top of the hill overlooking Old Towne, McKenzie steered her ATV into a small thicket of trees and parked.
“Why did you want to come out here?” Bailey asked as she turned off her four-wheeler.
“I thought maybe we could watch for the ghost rider or find signs that someone has been here.” McKenzie set her helmet on the seat of the four-wheeler and headed down the slope. “Our four-wheelers are pretty much hidden here in the trees. Let’s go on down and look around. We don’t have much time before dusk, and that’s when everyone has seen the ghost rider.”
“Where are we going to hide so we can watch for him?”
Bailey jogged to catch up with McKenzie.
“See that slope just past the old schoolhouse? I thought we could crouch low on the other side. Nobody could see us there.” McKenzie pointed to an area about 100 yards away.
Soon the girls were walking down the only street in Old
Towne. The Old West setup reminded McKenzie of ghost towns she had seen in movies. The town was eerily quiet in the gloom. The entire street was shrouded in shadows. Old shutters banged on upstairs windows, and the old windmill creaked as the wind turned its blades. McKenzie felt goose bumps ripple up her arms.
“This is creepy,” Bailey whispered as she edged closer to
McKenzie.
“I agree,” McKenzie whispered back. “Let’s get to our lookout.”
Eager to get out of Old Towne, the girls scurried down the street past the schoolhouse. McKenzie reached the top of the slope first and stopped. The ground before them had sud-
denly dropped off. She instinctively flung out her arm to keep
Bailey from falling over the edge.
McKenzie peered over the edge. Something was strange about this place. She knew there were no cliffs out here, so what caused this drop-off? Then an idea came to her as she scurried down the side of the hill. Soon she was standing below Bailey looking up at her friend.
“Bailey, come down here,” McKenzie called. “You’ve got to see this. It’s an old pioneer dugout. You’re standing on the roof.”
Bailey giggled and scurried to McKenzie’s side. “Wow. Is this ever cool.”
“I don’t think it was used as a house, though,” McKenzie said. “Look at the wide double doors. I think it was a stable.”
McKenzie stepped to the old rickety door and pulled on it.
It creaked on rusty hinges as McKenzie peered inside. It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness and then she ex-
claimed, “Look Bailey. There’s fresh hay in here.”
“Do you think someone is keeping a horse here?” Bailey whispered.
McKenzie eyed an old wooden feed bunk. Bits of leftover feed lay in it, and a large bucket of clean water stood in the corner. McKenzie’s heart fluttered as she glanced about the dark, musty stable.
“It sure looks like it,” McKenzie said. She poked around in another bucket and found a lead rope, curry comb, and other grooming supplies. A larger third bucket held empty diet pop cans, candy, and fast food wrappers, an empty bottle of hair dye, and dirty stained rags.
McKenzie jumped as a gust of wind blew the stable door shut. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest as she put a finger to her lips. “Did you hear that?” she whispered.
“I just heard the banging door.” Bailey clutched McKenzie’s arm. “What did you hear?”
“It sounded like a horse neighing.” McKenzie pushed the door open and peered out cautiously. After glancing in all directions, she stepped outside.
The sun had sunk below the horizon, deepening the shadows and darkness. For a moment she thought she heard rustling in the nearby timber. She squinted but saw nothing besides trees and a meadow. Yet, something didn’t feel right.
She had the feeling something or someone was watching her.
Suddenly, waiting for the ghost rider didn’t seem like such a good idea.
McKenzie reached into the dugout and clutched Bailey’s arm. She suddenly sensed that danger lurked nearby.
“Let’s get out of here before someone sees us!”
A Disturbing Discovery
McKenzie pulled Bailey away from the stable and headed up the hill. When she reached the top, she turned and looked back. The woods looked dark and scary in the fading light.
“Let’s run,” she said, tugging Bailey after her.
McKenzie ran as fast as she could toward Old Towne, her feet barely touching on the dirt street. In the dusk, the stores lining Main Street reminded her of a tunnel. She raced past the general store and the old wooden windmill and didn’t stop until she reached the thicket of trees at t
he top of the hill.
She bent and placed her hands on her knees, panting as she waited for Bailey to catch up.
Bailey breathed heavily as she slowly climbed the slope, holding her side when she reached the top. “I need to rest,” she said as she pulled her inhaler out of her pocket and took several deep breaths.
“I’m sorry, Bailey, but as soon as you can drive we need to get out of here,” McKenzie said nervously.
“What’s the hurry?” Bailey asked as her breathing slowed.
