Saturday, December 30Chapter 7
Dear Sister,Tansy turned white and felt a weakness come over her. Brian caught her and moved her to a kitchen chair. He knelt down in front of her and started warming her cold hands, using his own warm hands.
"Just take a deep breath. You’re okay," Brian said quietly. Tansy could feel a warm comforting heat coming from Brian. She took deep shuddering breaths, trying to calm down.
"No, it can’t be. Aunt Roiya would have told me," she cried, looking at Brian with tears streaming down her face. "Why wouldn’t she tell me that she heard from my mother?"
"I don’t know. But I’m sure she had her reasons," Brian said. "I know that this has come as a shock, but you need to calm down."
"I’m tr..tr..trying," she said, hiccuping.
"Just concentrate on taking deep breaths," Brian said encouragingly. "Just breathe, in… out… in… out. That’s right, just like that. You’re doing great."
Tansy kept eye contact with Brian, listening to him, trying to keep the panic and hurt at bay. She could feel everyone’s concern and warm feelings engulfing her. Slowly, the panic and pain subsided. She smiled at Brian.
"Thank you, I feel better now," she said before turning to Jim, who was still holding the letter. "Why don’t you read it? It might be a clue as to what’s going on, and where my aunt might be. That’s more important right now than my feelings."
"If you’re sure," Jim said, looking at Tansy. Tansy nodded her head.
Jim began to read:
I know that I promised that I would not contact you,
but the thing we both fear has come true.
He’s found us! You have to keep the book safe!
I knew he was near fifteen years ago, which is why I left. I was
hoping to lead him away from Tansy. I’ve managed to
keep him off track all these years.
But he finally caught up to Luke and me. Luke has
done his best to protect Tansy, as I have, but
it seems as if we failed. Luke and I are
on the run again, because someone has set
a detective on our trail. Since Luke
has made many enemies, he felt it best if
we leave the country for awhile.
I’m sorry to leave this in your hands,
but you’ve always been more capable than I.
Please protect Tansy as you always have, and
the members of the MacGowen clan must not get
the book.
I honestly thought that Luke was the one, but,
as you know, I was mistaken. You told me that
I was wrong, and the ONE hasn’t arrived yet.
I just wanted it to be over. I’ve missed
all of my daughter’s life and have been
away from my source for too long.
Roiya, I’m tired. I don’t know
how long I can last. If it wasn’t
for Luke loving me, I would have surrendered
willingly to the melancholy that has
darkened my soul.
Luke fears that it is He that is causing
this darkness! I don’t know. All I know is
that when I looked into his soul, all I saw
was blackness, and I could feel my own powers being drained.
I have not been the same since he caught
up with us. I fear he is too strong; he was
able to pull the information about where you, Tansy
and the book were from my mind. I did manage to resist
him enough not to reveal the secret place. Thank
God Luke was able to find me in time. We just managed
to escape him, when I realized that a detective
was following us.
If only we had found the
ONE, then we might have stood a chance.
Please get Tansy and the book to safety.
I am sorry that I let you both down.
Take care, Sister.
Love always,
Impatia
Everyone was quiet after Jim had finished reading.
"Well, it looks like there is a book, and my aunt took off with it," Tansy said. "It also looks like my parents are alive."
"And it’s my fault they’ve left the country," Jim added.
"How do you figure that?" Tansy asked, astonished.
"I’m the one that asked Dad to get a detective to find my uncle. That’s why they’re on the run," Jim said miserably.
"Don’t be silly! You didn’t know that he would run away," Tansy said.
"That detective couldn’t have been very discreet if they were able to figure out he was looking for them," Trixie added.
"My mother has many abilities. It would be almost impossible for a non-psychic to find her. Since he’s with her, you can bet that she sensed the detective," Tansy said quietly.
"Which means that the person who found her and who she’s warned Roiya about
must be psychic. Maybe that’s why you haven’t sensed anyone watching you,"
Sirene said. "We’ve got to find out if you can sense Silvenus, Kern, Roman or
Remus. I don’t like the part about where your mother talks about him draining
her powers and pulling information from her mind."
