Mystery Ride Read Free Page A

come yet. Within seconds the teams were sitting in groups on the floor, waiting for Max to give them instructions.
    “To solve this crime you will need good horse sense,good horsemanship, and brilliant detective work,” Max said.
    Carole noticed that Amie, Jackie, and Jessica were looking nervous. She resolved to help them as much as she could.
    “First, the mystery rules,” Max said. “Clues have to be left where they’re found so that other riders can find them. But a team doesn’t have to tell about a clue. It’s perfectly okay to keep that information secret. On Sunday, at our final lunch, the prize will be awarded. And now …”
    There was a clatter on the stairs. The riders turned.
    May Grover appeared. Her eyes were red. Her cheeks were tear-stained.
    “The worst …,” she said, and started to cry.
    “What?” said Max.
    “My saddle is gone!” May wailed.

G REAT CLUE
, L ISA thought. The MW was off to a flying start.
    “Was it your new saddle?” asked Jasmine.
    May nodded.
    “The one your grandparents bought you?” asked Amie.
    Tears streamed down May’s face.
    Lisa was astounded at how well May played this role. Lisa had done some acting, so she knew how hard it could be.
    Carole shook her head. Maybe this wasn’t part of the pretend crime—it seemed so real, she thought.
    “May,” came a voice from the stairs. Deborah, Max’swife, came running to the top of the stairs, her red hair flying. “I saw you crying. What’s wrong?”
    May dived into Deborah’s arms. “My new saddle, the one my grandparents gave me, is gone.”
    May’s saddle was German-made and expensive, Lisa knew. Losing it was a dire event.
    “I never got around to putting my nameplate on the back,” May moaned.
    Lots of riders put brass name tags on the back of their saddles so they could identify them in a crowded tack room.
    “It was an Olympia,” May said. The other riders murmured with sympathy. An Olympia was ideal for cross-country, with a deep seat and narrow back. For many riders it was a dream saddle.
    Max knelt down next to May and said gently, “Start from the beginning, May. Tell us what happened.”
    “When I got Macaroni, my old saddle didn’t fit,” May said. May had outgrown her old pony, Luna, so her parents had recently bought her a new one, Macaroni. “And then my grandparents bought me the new saddle for my birthday. It’s almost grown-up size,” May said. She gulped.
    “I know you were taking good care of it,” Max said. Everyone at Pine Hollow knew that May was a serious rider who took pride in her equipment.
    “It was in the tack room in our stable this morning,” May said. “I got up early to clean it especially for the Mystery Weekend. I’m sure I put it back on the rack, but this afternoon it was gone.”
    “Was anyone home during the day?” Max said.
    “My mom,” May said. “She was home all day. She didn’t go into the barn, but there weren’t any cars or anything. The saddle just disappeared.” May began to cry again.
    “Was anything else taken?” Lisa asked. She knew that May’s father was a horse trainer, so the family certainly owned other saddles, probably good ones.
    May shook her head. “They didn’t take my father’s Siegfried.” A Siegfried was what was known as a lifetime saddle. Even used, its resale value was excellent. “Or my mother’s saddle, which is practically new. Or the CD player.”
    “I suppose you called the police,” said Veronica with a superior smile.
    May nodded. “Officer Kent came.”
    “I know him. He’s an excellent officer. What did he say?” Max asked.
    “He said there wasn’t much he could do. He said saddles are really easy to sell. And … and …”
    “What?” said Max softly.
    “He doesn’t think I’ll get my saddle back.”
    At this everybody started talking and asking questions, except for Veronica, who stood back with a smug smile on her face to show she was above this melodrama. Betsy and Polly, who were