Mystery Rider

by Miralee Ferrell

  Tori paused. “I’m not sure. What if he tries to talk us out of it?”

  “You heard what he said. He didn’t believe any of that stuff Melissa told us. He’ll probably think it’s a good idea to take the cookies and apologize for sneaking onto her property.”

  “Maybe, but why can’t you and I go alone?”

  Kate could tell Tori was wavering. She hated to pressure her friend, but she didn’t want them to go alone, even if she didn’t believe—or at least, she didn’t want to believe—the stuff Melissa had said. “It’s not that we can’t go alone, but I think our parents would be happier if we didn’t. You know, safety in numbers and all that. So, what do you think?”

  Tori exhaled. “Okay. I guess it’s smart, and I’ll admit I’ll feel better having him with us, as long as he doesn’t tell us not to go. I’m going no matter what.”

  “Right. Want me to call him?”

  “Sure. I’ll wait here.”

  Kate returned to the backyard a short while later, her heart feeling much lighter. “He’s going to meet us at the place where we left our bikes last time, where the path starts.”

  “Aren’t we going up her driveway? I don’t think we should try to sneak in the back way again.” Tori swung her leg over her bike.

  “We’re not. Colt thought it was an easy place to meet, and we’ll ride the rest of the way together.”

  “Sounds good. Let’s go.” Tori pushed off and headed toward the road.

  Kate’s stomach clenched at what might be coming. Tori was normally the timid one in their group, but her kindhearted nature had turned her into someone Kate barely recognized. All she could do was pray they weren’t being foolish. She didn’t believe in witches, but she didn’t want anyone to get hurt if the woman was crazy.

  Ten minutes later, Kate and Tori slowed to a stop on the edge of the road where Colt waited. He’d parked his bike against a tree and sat on top of a nearby stump, an ever-present blade of grass tucked in the side of his mouth. “Before we go any farther, you two have to tell me what you’re up to. I agreed to come because I don’t want you getting into trouble, but I’m not budging unless you convince me we’re doing the right thing.”

  Tori slapped her palm on the handlebars of her bike. “I told you, Kate. We shouldn’t have asked him. Let’s go on our own, and he can go home.”

  Colt’s eyes widened. “Whoa there, Tori. Sorry if I came across too strong, but you aren’t dumping me that easy. You asked me to come, and I want to know what’s up. All Kate told me was that you were taking cookies to the Mystery Rider. We forgot to ask Melissa if her mom’s friend told her the woman’s name.”

  “That’s exactly what we’re doing.” Tori’s chin tilted at a stubborn angle.

  “But why are you going back after she waved that rifle and told us to get off her property? That doesn’t make sense.”

  Kate held up her hand. “Tori thinks it’s important we see her again. She—we—think the old lady is lonely and scared. She said something about kids coming back to bother her again, like she’s been harassed and thought we were the same kids. We thought it would be nice to let her know it wasn’t us, and that we’re sorry for upsetting her.” She smiled, hoping Colt would understand. “You thought the cookies were good, so we figured she might like them too.”

  Colt shifted the grass to the other side of his mouth. “I still don’t know if it’s a good idea, but it sounds like you’re going no matter what I say.”

  Tori crossed her arms in determination. “Yep. We are.”

  “All right. Then I’ll come, but you have to promise that we’ll leave at the first sign of trouble. All the talk about her might be gossip, but it’s possible she really is crazy or dangerous. Agreed?”

  Tori stared at him. “Agreed. But you can’t go running off if she looks at us weird. I want a chance to give her the cookies. I even wrote a note in case she’s not home.”

  “Sounds good. How come you didn’t ask Melissa?”

  “You’ll have to ask Kate.”

  Kate straddled her bike. “She said she was done with that place. I didn’t see any reason to ask her. Besides, we weren’t even going to ask you until we heard what Melissa found out.”

  Colt blinked. “Why not? I didn’t say I didn’t want to go back.”

  “We figured too many people showing up might spook her again. Tori and I should go to the door alone, and you act as a lookout.”

