The Lucky Horseshoes Page 3

  “Mrs. Apple’s class was here in the morning,” George said. “And then Mrs. Costello’s class was here in the afternoon.”

  “Jackie is in Mrs. Costello’s class!” Bess said. “She could have written the note and printed it out when her teacher wasn’t looking.”

  Nancy nodded. “It looks as if Jackie is our main suspect. We’re going to have to watch her carefully at our riding class on Thursday.”

  • • •

  Wednesday was a wet, rainy day. So was Thursday.

  “Rain, rain, go away,” Bess said when Mrs. Fayne dropped off George, Nancy, and Bess at the stables after school.

  “Come again some other day.” Nancy finished the nursery rhyme for Bess. “I like the rain, though,” she added.

  “Me, too,” George said. “It makes great puddles!” George was wearing knee-high rain boots. She jumped into a puddle with both feet.

  Bess hopped sideways to keep from getting splashed. “Cut it out, George,” she said. “You’re getting my new riding pants dirty.”

  “Sorry,” George said.

  “This weather is part of my bad luck,” Bess said as the girls walked toward the stable. “It wasn’t raining before my earrings were stolen. We have to find those earrings soon!”

  The girls walked into the ring. Katie and Mandy were already waiting. Nancy saw that Mandy was still wearing her special riding outfit. Only now she had added a shiny yellow rain slicker and hat.

  Bess nudged Nancy. “Here comes Jackie,” she whispered. “Watch for clues.”

  Nancy nodded.

  Jackie came over to talk to them. “Hi,” she said in a soft voice.

  “Hi,” Nancy said. She studied Jackie carefully to see if Jackie looked guilty. But Jackie looked the same as always.

  “Have you been studying your spelling words?” Jackie asked Bess. “The spelling bee is tomorrow.”

  “I know,” Bess said. “I’m getting nervous.”

  “I’m nervous, too,” Jackie said. “But I did what you said. I got a good-luck charm.”

  “What kind of good-luck charm?” Nancy asked.

  “A four-leaf clover pin,” Jackie said. “My aunt Alice gave it to me. She bought it in Ireland.”

  Nancy and Bess looked at each other. They were both thinking the same thing. If Jackie had a good-luck charm of her own, why would she need Bess’s earrings?

  7

  Butterscotch

  Hello!” Red called as he came out into the ring. “I’m glad to see that a little mud hasn’t scared anyone off. We have a special treat today. We’re going on a trail ride.”

  “Hurray!” Nancy and George yelled.

  After everyone had mounted the ponies, Red got onto his horse, Midnight. Then he led the line of ponies out of the ring and into the woods. Sue rode at the back of the line on her horse, Blaze.

  Cupid calmly followed Rebel, the pony in front of them on the trail. Nancy liked being up high on Cupid’s back. She could reach up and touch the branches of the trees on either side of the trail.

  “Isn’t this fun?” she called to Mandy.

  Mandy didn’t answer.

  Nancy shrugged. Maybe Mandy didn’t hear me, Nancy thought.

  After riding for about half an hour, Red led the way out of the woods. Nancy could see the stable and ring just across the field.

  “You did a great job, everyone,” Red called when they had gotten back to the ring. “Please dismount and lead your ponies back into the stable.”

  Nancy waited until Sue was watching. Then she took her right foot out of the stirrup. She swung her right leg over Cupid’s back, the way Red had taught her.

  “Good,” Sue said.

  Nancy slowly lowered herself to the ground. She took Cupid’s reins in her right hand and started toward the stable.

  Mandy and Rebel were right in front of her. Each time Mandy took a step, she sank into the mud.

  Nancy hopped from one of Mandy’s footprints to the next. Something about those squiggly lines in the mud looks familiar, she thought.

  Then Nancy realized what it was. Mandy’s boot prints where the same as the ones Nancy had seen in the muddy tack room!

  Nancy gently pulled back on Cupid’s reins. She waited for Bess and Butterscotch to catch up. George and Smokey were in the back of the group.

  “Bess, Mandy’s in Mrs. Keller’s class, isn’t she?” Nancy asked.

  “I think so,” Bess said. “Why?”

  Nancy smiled. “I think I know who took your earrings!”

  “Who?” Bess asked with excitement.

  Nancy looked around quickly. “I’d better wait to tell you and George when we’re inside,” she whispered.

  Nancy and Bess put their ponies in their stalls. Then they hurried over to George.

  “I saw Mandy’s footprints,” Nancy said in a low voice. “They match the ones we saw in the tack room. I think Mandy is the thief.”

  George opened her eyes wide. “Let’s go talk to her,” she said.

