“Zeus! Apollo! Attack!” Klaus yelled, and an instant later the roar of the dogs followed by the trainer’s hoarse scream filled the barn.
15
Winners!
“Don’t look back!” Ned warned as he and Nancy ran toward the Mustang. As they reached the car, the wail of sirens filled the air.
Glancing up the drive, Nancy saw two police cars and Texel’s truck fly over the hill. With a gasp of relief, she sagged against the Mustang.
Ned ran toward the cars, waving his hands in the air. They screeched to a halt, and two Iowa State Highway Patrol officers jumped out.
“Inside the barn,” Ned told them breathlessly. “The dogs have Klaus Schaudt, the owner of the farm. Schaudt’s partner is in there, too. He’s injured.”
“Don’t hurt the dogs!” Nancy cried. “They saved our lives.”
The officers jogged into the barn just as Texel lumbered over. “What in tarnation is going on?” he thundered.
“Klaus was behind the theft of the horse,” Nancy explained.
Texel didn’t look surprised. “I never liked that pompous snob,” he muttered as he headed for the barn doors.
“Only it wasn’t Aristocrat that was stolen,” Nancy continued, striding beside him. “They substituted a horse that looked just like him.”
This stopped Texel in his tracks. “What?”
“It’s a long story,” Ned said. “When we figured out his scheme, Klaus decided to get rid of us—permanently.”
Texel glowered. “That snake. Come on. I want to make sure my officers get them.”
Ned and Nancy followed him into the barn. Andy Brackett was still slumped against the stall wall, holding a handkerchief to his bleeding lip. The dogs stood over him, licking his face and whining.
On the other side of the aisle, Klaus stood facing the wall, his head down. His shirt had been torn to shreds. One of the police officers was cuffing his hands.
When Klaus turned and saw Nancy and Ned, he barked, “That’s them. They’re the ones you should be arresting. They broke into my barn and tried to steal—”
“Save it for your lawyer, Schaudt,” Texel snapped. “Because you’re going to need one. Your groom already pointed the finger at you.”
“Gilly’s conscious?” Nancy asked excitedly.
“Yup. She told us that when she discovered the horse at the show wasn’t Aristocrat, she knew right away that Schaudt had to be involved. Then Lee Anne mentioned that you’d asked her for directions to Schaudt’s farm. That’s why we were able to arrive just in time.”
“How did Gilly figure out that Klaus was the thief?” Ned wondered.
“She knew that the only thing the guy loves besides money and himself is that horse,” Texel explained. “So she figured there was no way anyone could have switched animals without him knowing.”
“Bah,” Klaus spat. “The blow on Gilly’s head addled her brain. I’m telling you it was Brackett all along. He was in it with these two juvenile delinquents, so don’t believe a word any of them say.”
Texel only shook his head. “Klaus, you’ve been giving orders for so long, it’s hard for you to believe that, for once, no one’s going to jump when you bark. Especially since Gilly said she saw you the night she got whacked on the head.”
Klaus’s face turned white. “Nonsense!” he sputtered. “It was Brackett. He knew about the rasp in Michael’s trunk. He sneaked into the stall and hit Gilly before she even saw him.”
“Brackett may have whacked her, but she did see you. Before she lost consciousness, she spotted you smirking outside the stall.” Texel jerked his head to the two officers. “Get him out of here, and then come get Brackett. Take them to the county police station. I’ll be there in a minute, and we’ll see how many charges Iowa and Illinois can pin on them.”
Flanking Klaus, the two officers led him out of the barn. Nancy could hear his bellowing protests the whole way.
“What will happen to Andy Brackett?” Ned asked. The guard was still slumped on the floor, the two dogs lying by his side.
“He did try to save our lives,” Nancy pointed out.
“We’ll see how willing he is to talk,” Texel said. “If Brackett gives us enough information to nail Klaus as the mastermind, maybe the police will go easy on him. Personally I want to see the greedy Herr Schaudt go to jail for a long time.”
“Me, too,” Nancy said.
“Curio has never looked better,” Nancy told Lee Anne Monday morning. The two were sitting on the hillside, watching Michael and Curio perform a fabulous test. “You did a great job of keeping him in shape for Michael.”
“Thanks,” Lee Anne said, but her attention was on Michael and Curio. The duo had completed a high-stepping trot in place. Bursts of enthusiastic clapping from the audience had accompanied each movement the horse performed, so Nancy figured the pair must be doing well.
Nancy had to give Michael some credit. Yesterday afternoon, when he got out of jail, his mind had been focused on only one thing—riding this test. Nancy hadn’t liked the way he ignored everything and everybody, but she finally understood that it was the only way he was able to emerge a winner.
Glancing to her left, she scanned the crowd. Bess and Ned had gone to pick up Gilly from the hospital while Nancy helped Michael and Lee Anne with the horses. Even though the doctors had told Gilly to go home to rest, the groom had insisted on coming to the event.
Nancy saw Ned, Bess, and Gilly on the opposite side of the arena. Gunter had joined the trio as they watched the last minutes of Michael’s test. When Gilly spotted Nancy, she waved excitedly. Except for the white bandage wrapped on her head, the groom looked great.
Michael trotted Curio into the center of the arena, halted, and saluted the judge. With a roar of approval, the crowd stood and applauded him.
“That was the best test he’s ever ridden!” Lee Anne exclaimed, tears of happiness and pride filling her eyes. “I’m going down to join him.”
She ran ahead. Nancy made her way through the horses, riders, and spectators until she found Gilly, Bess, Gunter, and Ned. “You look great!” she told Gilly.
