Read Online The Ringmaster's Secret by Carolyn G. Keene - Free Book Online
Authors: Carolyn G. Keene
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car and called at the top of her voice, “Star! Whoa! Come back!”
The mare must have heard Nancy. The hoofbeats and crashing of underbrush stopped. Nancy and Ned heard a frantic “Giddap! Giddap!” But there was still no sound from the horse.
Quickly Nancy reached into the car and pulled a flashlight from the glove compartment. She turned it on and waved it back and forth high in the air. “Star!” she called, “come back!”
Suddenly there was a sound of hoofbeats. A moment later the car’s headlights picked up the oncoming horse. It was Belgian Star with Hitch, the groom, astride her!
The mare stopped at the edge of the brook. In desperation, Hitch jumped from Belgian Star and ran off into the woods.
“I’ll get that guy!” Ned yelled. He waded into the stream. When he reached the other side, he plunged into the woods after his quarry.
Belgian Star crossed the stream and came to stand quietly at Nancy’s side. Nancy was stroking the horse when she heard a yell. Quickly she mounted the mare, rode across the stream and into the woods.
Playing the flashlight around she caught sight of Ned. He was kneeling beside Hitch, who seemed to be unconscious.
“Just as I reached him, he stumbled and fell,” Ned explained. “He hit his head on a stone and blacked out.”
Nancy and Ned managed to swing the unconscious man across Belgian Star’s back and made their way to the car. There they held a consultation. Ned would ride the horse with Hitch while Nancy drove the car back to the riding academy.
Hitch did not regain consciousness until after Ned had carried him inside the building and laid him on the floor. Together, Nancy and Ned securely tied their prisoner with pieces of harness.
Screaming like a madman, Hitch cried out that he had done nothing and they had no right to tie him.
“Hitch,” said Ned, “you have plenty to account for. You’d better start talking.”
The groom insisted he had nothing to say.
“If you don’t want to tell us, you can give your story to the police,” Nancy said, heading for a pay telephone that hung on the wall.
“Star, come back!” Nancy called.
Ned followed her. “I’ll call Chief McGinnis,” he offered. “You see if you can get anything out of Hitch.”
Returning to the prisoner, Nancy asked him why he had tried to strangle her with the whip at the circus.
The man’s eyes bulged from his head. “How’d you know I did that?” he asked.
“And why did you throw the stone at me and the ball at the circus rider, except that you don’t like people to do trick riding?” she went on.
“I ain’t talkin’.”
Ned returned to say that Chief McGinnis himself was coming to take charge of Hitch. Nancy and Ned walked over to the door to watch for him.
Presently Ned remarked, “I’m surprised these valuable horses are left unguarded.”
“You’re right,” said Nancy. “Roberto has an apartment upstairs. He must be away.”
Suddenly a frightening thought came to Nancy. “Ned,” she said, “I’m worried. Would you mind going upstairs to be sure Roberto is not there?”
Ned looked at her, reading her mind. Without replying, he clicked on a second-floor light and dashed up the narrow stairs that led from the stable.
A moment later he cried out, “Nancy, come up here quickly!”
CHAPTER X
The Clue in the Scrapbook
NANCY winced at the sight that met her eyes when she reached the second floor. There lay Senor Roberto, bound and gagged!
He wore no shirt and across his chest, his face, and neck were a series of red, angry welts. He had been whipped!
Ned removed the gag. Nancy sprang forward to help untie the bonds that held the man’s arms close to his side. Next, they cut the cords that bound his ankles together.
“I’ll get some water,” Nancy offered, “and see if I can find the first-aid kit.”
“I think Roberto should go to a hospital,” Ned told her.
“The police will be here any minute. Perhaps they’ll take him,” she
The mare must have heard Nancy. The hoofbeats and crashing of underbrush stopped. Nancy and Ned heard a frantic “Giddap! Giddap!” But there was still no sound from the horse.
Quickly Nancy reached into the car and pulled a flashlight from the glove compartment. She turned it on and waved it back and forth high in the air. “Star!” she called, “come back!”
Suddenly there was a sound of hoofbeats. A moment later the car’s headlights picked up the oncoming horse. It was Belgian Star with Hitch, the groom, astride her!
The mare stopped at the edge of the brook. In desperation, Hitch jumped from Belgian Star and ran off into the woods.
“I’ll get that guy!” Ned yelled. He waded into the stream. When he reached the other side, he plunged into the woods after his quarry.
Belgian Star crossed the stream and came to stand quietly at Nancy’s side. Nancy was stroking the horse when she heard a yell. Quickly she mounted the mare, rode across the stream and into the woods.
Playing the flashlight around she caught sight of Ned. He was kneeling beside Hitch, who seemed to be unconscious.
“Just as I reached him, he stumbled and fell,” Ned explained. “He hit his head on a stone and blacked out.”
Nancy and Ned managed to swing the unconscious man across Belgian Star’s back and made their way to the car. There they held a consultation. Ned would ride the horse with Hitch while Nancy drove the car back to the riding academy.
Hitch did not regain consciousness until after Ned had carried him inside the building and laid him on the floor. Together, Nancy and Ned securely tied their prisoner with pieces of harness.
Screaming like a madman, Hitch cried out that he had done nothing and they had no right to tie him.
“Hitch,” said Ned, “you have plenty to account for. You’d better start talking.”
The groom insisted he had nothing to say.
“If you don’t want to tell us, you can give your story to the police,” Nancy said, heading for a pay telephone that hung on the wall.
“Star, come back!” Nancy called.
Ned followed her. “I’ll call Chief McGinnis,” he offered. “You see if you can get anything out of Hitch.”
Returning to the prisoner, Nancy asked him why he had tried to strangle her with the whip at the circus.
The man’s eyes bulged from his head. “How’d you know I did that?” he asked.
“And why did you throw the stone at me and the ball at the circus rider, except that you don’t like people to do trick riding?” she went on.
“I ain’t talkin’.”
Ned returned to say that Chief McGinnis himself was coming to take charge of Hitch. Nancy and Ned walked over to the door to watch for him.
Presently Ned remarked, “I’m surprised these valuable horses are left unguarded.”
“You’re right,” said Nancy. “Roberto has an apartment upstairs. He must be away.”
Suddenly a frightening thought came to Nancy. “Ned,” she said, “I’m worried. Would you mind going upstairs to be sure Roberto is not there?”
Ned looked at her, reading her mind. Without replying, he clicked on a second-floor light and dashed up the narrow stairs that led from the stable.
A moment later he cried out, “Nancy, come up here quickly!”
CHAPTER X
The Clue in the Scrapbook
NANCY winced at the sight that met her eyes when she reached the second floor. There lay Senor Roberto, bound and gagged!
He wore no shirt and across his chest, his face, and neck were a series of red, angry welts. He had been whipped!
Ned removed the gag. Nancy sprang forward to help untie the bonds that held the man’s arms close to his side. Next, they cut the cords that bound his ankles together.
“I’ll get some water,” Nancy offered, “and see if I can find the first-aid kit.”
“I think Roberto should go to a hospital,” Ned told her.
“The police will be here any minute. Perhaps they’ll take him,” she
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