"Silvenus has a mesmerizing ability, I think. Remember the other night when I told everyone about how I felt like I was being pulled towards him?" Trixie asked thoughtfully.
"And he does have a voice that you want to drown in," Honey added. "I could see him using that voice to mesmerize someone."
"Okay, let’s calm down. I would say from this letter that there is a book, and someone wants it very badly. I’m even willing to admit that it sounds like Roiya left, probably with the book, and is hiding. But we have no way to link the Marcelluses to any of this at this time," Brian said calmly.
"Brian’s right. We need more information about the Marcelluses. I think Sirene should join us for dinner. I’ll make sure that I’m there as well. Between the two of us, we should be able to pick up something," Tansy said with determination.
"While you two are trying to find out about the Marcelluses through psychic means, the rest of us will try with good old fashion research," Trixie declared. "Jim and Honey can try steering the conversation towards where the Marcelluses are from, what their interests are, things like that. Meanwhile after dinner, we Beldens can go over to Di’s and use her computer to see what we can come up with on them. That is, if you don’t mind, Di?"
"Of course you can come over. We have two computers, so we can cover twice as much," Diana assured Trixie. "I think we also need to do a little research on the MacGowens. Since Tansy’s mother mentioned that name, it would seem wise to find out if the MacGowens and the Marcelluses are related or connected in any way."
"It might be a good idea to find out more about modern druids," Brian suggested.
"It seems like we have a lot of research to do," Jim stated.
"I think I’m going to hang around with Uncle Bill. I know he talked extensively to Silvenus about Nightrider. I want to find out exactly how involved this guy is in horseracing. That shot at the corral may have nothing to do with the book. I’ve been thinking about that. It may have something to do with someone wanting to prevent Silvenus from going into a racing partnership. From what everyone described, Nightrider could have been seriously hurt," Dan said.
"I didn’t even think about that. Well, it looks like you’re the person to follow that lead. We need to count out that possibility if we can," Mart said quietly.
Trixie looked again at her brother worriedly. That was only the second thing Mart had said since coming up from the basement. Both times he had used normal words, which was not like him at all.
"Okay, we need to get going," Jim said. "We’re already going to be late for lunch."
"I’ll take those letters with me," Tansy said quietly. Jim handed him the letter he still held in his hand. Trixie handed her the other letters that were in the cookbook.
The Bob-Whites, Sirene and Tansy walked out of the house after making sure everything was locked up.
"I’m going to walk on the bluffs and think for awhile. I’ll won’t be long, so please call Regan and let him know that I’ll be over there soon," Tansy told them. She walked away from them. They heard a hawk cry. Tansy held up her arm, and a hawk landed on it. They watched the small young woman as she drifted away, with only the hawk for company.
"What’s wrong with Mart?" Honey asked Trixie as they walked side by side through the woods. "I noticed that he’s been unusually quiet since he and Diana came up from the basement. Do you think they got into a fight?"
Mart and Diana were ahead, talking to Dan and Sirene as they walked.
"I can’t imagine those two fighting, but I know something is bothering him. He had a couple of chances to use big words, but he didn’t," Trixie answered.
"Well, I hope it isn’t anything too serious. I hate to see anything come between those two," Honey said. "I think Diana has become more confident since they started being a couple."
"I’m not sure that they’re a couple, not like Jim and I. From my understanding, they’re free to date other people as long as they spend most of their time together. It didn’t make much sense to me when Mart explained it, but it seems to work for them," Trixie said.
"To tell you the truth, it didn’t make much sense to me either, when Diana explained it to me. But as you said, they seem comfortable with it. In my mind, you’re either with someone or you’re not," Honey said.
"Well, Jim did say that I could date others if I wanted to," Trixie said.
"Yeah, and I’m sure he meant it when he said it, but I have a feeling that my brother would throw a major temper tantrum should you actually date someone else," Honey said dryly.
Trixie grinned. "I have a feeling you’re right. Luckily, for everyone involved, there isn’t anyone around that I want to date besides Jim."
Honey rolled her eyes. "You can say that again. But do me a favor if you should change your mind?"
