Free Mystery at Saddle Creek by Shelley Peterson

him before he could get to the girl and tell her what happened. Poison? A trap? A stone to the head with his slingshot? He’d have to do something, and soon.
    But now he really needed to feed the horses at the barn next door to the girl’s. On his scouting trips, he’d noticed that the man slept all morning, so now Tan gave them water and hay before he woke up. He liked this new feeling of being needed, even though nobody would ever know. Tan looked around for the coyote. He couldn’t see him. Taking a deep breath, Tan sprinted as fast as he could.
    THE HAY WAS FINALLY IN. Cliff was sweeping the barn, and Liz and Julia were lying in the wading pool that doubled as a water jump, discussing which boys at school were cute. Hannah and Paul were in the kitchen making a late lunch, and Bird was in her room, changing into clean clothes after a long, cool shower.
    She slipped a soft white T-shirt over her undershirt, and pulled on her favourite green shorts. She was looking around for her running shoes when an acrid odour floated on the breeze through her open window. Smoke. Bird looked outside and gasped. A split second later, she was thundering down the stairs, shoes in hand.
    â€œFire! Fire! Guy and Bunny’s barn!” She raced downstairs. “Aunt Hannah! Paul! Call the fire department! I need to help Pierre!” Before Hannah could stop her, she was out the door and on her bike.
    Bird pedalled as fast as she could, her legs aching from the work of putting up the hay. Bird knew that Pierre often slept all day. She feared that the horses might still be in their stalls, locked in and helpless. Bird remembered Hannah telling her that the smoke killed horses before the flames. They fainted from the smoke, then got burned. She pushed away the thought.
    Bird raced up Pierre’s driveway. Her feet hit the ground and she dropped her bike. Just to be sure Pierre was awake, she threw a rock at his bedroom window over the barn. Her aim was good and it smashed through. If he was still in there, Bird thought, he’d hear it.
    She held her breath and threw open the barn door. Smoke billowed out, stinging her eyes and heating her face. She coughed and jumped back, reassessing the situation. The other doors were open on the far side of the barn, and through the smoke she saw a human figure opening stall doors.
    â€œPierre!” Bird yelled as loud as she could. “I’ll help!”
    Bird pulled off her T-shirt, dunked it in the water trough and wrapped it over her face. She took a deep breath and ran in, grabbing the first stall door latch she could reach. Instantly, pain shot through her hand. The metal was too hot to touch! She took off her shorts, swaddled her hand with the green cotton fabric and began again.
    Get out!
she messaged to the frightened animals.
Now! It’s not safe in here! Get out now!
    This is my home!
A big grey was panicking, his head weaving from side to side.
    Your home is in danger. Go outside where there is no smoke and fire.
    Fire?
A tall, bony, older chestnut thoroughbred was alarmed.
    Yes. Tell all the others.
    The geldings stood there, frozen with fear.
    Bird looked around for Pierre, but now she could see no one. She was alone, and the smoke was getting thicker by the second. The heat was almost unbearable. The roar of the fire was deafening. It was getting harder to breathe and Bird could barely see. She might have very little time before the barn would fall in on itself.
    Bunny and Guy stabled ten horses. She’d opened stalls for six, but none wanted to leave the barn. She kept going. She thought some stalls were empty, but the smoke was so heavy that it was hard to tell.
    A dark shape huddled against the wall in the next stall. Bird peered through the smoke. It was a small bay Welsh pony cowering in the corner, barely visible until he moved his head.
    Bird waved her arms to get him going.
Get out! The barn’s on fire.
    I can’t! I’m