McKenzie

by Shari Barr

  “Are you sure we should do this?” Bailey asked softly. “It’s creepy out here.”

  McKenzie agreed with Bailey. This was the spookiest thing she had ever done. But with all the confidence she could gather, she said, “We have to do this for Diamond Girl and for Emma.”

  “Okay, but let’s get this over with as fast as we can,” Bailey said. “I don’t like it out here.”

  McKenzie turned her head toward Bailey. “We’re almost there,” she whispered as she saw the buildings of Old Towne.

  Main Street, with its tall empty stores on either side, surrounded them in a blanket of darkness. Sahara plodded down the street, her thumping hooves the only sound in the gloom. As they rounded the curve outside of the town, McKenzie headed up the slope overlooking the dugout. She slid to the ground and looped Sahara’s reins around a tree branch.

  McKenzie felt as if they were in the middle of nowhere with meadow in all directions. The mountains on the horizon made her feel even more isolated. Coyotes yipped in the distance and an owl hooted. Bailey clutched McKenzie’s arm.

  “Let’s see if the horse is in the dugout,” McKenzie whispered as she led Bailey down the slope.

  McKenzie put her ear to the open window of the dugout, straining to hear if something was inside. The heavy breathing of a large animal as it shifted positions came from the far corner of the dugout. Peering through the window, McKenzie flicked on her pocket light.

  “It’s the spotted horse,” she whispered as she flicked off her light. “Someone is hiding her here. Let’s go around front and go in.”

  “Oooh McKenzie. I don’t like this,” Bailey said with fear in her voice.

  McKenzie glanced in both directions as she pulled Bailey to the dugout door. The rusty hinges squeaked loudly as McKenzie opened it and slipped inside.

  The spotted horse stood in the corner of the dirt room. She blinked as McKenzie turned on the lantern light.

  “She’s even prettier up close,” Bailey said with awe.

  McKenzie walked cautiously to the horse’s side and held out her hand, talking to her in a soothing voice. The horse nuzzled McKenzie’s hand.

  “Oh Bailey. Her eyes look just like Diamond Girl’s. She acts like her too.”

  McKenzie stroked the large white spot on the horse’s forehead. She examined it closely. Had someone dyed the hair brown and turned the diamond shape into an uneven splotch? Were the other spots dyed onto the horse? If so, the person had done a good job. In the dim light, the splotches of color looked natural.

  She flung her arms around the horse’s neck, feeling as though God had led her here for a reason. Squeezing her eyes shut, she murmured, “Dear God, let this be Diamond Girl. Please.”

  For a minute, McKenzie forgot her real purpose for coming here then she pulled away from the horse as uneasiness settled over her. Though the girls were alone in the dugout, she felt as if they shouldn’t be here. “Let’s get this done and get back home,” she said. “Do you want to hold the light or snip the hairs?”

  “I’ll hold the light,” Bailey answered.

  McKenzie dug into her pocket and pulled out the scissors. Her hands trembled as she lifted the mane and snipped some strands on the underside. After rolling the length of hair around her hand, she tucked it into the plastic bag.

  McKenzie’s heart leaped as a scratching sound came from outside the stable door. She stuffed the bag into her pocket and spun around. Goosebumps rippled up her arms and the scratching grew louder. Someone or something was trying to get in.

  Bailey screamed and flung one hand over her mouth. She held up the light and pointed to the bottom of the stable door. A growling animal with hairy paws was digging under the door!

  “What is it?” Bailey’s voice trembled. She grabbed McKenzie’s arm.

  Before McKenzie could answer, the animal stuck its paw farther under the door. Her heart raced as she scurried to the window and cautiously stuck her head out. She pointed her pocket light at the door and gasped. Then she let out a big sigh as she yanked open the door. A bundle of fur jumped on her.

  “Buckeye! You goofy dog,” she said with a laugh. “Why did you follow us? You scared us half to death!”

  The dog danced about their feet, yipping. He ran circles around her ankles, excited to see the girls. Bailey dropped McKenzie’s arm and shook her head as she stroked Buckeye’s head.

  McKenzie scratched the dog’s back and turned to Bailey. “We need to get going. I don’t want whoever’s hiding this horse here to come back and catch us.”