"What?" Trixie asked, her blue eyes wide.
"Please make sure I’m nowhere around when you tell my brother that you’re going to date someone else," Honey said with a dramatic shudder.
Trixie laughed. "Only if you promise, to do the same for me, concerning Brian. You think Jim’s temper is bad, but you’ve never seen Brian really angry. It’s enough to make you want to run and hide."
Honey looked at her friend in all seriousness. "Tansy said something about Brian. She indicated that he could be very dangerous if he loses his temper. Do you think he could actually hurt someone?"
Trixie was quiet for a few moments. "I think if he was defending his friends or family, he could, but that would be the only reason. When Brian loses his temper, it’s different than the rest of us. He doesn’t yell or anything like that. His voice and eyes get so cold, you actually fee cold. After he says whatever he has to say, then he ignores you. I mean, he acts like you’re not even alive. The longest I’ve seen him mad was when I was nine, and Mart was ten. He had this science project that he had spent weeks and weeks on. It was some kind of mold growing project. Anyway, the day he was to take it to school, Mart and I ruined it. Brian was mad at us for about a month. I remember being afraid that he would never talk to me or be my brother again. He treated Mart and I like we didn’t exist. It was awful."
"Goodness! How did you two ruin his project?" Honey asked.
"Well, that was the worst part. He had brought the project into the kitchen, setting the box on the counter. Mart and I were arguing as usual. Back in those days, we often got physical, so Brian warned us to settle down and stop fighting, because if we knocked over his box, then his project would be ruined. Well, as you probably already guessed, we didn’t listen to him. We ended up shoving each other, and before we knew it, we knocked over his box," Trixie explained. "Brian was livid. The project was completely ruined. Luckily, Moms was able to talk his teacher into giving him a few more weeks to come up with another project, which he did, but I have to admit that both Mart and I have been very careful not to push Brian too far."
"But the fact is he didn’t physically hurt you. Sure, he definitely taught both you and Mart not to cross the line again with him, but he did get over his anger, and he still loves both of you," Honey said thoughtfully.
Trixie sighed. "I don’t know how to explain it, but I would have rather he had slapped me or yelled at me. The way he treated me was more painful and lasted longer."
"Mmm…maybe that has something to do with his psychic ability that Sirene and Tansy thinks he has. Tansy did speculate that if he was able to send positive energy, such as warmth and caring, he could be just as able to sent negative energy," Honey said.
"Well, I’ll take the positive, and he can keep the negative, thank you very much," Trixie said firmly.
Honey smiled at her friend. "Well, back to Mart and Diana, I hope that whatever is wrong will be right by tomorrow night. I hate to have to spend New Year’s Eve with them being on the outs with each other."
"I don’t think he’s mad at her," Trixie said as she watched Mart tenderly reach up and brush snow off of Diana’s hair. "I’m not sure what his mood is."
"Well, if he wants to talk about it, I’m sure he will," Honey said. "He knows that we’re here for him."
"Are you two coming, or are you going to keep lagging behind?" Brian said. "At this rate, we’ll never get lunch before having to meet with Mr. Wheeler."
Honey laughed. "Now you’re beginning to sound like Mart!"
"Don’t let him fool you. He just misses your company," Jim teased. "I’m not ashamed to admit that I would prefer my girl walking next to me instead of behind me."
Brian gave Jim a slight shove and glared at him. "Maybe the question we should be asking them is what are they up to? It seems to me that they were whispering a lot back there. We all know that when those two start whispering, that usually means something is up."
"Brian, you have become a suspicious person," Honey declared sweetly. "Trixie and I weren’t whispering. We were just talking. The same way you and Jim were talking. You don’t see us accusing you of suspicious behavior."
"She’s got you there, Brian," Jim said, grinning. "They weren’t really talking all that quietly."
"Even so, they’re still lagging behind the rest of us," Brian said stubbornly.
"I told you that stubbornness was a trait they all shared," Sirene told Dan. Diana and Mart had split off to go to her house. Sirene and Dan had been ahead of the group, but had stopped to wait for the rest of them to catch up, so they heard the conversation between Brian, Jim, Trixie and Honey.
