Mystery of the Wild Ponies Read Online Free PDF Page A

read about it in the papers,” the older boy crowed. “It was that great.”
    “What did you do?” asked Violet, curious.
    Jeremy grinned teasingly. “Tell you someday.”
    Jessie picked up their plates and glasses. Jeremy obviously liked to tease. “We should go,” she told him. “Our grandfather will be home soon.”
    “Come back anytime,” Jeremy said, opening the door. “Maybe I’ll tell you about the Greatest Stunt in the World.”
    “He’s fun,” said Violet as they crossed the wooden walkway. “I wonder what he did.”
    “I bet Jeremy is still pulling stunts,” observed Henry. “He could have taken Ms. Gorman’s towel.”
    “And my sandwich,” Benny added. “We both like the same kind.”
    Jessie wasn’t listening. She was watching a boy with hair so blond it was nearly white. The boy carried a beach chair down the road. Stenciled on the blue canvas back was a bird. She’d seen that bird somewhere.
    “Look at that boy,” she said to the others. “Where could he be going with a chair?”
    Henry shaded his eyes. “That bird design looks familiar.”
    “It’s just like the sign at the Seagull Resort,” Violet said. Last night she’d practiced drawing a bird with one line.
    “Violet’s right!” said Jessie. “But where is he going? The resort is down the road. Why would he carry a chair all the way up here?”
    “Maybe it got washed up on the beach,” Benny offered.
    Henry shook his head. “The current brings things south, not north. The chair would have been found south of here and he’s walking from the north. Whoever he is, he didn’t find that chair around here.”

CHAPTER 5
The Horsenapper
    “I’ll pick you up in about twenty minutes,” said Grandfather.
    The children scrambled out of the station wagon. When Grandfather said at breakfast that he needed to pick up some items he’d forgotten at the grocery store, the children leaped at the chance to visit the wild horse sanctuary again.
    “We’ll be right here,” Henry said to Grandfather. He noticed Thomas Hyde’s Jeep parked outside the gate.
    When Grandfather drove off, the Aldens walked up the sandy road.
    Benny climbed on the gate. “No horses,” he said, disappointed.
    “Maybe they’ll follow Officer Hyde back here like they did the other day,” said Jessie.
    They didn’t have to wait long to see the sanctuary officer. He came down the path and opened the gate, then closed it behind him.
    “You guys are up early,” he said.
    “We came to visit the horses while our grandfather is at the store,” said Henry. Then he remembered a question he wanted to ask. “Did you see a lady here the other day? An artist? She always wears a big straw hat.”
    Officer Hyde shook his head. “I didn’t see her. Did she want to see me?”
    “She’s our neighbor,” Jessie replied. “She was trying to paint the horses. She was mad when they didn’t show up.”
    Officer Hyde fumbled with the padlock, clearly upset. “They’re wild animals. They don’t care about human schedules.”
    Violet sensed something was wrong. “Is everything okay?” she asked, concerned.
    “One of the horses is missing,” Officer Hyde said.
    “Missing!” Benny gasped.
    Officer Hyde nodded. “Yes. At first I thought Midnight had simply wandered away from the herd. But I searched the sanctuary yesterday and this morning. I can’t find him.”
    “Maybe he got out,” said Jessie. “You said they do that sometimes.”
    “They do, but not for very long. You see, Midnight is the leader of the herd. Last week I noticed another stallion acting aggressive.”
    Benny frowned. “What do you mean?”
    “There can only be one leader of a herd,” Officer Hyde explained. “If another stallion wants to take over, he’ll fight the leader. I think that’s what happened. Midnight got in a fight and lost. He was driven away from the herd.”
    “Does that mean Midnight can’t come back?” Henry asked.
    “No. Midnight could take over again. But