arms.
Veronica slipped the rollers out of her hair and began to brush. But the seeds and hay bits had turned Veronica’s hair gel into hair cement. As she brushed, her hair didn’t flatten and fall. It stuck out at weird angles.
“Not even Frankenstein would marry you,” said Corey. “In fact, he’d probably be
scared
of you.”
Veronica’s face turned pink. “This didn’t happen by accident,”she snapped. “It’s somebody’s fault. I heard people moving around last night.” She glared at Lisa, Stevie, and Carole. “Somebody did this to me, and I think I know who.”
The Saddle Club could hardly explain that they had gone downstairs to inspect horseshoes the night before, so they just shrugged.
The wake-up bell clanged. A minute later Deborah appeared at the head of the stairs. “Feed your horses, and then it will be time for breakfast,” she said. Then she saw Veronica. She blinked hard.
“Are you all right, Veronica?” Deborah asked.
“Of course I’m all right,” said Veronica, rising from her dressing table. “Or rather I would be if this dump had a shower.”
Deborah nodded solemnly. “If only we did, Veronica. But I guess you’re going to have to tough it out.” She turned to the other riders. “Your horses are hungry. They’re thirsty. Let’s get going.”
“Just like Max,” Stevie grumbled. “Horse care first, people care second.”
Lisa climbed out of her sleeping bag, rolled it up, and changed into her riding clothes. It felt funny to be getting dressed without taking a shower first—her mother would faint with horror if she knew—but it was fun. She wentdownstairs and waited in line at the bathroom until she got a chance to brush her teeth and give her face a quick wash.
She went to the feed room and forked hay off the end of a bale, filled a bucket with Max’s special mixture of oats, sweet feed, and bran, and went to Prancer’s stall
“I hope we didn’t wake you last night,” she said to Prancer as she lifted the hay into her hay net. She started to explain to her why they’d had to check some of the other horses’ shoes, but then Lisa realized that someone might be listening, so she just shrugged and said, “You know how it is.” She poured the oat mixture into Prancer’s feed bin and said, “Today is going to be really demanding. Think of yourself as a sleuth horse. That means a horse detective.”
She filled Prancer’s water bucket at the tap outside the stall and rehung it on the wall. Prancer was munching happily.
Lisa walked down the aisle and stood stretching at the open door. A misty morning fog covered the paddock in wisps and drifts. Behind it, the woods and hills rose like splashes of brilliant yellow and orange paint. Lisa sighed, thinking how beautiful it was.
On the edge of the woods there was a movement.
It must be a deer
, she thought,
because the deer in these woodsare bold.
Sometimes at night they came out of the woods and ate whole flowerbeds.
As a puff of wind twirled the mist upward, Lisa strained to see. It wasn’t a deer, it was a person on horseback. Lisa couldn’t be sure, but it looked like a man. The horse was small and gray. The pair turned left. A bit of fog swept across the paddock, and the rider, who was a dark shadow now, edged his horse back toward the trees. Suddenly they bobbed over a jump and disappeared.
Lisa blinked.
That couldn’t have been Nickel, could it?
she thought.
She turned and walked back down the aisle to Penny’s stall. Inside, Lisa could hear Amie saying, “I’m not going to cry. I’m not. No way. Not me.” Lisa looked over the stall door and saw that Amie had dropped Penny’s fresh hay and was now trying to sweep it up in her arms, but she couldn’t do it. The hay kept falling back to the floor.
“Can I come in?” Lisa said.
“If you like big messes,” Amie said.
Lisa showed Amie how to start at one side of the dropped hay and curl it up like a jelly roll. The hay roll fit neatly in
Veronica slipped the rollers out of her hair and began to brush. But the seeds and hay bits had turned Veronica’s hair gel into hair cement. As she brushed, her hair didn’t flatten and fall. It stuck out at weird angles.
“Not even Frankenstein would marry you,” said Corey. “In fact, he’d probably be
scared
of you.”
Veronica’s face turned pink. “This didn’t happen by accident,”she snapped. “It’s somebody’s fault. I heard people moving around last night.” She glared at Lisa, Stevie, and Carole. “Somebody did this to me, and I think I know who.”
The Saddle Club could hardly explain that they had gone downstairs to inspect horseshoes the night before, so they just shrugged.
The wake-up bell clanged. A minute later Deborah appeared at the head of the stairs. “Feed your horses, and then it will be time for breakfast,” she said. Then she saw Veronica. She blinked hard.
“Are you all right, Veronica?” Deborah asked.
“Of course I’m all right,” said Veronica, rising from her dressing table. “Or rather I would be if this dump had a shower.”
Deborah nodded solemnly. “If only we did, Veronica. But I guess you’re going to have to tough it out.” She turned to the other riders. “Your horses are hungry. They’re thirsty. Let’s get going.”
“Just like Max,” Stevie grumbled. “Horse care first, people care second.”
Lisa climbed out of her sleeping bag, rolled it up, and changed into her riding clothes. It felt funny to be getting dressed without taking a shower first—her mother would faint with horror if she knew—but it was fun. She wentdownstairs and waited in line at the bathroom until she got a chance to brush her teeth and give her face a quick wash.
She went to the feed room and forked hay off the end of a bale, filled a bucket with Max’s special mixture of oats, sweet feed, and bran, and went to Prancer’s stall
“I hope we didn’t wake you last night,” she said to Prancer as she lifted the hay into her hay net. She started to explain to her why they’d had to check some of the other horses’ shoes, but then Lisa realized that someone might be listening, so she just shrugged and said, “You know how it is.” She poured the oat mixture into Prancer’s feed bin and said, “Today is going to be really demanding. Think of yourself as a sleuth horse. That means a horse detective.”
She filled Prancer’s water bucket at the tap outside the stall and rehung it on the wall. Prancer was munching happily.
Lisa walked down the aisle and stood stretching at the open door. A misty morning fog covered the paddock in wisps and drifts. Behind it, the woods and hills rose like splashes of brilliant yellow and orange paint. Lisa sighed, thinking how beautiful it was.
On the edge of the woods there was a movement.
It must be a deer
, she thought,
because the deer in these woodsare bold.
Sometimes at night they came out of the woods and ate whole flowerbeds.
As a puff of wind twirled the mist upward, Lisa strained to see. It wasn’t a deer, it was a person on horseback. Lisa couldn’t be sure, but it looked like a man. The horse was small and gray. The pair turned left. A bit of fog swept across the paddock, and the rider, who was a dark shadow now, edged his horse back toward the trees. Suddenly they bobbed over a jump and disappeared.
Lisa blinked.
That couldn’t have been Nickel, could it?
she thought.
She turned and walked back down the aisle to Penny’s stall. Inside, Lisa could hear Amie saying, “I’m not going to cry. I’m not. No way. Not me.” Lisa looked over the stall door and saw that Amie had dropped Penny’s fresh hay and was now trying to sweep it up in her arms, but she couldn’t do it. The hay kept falling back to the floor.
“Can I come in?” Lisa said.
“If you like big messes,” Amie said.
Lisa showed Amie how to start at one side of the dropped hay and curl it up like a jelly roll. The hay roll fit neatly in
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