Nancy studied the trainer’s face. “You seem certain that Michael is innocent.”
“I know the boy like a son,” Klaus said. “Besides, why would he attack Gilly? There is no motive, as you Americans say in your detective shows.”
Nancy lowered her voice. “Perhaps there was a motive. Gilly might have caught Michael stealing Aristocrat.”
Klaus’s chin snapped up. “That is absurd.”
“Not totally. You see, Mr. Schaudt, we discovered that one of the guards used to work for you, and Michael knew him. They might have planned the theft together. Perhaps they attacked Gilly when she stumbled onto their scheme.”
Brows arched, Klaus assessed Nancy with his direct gaze.
She didn’t blink.
“That’s an interesting theory, Miss Drew. However, if Michael needed money, he didn’t have to steal a horse. All he had to do was ask me for a loan. And Andy Brackett is too dense to plan a theft. Still, I will definitely mention his name to Mr. Texel.”
“In the meantime,” Ned chimed in, “Nancy and I are going to your—”
Letting out a shout, Nancy shoved Ned hard. “Look out!”
The blow caught Ned by surprise. He stumbled backward, falling in a pile of manure. “What in the world—” he sputtered.
Quickly Nancy crouched beside him. “I am so sorry!” she apologized loudly, cutting him off. “But a wasp was buzzing around your head, and you know how allergic you are to wasps.”
“Oh, right,” Ned said quickly. “My allergies.” He glanced up at Klaus, who must have thought they’d both gone mad. “Thanks for saving me from the killer wasp, Nan.”
Nancy bit her lip to keep from laughing. Holding out her hand, she helped him up. The seat of his shorts was covered with manure.
“Oh, yuck. We’d better go back to the motel so you can change.” Nancy turned toward Klaus. “Thanks for the information. Make sure you tell Texel about Brackett and keep us posted on Michael.”
Grabbing Ned’s elbow, she hurried him out of the barn.
“Couldn’t you have thought of some other way to get my attention?” Ned complained playfully when they got outside.
“I’m sorry I pushed you, but I didn’t want Klaus to know we were going to his farm. Did you hear what he said?”
Ned nodded. “When you asked Klaus whether he recognized any of the guards, he said no. Then two sentences later he mentioned that Andy Brackett is too dense to plan a theft.”
Nancy stopped by the door of the Mustang. “Right! Only I never said Andy’s name. Which means that Klaus knows Andy and knows he’s working here.” Pulling her keys from her purse, she unlocked the door.
“Why do you think he did that?” Ned asked.
“Good question.” Nancy paused before opening the door. “Maybe Klaus knew he was working here all the time because he’d arranged it.”
Suddenly Nancy’s mind whirled back to the horse theft. She and Gilly had been sitting on the tack trunk. Gilly had been about to tell her something when they heard footsteps. Nancy clearly remembered the horror-struck expression on Gilly’s face when she saw that it was Klaus.
“Ned, I think I’ve figured out what Gilly was going to tell me,” Nancy exclaimed. “That Klaus Schaudt arranged the theft of his own horse!”
12
Puzzling Clues
“But why would Schaudt steal his own horse?” Ned asked.
Nancy shook her head as she got into the driver’s side of the Mustang. “I’m not sure. Perhaps Aristocrat’s insured against theft and Klaus hopes to collect on it.” She pulled a towel from the floor of the backseat and draped it over the passenger seat. “Here. Sit on this.” Climbing in, Ned lowered himself gingerly onto the towel.
“After you change, then we’ll go to Schaudt’s Iowa farm.” Nancy started the car. “I’d love to get a look at his files. If we can connect him to Brackett and find a reason for him to steal his own horse, we just might crack this case.”
They stopped at a fast-food restaurant on the way to the motel and got a take-out order. Even though it wasn’t quite lunchtime, the two were hungry after their quick breakfast. When they got to the motel, Nancy waited outside while Ned ran in and changed.
“You look better,” she told Ned ten minutes later when he climbed into the Mustang wearing clean jeans.
“Definitely an improvement,” Ned said, strapping on his seat belt as Nancy roared off. She’d gotten directions to Klaus’s other farm from Lee Anne. It was about a half hour’s drive.
Reaching behind him, Ned pulled the two paper bags from the backseat and handed one to Nancy. “Now for those burgers.”
Driving in silence, they concentrated on eating their lunch. The Illinois countryside was picturesque. Even though her mind was whirling with thoughts about the case, Nancy was able to relax—for the first time since she’d arrived at the horse park, she realized.
They took the first exit off the highway after crossing the state line into Iowa, then headed west on a winding road. The farm was just beyond the second left turn.
“Wow.” Ned whistled when Nancy steered the Mustang along the gravel drive. “Nice digs.”
White four-board fences ran parallel to the drive, enclosing lush pastures on both sides. In the field on their right, a dozen mares with foals grazed. On their left, a small band of yearlings romped.
When they topped a low hill, Nancy braked and let the car idle as she surveyed the farm below. The fencing ended at a large, very modern barn surrounded by trees. No cars or trucks were visible.
“Doesn’t look as if anyone’s here,” Nancy said.
“Good. I didn’t want to have to explain myself to some farmhand.”
