Chapter 9
"Okay, Trixie, what have you found out so far?" Honey asked patiently after they had gotten out of earshot of the others.
"What do you mean?" Trixie asked, looking innocently toward Honey.
"You know what I mean. I know you're dying to solve the mystery of who killed Mrs. Alexander. So, have you found out anything, other than what you found out last night?"
"No," said Trixie. "Absolutely nothing. I'm just trying to put all the information I have together in my mind. Aurora has an obsessive personality. Sean has a serious drinking problem and feels responsible for Mrs. Alexander's death. I haven't met Mr. Alexander, but he seems to be a bit reclusive."
"Trixie, the odds of solving this thing are about a million to one. Don't be disappointed if this one mystery you won't be able to solve. Especially since it happened several years ago."
"I know," said Trixie as they walked up the short concrete sidewalk to the cabin. "But I just somehow feel it in my bones that the killer is somewhere close. I just hope he or she isn't preparing to do it again." She felt a chill go up her spine, in spite of the warmth of the summer day.
"Oh, your mom must be baking," said Honey. "It smells delicious."
"She must be," replied Trixie, as she took a whiff. "She's probably making her famous blueberry cake dessert for the July Fourth celebration." As she and Honey went upstairs to change into dry clothes, she yelled, "Moms, we're home."
After quickly changing into shorts and T-shirts, they headed for the kitchen. "I'm starving," said Honey.
"So am I," Trixie said. "Maybe lunch is ready."
They went into the kitchen. "Hi, Moms," Trixie said to her mother who was making blueberry pie filling on top of the stove. "Where's Bobby?"
"Oh, he's next door at the Smiths'. Their grandchildren are down for the summer. A couple of them are near his age and he's having so much fun. Are you girls ready for lunch? I waited on the two of you."
"Oh, we're starving," said Trixie.
They sat down to a delicious meal of bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches on toast, along with potato salad and ice tea.
"Oh, this is delicious," Honey said as she bit into her sandwich. "I think the air up here just makes me hungry."
"Well, you better save some room," Trixie told her, "because you've never seen so much food as you'll see tomorrow at the Fourth of July celebration."
"I'm making a blueberry cake for tomorrow," said Mrs. Belden. "I haven't baked this particular cake in many years. Not since the last time we were here."
"It smells delicious," said Honey, as she inhaled the fragrance. "How do you make it?"
"Well, the cake is just a yellow cake made from scratch. But the frosting is whipped cream, cream cheese and sugar. I'll mix that together and frost both layers with it and then I'll pour my homemade blueberry pie filling over the top layer."
"Yummy!" said Honey.
"Moms, that's one of Mart's favorite cakes. He'll be so sorry he missed it," said Trixie.
"I know," said Moms. "But if my blueberry pickers will get their minds off two very handsome young men and get back on the job of picking blueberries, I'll be able to can some blueberry pie filling as well as make blueberry jam and blueberry syrup for this coming fall and winter."
"As if that would last through the winter," laughed Trixie. She turned to Honey. "When we were kids, Moms would come up here and can tons of blueberry jam and syrups and pie fillings. But we would have it all eaten by October. Blueberry is definitely a Belden favorite."
"I can see why," said Honey. "Maybe we could get up early in the morning before it gets so hot and go berry picking."
"Or maybe the day after, since tomorrow's the Fourth of July," Moms told her, smiling. "Now, I'm going to take my cake out of the oven and while it's cooling, I'll go upstairs and take a shower. I'd appreciate it if you two girls would clean the kitchen and put the leftovers away."
After cleaning up the lunch dishes, the girls put on bathing suits and went back to the lake. This time, no one was down there.
"Oh, I had forgotten the swing," Trixie said, looking up at a huge poplar tree that grew beside the lake.
Honey followed her gaze and could barely make out a wooden platform, built on a limb, which jutted out over the water, with a long rope swing hanging over it. "Swing?" Honey asked.
"Yeah, you can climb up on that platform and swing out over the lake and drop. I haven't done this in years."
The two girls climbed the handmade ladder and took turns swinging out over the lake.
"This is great," said Honey, laughing as she came up for air after swinging and dropping.
Trixie was right behind her. As they both surfaced, Honey said, "Don't look now, but I see your pal Aurora headed this way."
She and Trixie started to swim back toward the dock. Trixie saw Sean, Aurora and Cody coming toward the dock dressed in swimming trunks.
"Should we leave?" Honey asked. "I always feel uncomfortable around Aurora and kind of uncomfortable around Sean."
"No, let's stay. This might be interesting," Trixie replied thoughtfully.
Chapter 10
Trixie and Honey stayed in the water.
Aurora totally ignored the girls as usual. She quickly spread a beach towel on the dock to lie in the sun. Cody did a perfect jackknife off the dock followed by Sean; they swam out towards Trixie and Honey.
"I see you girls were going off the swing," Sean said as he surfaced right near Honey and Trixie.
"Yeah," said Trixie, smiling. "I'd forgotten how much fun it was."
"Let's all go to the swing," said Sean. "I can show you a really cool maneuver."
"Yeah," said Cody. "I haven't been on the swing since we were kids."
The four climbed on the dock and walked over to the tree.
