Dark Days at Saddle Creek by Shelley Peterson

Author:Shelley Peterson [Peterson, Shelley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cormorant Books

12

CLUES

Tell me and I will listen. Show me and I will understand.

Involve me and I will learn.

— Chief Sitting Bull, Lakota

Just as Bird was opening Dexter’s blue bag to take a peek inside, Sally and her father drove up the lane. She quickly hid it behind her back, and waved hello. The car slowed.

“Bird!” called Sally. “I came to ride Tall Sox. Can you help me?”

Bird nodded and smiled.

Sally opened the car door. “Thanks, Dad.” She jumped out, smiling and eager.

Harold Johns turned his car around, and waved as he went past. “Hi, Bird! Bye, Sally! Call me when you’re ready!”

Bird needed to see what was in the bag. She motioned for Sally to go to the barn, and mimed leading a horse so Sally would understand to get Sox’s halter and lead shank.

Sally asked, “Why can’t you talk?”

Bird knew it would have been useless to try to explain, even if she’d been able to try. Luckily, Sally kept talking.

“Wanda said sometimes you can’t talk. I didn’t think it was true. But it is, isn’t it?”

Bird nodded unhappily.

“Why can’t you come to the barn with me?”

Bird pointed to the house.

“Oh. Oh, okay.” Sally looked at Bird oddly, but started walking up the driveway. She turned around. “What’s behind your back?”

Bird brought the bag around to show her. “Why were you hiding it?”

Bird shrugged, trying to appear like it was no big deal.

“So, why do you have to go to the house?”

Bird crossed her legs and hopped.

“Oh! Why didn’t you say so!” Sally turned and ran up to the barn.

Bird sighed. She was new at this game. Obviously, she’d need to appear less secretive in the future, to avoid suspicion. Being a spy wasn’t as easy as it seemed.

Bird unzipped the blue bag and looked inside. It was only a packed lunch! A bruised apple, a small carton of chocolate milk, a straw, some sugar cubes, and a squished chicken salad sandwich wrapped in cellophane. Dexter’s lunch. Great private detective she was turning out to be!

Bird took the apple and sugar cubes out to give Sunny, and tossed the bag in the garbage. She started to leave, but had gone no more than a couple of steps when she stopped. Just a minute, she thought. Real detectives examine the evidence, no matter how trivial and commonplace it appears. She reached back into the garbage and plucked out the bag, replaced the cubes and apple, then searched around for someplace to store it. In the mudroom she found a white Styrofoam cooler. She got ice from the freezer and put the blue bag and the ice in the cooler. If Frank Skelton wanted to look at Dexter’s lunch, at least she’d be able to show him.

Now she had to deal with Sally, who was happily striding down the lane with a halter and a lead shank.

Bird joined her at the gate.

“Tall Sox!” called Sally. “Tall Sox!”

The bay gelding with the four tall white socks lifted his head. He looked over at the girls, and resumed his grazing.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.