Stormchaser and the Silver Mist (12 page)

“Hang on a second,” Mia said quickly. “Isn’t this just like the motorbike clue? Isn’t it just a bit, I don’t know,
too
obvious? Billy might as well have knocked at the door and introduced himself. I think there’s something more going on here than we’re seeing.”

“Like what?” Charlie demanded, fed up of feeling stumped. She wanted answers, and fast, after what had happened to Cracker.

“That’s the bit I don’t know,” Mia confessed, as frustrated as Charlie by their lack of progress. It was really bugging her that they seemed to be stuck in reverse.

The girls stood shivering in the arctic breeze as their ponies began to get restless.

“Well, we’re not likely to come up with any amazing revelations standing here,” Rosie said. “My brain is
literally
going to freeze any second, and then I won’t be able to think at all.”

“I’ve got an idea, though,” Mia suggested, her eyes lighting up. “How about we pay the Perryvale Polo Club a visit on our way home? If we could speak to Mr Perryvale again, maybe he could tell us more about the last time Billy got caught letting out horses. You know, like who caught him, or why he did it. It might give us a lead in this case!”

“And Mr Perryvale’s been really helpful so far,” Alice added. “I’m sure he’d be okay about us asking.”

“His grooms must be nice, too,” Mia reasoned, “because they helped take back the Greenfield’s ponies.”

“Oooh!” Rosie suddenly brightened. “And he’s really rich, isn’t he?”

“Yes, but what’s that got to do with anything?” Mia asked.

“We can ask him to sponsor us for the Charity Ride at the same time!” Rosie smiled.

Charlie nodded, squeezing Phantom and setting off. “Right then, let’s ride over to the Perryvale Polo Club. We’ve got to do
something
.”

Rosie and Mia jumped back into their
saddles, and called out a goodbye to Neve. They were just about to set out for the Perryvale estate, when something about the gatepost at the entrance to Hope Farm caught Alice’s eye. It was slanted slightly sideways. Near the top was a curved dent, like a horse had kicked out at it. She frowned, and looked towards the base of the post. And there, lying in the ground, was a yellowy orange fragment.

Alice quickly slid back out of the saddle and picked up the hard, thin plastic. It was a triangle shape, with a sliver of black lettering on it. The edge was splintered. There was a dark scuff on it, like it had been caught by a hoof too.

“What is it?” Rosie asked. Alice couldn’t keep a sad smile off her face.

“It looks like part of a number plate,” Alice said, looking up. “I reckon a horse kicked out at the bike last night, and caught both the post and the bike. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was Cracker, trying to protect Frostie.”

“And if it was,” Mia added, “Cracker might just have left us the biggest clue to solving who’s behind this mystery, once and for all.”

Chapter Twelve

M
IA
had felt quite grand, as she led the others on the ride up the long drive to Mr Perryvale’s country house. The drive was lined with evenly spaced, leafless poplar trees, the tips of their branches tinged with a white frost. The trees bent lightly in the chill wind. Farmland stretched either side of the driveway. At the very edge of the landscape on her left, she could see the rise of the Abbey ruins above dense boundary hedges. Polo ponies, with neatly hogged manes and wearing smart royal blue rugs, lifted their heads to watch the four ponies ride past. The paddocks looked well kept, recently
pooh-picked
and furnished with piles of hay.

The girls continued up the drive and approached the impressive house. Mia frowned, noticing that some of the curtains were old and tired-looking. The house looked
like it could do with a good paint, too. She started to feel uneasy, and she wondered if Mr Perryvale would be happy about them just turning up out of the blue at his private yard. The girls stood for a second, wondering which way to go, but they could hear the sound of forks scraping stable floors and a radio blasting out music.

They headed towards the noise, which was coming from the back of the house. Beyond a grand wall stood what looked to Mia like it had once been a magnificent yard. Big, brick built stables stood around a large square of neatly clipped grass. A tall tower with a white clock face rose opposite them, incorporated into the stables. But the clock showed the wrong time and half the smart stables were empty.

At the sound of hoof beats, various pony heads looked towards them, and others came to the front of their stables.

Mia looked beyond the stables to the paddocks behind. She couldn’t help feeling surprised and disappointed; the ponies turned out there had ancient-looking rugs, some of
which had rips in. The paddocks themselves looked bare and they hadn’t been pooh-picked for ages. There was no hay in sight. Behind the smart exterior, the exclusive Perryvale Polo Club didn’t look so exclusive after all. Instead it looked jaded and rundown. It wasn’t at all what she’d been expecting to find, and it didn’t match up with the image given off by Mr Perryvale and his shiny Range Rover.