"Everything’s all right now," Honey said calmly. "We’re almost home, and it’s not that late. We still have plenty of time to do what we have to do before meeting Dad."
"I don’t think we’ll be over before three o’clock. I know that Moms has some things she needed us to do this afternoon, but she did say that it shouldn’t take us too long," Trixie told Honey and Jim.
"Well, come over as soon as you can," Honey said. "Sirene, are you and Dan going to come back, and are you still coming over for dinner?"
"I’ll be there for dinner, but I can’t make the three o’clock meeting. I promised Poppy that I would clean out the dogs’ pens and give them a bath, since it’s warmer today than it’s been lately. They love the cold, but Nana doesn’t like to have them in the house when they haven’t been bathed lately. Thank goodness the basement is heated. I would have hated to leave them out in their doghouses on these cold nights. Poppy said that they would be perfectly fine in the doghouse, especially since the doghouse has a doggie door to keep out the snow and wind. But I didn’t have the heart to leave them out there."
Dan shook his head and sighed. "If only she would spoil me as much as she does those dogs."
"Oh, would you like me to scratch your belly, too?" Sirene asked innocently.
Dan’s dark eyes glowed as he looked at her. He didn’t say anything, but Trixie and Honey noticed that Sirene started blushing. Jim and Brian just gave each other a knowing look. They knew that the only reason Dan didn’t answer was because of Honey and Trixie. If it had only been the guys there, Jim and Brian knew that Dan would have told Sirene that there was something else she could scratch for him. It was obvious from Sirene’s face that she got the unspoken message.
Then Sirene smiled back at Dan. "Whenever. You know where to find me."
Trixie and Honey looked at each other. "Did we miss something?" Honey asked, bewildered.
"I have a feeling it’s one of those ‘we’re too young and too innocent to know about’ things," Trixie answered with a sigh.
"Oh, one of those. My question to those around us who think we’re too young is, if we’re really too young to know about those things, then how come we can tell when everyone is talking about those things?" Honey asked.
"Never mind," Brian said. "Guessing and knowing are two different things. So for Jim’s and my peace of mind, we would rather you two to stick to the guessing part for a while longer. I’m not ready for either of you to be at the knowing part."
Jim was laughing. "Oh, Brian, you have been around my sister too long. If you could hear yourself."
Honey and Trixie giggled, while Sirene and Dan just smiled.
"To answer Honey’s question before we got side tracked, I’ll be there at three o’clock. I offered to help Sirene with the dogs, but apparently Sam is breeding and is a bit snappish," Dan answered. "And when her dogs snap, you know you’ve been snapped at."
"Well, I told you not to wrestle with Merlin. But you wouldn’t listen to me. You’re lucky he’s well trained, or you would be minus a neck," Sirene said, shaking her head. "Can you believe he took on a two-hundred pound dog with very big teeth? I have to admit he gave Merlin a good workout, but once Merlin got on top of Dan and had him by the throat, that was pretty much it."
"You don’t mean that Merlin actually had Dan by the throat, do you?" Honey said, aghast.
"It wasn’t that bad. He didn’t hurt me. He has a real soft mouth. Since Sirene keeps his nails clipped, I didn’t even get a scratch," Dan bragged, puffing out his chest.
"Oh, so pale white is your normal color?" Sirene said dryly.
Jim and Brian chuckled, while Trixie and Honey just smiled.
"Well, I guess that’s one way to get a workout," Jim said. "But I think I’ll stick to chopping wood, shoveling snow and karate. Somehow, those seem safer."
Everyone said good-bye as they parted. Sirene and Dan took the path that led to Mr. Maypenny’s, Honey and Jim to the Manor House, and Trixie and Brian headed down to Crabapple Farm.
Trixie had a hard time concentrating on cleaning out her bedroom closet and dresser. Mrs. Belden had decided since everyone had gotten new clothes for Christmas, it was a good time to clear out clothes that were worn out or just didn’t fit anymore. She had declared that each person was to clear out his or her closet and dresser before going back over to the Manor House. Mart had come in a few minutes behind Trixie and Brian. Trixie was worried , because he had been quiet all through lunch. She also was worried about Tansy, and she kept thinking about the book and where it might be. There was so much bubbling in her head, that trying to decide what to keep and what to throw away was very difficult.