  “Okay, but if anything goes wrong, you two get out of there fast. Got it?”

  “Yes,” both girls answered at the same time. A huge wave of relief swamped Kate. She’d had her doubts about the wisdom of her and Tori going alone, and Colt’s presence made everything seem right.

  They pedaled up the road for another half mile, keeping an eye out for the narrow gravel driveway Melissa had mentioned. Colt pointed to the right. “Looks like that might be it. You sure you want to go up there?”

  Kate kept quiet, knowing what Tori would say, and she wasn’t disappointed.

  “Yes. Let’s go.” Tori pedaled faster and shot past Colt.

  “Hey, wait up!” He stood on his pedals, increasing his speed, and pulled up behind her. “You aren’t going in there alone. You’ve got to be smart, Tori. Wait for Kate and me.”

  She slowed to a stop, then put one foot on the gravel. “Sorry.”

  Kate and Colt stopped alongside Tori, and Kate took a second to catch her breath. “So, what’s the plan? Do Tori and I ride up the driveway and you stay here, or what?”

  Colt shook his head. “No way. I’m going with you at least until we can see the house. I won’t go to the door, but I’m not letting you girls out of my sight.”

  “I think that’s a good idea,” Kate said.

  They pushed their bikes around a curve and stopped to stare at the front of the small house they’d only seen from the rear on their last visit. The paint was peeling, and a few shingles had fallen off the roof, exposing the tar paper beneath. But most surprising was the white-washed picket fence surrounding the front yard brimming with flowers and neatly trimmed grass.

  Tori gasped. “The backyard was dirt and bushes and an old porch that looked like it was about to fall over. I didn’t expect something like this.”

  Colt balanced his bike and gripped the handlebars. “I’ll wait here where I can see the front door. You guys knock, and if she doesn’t come to the door right away, leave the bag and come right back. Okay?”

  They nodded, laid their bikes on the ground, and headed for the gate in the fence. Tori pushed it open on silent hinges. Kate followed her through, and they both stood gazing around them.

  Kate whistled. “I’ve never seen anything so pretty. Wow! Dahlias and daylilies and roses and tons of other stuff that I don’t know the names of. Who’d have thought someone who’s supposed to be crazy would do all this work?”

  Tori gave a smug smile. “That’s because she’s not crazy; she’s lonely. It doesn’t mean she can’t work in her yard or take care of her horse. People are so mean when they make up stories.”

  Kate’s heart hammered as they almost tiptoed to the front porch. Would the old woman answer the door with the rifle in her arms? Would she yell at them and tell them to get off her property and act wild and crazy? Kate told herself to knock it off. That’s what she got for believing Melissa’s gossip.

  Tori reached the door first and gave a tentative knock. They waited, but there was no sound of footsteps on the other side.

  “Try it again, harder this time,” Kate urged.

  Tori knocked with more force, and they waited for what seemed like hours, but no one appeared. They turned to look at Colt.

  He cupped his hands around his mouth, but the words drifted to them as a harsh whisper. “Leave the cookies and come on. She’s not home.”

  Kate’s knees were shaking as she placed the sack of co
okies on a little bench by the door. Tori slipped the envelope containing their letter beneath it.

  They turned to go but stopped short as a high-pitched wail, coming from the backyard, tore through the air.

  Chapter Nine

  Kate grabbed Tori’s hand and dragged her from the porch and along the path to the gate, determined to get to their bikes and ride as hard as they could to her house. Colt straddled his bike and waved for them to hurry. They got to the gate, and Kate opened it and rushed through, not closing it behind her. She skidded to a stop by her bike and grabbed it from the ground, righting it and throwing her leg over the bar.

  “Come on, Tori.” Kate glanced over her shoulder. Where was she?

  Colt let out an exasperated grunt. “Tori! What are you doing?”

  Kate caught a glimpse of her friend slipping around the corner of the house toward the backyard. “No way! She can’t go back there! That lady might really be crazy and hurt her.” She dumped her bike on the ground at the same time Colt jumped off his, and they bolted in the direction Tori had taken.