  McKenzie gave the horse a quick pat before Bailey turned off the lantern light. Buckeye scampered around their feet as they stepped outside and made their way in the moonlight to Sahara.

  She couldn’t wait to get away from here, back to the warmth of Emma’s house. Taking a deep breath to help her relax, McKenzie mounted her horse. Then she pulled Bailey on behind her.

  “I hope we don’t get caught,” Bailey whispered dismally. “I’m scared.”

  “Me too.” McKenzie turned Sahara around and headed back through Old Towne. “This place gets creepier all the time.”

  Buckeye ran beside the horse as the girls galloped down the dark, dusty street. Somehow, McKenzie felt safer with the dog beside them. They raced up the trail as fast as they dared in the shadowy darkness.

  The dirt track seemed to go on forever, but McKenzie leaned forward, urging Sahara faster. The pounding of the horse’s hooves thundered in the windy night. McKenzie sighed with relief when they crested the top of the hill and saw the yard lights of Sunshine Stables.

  Emma’s house was still dark. Feeling guilty for sneaking out, McKenzie moved as quickly as she could, returning Sahara to her stall. After settling her in again for the night, they scurried toward the door. McKenzie switched off the light, engulfing the stable in darkness.

  As the girls stepped outside, McKenzie latched the door. She turned to follow Bailey when a movement next to the stables caught her eye. Something was there! Whirling around, she stifled a scream. A tall, dark figure stepped out of the shadows and grabbed her arm.

  The Mysterious Message

  McKenzie’s heart raced. She heard Bailey muffle a shriek.

  “Don’t tell me you two can’t stay away from your horses all night. You scared me silly.”

  McKenzie stared at the face looking down at her in the darkness, her voice quivering. “Derek, you scared us half to death. What are you doing out here? I thought you went home hours ago.”

  “I told Emma I’d patrol the ranch tonight. I just got back from making the rounds. I was heading back to my cot in the supply room, and I saw the lights in the stable go out. I thought for sure the horse thieves were back. Lucky for you I decided to check things out before calling the sheriff. Now you two better get back to bed before Emma finds out you’re gone.” Derek put his arms on the girls’ shoulders and pushed them gently toward the house. “And stay in bed this time. I’m taking care of things out here, so you don’t need to check on the horses. Good night.”

  The girls sighed with relief as they whispered their “good nights” to Derek and hurried into the house. They crept upstairs to their bedroom as silently as possible. McKenzie took the bag of horse hairs from her pocket and laid it on the dresser.

  “Boy, that was close,” Bailey said as she climbed into bed. “Do you think Derek knows we went to Old Towne?”

  “I don’t think so, or he would have told us. He was making rounds, so I don’t think he saw a thing.” McKenzie climbed into her bunk and flipped off the light switch with her foot.

  Bailey whispered, “Do you think that horse was Diamond Girl?”

  “I don’t know, but I hope so,” McKenzie said as she pulled the covers to her chin. “We need to get to town tomorrow and send those hairs to Kate by overnight mail. If it’s stolen, the thief won’t keep the horse there forever, so we have to move fast before he decides to move her.”

  “Why is that guy hiding the horse there?” Bailey aske
d. “If he wants her for the money, why hasn’t he sold her?”

  “Maybe he doesn’t want to sell her. Maybe he wants to keep her for himself. She is a prize-winning rodeo horse, you know. She brings in quite a bit of money,” McKenzie answered.

  “Maybe he’ll enter her in the rodeo,” Bailey suggested. “If the horse is really Diamond Girl, no one would recognize her. She would win for sure.”

  The moonlight cast a soft glow about the room. McKenzie peered over the top bunk and saw Bailey’s black hair framing her pale face in the dark.

  McKenzie thought for a moment. “That’s possible, but Emma will be at the rodeo. Surely the thief knows that. Emma would recognize Diamond Girl even if she’s been dyed brown and covered with white splotches. I think we’ve overlooked a clue, but I don’t know what it is.”

  “Do you think we should tell Emma that we found a horse at Old Towne?’ Bailey asked.

  “Yes,” McKenzie agreed. “She needs to know someone is hiding a strange horse on her land. Let’s tell her first thing in the morning.”

