Horse Named Dragon (6 page)

The vet furrowed his brow. “Brownie?” he asked.

“The little brown pony in the shed,” said Benny. “I call him Brownie.”

“Oh, oh, yes, Brownie. He’s, um, he’s been adopted. The family picked him up just awhile ago,” said Slim.

Benny remembered the trailer carrying a brown pony and big black horse. He thought it belonged to the neighbor who brought Honey and Bunny home. But it must have been Brownie’s new family. “I’m glad he wasn’t stolen like Dragon,” Benny said.

The smile vanished from Slim’s face. “What?”

“Someone stole Dragon,” Benny said.

The vet cleared his throat. “Why, that’s terrible.” His Adam’s apple jumped up and down. “Who would do such a terrible thing?”

“We told the police and we’re going to pass out flyers,” Benny told him.

“Really?” Slim took out a handkerchief and wiped sweat off his face. “So everyone will be looking for Dragon. Why, that’s wonderful.” A loud horn blasted as an eighteen-wheel truck barreled along the road near the ranch.

At first, Benny thought it was a moving van. Then he saw big holes all along the sides. “What kind of truck is that?” he asked.

“Truck?” said Slim, “Hmmm. Looks like a cattle truck. Moves cows from one place to another. Those holes let air in so they can breathe. Yup. Cattle truck. Well, I’d better get Lucy here back to the old corral.” He started walking away.

“Why don’t you ride your horse?” Benny asked.

The vet’s eyebrows shot up. “Ride? Why, yes. Love to ride. I was born in the saddle. Heh-heh.” He put one foot in the stirrup and tried to climb on the horse but it kept walking around and around in circles. Slim hopped, one foot up in the stirrup and the other foot on the ground. “Easy, girl. Oh-oh. Easy, now.” Around and around he hopped. Finally, Slim hauled himself up into the saddle.

“See you later,” he said. And gripping the saddle horn tightly with both hands—the way Alyssa had told Benny
not
to—Slim bumped along toward the west pasture.

The cowbell rang. Benny jumped on his bike and peddled to the stable. He and Jessie and Henry quickly changed out of their work boots into their cowboy boots. Jessie set their yellow boots on the rack. “Our boots have stains, just like Benny’s,” she said. “Except his are brown and ours are black.”

Where did the stains come from? They looked down the long narrow stable. Stalls lined both sides. The ground was wet in front of the stalls Jessie and Henry had washed down. A dark stain ran out of Dragon’s stall. Henry bent down and touched it. “It smells like shoe polish.”

“I saw shoe polish in Brownie’s shed,” said Benny.

“Maybe cowboys use it to shine the saddles,” Jessie said. “Or their boots.”

The bell rang again. The children hurried to Cookie’s car. It was time to search for Dragon.

Cookie and the children drove from ranch to ranch, farm to farm, house to house, handing out flyers. In town, they put flyers in all the store windows. Cookie treated them to a quick dinner at Big Herm’s Hot Dog Palace, and then they went back to work.

They tacked flyers on the bulletin boards at the library, the community center, and the sheriff’s office. They slipped them under the windshield wipers of cars parked at the grocery store and shopping center.

It was late when they finally pulled into the Dare to Dream Ranch.

“Do you think our flyers will help find Dragon?” Jessie asked.

“I hope so,” said Henry.

The children lay awake in their bunks. One hour passed. And another. But sleep would not come. Henry’s back was sore from digging the fence posts. His face and arms stung from the locust branch scratches.

Violet thought about the woman whose horse, Buttercup, was stolen. She thought about the flyers and hoped her drawing of Dragon was good enough to help find him.

Jessie’s pillow was wet with tears. Who would steal Dragon? Was he all right?

Benny thought about the goldfish in the horse’s drinking water. He thought about the little brown pony who liked being sprinkled with the hose. He thought about the skinny red-haired man who brought Honey and Bunny home.

“What license plate has a picture of a cowboy riding a bucking bronco?” he asked. Benny forgot he was supposed to be sleeping.

Henry peered down from his bunk. “Where did you see that?” he whispered.

“On the blue pickup truck that brought Honey and Bunny back.” Benny closed his eyes and pictured the license plate. “The state’s name had a
W
and a
Y
in it.”

“Wyoming,” whispered Violet.

“Is Wyoming near Connecticut?” asked Benny.

