Read Online Blaze and the Dark Rider by Stacy Gregg - Free Book Online

the next thing Issie saw was Avery and Mr Willets running. Mr Willets had a terrified expression on his face.
    “I’ll get the first-aid kit,” Mrs Brown shouted after them, and she turned and ran into the clubhouse.
    Avery made a grab for Eddie’s reins. The gelding was panicked but seemed fine. Annabel, meanwhile, had regained consciousness, but was crying in pain.
    “I think she’s got a broken leg,” Mr Willets called out to Tom. “She can’t move it.”
    “What happened?” Stella was watching open-mouthed. “She just seemed to go flying when they took the last pole.”
    “I think this answers the question,” Avery said to the girls as he led Eddie back over towards them. In his left hand he held up a stirrup leather.
    Issie looked at it and realised that the leathers had broken clean in two. “It must have been loose stitching.”
    Avery shook his head as he examined the leathers. “But these leathers are brand new! And they’re good ones, too. It looks like the leather was cut. I don’t understand it!”
    Issie looked at Stella and Kate. “I think I understand it,” she muttered to them. “The tack room. Last night, remember? Annabel’s gear has been sabotaged! Maybe the intruder wasn’t trying to get to Blaze after all…”

Chapter 7
    That Wednesday night, in the Riders Lounge at the Chevalier Point Pony Club, a secret meeting took place. The big, tattered armchairs were arranged in a tight circle around the coffee table, and in the chairs sat Kate, Stella, Isadora and Ben. The sound of the front door opening suddenly made all four of them jump in their seats, and then collectively breathe a sigh of relief as Dan walked in through the clubroom door.
    “Good! We’re all here, then, we can get started at last,” Stella said. She popped up from her chair as Dan sat down in his and paced the floor around the wooden coffee table, looking serious.
    “Get started on what, Stella?” Dan smiled. “Whaton earth is all this about? Mum had to drop me off here and I had to tell her it was a team tactics meeting for the Interclub Shield. Now, what’s going on?”
    Stella scanned the room as if she was checking to make sure no one else was here to snoop on their conversation, then she paused again, clearly enjoying the dramatic moment, before she finally spoke: “We’re here to solve the mystery, of course. We’re here to figure out who sabotaged Annabel’s stirrup leather.” She paused again then added, “The five of us must solve the crime or who knows who might be next!”
    There was a muffled laugh from Ben, who had to stick his hand over his face at this point, and then Kate, who was trying to suppress a case of the giggles, completely lost it and doubled over with laughter.
    “Kate, this is serious!” Stella looked darkly at her.
    “Oh, for goodness sake, Stella. We’re not the Famous Five!” Kate blurted out before succumbing with the others, who were rolling about in fits of giggles.
    “Ohh! It’s like
Scooby Doo!”
Ben wheezed, his hand on his chest as he tried to pull himself together and breathe between giggle attacks.
    Stella glared at them, her hands on her hips.“Come on! Issie, you tell them. You heard what Avery said—that stirrup leather was no accident. And you said yourself that you thought other riders could be in danger. I don’t think there’s anything funny about us trying to find out who did it.”
    “No, Stella is right,” Issie agreed. “This is real. Someone cut that stirrup leather. Annabel said afterwards that she had just bought new ones last month, so there is no way that the leather snapped by itself.”
    “Has anyone seen Annabel? Is she OK?” Ben asked.
    “The three of us went to visit her in hospital yesterday,” Issie said. “They’ve put her leg in a big long cast that goes all the way to her hip. The doctor said she won’t be able to ride again for at least six weeks.”
    “Poor Annabel,” Kate sighed. “And Eddie was going so