Brian and Mart both were quiet as they went through their closet and dressers. Brian didn’t have a lot to sort through, because he never kept anything that he could no longer wear or was worn out. But he sensed that Mart had something on his mind, so he worked slowly hoping that Mart would talk to him.
"Brian, have you ever made a promise and then were sorry that you made it?" Mart asked. "I mean at the time you made it, it seemed like the right thing to do, but when you end up having to fulfill it, it didn’t seem right?"
"I try not to make promises I can’t keep, but if I have to break one, then I try to explain why I have to break it. Sometimes, when you make a commitment or a promise, at the time you make it, you mean it, but then things change, and you no longer can be true to that commitment. Why? Has something happened between Di and you?"
Mart sighed. "Yeah, she’s going to go to the Country Club dance with someone else. When I talked about our relationship to her a couple months ago, I told her that anytime she wanted to date someone else, she could. So now I’m stuck. I hate the idea of her going out with someone else, but I can’t really object either."
"Where did this come from? I thought you two were happy with the way things were going," Brian wondered.
"Oh, her parents wanted her to date someone else besides me, because they think were too young to go steady."
"So it wasn’t Diana’s idea? She’s just doing this to please her parents?" Brian asked.
"Well, she did say that she liked the guy. The thing is, in a way, I agree with her parents. Diana and I should see other people. Now you see why I’m confused. One part of me hates the idea, but another part of me says that it would be the best for any long-term relationship for us to see other people."
Brian smiled. "Believe it or not, I do know what you’re going through. Our hearts are telling us one thing, but our mind keeps telling us something different. I wish I knew how Jim could be so sure about his and Trixie’s future. I take it you kept to your word and told Diana not to worry and for her to go out with this other guy?"
"What else could I do?" Mart asked. "But I did remind her that, while she’s busy that night with someone else, that left me free that night. She was real quick to tell me that she’d call me when she got home."
"So the question is, will Mart Belden be available to talk to Diana Lynch that night?" Brian asked.
"I honestly don’t know. I’m really not interested in dating anyone else. I don’t want to play games with Diana, but I also hate the idea of her thinking it’s okay for her to go out, and I’m just sitting at home waiting for her," Mart said.
"So, don’t be here. You don’t have to go out with someone else, but who says you can’t spend time with Dan, or maybe Jim, you and I can do something that night," Brian said. "She doesn’t have to know what you’re doing."
"Let me think some more about this. But I have to admit your idea sounds appealing. It would be better than sitting at home wondering how great of a time she’s having," Mart said quietly.
"You tell me what you want to do, and we’ll come up with something. Let’s face it. The older we all get, the less chance we’ll have to do guy things. Between girlfriends, school and work, time is going to be a precious commodity. So we should grab all of the time we can."
"Especially since you and Jim will be going away to college next year," Mart said as he finished up his closet. He turned to Brian. "I don’t say this often, but thanks for being here for me."
"That’s what brothers are for," Brian said, smiling at Mart. "Let’s go see if we can hurry Trixie up. It has to be close to three o’clock."
They ran into Trixie just as she was leaving her room with a big box of clothes.
"Goodness, I didn’t realized that I had so much stuff," Trixie moaned. "But I finally was able to get rid all of those ugly pink tops Aunt Alicia sent me."
"Not the ones with the ruffles!" Mart teased her. "Those were my favorite one!"
"No, no, Martin, you’re mistaken. It was the polka-dotted one that brought out our sister’s alabaster skin tones," Brian added with a grin.
"Well, if you two liked those shirts so much, then you can have them," Trixie said, smiling sweetly. "I’ll even write Aunt Alicia and tell her how much you like pink ruffle shirts and polka dotted shirts. Something tells me that she could arrange to send you each one that would actually fit you."
"Don’t you dare!" Both Brian and Mart threatened. They took their boxes downstairs to add with a few other boxes that were set in the living room. Mrs. Belden was sorting through them.
