Riding Holiday Read online

  “Okay,” Kate said slowly. “Okay, you’ve convinced me.”

  “Come on then,” Izzy said.

  And so, the two girls dashed out of the barn, across the gravel and up the steps of the house. Quickly, they pushed back the screen door and hurried through the kitchen down the hallway to the study. Without a second thought, Izzy picked up the receiver.

  “Here goes,” Izzy said, dialling the number. Impatiently, she waited as the ring tone sounded. “Come on, there must be someone there!”

  And then someone started speaking.

  “Hello, Sandy Lane Stables...”

  “Who’s that?” Izzy said excitedly.

  “Rosie...” a mystified voice came from the other end.

  “Rosie, it’s Izzy – Izzy and Kate. How are you? How’s everything going at Sandy Lane?”

  Kate craned her neck over the receiver to try and listen in.

  “Everything’s great.” Rosie’s voice came. “The horses are great; the weather’s great; I don’t know where to start.”

  “Start with Midnight,” Izzy cried impatiently.

  “Well, he’s doing wonderfully.” Rosie’s voice came again. “Missing you, of course.”

  “And how did you all do at Colcott?” Izzy said excitedly.

  “Oh, Jess came second in the Tack-and-Turnout, and Alex came third in the Working Hunter, and the new girl – Clare Testar – she won the Under 13.2 Hands. Oh and then Midnight and I-”

  “Yes,” Izzy said impatiently.

  “We won. We won the Open Jumping!” Rosie sounded pleased, but a bit embarrassed.

  “You won, Rosie? But that’s brilliant,” Izzy cried. Her heart wrenched. It was great that Rosie had won, but if she had been back in England, she might have won on Midnight herself. Almost immediately she felt bad for having such mean thoughts.

  “So how’s it all going out there?” Rosie’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “Don’t tell me you’re riding real racehorses – it’ll only make me sick with envy. And what’s the weather like? Is it really hot?”

  “Well yes it is,” Izzy said tentatively, not knowing what to say. “But Graytops is a bit different from a riding stables.”

  “I’m sure it is,” Rosie said. “I bet you’re having an amazing time.”

  “Well yes, of course we are,” Izzy said, trying to muster up some enthusiasm. Suddenly, this phone call seemed all wrong. She couldn’t tell Rosie they were having a lousy time. What would everyone say? What would Sarah think? She took a deep breath.

  “So I guess you won’t be wanting to come home now!” Rosie exclaimed.

  “No, definitely not,” Izzy laughed nervously.

  “Look Izzy, I don’t mean to be rude.” Rosie’s voice came again. “But I’m going to have to cut you short. The 1 o’clock hack’s just come in and the yard’s in absolute chaos.”

  “Of course,” Izzy said with relief. “We’ve got to go ourselves.”

  “Another racehorse waiting?” Rosie giggled.

  “Hmm, something like that,” Izzy said. “Okay, bye...yes, see you in a couple of weeks.”

  And that was the end of the conversation. Kate looked glum as Izzy put down the receiver.

  “Well, that’s that then,” Izzy said. “Everyone expects us to be having such a wonderful time out here – it’s really embarrassing to think that we’re not.”

  “I know,” Kate said gloomily. “But we shouldn’t be embarrassed. It’s not our fault.”

  “No, it’s not,” Izzy said, thinking hard. “And you know, I think we should have a talk with Courtney and Megan when they get back. There’s nothing to stop us from changing our flights and going home early.”

  “No, I don’t suppose there is,” Kate agreed. “But we really should give Courtney and Megan a chance to explain first.”

  “Of course we should,” Izzy said calmly. “But that’s all it’s going to be – a chance to explain exactly what’s going on. There’s something very strange about Graytops – and I want to know what it is.”

  8

  REVELATIONS

  Izzy looked at her watch as she paced up and down the sitting room. “5 o’clock!” she said. “5 o’clock and they’re still not back yet!”

  As the 3 o’clock deadline had approached – and passed – Izzy and Kate had found themselves becoming more and more frustrated.