  Kate’s long legs kept her within a stride of Colt as he rounded the corner. They practically ran into Tori, who crouched a couple of yards ahead. She was hunkered down behind a bush, her gaze on something they couldn’t see.

  Kate scooted to a stop next to her friend, then dropped to her knees. “Are you nuts?” She whispered the words through gritted teeth. “Why’d you come here after you heard that awful cry?”

  Tori simply pointed but didn’t say a word.

  Kate and Colt looked, and Kate’s mouth dropped open.

  The old woman stood over a freshly dug grave, her body quivering and her arms full of something the size of a child, wrapped in an old blanket. She slowly knelt and placed the bundle in the hole. Then another unearthly wail rent the air.

  Colt gripped Kate’s shoulder with one hand and Tori’s with the other and hissed in their ears, “Let’s get out of here. Do you see that grave marker? It has a name on it!”

  Kate’s body froze as she looked where he pointed. A white cross was driven into the ground at the far end of the hole, and she could clearly see one word: Sam.

  As the three of them edged backward, the old woman stood with the help of a shovel that was sunk in the ground beside her. Then she grasped the handle, pulled the shovel out, and tossed a shovelful of dirt into the hole. She lifted her fist to the air and shook it at the heavens, then let loose another long cry.

  Even Tori’s body started to quiver as she retreated from her position behind the bush and made her way around the corner of the house. “Wow.”

  “No kidding.” Colt dusted off the knees of his jeans. “That was creepy. I kept thinking of what Melissa said about somebody disappearing years ago, and the ol’ lady burying them here.”

  Kate picked up her bike and straddled it. “The bundle she put in the grave was about the size of my little brother.” She shivered and rubbed her hands together. “Totally creepy, if you ask me. We’d better get out of here.”

  “Right.” Colt pushed his bike a few yards up the driveway, then swung aboard, with Tori following.

  “Hey!” A quavering voice rang out from behind them.

  All three of them stopped. Kate was afraid to look back, but she did. The old lady stood there, shaking her fist in the air. “I told you kids not to come here again, and if you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave me in peace. I can’t take any more, do you hear me?”

  Tori gasped and stood on her pedals, then shot ahead of Kate and Colt. Kate didn’t hesitate. She followed as close as she could, happy to hear the crunch of Colt’s tires on the gravel behind her but unable to shut out the ongoing rant of the old lady, who stood next to the fenced-in flowerbed that now seemed like something out of a science-fiction movie.

  Kate skidded to a stop beside Tori, where they’d met Colt less than an hour earlier, and worked to calm her breathing. “I’m never going back there again, Tori, no matter how much you beg me to.”

  Tori’s lips quivered. “Me either. That was scary.”

  Colt nodded. “Although I’d sure like to sneak in there sometime and dig up that grave and see what she buried—or who.” His eyes sparkled with mischief, and he held up his hand in mock surrender when the girls moaned. “Just kidding. I don’t think she buried a person, but I don’t get why she was crying and screaming. Or why she came after us. It’s not like we had anything to do with whatever died.”

  Tori scuffed her toe against the gravel. “So what now? Go home and forget all about it? Do we tell Melissa?”

  “I don’t think we should,” Kate said. “Even though she said she didn’t want to come back, she might get mad that we didn’t invite her. I’m not crazy about being enemies again.”

  Tori glanced at Kate. “How about our parents? What do we tell them?”

  Colt’s eyes widened. “Your parents don’t know you came? I mean, I didn’t tell mine, since you called and it was a big rush to get here, but I left my mom a note telling her I was going for a bike ride and would be home soon.”

  “We told our mothers that we were coming here to bring cookies, but we haven’t told them about the rifle or her chasing us off. We figured they’d be upset about it, and they might not have let us come today.”

  Colt grunted. “You think?”

  Tori stiffened. “Did you tell your parents about her waving a rifle in the air?”

  “Well, not exactly. I told them we found out where she lived and accidentally upset her when we came in the wrong way, and she told us to leave.” His face reddened. “Sorry for the sarcasm.”