"It looks like all of you did a fine job, if those boxes are any indication. The ones that are in decent shape, I’ll have your father drop them off at the Salvation Army, and we can cut up the others and use them for rags," Mrs. Belden said to them as they entered the room.
"Do you need help?" Trixie asked.
"No, dear. You and your brothers go on to Honey and Jim’s. Just be home in time to help with dinner. Oh, Mart, I’ll need you to go over and get Bobby on your way home. He’s at Larry and Terry’s again. That boy spends more time over there than he does here," Mrs. Belden said with a sigh. "But at least I can get more done with him over there."
"Don’t worry, Moms, once they get older, you’ll have them coming over here just as much as the Bob-Whites come over. No one can resist your cooking," Trixie laughed, giving her mom a big hug before she left with her brothers.
They met Dan while they were walking up to the Manor House.
"Hey, I have some news. Mr. Maypenny says he saw those bikes again today. They were in the woods by the bluffs. Since they were on private property, he confiscated them and then called Spider. Spider came in and picked up the bikes," Dan said.
"When did this happen? Has anyone checked on Tansy?" Trixie said, alarmed.
"Don’t worry. That was the first thing I did. She’s with Uncle Bill. She gave him an update. I told her about the bikes, and that Spider and Mr. Maypenny did a search where the bikes were found, but they didn’t find anyone."
"Where they close enough to be spying on Tansy’s house?" Brian asked.
"Well, I guess if they got up in a very high tree and used binoculars, they might have seen us go in and out of the house, but I don’t think they were able to get close enough to see what we were doing," Dan speculated.
"Well, we already figured that someone was watching Tansy," Trixie said thoughtfully. "I bet they weren’t happy to find their bikes gone. It’s a long walk into town."
"That’s assuming that they were from town. But you’re right. Even if they were staying at Glen Road Inn, that’s quite a hike," Brian said.
"The problem is, I can’t see Silvenus being left high and dry that way. I get the impression that he’s always in control and isn’t taken by surprise very often," Dan said.
"I agree, but I can see the twins making this kind of mistake. They didn’t impress me as the most intelligent of beings," Mart said as they arrived at the Manor House.
"Hi! I was just getting ready to call you to see how long you were going to be," Honey said as she saw them come into the house. "Dad and the Security Officer are in the library. Diana and Tansy are already here."
They followed Honey into the library and saw a large, handsome black man standing next to Mr. Wheeler.
"Ah! Here are the rest of the gang I want you to meet," Mr. Wheeler said. "This is Captain John Steele. He’s in charge of the security team I hired. John, I want you to meet Brian, Mart and Trixie Belden, and Dan Mangan, who lives with Mr. Maypenny and is Bill Regan’s nephew."
"It’s a pleasure to meet all of you. It seemed like a good idea for all of you kids to know who is supposed to be in the woods, and who isn’t. Matt has my men and me doing security twenty-four seven until we discover what’s going on here. I already spoken to Spider and have updated him on what we’re doing to tighten security," Captain John Steele said in a soft voice. "Why doesn’t everyone be seated so I can tell you some of the changes that have been made."
Honey, Brian and Trixie joined Jim on the couch, while Mart sat between Tansy and Diana on the loveseat. Dan sat in a chair where he could keep an eye on the Security Officer.
"The first change is that there will be a man on duty twenty-four seven in the stables. No horses will be taken out unless Mr. Regan has approved it on that day. That rule applies to everyone. That means that you can’t go and get a horse now, saying that Mr. Regan said yesterday that you could ride. This is essential. We need to know at all times where these horses are and where they are supposed to be. So, everything dealing with the horses will be done on a schedule. The second change is that we expect all of you to stick to the main paths. That includes you, Dan. Mr. Maypenny will handle anything off the main paths. This is for your protection. As far as my people are concerned, anybody off the main paths will be considered dangerous or in danger and will be approached accordingly. I understand that Miss Tansy here likes to wander around the woods, but I have to ask that during this time that you refrain from doing that. The last thing is that there will be a Security Officer in the Manor House at all times. So if anything strange happens, please contact him immediately. As I said before, we have been in contact with Spider, and he is satisfied with our security plan. Any questions?"
