Nancy made her way to the house with Dave and Stan. The two worked on William’s ranch helping with the cattle.  

As she walked with them, she wondered if Frank and Joe were on a case. She was glad she didn’t give away that she knew them in case that was they reason they were in Wyoming.  

I could have blown my own cover, she thought. I just hope Frank is all right. He was really out of it.  

Nancy thought back to what they were doing before she helped Frank and Joe.  Stand Leaden had been giving her a tour of the ranch. She had been asked to look into William’s missing cattle. She was posing as William’s granddaughter. William wasn’t sure where the cattle were going. He felt someone was stealing them, but didn’t know whom.  

The three of them made their way to the two-story house. There was a porch that went around the entire first floor of the house. The house was painted blue with white trim.  

As they got closer, Nancy could see William sitting on the porch. William was in his early 60s with graying hair. Nancy could see his wife, Becky, was also sitting on the porch. Becky and William were high school sweethearts. After high school, the two of them married and have lived on the ranch ever since. Becky’s hair was starting to turn white.  

Nancy went up on the porch with Stan while Dave made his way to the barn.  

“I heard a gunshot,” William said. “Do you know where it came from?”  

“I’m not sure,” Stan said. “We were on the hill when we heard it. Then Dave joined us and went looking.”  

“Did you see anyone?” William asked.  

“I saw one of the girls from next door,” Stan said. “She was with two guys I’ve never seen before.”  

“I wonder what they are doing,” William said.  

“One isn’t doing much,” Nancy said. “He was tossed off his horse. He could’ve been seriously hurt.”  

“Only people with experience should ride horses.”  

“Even the most experienced riders can get tossed.”  

“You’re right, Nancy. It can happen.”  

“Is the boy all right?” Beck asked.  

“I believe so,” Nancy said and saw William motioning for her to sit down on the porch swing.  

“I’ve got work to do,” Stan said made his way to the barn.  

“So, how do you like the ranch?” William asked.  

“It’s huge. I hope you can tell me what’s going on.”  

“Cattle have been disappearing. A couple were missing at first. I didn’t think much about it. But then, more cattle started to disappear. Every few days we’d lose more.”  

“Could the cattle have died?”  

“It’s possible for a few to die, but not 100. We would’ve found their bodies.”  

“Who would take the cattle?”  

“I’m not sure, but its possible Glenn is taking my cattle.”  

“Who’s Glenn?” Nancy asked.  

“He’s our neighbor,” William said.  

“The girl you saw on the hills is one of his daughters,” Beck added.  

“William, why do you think Glenn is stealing your cattle?”  

“Glenn would like to see me lose money.”  

“Is there a problem between you two?”  

“We’ve been fighting for several years. But that’s not the point. I need you to find out what’s happening to my cattle. That’s why I called you.”  

“Is Glenn the only one you suspect?”  

“Glenn is the only possibility. He would do anything to ruin me.”  

“Tell me about Stan and Dave.”  

“Stan has been with me for the past few years. He’s very reliable. He grew up nearby.”  

“What about Dave?”  

“Dave has been here about six months. Davie tries hard to do the work.” William smiled slightly. “I give him easy tasks because I don’t have the heart to fire him. Dave also has a short temper. Two other workers left because they couldn’t work with him. They left without a word.”  

“Does Dave lose his temper often?”  

“Not that often. He has been trying to control it.”  

“Will you be able to solve this?” Becky asked.  

“I’ll do my best,” Nancy said.  

“Is there anything we can do to help?” William asked.  

“Nothing yet,” Nancy said. “I’m going to look around and check things out.”  

“If you need any help, just ask.”  

Nancy nodded and left the porch. She made her way to the barn She knew the cattle were disappearing from the land. For some reason she didn’t think their neighbor would steal from them.  

As she entered the barn, she looked around. She knew she needed to check out the land. She figured she’d check the fences to see if the cattle were getting out that way through a hole.  

She knew William had checked the fences, but it was possible he may have overlooked something. She had to check it out.  

“Nancy.”  

She jumped and quickly turned around. Stan was standing there.  

“You startled me,” Nancy said.  

“What are you doing here?”  

“Looking around. I was just trying to get a fee for life out here.” She looked at Stan. “Is there a horse I can ride?”  

“We do have a few, but they’re used to experienced riders.”  

“I am experienced. Saddle a horse for me, please. I want to go for a ride.”  

“I’m not sure,” Stan said.  

“It’s fine.”  

Nancy watched Stan saddle a horse for her. She realized Stan didn’t believe she could ride.  

Once the horse was saddled, she thanked Stan and mounted the horse. She tightened her hold on the reins and rode out of the barn. She rode the brown mare up the hill to where she had run into Frank and Joe. She watched the ground as she rode along looking for a clue.  

When she reached the top, she looked down at Glenn’s house. She watched as a truck pulled in front of the house. She saw someone get out of the truck and go inside. She wondered if it was a doctor checking on Frank.  

She wondered how Frank was doing. She knew she could check on him later. She nudged the horse and continued on. Nancy took her time as she rode along the fence. She wasn’t sure how long she had been riding when she noticed some tire tracks on the other side of the fence.  

She dismounted and tied the reins to the fence. She climbed through the fence and took a closer look at the tracks. There were two tire tracks closer together. She figured the tracks belonged to a trailer. She realized this was the spot where the cattle were being taken from.  

She turned and looked at the fence. There were nails in the post. The wire was tied around the nails. She thought, this is where the cattle are being taken from.  

Nancy looked for some clues at to who was stealing the cattle, but there were none. She climbed through the fence wondering how she was going to track down the thief. She knew she needed to track down whoever it was before any more cattle disappeared.  

Nancy mounted her horse and made her way back to the house.  

The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The authors have just borrowed them for an adventure or two. The authors promise to put the boys back when they are done with them. The authors do claim copyright to the original characters in this story. Please do not borrow original characters without express permission of the authors.