Mystery at Saddle Creek

by Shelley Peterson

  Outside Bird’s window, Sunny calmly grazed. Aunt Hannah believed that a little dirt was far better than a jangled horse. Bird completely agreed. The horses liked their routines. They spent all their summer nights out in the fresh air, so why coop them up the night before a show, just to keep them clean?

  Bird found Hannah and Julia downstairs in the kitchen.

  “Morning!” Hannah chirped brightly. “Show time!”

  Julia rolled her eyes. “She’s been like this all morning.”

  Bird grinned. She took the glass of orange juice that Hannah offered, drank it down and sighed with contentment. “Here’s to a great day.”

  “Paul’s already at work. The Petersons’ young draft cross got caught in wire overnight. He’ll be fine. Just a few stitches.”

  “He must have stood still until someone found him,” Bird said.

  “Exactly. When he didn’t run up with the others for breakfast, they went looking. There he was, quiet as can be, waiting for help.”

  Bird was already wolfing down her scrambled eggs on toast. “Cool horse.” Most horses got so frightened that they would tear their leg to bits trying to get away from the wire. Especially when the others went running off.

  “I’m taking Sabrina for sure, Hannah. Final decision.” Julia tapped the table decisively.

  “That’s good, because that’s who’s ready.” Hannah began clearing up. “Put your lab coats on over your show clothes, girls. And rubber boots to keep your riding boots clean. Let’s get the show on the road.”

  Within minutes, they were up in the barn. Cliff had the big rig gassed up and ready with hay nets and water. The tack trunks were stocked with coolers, leg wraps and extra equipment. “Just in case” was a serious part of their packing.

  By then, Cliff had brought in the horses that were going. Sundancer, Moonlight Sonata, Pastor and Sabrina had eaten their oats and were ready for Bird and Julia to start grooming them.

  A few minutes later, Lavinia showed up with Kimberly and Liz, whom she’d picked up on her way to Saddle Creek. “Gotta run!” she sang out. “Hair appointment! Should I bleach or colour? Big decisions today! See you later at the show, sweetie!” With a backwards wave, she was gone.

  Kimberly completely ignored her mother. “What a beautiful day!”

  “Easy for you to s ... say,” worried Liz. “I’m riding P ... Pastor. I’ve never showed a h ... horse before. P ... Ponies are closer to the ground if you fall off!”

  “But ponies are far more likely to throw you,” Kimberly reassured her. “Tell her, Bird.”

  “I’m not listening to this!” exclaimed Julia. “Sabrina isn’t either. Are you, Sabrina?”

  People say the stupidest things. Sabrina was indeed listening.

  Bird couldn’t help but laugh.

  With everybody working together as a team, the horses were soon ready. The girls walked them onto the trailer, and they were on their way.

  They arrived at Palston early and got the parking spot they wanted. Bird climbed out of the truck, and surveyed the grounds. Everywhere she looked people were unloading horses, running for water, hauling feed nets, gulping down coffee—organizing themselves for the day ahead. Things were certainly getting busy.

  Julia stepped out of the trailer. “Are you feeling ready?” Bird asked her sister.

  “No! Yes ... well, almost. I’m nervous! Can you help with my hair?”

  “I’d love to.” Bird patted her own dry, singed locks. “Unburnt hair will be nice to work with for a change.”

  Minutes later, Hannah was back. “No lineups. It’s so much better to be early.” She was pleased. “Bird, I’ve put you in the meter-thirty class, and Kimberly, you’re staying in the meter. This way we can bring home all the firsts.”

  Kimberly smiled. “Great. I like that class. Has my mother talked to you about us buying Moonie, Hannah?”

  Hannah nodded. “She’s waiting to see how you do today. Fiona Malone is ready to talk about it, and I talked to Abby, too. Abby needs the money for school, and wants what’s best for Moonie. She knows that her mare wants to keep working, and she’d love to have Moonie at Saddle Creek.”

  Kimberly nodded. “I guess that answers all my questions.” She rubbed Moonie’s face. “Moonie, let’s rock our class.”

  Bird finished braiding Julia’s hair and firmly placed the riding helmet on her head. “Gorgeous!” she pronounced. She helped her sister into the saddle and wiped off her boots.

