The Mystery at Maypenny's

just like you—seeing a mystery where none exists.”
    Trixie shook her head. “You can’t say that there’s no mystery here, Honey. John Score made himself very unpopular in Sleepyside. Then the judge ordered him out of town. Now we find his car hidden in this ravine. I’d say it’s very mysterious.”
    Honey swallowed hard again. She’d almost managed to talk herself out of her nervousness. Now it was back again, full force. “What can we do?” she asked.
    Trixie stood silent for a moment, her forehead wrinkled in thought. “I guess the best thing is to ride over to Mr. Maypenny’s,” she said finally.
    “This ravine is on his land, and he probably rides past it every day. He might at least be able to remember the last time he saw this ravine without a car in it.”
    Honey nodded in agreement and led the way back up the bank of the ravine, as if she were glad for an excuse to get away from the green car.
    The girls had only gone a short way down the path when they saw Mr. Maypenny, on Brownie, riding slowly toward them.
    Trixie stood up in the stirrups and waved her arm over her head. She sat back down in the saddle and started to urge Susie into a trot. Then she stopped herself. Mr. Maypenny had been through so much in the past few weeks. It would be better for him if she could force herself to be calm when she told him about the green car. She glanced at Honey and saw that Honey had arranged her face in a welcoming smile. Her always diplomatic friend had obviously had the same idea.
    When the two girls pulled up alongside Mr. Maypenny, it was Honey who spoke first. “We just came from the council meeting,” she told the gamekeeper. “We rode out to tell you the news. It was a tie vote, so nothing has been settled yet. I’m sorry.”
    Mr. Maypenny stared at Honey. “Tie vote?” he asked. “What— Oh, on the rezoning, you mean. Well, they can vote all they want to. Nothing is going to make me sell out to International Pine. It’s nice of you girls to tell me about it, though.” He gave a little nod of his head and clucked to Brownie. “Nice seeing you girls,” he said as he started off down the path again.
    “Mr. Maypenny!” Trixie’s voice sounded sharp. She paused and cleared her throat as the gamekeeper stopped and turned around. She hadn’t meant to sound so panicky, but Mr. May-penny’s abrupt departure had startled her. He usually acted as though he had all the time in the world to talk.
    Mr. Maypenny looked at Trixie expectantly as she tried to calm herself and think of a way to ask about the green car without upsetting the old man.
    Once again, Honey’s natural tact came to her rescue. “We had a little question to ask you before you go on with your work,” she said. “We happened to see an old abandoned car in a ravine back there. We just wanted to make sure you knew it was there.”
    Mr. Maypenny sat stock-still in the saddle, blinking rapidly as he looked at Honey. With his gaunt features and long, beaklike nose, he looked to Trixie like a startled bird. “A car, you say?” he asked, sounding confused again. “I don’t know anything about a car.”
    “Then you haven’t seen it before?” Trixie demanded eagerly.
    Mr. Maypenny turned to look at her. It seemed to Trixie that his ruddy face was redder than usual. “Of course I’ve seen it,” he said. “I patrol these woods every day. I’d see an abandoned car, wouldn’t I?”
    Trixie slumped in the saddle. Now it was she who was confused.
    “Well, we just wanted to make sure you knew about it,” Honey said soothingly. “You’ll probably want to have it towed away.”
    “Towed? No— Why, I mean, yes, of course I will. I might not get to it for a while, though. But I will take care of it. Don’t you worry.” Mr. Maypenny gave another short nod of his head, kicked Brownie’s fat flanks, and went off down the path at as fast a pace as the old horse would allow.
    The two girls stared after him.
    “What was that all about?” Trixie asked finally, speaking as much to herself as to her friend.
    “I think I know,” Honey said quietly. “I don’t think Mr. Maypenny had seen that car. I think we embarrassed him, spotting something on his land that he didn’t know about.”
    Trixie shook her head. “I’m not sure that’s it,” she said. “In fact, I had a feeling it was just the opposite—that he did know about the car but didn’t want to admit it for some reason.”
    “What reason—” Honey began.