Jessie groaned. As soon as Benny could read a little better, she would teach him geography. “Wyoming is halfway across the United States from here,” she said. “When we get home, I’ll show you on the map.”

“I guess we’re awake,” said Henry, switching on his flashlight. Three more flashlights switched on. Henry flashed his light at Jessie. “Didn’t you tell me a
neighbor
brought Honey and Bunny back?”

“Yes.” Jessie sniffed. “Alyssa said the man found them in his pasture.”

Henry clicked his flashlight on and off. “Why would a neighbor here in Connecticut have
Wyoming
license plates?”

The children chased each other’s lights around the ceiling. “Cookie said she didn’t know this neighbor,” said Violet. “That he must have just moved here.”

“That could explain the Wyoming plates,” agreed Henry. “Come to think of it, Bucky told me he never saw the neighbor before.”

Jessie swooped big circles around the wall with her light. “What do we really know about Bucky? When I went looking for Dragon, I saw Bucky standing near the fence with a bunch of horses. What if
he
spilled the oats so the horses would come to the fence? What if
he
rigged that fence to open?” A shiver went through her. “Dragon could have gone to eat the oats, and a friend of Bucky’s could have come and stolen him.”

“Bucky told me he grew up around here,” said Henry. “He moved away when he was eight, and he just came back.”

Benny held his flashlight under his chin. It made him look scary. “Maybe Bucky came back to steal Cookie’s horses,” he said.

Violet traced her light along the ceiling. Suddenly, she sat up, gasping. “I just thought of something.”

“What, what?” they all demanded.

“Okay, pretend we wake up tomorrow morning and find a strange dog right here in the bunkhouse. How do we know who it belongs to?”

“Dog tags?” asked Benny.

“No tags,” said Violet. “Just dog.”

“Then, we wouldn’t know whose dog it was,” said Jessie. “We don’t live around here.”

“Exactly!”

“So?” asked Benny.

“Sooooo,” said Violet, “the man who brought Honey and Bunny back said he found them in his pasture. But he’s never been to the Dare to Dream Ranch. How did he know they belonged here?”

“Horse tags?” said Benny, giggling. He always giggled when it was far past his bedtime.

“I’m serious,” Violet said.

“He couldn’t have known,” said Jessie. “What if he’s not a neighbor at all? What if he’s a thief?”

“He’s not,” Henry yawned. “Because thieves steal things.” He yawned again, which made everyone else yawn. “Thieves don’t bring things back.”

“Like the thief who stole my new camera,” said Jessie.

“I’ll bet it was that man out at the old barn,” said Benny. “He didn’t like you taking pictures of the rescue horses.”

“It can’t be him,” said Violet. “Cookie said that Slim’s volunteers stay out at the old barn. They never come to the main house. The camera thief has to be someone who wouldn’t look suspicious walking into Cookie’s office.”

“Like Cookie?” asked Benny. The others groaned. “Like us?”

Violet sighed. “It would have to be someone who comes in and out a lot, like Slim or Alyssa, Kurt or Bucky.”

Henry yawned. “I saw Slim driving off to buy medicine for the horses,” he said. “So it couldn’t be him. But I don’t know where Kurt went after we fixed the fence. And I don’t know where Alyssa was before she took us on the trail ride. And Bucky could have been anywhere.”

The children felt sad. They didn’t want to accuse someone they knew of stealing the camera. But none of them could think who else it might be.

The weary children switched off their flashlights and pulled their blankets tight. One by one they fell fast asleep. Benny struggled to stay awake. But his eyelids finally grew heavy, too.

Smoke! The smell of it woke the children at dawn. They leapt from their bunks and ran to the window. “There!” cried Violet, pointing to an orange glow in the distance. They raced to the ranch house to tell Cookie. She was already busy in the kitchen baking biscuits for breakfast.

“It’s all right,” she told them. “Kurt and the men are at the fire pit. Every few days, they burn brush at sunup, when the air is still. That keeps the fire from spreading. If you like, you can ride out and take a look-see before breakfast.”

The children quickly dressed and saddled up, then rode out across the ranch until they reached a big open field. A powerful fire roared in the middle. Ranch hands tossed old branches and brush into the flames. They wore kerchiefs over their mouths and noses. Kurt drove a tractor in a wide circle around and around the fire. A big rake hooked to the back of his tractor raked the dirt to keep the fire from spreading. The children’s horses snorted and backed up nervously. “This must be where Kurt brought the locust branch that crushed the fence,” said Henry.