  Sunlight was beaming through the window when McKenzie woke up. She flung the covers off and stretched her legs, listening to Bailey’s soft steady breathing coming from the bottom bunk.

  Her eyes opened wide when she glanced at the digital clock on the desk. “Bailey,” McKenzie exclaimed. “It’s after nine o’clock!”

  Bailey rolled over and rubbed her eyes. “We’re supposed to be doing chores. How did we sleep this late?”

  McKenzie jumped out of bed and reached for her jeans. “I can’t believe Emma didn’t wake us. We have a lot of work to do today.”

  Within minutes both girls scrambled down the stairs to the kitchen. The house was quiet, so McKenzie knew Emma had probably been up for hours. Though the girls usually woke on their own, McKenzie couldn’t help wondering why Emma hadn’t awakened them. The girls downed some orange juice, grabbed a couple of bagels, and hurried to the stables.

  At first McKenzie didn’t see any stable hands. But then she saw Derek leading a caramel-colored Thoroughbred into the stable.

  “Hey, Derek,” McKenzie called out as she hurried down the aisle toward him. “Have you seen Emma?”

  “You girls are a couple of sleepyheads. I’ve been waiting for you to get up.” He closed the stall door behind the horse. “Why don’t you ride into White Sulfur Springs with me when I go get feed? Emma had a little accident this morning.”

  McKenzie caught her breath. “What happened? Is she hurt bad?”

  Derek opened the stable door for them as they stepped outside. “She was trying to break that little filly to ride. It threw her off, and she landed on her arm. You know Emma. She didn’t want to go to the doctor, but I was afraid she broke it. She wouldn’t let me take her, so I called her mom to come over. They left for the emergency room about an hour ago.”

  Bailey’s eyes grew wide with worry. “Will she be okay?”

  “I’m sure she’ll be fine.” Derek smiled as he walked toward his black pickup truck. “Why don’t we go find her now?”

  Bailey opened the passenger door of the pickup and crawled inside. Then McKenzie remembered the bag of horse hair. “I need to mail a package. Can you wait a couple of minutes while I get it ready?”

  “Sure, I’ll be waiting,” Derek said.

  McKenzie hurried toward the house with Bailey close behind her.

  “We need an envelope for the hair. Hopefully, Emma has one in the office,” McKenzie said as the screen door banged behind her. She hurried down the hall and into the office. She opened the supply drawer and found a brown envelope. “Perfect,” she said as she grabbed it and headed upstairs.

  “I’ll look up Kate’s address.” Bailey pulled her pink and green striped address book out of her drawer. She not only had the Camp Club Girls’ addresses in it but also their phone numbers and email addresses. Flipping the pages, she quickly found the address.

  McKenzie printed Kate’s name and address on the envelope then stuffed the bag of horse hair inside. She added a short note that read, “Please hurry. We need your help—BFF, McKenzie and Bailey.”

  On her way out the door, McKenzie grabbed the small backpack she sometimes carried for a purse. Overnight mail would cost a lot, and she hoped she had enough money.

  The girls hurried downstairs and out the door. McKenzie had a funny feeling as she crawled in the pickup beside Derek. She felt guilty wondering if he was a horse thief. Then she remembered that her dad had once told her that guilt was God’s way of speaking to His children. Was God trying to tell her something now about Derek?

  As she leaned her head back in the seat, her mind wandered. They needed to solve the mystery of Diamond Girl’s disappearance, but they also needed to focus on the rodeo that started tomorrow. In the afternoon, the judging of the Junior Miss Rodeo Queen contest would begin. She would be judged on her appearance, personality, and how well she handled her horse while riding. She shuddered at the thought of standing before the judges.

  “You two are awfully quiet this morning,” Derek said, interrupting her thoughts. “Did you have too late of a night last night?”

  “We just have a lot to think about,” Bailey answered.

  McKenzie stared out the window at the distant mountains. About twenty minutes later, Derek pulled into the parking lot of Mountainview Medical Center.

