“Maybe not, but he must have been awfully pleased with all the work Donald’s been getting done these last few days. I’ve never seen anybody run as fast carrying tack as he does.”
“Awfully fast,” Carole agreed. “But remember how careless he was with the wheelbarrow around Topside? Sometimes he seems terrific. Other times he just seems terrifically rushed. I can’t make him out. Can you, Stevie?”
“Hmmm?” Stevie looked up distractedly from the menu she’d picked up. “Did you know they have a new flavor? White chocolate almond?”
Carole was a little annoyed that Stevie was more interestedin the menu than she was in Carole’s thoughts about Donald, but she dismissed her irritation. They had all worked hard and deserved a treat. And creating treats at TD’s was a lot of work for Stevie.
“So, how are we going to tell people about the horses?” Lisa asked, coming to the subject.
“And about Veronica?” Carole added. “Stevie?” she asked, trying to draw Stevie’s attention from the menu, which, aside from white chocolate almond, never changed much.
“Right,” Stevie said, putting down the menu. “What are we going to tell them? Well, with any luck, we won’t have to tell them.”
“How’s that?” Lisa asked.
“One of two things will happen,” Stevie said. “The first is that the horsenappers will get in touch with the diAngelos again and/or with Alicia or Mr. Feeney, and somebody will pay the ransom and then that person and/or those people may and/or may not get his or her horse back but that doesn’t matter because once the diAngelos know, then the cat is out of the bag because Alicia and Mr. Feeney already know and the only thing that will ever be a mystery is what happened to the first note from the horsenappers?”
Carole looked at Lisa. “Did you follow that?” she asked.
Lisa nodded. “But wait, there’s more.”
“And the other thing that could happen is that we will discover the whereabouts of the three horses and Veronica and we’ll manage it in a way that nobody will ever know that we knew that something was wrong.”
“I like that one better,” Carole said. “We get to be heroines.” Thoughts of photographs in newspapers, awards, and rewards floated through her mind. She was about to share those thoughts with her friends when they were interrupted.
“Ready to order?” the waitress asked. The girls nodded.
Lisa ordered first. “I’ll have a dish of chocolate mint chip,” she said. The waitress nodded and jotted down the order.
“I’ll have a small hot fudge on vanilla,” Carole said. The waitress wrote that down, too.
All eyes turned to Stevie, whose eyes seemed to be glued to something behind Carole and Lisa.
“Vanilla,” Stevie said.
Everybody was surprised, but the most surprised appeared to be Stevie. The waitress disappeared before Stevie could say anything else.
“What’s the matter?” Lisa asked. She’d never known Stevie to order plain vanilla before.
“Yeah, what is it?” Carole asked.
“Veronica,” Stevie said numbly.
“Just because Veronica is missing you’re changing the way you eat?” Carole asked.
“No, not because she’s missing,” Stevie said, still apparently staring off into space. “Because she isn’t.” Then Carole and Lisa turned around and looked where Stevie had been looking. There, sauntering into TD’s, was none other than Veronica diAngelo.
“No ropes, no gag,” Stevie said.
“There isn’t even a tough guy behind her holding a gun,” Lisa observed.
“No apparent bruising,” Carole added.
“She’s wearing her hair a little differently,” Lisa said. “She doesn’t usually pull it up and away from her face like that.”
“There must be a reason,” Carole said.
“But it probably doesn’t have to do with kidnappers,” Stevie concluded.
Veronica continued her sauntering, right over to The Saddle Club’s table. “Well, hello,” she greeted them all too sweetly. “Are you
“Awfully fast,” Carole agreed. “But remember how careless he was with the wheelbarrow around Topside? Sometimes he seems terrific. Other times he just seems terrifically rushed. I can’t make him out. Can you, Stevie?”
“Hmmm?” Stevie looked up distractedly from the menu she’d picked up. “Did you know they have a new flavor? White chocolate almond?”
Carole was a little annoyed that Stevie was more interestedin the menu than she was in Carole’s thoughts about Donald, but she dismissed her irritation. They had all worked hard and deserved a treat. And creating treats at TD’s was a lot of work for Stevie.
“So, how are we going to tell people about the horses?” Lisa asked, coming to the subject.
“And about Veronica?” Carole added. “Stevie?” she asked, trying to draw Stevie’s attention from the menu, which, aside from white chocolate almond, never changed much.
“Right,” Stevie said, putting down the menu. “What are we going to tell them? Well, with any luck, we won’t have to tell them.”
“How’s that?” Lisa asked.
“One of two things will happen,” Stevie said. “The first is that the horsenappers will get in touch with the diAngelos again and/or with Alicia or Mr. Feeney, and somebody will pay the ransom and then that person and/or those people may and/or may not get his or her horse back but that doesn’t matter because once the diAngelos know, then the cat is out of the bag because Alicia and Mr. Feeney already know and the only thing that will ever be a mystery is what happened to the first note from the horsenappers?”
Carole looked at Lisa. “Did you follow that?” she asked.
Lisa nodded. “But wait, there’s more.”
“And the other thing that could happen is that we will discover the whereabouts of the three horses and Veronica and we’ll manage it in a way that nobody will ever know that we knew that something was wrong.”
“I like that one better,” Carole said. “We get to be heroines.” Thoughts of photographs in newspapers, awards, and rewards floated through her mind. She was about to share those thoughts with her friends when they were interrupted.
“Ready to order?” the waitress asked. The girls nodded.
Lisa ordered first. “I’ll have a dish of chocolate mint chip,” she said. The waitress nodded and jotted down the order.
“I’ll have a small hot fudge on vanilla,” Carole said. The waitress wrote that down, too.
All eyes turned to Stevie, whose eyes seemed to be glued to something behind Carole and Lisa.
“Vanilla,” Stevie said.
Everybody was surprised, but the most surprised appeared to be Stevie. The waitress disappeared before Stevie could say anything else.
“What’s the matter?” Lisa asked. She’d never known Stevie to order plain vanilla before.
“Yeah, what is it?” Carole asked.
“Veronica,” Stevie said numbly.
“Just because Veronica is missing you’re changing the way you eat?” Carole asked.
“No, not because she’s missing,” Stevie said, still apparently staring off into space. “Because she isn’t.” Then Carole and Lisa turned around and looked where Stevie had been looking. There, sauntering into TD’s, was none other than Veronica diAngelo.
“No ropes, no gag,” Stevie said.
“There isn’t even a tough guy behind her holding a gun,” Lisa observed.
“No apparent bruising,” Carole added.
“She’s wearing her hair a little differently,” Lisa said. “She doesn’t usually pull it up and away from her face like that.”
“There must be a reason,” Carole said.
“But it probably doesn’t have to do with kidnappers,” Stevie concluded.
Veronica continued her sauntering, right over to The Saddle Club’s table. “Well, hello,” she greeted them all too sweetly. “Are you
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