  Nancy, George, and Bess found Mandy hurrying out of Rebel’s stall. Nancy thought that Mandy seemed to be rushing to leave.

  “Mandy Trout, we have to talk to you,” Bess announced.

  “Right now.” George put her hands on her hips.

  “What do you want?” Mandy asked nervously.

  “We want to know why you took Bess’s earrings,” Nancy said.

  Mandy looked at the ground. “How did you know it was me?” she asked softly.

  Nancy pointed to Mandy’s boots. “Your riding boots gave you away. We saw the prints in the tack room.”

  “Oh,” Mandy said.

  “Did you write me that note?” Bess demanded.

  “Yes,” Mandy said softly. “I wrote it in computer class on Friday morning.”

  “That’s strange,” Nancy said. “How did you know Bess was going to win our class’s spelling bee? Mrs. Oshida didn’t announce the winners until lunchtime.”

  Mandy looked up. Nancy thought she looked confused. “Spelling bee? Why should I care about the spelling bee? I’m a terrible speller.”

  “But your note said ‘Drop out now, or you’ll be sorry,’” George said.

  “I wasn’t talking about the spelling bee,” Mandy explained. “I wanted Bess to drop out of riding lessons.”

  “Why?” Bess asked.

  Mandy’s face turned red. She glanced at the big pony in the stall behind her. “I’m scared of Rebel,” she whispered. “I want Butterscotch back.”

  “Why didn’t you just tell Red?” Nancy asked.

  Mandy sighed. “Because Red thinks I’m a good rider. I wanted you to think I was a really good rider, too. All of you skate better than I do, even though I’m older. It isn’t fair.”

  “But if you’d told us the truth, we could have talked to Red,” Nancy said. “We would have switched with you.”

  George nodded. “I’d love to ride Rebel,” she said. “I think Smokey is a little too slow for me.”

  “I don’t mind giving up Butterscotch if I get to ride Smokey,” Bess said. “Any slow pony is fine with me.”

  “Come on,” Nancy suggested. “Let’s go talk to Red now.”

  The four girls went into Red’s office together. Mandy explained how she felt about Rebel.

  Red agreed to switch the ponies around at the girls’ next lesson. “I’m glad you spoke to me,” he told Mandy. “The important thing is that you enjoy yourself while you’re here.”

  “Do you think I could have my earrings back now?” Bess asked Mandy as the girls walked out of Red’s office.

  “Sure,” Mandy said. “I’ve been keeping them safe in my backpack.”

  Mandy unzipped a tiny pocket inside her backpack. She took out the earrings and handed them to Bess.

  “Another mystery solved,” Nancy said as Mrs. Marvin’s red minivan pulled into the driveway.

  “Just in time, too,” Bess said. “The spelling bee is tomorrow!”

  Nancy was happy that Bess had her earr
ings back. But she almost wished she hadn’t solved the mystery before the spelling bee. She knew that if Bess won now, she’d think it was because of her good-luck charm.

  8

  Friends Again

  On Friday morning Mrs. Reynolds’s classroom buzzed with excitment.

  “Okay, everyone,” Mrs. Reynolds said after she had taken attendance. “Let’s line up. It’s time to go to the auditorium for the spelling bee.”

  Nancy, Bess, and George stood together in line. Bess was dressed up for the bee. She was wearing a new dress with a matching headband and matching tights.

  “Do you feel nervous?” George asked Bess.

  “No,” Bess said. She put her hand up to touch her lucky earrings. “Now that I have my earrings back, I know I’m going to win!”

  George and Nancy looked at each other. Bess was going to be competing against fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-graders in the spelling bee.

  Bess is going to need more than luck to help her win, Nancy thought. Nancy knew that Bess hadn’t studied very much. Bess thought the lucky earrings would help her win.

  Mrs. Reynolds led the class into the auditorium. Bess walked up onto the stage with the other spellers. The rest of Mrs. Reynolds’s class sat in the audience.

  Mrs. Oshida walked up the steps that led to the stage. “Welcome to the Carl Sandburg Elementary School’s school-wide spelling bee!” she said into a microphone that was at the center of the stage.

  Everyone clapped. Nancy could see Bess standing in the middle of the line. She stood next to Amara Shane, the spelling champion from Mrs. Apple’s class. Bess doesn’t look nervous, Nancy thought. But most of the other spellers did, especially Jackie Taylor. Jackie held her arms over her stomach, as if she had a stomachache.

  Mrs. Oshida told the spellers to step up to the microphone as each person took his or her turn.

  Mrs. Oshida started with the sixth-graders and worked her way down the line.

  Jackie was the fourth person in line. Nancy could see that she had something shiny pinned to her dress. Nancy guessed it was her four-leaf clover pin.