Mia turned back to the stables. The yard’s emptiness gave it an eerie feel.

“This isn’t quite what I expected,” Mia whispered, looking round. The others nodded in agreement, shivering as they stood rigid in the icy wind.

A groom looked out from one of the stable doors. He let himself out of his stable, and Mia caught sight of dark, dank-looking bedding inside. The groom carried a broom with almost completely worn bristles as he walked towards the new arrivals. He was wearing a royal blue Perryvale Polo Club jacket. As he got nearer, the girls could see that he looked flashy, with thick, dark hair, sun-kissed skin
and electric blue eyes. He didn’t smile as he approached. The girls stood awkwardly, wishing they could be transported straight out of the yard. But it was too late to turn around and trot off now.

“Can I help you?” the groom asked coldly, as he stopped just in front of them. He stood close to Wish, and something about him made Mia want to ask him to step back from her pony. Wish raised her head slightly, and flicked her ears back, like she felt the same.

“We were hoping to talk to Mr Perryvale,” Mia explained, feeling her nerve start to waver slightly under the groom’s unflinchingly cold stare.

“He’s not here,” the groom said bluntly. “Is he expecting you?”

The girls shook their heads. “No,” Charlie said. “But we were hoping to find out more about Billy Pyke letting out horses when he worked here.”

The groom blinked quickly.

“And ask if he would sponsor us for the Charity Ride,” Rosie added, determined to get
something good from the visit.

The groom’s face lightened, and he laughed mockingly. “You’re wasting your time on
that
score. You won’t get a penny out of old Perryvale for charity,” he said. “He hasn’t got one to spare right now.” The girls glanced at each other quickly, surprised at the groom’s revelation. But he didn’t notice, and continued. “And as for Billy Pyke, there’s nothing to tell. He was sacked after he got caught letting horses out of one of our paddocks – simple.”

“One of
your
paddocks?” Alice frowned. The groom nodded. “You mean, the horses that Billy let loose belonged to Mr Perryvale?”

“That’s right,” the groom sniffed, leaning on his broom.

“Did Mr Perryvale catch him doing it, then?” Charlie asked.

“No,” the groom gave a satisfied smile, “
I
did.”

“Oh, right,” Rosie said, feeling confused. “But why would Billy let out Mr Perryvale’s horses?”

The groom shrugged, looking like he’d said all he was interested in saying, and now he
was getting bored. “I guess you’d have to ask Billy that. Anyway, if you want to speak to Mr Perryvale, there are business cards with his mobile number on in the tack room over there. Emma’s inside, she’ll show you.”

“Okay, thanks.” Mia slid out of the saddle, then gave her reins to Alice. She was just about to walk away, when the groom said something that made her stop in her tracks.

“I’m sure I recognise your ponies, by the way,” he said, patting Wish. His tone was anything but friendly. “This one’s so stunning, you can’t miss her. They’re stabled near Duck Lane, aren’t they?”

Mia’s blood ran cold. Before she knew it, a lie instinctively sprang from her. “Oh, no.” She tried to smile lightly. “No, you must be thinking of another pony. We’re the other side of the village.”

The others nodded, but the groom raised one eyebrow, and gave a small chuckle before turning away with his broom. Over his shoulder, he said. “Well don’t worry, I’ll
be
sure
to
let Mr Perryvale know that you were here.”

Mia’s steps were stilted as she walked over
to the smart tack room. She wanted to take Wish and get as far away as possible. But as she shoved her hands into her pocket, she felt the hair she’d put in there earlier. It was Cracker’s, and it gave Mia a sudden burst of courage. She knew they couldn’t give up.

Mia pushed the door open and walked inside the bright room. Immediately she noticed the cobwebs, and the untidiness. It needed a good clear out. Emma was vigorously rubbing one of the smarter-looking saddles with some saddle soap and a sponge. She looked tired, but more approachable than the groom outside.

“Business cards are on the desk,” she said with a brief smile.

“Thanks.” Mia picked one up, and was about to go, when she noticed Emma stop polishing the saddle mid-rub, and glance at the open door. Then she stepped lightly towards it and gave it a little shove, so that it swung almost closed. Emma turned to Mia.

“Don’t believe everything you hear about Billy, including from Max out there,” Emma said quietly, nodding towards the door.
“I worked with Billy for ages, and what happened was completely out of character. Something never added up about those horses being let out. But Billy wouldn’t breathe a word to anyone about it.”