  McKenzie wrinkled her nose at the smell of antiseptic as she stepped inside the hospital. Derek stopped at the front desk and asked the receptionist about Emma. After listening to her directions, the girls followed Derek down the hallway to a small room. A middle-aged blond-haired woman who looked like an older version of Emma smiled at them as they entered.

  Emma sat on the bed with her arm in a sling, her eyes rimmed by dark circles. “Hey, girls, Derek.” She held out her uninjured arm toward the girls.

  McKenzie stepped to Emma’s side and put her arms around her. Emma winced.

  “I’m sorry, Emma,” McKenzie said. “Did I hurt you?”

  “No, no,” Emma said, forcing a smile to her face. “I’m fine.”

  “What did the doc say?” Derek asked. “Is your arm broken?”

  “Just a sprain, but I get a sling anyway.” Emma shifted, holding her arm gingerly. “I also get to spend the night here. The doctor wants to make sure I don’t have a concussion.”

  She looked apologetically at Derek and the girls. “I’m really sorry about all this, guys. I know it’s bad timing with the rodeo almost here.”

  “Don’t worry about anything,” Derek said. “We’ll take care of things at the stables.”

  “I’m waiting for the nurse to come back and take me to my room,” Emma said with a frown.

  Emma’s mom, Mrs. Wilson, turned to the girls. “Emma asked me to stay with you girls tonight. If that’s okay with you, I’ll be out to the house after she gets settled here.”

  The girls told Mrs. Wilson that would be fine. They said their goodbyes and headed back to the pickup. McKenzie asked Derek if he would drop them off at the post office.

  A few minutes later he pulled into a parking spot of the post office while McKenzie pulled out some money before leaving her backpack on the seat. Once inside she paid the clerk, and he told them that Kate should get the package by ten o’clock the next morning.

  “Hopefully, Kate can test the hairs and call us with the results later in the afternoon. And let’s hope that’s soon enough,” McKenzie said as they walked back to the pickup.

  The girls rode in silence as Derek drove to the feed store. McKenzie rolled down the window and let the warm air blow through her hair.

  “Are you girls eager for the rodeo? I’ve watched you practice. You’ve both improved a lot since you came to Emma’s.” Derek tuned the radio to a country music station.

  “McKenzie will win her category. She’s really good. She finishes a lot faster than me,” Bailey said as she folded her arms across her chest.

  “Oh, I’m not that good,” McKenzie said, turning
to Bailey. “There are a lot of riders who are better than I am.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Bailey said dismally. “You’ll still win, and I bet you win the Junior Miss Rodeo Queen contest too.”

  McKenzie didn’t know what to say to cheer Bailey up. She knew how badly her younger friend wanted to keep up with her. Though Bailey rode well, McKenzie knew she would have tough competition at the rodeo. Many of the competitors had their own horses and rode daily. Bailey didn’t have her own horse and had few opportunities to ride.

  “Hey, why don’t you enter the sheep chase, Bailey?” Derek asked.

  “That’s a great idea,” McKenzie said cheerfully. “I’ve done that before. It’s a lot of fun, but I’m too old now.”

  “What’s the sheep chase?” Bailey looked at McKenzie.

  “Kids are turned loose in a pen of sheep. The first kid to catch a sheep and hold on to it is the winner. You could do that,” McKenzie said with a smile.

  “Sounds cool to me,” Derek said as he pulled into the parking lot of the feed store. “How about it?”

  “I don’t know,” Bailey said reluctantly. Then she continued, “I suppose I could try. It does sound like fun.”

  Derek parked at the loading dock beside a pickup with CEDAR CREEK RANCH printed across the door. He turned to the girls and handed McKenzie a few bills. “Go on in and grab a couple of drinks. My treat.”

  McKenzie hesitated and then thanked Derek. Within a couple of minutes, the girls returned with icy cold drinks.

  “When are we going to tell Emma about the horse in the dugout?” Bailey said after Derek went inside the store.

  “I don’t know,” McKenzie replied. “Now that she hurt her arm, I hate to give her something else to worry about.”

  Bailey nodded in agreement. “And we can’t tell her we suspect Derek when we don’t know for sure,” she whispered.

  Derek loaded the back of the pickup with feed. Then they headed back to Sunshine Stables. While Derek unloaded the pickup, the girls went to the house.