Ned shrugged. “That just proves he likes to win.”
“This is what I was hunting for.” Nancy held up a list of riders entered in an Intermediate Two test scheduled for the next morning. “Look.” She tapped her finger on a name halfway down the list. “Valerie Dunn. She was supposed to compete against Michael tomorrow.”
“That does seem like more than a coincidence,” Ned agreed.
As Nancy stacked the prize lists, she mulled over the evidence that pointed to Michael. He’d been warming up Curio when the fire was set, so he couldn’t have been responsible for that incident. Unless he was working with someone. But who? And what would that person’s motive be?
She shook her head, realizing how few answers she had. “At dinner tonight we need to keep our ears and eyes open,” Nancy told Ned as they left the secretary’s booth. “Michael may let something important slip.”
Ned made a face. “Hey, what happened to having a plain old fun evening?”
Smiling up at him, Nancy linked her arm through his. “Oh, I think we can manage to fit in a little fun.”
“So, what do you think, Bess?” Nancy turned slowly, modeling her new skirt and red top. Her hair was brushed back in soft waves, and her cheeks were tanned from the day in the sun.
“You look great.” Bess wore a knit dress and sandals. Her new turquoise earrings dangled from her ears.
It was seven o’clock. The two girls were dressing in the room they were sharing with Lee Anne. They were about to meet Ned and Gunter.
“You look great, too,” Nancy said as she swung open the door to the room. “We’d better hurry. Lee Anne and Michael are picking us up out front.”
“Michael’s driving?” Bess asked as they walked into the hall.
“Right. He borrowed one of Klaus’s cars.” Nancy locked the door, then followed Bess down the corridor. When they reached the lobby, the girls spied Ned and Gunter.
Gunter was wearing new jeans and a light blue shirt with a button-down collar. His sleeves were rolled up casually, and his wavy blond hair was slicked down. Ned was dressed in khakis and a polo shirt.
“Hey, you two look great,” Ned said.
“You don’t look too shabby either,” Bess answered.
Gunter pointed proudly to the label on his jeans. “This brand is hard to get in Germany. I bought five pairs to take home.”
“How long will you be in Illinois?” Bess asked as they headed for the main doors.
“About a month. Usually Americans come to Germany to train in dressage,” he explained. “But I wanted to learn more about American techniques.”
As they stepped outside, Michael and Lee Anne were just pulling up.
“Our chariot awaits,” Ned whispered to Nancy as they approached a dusty, dented station wagon. Ned opened the back door, then gestured for Nancy to climb in. Nancy slid in next to Bess, who’d gotten in from the other side.
Lifting her nose, she sniffed. The whole car smelled like manure. She glanced over her shoulder. The back of the wagon was piled high with buckets, blankets, and a bag of grain.
“Ah, what a great aroma,” Gunter said.
“It must be Nancy’s new perfume,” Ned joked, and everybody laughed.
Michael drove the car out of the motel drive. While the others talked about the show, he stared intently ahead, as if preoccupied. Nancy wondered what he was thinking.
“I invited Gilly along,” Lee Anne said, “but after that horse was almost stolen, Klaus was adamant about her keeping an eye on Aristocrat all night.”
“That doesn’t sound like much fun,” Bess said.
Michael snorted. “She’s not paid to have fun.”
Lee Anne frowned at him. Since Lee Anne was sharing the room with Nancy and Bess, Nancy knew how much time and effort she had taken with her makeup and hair. Nancy bet Michael hadn’t even noticed how pretty Lee Anne looked.
“Where are we going to eat?” Ned asked.
“I thought we’d try the Steak House,” Lee Anne said. “Klaus recommended it, and it’s just a five-minute drive away.”
Fifteen minutes later the group was seated around a large table overlooking a pasture filled with horses. A round of sodas had been served.
Lee Anne and Gunter were explaining the different dressage movements to Bess, Nancy, and Ned. Michael had slumped down in his seat, his expression sullen.
Michael was handsome, Nancy decided after watching him for a moment. She knew a lot of girls would be attracted to him. Still, she wondered why Lee Anne seemed so crazy about him. Even away from the showgrounds, he acted tense. Except for their interest in horses, they seemed to have nothing in common.
“The Grand Prix is the ultimate test.” Nancy tuned in to what Lee Anne was saying. “The horse has to perform difficult movements like the passage you saw Curio do this morning during his test.”
Michael rolled his eyes. “You’d hardly call that hopping up and down a passage.”
Lee Anne cleared her throat. “Well, I thought you did fine—”
“Except it’s what the judges thought that counts,” Michael cut her off. “And they showed me what they thought by giving me a score of sixty-four.”
“Sixty-four’s pretty good,” Gunter said.
Michael turned his dark eyes on him. “Right. Like you’d be satisfied with a sixty-four.”
