Mystery Rider

by Miralee Ferrell

  Kate bit her lip. “I don’t think everyone would protect it with a rifle.”

  Tori planted her hands on her hips. “I agree, but she’s an old lady, and if she lives alone and people have been bugging her, she might feel she has to do that.”

  Kate thought for a moment, remembering what she’d seen at the very end before she ran. “Did you notice she put the rifle down before we took off?”

  Tori gave a sad smile. “Yeah. And I think she was crying.”

  Colt’s eyes widened. “Huh?”

  A car drove past, kicking up dust. Kate waved toward their bikes. “We’d better head home. But Tori’s right. I saw the lady cover her face with her hands, and her shoulders were shaking.”

  “Weird,” Melissa said. “What’s up with that?”

  All of them grabbed their bikes and climbed on, then headed back toward Kate’s house. No one spoke as they pedaled their way home, but Kate kept an eye on Tori, worried about what might be going on in her friend’s head. Something didn’t feel right about how Tori was acting, but Kate couldn’t quite figure it out. She needed to get her alone and see if she’d tell her. Maybe Tori didn’t want to say any more in front of Melissa, or even Colt, but she and Kate were best friends. Kate knew in her heart that Tori would tell her everything as soon as they were alone.

  Chapter Seven

  Kate and Tori sat on Kate’s bed after telling Melissa and Colt good-bye. Tori had barely spoken after they’d returned and parked their bikes in Kate’s backyard. Since no one seemed to have any interest in planning their parade costumes or talking about anything else, their other friends left. They agreed to get together again sometime the next day, but Kate had whispered to Tori, asking her to stay a little longer.

  Kate scooted up against the headboard and tucked a pillow behind her back, while Tori sat cross-legged at the end of the bed. “So what’s up, Tori? Something’s bugging you, and it’s got to be that horse.”

  Tori ducked her head. “That woman looked so sad, Kate. I think there’s something wrong. Maybe even something worse than kids bothering her.”

  Surprise surged through Kate. This wasn’t what she’d expected. She knew Tori had fallen in love with the black horse, but she didn’t realize she’d be worried about the woman. On the other hand, her friend was one of the kindest kids she’d ever met, and if anyone would feel sorry for someone who threatened to shoot them, it would be Tori. She frowned at Tori’s bowed head. “I guess that’s possible. But there’s nothing we can do about it.”

  “Why not?” Tori lifted her head and met Kate’s eyes.

  “You didn’t see that rifle and hear her tell us to leave? You really want to try that again?”

  Tori’s dark eyes blazed. “Yeah. I do. But just you and me, not Colt and Melissa. I think there were too many of us, and we scared her.”

  Kate stared at Tori. This couldn’t be for real. “No way. That’s nuts. I mean, next time she might shoot us!”

  “Naw. I don’t think so. If she was going to, then I think she would have shot in the air to really scare us. Besides, I told you she was crying. That doesn’t sounds like someone crazy enough to shoot at a bunch of kids.”

  “Maybe, but I’m not willing to take that chance.” Kate figured that would end the discussion. She’d always been the bold one, and Tori was always so tenderhearted.

  “Fine.” Tori worried her bottom lip with her teeth.

  Kate breathed a sigh of relief and settled deeper into the pillow. Maybe she should go get them a soda or something or suggest they call Colt and Melissa to come back and do more planning, now that this subject was settled.

  Tori leaned forward, bracing her elbows on her crossed legs. “If you don’t want to come, then I’ll go alone.”

  Kate almost fell off the bed in shock. She’d never seen Tori act like this before, and she couldn’t believe how firm her friend’s voice was, or how determined her face appeared. “Seriously? You want to go back there, and you’d go alone if I don’t come? Why?”

  “I’m not sure.” Tori tapped her chest. “But I feel it in here. Like God is telling me it’s the right thing to do. That we’re supposed to help her somehow. I don’t know any more than that. But I won’t be mad if you don’t want to come. I understand.”

  Kate sat up straight. “No way will I let you go alone.” She shuddered. “That old woman could shoot you and bury you behind the house, and no one would ever know. You’re my best friend, and if I can’t talk you out of it, then I’m going with you.”