  Tori relaxed. “And I’m sorry for getting mad. I guess I’m upset at everything that’s happened.”

  “But it’s mostly our fault,” Kate said. “She never asked us to come on her property and bug her. We’ve done it twice now, even after she made it clear the first time that she didn’t want us there. So we can’t be mad at her.”

  “But I wanted to be nice! That’s why I suggested we bring cookies and apologize. It’s not like we knew we’d upset her. Besides, she’s the one who scared us, not the other way around.”

  Colt rocked his bike back and forth. “Maybe, but we don’t know that for sure. What if she isn’t crazy, and we did scare her?”

  Kate remembered the old lady gently placing the bundle in the grave and shivered. “But she buried something that died. How do we know it wasn’t a person? You know, a little kid or something?”

  “I doubt it,” Colt said. “I’ll admit she was kinda scary when she ran around the house screaming, but we don’t know what was actually going on.”

  Tori gripped her handlebars tighter. “Let’s go home. Whatever her deal is, I don’t want to go there again, no matter how sorry I feel for her or how much I love her horse.”

  Kate woke to the sound of the doorbell the next morning. Why didn’t Mom answer it? She glanced at the clock and groaned. Only eight o’clock—she’d stayed up so late last night worrying that she didn’t feel like she’d slept at all. Mom was probably out throwing hay to the horses they were boarding, and Dad had already left for work.

  She swung her feet over the edge of the bed. No way could she get dressed before whoever it was gave up and left. Most people knew to check the barn, though, so they’d probably find Mom.

  She took a quick shower, then tugged on her jeans, shirt, and socks. A glance in the mirror was all it took to scrape her curly hair into a ponytail before she headed down the stairs. Swinging open the front door, she peered toward the barn, even though she didn’t expect to see anyone after all this time. Kate stepped back and glanced down. An envelope with a small rock on top lay on the mat. She picked it up and examined it, but there was nothing written on either side.

  Should she open it or go find her mom? As much as she wanted to tear into it and see what it contained, it probably wasn’t for he
r. She stuffed it in her jeans pocket and headed for the barn. Time to help with the feeding and stalls anyway.

  She walked through the open door of the alleyway that fronted the indoor arena, flanked on each side by a long row of stalls. Capri, her chestnut mare, nickered at her but barely raised her head from the rack of hay.

  Kate laughed, then slid open the door and stepped inside. “Ignoring me, huh? I’ll come back when you’re done to turn you out and clean your stall. Maybe I can get a ride in today. Would you like that?” Capri shifted from one hoof to the other, and her head seemed to bob. Of course, she may have simply been plunging her nose deeper into the sweet-smelling hay.

  Kate left the stall and walked down the long aisle. “Hey, Mom? Where are you? Sorry I didn’t get out sooner to help.”

  Her mother poked her head out of the office and smiled. “That’s okay, sweetie. I’m almost done. I kind of enjoy coming out by myself when Pete’s sleeping so I can have a few quiet moments with the horses. It reminds me of all the hours I spent on the farm helping your grandpa. You ready to get to work?”

  “Sure, but I wanted to give you something first. The doorbell woke me, but I couldn’t get dressed and downstairs fast enough. Whoever it was had already left, but I found this on the doormat.” She stepped into the office and plucked the envelope out of her pocket, then handed it to her mom. “I figured it must be for you or Dad, so I didn’t open it.”

  Her mom gave her an approving smile. “Good girl.” She turned to toss it on the desk.

  “Hey!” Kate stepped closer. “I’m curious who left it. I mean, it’s always possible it might be for me.”

  “Right.” Her mom chuckled and tweaked Kate’s ponytail. “Well then, I guess we’ll take a look.” She slid her finger under the flap that appeared to barely be glued and pulled out a single sheet of paper. She flipped it over and read the signature, then frowned. “I have no idea who Martha Maynard is, do you?”

  Kate shook her head. “Nope. But if you read it, you might find out.” She bounced on her toes, itching to take the paper and find out for herself. “Come on, Mom. Please?”