Horse in Danger

by Michelle Bates

  “That’s fine. It’s not like her to be late though, is it?” Nick said. “I hope there’s nothing wrong. She left before lunch yesterday as well – normally she stays till five.”

  “I think she’s just got a lot on her mind at the moment, that’s all,” Jess said, noting what Nick had said. So Rosie hadn’t been around at Sandy Lane yesterday afternoon either.

  The riders made their way out of the back gate in the direction of the course, leaving Jess behind. She thought of all the times Rosie hadn’t been at the yard that week – all day Tuesday, and then she’d been late yesterday morning and not around in the afternoon either. Most strange. Jess was worried. It wasn’t like Rosie at all. Perhaps she was ill. She’d give Rosie’s mum a ring. Yes, that was it – she’d call Mrs. Edwards and find out where Rosie had got to.

  Jess hurried into the tack room and dug deep into her pockets to pull out some change for the phone. Twisting the phone cord in her fingers, she dialled Rosie’s number. Jess half-hoped that there would be some explanation and that Rosie, rather than her mum, would answer the phone. Mrs. Edwards was OK, but she was a bit of a fusspot, and Jess had a feeling that she didn’t altogether approve of her.

  “Hello Colcott 6234.” Mrs. Edwards’s voice rang out clearly at the other end, and Jess’s heart sank.

  “Hello, er, Mrs. Edwards. It’s Jess here. I’m calling from Sandy Lane. Is Rosie about?”

  “Rosie?” Mrs. Edwards’ voice registered complete surprise. “But she should be with you. She left over two hours ago.”

  “Oh.” Jess didn’t know what to say. She didn’t want to get Rosie into trouble. Jess was quick to think on her feet.

  “Er...er, well look Mrs. Edwards, I’ve only just turned up. She’s probably out on the beach hack.” Desperately, Jess looked across to the barn where all the bikes were kept. Rosie’s place stood empty. “It’s OK. I think I can see her bike,” she lied. “She must have gone on ahead of me. Sorry to bother you.”

  Mrs. Edwards seemed satisfied with that and Jess was able to get her off the phone fairly easily.

  It was strange. Wherever Rosie had gone, her mum didn’t seem to know anything about it either.

  “What’s up, Jess?” Tom’s words cut across her thoughts, bringing her to her senses. “Come on, you’ll be late for the cross-country.”

  “I’m waiting for Rosie,” Jess snapped.

  “I don’t like to say it, but it looks as though she might have forgotten you,” Tom said lightheartedly.

  Jess shrugged her shoulders. “Well, we’ll see.” Gritting her teeth, she sat down on to the side of the water trough to wait. Rosie wasn’t wriggling out of this one in a hurry.

  Rosie cycled breathlessly up the lane. Not only had she missed going to the beach, but it was five past eleven. She’d never be able to tack up and get to the cross-country training in time either. Nick didn’t mind too much if riders were a bit late, but he hated anyone joining a group much after ten minutes. Jess would be furious, that was for sure, but at least she’d be out on the course which would give her time to cool down.

  So when Rosie cycled into the yard, she was surprised to see Jess standing there, cross-armed and clearly waiting for her.

  “Jess, I-I-” She didn’t know what to say, and all hope flooded out of her.

  “Where have you been then?” Jess raised her eyebrows.

  “Oh...I was helping Mum,” Rosie said, her confidence returning as she managed to think up a reasonable excuse. “I just completely lost track of the time.”

  “Ah, really?” A smile spread across Jess’s face.

  “Yes, why ‘really’?” Rosie said, her hackles immediately rising.

  “Only because I called your mum five minutes ago and she said you’d left over two hours ago,” Jess said suspiciously.

  Rosie looked flustered, and then she managed to collect herself and her anger flowed. “You’ve been checking up on me, Jess? For goodness sake, I’m only five minutes late.”

  “For cross-country maybe, but you’re an hour late to meet me,” Jess said, angrily. “And I’ve missed cross-country training too, now.”

  “I’m sorry...I mean...well...you shouldn’t have waited,” Rosie snapped, knowing she was in the wrong, but unable to stop herself from taking it out on Jess. “Look, I’m not taking this from you. I’m going to have to call Mum and tell her I’m OK. She’ll be worried sick.”

