Read Online The Mystery of the Headless Horse by William Arden - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: William Arden
Tags: child_det
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land when those dogs chased us here.”
“Oh, sure.” Skinny sneered. “They’d have to lie, Sheriff.”
“You’re the liar, Skinny Norris!” Pete raged.
“Sheriff,” Bob went on, “if we were on Mr. Norris’s land when those dogs chased us, how come the dogs are soaking wet? It isn’t raining just now.”
“Wet?” The sheriff looked at the dogs.
“Yes,” Bob said firmly, “because they swam the reservoir to chase us, and that pond, and the whole creek above the dam, is on Alvaro land!”
Cody reddened and blustered. “You gonna listen to them kids, Sheriff? The dogs got wet earlier, yeah.”
“Well,” the sheriff said, looking hard at Cody, “those wet dogs make your story kind of shaky, Cody. I hope the evidence you got me out here to see is better.”
“It is,” Cody growled. “Come on, I’ve got it in my wagon down the road.”
“What evidence?” Bob asked as Cody and the sheriff walked away down the road.
“Wouldn’t you like to know!” Skinny sneered.
The boys and Skinny glared at each other as they waited under the oak trees for the sheriff. When he returned alone some fifteen minutes later, he was carrying a large brown paper bag. He nodded grimly to Diego and the Investigators.
“All right, you boys can go for now. I don’t know who’s telling the truth, but I’ve already warned Cody to keep his dogs on his own land, and now I’m warning you not to trespass.”
Diego and Pete opened their mouths to protest, but Bob spoke quickly first:
“Yes, sir, we’ll remember.”Then he added innocently, “Can you tell us what’s in that bag, sir?”
“That’s none of your business, Bob Andrews,” the sheriff snapped. “Now get out of here!”
Reluctantly, the three boys left. They circled the dogs warily, and went back across the dam to the road and their bikes. The rain began to fall heavily again as they rode down the Alvaro’s dirt road to the ruins of the hacienda a mile away.
As they passed the ruins, they saw Pico. He was walking slowly around among the burned rooms of the house as if searching for anything that might have been spared by the flames. “Find anything?” called Pete, as the boys rode up towards the burned-out hacienda.
Pico looked up, startled and then embarrassed. “I’m looking for the Cortés Sword,” he admitted. “It occurred to me that if Don Sebastián had hidden it, he might have hidden it in the hacienda. And with the house burned out, it might be revealed now. Metal does not burn in a wood fire, so the sword would be easy to find. But,” and he looked around at the skeletal walls remaining, “there is no sword here.” He kicked angrily at some roof tiles on the floor.
“But Condor Castle is here, Pico!” Diego cried. “We found it!”
The boys quickly reported their discovery of the old map and the location of Condor Castle, and their search of the ridge near the dam. Pico’s dark eyes gleamed at first, but slowly faded as the boys had to admit their failure to find any trace of a hiding place near the big rock on the ridge.
“Then what good is your location of Condor Castle? You found nothing! You’re no better off than you were.”
“No, that’s not true,” Bob declared. “Next to finding the sword, we’ve made the most important discovery of all.”
“What is that, Bob?” Pico demanded.
“That Don Sebastián did plan to hide the sword for his son José!” Bob said. “Condor Castle was only on the very oldest map. It had nothing to do with where Don Sebastián was or where he lived, so there was no reason to put it on that letter except as a clue. A clue to tell José where to look for something, and the only thing worth all that was the Cortés Sword!”
“Perhaps,” Pico acknowledged, “but you still — ”
Before Pico could continue, two cars came up the dirt road of the ranch and roared into the hacienda yard. The first was the Norris ranch wagon, and the second was the sheriff’s car. Cody and
“Oh, sure.” Skinny sneered. “They’d have to lie, Sheriff.”
“You’re the liar, Skinny Norris!” Pete raged.
“Sheriff,” Bob went on, “if we were on Mr. Norris’s land when those dogs chased us, how come the dogs are soaking wet? It isn’t raining just now.”
“Wet?” The sheriff looked at the dogs.
“Yes,” Bob said firmly, “because they swam the reservoir to chase us, and that pond, and the whole creek above the dam, is on Alvaro land!”
Cody reddened and blustered. “You gonna listen to them kids, Sheriff? The dogs got wet earlier, yeah.”
“Well,” the sheriff said, looking hard at Cody, “those wet dogs make your story kind of shaky, Cody. I hope the evidence you got me out here to see is better.”
“It is,” Cody growled. “Come on, I’ve got it in my wagon down the road.”
“What evidence?” Bob asked as Cody and the sheriff walked away down the road.
“Wouldn’t you like to know!” Skinny sneered.
The boys and Skinny glared at each other as they waited under the oak trees for the sheriff. When he returned alone some fifteen minutes later, he was carrying a large brown paper bag. He nodded grimly to Diego and the Investigators.
“All right, you boys can go for now. I don’t know who’s telling the truth, but I’ve already warned Cody to keep his dogs on his own land, and now I’m warning you not to trespass.”
Diego and Pete opened their mouths to protest, but Bob spoke quickly first:
“Yes, sir, we’ll remember.”Then he added innocently, “Can you tell us what’s in that bag, sir?”
“That’s none of your business, Bob Andrews,” the sheriff snapped. “Now get out of here!”
Reluctantly, the three boys left. They circled the dogs warily, and went back across the dam to the road and their bikes. The rain began to fall heavily again as they rode down the Alvaro’s dirt road to the ruins of the hacienda a mile away.
As they passed the ruins, they saw Pico. He was walking slowly around among the burned rooms of the house as if searching for anything that might have been spared by the flames. “Find anything?” called Pete, as the boys rode up towards the burned-out hacienda.
Pico looked up, startled and then embarrassed. “I’m looking for the Cortés Sword,” he admitted. “It occurred to me that if Don Sebastián had hidden it, he might have hidden it in the hacienda. And with the house burned out, it might be revealed now. Metal does not burn in a wood fire, so the sword would be easy to find. But,” and he looked around at the skeletal walls remaining, “there is no sword here.” He kicked angrily at some roof tiles on the floor.
“But Condor Castle is here, Pico!” Diego cried. “We found it!”
The boys quickly reported their discovery of the old map and the location of Condor Castle, and their search of the ridge near the dam. Pico’s dark eyes gleamed at first, but slowly faded as the boys had to admit their failure to find any trace of a hiding place near the big rock on the ridge.
“Then what good is your location of Condor Castle? You found nothing! You’re no better off than you were.”
“No, that’s not true,” Bob declared. “Next to finding the sword, we’ve made the most important discovery of all.”
“What is that, Bob?” Pico demanded.
“That Don Sebastián did plan to hide the sword for his son José!” Bob said. “Condor Castle was only on the very oldest map. It had nothing to do with where Don Sebastián was or where he lived, so there was no reason to put it on that letter except as a clue. A clue to tell José where to look for something, and the only thing worth all that was the Cortés Sword!”
“Perhaps,” Pico acknowledged, “but you still — ”
Before Pico could continue, two cars came up the dirt road of the ranch and roared into the hacienda yard. The first was the Norris ranch wagon, and the second was the sheriff’s car. Cody and
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