Hide & Seek - Alyssa Brugman [3]
At present there were ten spelled horses in the back paddock, and none of them was rugged. Shelby always made a point of counting them when she came through this paddock with the trail rides.
'You get ten?' Shelby asked.
Her friend nodded.
'He's not here.'
Lindsey shook her head and took a deep breath. 'I feel sorry for whoever's taken him. Mum's going to go postal.'
3 The Suspicious Sergeant
When Constable Bidgood and Sergeant Everard arrived at the Edels' house, Shelby skulked out of sight in the dining room where she could overhear what they were saying. Shelby had met them before and the constable had always been friendly and kind, but the sergeant was bossy and uncompromising. It was true that Shelby had broken the law (well, several laws), but Sergeant Everard didn't have to be so mean about it.
There was a picture on the wall, and Shelby could see the police officers reflected in the glass. Constable Bidgood took off his hat. 'Typical Easter weather.' He smiled.
'Where's Shelby Shaw?' Sergeant Everard asked with her hands on her hips.
Shelby lurked in the doorway, looking guilty.
'Stay where I can see you,' the sergeant said.
'I didn't even do anything!' Shelby protested.
The sergeant frowned at her and then turned her attention to Lindsey's mum.
Mrs Edel explained what had happened. She had already picked out several photos of Diablo, which she pushed across the coffee table to where Constable Bidgood was sitting.
'And you're certain he's not here?' asked the constable, flicking through the photos.
Lindsey's mother glanced at the two girls. 'Pretty sure. We've looked in all the paddocks. We'll look again, but you need to understand, Diablo's enclosure is very secure – double fenced the whole way around. Even if he could get out he could only get into a laneway. I've owned this animal for eighteen years and this has never happened before.'
'Was Diablo insured, Mrs Edel?' asked Sergeant Everard.
'Yes, he always has been. I can show . . .' Lindsey's mother frowned. 'What are you saying? You think this is an insurance job?'
The sergeant folded her arms. 'He is getting on. Maybe he's past his usefulness?'
Mrs Edel's mouth dropped open. 'Usefulness? I've owned Diablo since he was three years old. You've no idea what we've seen together.'
Sergeant Everard narrowed her eyes.
Mrs Edel's cheeks turned a deep red. 'Diablo means more to me than any money.'
The sergeant shrugged. 'You raised it.'
'We have to ask,' Constable Bidgood explained. He put the photos back down on the coffee table. 'He looks like a fine animal.' The constable stood and moved towards the door. 'Perhaps you'd like to come down during the week and lodge a written report. I'm pretty sure there's a Rural Watch group in this area – it's like Neighbourhood Watch for farms. We can give you some phone numbers if you like.'
Mrs Edel remained seated. 'It's a bit late for that now, isn't it? Aren't you going to get the forensic people out here? There might be fingerprints, or tyre tracks.'
'This is not a murder investigation, Mrs Edel,' the sergeant said, standing in the doorway so that cold air rushed into the room. 'So far it's an unconfirmed mis-placement of livestock. It happens a lot when the missing property has legs, and so we must allocate resources accordingly. We've logged your call. Please let us know as soon as possible if you find your horse somewhere on your property.'
Shelby guessed what the sergeant meant was 'when' they found Diablo.
'That woman has been rude at every encounter,' Mrs Edel commented as she stood at the window watching the police drive away.
Shelby was glad somebody else thought so too.
4 Acrobatics
'Hey, I just remembered – my mum's training to be a private eye,' Shelby said. 'Maybe she could take it on, like a missing person case.'