Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9 Just then Uncle Warren walked into the barn. He was wearing flip-flops and a bathing suit and carrying a towel. "Coming for a swim?" he asked. "Sure," Dink said. The kids followed Uncle Warren toward the house. "After we swim, let's go get my film," Ruth Rose said quietly. The kids changed and joined Forest and Uncle Warren in the pool. They played keep-away with a plastic ball. "Still no sign of Sunny and Whirl-away" Forest said, nodding toward the barn. "I sure hope they

didn't have any trouble on the road." "We're going to get my film," Ruth Rose said. "Maybe she'll be here when we get back." "There's a safe bike path on the side of the road," Forest said. "Have a nice walk." The kids dried off, pulled on their clothes, and headed across the lawn. "I wonder what's taking Sunny so long to get back here?" Dink asked as they hiked down the driveway. "She could have stopped for food," Josh said. He rubbed his belly. A few minutes later, they walked into Photo Finish. Josh immediately spied a rack of candy, so he bought a bag of M&M's. Ruth Rose's film was ready. She paid the clerk, and they started walking back to Forest's, where they could look at the pictures in private. Josh ripped open his candy and began munching, one piece at a time. When they got back to Forest's, the kids headed straight to the barn. Sunny and Whirlaway had

still not returned. Ruth Rose opened the packet of pictures and took them out. There were a few of her cat, then the one taken by the train conductor. The next pictures were of horses and the barn at Saratoga. Then there was one of the horses on the track, but it was blurry. Next was Sunny with Whirlaway in barn E. The last picture was taken at the winner's circle. It showed Dink and Josh with Dancer's head

between them. The man in the cowboy hat was standing in the background. He was wearing a leather belt with a big silver buckle. "It's Mr. Bunks, all right," Dink said. The kids studied the picture. Ruth Rose brought it closer to her eyes. "Guys, do you see anything weird about Dancer's forehead?" she asked. "It looks shiny," Dink said, peering closely. "And darker than the rest of his face," Josh observed. "From a distance, you'd never notice," Ruth Rose said. "What could make it look like that?" asked Dink. "Something dark, like shoe polish," Josh said. "Wait a minute," Ruth Rose said. "Josh, let's see that mark on your shirt." Josh leaned in so Dink and Ruth Rose could inspect his collar. "It looks like shoe polish," said Dink.

"Yes!" Josh said. "Now I remember! Ruth Rose, when you took our picture, I felt Dancer nudge me in the back." "So Dancer made that mark!" Ruth Rose said. "But why would anyone want to put shoe polish on a horse?" Dink asked. "I don't know, but I know who could have done it," Ruth Rose said. "Sunny was polishing her boots with black polish right before the race!" "But Sunny doesn't have anything to do with Dancer," Josh pointed out. Ruth Rose shuffled through the pictures until she found the one of Sunny and Whirlaway in barn E. She looked at it for a second, then placed it next to the one of Dink and Josh with Dancer.

"Wow," Josh said. "The horses look like twins!" Dink picked up the picture of Sunny in barn E. "Except this one has a white mark on his forehead." "The shoe polish could be covering up a white mark on Dancer's forehead," Ruth Rose said. "But why would Sunny, or Mr. Bunks, or anybody want to cover up a white mark on Dancer's forehead? Why would it matter?" Josh asked. Dink thought about that. Then he remembered Sunny's comment after the race, about how she felt like she was riding a different horse. "That's it!" Dink said, snapping his fingers. "What's what?" Josh asked. "Guys, what if the horse we washed wasn't Whirlaway?" Dink asked. "What do you mean?" asked Josh. "I mean, what if someone stole Whirlaway, then brought back a different horse to replace him?" Josh and Ruth Rose just stared at Dink.