Mystery at Saddle Creek

by Shelley Peterson

  Bird looked at Julia. Julia hesitated. “Well, Aunt Hannah left around quarter to seven,so it was probably around eight o’clock?” She looked at Bird for support.

  Bird nodded. “Probably.” So far, so good.

  “Eight?” the officer asked. “Why did you wait until nine to call?”

  Bird opened her mouth to answer, but nothing came out. Oh no, she thought. Not this again. She tried again. Nothing.

  Julia answered for her. “She didn’t go out to look until then.”

  Bird wanted to hug her sister but she didn’t dare make eye contact.

  “Is that why?” Officer Richardson asked Bird pointedly.

  Bird nodded.

  The male officer, Lou Polito, addressed Bird. “Your Aunt Hannah told us that you’ve seen a ‘wild’ man around. Can you tell us more about that?”

  They were on safer ground now, and Bird relaxed. Her vocal chords worked. She spoke rapidly in case they stopped cooperating again. “Yesterday after dinner, when my horse and I were out on the trails, a man jumped right out of nowhere. He wanted to talk, I could tell, but Sunny spooked and raced home. Later I realized that he looked like the police sketch. I was so glad that my horse ran away! And, today, I think someone was in the bushes when I was riding out there.” Bird gestured to the front paddock.

  Hannah gasped. “You didn’t tell me that! I would never have left you girls alone!”

  Bird felt another stab of guilt. She had known, and she’d left her little sister alone.

  “What made you think that someone was here earlier today?” asked Officer Polito.

  “My horse ... spooked.” She could hardly tell them that Sunny had told her.

  Officer Richardson looked up from her pad.“Can you describe this man?”

  “Yes. Well, he looked homeless. And lost. Wild. Dirty. Scruffy. Rough dark hair, dark eyes, dirty skin. He was mostly naked. Except for dark blue gym shorts and old white sneakers.”

  Officer Richardson smiled at Bird kindly. “Thank you.”

  Officer Polito finished the interview. “We’ll look around outside the house, take footprint casts and dust for fingerprints before we leave. We may bring a dog over to follow the scent, if it’s not too dry. Call if there’s any reason, big or small. We can be here in minutes. Here’s my card. Put it beside the phone. Call me directly at any hour.”

  “Thanks, officers,” said Hannah as she walked them out. “We’ll stay inside and keep all the doors locked. And windows,” she added quickly.

  Officers Polito and Richardson went to the car. They took their kits out of the trunk and began the careful work of retrieving evidence.

  An hour later, the cruiser finally drove away. The family sat around the kitchen table with tall glasses of milk and Julia’s cooled, freshly made cookies.

  “How was the meeting?” asked Bird innocently, steering the conversation away from the evening’s events at Saddle Creek.

  Paul thought for a moment. “It may have done more harm than good. People got angry and upset.”

  “They’re scared,” added Hannah. “They fear for their safety.”

  “You were back sooner than we thought,” said Bird. “I called the police because I didn’t know when you’d be home.”

  “It was the right thing to do. If there’s ever a problem, that’s who to call.” Hannah pointed at Officer Polito’s card, stuck on the bulletin board over the phone. She put the empty glasses in the dishwasher and wiped the counter. “I don’t know about you folks, but I’m beat. I’m ready for bed.”

  “Me,too,”said Julia,yawning.“Bird,can I sleep in your room tonight?”

  “Of course. I need the company.”

  Hannah motioned to Julia. “Come on. I’ll help you with the futon.”

  They headed up the stairs, Hannah’s arm around Julia’s shoulders, leaving Bird and Paul downstairs to lock up. They let Lucky out, and stood together at the kitchen door. The moon was large and bright in the clear night sky.

  “You know, when the moon is full, its brightness obscures the stars, even though they’re up there, too,” said Paul. “We see them only after the moon begins to dim.”

  “That’s totally poetic!”

  “I try.” He smiled,then looked surprised. “Did you hear what I just said?”

  “The brightness of the moon obscures the stars?”