  “What’s that?” Kate listened hard. If she wasn’t mistaken, there was the sound of wheels on gravel. And now, as she listened more closely, she could definitely hear car doors slamming. Kate jumped to her feet and looked out of the window. Sally’s car had pulled up in the driveway and now Courtney and Megan were running across the drive.

  “They’re back,” Kate said.

  “Great.” Izzy plonked herself down in the nearest armchair and folded her arms.

  “Izzy...Kate! Where are you?” Courtney and Megan’s voices rang out through the house.

  “Don’t answer,” Izzy hissed. “Let them find us.”

  “All right,” Kate said, trying to look nonchalant as she flicked through a horse magazine.

  “Oh, there you are.” Courtney said breathlessly as her face appeared around the doorway. “Ready for a ride?”

  “We were.” Izzy sat, looking stony-faced.

  “Yes, look, we’re really sorry, but something very important came up,” Courtney apologized. “Still, we can go out now, can’t we?”

  “It’s a bit late for that, isn’t it?” Izzy said moodily.

  “Don’t be silly,” Megan said. “The sun will be up for a few more hours yet.”

  “Unless you don’t want to.” Courtney raised her eyebrows.

  “Want to? What do you think we’ve been wanting to do all week?” Izzy exploded. “You’ve been treating us like hired hands, and we’re not even getting paid for it! All we seem to do is muck out, groom horses and do all the work that stable hands normally do! We’re having a terrible time – such a terrible time that we wish we’d never come. In fact, we’re going to change our flights and go home early!”

  “Oh no, don’t do that.” Courtney said hastily. “I know that it hasn’t been the greatest here. Dad wanted us to cancel your trip, but Mom said that we couldn’t.”

  “Dad?” Izzy was intrigued. This was the first time the twins had mentioned their father.

  “Yes – Dad.” Courtney looked puzzled.

  “So why didn’t he cancel our trip?” Kate said. “It would have been the best thing all round if your parents are having problems with their marriage.”

  “Problems with their marriage?” Courtney looked shocked. “They’re not having problems with their marriage.”

  “Then where is your father?” Izzy blurted the words out before she had a chance to think how they sounded.

  “Well, er...he had to move out,” Courtney said vaguely. “But it’s not because of Mom. Did you really think that?”

  “If only you would tell us what’s going on, we might be able to understand,” Kate said, feeling frustrated.

  “But Mom and Dad don’t want us to talk about it,” Megan hesitated, looking nervously at Courtney.

  “But maybe the circumstances have changed now, Megan,” Courtney softened. “We owe it to Izzy and Kate to tell them just what’s been going on – especially if we want to get them to stay.”

  “Okay, well, let’s sit down and talk,” Megan said slowly.

  Kate and Izzy looked uncertain, but they did as they were told and sat down on the sofa.

  “Well.” Courtney took a deep breath. “We’ll have to go back a few months for you to understand what’s happening now.”

  “Things were going really well at the farm back then,” Megan joined in. “We were on a real winning streak. It’s taken a while for Dad to get his reputation off the ground, but more and more people were sending their horses to him...”

  “But then Sugarfoot was drug-tested after a big race,” Courtney stepped in. “And he tested positive – an antihistamine was found in h
is system!”

  Izzy gasped. “At home, a horse isn’t allowed to race with any kind of drug in its system. It might act as a stimulant and give the horse an unfair advantage.”

  “Well exactly,” Courtney said seriously. “It’s the same here – except for Lasix or Bute.”

  “Lasix? Bute?” Kate looked puzzled.

  “Furosemide and phenylbutazone.” Megan explained quickly. “They’re anti-inflammatory drugs – like painkillers.”

  “Oh right, so what happened next?” Kate asked.

  “Well,” Megan took a deep breath. “Dad was called before the track stewards and asked to explain himself. But of course he didn’t know what to say. Sugarfoot hadn’t been on any sort of prescription so he didn’t know how the antihistamine could have gotten into her system. Dad didn’t have a previous record, and the drug was only a class five-”

  “That’s the lowest type of drug offence,” Courtney stepped in to explain.