  “Hey, hey, hey,” Jess said. “I’ve managed to cover up for you. I told your mum I could see your bike...that you were probably out on the beach. Don’t ask me why, but I did.”

  “Oh, well thanks,” Rosie said huffily. “I’m sorry I shouted and I’m sorry I was late.”

  “That’s OK,” Jess said. “I wasn’t really angry...just worried, that’s all. Look,” she started, in a more placatory voice. “There isn’t anything wrong is there? I mean, where have you been? I’ve hardly seen you lately. Is there something bothering you? I’d like to think I could help if there is.”

  “There isn’t,” Rosie said, quickly.

  “You’re being so secretive,” Jess pushed her. “And no one ever seems to know where you are most of the time. I thought we’d sorted out our differences. I thought you’d forgiven me.”

  “I have forgiven you,” Rosie said wearily. “And there isn’t anything wrong. It’s just that I’ve had a lot on my mind at the moment. I’m struggling with my history assignment and...look it’s nothing, really.”

  “Well if that’s all it is,” Jess said hesitantly. “If you did need any help over anything, you’d come to me, wouldn’t you?”

  Rosie looked at Jess, yearning to get everything off her chest. This was the perfect opportunity to tell her what was going on. And then she thought about Jake. She’d told him she wouldn’t tell anyone, hadn’t she? And yet this was her best friend, Jess, she was talking about. Rosie looked at her friend and bit her bottom lip.

  “Course I’d tell you, Jess...honest. It’s nothing.”

  “OK,” Jess said uncertainly. “Well, let’s tidy up around the yard. Nick said he’d be announcing the cross-country team today, so we’d better hang around for the verdict.”

  “OK.” Rosie said, feeling relieved that Jess hadn’t pressed her further and, grabbing her friend’s arm, they crossed the yard.

  10

  SHOCKS IN STORE

  Rosie stood quite still as she surveyed the yard at Sandy Lane the next morning. She’d had a bad time when she’d got home last night and was just glad to be out of the house. Her mother had confronted her over the missing food and that had just meant more lies. Rosie had denied taking it, but it didn’t make her feel very good. It was all getting too much and yesterday’s scene with Jess had been the final straw. Rosie bit her bottom lip, feeling uneasy. She’d been so sure that she’d been covering her tracks and that no one had noticed her slipping away from Sandy Lane.

  She’d gone to tell Jake all about it yesterday evening and that had only made matters worse because he’d been worried too. He’d suggested that she keep away from South Grange until it was all over. Josh was back in two days time and it seemed safest that way. Although Rosie knew he was right, she’d felt strangely deflated about it. Jake had promised to phone and tell her how things turned out, but it wasn’t the same as actually being there. She’d been so sure that Jake would need her to back him up with Josh. Now that she thought about it, she realized how silly she’d been.

  Moping around, Rosie leaned into Pepper’s stable and blew into his nostrils. “Never mind eh, Pepper?” she said. “Cross-country it is for us today – that should take our mind off things.”

  “Morning Rosie.”

  Rosie looked up to see Nick striding across the yard towards her.

  “Oh morning Nick,” she said as he stopped by Pepper’s stable.

  “I’m glad I’ve caught you on your own,” he said. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you.”

  “Oh.” Rosie looked worried. She had a feeling she knew what Nick
wanted to talk to her about, but she didn’t want to hear it.

  “He’s a good little pony, isn’t he?” Nick went on, nodding at Pepper.

  “Sure is,” Rosie said proudly.

  “Look, this is hard for me,” Nick started. “But I’ll come straight to the point. It’s about the cross-country team.”

  “Yes.” Rosie looked up.

  “You know that I was going to announce who I’d picked yesterday? Well, I’ve been putting off doing it because I wanted to speak to you first. To cut a long story short, I’m afraid you’re not going to make the team this year. I’ve chosen Tom, Jess, Izzy and Kate.”

  Rosie didn’t know what to say. She knew it had been coming, but still she felt choked.