  “It just came to me! Sometimes what appears to be obvious obscures the actual truth.”

  Bird thought about that. “You can’t see the forest for the trees?”

  “Almost, but not quite.”

  “Okay. What are you talking about?”

  “The meeting tonight. It looks obvious to most people that Pierre Hall is the culprit. He’s got a violent reputation and it was his ex-wife who was the victim.”

  “And to us it looks obvious that it’s the wild man. He’s so weird. He’s creeping me out.” Bird shivered.

  Paul put his hand on her shoulder. “And yet, neither one has been proven guilty. We might have to look past the moon and examine the stars before we find the truth. Just a thought.”

  Bird nodded slowly, thinking it out. “It’s a good thought.” Lucky came back, wagging his tail and quite content. Paul locked the door behind him and began to turn off the lights.

  “You go on up to bed, Bird. You’ve had a long day.” He ruffled her hair fondly as she scooted past him to the stairs.

  6

  PIERRE HALL

  Tan watched as the lights turned on, room by room, from the upstairs down. In spite of the coyote, he’d been drawn back to the farmhouse. He had to tell the girl what happened. He couldn’t trust anyone else, and he would try until he succeeded. But a man—the man from next door who neglected his horses—was making a racket at the front door. The echoes of his fist against the wood reverberated in the still night air, and Tan covered his ears to block out the sound. Thankfully, nobody had come looking for him. Yet. He was still free. And freedom was everything. The coyote wasn’t near, for the moment, and the night was young. He would be patient. He would wait.

  JUST AS BIRD had slipped under her covers, a loud banging sound got her attention. She jumped up and looked out her bedroom window at the stoop below. “Julia!” she whispered. “You’ll never guess who’s at the door!”

  “Who?”

  “Look for yourself.”

  Julia crouched down beside Bird to see. She gasped. “Pierre from next door! What’s he doing here?”

  “Let’s find out.”

  Bird and Julia waited until Paul and Hannah had hurried downstairs in their robes, then crept silently down the stairs. They hid behind the stairwell, where they could observe the action.

  Pierre Hall pounded relentlessly on the door.

  Neither girl knew Pierre well. He worked next door and lived in an apartment above the barn. They’d often seen him around, but there was something about him that they instinctively avoided. He was odd, simple as that.

  Paul opened the door. “Pierre! What can we do for you?”

  “I got something to show you.” Pierre looked blurry-eyed and dishevelled. By his demeanour and his breath, Bird figured that he’d had quite a few beers. She could smell it from all the way across the hall.

  Paul and Hannah ushered him into the kitchen and closed the hall door, probably hoping not to wake the sleeping girls. Bird and Julia crept closer to listen.

  “They left me this.” Bird heard paper crumpling. “Cowards! Didn’t dare show themselves.”

  There was a pause. Bird assumed Paul and Hannah were reading whatever Pierre was showing them.

  “It was tacked to my door. I was having a few with my pals at the bar. I found it when I came back.”

  “Have you called the police?” Paul asked.

  “No. And I’m not going to. They think I killed my ex with a tire iron! They took DNA. I didn’t do it! But I don’t have an alibi.” Pierre sounded miserable. “Let’s have a drink.”

  Bird listened to Hannah’s slippered
feet cross the kitchen floor. The tap ran and a glass was filled. “This note is threatening,” she said. “The police should know about it.”

  “They wouldn’t do anything.”

  Paul’s chair creaked. “You don’t know that, Pierre.”

  The glass slid across the table with a rumble. “You have something better than this?”

  Hannah answered, “Not tonight.”

  Paul’s chair scraped. “Pierre, call the police about that note. There’s nothing we can do that the police wouldn’t do better.”

  “You could protect me!”

  “How?” asked Paul.

  “Let me stay here tonight.”

  Bird was taken aback. The idea of their smelly, drunken neighbour sleeping on the couch didn’t appeal to her at all.

  “Look, I’ll be no trouble. Where’s your can?” With no warning, Pierre pushed open the kitchen door and immediately tripped over Bird and Julia. They yelped in surprise and tried to scramble out of his way.