"How will we know who belongs to your security company?" Trixie asked.
Captain Steele grinned. "They all look like me. Big and black, wearing black pants and black sweaters."
"What does twenty-four seven mean?" Tansy asked.
"That means that we’re on duty twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week," Captain Steele answered. "Don’t be afraid to talk to my men. Ask any questions that come to mind. They love talking about themselves, and they like teenagers. The better they get to know you, the better they’re able to do their jobs."
"Does Mr. Wheeler’s guest know that you and your men are around?" Trixie asked.
Captain Steele and Mr. Wheeler looked at each other.
"You told me that these were smart kids, and that she would ask me that question!" Captain Steele said to Matt.
"It was decided that it would be best not to inform the guest about the increased security. We have informed Mr. Maypenny, Mr.Regan, Mr. & Mrs. Delanoy, and Miss Trask, but did not feel the need to inform anyone else. As far as everyone else is concerned, I’m a security expert here to advise Mr. Wheeler on adding permanent security to his home, and the extra help in the stables is due to his needing extra assistance due to Mr. Regan’s injuries.
Captain Steele excused himself once he realized that there were no more questions. Matt Wheeler walked out with him.
"Regan was very cooperative with the security officers that will be in the stables. I was surprised, but he seemed relieved to know that there was someone else watching over the horses," Tansy remarked.
"He probably has been worried. After all, it will take him a couple more days before he’s up to par. This way he knows that the horses are being watched over, and since all of us have reassured him that we’ll make sure that they are taken care of, everything is covered," Brian said.
Trixie told Honey, Jim and Tansy what Dan had told them about Mr. Maypenny finding the bikes in the woods.
"We’ll just have to see what we come up with during dinner. All of the Marcelluses will be there. Kern and his sons returned this afternoon. The twins didn’t look too happy," Honey remarked.
"If they were the ones in the woods, you can bet they wouldn’t have been very happy about it," Trixie ended.
"But wouldn’t they have shown signs that they’ve been in the woods? After all, I don’t think they’re used to tramping in wooded areas. Even those of us who are used to them, we still end up with mud on our shoes, especially since the snow is beginning to melt somewhat. Plus, my hair was damp," Diana stated.
"Di’s right! Now that I think about it, because it was warmer today than it has been lately, I was actually hot when I got home," Trixie said thoughtfully.
"Remember, our theory is that they have a hotel room somewhere. I would imagine that they went there and cleaned up before coming back here," Honey reminded everyone.
Jim and Brian had turned on the computer and had started a search once Captain Steele and Mr. Wheeler had left the library.
"I found a site for MacGowen ancestry. It seems that the MacGowen clan are originally from Ireland, but most of them immigrated to Scotland, the remainder went to America, and some went to Australia," Jim said. "I’m sending this page to Diana’s computer, so it will be available for more research this evening. I also found a page for Marcellus, which is a name from Italy. I’ll forward that page too."
"Since everyone else was busy this afternoon, I took the time to look up some more information on druids. There are so many different views on the subject, that it was hard to come up with anything concrete. I did find out that there is a 17th century, medieval transcript, that has some of the teachings of druids, and that most of the modern druids base their beliefs off of that and what they could find out from Celtic myths, and from Greek, and Roman writers. Apparently, most of the history and teachings of the ancient Druids have been lost or distorted. So it seems to me like a group of people has patched together what they could find and added what they thought a Druid should be," Diana told them.
"What about Be’al?" Trixie asked. "I thought Mart said that was their god."
"After some more research, I found out it depended on who you talked to. Some druids believe in just the one, some believe in a god and a goddess, some believe in many more than that. So I guess it depends to which group you belong. Unfortunately, I can’t find anything on Be’al at all. They name a whole bunch of other gods and goddess, but no Be’al. Now this is weird. The site that Mart and I found the first time, the one that mentioned Be’al, well, I can’t find that site anymore," Diana explained.
"So is druidism a religion?" Honey asked.
