Free She Waits by Kate Sweeney Page B

around the burlap. It appeared to be a necklace of some kind. As I picked it up, I noticed it was locket with a broken chain. Tarnished badly, it must have been out in the elements for sometime. I turned it over and noticed the inscribed initial M.
    A few feet away something glinted. A watch, also badly tarnished. What in the hell was this? I carefully searched the surrounding area. When I saw more burlap pieces, I knelt down and picked them up. A ring fell out. I looked at it. It was a wedding band. On the inside was an inscription: All my love, Jonathan. 6/3/65.
    I was shocked. I frantically looked around for anything else. I couldn't remember any places by the house that looked like she might have been digging. I searched for signs of her digging around here, but found nothing. Where did she find these?
    Yesterday, she had something in her mouth, shaking it up. I looked at the letter on the locket. My curiosity was piqued, but I decided to give it to Maggie and let her take the first look at the inside. I carefully put all the findings in my breast pocket.
    I started back to the house. I looked down and saw Chance staring at me, her nose in the air. I knelt down and she immediately snorted at the pocket of my shirt. I ruffled the fur on her head.
    "Is this what you found, you bloodhound, you?"
    As I watched my mutt sniff around, I thought of the intruder last night. My father's words were haunting me--everything is useful. Never discount a thing no matter how small it may seem. I was missing something.
    What came to mind was how easily I'd fought last night's prowler off. Was I actually stronger than I thought? What were the odds of that? I'd heard of adrenaline rushes where people lifted cars and all that. Either I was Super-Adrenaline Woman or he was a wuss. I was desperately trying to remember some kind a distinguishing feature about the intruder.
    What was it?

    Chapter Seven

    I decided to walk to the stable. As I pulled the door opened and walked in, I noticed the saddles were hanging neatly on a ledge. Then over in the far corner, next to a small bale of hay, I saw what looked like a stirrup. I quickly walked over and saw the remainder of the saddle behind the bale. I turned the saddle over, picked it up and swung it over the ledge.
    As I set it in place, I noticed the length of leather that held the stirrup to the saddle was cut almost in half. It was practically dangling off. Additionally, also cut almost completely, was the strap that goes under the horse to secure the saddle.
    I looked around the stable and everything else looked normal. It all looked like what I'd expect a stable to look like. There were five stalls and five horses. A few pitchforks, a couple of shovels, some other tools and grooming supplies--the usual stable stuff, I'd guess.
    Chance was nosing around, obviously enthralled with so many new smells.
    I heard Thunder, the wild one, way in the last stall, huffing and snorting. A chestnut mare was in another stall, snorting and bobbing her head when she saw me. I walked over to her when I spotted a big burlap bag of oats that said Carson Grain and Feed on it. Carson? As in Allison Carson? Probably her father, I couldn't imagine Miss Carson owning a feed store. I took a handful and let the mare eat.
    It was then the stable door opened. I turned around to see Bedford coming into the stable. He hadn't noticed me yet, but he had noticed the damaged saddle on the ledge. I watched him for a moment. He looked puzzled, which I found interesting. Last night he gave me the creeps. I wanted to know why.
    It was then he spotted me. "G'morning Miss. I didn't see ya standing there."
    "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. Is that Maggie's saddle from yesterday? Looks like it's in bad shape," I said, looking right at him.
    "Yes, it is. I was coming to fetch it and get it fixed."
    I wondered how Maggie with all her expertise could miss the damage to the saddle. "Does Maggie saddle her own horse, Bedford?"
    Bedford