Mystery of the Midnight Rider by Carolyn Keene Read Free Book Online
Authors: Carolyn Keene
Tags: Mystery, Sample Book
him back to the barn.”
She tossed the chestnut gelding’s reins at me. I gulped. “Wait, I—”
It was too late. Dana was already stomping away, madly texting as she went. A moment later she disappeared around the comer of the nearest building.
I stared up at the horse, who suddenly seemed a lot taller than he had a second ago. Definitely a lot taller than those ponies from my long-ago lessons.
"Nice horsie?” I said uncertainly. "Urn, good boy?”
I gave an experimental tug on the reins. The horse yanked his head up, almost ripping the reins out of my hands. He regarded me suspiciously, then took a step backward.
"Wait,” I said. "Don’t do that. Um...”
"Hi,” a friendly voice said behind me. "You’re Payton’s friend, right? Are you okay?”
It was one of the teens who had filled us in about Lenny Hood the day before. "Oh, hi,” I greeted her with relief. "Listen, Dana just left me with this horse, and I’m not sure what to do with it.”
The girl reached out to take the reins from me. “That’s Dana,” she said with a touch of fondness in her voice. "When she gets hyped up about something, she tends to forget that not everyone is there to be her servant.” She giggled. "One time my grandma came to one of my shows, and Dana wanted her to jog a horse so Dana could see if it was lame. My grandma’s seventy-six, uses a cane, and never touched an animal bigger than her Pekingese!”
I smiled. "So is Dana your trainer too?” That explained how the girl knew so much about Payton.
"Uh-huh. I’m Rachel, by the way.”
"Nancy. Thanks for rescuing me.” I gestured at the horse, who now stood placidly at the other end of the reins. "I think he was about to take off for the hills.”
Rachel giggled again. "No problem. See you later.”
She headed off with the horse in tow. My smile faded as my mind returned to what Dana had just told me. As if Ned’s parents and my anniversary plans weren’t enough, now I had an even more important reason to want to solve this case quickly. If I didn’t, and the horse show officials decided against Midnight, Payton could lose her chance to ride in front of the Olympic chef d’equipe tomorrow!
I pulled out my phone and called Ned. “Sorry, it looks like I might need a rain check on those anniversary plans after all.” I filled him in on the news about the drug test.
"Wow,” Ned said. “That’s serious business.”
"I know. So did Dana find Payton and tell her? What does she think?”
"I don’t know.” Ned sounded worried. "I was actually about to call you for two reasons. The first is that I lost track of Payton a few minutes ago.”
“What? But you promised your parents you’d stick with her.” I wasn’t really that worried about Payton’s physical safety while she was on the busy horse show grounds. But still, we’d promised.
"I know, but it’s really their fault,” Ned said. “My mom called me a little while ago, and I guess Payton must have wandered off while I was on the phone.”
I leaned against a handy fence post. “Okay. What’s the second reason you were going to call me?”
“Like I said, my mom called.” Ned sounded grim. "I guess she was feeling guilty about keeping all this from Payton’s parents. So she called them a little while ago.”
“Oh.” I couldn’t say I was surprised. Mrs. Nickerson wasn’t the type of person to be comfortable keeping secrets. Especially from one of her best friends. "How’d they take it? Were they freaked out?”
"Not exactly. They said it wasn’t the first time something like this has happened.”
"What?” I pressed the phone closer to my ear as several pre- teens wandered past me, chatting and laughing loudly. “What do you mean?”
"A similar note turned up at a show Payton rode in a couple of weeks ago,” Ned said. “It was tucked under the windshield wiper of her parents’ car after the show. Sounds like Payton’s dad was convinced it was just sour grapes from some
She tossed the chestnut gelding’s reins at me. I gulped. “Wait, I—”
It was too late. Dana was already stomping away, madly texting as she went. A moment later she disappeared around the comer of the nearest building.
I stared up at the horse, who suddenly seemed a lot taller than he had a second ago. Definitely a lot taller than those ponies from my long-ago lessons.
"Nice horsie?” I said uncertainly. "Urn, good boy?”
I gave an experimental tug on the reins. The horse yanked his head up, almost ripping the reins out of my hands. He regarded me suspiciously, then took a step backward.
"Wait,” I said. "Don’t do that. Um...”
"Hi,” a friendly voice said behind me. "You’re Payton’s friend, right? Are you okay?”
It was one of the teens who had filled us in about Lenny Hood the day before. "Oh, hi,” I greeted her with relief. "Listen, Dana just left me with this horse, and I’m not sure what to do with it.”
The girl reached out to take the reins from me. “That’s Dana,” she said with a touch of fondness in her voice. "When she gets hyped up about something, she tends to forget that not everyone is there to be her servant.” She giggled. "One time my grandma came to one of my shows, and Dana wanted her to jog a horse so Dana could see if it was lame. My grandma’s seventy-six, uses a cane, and never touched an animal bigger than her Pekingese!”
I smiled. "So is Dana your trainer too?” That explained how the girl knew so much about Payton.
"Uh-huh. I’m Rachel, by the way.”
"Nancy. Thanks for rescuing me.” I gestured at the horse, who now stood placidly at the other end of the reins. "I think he was about to take off for the hills.”
Rachel giggled again. "No problem. See you later.”
She headed off with the horse in tow. My smile faded as my mind returned to what Dana had just told me. As if Ned’s parents and my anniversary plans weren’t enough, now I had an even more important reason to want to solve this case quickly. If I didn’t, and the horse show officials decided against Midnight, Payton could lose her chance to ride in front of the Olympic chef d’equipe tomorrow!
I pulled out my phone and called Ned. “Sorry, it looks like I might need a rain check on those anniversary plans after all.” I filled him in on the news about the drug test.
"Wow,” Ned said. “That’s serious business.”
"I know. So did Dana find Payton and tell her? What does she think?”
"I don’t know.” Ned sounded worried. "I was actually about to call you for two reasons. The first is that I lost track of Payton a few minutes ago.”
“What? But you promised your parents you’d stick with her.” I wasn’t really that worried about Payton’s physical safety while she was on the busy horse show grounds. But still, we’d promised.
"I know, but it’s really their fault,” Ned said. “My mom called me a little while ago, and I guess Payton must have wandered off while I was on the phone.”
I leaned against a handy fence post. “Okay. What’s the second reason you were going to call me?”
“Like I said, my mom called.” Ned sounded grim. "I guess she was feeling guilty about keeping all this from Payton’s parents. So she called them a little while ago.”
“Oh.” I couldn’t say I was surprised. Mrs. Nickerson wasn’t the type of person to be comfortable keeping secrets. Especially from one of her best friends. "How’d they take it? Were they freaked out?”
"Not exactly. They said it wasn’t the first time something like this has happened.”
"What?” I pressed the phone closer to my ear as several pre- teens wandered past me, chatting and laughing loudly. “What do you mean?”
"A similar note turned up at a show Payton rode in a couple of weeks ago,” Ned said. “It was tucked under the windshield wiper of her parents’ car after the show. Sounds like Payton’s dad was convinced it was just sour grapes from some