Texel jerked his head toward the bellowing. “That’s Klaus Schaudt. You’d better tell your officer to let him pass,” he told Yates.
A minute later Klaus strode down the aisle, Michael and Lee Anne behind him. “What is the meaning of this?” he demanded.
“Mr. Raines,” Texel said, ignoring Klaus. “This is Sergeant Yates from the county police department. He needs to ask you a few questions.”
Yates pointed into the stall. “Is this your trunk?”
“Yes,” Michael said without even looking into the stall.
“Do you keep a metal rasp in your tack box?”
Michael’s expression grew wary. “Yes. Sometimes I need to file a hoof or reset a shoe if a farrier isn’t available.”
“What are you getting at?” Klaus insisted.
Yates ignored Klaus. “Mr. Raines, where were you between four and five-thirty this morning?”
Michael’s wariness changed to annoyance. “In my room. Asleep.”
“Alone?”
Michael set his mouth in a firm line. “I don’t think I need to answer any more questions.”
Just then the female officer came jogging into the barn and motioned Yates over. Nancy watched as they had a whispered conversation before Yates turned back to Michael.
“Mr. Raines, we’d like you to come down to the police station to answer some questions.”
Klaus threw his shoulders back. “Not until you tell us what’s going on.”
“It seems we have a contradiction here,” Yates said. “Mr. Raines claims he was in his motel early this morning. However, a temporary guard at the booth, Andy Brackett, reports checking his pass at exactly five this morning as Michael drove in.”
All the blood drained from Michael’s face. “That can’t be,” he replied.
“No!” Lee Anne clapped a hand over her mouth, stifling a cry. Nancy looked away, unable to face Lee Anne. Michael was rude and overly competitive, but would he go after Gilly?
As the two officers led Michael away, Lee Anne gave Nancy an anguished look. Then she ran after Klaus, who was right behind the officers, declaring, “This is absurd! We’ll have you back in time for your first test, Michael.”
When they left, Texel muttered, “What a nightmare.”
Nancy agreed as a sudden wave of sadness and exhaustion hit her. Just then she saw Ned silhouetted in the barn doorway. Quickly she ran to greet him. She had never been so happy to see anyone in her life.
* * *
“Lee Anne wants us to pick her up at the police station,” Bess said at breakfast.
After leaving the barn with Ned, Nancy had headed back to the motel for a shower. When Bess woke up, Nancy had explained everything to her. Bess had immediately called the police station and asked for Lee Anne, who was waiting there for news about Michael.
Now it was ten o’clock, and Nancy, Ned, and Bess were waiting to be served pancakes in the motel coffee shop.
“I didn’t think Lee Anne would want to see me again,” Nancy replied.
“It wasn’t your fault you saw the station wagon leaving,” Ned pointed out. “And you didn’t find the rasp behind the tack trunk.”
Nancy sighed. “I know.”
“Lee Anne says the police are trying to connect Michael to the horse theft,” Bess said.
Nancy nodded. “Texel said he was going to toss that theory out to Yates. After all, if Michael did attack Gilly, the police need to figure out why.”
“If he was involved in Aristocrat’s theft and Gilly found out, she could have ruined his riding career forever.” Ned sipped his orange juice.
“That certainly would give him a motive to assault Gilly,” Bess agreed glumly. “I’m just glad she’s okay.”
An hour earlier they’d called the hospital. Gilly was still unconscious, but there was no internal damage and she was expected to recover soon.
“Let’s hope Lee Anne will tell us where she and Michael were last night,” Nancy said. “If he has an alibi for the time of the theft, he could be cleared.”
Just then the pancakes were served. They smelled heavenly.
Half an hour later they reached the police station. Lee Anne met them at the front door. Her eyes were red from crying.
“The police haven’t charged Michael with any crime,” she explained. “But Klaus says they will. He’s already called a lawyer.”
“I’m so sorry.” Bess handed her a tissue.
Lee Anne blew her nose. “They matched the blood on the rasp with Gilly’s. They also found Michael’s prints on the rasp handle”—she raised bloodshot eyes to Nancy—“but Michael says he was in his room asleep.”
“If he was alone, there’s no one to back up his alibi,” Ned said.