  “You have tons of time, Julia,” Hannah said. “Go stroll around and get used to everything.”

  “When should I be back?”

  Hannah checked her watch. “Your class is at nine, and you’re the third one in. Be back in fifteen minutes and I’ll put you over some warm-up jumps.”

  Julia waved as she trotted away.

  “Now,” said Hannah. “Let’s get Pastor ready!”

  Sabrina and Julia did extremely well in the jumper class. Julia was totally focused and Sabrina was a little machine. She got over the jumps with economy and left them all up. Her time was four full seconds faster than the next best, and they got the first-place ribbon that Julia had dared to hope for.

  Liz and Pastor fared well, too. They had a smooth, clear round and got all their leads. Pastor was perfect, and Liz rode flawlessly, but in a hunter class where the results are subjective, the judges decide between equal performances, depending on their own preferences. They gave the first-place ribbon to an elegant thoroughbred, and the second to a fancy dappled grey Swedish warmblood. Liz and Pastor were presented with third.

  Lavinia’s white BMW arrived in a cloud of dust, mere minutes before her daughter’s class. She drove right up to the Saddle Creek horse trailer, scattering ponies and riders in her wake.

  “Am I too late?” she hollered through her window, scaring a tall young horse. He skittered sideways and up before his rider could contain him. “Control your horse!” Lavinia scolded.

  Hannah appeared around the side of the trailer in time to catch the rider giving Lavinia the finger. “Lavinia, are you done creating havoc?”

  “Am I too late?” she repeated, oblivious to Hannah’s reprimand. “Has Kimberly gone yet? My hairdresser was late. Do you like what he did?”

  Bird jabbed Hannah in the ribs. “It looks like she goes to my hairdresser,” she whispered. Lavinia’s hair had been bleached and cut in chunks. It was stylish in a punky sort of way, but Bird’s words weren’t far from the truth. Hannah snorted in spite of herself.

  “Excuse me!” she said, trying to recover. “A blackfly flew up my nose.” She made a show of using a tissue to blow her nose. “Kimberly is up in ten minutes.”

  “Whew! I thought I’d missed it. Fiona Malone is meeting me at the ring. Which one is it?”

  “Ring three. Just over there.” Bird pointed helpfully. The loud revving of Lavinia’s motor again startled all the horses.

  Hannah stood firmly in front of the car, with her arms out and her palms up. “No, Lavinia! You can’t drive there.You’ll have to walk down.”

  Bird watched Lavinia’s face as it went from pouty to resigned. She jumped out and dropped her keys in Hannah’s palm. “I’ve got to find Fiona and work her price down.”

  Bird and Hannah restrained their laughs until Lavinia was out of earshot. “That woman will never change!” gasped Hannah.

  “She didn’t even say good luck to Kimberly,” agreed Bird.

  Kimberly spoke from inside the trailer. “Is she gone?”

  “Yes,” answered Bird. “Did you see her new hairdo?”

  “Sure did. You’ve set a trend, Bird. Don’t wait for me to follow it.”

  “At least I didn’t pay to get it done.”

  “Make fun all you like, girls,” said Hannah. She’d resumed her voice of authority. “Your mother is here to buy you a horse, so have some respect. She wants the best for you, Kimberly.”

  “Actually, she wants to say that her daughter is winning at all the shows. But that’s cool. It wor
ks for me!”

  Kimberly backed Moonie down the ramp. Hannah and Bird inspected them both. “Good to go, Kimby!” declared Bird. “I like your new all-brown theme.”

  “My mother bought me everything new to match Moonie. I sure hope we buy her or it will all go to waste.”

  “Looks are one thing, remember, but performance is everything,” Hannah said. “Kimberly, get your mind on the job ahead.”

  Bird could feel the energy coming off of Kimberly’s body. Her friend was overly excited, and adrenaline was making her brain fuzzy. “Take a deep breath, Kimby. Do you know your course?”

  “Backwards.”

  “Then put everything else out of your mind. Shake your head. Now your hands. Now your legs. Fill your lungs completely. As you empty your lungs, empty your mind.”