At that moment a phone rung outside. Emma jumped, like she’d had an electric shock, then hastily turned back to her tack. Mia heard Max talking in the yard, then the door swung open. Max bobbed his head round, and for a second looked suspicious.

“Long time to pick up a business card,” he said, scowling at Mia. “And you should be concentrating on work, Emma. Boss left me in charge today, and he wants all this tack sparkling. Wants to get his money’s worth out of you before you leave here for good. Look, I’m popping over to the Wollesley yard. They’ve just rung to let me know those imported polo ponies have arrived from Argentina. Apparently there are some seriously decent ones among them. Pricey, but the boss will persuade them to let him have some on credit. I reckon he needs to find a replacement for Stormchaser if we’re
going to win the Winter Cup again.”

He gave Emma a thin smile, then disappeared.

Mia was confused. “What did he mean about Stormchaser?” she asked. “I thought he was Estoni’s horse.”

Emma shook her head then grabbed the bridle beside her, dunking the bit into a bucket of warm water. “Mr Perryvale bought him nearly a year ago from a yard in Argentina. Stormchaser was one in a long line of expensive horses that arrived here with massive reputations. The boss’s plan was to put together the most expensive team of polo ponies in the country and Mr Perryvale wanted the glory for himself, so he’d always insist on riding the best ones. You know Nick Webb managed this place before he left to set up at the Abbey, right?”

Mia nodded.

“Well, Nick suggested to the boss that we get professional riders into the team, to get the best out of the ponies. But the boss wouldn’t hear of it,” Emma lowered her voice a notch. “You see, Mr Perryvale is a
seriously
untalented rider. These amazing horses would be here for a few
months before he’d declare they were useless, because
he
couldn’t control them. Next thing, the horses would be shipped out of the yard, goodness knows where. It drove Nick mad. But Mr Perryvale didn’t care. All he cared about was that he looked good. If the horses didn’t deliver, they were out of here. Anyway, Stormchaser was so wild, no one could get near him, let alone ride him. He was downright dangerous when he was here, and not just to ride. I guess that’s why the boss decided to give Stormchaser to Nick when he left. It was his leaving gift.”

“Wow, that was generous!” Mia frowned, thinking about how expensive Emma had said he’d been.

Emma gave a hollow laugh.

“Hardly,” she said, with a grim smile. “Nick was the heart of this polo club. Mr Perryvale liked to think
he
was, but he knew deep down he was just the money man, and that Nick was the gifted horseman. That’s why the boss was furious when Nick announced he was leaving. He knew the club would fail without Nick. So, Mr Perryvale wasn’t being
generous
when he
gave Stormchaser to Nick. He was hoping that Storm would injure every rider going. It was like the boss was giving Nick a clear message. Only, Mr Perryvale didn’t anticipate Nick bringing an unknown Argentinean rider over to take on Storm. Nick traced Estoni, knowing that he was the rider who broke Storm in. Estoni knows the horse inside out, as well as being a talented polo player. Now Mr Perryvale has been left with egg on his face.”

Emma was quiet for a second, then she continued, “Good luck to the Abbey team, I hope they win the Winter Cup, or at least do better than the Perryvale team. Although I don’t think my boss feels quite the same way.”

At that moment Rosie popped her head round the door. “Are you coming or what?” she asked Mia. “It’s freezing hanging about out here. Your pony’s got a fleecy exercise sheet wrapped round her rump, but I haven’t!”

“Just coming,” Mia said.

“Anyway, look, I’ve got to get on,” Emma said, “it’s my last day today, and the sooner I get this pile finished, the sooner I get to leave
this sad old place. I’ve held on for as long as I can since Nick left, just for the polo ponies that are still here. But I cant hang on anymore. The boss is always in a bad mood and his liveries keep leaving now Nick’s gone. This club will somehow scrape a team together for the Winter Cup – it’d be over Mr Perryvale’s dead body that he’d let Nick win. But just so you know, Billy’s a decent horseman, and a decent person, too.”

“Thanks.” Mia smiled at Emma, although she almost felt more confused than when she went in.

As Emma returned to her pile of tack with a sigh, Mia stepped back out into the icy blasts of December wind. A shivering Alice handed her Wish’s reins. Suddenly an engine roared into life round the back of the stables. Phantom leaped forward and almost knocked Charlie flying. The girls turned to look, just as Max, in his Perryvale Polo Club jacket, skidded round the corner on a huge motorbike. He revved it loudly, spooking all the ponies. As the girls clung to their reins, the bike disappeared in a cloud of dirty fumes up the long drive. But not before Alice had
noticed the cracked back number plate, which had a fragment of one corner missing.