stable.”
But Mia, forever the sensible one, shook her head. “That stable won’t get mended overnight,” she pointed out, “and this field is seriously insecure. All we can do is let Fran know what we suspect, don’t you think?”
The others agreed, reluctantly.
Mr Honeycott had been out and topped up the horses’ hay and water earlier in the day, so after the girls had hugged the horses goodnight, they headed back to the yard. By now, it was dark, and the Christmas lanterns flickered and the tinsel sparkled under thebright stable lights. But instead of heading towards the stables, the girls made their way to the hay barn. They picked out their way by torchlight and bundled in, climbing the ladder into the loft. The barn sat just behind the stables, overlooking the paddocks. From there, they could just about hear their ponies when they snorted, or stomped a hoof.
The Pony Detectives snuggled down amongst the hay bales. Rosie had sneaked some freshly made cinnamon rolls from the farmhouse kitchen, and as they huddled together and ate, they finally started to warm up. There was a sudden pitter patter of light footsteps and Rosie flashed the torch round in the dark. Pumpkin’s green eyes blazed, and he meowed as he headed over, looking for a toasty lap to curl up on. He chose Rosie’s. She wrapped the blanket around him, as well as herself, tucking it under his chin.
Charlie held the torch as Mia pulled out her phone. Mia’s fingers were almost too frozen to activate the screen, but she managed to tap in Fran’s number and press Call. Then she put herphone on speaker and gave Fran an update. She didn’t mention that they’d sneaked into the Abbey grounds, and had the fright of their lives, or overheard Billy and Archie’s argument. But Fran didn’t sound overly convinced by the connection the girls were making between the petition list and the horses being let loose.
“I’m sure it’s just a coincidence,” Fran sighed. “Although… the local gossip is that Billy Pyke might be involved with what happened at Greenfields last night. According to some, he’s done this kind of thing before… Anyway, I will keep an extra eye out, petition list or no petition list. Luckily we’ve got enough barns here to move all the horses and ponies into them overnight. The weather’s so bitter at the moment that I was half thinking about doing that anyway. It’s more work, but I don’t think the horses will mind too much.”
Mia felt an instant flood of relief, knowing that if the horses at Hope Farm were kept in overnight, they’d be safe.
“Now, about this Friday,” Fran continued. “My lorry’s being serviced at the garage, so I’llhave to lead Cracker and Frostie in hand. Fancy helping?”
“Of course we will,” Mia said. Even though she was happier that Cracker and Frostie wouldn’t be out in the fields at their new home, she still couldn’t quite manage to feel happy about them going. It already felt like Blackberry Farm would be too quiet without them. But she also knew that the horses couldn’t stay on the common land forever.
“Perfect,” Fran said. “In that case I’ll see you this Friday at 10 a.m. And try not to worry about Pirate, or the other horses. Like I said, I’ve got eyes all over the place at the moment, believe me.”
After Mia ended the call, she grabbed her notebook from under one of the hay bales. She slid out a pen, which she kept pushed down inside the notebook’s spiral binding wire, and removed the lid.
“So, we’ve got three mysteries,” Mia recapped, running her finger over the clues already written on the page. “The first is Cracker and Frostie.”
“And all we’ve got on that is the half a footprint clue,” Rosie said, reading over Mia’s shoulder. “And a tyre track.”
“And the fact that someone dumped them in the middle of the night,” Charlie added.
“Then there’s the mystery of the horses escaping from Long Lane, Mrs Maplethorp’s and
But Mia, forever the sensible one, shook her head. “That stable won’t get mended overnight,” she pointed out, “and this field is seriously insecure. All we can do is let Fran know what we suspect, don’t you think?”
The others agreed, reluctantly.
Mr Honeycott had been out and topped up the horses’ hay and water earlier in the day, so after the girls had hugged the horses goodnight, they headed back to the yard. By now, it was dark, and the Christmas lanterns flickered and the tinsel sparkled under thebright stable lights. But instead of heading towards the stables, the girls made their way to the hay barn. They picked out their way by torchlight and bundled in, climbing the ladder into the loft. The barn sat just behind the stables, overlooking the paddocks. From there, they could just about hear their ponies when they snorted, or stomped a hoof.
The Pony Detectives snuggled down amongst the hay bales. Rosie had sneaked some freshly made cinnamon rolls from the farmhouse kitchen, and as they huddled together and ate, they finally started to warm up. There was a sudden pitter patter of light footsteps and Rosie flashed the torch round in the dark. Pumpkin’s green eyes blazed, and he meowed as he headed over, looking for a toasty lap to curl up on. He chose Rosie’s. She wrapped the blanket around him, as well as herself, tucking it under his chin.
Charlie held the torch as Mia pulled out her phone. Mia’s fingers were almost too frozen to activate the screen, but she managed to tap in Fran’s number and press Call. Then she put herphone on speaker and gave Fran an update. She didn’t mention that they’d sneaked into the Abbey grounds, and had the fright of their lives, or overheard Billy and Archie’s argument. But Fran didn’t sound overly convinced by the connection the girls were making between the petition list and the horses being let loose.
“I’m sure it’s just a coincidence,” Fran sighed. “Although… the local gossip is that Billy Pyke might be involved with what happened at Greenfields last night. According to some, he’s done this kind of thing before… Anyway, I will keep an extra eye out, petition list or no petition list. Luckily we’ve got enough barns here to move all the horses and ponies into them overnight. The weather’s so bitter at the moment that I was half thinking about doing that anyway. It’s more work, but I don’t think the horses will mind too much.”
Mia felt an instant flood of relief, knowing that if the horses at Hope Farm were kept in overnight, they’d be safe.
“Now, about this Friday,” Fran continued. “My lorry’s being serviced at the garage, so I’llhave to lead Cracker and Frostie in hand. Fancy helping?”
“Of course we will,” Mia said. Even though she was happier that Cracker and Frostie wouldn’t be out in the fields at their new home, she still couldn’t quite manage to feel happy about them going. It already felt like Blackberry Farm would be too quiet without them. But she also knew that the horses couldn’t stay on the common land forever.
“Perfect,” Fran said. “In that case I’ll see you this Friday at 10 a.m. And try not to worry about Pirate, or the other horses. Like I said, I’ve got eyes all over the place at the moment, believe me.”
After Mia ended the call, she grabbed her notebook from under one of the hay bales. She slid out a pen, which she kept pushed down inside the notebook’s spiral binding wire, and removed the lid.
“So, we’ve got three mysteries,” Mia recapped, running her finger over the clues already written on the page. “The first is Cracker and Frostie.”
“And all we’ve got on that is the half a footprint clue,” Rosie said, reading over Mia’s shoulder. “And a tyre track.”
“And the fact that someone dumped them in the middle of the night,” Charlie added.
“Then there’s the mystery of the horses escaping from Long Lane, Mrs Maplethorp’s and
Similar Books