  Kimberly followed Bird’s instructions, and gradually began to relax. “That’s better,” she smiled. “Thanks, Bird.”

  Are you ready, Moonie?

  Now that Kimby’s ready, I’m ready.

  Good girl. Don’t worry. Just get it done.

  I always do.

  That’s what makes you so special.

  Bird patted the mare’s face.

  Hannah said, “Let’s get you up, Kim. I’ll see you down at the gate.”

  Kimberly rode Moonie down to the action below. As Bird watched them go, she saw by her friend’s posture and the mare’s calmness that they were in fine shape. Kim’s catatonic state had been a one-time thing.

  When do I get to go? Bird? It’s me. The one left behind all alone in the trailer?

  Don’t feel too sorry for yourself, Sunny. We’re up soon.

  A horse could get upset all alone like this.

  Sabrina will be back after her shower. So will Pastor. You won’t be alone for long.

  Good. I’ll start my stretching in here.

  Bird was walking down the hill to join the others when she noticed a red-haired groom at the showers. It was the same girl who had given her a hard time the week before. Bird paused. It was as good a time as ever, she thought. “Hi, my name is Bird,” she said, as friendly as possible. “We met last week.”

  The groom stared, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. “I thought you couldn’t talk.”

  Bird shrugged. “It’s a problem I have. It comes and goes. Sorry I lost my temper.”

  “No kidding! You pulled two buttons off my shirt.”

  “I didn’t deck you, though, for making fun of me and my family. I wanted to.” Bird watched the girl’s eyes widen even further.

  “Are you still mad?”

  “A little. You were rude and an apology would be nice.”

  “You grabbed me and roughed me up!”

  “And I just apologized.”

  The girl didn’t respond right away. Bird noticed her chin working and her eyes flitting around. Finally, she spoke. “Yeah ... okay ... I’m sorry.”

  Bird smiled. “Thanks. I feel better.”

  The other girl smiled back. “Yeah! I feel better, too. I’ve never apologized before. It’s not so bad!” She chuckled a little and shuffled her feet in the dust. “My name is Wanda. No hard feelings?”

  “No hard feelings, Wanda. See you around. I’ve got to watch my friend ride.”

  Bird arrived at the ring just in time to watch the final few jumps of the rider before Kimberly—a young woman on a dark grey mare with black legs, mane and tail. Bird liked the look of the horse, and thought she might have seen her before. Then she remembered. It was Ruby Tuesday, born close by and sold to a woman in Ottawa. Bird admired the way she’d matured, and was happy that they’d had such a good round.

  “Bird! Come here!” Kimberly was in a panic.

  “I’m here already. What’s wrong?”

  “Do that thing again.”

  “What thing?”

  “That thing you did before to make me relax. My mother’s over there pointing at me and everybody’s looking and smiling!”

  The girl’s gone all nervous. I don’t want her to turn into a zombie again.

  Bird patted the mare while she spoke to Kimberly.

  “Take a deep breath, Kimby. In. Out. Deeper than that. In. Out.” Kim began to breathe. “Good. Now, drop your chin to your chest. Breathe. Good. Now shake out your hands. I’ve got Moonie, don’t worry. Good. Now take your feet out of the stirrups and shake your legs.”

  Kimberly was trying her best, but nothing helped. “It’s no good!”

  “Clear your mind, Kimby.”

  “I’ll forget my course!”

  “No you won’t. You’ve memorized it. All you have to think of is the first jump. They’ll all follow after that. Breathe.”

  “I’m trying! I can’t do this! My mother is telling those people that I’m going to win. I know it!”

  “Once you’re in there you’ll be fine. You’ll know what to do. Trust me, Kimby. Trust Moonie. Clear your mind. Don’t think.”

  “I can’t stop thinking!”

  Bird stared into her friend’s worried face. This was serious. She had to think of something, and fast. An idea popped into her head. “Okay, then,” she said, keeping her voice light. “Go in there and make a mess of it. See how many jumps you can knock down. See how many times you can go off-course. Have fun! Wreck the place! Ruin your mother’s day!”

  Kimberly stared at Bird, then burst out laughing. When she regained her composure, all the tension had left her body. “Why not?”

