Free The Case of the Racehorse Ringer by Anthony Read

never! The crafty so-and-sos,” said Gertie.
    “The thing is, what we gonna do about it?” Sparrow wanted to know.
    Sam stood up, rubbing his hands with glee. “I know what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna get back to London, first thing in the morning. Get some bets on.”
    “You can’t do that,” Sparrow protested. “That’d be cheatin’.”
    “I know. But it’d make me rich.” Sam grinned.
    “Not if we told the coppers what was going on,” said Wiggins.
    “You wouldn’t.” Sam’s face fell. “Would you?”
    “Course we would,” said Gertie. “If you wanna win, you gotta do it fair and square.”
    “But I could pay off all my debts! I’d be free from those bad men that are after me.”
    Wiggins shook his head. “Sorry, Sam. Mr Holmes would never forgive me.”
    “He doesn’t have to find out,” retorted Sam.
    “Mr Holmes always finds out,” said Sparrow. “That’s why he’s the world’s greatest detective.”
    “Just my luck,” Sam moaned. “What are you gonna do, then?”
    “I dunno,” said Wiggins. “I’ll have to think about it. It ain’t what we’re here for, after all. Sparrow, you better get back. Act normal, keep your eyes and ears open and don’t say nothing to nobody about what we’ve found out.”

H ORSE T HIEVES
    The light was fading as Sparrow made his way back through the woods. When he came out of the trees, he could see the yard below. The stables and the house looked peaceful, with all the doors to the loose boxes closed for the night. He pictured the horses resting quietly, and wished he was already in his own bed. Fortunately it was all downhill now, so the going was easy and he even broke into a trot on the slope. He was nearly home when he heard the distant grinding of wheels on gravel, and a moment later he saw a carriage approaching. It was getting quite dark and he could not see it very clearly, but he was pretty sure it was Moriarty’s.
    As the carriage neared the yard, Satan started barking furiously. The front door of the house opened and Major Lee looked out to see what was going on. Recognizing the carriage, he ordered the dog to be quiet and strode across to the gate. The carriage door opened and the major spoke briefly to the person inside, then climbed in.
    Sparrow bent low and crept along the fence until he reached the carriage. Crouching by the back wheels to keep out of sight of the coachman, he could just hear what was being said within. There were two voices. One was the major’s. The other was Moriarty’s familiar rasping hiss. “There must be no mistakes this time. No more nosy stable lads to be got rid of.”
    “There won’t be,” the major replied. “We tested both horses this morning. No one suspected a thing.”
    “Excellent. If you want to keep your stables, you had better make sure it stays that way. Now, listen carefully. We must take no chances. When the race has been won, you will bring the horse back here and get rid of it.”
    “Get rid…? What d’you mean?”
    “You know what I mean. The evidence must be destroyed. And that horse is the evidence.”
    There was silence for a moment, then Major Lee spoke again. His voice was choking. “Destroy Silver Star? I couldn’t.”
    “You must. Or risk losing everything. You must kill him.”
    Wiggins, Gertie and Slippery Sam were just about to head towards the caravan for the night when they were disturbed by the sound of someone crashing through the undergrowth in the woods. They were surprised to see Sparrow bursting into the clearing, gasping for breath.
    “Sparrow!” Gertie cried. “What’s up?”
    “Are you all right?” Wiggins asked anxiously. “Is somebody after you? Have they hurt you?”
    Sparrow shook his head but couldn’t speak. He sank to the ground. Although he had been tired, he had managed to summon up enough energy to scramble back up the hill. But now he was exhausted.
    “Got to…” he panted, “got to tell…”
    “Take your time,” said Wiggins.