  “Damn kids!” he yelled.

  Lucky began to bark loudly, and he rushed along the hall to Bird and Julia. Pierre, who’d just got to his feet, was knocked over again by the dog.

  “Damn dog!” He kicked out and missed Lucky by a few inches.

  Lucky growled.

  Hannah grabbed the dog by his collar and stood between Pierre and the girls. “Pierre, you’re drunk. I don’t want you staying here tonight.”

  “You read that note! They’re coming to get me!”

  “Call the police. They’ll protect you.”

  “They think I’m guilty!”

  Paul spoke. “You’re frightening everybody, including the dog.”

  “What if Pierre stays in the barn tonight?” asked Bird helpfully. “We could give him that blow-up mattress and some blankets.”

  “The barn?” sniffed Pierre. “Like some am ... mi ... nal? Animal?”

  “It’s not so bad,” said Bird. “We sleep up there lots of times, when we’re waiting to help with a birthing—it’s actually quite nice.”

  “It’s damp and noisy, with all the snorting and farting of horses.” Pierre drew himself up from the floor. “Seems I can’t count on my neighbours. Thanks for nothing.”

  Paul opened the front door. “Pierre, don’t make us the bad guys. The choice is yours. Call the police or stay in the barn.”

  Pierre walked outside with great dignity. He turned around, shook his fist and repeated, “Thanks for nothing!” He slammed the door behind him.

  They all stood staring at the closed door.

  “Holy smoke,” said Julia.

  “That was upsetting,” added Hannah.

  “What does the note say?” Bird asked. “Is it still in the kitchen?”

  Paul nodded. “I think so. He forgot to take it.”

  Bird dashed to the kitchen and snatched up the note. She read aloud:

  “Pierre Hall, you’re a bully and a drunk. You’re going to feel what it’s like to have a tire iron across the head. Be afraid.”

  “This is awful.” Bird dropped the note and wiped her hands on her pajamas, as if it was contaminated. “We have to call the police ourselves. Pierre won’t.”

  Hannah nodded and picked up the phone. She punched in the numbers from Officer Polito’s card and waited. The voice mail was on, so Hannah left him the details of Pierre’s visit.

  She put down the receiver with a worried frown. “That’s all we can do tonight. Let’s try to get some sleep.”

  Tan watched as the neighbour left the house, and the lights in each window were extinguished. He’d hidden himself in the horses’ walk-in shelter in the paddock across from the front door, armed with his slingshot. He could trust the girl. He knew it. Adults could never hear what he said, and they never knew what he meant. That was always the trouble. Nobody understood him. But the girl would understand. She might even give him food. He would find a way to get to her tonight. He had to. Nothing would stop him this time. He could see that an upstairs window was open. This would be simple. All he’d have to do was climb up like Spider-Man, remove the screen ...

  All at once, hot breath whooshed across Tan’s neck, and he spun. A huge creature was standing in the dark, so close that Tan couldn’t even make out what it was. He screamed—a muted, harsh, stunted sound—but the creature didn’t budge. Tan’s eyes flicked around. There was nowhere to run. He was trapped in the shelter with a monster.

  Sundancer moved a little closer. He contemplated crushing the man, then rejected the idea. This human was going nowhere. Let him sweat. He stomped his front foot hard, inches away from the man’s legs.

  Tan jumped in agitation and flattened himself against the wooden boards. He had to think of a way to handle this. Fast.

  Sunny snorted. He leaned his neck forward and licked Tan’s chest.

  Tan fell to the ground. He’d made his decision. He would play dead.

  Sundancer lifted his upper lip and shook his head. Yuck. The man tasted disgusting, even with the salt of his sweat. He tossed his mane and walked out into the cool night. The grass in the paddock was delicious.

  7

  PUTTING UP THE HAY

  Tan awoke with a start. Where was he? He had to get back to his tent ... it was already morning and he would be seen.