  A smile lit Tori’s face, and her eyes sparkled. “You’d do that for me?”

  Kate didn’t hesitate. “You bet. You’ve always backed me up, and I’ll do the same for you. That’s what friends are for, right?”

  Tori beamed. “Right. I’ve never had that kind of a friend before you came along, that’s all.”

  “So what’s your plan?”

  Tori’s smile faded. “I’m not sure. I hadn’t thought that far.”

  “And what do we tell Colt and Melissa?”

  Tori shook her head. “Nothing. I don’t want anyone else involved. We have to do this alone, Kate.”

  “O-kay …” Kate didn’t like it, but Tori was the boss on this one. If she didn’t go along with her friend, Tori might decide to do it alone, and that wasn’t an option. “But we need some kind of plan. We can’t just walk up to the house again. She’ll chase us off like last time.”

  “I agree.” They were quiet for a minute before Tori spoke again. “We could bake cookies or brownies or something and take them to her as an apology for upsetting her today.”

  Kate nodded. “I suppose. I’m not crazy about cutting through the woods again, though. I sure wish we knew if there was another way in.”

  “I saw a driveway on the far side of the paddock where the horse was.”

  “Seriously? Man, I didn’t notice anything other than that rifle.” Kate stared at her friend in awe.

  “I don’t know where it comes out, so I suppose we’ll have to go in the same way.” Tori’s shoulders drooped. “I wish we’d stayed longer and tried to talk to her.”

  Kate raised her brows. “Uh … she told us to leave. I don’t think that was a good time to try to talk.”

  “I know. So, what do you think about taking cookies?”

  “Sure. Mom won’t care if we bake a batch. Are we going to tell our parents?”

  Tori worried her lip again. “Could we tell them we’re taking cookies to an old lady who’s lonely, and not tell them the rest?”

  Kate hesitated. They wouldn’t be telling a lie, but they wouldn’t be telling the entire truth either. “I’m not sure. I guess we can try that, but if my mom or your mom asks any questions, we’ll have to tell them more. Do you care if we tell them we’re taking the cookies to the Mystery Rider, but we don’t know her name?”

  Tori smiled. “That’s a great idea. We’ll tell them we found her house and want to do something nice for her. I don’t think they’ll object to that.”

  Kate nodded, but it still didn’t feel right. She wasn’t sure Mom and Dad would approve if they knew everything, but she couldn’t take the chance that Tori would go alone and get herself into trouble. “All right. When do you want to go?”

  “Colt said something about working on the parade stuff sometime tomorrow. How about we bake a big batch of cookies to share with Colt and Melissa so they won’t ask questions. Then after they leave, we’ll head over on our own. We’ll ask them to come in the morning so we’ll have the afternoon free. Sound good?”

  “Yeah, I guess.” Kate shoved her doubts to the side. She wished they could at least tell Colt. He was sensible and didn’t rush into stuff the way she sometimes did—but she’d promised not to tell, and she wouldn’t break her word. She felt stuck between two bad choices, but her friendship with Tori was important, and she couldn’t let her d
own. All she could do was pray she wasn’t making a bad decision and they didn’t find themselves in more trouble than they could handle.

  The next morning, Kate swung open her front door a few seconds after the doorbell chimed.

  “Hey, guys. I’m glad you made it. Tori’s already here.”

  Melissa stepped inside, with Colt right on her heels, and his nose went up in the air. He sniffed. “Wow. Something smells awesome.”

  Kate grinned. “We’ve been baking. We thought we might need a little brain food to help us while we’re planning.” A twinge of guilt hit her. If only she could tell Colt and Melissa about their plans, she wouldn’t feel so alone, but a promise was a promise.

  “What kind of cookies are they?” Colt kept sniffing as he headed toward the kitchen.

  Kate giggled. “You look like a bloodhound on a trail. Chocolate chip oatmeal with coconut and walnuts. The coconut keeps them soft, and we put tons of chocolate chips in them. Dad likes them better with raisins, so we’re making a panful that way too. But Tori and I voted for chocolate in the rest of them.”

