Nancy moved closer to inspect it. “Big enough to lead a horse through.” Eyes on the ground, Nancy made her way through the hole. The beam picked up two hoofprints in the mud. On the other side of the fence Nancy could see a field. When she swung the light around, she noticed flattened grass in two parallel lines where a vehicle had been driven.
She glanced over her shoulder at Bess and Lee Anne. “Looks as if someone led a horse through here, which means trouble. If it was Aristocrat, it means the stallion’s not on the grounds anymore.”
“Do you think he was stolen?” Lee Anne gasped.
“That’s what it looks like. We’d better alert Security.”
With Nancy leading the way, the three girls hurried back to the barn. Texel and Klaus were standing in the middle of the aisle. Klaus was scowling and waving an arm in the air. Nancy gulped. He wasn’t going to like the latest news.
Quickly she told them what she and her friends had found.
Klaus’s eyes narrowed. “So you were wrong about my horse being on the grounds,” he said to Texel. “It sounds to me as if he’s been stolen!”
Texel rubbed his forehead. Pulling out his walkie-talkie, he relayed the information to his men and told them to alert the state and county police. “Now show us this break in the fence,” he said to Nancy.
“Lee Anne and Bess will take you there. I’m going to find Gilly.” Nancy looked sideways at Klaus.
The trainer shook his head and made a noise of disgust. Then he headed down the aisle after Texel. “No more delays. Let’s find my horse,” he barked.
When they had left, Nancy thought about where Gilly might have gone. She remembered the groom saying she’d met with some friends at the coffee shop. Nancy was about to leave the barn, when she heard a soft sniffing coming from one of the stalls.
She held her breath and listened. Someone was crying. Moving quietly, she made her way toward the sound, which was coming from the tack stall.
She peered inside. Gilly was slumped on a tack trunk, head in her hands.
Nancy knew she must have heard everything they’d said. “Hey, Gilly.” Nancy sat beside her on the trunk. “It’s not all bad news. Whoever took Aristocrat couldn’t have gotten much of a head start, and Texel has alerted the county and state police, so they can be on the lookout.”
Tears glistening in her eyes, Gilly looked up at her. “It’s not just that,” she whispered hoarsely. Grabbing Nancy’s wrist, she squeezed tightly, her eyes wide. “You’ve got to help me, Nancy. I don’t know who else to trust. I know something about Aristocrat’s disappearance!”
8
A Risky Meeting
“Do you know who stole Aristocrat?” Nancy asked Gilly.
“No, but this morning, when I gave Aristocrat a bath, I couldn’t find his scar,” Gilly said.
Nancy frowned, puzzled. Then the thud of rubber soles on the concrete aisle made her look up.
Gilly inhaled sharply. “Someone’s coming.” Bending closer to Nancy, she whispered hurriedly, “Meet me here at five-thirty. I’ve got to feed early, then braid Curio.”
The footsteps moved closer. Gilly grew rigid. “If something happens to me, look for the scar on Aristocrat’s hock.”
“There you are.” Klaus stepped into the doorway, blocking the dim light. Hands on his hips, he eyed Nancy, then Gilly. The groom jumped to her feet.
“Don’t look so worried,” Klaus stated. “I came to apologize for blaming you for Aristocrat’s disappearance.” He spoke slowly, as if the words were hard to say. “I was distraught. I know you love Aristocrat as much as I do.”
“I do,” Gilly said, her voice wavering. She glanced at Nancy. “I need to find out what Security’s doing. I’ll see you later.” Excusing herself, she went around Klaus.
Nancy stood up. “I’d better help, too.”
Klaus extended a hand to stop her from leaving. “Miss Drew, if I may speak with you for a minute. Mr. Texel told me you are a detective. I am in need of help. I do not trust Security to find my horse. Perhaps you could be of assistance?”
Nancy hesitated. She’d witnessed how overbearing Klaus Schaudt could be. But he had apologized to Gilly, something that must have been difficult for him.
“I am very worried about my horse,” he continued. “Not only is Aristocrat valuable, but I raised him from a foal. He is family.”
“I understand,” Nancy said. Maybe there was a soft side to the trainer after all. “And I’ll do whatever I can, though I think Mr. Texel knows his business.”
“Humph.” Klaus threw back his shoulders. “My belief is that the security crew is behind the theft.”
Nancy’s eyebrows shot up. “What makes you say that?” she asked, startled by his statement.
“Because the theft was obviously an inside job. The thief must know the showgrounds, as well as the guards’ schedules. Otherwise the person would not have been able to steal such a large animal without someone seeing him.”
Nancy nodded. Klaus’s observation about the thief being someone on the inside was similar to her own hunch, but she’d been so intent on Michael as a suspect that she’d never thought about the guards.
“In fact,” Klaus said, lowering his voice, “it is my belief that they are operating a theft ring. There are several horses here as valuable as Aristocrat. He was just the unlucky target.”
“It would be interesting to find out if there have been other thefts at past shows,” Nancy said.
Klaus dismissed her suggestion with a wave of his hand. “That wouldn’t prove anything. Many of the shows here are smaller, attracting only local horses that wouldn’t be worth stealing.” He straightened. “So. We will work together. Now I need to find out what Mr. Texel has discovered. Good evening.”
As she watched Klaus leave, Nancy thought about his theory. It made sense. Still, she wasn’t going to drop Michael as a possible suspect. As soon as she saw Lee Anne, she would ask her if the two had been together all evening.
Then there was Gilly’s cryptic message about Aristocrat’s scar. Whatever Gilly knew, she obviously hadn’t wanted to share the information with Klaus.
Nancy checked her watch. It was one o’clock in the morning. In four and a half hours she had to meet Gilly. Then maybe she’d find out what the groom knew about the theft of Aristocrat.
