my,” Stevie said, a light breaking over her.
“What?”
Before Stevie could answer, Karya’s walkie-talkie buzzed. Karya took it off her belt and responded into the mouthpiece.
While Karya spoke with the agent on the other end, Stevie’s mind raced. She wished both that she’d been smarter to begin with and that she’d studied Arabic.
“What’s going on?” she asked when Karya stopped talking.
“He said they are after the person who is chasing us.”
“Nobody’s chasing us. We’re chasing someone!” said Stevie.
“That’s what I told him,” Karya said. “And he said the helicopters are getting closer.”
“Not to us, they aren’t,” Stevie said, vaguely aware of the distant sound of helicopters—still way too far in the distanceto be menacing anyone. “Come on, we’d better get a move on!” Stevie nudged Belle, who once again obediently responded and picked up her pace.
“Hurry, Belle, hurry!”
On the other side of the hill, Carole and Lisa were beginning to gain a bit on Polaris and Frieda. The horse was a dressage specialist, which meant that he could ride elegantly, but that didn’t guarantee the kind of stamina needed for a mountain chase.
“Frieda, stop now!” Carole called fruitlessly.
“What’s going on?” Lisa asked, utterly confused by the very strange turn of events.
“She’s a spy,” Carole said. “We thought she was just a student, but she’s a spy!”
“How can she be spying on Karya when she’s running ahead of us?” Lisa asked, following Carole as well as she could.
“Not Karya,” said Carole.
“Who’s she spying on, then?” Lisa asked.
“Polaris!” said Carole.
“What’s Polaris got to do with spying?” asked Lisa.
“Later—I’ll explain later,” said Carole, carefully guiding Starlight along the final rocky ascent.
Lisa sighed. She’d figure it out later. For now, she just had to follow, and it wasn’t easy. Prancer wasn’t made for riding on this kind of terrain any more than Polaris was. She could get badly hurt, and Lisa didn’t want to risk that.
Badly hurt
. The phrase stuck in her mind.
Badly hurt
. That could happen to Polaris. There was only one person whowould want Polaris badly hurt. There was only one person who hated Polaris and who would see it as a good thing if Polaris was put out of commission, either temporarily or permanently. It could only be Mrs. Walker.
Mrs. Walker hated Lucy Hatfield, hated Mrs. Hatfield, and hated Polaris, the only real competition her daughter had. The girls didn’t hate each other, but the mothers did.
“She’s spying for Mrs. Walker!” Lisa blurted out.
“That’s what I said!” Carole retorted. “Now, pay attention. There’s another patch of rocks ahead!”
Lisa paid attention.
“Where are you?” Karya spit into the walkie-talkie in Arabic. Even though she couldn’t understand the language, Stevie knew exactly what Karya was saying, because she was also looking up at the sky, hoping to see a helicopter coming to their aid.
“No!” Karya called out. Annoyed, she stuck the walkie-talkie on her belt again.
“They keep telling me they’re closing in and have the kidnapper in their sights, but there’s no sign of them. I don’t know what’s going on and neither do they.”
“Then we’re just going to have to do this ourselves,” said Stevie. She gave Belle one final kick and the horse sprang up the last ridge of the hillside, coming to a stop where the trail opened out into a small hilltop meadow.
Everyone was there.
Frieda was on Polaris, standing in the middle of the field. Carole and Lisa appeared out of the woods on the far side.
“You’re a spy!” Lisa called out.
“I wouldn’t put it that way,” said Frieda. “Just helping a friend even the playing field for her daughter.”
“By endangering a helpless animal?” Carole said.
“I wouldn’t put it that way, either,” said Frieda.
“Well, you were galloping along a rocky trail,” Stevie
“What?”
Before Stevie could answer, Karya’s walkie-talkie buzzed. Karya took it off her belt and responded into the mouthpiece.
While Karya spoke with the agent on the other end, Stevie’s mind raced. She wished both that she’d been smarter to begin with and that she’d studied Arabic.
“What’s going on?” she asked when Karya stopped talking.
“He said they are after the person who is chasing us.”
“Nobody’s chasing us. We’re chasing someone!” said Stevie.
“That’s what I told him,” Karya said. “And he said the helicopters are getting closer.”
“Not to us, they aren’t,” Stevie said, vaguely aware of the distant sound of helicopters—still way too far in the distanceto be menacing anyone. “Come on, we’d better get a move on!” Stevie nudged Belle, who once again obediently responded and picked up her pace.
“Hurry, Belle, hurry!”
On the other side of the hill, Carole and Lisa were beginning to gain a bit on Polaris and Frieda. The horse was a dressage specialist, which meant that he could ride elegantly, but that didn’t guarantee the kind of stamina needed for a mountain chase.
“Frieda, stop now!” Carole called fruitlessly.
“What’s going on?” Lisa asked, utterly confused by the very strange turn of events.
“She’s a spy,” Carole said. “We thought she was just a student, but she’s a spy!”
“How can she be spying on Karya when she’s running ahead of us?” Lisa asked, following Carole as well as she could.
“Not Karya,” said Carole.
“Who’s she spying on, then?” Lisa asked.
“Polaris!” said Carole.
“What’s Polaris got to do with spying?” asked Lisa.
“Later—I’ll explain later,” said Carole, carefully guiding Starlight along the final rocky ascent.
Lisa sighed. She’d figure it out later. For now, she just had to follow, and it wasn’t easy. Prancer wasn’t made for riding on this kind of terrain any more than Polaris was. She could get badly hurt, and Lisa didn’t want to risk that.
Badly hurt
. The phrase stuck in her mind.
Badly hurt
. That could happen to Polaris. There was only one person whowould want Polaris badly hurt. There was only one person who hated Polaris and who would see it as a good thing if Polaris was put out of commission, either temporarily or permanently. It could only be Mrs. Walker.
Mrs. Walker hated Lucy Hatfield, hated Mrs. Hatfield, and hated Polaris, the only real competition her daughter had. The girls didn’t hate each other, but the mothers did.
“She’s spying for Mrs. Walker!” Lisa blurted out.
“That’s what I said!” Carole retorted. “Now, pay attention. There’s another patch of rocks ahead!”
Lisa paid attention.
“Where are you?” Karya spit into the walkie-talkie in Arabic. Even though she couldn’t understand the language, Stevie knew exactly what Karya was saying, because she was also looking up at the sky, hoping to see a helicopter coming to their aid.
“No!” Karya called out. Annoyed, she stuck the walkie-talkie on her belt again.
“They keep telling me they’re closing in and have the kidnapper in their sights, but there’s no sign of them. I don’t know what’s going on and neither do they.”
“Then we’re just going to have to do this ourselves,” said Stevie. She gave Belle one final kick and the horse sprang up the last ridge of the hillside, coming to a stop where the trail opened out into a small hilltop meadow.
Everyone was there.
Frieda was on Polaris, standing in the middle of the field. Carole and Lisa appeared out of the woods on the far side.
“You’re a spy!” Lisa called out.
“I wouldn’t put it that way,” said Frieda. “Just helping a friend even the playing field for her daughter.”
“By endangering a helpless animal?” Carole said.
“I wouldn’t put it that way, either,” said Frieda.
“Well, you were galloping along a rocky trail,” Stevie
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