know?” She thumped the startled Lisa on the back. “Right, Lisa?”
“Oh, uh, right,” Lisa said. She held up her camera. “See?”
“So she wanted to get a few more pictures of Garamond,” Stevie continued, gathering confidence now. “The light wasn’t very good in here last night. There wasn’t anyone around when we came in, but we thought it would all right if we just came and took a few quick pictures. Then when Lisa took off her lens cap, she dropped it and it rolled away behind those bales.”
“And all three of you had to go back and get it,” Kelly finished, still looking suspicious.
“Well, she couldn’t find it at first,” Stevie said lamely. “We were helping her.”
“How long were you back there anyway?” Kelly demanded.
Stevie cocked an eyebrow at her. “Not long. Why do you ask?”
Kelly frowned at her. “No reason.” She nodded at Garamond. “You can take a couple of pictures if you hurry. But then you’ll have to leave. We don’t want him to get overexcited with too many visitors before the race.”
Stevie nudged Lisa in the ribs. “Oh, uh, okay,” Lisa stammered, raising her camera. She removed the lens cap and began her usual fiddling.
“Just get the picture, will you, Lisa,” Carole said, tryingto sound casual. She watched as Lulu the chicken strolled over to the stall next to Garamond’s and flapped her way up onto the top of the half-door. A chestnut horse moved over to the door and snuffled at the bird.
Kelly noticed where Carole was looking. “Lulu is Miss Philippa’s pet,” she explained.
“Does Garamond have a pet?” Carole asked curiously, watching the chicken.
“No,” Kelly said shortly.
Just then Lisa finally snapped Garamond’s picture. “Got it,” she announced, sounding relieved.
“All right, that’s all,” Kelly said. “You’ve got to leave. And it would be better if you didn’t come around here again before the race.” She shooed them toward the door.
The red-faced Saddle Club didn’t have to be told twice. They scurried for the door.
Once safely outside, they stopped to catch their breath.
“Well, that was embarrassing,” Lisa said, still blushing.
“Yeah, but did you see Kelly’s face when she caught us?” Stevie exclaimed, her eyes bright. “She had guilt written all over her! She was obviously afraid that we’d seen or heard something incriminating.”
Carole shrugged. “She did seem pretty nervous about something,” she admitted. “I think we can consider it a clue. Write it down, Lisa.”
Lisa flipped open the notebook and jotted down a few words. “It may be a clue, but it’s far from being hardevidence,” she said. “We can’t accuse someone of horse poisoning just because she seems a little nervous.”
“The more clues we get, the closer we are to finding the culprit,” Stevie said wisely.
Lisa rolled her eyes. “All right, all right. Just promise me one thing.”
“What’s that?” Stevie asked.
“Promise me that if and when we do figure out this thing, you’ll stop using words like ‘culprit.’ ”
Stevie grinned. Usually Lisa, the A student, was the one who used fifty-cent words like “culprit.” “It’s a deal,” she promised.
Suddenly Carole gasped. “Don’t look now,” she warned. “But here comes one of our suspects.”
Her friends turned and saw the wiry little man they’d encountered earlier. He was walking quickly toward them, his hands shoved deep in the pockets of his jeans and his eyes trained on the ground in front of him. His face wore a deep frown beneath the rim of his baseball cap.
The girls shrank back against the stable wall behind them. “Quick, Lisa,” Stevie whispered urgently. “Get his picture.”
Lisa fumbled with her camera, trying to focus on the fast-moving man. Less than a dozen yards from the girls, his face was perfectly framed by the camera’s viewfinder. “Got him!” Lisa whispered triumphantly. She pressed the button to take the
“Oh, uh, right,” Lisa said. She held up her camera. “See?”
“So she wanted to get a few more pictures of Garamond,” Stevie continued, gathering confidence now. “The light wasn’t very good in here last night. There wasn’t anyone around when we came in, but we thought it would all right if we just came and took a few quick pictures. Then when Lisa took off her lens cap, she dropped it and it rolled away behind those bales.”
“And all three of you had to go back and get it,” Kelly finished, still looking suspicious.
“Well, she couldn’t find it at first,” Stevie said lamely. “We were helping her.”
“How long were you back there anyway?” Kelly demanded.
Stevie cocked an eyebrow at her. “Not long. Why do you ask?”
Kelly frowned at her. “No reason.” She nodded at Garamond. “You can take a couple of pictures if you hurry. But then you’ll have to leave. We don’t want him to get overexcited with too many visitors before the race.”
Stevie nudged Lisa in the ribs. “Oh, uh, okay,” Lisa stammered, raising her camera. She removed the lens cap and began her usual fiddling.
“Just get the picture, will you, Lisa,” Carole said, tryingto sound casual. She watched as Lulu the chicken strolled over to the stall next to Garamond’s and flapped her way up onto the top of the half-door. A chestnut horse moved over to the door and snuffled at the bird.
Kelly noticed where Carole was looking. “Lulu is Miss Philippa’s pet,” she explained.
“Does Garamond have a pet?” Carole asked curiously, watching the chicken.
“No,” Kelly said shortly.
Just then Lisa finally snapped Garamond’s picture. “Got it,” she announced, sounding relieved.
“All right, that’s all,” Kelly said. “You’ve got to leave. And it would be better if you didn’t come around here again before the race.” She shooed them toward the door.
The red-faced Saddle Club didn’t have to be told twice. They scurried for the door.
Once safely outside, they stopped to catch their breath.
“Well, that was embarrassing,” Lisa said, still blushing.
“Yeah, but did you see Kelly’s face when she caught us?” Stevie exclaimed, her eyes bright. “She had guilt written all over her! She was obviously afraid that we’d seen or heard something incriminating.”
Carole shrugged. “She did seem pretty nervous about something,” she admitted. “I think we can consider it a clue. Write it down, Lisa.”
Lisa flipped open the notebook and jotted down a few words. “It may be a clue, but it’s far from being hardevidence,” she said. “We can’t accuse someone of horse poisoning just because she seems a little nervous.”
“The more clues we get, the closer we are to finding the culprit,” Stevie said wisely.
Lisa rolled her eyes. “All right, all right. Just promise me one thing.”
“What’s that?” Stevie asked.
“Promise me that if and when we do figure out this thing, you’ll stop using words like ‘culprit.’ ”
Stevie grinned. Usually Lisa, the A student, was the one who used fifty-cent words like “culprit.” “It’s a deal,” she promised.
Suddenly Carole gasped. “Don’t look now,” she warned. “But here comes one of our suspects.”
Her friends turned and saw the wiry little man they’d encountered earlier. He was walking quickly toward them, his hands shoved deep in the pockets of his jeans and his eyes trained on the ground in front of him. His face wore a deep frown beneath the rim of his baseball cap.
The girls shrank back against the stable wall behind them. “Quick, Lisa,” Stevie whispered urgently. “Get his picture.”
Lisa fumbled with her camera, trying to focus on the fast-moving man. Less than a dozen yards from the girls, his face was perfectly framed by the camera’s viewfinder. “Got him!” Lisa whispered triumphantly. She pressed the button to take the
Similar Books