  Colt closed his eyes. “Mmm-mmm. I think I’m going to eat until I get sick.”

  Melissa rolled her eyes. “Boys can be so dramatic.”

  Colt’s eyes snapped open. “Now that’s funny. I’m a growing boy, and I love cookies. There’s nothing dramatic about it. Girls are the dramatic ones.”

  Kate grabbed them both and pulled them the rest of the way to the kitchen. “Quit arguing and get some cookies and a glass of milk. We’ll sit at the table to talk.”

  Melissa huffed but didn’t argue.

  Colt grinned. “I’ll stop arguing if I have my mouth full of cookies. Besides, I got the last word, so I win.” He dodged sideways as Melissa’s elbow shot toward his ribs. “Ha! Missed.”

  Kate’s mom breezed into the kitchen, and Pete followed slowly behind. “Hi, kids. Mind if Pete and I have a few cookies? His tutor is here, and I’m sure she’d appreciate a couple too.”

  “Sure, Mom. Hey, Pete. Are you having a good time with Mrs. Ingersoll?”

  Pete kept his gaze on the plate of cookies. “Cookies.”

  Melissa stooped to Pete’s level and held out the plate. “Here you go, bud.” Her tone was soft, and the same one that Pete had often responded to.

  He averted his gaze but reached out and took one, then slowly lifted it to his mouth.

  Kate touched his hair, but he shrank back. “Pete, can you tell Melissa thank you?” She wished this was one of his good days when he’d let her touch him, but sometimes he became more withdrawn when his special teacher came, while on other days he seemed to blossom.

  He took a bite of cookie. “No.”

  When he was in a mood like this, there was no point in pushing. Kate glanced at her mother, who smiled. “Come on, Pete. We’ll take the cookies back to Mrs. Ingersoll, and you can have another one after you finish your work. Okay?” She extended her hand, but he ignored it and started humming a tune. Mom lowered her hand but stayed beside Pete. “Let’s go, Son.”

  No one spoke as Kate’s mom and Pete left the room, and in the quiet, Pete’s humming could be heard all the way down the hall to her dad’s study.

  Melissa cleared her throat gently. “He’s having a bad day, huh?”

  Kate’s eyes misted. “Sometimes I think he’s improving so much. He talks more and occasionally looks someone in the eye—even lets us touch him or hug him. I start thinking maybe the autistic thing is in the past. Then he goes backward like this.” Kate sighed. “I feel so bad for him.”

  Colt put his cookie on the plate in front of him. “But his good days are better than they were before, right? So he is improving.”

  Kate swallowed a lump in her throat. “I guess so … if I think of it that way. I just want him to be totally okay now, know what I mean?”

  They all nodded.

  Kate looked at her friends. “Thanks, guys. Now let’s get to work and come up with super banners to drape over our horses.”

  Melissa held up her hand. “Before we do that, I found out some stuff about that old woman on the black horse.”

  Kate’s heart pounded, and she chanced a glance at Tori, but her friend kept her eyes on Melissa. Kate leaned forward. “Did you talk to someone?”

  “Yep. I called one of my mother’s friends who knows everything about everybody, and she filled me in.” Melissa dropped her voice and peered toward the kitchen door leading to the study. “I don’t think your parents would want you going over there again, if they knew.”

  Colt drummed his fingers on the table. “Knew what? Spill it.”

  Melissa made a face at him, then turned to Kate and Tori. “Well, first of all, there’s another way into her place. I don’t know why she went down that trail, except maybe it’s a shortcut. But if you keep on the road for another half mile or so, then turn right at the fork, her driveway is the first gravel road on the right. It’s a short distance to her house from the road.”

  Kate groaned. “It would have been nice to find that before we went through all the brush. Plus, she might not have thought we were trying to do something bad if we’d come down her driveway instead of across her back pasture and over her fence.”

  “Did your mom’s friend know anything else about her?” Colt asked.