  “Your heart just doesn’t seem to be in your riding at the moment,” Nick went on.

  Rosie shook her head. She knew that everything Nick was saying was true, and she had missed a couple of practices too, which he’d been kind enough not to mention, but not making the team...

  Just give me another chance, she wanted to shout out. But the words stayed stuck in her throat and she couldn’t bring herself to say a thing. That would mean telling Nick about Jake...telling him why she hadn’t been focused. But it was too late. It was too late for all that. Tears pricked the back of her eyes, but she forced them away. She wasn’t going to cry. She wasn’t going to let Nick see how upset she was. This was something she had to deal with on her own.

  “I hope you understand,” Nick said, putting his hand on her shoulder consolingly. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll get your old sparkle back soon, and this isn’t forever. It’s just for the Roxburgh Team Chase. I’m going to make that very clear. I’ll be reviewing the team again after that. Er, there’s something else,” Nick said hesitantly. “I know that Pepper’s your usual mount, but I hope you don’t mind, I’d like Kate to ride him at Roxburgh. He’s an experienced little pony and I need one solid score I can count on.”

  “No...no, of course I don’t mind,” Rosie said, biting her lip. How could she? Pepper wasn’t even her own pony. It was kind enough of Nick to tell her first. She could almost laugh with despair. There she was thinking that Pepper was losing his pace, when all the time it had been her who’d let him down.

  “Come on,” Nick said. “There’s cross-country training at eleven. You can still take part in that.”

  “I don’t think so. If you don’t mind Nick, I think I’d rather be on my own for a bit.”

  “OK,” Nick said in an understanding voice. “Look, try not to be too disheartened by what I’ve said.”

  Rosie smiled bravely as Nick strode off in the direction of the tack room. He meant his words kindly, but she was still pretty cut up. How could she not be disheartened? He’d probably be putting the team up on the notice board right that moment. It was too much for Rosie to bear. She couldn’t face seeing the others. She didn’t want to have to put on a brave face. All she wanted to do was bawl her eyes out.

  She had to get out of Sandy Lane. And there was only one place she wanted to be...only one person who could offer her any form of consolation – Jake. Even though he’d said it would be best if she stayed away, Rosie was sure he wouldn’t mind when she told him what had happened.

  Grabbing her purple waterproof jacket from the tack room, she hurried over to her bike. It was starting to rain now. Head down, Rosie cycled out of the yard, and once she was on her way, the tears fell.

  Rosie pedalled as fast as she could. She didn’t stop for anyone – not even when Jess called out from her bike. The hood on Rosie’s jacket stayed firmly up. At lightning speed, Rosie swept off and raced down the lane without a second glance.

  Jess hadn’t noticed that it was Rosie on the bike at first. What she had noticed was the splash from the car that soaked her as she swerved to avoid the reeling cyclist. As Jess stopped and turned her bike round, she blinked the rain water out of her eyes and watched the purple figure on the bike disappear down the lane. And as Jess stared and stared, she was left in no doubt. It was Rosie. Who else had a purple jacket like that? Jess looked at her watch. Quarter to eleven. Where was she off to? It wasn’t very nice weather, but they were supposed to be going out over the cross-country that morning.

  Jess didn’t stop to think. Firmly she set off in the direction Rosie had taken. Soon she had almost caught her up. Careful to keep her distance, Jess pedalled along.

  “Where can she be going?” Jess muttered to herself.

  When Jess’s pursuit led her down past Sandy Lane Cove, she was even more puzzled. There wasn’t much down here.

  Out of breath, Jess slowed down, and followed Rosie up a muddy driveway. She let her friend go on a bit ahead of her and, as she turned right, a house appeared ahead of her. There stood Rosie’s navy blue mountain bike, leaning against a wall. Jess hid hers behind a tree, and hurried around the corner. She’d have to keep back. She didn’t want to be seen. Slowly, Jess crept forward. And then she stopped still in her tracks. There were voices ahead of her.

  Pushing back her wet hair from her forehead, she stopped behind a tree, craning her neck forward to look into what looked like a stable yard. There was a black horse in front of her, and two figures. One was definitely Rosie, but she couldn’t make out the other one very clearly. Rosie looked as though she was crying. As Jess heard her racking sobs, she felt her blood boil. Who was it that was upsetting Rosie like that?