“I’ll tell you when we get home. Let’s go.” McKenzie hopped on her four-wheeler and steered it onto the dirt track. McKenzie looked behind to make sure Bailey was following; then she sped up the path.
Lightning bugs flickered in the twilight while the beams from her headlight cast eerie shadows along the path. A chilly wind had replaced the heat from earlier in the day, making McKenzie wish she had worn a sweatshirt. Within a few minutes she saw the lights of Sunshine Stables.
Driving into the machine shed, she flipped on the overhead light. When both girls had parked their ATVs, they settled onto some old wooden crates. McKenzie rubbed her arms to chase away the chill.
“Okay, tell me now.” Bailey pulled her knees to her chest and stretched her T-shirt over her legs. “Did you see something? Did you see the ghost rider?”
“Well, I know I heard a horse. It sounded like it was coming from the timber by the dugout. I know we went out there to try to see the ghost rider, but then I decided it might not be a good idea,” McKenzie explained.
“But why?” Bailey looked quizzically at McKenzie. “That was the whole point of going to Old Towne.”
“I know, but if we see the ghost rider and he knows we saw him, he won’t come back. Right? I think there’s a connection between the ghost rider and Diamond Girl’s disappearance. We need to find out more about him and why he’s hanging around Old Towne. If we scare him off, we’ll never solve this mystery.”
“I guess you’re right,” Bailey said as she stepped off the crate. She picked up Cheetah who had wandered into the shed. The cat settled into her arms and closed her eyes. “So, what now?”
“I don’t know.” McKenzie sighed and then added, “Maybe that note you found earlier has another clue on it.”
“Yeah,” Bailey said as she stroked Cheetah’s back. “You put it in your pocket.”
“I sure hope Emma didn’t do laundry this evening.” McKenzie hopped off the crate and headed for the door. “I’d better go find it.”
Within minutes the girls were in the house and racing up the stairs to their bedroom, McKenzie taking them two at a time.
“Oh, good. They’re just where I left them.” She grabbed her jeans off the floor and pulled the scrap of paper out of the pocket.
She unfolded the crumpled paper and turned it over. “All it says is Willow Ridge Horse Therapy Ranch and the phone number. There’s nothing written on the back either.”
She opened the dresser drawer and tucked it under her socks for safekeeping. The note must be important if the man was looking for it. But then she thought maybe it wasn’t even his. Maybe he had been looking for something else.
McKenzie sighed. If the sheriff had no clues to Diamond Girl’s disappearance, would Bailey and she really be able to help? She wondered if searching for clues was a waste of time. It was only a few more days until the rodeo, and then she would leave Sunshine Stables. What if she left before finding out what happened to Emma’s horse? She promised herself she wouldn’t let that happen.
“Do you think we should tell Emma we suspect Derek?” Bailey asked, interrupting McKenzie’s thoughts.
McKenzie frowned. She still didn’t want to think Derek was involved with Diamond Girl’s disappearance. “We were going to ask Elizabeth about that, weren’t we?” she asked
“Why don’t you call her instead?” Bailey asked.
McKenzie agreed and quickly called their friend in Texas, explaining the situation to Elizabeth.
“I don’t think you should mention Derek’s name to anybody yet,” Elizabeth said. “After all, you don’t have any evidence against him, just hunches. You shouldn’t wrongfully accuse him or anyone else.”
McKenzie knew Elizabeth was right, so they chatted a few more minutes. She was just hanging up as Emma called up the stairs. She had popped popcorn and invited them to watch a movie with her before bed. The girls readily agreed and scampered downstairs.
During the first commercial break, McKenzie planned to ask Emma about the dugout at Old Towne, but when she glanced over at her instructor in the recliner, she noticed Emma’s eyes were closed. Her breathing was soft and regular. McKenzie knew Emma was exhausted, so she dimmed the lights and turned off the TV. She put her finger to her lips and motioned for Bailey to follow her upstairs.
When the girls woke the next morning, Emma had already gone to the stables to prepare for the last day of Kids’ Camp. After a quick breakfast, McKenzie and Bailey headed outside to help feed Sahara and the other horses that weren’t used for camp. When the young campers arrived, they fed and groomed the horses they used for camp.
At two o’clock the campers went home. Emma had told McKenzie and Bailey they could ride the fourwheelers across the meadow to Cedar Creek Ranch to watch the roping class. The girls arrived early, hoping to walk through the stables and see Maggie’s horses. They were eager to see if the beautiful spotted horse was in one of her stalls.