Violet thought of her sketch. “Henry,” she said, “there are only three big trees near that fence. And they are all maple trees. There isn’t a locust anywhere near there. Someone brought the locust branch there. Someone dropped it on the fence.”

They watched Kurt driving the tractor. The ranch manager saw the children and drove over. He pulled his kerchief down. His face was sooty from the smoke. The ends of his blond moustache drooped from the heat.

“Get those horses away from here,” he said, scowling. “Did Alyssa send you out here?”

“Alyssa?” asked Jessie.

Kurt snorted in disgust. “She doesn’t even know that horses can panic around smoke. She’s the worst wrangler I’ve ever seen. If Cookie had hired my friend for the job, this ranch would be run right! Now, get those horses away from here.” He pulled up his kerchief and drove the tractor back to the fire.

The children rode slowly back to the ranch house. “Do you think Kurt turned Honey and Bunny loose?” asked Jessie. “To make it look like Alyssa couldn’t take care of the horses?”

“He did blame her for letting them escape,” said Violet.

Henry looked at the scratches on his hands. “Honey and Bunny didn’t have any scratches. Which means they escaped
before
the branch fell on the fence. Kurt could have cut the fence wire, turned the horses loose, then dropped the branch on the fence.”

“And maybe he stole Dragon to make Alyssa look even worse,” said Jessie.

“Shouldn’t we tell Cookie?” asked Violet.

“We have no proof,” Henry said. “We need to think of a way to find some.”

“Did anyone call about Dragon?” asked the children as they walked in to breakfast.

“Not yet,” said Cookie. “But it’s still early. Not everyone has seen our flyers.” The children ate quietly, then went to do their chores. “Please, ring the cowbell if anyone calls,” said Jessie.

“I will,” promised Cookie. All morning, the children listened for the bell, but it didn’t ring until it called the ranch hands to lunch.

At lunchtime, Cookie set a big platter of chicken on the table. “I talked to a friend who works at the newspaper. He said I should bring him one of our flyers and he’ll put it in tomorrow’s paper.” She pressed her lips together. “He said a couple of other people have called him the past few days about missing horses. It looks like horse thieves might be working in this area.”

The children stared at the food in their plates. Not even Benny was hungry.

Cookie wiped her hands on her apron. “Today is Alyssa’s day off, but you four can go on a ride by yourselves after lunch. It will help take your minds off Dragon. I’ll bring the flyer over to the newspaper.” She took off her apron. “Try to eat a little something,” she said, leaving. “I’ll see you later.”

Benny nibbled a chicken leg. Henry made a sandwich from the peanut butter and jelly Cookie kept on the table. Violet sipped vegetable soup. Jessie pushed a cucumber around her plate. “It’s so hard to sit here doing nothing,” Jessie said. Suddenly, she jumped up. “I know what we can do!” And with that, she ran to Cookie’s office and turned on the computer. The others gathered around as she typed in the words “Stolen Horses.” The screen filled with websites listing missing horses. Jessie typed Dragon’s description on one website after another.

Every time Jessie went to a new website, the children looked at the photos of missing horses. Some of the horses had been found. Some were still missing. Jessie clicked to a new website. Violet gasped. “Oh!” she said, pointing to a photo.

“It’s Lots-o’-Dots!” cried Benny. Sure enough, there on the screen was Benny’s little spotted horse. The writing under the photo said:

POLKY-DOTS

MISSING FOR ONE MONTH

from Edie’s Bead Shop, Big Piney, Wyoming

Our friendly horse is so much more than a pet. Everyone who visited our little bead shop loved our funny little Polky-Dots. He often walked right through our shop to say “Howdy” to our customers. Polky-Dots loves his treats and will poke his nose right into your pocket looking for a sugar cube or apple or carrot. If you have seen our wonderful horse, please call Edie’s Bead Shop.

“That’s why he had beads stuck in his hooves,” said Benny.

Henry picked up the phone and called the number for Edie’s Bead Shop. A woman answered.

“I’m calling from the Dare to Dream Rescue Ranch,” Henry told her. “Polky-Dots is safe and happy.” The children heard the woman laughing and crying. “Polky-Dots must have wandered away from your place,” Henry explained. “Then someone rescued him and sent him here.” Henry listened for a few minutes. His smile disappeared.