Free Horse Thief by Bonnie Bryant Page A

“Everyone’s a suspect—except Phil and us. What did you find out about Veronica?” she asked Carole.
    Carole took a long sip of juice before answering. “I listened to Veronica and Denise in Danny’s stall,” she finally answered. “Veronica was acting like her usual self: spoiled rotten. Denise, though …” She paused, reluctant to implicate the instructor.
    “Denise what?” Stevie asked impatiently.
    “Denise was
definitely
acting weird,” admitted Carole. “I mean, Veronica was abusing Red, and Denise just stood there and
took
it from her. That’s not like her. She usually gives as good as she gets.”
    “Better,” Stevie said.
    “But that doesn’t make her guilty,” said Lisa.
    The three girls continued discussing their investigation. Stevie kept pushing Veronica as the prime suspect.Lisa thought Kurt might have done it, and all three of them thought Celeste was also a likely candidate.
    “Maybe Howard did it for her,” suggested Carole again.
    “Even if he did, Celeste probably
made
him do it,” said Lisa. She couldn’t help it—she felt sorry for Howard. He was so pathetic, always hungering after Celeste’s approval, while Celeste only tolerated him as her personal servant. Part of her was disgusted at how Howard fawned all over the girl just to get some attention from her, but another part instinctively sensed how weak Howard was and how easily bullied he was by Celeste.
    The discussion was interrupted by the appearance of Mo, who was walking up the knoll. “Hi,” she called out. “Mind if I join you?”
    “
Ixnay
on the
eftthay alktay
,” warned Stevie in an undertone. Lisa and Carole nodded in agreement, even though they both felt bad about it. However, technically Mo had not been crossed off their list of suspects.
    Mo came up to the group and plopped down on the blanket with a dejected expression. She didn’t appear to notice that the conversation had stopped abruptly upon her entrance. “I can’t take it another minute,” she announced. “Maybe I’ll quit riding.”
    “What is it?” Carole asked, concerned.
    Mo bent her head. Her voice trembled as if she was about to cry. “It’s Celeste,” she told them. “She’s beenmaking fun of me again. She just told me that I look like a scarecrow in my riding clothes. I can’t help being so skinny. My parents are both skinny; it’s inherited.”
    Lisa patted her shoulder comfortingly. “You look fine in your riding clothes,” she said.
    “Yes, and you’re such a good rider,” added Carole. “That’s what really counts. Horse shows aren’t fashion shows. It’s all about who’s the best, most skilled rider.”
    “I know, but
you
know how much appearance counts in dressage,” said Mo. “I hate Celeste. She’s so competitive, she does anything she can to win. She’s totally ruthless, and she has her boy toy, Howard, do everything for her. Not only that, but she’s one of the prettiest girls I’ve ever seen. Everyone at Mendenhall thinks she’s pretty, too. You have to admit, that counts sometimes with judges.”
    “I don’t think it does at all,” said Carole. The thought that judges would judge on anything other than riding shocked her.
    “That’s because you’re beautiful, too,” said Mo. “Celeste is right—I look like a freak in riding clothes.”
    “I’ve got a great idea,” said Stevie. “Let’s start a new Pony Club just for Veronica, Celeste, and Howard. Just think how much fun they could have being obnoxious to one another. And none of them would ever bother us again—except at rallies, but we wouldn’t have to invite them!”
    “Don’t I wish,” Mo said. Then she leaned forward and spoke in a whisper. “You have no idea how competitive Celeste
really
is,” she told them softly.
    The Saddle Club leaned forward to listen.
    “A few months ago, one of our riders fell from her horse,” continued Mo, still speaking in a low tone, though it wasn’t necessary since nobody else was