  The announcer called her in. “Number six-oh-three, Kimberly Davis on Moonlight Sonata, owned by Abby Malone.”

  32

  KENNETH BRADLEY

  Tan was hungry. He thought of all the delicious food at the farmhouse — chicken pot pie, fresh milk, rhubarb cream pie, ripe bananas — and his mouth watered. All he had to do was go to the farmhouse and find Cody. He started up the hill.

  KIMBERLEY ENTERED THE RING, relaxed and confident, a big grin on her face. She and Moonlight Sonata trotted around the jumps, checking them out and getting a good look. The whistle blew. Kimberly asked the mare for a canter.

  As they rode through the starting gate, Kimberly gave Bird a broad wink and a wicked grin. Oh no, Bird thought in horror. She’s going to take my advice literally! Bird forced herself to watch.

  They headed for the first jump, lifted off perfectly, landed lightly and sailed on to the next. Bird relaxed. Moonie was quick but accurate, and Kimberly had never ridden better. She smiled as she made her way around the course. It was clear that she was having a wonderful time.

  Bird glanced at Lavinia. Kimberly’s mother was spellbound. Beside her on the front-row bench sat Fiona Malone. Bird smiled as Fiona clutched Lavinia’s arm, and Lavinia put her hand over Fiona’s. For the moment at least, two opposites were united by a common goal — a first-place finish for horse and rider.

  Bird turned her attention back to the ring, where Kimberly had completed the in-and-out, and the rails were still up. Things were looking good. Bird cast her eye to the timer. Kimberly and Moonie were moving fast.

  The water jump was next, and Moonie was flying. Up and over. They landed on the correct lead for a tight turn to the optical illusion. Bird held her breath. Perfect.

  Seconds later, Moonlight Sonata and Kimberly were finished the course. They were clear and had the best time so far, with twenty-eight riders to go.

  “Thanks so much, Bird!” Kimberly was laughing and patting Moonie’s neck as they left the ring.“I couldn’t have done it without you!”

  “I told you to make a big mess of things. You failed miserably!”

  “I had the best time of my entire life. I love Moonie so much!”

  “You remind me of Abby up there,” said Fiona, as she and Lavinia hurried over. “Moonie hasn’t gone as well since Abby left for New York.”

  “Moonbeam Promenade is utterly adorable,” crooned Lavinia. “Utterly adorable.”

  Kimberly slid down and hugged Moonie’s head. “Thank you, girl. You did a super job.”

  “But did she
win?” asked Lavinia.

  Bird left the group smiling, while everyone showered Moonie with attention. She slipped into the trailer with Sundancer.

  Is it time?

  Yes, Sunny. I’ll give you all my attention now.

  Good. I’ve been standing here all day. My ankles will swell up.

  It’s only been a few hours. Your ankles are fine.

  Easy for you to say! You’ve been running all over the place while I’ve been watching people. Take a look at that man there.

  Bird looked out his trailer window. What man, Sunny?

  The man wearing the hat that looks like dinner. He’s hiding from something.

  Bird snorted. A man about fifty yards from the trailer was wearing a big straw hat —Sunny would think it looked like dinner! She examined the man more closely. With his dark glasses, scarf, hat and furtive demeanour, he might well be hiding from something. Bird narrowed her eyes and stared harder. Even with all that camouflage, he looked very familiar. But there was no time to think about it. Let’s get ready.

  You bet!

  Bird had Sunny brushed and tacked within a few minutes. She backed him down the ramp and walked him over to the mounting block where she stepped up and put her left foot in the stirrup. As intent as she was on the task ahead, the man with the straw hat and dark glasses still bothered her. Who did he remind her of? It was something about the way he moved. From her new vantage point on the mounting block, she let her eyes drift over the crowd. She looked down the hill and searched for the straw hat.

  There it was. And suddenly, she knew who he was. Her grandfather, Kenneth Bradley.

  What on earth was he doing here? Yesterday, Mack Jones had been all set to bring him in for questioning. Was he hiding from the police? She needed to find out.

  What are you waiting for?

  Be patient, Sunny. That man with the straw hat is my grandfather.

  What has that got to do with anything?

  I can’t concentrate unless I know what he’s up to!