  BIRD AWOKE THE next morning. It was Wednesday. With all the goings-on the night before, she hadn’t slept well, and her head felt thick. She lay in her bed and opened one eye. Julia had deserted the futon and was sprawled across her bed.

  Outside, the sun was shining through the bright green leaves and the birds were chirping cheerfully. Without disturbing Julia, Bird slid out from under the covers, picked up her clothes from where she’d dropped them the night before and tiptoed downstairs.

  In the kitchen, Lucky thumped his tail. His handsome brown face wore a sheepish expression.

  Let me guess. Bird gave him a look. I’m too late?

  One minute too late. I couldn’t help it.

  Lucky, you’ve got to tell someone when you have to go out.

  I don’t like waking people up.

  We’d rather wake up than clean up.

  Lucky hung his head.

  Bark or whine like other dogs. You’re too polite for your own good.

  I’ll try.

  Where is it?

  What?

  The mess.

  Lucky looked under the kitchen table and Bird’s eyes followed. She sighed. And do you still have to chew things? Your baby teeth fell out long ago. No more excuses.

  I’m ashamed, girl. Let me out?

  Bird patted him on the head. The little guy was worried. I’ll clean up everything, never fear. And Hannah won’t miss the oven mitt. She opened the kitchen door and Lucky bounded out. But instead of heading for the bushes like usual, he tore off across the field sounding a sudden, shrill bark.

  Bird followed his streaking form and saw what was causing his panic. A human figure was slinking away along the fence line, followed by Sundancer, prancing tensely with flattened ears. It was the wild man. Cody was stalking him, too, from the other direction.

  With a clutching in her gut, Bird ran across the lane to watch. The small coyote was creeping out long and low. Step by step he neared the far corner of the field where the man was heading. Cody wouldn’t hurt anyone unless he was attacked, but he sure wouldn’t hesitate to scare someone. Bird watched as Cody sprang, and she cringed at the man’s scream.

  Sunny reared at the far corner of the fence, then spun and kicked out. Cody reappeared from the woods a moment later, and Lucky came bounding toward her. Bird took a deep breath. The man was gone.

  Hopefully, he wouldn’t come back, but that man had been around far, far too much. Who was he? What was he up to? Why did he keep showing up? And was he harmless, or harmful? Bird thought about it for a moment. He did such odd things, but for some reason she wasn’t totally afraid of him. Should she be? She considered her reaction. He was creepy, and she was suspicious of him. She didn’t like
him lurking around, but she was more curious than afraid. Bird shook her head. This needed more thought.

  Lucky reached Bird, wagging his tail wildly. I scared him away, girl! I’m a good dog now!

  Yes, Lucky. Good dog! Bird gave his chin a firm scratching.

  Sunny trotted up to the fence. The wild man. He was here all night. In my shed. I licked him.

  You did what?

  Never mind. He’s scared, but he’ll be back.

  Why do you say that?

  Just a feeling.

  Is he dangerous, Sunny? Does he want to hurt us?

  Maybe. Maybe not. He’s crazy. You can’t tell what he’ll do.

  He’s weirding me out.

  Me, too, Bird. Are we jumping this morning?

  Good idea.

  Bird went back inside the house, cleaned up Lucky’s messes and grabbed her helmet and chaps. Cliff was in the barn when Bird arrived to get her saddle.

  “You’re up early, Cliff. It’s only six o’clock.”

  “I couldn’t sleep. Thought I’d get moving.” Cliff spoke quietly, much more so than usual.

  Bird stopped in her tracks. “What’s wrong?”

  “Ah, nothing. I don’t want to worry you.”

  “I’m already worried. Tell me.”

  Cliff reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. “If you’re already worried, this is not going to help.”

  “When did you get this?” she asked, taking the note from him.

  “It was on my door. I found it when I let Boss in for the night.”

  “Did you call the police?”

  “No.”

  Bird read the words aloud.

  “Cliff Jones, you are duly warned. You are going to feel what it’s like to get a tire iron across the head. Be afraid.”

  Bird handed the note back. “Cliff, you’re not the only one who got a letter like this.”