  Megan nodded and continued. “So the stewards decided they wouldn’t suspend him – they only gave him a fine. But Sugarfoot was still disqualified and placed last – the owner lost the whole purse.”

  “Dad was lucky it was only a class five drug,” Courtney said. “A class one drug carries a $5,000 fine and up to a five year suspension for the trainer.”

  “I don’t know what to say.” Izzy looked shocked. “How on earth could the antihistamine have got there?”

  “Well, that’s what we were all asking ourselves,” Megan said, looking at her sister.

  “Dad felt that the only thing he could do was to get rid of all the casual staff,” Courtney went on.

  “So is that why you have so little stable help here?” Izzy asked, everything suddenly falling into place.

  “Yeah, there were a lot of really unhappy people, but Dad had to do it,” Megan said. “As it turned out, it was all for nothing as it happened again a month later – this time with Tobago Bay.”

  Izzy gasped.

  “But this time it was so much worse,” Megan said. “You see this time it was a class three drug called benzocaine.”

  “MEGAN!” Courtney hissed furiously. “You heard what Dad said – he didn’t want us mentioning the name of the drug to anyone.”

  Megan looked scared. “Don’t tell Dad I said anything – he’ll be furious with me.”

  “Why didn’t he want you mentioning the name of the drug?” Izzy looked puzzled.

  “I don’t know really,” Megan shrugged. “I guess he thought it might help in some way.”

  “Still,” Izzy said. “We’re not exactly going to go telling anyone, are we? So what happened next?”

  “Well,” Courtney paused. “Dad got a $1,500 fine and a three month suspension – and that’s why he’s not at the farm right now.”

  Izzy let out a low whistle.

  “Mom’s taken over as temporary trainer in his place,” Megan explained hurriedly. “You can imagine it’s really hard for her – she really misses Dad.”

  “But this is so unfair,” Kate said. “If your father knows nothing about the drugs, why should he have to leave his home?”

  “You’ve got to think how it looks to the stewards though,” Courtney answered sensibly. “And a trainer is the one who’s responsible for the condition of his horses, which includes making sure that no one has a chance to give a horse an illegal drug.”

  “So is this why you’ve got the security guard? To protect the horses?” Izzy said.

  “Exactly,” Courtney answered. “A lot of farms have security guards, but we’ve never felt the need for one before. I’m sorry I acted so weird when you mentioned him – it’s just that it took me a little by surprise that you knew about him. You see Mom wants him to stay out of sight. If anyone unusual turns up at the yard she wants to be able to catch them.”

  “Yes, of course,” Izzy said.

  “We just can’t risk it happening again,” Megan joined in. “We’ve already had owners take their horses away. In fact, that was why we couldn’t come to meet you at the airport.”

  “The trailer!” Izzy exclaimed, remembering the horse they’d seen being loaded the night they’d arrived; and she’d thought that had just been part and parcel of a racing stables.

  “You’d have thought that our owners would have given Dad the benefit of the doubt,” Megan said angrily. “But drugs are a dirty word in the States. And now, people have even started saying that all the other Graytops’ horses must have won while they were on drugs too – designer drugs that couldn’t be detected in the tests.”

  “But that’s crazy,” Kate cried.

  “Of course it’s crazy,” Megan agreed. “But think how it looks. And what if it happens again? Seattle Surprise runs in her big race next week. It would be the end for Graytops if she tested positive – we’d lose even more owners. We’d have to sell the farm and we’ve lived here all our lives – there’s always been a member of the Bryant family at Graytops for as long as anyone can remember. It’s too awful to consider.”

  “All right, all right, Megan,” Courtney said, laying a steadying hand on her sister’s shoulder. “It’s not going to come to that. Seattle will be fine when she runs.”

  “But what if she isn’t?” Megan sobbed. “What happens then?”

  “We just can’t think like that,” Courtney said firmly. Then she turned to Kate and Izzy. “Look, I’m really sorry we weren’t here for your ride this morning. We had to go with Mom to see the stewards at Clevedon Park to smooth things over – she didn’t want to go by herself.”

