Nancy checked her watch. “We’d better meet Bess and tell her what’s going on.”
As they headed for Barn C, Nancy thought about the two incidents. The fire and the attempted theft had happened in different barns. Still, she wondered if there was a connection.
When they found Bess, she was showing Lee Anne and another girl her new earrings.
“Nancy and Ned,” Bess said, “meet Gilly Phillips, Aristocrat’s groom. She takes care of Klaus Schaudt’s horse—day and night.”
“Hi.” The girl smiled shyly. Her short wavy hair was so blond it looked white. She was dressed in jeans, paddock boots, and a tank top. Her figure was trim, and her arms were tanned and muscular.
Nancy and Ned told the others about the would-be horse thief.
“I know Roberta Flanagan,” Lee Anne said. “She owns several terrific horses. In fact, in the last show she and her horse Sweet and Klean won the Intermediate One competition.”
“Blew Michael right out of the competition,” Gilly said matter-of-factly.
Lee Anne rolled her eyes. “Don’t remind me. He stewed for days.”
“Well, I hope they catch the thief.” Gilly glanced nervously into Aristocrat’s stall. The brown horse pressed his nose against the mesh door and blew softly. “The grounds are full of valuable horses.”
“Just how much is a horse like Aristocrat worth?” Nancy asked.
“I think Klaus has him insured for two hundred thousand dollars,” Gilly said.
Ned whistled. “Wow. That’s a lot of money.”
“Yes, but he’s a good investment. Aristocrat is passing on his talent to his foals. They’re gorgeous, smart, and fantastic movers. Even when Aristocrat can’t compete anymore, he’ll still be valuable as a stallion.”
“The chief of security has asked us to help him interview owners and riders in Barn A,” Nancy said. “He’s hoping someone noticed a man with a scarred face.”
“I’ll help you talk to people,” Bess volunteered.
“Good.” Nancy looked at Lee Anne and Gilly.
Lee Anne raised one hand, palm out. “Count me out. I have to school a horse, bathe Curio, then braid another horse.”
“I won’t be able to help, either.” Gilly stooped to pick up a bucket of cleaning supplies. “If I leave Aristocrat for too long, Klaus bawls me out. Now I know why he’s so edgy. It would be easy to steal a horse at a show.”
“Why isn’t security tighter?” Nancy asked.
“More security would be difficult,” Lee Anne explained. “They check passes at the gate, and the grounds are fenced. Still, people drive in and out day and night with horses in trailers. Even if you have a full-time groom, your horse is left alone sometimes, which means anyone could open up a stall, lead your horse out, load him on a trailer, and leave. Horses don’t wear dog tags, so it would be impossible for anyone to check the identity of every horse coming and going.”
“Can’t you lock the stall doors?” Bess asked.
Gilly shook her head. “Too dangerous if a fire breaks out.”
Nancy thought about the new information. If the horses were even half as valuable as Aristocrat, a show like this would be the perfect target for thieves.
After the group said goodbye, Nancy, Ned, and Bess started back to Barn A. Nancy stopped halfway there. “Before we start talking to owners and riders, let’s check the parking lot one more time.”
“What do you think you’re going to find?” Ned asked.
“I’m not sure. But if the man was intent on stealing the horse, he must have had a van or trailer, as Gilly said, to haul the horse away. Maybe someone saw a man with a scarred face leave. It would be great if we could get a car or truck license number.”
“That only happens on TV shows,” Bess said.
Nancy laughed. “Maybe we’ll get lucky.”
Bess and Ned went over to talk to a man unloading a horse while Nancy wandered toward the van where she’d seen the man disappear. She tried to follow what she thought might be the path he would have taken from the barn, just in case he’d dropped something.
When she reached the van, she checked it over carefully. Twin Meadows Stables was written on the side of the big truck, with a city and state written underneath. Nancy doubted a thief would drive off in something so conspicuous. Still, she tried the cab doors. They were both locked, and the ramp to the back was shut tightly.
When she went to the other side of the van, she noticed it was parked next to a gray horse trailer. The trailer had been unhitched from the vehicle that towed it, so it stood by itself. The back doors and ramp were secured, but when Nancy walked around to the far side, she noticed that the door leading to the front of the trailer was ajar.
She stopped. Maybe the open door simply meant the owner had been careless. Or maybe someone—like a fleeing thief—had used the trailer to hide inside.
Nancy knew she had to check it out. Glancing over her shoulder, she hunted for Bess or Ned. Neither was in sight.
Taking hold of the handle, she pulled the door open. The inside of the trailer was dark.
Stooping, she stuck her head inside. A net full of hay hung from a center post. She pushed it aside, and her heart leaped into her throat.
A man’s face leered down at her, his lips distorted in a twisted smirk. One eye dangled from a bloody socket. The other was fixed on her in a hideous stare!
5
Suspicious
Nancy recoiled from the grotesque face, banging her head on the top of the doorframe. With a scream, she flung herself away from the trailer.
