Chapter 6

Max was on the phone as the Saddle Club girls and Evie paced back and forth at the foot of the staircase that led up to Max's office.

"Yes, his name's Atlas, but…Someone could have…yes I understand…" Max hung up the phone as Mrs. Reg came into the office.

Max stepped out on to the landing at the top of the stairs. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. The girls were already half way up the steps.

"Well, I think I can guess how it went." said Carole as they reached the landing.

"Yeah, about like you'd expect." Said Max, "They gave me the runaround."

"There's no horse here by that name and furthermore the Winston Riding Institute would never endanger its sterling reputation by purchasing a stolen horse." said Max quoting the phone call in a nasal and mocking tone.

"Oh brother!" said Stevie rolling her eyes

"Talk about a canned answer!" Said Evie

"Yeah," said Lisa, "How dumb do they think we are?!"

"Come on girls," said Lisa turning to go, "We tried it Max's way, now it's time for the Saddle Club to take over!"

Stevie, Carole and Evie nodded and followed Lisa

"Why doesn't that make me feel any better?" said Max shaking his head even though there was a slightly amused smirk teasing at the corner of his mouth.

Lisa Carole and Stevie tacked up their horses. While the girls got ready to go, Evie got her riding helmet, some carrots, and a soft leather bridle. When they got outside, Lisa put the soft bridle in her saddle bags then mounted up and pulled Evie up behind her.

They started out and made a beeline for the trail that passed near the property line they shared with the WRI.

When they got to the spot on the trail closest to the property line, they dismounted and left their horses grazing at the edge of the trail.

The four girls moved through the trees, crossed the meadow and a few moments later they reached the property line.

A small stand of trees ran along the property line. 30 yards on the other side of the tree line was the ornate outdoor jumping ring.

As they approached, they saw there were several students lined up for their jumping class. Then they spotted one particularly snooty looking boy who was having trouble with his mount- a very familiar silver gray Andalusian!

"That's Atlas!" Evie hissed to the others. As they ducked behind a nearby hedge.

The girls nodded.

"And that's Clinton De Luca riding him," Stevie whispered back, "Tough break for Atlas, De Luca is one of the worst brats in the school!"

"Stop it, Jericho!" the boy snapped angrily at his horse when the horse kept acting like he was almost out of control. The horse refused to respond to the boy and kept trying fidgeting.

"Mr. De Luca, please keep your horse under control!" snapped Mr. Cartier the instructor.

"I'm trying," he replied, "But this flea-bitten nag won't obey me! Well, I'll teach him."

The infuriated boy raised his riding crop to strike the horse.

"No!" cried Evie her eyes flashed and time froze.

Running up to the frozen De Luca, Evie released the girth strap on Clinton De Luca's saddle and shoved him off of Atlas's back where he remained in mid-air, still frozen, and still astride his saddle.

Evie's eyes flashed again and time resumed. Clinton hit the ground astride his saddle and doubled over in pain holding his groin.

"Hey," snapped Cartier when she saw Evie standing there stroking Atlas's muzzle, "What are you doing with that horse?"

"What do you think she's doing?!" snapped Stevie as she and the other girls came out of hiding, "Getting her horse back!"

"Yeah," said Carole, "That horse is Atlas and you know it!"

"That horse's name is Jericho," Retorted Cartier, "It's on the name plate on his bridle.

"Yeah, I'm sure it is," said Lisa, "just like I'm sure you probably changed it when you found out that the man who sold him to you was just arrested for forging ownership papers and stealing horses including Atlas."

"I'M TELLING YOU THAT HORSE'S NAME IS JERICHO!" yelled Cartier, "NOW GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY HORSE AND GET OUT OF HERE OR I'M GOING TO CALL THE POLICE!"

"No, I don't think you will," said Lisa calmly, "and I'll tell you why. You see we can easily prove that this is Atlas who was stolen from Pine Hollow."

"Right," Said Stevie, "And that's just what we'll do if you bring the cops into this."

"And then you'd have to explain what the WRI is doing in possession of a stolen horse!" added Carole

"Not to mention that you'll have headmaster Horwell and the Board of Trustees breathing down your neck for humiliating their precious institute that way!"

Cartier looked defiant

"You're bluffing!" he snapped

"Okay," shrugged Evie, "Have it your way." She pulled out her phone and made a call deliberately putting the phone on speaker.

"Hello, this is Commissioner Starr."

"Hi Daddy," said Evie.

Cartier's eyes widened to the size of pie pans!

"Sorry to bother you at work, but there's a slight problem about Atlas over here at the WRI…,"

"Okay, Okay, you win!" Cried Cartier, "Take the horse."

"I think you just solved the problem, Daddy, I'll talk to you later…bye!":

Evie hung up and hugged Atlas. The Saddle club girls whistled for their horses and they came running.

"Come on boy," Evie said to Atlas pulling the ostentatious WRI bridle off of him and putting on the soft leather bridle that she retrieved from Lisa's saddle bag, "Let's go home."

"Hey!" cried Clinton De Luca. He had recovered from his hard landing and now ran up just as Evie pulled herself up on Atlas's bare back. "Where do you think you're going, that's my horse!"

Evie effortlessly bonked him on top of the head with her fist and he slumped to the ground unconscious.

"Come on let's get out of here!" she said the Saddle Club mounted up and together they rode triumphantly back toward Pine Hollow.

To Be Continued…Please Read and Review