Mystery Ride Read Free Page B

the other members of Veronica’s team, looked back and forth from May to Veronica, unable to decide whether to be sympathetic. Their faces changed expression depending on where they were looking.
    “It’s for real,” Lisa whispered to Stevie and Carole. “Max would never involve the police in a fake mystery.”
    Stevie crossed her arms, looking from May to Max and back again. True, Max looked genuinely worried. But after all, as they all knew, Max could be diabolically clever at times.
    “Who says May really called the police?” asked Stevie. “What if it’s all part of the fake mystery? After all, we’re up against Max.”
    As if Max heard her, he stood up and said to the group, “I want to impress one thing on you all. May’s problem is real. It’s not part of the pretend mystery. It’s not a game.”
    “See?” Lisa whispered to Stevie and Carole.
    “You forget that we’re dealing with a supremely devious mind,” Stevie whispered back.
    Deborah pulled a tissue from her pocket and wiped May’s face.
    “This doesn’t mean you have to miss the weekend, May,” Deborah said. “I know your old saddle doesn’t fit Macaroni, but you can borrow a Pine Hollow saddle. In fact, I have one in mind, a nice hunting saddle with a square cantle.” The Saddle Club exchanged grins. It wasn’t long ago that Deborah had been a complete stranger to horses. In fact, she had been nervous and tense around them. Now she was talking like a pro.
    “Very convincing,” came Veronica’s sarcastic voice.
    Deborah looked up, annoyed. “Who said that?”
    “I did,” said Veronica. “You rehearsed this whole thing ahead of time. And I must say you did a very nice job. Those tears were almost convincing,” she said to May, who flushed. “You almost fooled me. But you didn’t. I can now solve the mystery.” Veronica threw Stevie a superior look. “The mystery is that there is no mystery. May’s saddle wasn’t really stolen. It’s all a phony.”
    “You’re a phony,” May cried.
    This did not seem to bother Veronica in the slightest. “I stand by my analysis,” she said smugly. “You can outsmart the others”—she threw another look at Stevie—“but you can’t outsmart me.”
    “I hope someone takes your saddle next, and then you’ll know what it feels like,” May said passionately.
    Veronica tossed her head. “I don’t think so.” She lookedcalm, but Stevie could see a flicker of worry in Veronica’s eyes. What if there
was
a saddle thief? What if the thief was in the Pine Hollow tack room at this minute?
    Stevie gasped. The saddle that she’d gotten for Belle was in the tack room. It was almost new, but already it was beginning to conform to the curves of Belle’s back, and it was as comfortable to Stevie as a favorite pair of shoes.
    Everyone else must have had the same thought, because there was a mad stampede toward the stairs.
    “Riders,” called Max. But for once nobody listened to him. The stairs were jammed with riders heading for the tack room.
    They rushed through the feed room into the tack room, where there were shouts of joy as Pony Clubbers saw that their saddles were still there. Slowly, the sound of panic changed into happy chattering.
    “Whew,” said Amie with her arms around her saddle. “At least we can ride out now and look for May’s saddle.”
    Veronica was standing casually next to her custom-made saddle. She was smiling as if she’d never been worried at all.
    “I told you there’s nothing to worry about,” said Veronica, her voice cutting through the happy din. “It’s pure, unadulterated nonsense.” Suddenly she frowned. “Wait a second,” she said. “Something’s missing.”
    “Like your brain?” said A.J.
    Veronica looked at an empty rack, wrinkling her forehead. “Whose saddle goes there?” The saddles at Pine Hollow belonged to individual horses. There were no common saddles.
    Veronica put a red fingernail on the label underneath the saddle rack.