  “Your word is mayonnaise,” Mrs. Oshida said to Jackie.

  Jackie cleared her throat. “Mayonnaise,” she whispered. “M-A—.”

  Jackie stopped at the second letter. Then she put her hands over her mouth and ran behind the curtain. Mrs. Costello hurried down the aisle and followed Jackie.

  Students all over the auditorium began to talk and giggle.

  “Poor Jackie,” George said. “She looked as if she was going to throw up.”

  Nancy nodded. “It’s just like what happened at the Thanksgiving play.”

  Mrs. Oshida stood in front of the auditorium and clapped her hands. “Let’s continue,” she said. She went on to the next speller.

  Soon it was Bess’s turn.

  “Your word is saddle,” Mrs. Oshida said.

  “She has a riding word,” George whispered to Nancy. “That’s a lucky sign.”

  Nancy looked at George and shook her head. She thought that George sounded as if she was beginning to believe in good-luck charms, too.

  “Saddle,” Bess said in a loud voice. “S-A-D-D-E-L. Saddle.” Then she stopped. “I made a mistake, Mrs. Oshida. Can I try again?”

  “I’m sorry,” Mrs. Oshida said. “Each speller gets only one try.”

  Bess stepped down from the stage and took a seat in the front row. Nancy could see that Bess looked upset.

  “Amara?” Mrs. Oshida said. “Will you try the word, please?”

  Amara stepped up to the microphone. “Saddle,” she said quickly. “S-A-D-D-L-E. Saddle.”

  “That is correct,” Mrs. Oshida said.

  • • •

  “I still can’t believe I missed such an easy word,” Bess said. The spelling bee was over. Mrs. Reynolds was leading her students back to class. “And it was my first turn, too!”

  “Don’t be upset,” Nancy said. “You did better than George and I did.”

  “And you didn’t throw up, like Jackie,” George added.

  Bess tried to smile. But she still looked disappointed. “I guess my earrings weren’t as lucky as I thought,” she said.

  Nancy noticed that Bess looked sad all the way through math and science.

  Then it was time for art. Mrs. Reynolds led everyone down to the basement. Bess told Ms. Frick, the art teacher, that she didn’t feel well. She put her head down on the art table.

  “We have to do something to cheer up Bess,” George told Nancy.

  Nancy nodded. “I have an idea.”

  George and Nancy spent the entire period working on a project together.

  “Time to clean up!” Ms. Frick called.

  Nancy and George quickly finished their project. Then they hurried over to Bess.

  “We made you something,” Nancy said. She put a rolled-up piece of paper in front of Bess.

  “What is it?” Bess asked.

  “Unroll it and find out,” she said.

  Bess unrolled the paper. Nancy and George had made a mini-poster. The poster read: “Best Speller in Mrs. Reynolds’s Third-Grade Class Award.” The writing was in large letters made from silver glitter. At the bottom was “Bess Marvin” in gold glitter.

  “Thank you,” Bess said. She smiled and looked at the poster again. Nancy had put her name at the bottom. So had George.

  There was a third name, too.

  “Katie signed this!” Bess exclaimed.

  Nancy nodded. “She’s been wanting to say she’s sorry. But she didn’t know how.”

  Bess looked around the classroom. She saw Katie standing by the sink.

  Bess slowly walked over to Katie. “Thank you for the poster,” Bess said shyly.

  Katie smiled. “I’m sorry I was such a bad sport. I wanted to be in the spelling bee so much.”

  “I’ll bet you make it next year,” Bess said. “And if you do, I’ll let you wear my lucky earrings.”

  “Thanks,” Katie said.

  “Just make sure you study, too,” Bess said. “And concentrate. That’s what I forgot to do.”

  • • •

  After lunch Mrs. Reynolds gave the class a worksheet. Nancy did hers quickly. Mrs. Reynolds said Nancy could read or write quietly while the rest of the class finished their work.

  Nancy got her detective notebook out of her cubby. She wanted to write down her last entry while she remembered exactly what had happened.

  When she opened the notebook, a piece of paper fell out. It was a note. Nancy unfolded the piece of paper. She recognized Bess’s handwriting.

  The note read: “Friends like you are the best good-luck charm of all.”

  Case closed.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  First Aladdin Paperbacks edition February 2003

  First Minstrel Books edition September 1998

  Copyright © 1998 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  Aladdin

  An Imprint division of Simon & Schuster Inc.

  Children’s Publishing Division

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  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

  The text of this book was set in Excelsior.

  NANCY DREW and THE NANCY DREW NOTEBOOKS are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  ISBN-13: 978-0-671-00822-2 (pbk)

  ISBN-13: 978-1-4
424-7191-7 (eBook)