  And then, as the figure turned around, Jess got a good look at him and let out a little gasp. It was the boy from the photo – the one who’d stolen the racehorse. What on earth was he doing? And what was Rosie doing with him? Jess felt a shiver run down her spine. This must have been where Rosie had been disappearing off to all those times. She didn’t like the look of things...she didn’t like the look of things one bit. Her immediate reaction was to rush out and save her friend. But then she stopped herself and tried to think straight. Rosie hadn’t been brought to this place against her wishes, had she? So maybe the boy had got some sort of hold over her.

  Jess took a deep breath and made a quick decision. She had to go back to Sandy Lane and get help. It was no good trying to get through to Rosie again. No, the only solution was to speak to Nick and get him to phone that man from the racing stables as soon as possible.

  11

  A GRAVE MISTAKE

  “I think you should go back, Rosie. It’s disappointing you haven’t made the team, but if I were you, I’d want to hold my head up high,” Jake said kindly.

  “I know...I know,” Rosie sniffed. “I’m sorry to have bothered you. I know I was supposed to be keeping away from South Grange, but I just needed to talk to someone. I know it’s the last thing you want on your plate when you’ve got to see Josh tomorrow.”

  “No, it’s all right,” Jake answered. “I’m glad you came. You’ve done a lot for me. I was just worried that someone might see you. Confronting Josh is so close now, I don’t want to be caught out at the final hurdle.”

  Rosie nodded. Jake looked worried and she could understand that – there was a lot at stake here and, although she was convinced by his story, there was no guarantee that Josh would believe him.

  “I’ll be off in a moment,” she said. “But have you decided how you’re going to go about things?”

  “Josh is back tomorrow. I’m going to see him first thing,” Jake answered. “If I get to his house early, O’Grady won’t be around. And then it’s up to me to make sure I convince him.”

  “Well, look...good luck,” Rosie said. “I’m sure things will be all right.

  “Thanks.” Jake grinned. “And good luck to you too,” he said. “Don’t get too down about all this. I’m sure you’ll get your place back.”

  “Thanks,” Rosie said. “That’s just what I needed to hear.” And, with a little backwards wave, she cycled out of the yard.

  Jess pedalled furiously down the winding country roads, her mind in confusion. Nothing made very much sense. How did Rosie know that boy? How could she ha
ve met him? Jess’s mind went over fragments of conversations, but still she couldn’t come up with anything. Jess was muddled. In fact, nothing was very clear in her mind. All that was clear was that she had to get back to the stables as soon as possible.

  “Not far now,” she said to herself as she sped down Sandy Lane and turned up the drive to the stables in a mad panic.

  She was surprised to see that no one was about as she drew to a halt in the yard. And then she remembered the cross-country training. Of course...Jess looked at her watch. The ride wouldn’t be back for another twenty minutes. She started to panic. And then she took a deep breath. She couldn’t wait for Nick to get back. She would just have to do something about it. She’d phone the Elmwood Racing Stables herself.

  Running across the yard, Jess flew into the tack room and scrabbled around on the pinboard for the number. Farriers’ bills...vets’ bills...owners’ numbers. Where had it got to? Then she came across a scrap of paper pinned in the corner. Anxiously, she tore it down.

  Jess stood impatiently, shifting her weight from one foot to the other as she dialled the number. And then a gruff voice answered the phone.

  “Hello, Elmwood Racing Stables.”

  “Hello, could I speak to Mr. O’Grady?” Jess squeaked.

  “Yes, speaking. Who is this? Who’s calling?” a strident voice came from the other end.

  Jess shrank into her boots, and then she calmed herself down enough to find her voice.

  “Hello I’m...well, you don’t know me,” she said nervously. She took a deep breath and, putting on her boldest voice, summoned up her courage. “I’m Jess Adams and I think I’ve got some information for you about your missing racehorse.”

  “This had better not be a crank call,” the man’s voice came angrily. And when Jess didn’t respond, his voice became more congenial. “Have you seen her?”