  “Yes. Some people say she’s a witch and that’s why she rides a black horse, but others say she’s crazy. Someone disappeared from the area years ago, and rumor has it they might be buried behind her house. No one has ever proved it, but there’s talk. My mom’s friend says her house is haunted.” Melissa waved her hand in the air. “Oh, and she has this long, jagged scar on her face, and I guess that’s why she wears the hood.” She shivered. “I wonder how that happened. Maybe she got in a knife fight with the person she buried on her property.”

  Colt laughed. “She’s too little and too old to get in a fight with anyone. All that stuff you heard is gossip, and we shouldn’t even listen to it. As for the scar and the hood, if that’s true, she probably gets sick of people staring at her. I don’t blame her.” He reached for another cookie.

  Melissa glared at him. “Some of it could be true. But no matter what, we solved the mystery, and we don’t have to go back. I’m done with that place.”

  Tori nudged Kate’s foot under the table, and Kate knew exactly what she was thinking. They’d made the right decision not to invite Melissa. But how about Colt? If the woman was dangerous, it would be awfully nice to have a boy around.

  Chapter Eight

  Kate shut the front door after Melissa and Colt left, then walked into the living room and slumped onto the couch. “Wow. Am I glad that’s over. You don’t know how many times I almost blurted out that we needed to hurry up and finish so you and I could get going.” She grinned at Tori’s horrified face. “Kidding. But I thought it plenty of times.” She sat up. “You sure you want to go through with this? I told Mom we found out where our Mystery Rider lives, that she’s an old lady who lives alone, and we’re taking her cookies. That’s all true, right?”

  Tori gave a slow nod. “I told my mom the same thing. I don’t believe all that stuff Melissa told us. She’s not dangerous—she’s lonely and scared. Do you think we’re wrong not to tell our parents about her waving a rifle in the air? I’m afraid if we do, they won’t let us go.”

  “We can tell them the whole story after we take the cookies, don’t you think? We’ll make friends and find out what’s wrong with her. Then we can tell our parents, and they’ll probably want to help her too. I bet they’ll be proud of us when it’s over.”

  Tori grinned. “Cool. I never thought of that. You ready to go?”

  Kate pushed to her feet. “As soon as we put a bunch of cookies in a plastic bag. It’s going to be hard to ride our bikes if we’re carrying a plate.”

  “Right. Hey. Do you think we should write a not
e before we go, in case she’s not there? We could leave it on her front porch with the cookies.”

  “Sure. But what are we gonna say?”

  “Hmm … maybe We’re the kids who came to your house yesterday, and we’re sorry we scared you. Something like that. We can tell her we’d like to be friends, and we love her horse, and we brought her cookies. That way she won’t worry about who came like she might if we just leave the bag there.”

  Kate headed for the kitchen. “That makes sense. Come on, your handwriting is better than mine. I’ll get the cookies ready to go while you write the note.”

  A few minutes later, Kate stopped at the door of the study and waved at her mom. “We’re taking the cookies now.”

  Mom looked up, her face distracted, and her gaze drifted from Kate to Pete, who sat with his head down, rocking and humming. Mrs. Ingersoll sat quietly beside him, waiting. Mom sighed and turned her attention back to Kate. “Don’t be gone too long, honey. Remember, we don’t know this lady. I’m sure she’s fine—she can’t be too much of a problem if she’s as old as you say she is, but I still don’t want you overstaying your welcome. Remember, hand her the cookies, then leave. You are not to go in her house. Agreed?”

  “Yes, Mom. We won’t, don’t worry. And we’ll hurry. I don’t want to stay. Tori wants to ask about her horse, but that shouldn’t take long.” She lifted a hand and pivoted, then headed for the kitchen, where Tori waited. Kate hoped that everything she’d told her mom was true.

  A couple of minutes later, Kate hung the bag of cookies over her bike handlebars. “Hey, I was thinking …”

  Tori narrowed her eyes. “You aren’t wanting to back out, are you?”

  “Nothing like that. I’m glad Melissa said she didn’t want to go so we don’t have to invite her, but how about Colt? I don’t see any reason he can’t come with us. Wouldn’t it be safer to have him along if something goes wrong?”