From bad to worse

Dan said he was coming to meet me at the racecourse to see how well I had prepared Fine and Dandy. I could give him the tablet and he would know what to do. I thought I mustn’t let Mac know about Dan coming.

It was hard work travelling to the races. Mac wanted to know why I didn’t say anything on the journey. I told him the truth, I said I was nervous. He laughed but he didn’t ask any more questions.

Now it was nearly twelve o’clock. I had brushed and cleaned the two horses. I had polished the saddles and bridles again. Dan still hadn’t arrived. ‘Would you like some chips to go with your sandwiches?’

Mac asked me. ‘If you stay with the horses, I’ll get the chips.’ he said.

‘Great idea!’ I said. This meant I had time without him. I could talk to Dan alone. But where was Dan?

As Mac walked away from the horsebox Dan appeared round the corner.

‘Dan, Dan!’ I whispered, nearly crying with relief. ‘Where have you been? Oh, Dan. What are we going to do? Terence Goodfellow wants me to give this tablet to Beano. I can’t do it. I used to work for Terence Goodfellow, but that was before. Please don’t be cross Dan.’

Dan looked at me in a way I had never seen before. I screamed silently as his fist hit me full in the mouth and then in the stomach.

I fell onto the floor of the horsebox, I couldn’t breathe. I hadn’t expected him to be so angry. ‘So, suddenly the rat knows the difference between right and wrong. I’ve got to know your Mr Goodfellow quite well, and we both thought you were perfect. When I saw how interested you were on that day at the Aintree Experience, I told Terence between us we’d found the perfect person.

‘And now look at you, you horrible little rat. I’m going to have to kill you!’ I couldn’t believe the words I heard. This was Dan talking. Dan had changed my life. Dan was good. Wasn’t he?

‘Dan, Dan! What are you saying?’ ‘What a shame. A young inexperienced jockey gets kicked in the head by an excited racehorse and dies before anybody can help him. We’ll all be so sad. And no one will be sadder than me. Look, they are already upset.’ he said.

It was true, the horses could feel the fear and the anger in the horsebox. They didn’t understand what was happening any more than me.

Dan kicked me in the ribs. I heard them break, but the pain wasn’t as bad as the pain that was in my heart.

‘Didn’t you ever guess I had hopes for you, you rat? I thought you would dope the horse – Terence and I planned to make our fortunes. But you aren’t the person I thought you were. You can ride! You are brave. Sandy Walters is going around saying what a super new talent they’ve got in the stables. ‘I can’t stand it. You are going to be better than me. I was only ever second jockey. Good old Dan, the man everybody likes.

‘I was never a successful jockey. I never made enough money. The girls never ran after me. I wasn’t important. ‘I hate you. I am going to kill you.’

Dan picked up the tool we used for changing a wheel on the horsebox. He looked at me and said, ‘You aren’t going to turn me over to the police, you horrible little grass. You are not going to take away my chance of getting rich.’

I had never felt so awful in all my life. I looked into the face of the man I had looked up to. His eyes were mad. I waited for him to kill me. As I turned my head to have a last look at the horses, I could smell chips! Mac had returned just in time. He put his arm around Dan’s neck and with the other hand he tried to pull the tool away from him. They both fell backwards. The tool fell underneath Beano. The horses were going crazy because they were so scared. Both men were fighting on the floor of the horsebox. Mac was fitter than Dan but Dan was desperate. He pulled away from Mac, rolled across the floor and grabbed the tool underneath Beano.

Because Beano was so nervous he kicked out just as Dan was getting to his feet. There was a horrible crack and Dan fell dead on the floor. Beano’s hoof had hit him on the head so hard he didn’t have a chance.

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