After parking their four-wheelers, the girls spotted Maggie outside the stables.
“Hi, Maggie,” McKenzie called out as they approached Cedar Creek’s owner.
“Hi, girls. You’re early. The riders won’t be here for another twenty minutes,” she said, glancing at her watch.
“We know,” McKenzie replied. “We were wondering if we could look at your horses.”
Maggie hesitated but then said, “I suppose that would be okay, but I don’t have time to take you on a tour. I have to get the calves into the corral for the couple coming to practice. You can go by yourselves if you keep out of the way of my workers.”
The girls promised they wouldn’t bother anyone and set off toward the stable. McKenzie led the way inside and headed down the first aisle, glancing in the stalls as she walked. They passed quarter horses and paint horses with beautiful white splotches on their coats. They saw spotted Appaloosas and sturdy Morgans. She recognized Maggie’s black mustang in a stall at the end.
“This is Maggie’s prize horse, Frisco.” McKenzie stepped aside so Bailey could see in the stall. “She’s almost as fast as Diamond Girl.”
“Yeah,” Bailey said. “Maggie made it clear yesterday that Emma always beats her.”
McKenzie nodded. “But second place is really good, too.”
“You don’t know what it’s like to always come in second, or worse. I never win anything.” Bailey frowned.
At first, McKenzie didn’t know what to say. She knew how Bailey felt. “Bailey,” McKenzie finally said softly, “you’ll win lots of things. It’s just that I’ve been riding a lot longer than you have, and I’m older. I did awful at last year’s rodeo, so I do know how you feel. But you have lots of talents and abilities. I’ve seen some of your drawings and they’re great. I can’t draw a good stick man.”
Bailey sighed but didn’t answer. The girls continued down the aisle as McKenzie pointed out several breeds of horses to Bailey. She hoped to see the beautiful spotted horse they had seen in the pasture, but it wasn’t in the first row of stalls. When they walked up the second aisle, they saw no sign of her there either.
Disappointed that they hadn’t seen the unusual horse, McKenzie began to wonder who owned it. And why was the rider on Maggie’s land if the horse wasn’t stabled there? McKenzie was puzzled as she glanced at her watch and moved quickly through the stable.
The girls arrived back at the arena as Maggie turned the calves into the ring. McKenzie climbed the fence and sat on the top rung, while Bailey stood beside her.
A p
air of girls, a little older than McKenzie, sat on a brown stallion. They chased a calf around the arena, the rider in front holding a lasso. As they approached a calf she flung the lasso, catching it around the calf’s neck. Then she jerked the rope flinging the calf to the ground.
Bailey jumped and cried out, “Doesn’t that hurt the calf?”
“Nope, not at all,” McKenzie assured her as they watched the girls slip to the ground and loop the other end of rope around the calf’s legs. “Just wait a sec and you’ll see.”
Moments later, after the calf laid still, Maggie stepped out and loosened the rope. After Maggie removed the lasso, the calf hopped up and ran around the arena unharmed.
“Maybe I could do that,” Bailey said with a grin. “Now that I know it doesn’t hurt the calf.”
“Great,” McKenzie said. “Maybe I can find an old rope around here, and I can practice throwing a lasso.”
McKenzie glanced behind her, looking for Maggie. She heard voices coming from an old garage, so she tugged on Bailey’s arm and headed in that direction. As they stepped inside she saw stacks of cardboard boxes, with the contents written with black marker on the outside. Two workers carried the boxes out the back door and loaded them into a trailer parked nearby. They paid no attention to the girls but continued hauling the boxes out.
McKenzie turned to Bailey and whispered, “I wonder what’s going on in here.”
Bailey pointed to the men cleaning out the garage. “Where do you think they’re taking all that stuff?”
“I don’t know, but it looks almost like they’re getting ready to move.” McKenzie eyed all the busyness around her. “Surely Maggie’s not moving. Emma hasn’t said anything about it.”
“I bet they’re just cleaning out the garage,” Bailey said as she stepped away from the garage.
“Could be,” McKenzie said skeptically. “They look too busy to help us find a rope. We should probably head back anyway, but I need to find Maggie and thank her for letting us come over.”
McKenzie glanced around the arena looking for Maggie. She was nowhere in sight, so the girls headed toward the stables to look for her. Stable hands were doing nightly chores. McKenzie pulled Bailey into the supply room to let two workers pass with wheelbarrows full of hay.
Camp Club Girls Get a Clue! Page 26