  “Yes, I understand,” Izzy murmured. “And what did the stewards say?”

  “Well, they’re letting us run Seattle next week,” Courtney said. “So that’s something.”

  “Look, this is a lot for you to take in.” Megan pulled herself together. “But the most important thing is for you to decide whether you want to stay or not. If you think it’s going to be too much for you, I’m sure you’ll be able to change your tickets.”

  “We’d love you to stay,” Courtney joined in. “We don’t know how we’d have managed without all your help. And of course we’d try and make sure you got to do tons of riding...”

  “Look,” Megan said. “Why don’t you and Kate take Prince and Garnet out now? You could talk it over and make a decision.”

  “That sounds like a good idea,” Izzy said, looking at Kate, who nodded in agreement.

  A ride was exactly what they needed, but as for talking it all through and making a decision – well, they wouldn’t have to do that. As soon as Megan had uttered her sentence about it being too much for them, she had unwittingly laid down a challenge, and one that Izzy and Kate weren’t going to refuse. Besides, the Bryants needed all the help they could get – how else could they look after all the horses?

  9

  POINTING THE FINGER

  Izzy swung up into the saddle and gathered up the reins to Garnet’s bridle. Briefly she bent down to pat his chestnut neck.

  “This feels good.” She twisted around to call back to Kate. “I’d almost forgotten what it felt like to sit on a horse.”

  “Yeah, me too.” Kate laughed as she clucked Prince on down the grassy lanes between the paddocks.

  The sun was low in the sky by now, casting the farm in a soft golden light, and as the two girls wound their way through the countryside, they left the farm far behind them.

  “So, what do you make of it all, Izzy?” Kate said, pushing Prince on into a trot through a line of lime trees.

  “Well, I don’t really know,” Izzy answered breathlessly. “I mean...I never imagined anything like this could be going on. No wonder everyone’s been so uptight. I feel awful for making such a fuss about our riding when they’ve had so much to worry about.”

  “You can say that again,” Kate said, rising to the steady rhythm of Prince’s trot. “But you know, Izzy, this is going to sound really bad, but I’ve got to say it.”

  “Go on then.” Izzy looked across and drew
Garnet to a walk.

  “Tell me if you think I’m jumping to silly conclusions.” Kate fiddled nervously with the reins. “But what if the Bryants really have been doping their own horses? I don’t want to be staying with dishonest trainers.”

  “No.” Izzy bent down to pat Garnet’s neck. “Neither do I, but I don’t think they would have done something like that. I know that they look like the obvious choice, but it doesn’t make any sense – why would they drug their own horses when they’d know the horses would only get drug-tested at the end of the race? They’d know that they couldn’t get away with it.”

  “That’s true.” Kate felt relieved. “And Sarah’s known the Bryants for years – surely she wouldn’t be friends with people who were capable of something like doping.”

  “No.” Izzy looked thoughtful. “I don’t think she would. I think we’ve got to look somewhere else for an answer, and you know, I’ve had a thought – do you remember back at Sandy Lane when Rosie got caught up in that doping scandal?”

  “Yes, of course I do,” Kate said.

  The incident Izzy was referring to had been a couple of years back. Rosie had befriended a local stable lad who’d been accused of trying to dope a racehorse – only in the end, it had turned out to be a rival trainer who was responsible.

  “Yes, I see exactly where you’re coming from.” Kate looked excited. “It could be a rival trainer involved here too, couldn’t it?”

  Izzy nodded. “I wonder who trained the horses that came in second in each race. We ought to ask Courtney and Megan about that – it might be connected.”

  “I take it you don’t think we should go back home then?” Kate raised her eyebrows.

  “Definitely not.” Izzy gritted her teeth, her eyes fixed determinedly on the grass track ahead. “You heard what Courtney said – we’ll get to ride a lot more now and besides, we might be able to help them get to the bottom of it.”

  “Oh Izzy,” Kate groaned as she gathered up Garnet’s reins. “I don’t think we should get involved in all that. Look, we’ve done enough talking for one day, let’s gallop!”