The Mystery of the Millionaire

I’d much rather have Miss Trask like me than Mr. Lytell.”
    Trixie giggled, then sniffed. “Okay, Honey. I’ll forget Mr. Lytell. I’ll just avoid him from now on—for a while, at least.”
    “Good. Now, let’s head back to Manor House and get these horses curried before it gets any hotter,” Honey said.
    When the girls had mounted their horses, Trixie peered up at the cloudless sky, from which the sun was beating down. “Honey, could we ride back along Glen Road? It’s much shorter that way. Regan won’t mind if we just walk the horses, will he?”
    Honey pondered Trixie’s request for a moment. Regan was the Wheeler groom, and Lady and Strawberry were two of the Wheeler horses. Although the groom appreciated the help he got from the young people in keeping the horses exercised, he was strict about when, where, and how they rode. The Bob-Whites were to ride on the paths of Mr. Wheeler’s huge game preserve, as the girls had done that morning. Galloping along concrete highways, which could damage the horses’ hooves, was absolutely forbidden.
    “It’ll be all right if we walk the horses, I think,” Honey finally answered. “Glen Road has a wide gravel shoulder, so we won’t really be on the highway at all. Mr. Lytell rides Belle along this road every day at noon, so it must be safe enough.” She clicked to Strawberry and started down Glen Road, with Trixie on Lady right next to her.
    “How do you know Mr. Lytell rides Belle along here every day?” Trixie asked.
    Honey 'giggled. “Mr. Lytell’s exercise route goes up Glen Road to our driveway, past the stables, into the preserve, and then back to the store. I see him ride past most days.”
    “Why wouldn’t he just ride into the preserve from his store?” Trixie asked, puzzled.
    “I think he wants to do some sight-seeing along the way,” Honey said in a teasing voice.
    “But there’s a lot more to see in the preserve than—” Trixie broke off as she understood Honey’s hidden meaning. “Miss Trask!” she exclaimed abruptly.
    Honey nodded. “I’m sure that’s why he takes that path—so he’ll have a better chance of running into Miss Trask. Of course, he’d never admit it, and Miss Trask wouldn’t, either.”
    Trixie shook her head, smiling to herself at the idea of Mr. Lytell arranging “accidental” meetings with Miss Trask. Just then Lady shied slightly to avoid something in her path. Trixie looked down automatically, then reined in sharply when she saw what was lying on the shoulder of the road.
    “Wait, Honey!” she called. “I just found a wallet!”

Mr. Lytell Calls ● 2

    TRIXIE SCRAMBLED DOWN from Lady’s back and picked up the wallet. Turning it over in her hands, she saw that it was made of smooth black leather. It looked both new and expensive. A reflex made her turn and look up and down the road, but there were no cars or people in sight.
    “Look inside, Trixie,” Honey suggested, climbing down from the saddle to stand at her friend’s side. “Maybe there’s some identification.”
    Trixie nodded and opened the wallet. Inside were clear plastic windows, each holding at least one credit card. Trixie flipped through them. “A. Ramsey, A. Ramsey, A. Ramsey,” she read.
    “Aha! Here we go: Anthony Ramsey. It belongs to a man.”
    “Is that someone from around here?” Honey asked.
    “I don’t recall having heard the name before,” Trixie said, still examining the contents of the wallet, “and there’s no driver’s license. I could ask— Gleeps, Honey!” Trixie broke off in midsentence and looked up at her friend, her blue eyes wide.
    “What is it?” Honey asked anxiously.
    “Look!” Trixie drew a hundred-dollar bill out of the bill compartment of the wallet and held it up for Honey to see.
    “Oh, Trix!” Honey exclaimed. “That’s a lot of money. What are we going to do?”
    “We’re going to return the wallet to Anthony Ramsey, of course,” Trixie said.
    “Of course,” Honey replied. “But how?”
    Trixie stood silent for a moment, the hot sun beating down on her head and making it hard for her to think calmly. She looked up and down the deserted road again, as if hoping Anthony Ramsey might suddenly appear. Finally she sighed. “I hate to have to say this, but the closest place around is Mr. Lytell’s store, so that seems like the place to start. We can find out if he knows this Anthony Ramsey, or if someone he didn’t know stopped in the store this morning.”
    Honey