"Not from what I could tell. It seems like a way of life, more than anything. I actually read a site where the members are Christians and druids. Druids believe in taking care of the earth and nature, from what I was reading. It sounded like they believe that nature has her own energy and magic, so people should respect that. Of course, this is just my understanding from all the different sites I read. Like I said, there seems to be a lot of opinions on druids," Diana said.
"Gosh, that almost sounds like Sirene and her explanation of psychics. I wonder if there were any druids in her family background?" Trixie theorized.
"Maybe not in hers, but it sounds like my Aunt Roiya and my mother’s preaching. They have always taught me that the trees, plants, animals and even the wind each has a special energy of its own. We have to not only respect these things, but if we listen carefully, then they will reveal their secrets. I guess I could be a practicing Druid and never even realized it. The word druid was never mentioned in my house," Tansy said thoughtfully.
"If your family has been hiding a book about druids, maybe a book that gives more details about how they actually lived than what’s been found, I can understand why they would keep the word druid from being used. I wonder how Silvenus found out about the book?" Trixie commented.
"Now that is an interesting question. My impression has been that this book isn’t that well known. I would say that Tansy’s relatives have tried to keep it a secret," Jim commented.
"Which only strengthens the possibility of there being a connection between the Marcelluses and the MacGowens," Dan stated. "At this time, it looks like our plan of doing some research is all we can do. I’m going over to Uncle Bill’s and start some of my own digging."
"Since we plan on meeting for our New Year’s party tomorrow, we’ll just have a meeting before the party and see what we all came up with. I know that we Beldens are going to be too busy to meet before then," Trixie said. "Oh, by the way, Dan, is Mr. Maypenny coming to our New Year’s Eve party?"
"No. He said to say thank you, but he’s going over to Mrs. Vanderpoel’s and spend the time with her and Broom. I already told Regan, so it looks like it’s just going to be the Bob-Whites," Dan answered her right before leaving the room.
Just as Dan was leaving, the twins walked in.
"Have no fear, ladies, we have arrived," Remus said.
"Yes, you’ll have the pleasure of our company tonight," Roman added.
"Now, who is this pretty one?" Remus asked, spying Tansy for the first time.
"Remus, Roman, let me introduce you to Tansy Gifford," Honey politely did the introductions.
"So where is the fair Sirene?" Roman asked. "I’m sure she wouldn’t want to miss my company. I hate to brag, but she was quite taken with me the other night."
"She’ll be joining us soon," Honey answered, glad that Dan had left the room.
Remus walked over to where Trixie was sitting and smiled down at her.
"I didn’t get a real chance to talk to you the other evening. You are joining us for dinner, aren’t you?"
"No, I have other plans for tonight," Trixie said hurriedly. Jim moved to stand behind where she was sitting and put his hand on her shoulder and glared at Remus.
Remus just smiled arrogantly at Jim and turned to Diana.
"Please tell me, fair Diana, that you’re going to be there, right?"
Diana smiled at him and shook her head. "Sorry to tell you this, but I have a previous engagement."
"So, break it," Remus stated. "After all, I doubt if this small hick town has anyone in it that is as entertaining as my brother and I."
Mart looked over at Remus. "A wall would be more entertaining than a pair of egomaniacs with the manners of a bore."
Remus just ignored Mart and walked back over to his twin who was moving towards Tansy.
"We have to be going. Moms wanted us home to help with dinner," Trixie said. "And Mart has to go and get Bobby."
"Yes, you’re right. Sorry, Honey, but we really must go," Brian said. "I’m sure you’ll enjoy your dinner tonight."
Honey glared at him, then said sweetly, "Oh, I’m sure that you would like to come back for dessert, wouldn’t you?"
Brian grinned at her. "Sorry, but we Beldens are going to be at the Lynches this evening. I’m ‘sure in the excitement of having guest for dinner tonight’ you forgot that."
"Don’t worry, Precious. Remus and I will make sure that you’re well entertained," Roman said. "Did we tell you about our adventure on the Rivera?"
The Beldens and Diana waved bye to Jim, Honey and Tansy, relieved that they weren’t going to have to spend and evening with the obnoxious twins.
To Be Continued