"Big Spot's saddle pad is missing?" Maggie said. "What do you mean?
I put it back in the tack room, just like always!"
"What's a tack room?" Cole whispered to Henry.
"I think it's where they keep the horses' equipment," he answered.
"Are you sure?" Ms. Wood was asking Maggie.
"Because the other pads were there. But yours wasn't with them."
"I'm positive!" Maggie insisted.
"I remember because it was kind of damp from Spot's sweat.
I could feel it through my shirt when I carried everything back to the tack room."
Ms. Wood didn't look convinced.
"Well, I haven't seen it since your last lesson.
If it doesn't turn up soon, I'll have to speak to your parents about replacing it."
Henry looked at Cole, worried. Had the thief struck again?
"I put a different pad under Spot's saddle," Ms. Wood went on.
"You can use that one for today."
The barn owner hurried away. Maggie stomped toward Big Spot's stall.
The boys followed.
"I can't believe this!" Maggie cried.
"It's bad enough that my parents might not let me ride anymore.
Now I have to worry about Ms. Wood kicking me out of the barn too!"
"How much does a saddle pad cost?" Henry asked.
"Why?" Maggie looked hopeful.
"Are you going to buy Ms. Wood a new one so she doesn't tell my parents?"
"No. I'm trying to figure out whether the thief could sell that pad for a lot of money."
"Probably not." Maggie started changing into her riding boots.
"The pad was kind of old.
And saddle pads only cost about 15 dollars when they're new.
I looked at some when Mom took me to the store to buy my riding clothes."
"This case doesn't make sense," Cole said.
"The thief is stealing really weird stuff."
Henry nodded. "It's weird that only Maggie's stuff has disappeared.
And it's even weirder that some of the missing stuff is valuable and some isn't."
"A thief could sell Maggie's bracelet or her new riding gloves," Cole said.
"And the check was worth money too, of course.
But why steal one sock? Or a sweaty old saddle pad?"
"Who cares why someone did it?" Maggie said.
"We just need to figure out who did it. And fast!"
"Don't worry," Henry told her. "I have a plan, remember?"
"Good. I hope it works."
Maggie started getting her pony ready, and the boys wandered off.
"Do you think your plan will work?" Cole asked.
Henry stooped to pat Little Spot as the dog ran up to them.
"I don't know. But it's the best plan I can think of right now."
He was carrying a plastic bag. Reaching inside, he pulled out a baseball glove.
"Are you sure you want to risk losing your autographed glove?" Cole asked.
"It's really cool. Plus your parents will be mad if you lose it."
"I won't lose it," Henry said. "We'll be hiding and watching it, remember?"
That was his plan.
The baseball glove had been autographed by several famous baseball players.
Anyone could see it was worth a lot of money.
Henry was planning to put the glove in the barn aisle where everyone would notice it.
Then he and Cole would hide out and see if anyone tried to take it.
With luck, they'd catch the thief before Maggie's riding lesson started!
"If Jill is stealing because she needs money, she'll definitely grab this glove," Cole said.
"If Zach's the thief, he might take it too," Henry said.
"He loves baseball. And we don't know what Eleanor's motive might be.
Maybe she needs money too.
My aunt and uncle keep saying that riding is an expensive sport."
He set his glove down. Then he and Cole hid in an empty stall nearby.
It wasn't long before they heard footsteps.
Henry peeked out and saw Zach coming down the aisle.
"Hey, what's that?" Zach muttered. He stopped and picked up the glove.
"Whoa, cool!" he said. "Guess someone will come back to look for this."
He dropped the glove where he'd found it. Then he kept walking.
"Zach didn't take the bait!" Cole whispered. "I guess he's innocent."
Henry nodded. "Shh! Here comes Eleanor."
Eleanor hurried down the aisle. "Spot? Spot, where are you?" she called.
She was so busy calling her dog that she almost tripped over the glove before she saw it.
Then she stopped, looking confused.
She leaned down for a better look at the glove.
Finally she shrugged and hurried off, still calling Spot.
"Eleanor didn't take it either," Cole whispered.
Henry just nodded. He'd heard the sound of Jill's wheelbarrow rolling toward them.
The older girl saw the glove right away. She stopped her wheelbarrow.
Then she hurried over, grabbed the glove, and took off down the aisle!