"You go first," Sean said to Trixie as she climbed up the ladder onto the small platform that was built over the lake. To her surprise, Sean climbed on the tiny platform with her. As she quickly grabbed for the swing and positioned her hands on the long thin board tied to the end of it, to her surprise and dismay, Sean grabbed it at the same time she did and they went off the platform together and dropped.
"See, that was kind of nice wasn't it?" Sean asked, a gleam in his beautiful blue eyes.
"I guess so," Trixie said, nervously glancing toward Aurora. She really didn't want to be on Aurora's bad side. She would love to ask Sean some questions about the day Mrs. Alexander was murdered, but could she and should she with Aurora close by?
Before Trixie found the opportunity to make that decision, Bradley, Eric, Megan and Ryan all ran down the dock and dove in, swimming out to meet Trixie and Sean.
"Hi," said Trixie shyly as Bradley and she met and swam back toward the dock together. Trixie was really glad to see Bradley, because she felt an attraction and she really liked him, but at the same time, she regretted that she couldn't talk to Sean.
After swimming and playing a few water games, everyone climbed out.
"I need a beer," Sean said as soon as they were all sitting on the dock.
"No, you don't," his sister Megan said, as she glanced worriedly toward Bradley. Bradley just ignored him and Megan and put his arm around Trixie who sat with a towel over her shoulders, facing the water.
"I was wondering," he said to her, as they swung their legs back and forth over the water. "Do you think you could meet me down here at the lake this evening? I mean, for sort of a date. I know there's no where to go to a movie or anything at Blueberry Cove, but we could build a fire and watch the sun set. And if your Mom has a problem about it, tell her it's a double date. Eric's asking Honey and Ryan and Megan will be here, too."
"I'd like that," Trixie said, smiling. "And I think Moms will be okay."
"I have a mystery for someone to solve," said Ryan jokingly, looking toward Trixie.
Oh, no, she thought. Even when they were kids, Ryan had liked to tease. He reminded her of Mart. She hoped he wasn't going to do or say something to embarrass her in front of the guys--especially Bradley.
"Mrs. Smith made a blueberry pie and sat it on her back porch to cool. Well, guess what? It's gone and she can't figure out where it went. Could our resident sleuth catch the elusive thief? After all, we can't have any pie thieves around here."
Embarrassed, Trixie just hung her head.
"Why are you calling her a sleuth?" Sean asked curiously, smiling at Trixie.
"She has solved several mysteries," Bradley proudly told him. "Didn't you read about those jewel thieves in New York City and that incident on the Mississippi?"
"Yeah. I remember reading that a bunch of teenagers cracked both of those cases." Sean said, looking admiringly at Trixie.
"Wow!" said Cody, sounding impressed. "Who would've thought?"
"Yeah. Who would've?" said Aurora in a sarcastic tone, glancing at Trixie. A look of disdain spread across her features.
Trixie and Honey were quiet; hoping the topic would soon switch to something else. Trixie knew her face was beet-red, and it wasn't from the sun.
Chapter 11
Later, after saying goodbye to the others and walking toward their cabin, Trixie vented her frustration to Honey. "I hated that. It was like Mart all over again."
"I know," said Honey, consolingly. "It was kind of embarrassing. But everyone seemed to be impressed. So, maybe you should just be proud of yourself."
"I am proud of my accomplishments in solving mysteries. But when people bring things like that up, I feel like it makes me come off as a show off and I hate that. That made Aurora like me even less."
"Well, Aurora doesn't seem to like anyone," said Honey thoughtfully. "If it seems more pronounced toward you, it's because her boyfriend is attracted to you."
"I hope Moms will let us go tonight," said Trixie. "I keep forgetting, at home we have so much freedom because she really trusts Jim and Dan and my brothers are always around. Here, it's a little different."
Trixie and Honey sat at the old heavy oak table that Trixie's grandfather had built back during the Great Depression and explained to her mother what they wanted to do. Trixie wisely didn't refer to it as a date, she called it 'hanging out'. "And we'll be home around eleven," she finished.
"I don't think so," Moms told her in reply. "You'll be home at nine thirty."
"Nine thirty?" Trixie asked incredulously. "Moms, I'm a teenager now, not a little kid! If we can't stay out until eleven, how about at least ten o'clock."
"I have a better solution," said Moms thoughtfully.
Trixie leaned forward; she just knew her mom had come up with a better plan.
"You could just not go at all."
"Oh Moms, that's not fair," she said.
"Nine thirty, take it or leave it," Moms told her.
Trixie and Honey climbed the stairs to get ready for tonight. Trixie was not happy at having to be in so early. "What do I wear?" She asked Honey.
"I think our capris will be fine," Honey replied.
Trixie wore a pair of khaki capris with a black tank top and a simple gold chain she borrowed from Honey. "I want to fix my hair," she sighed, "but if Moms thinks this is like a date, she may not let me go."
"Well, let's just pull our hair back," said Honey, who was dressed in a cute navy blue capri outfit with matching sandals.
Moms was in the kitchen with Bobby when the girls left to walk down to the lake.
"We'll see you later, Moms," Trixie called as they were opening the screen door to leave.
"Remember, nine-thirty!" Moms yelled.
"Don't worry, I haven't forgotten," Trixie yelled back, slightly annoyed that Moms treated her like a child.
The two girls walked down the little path to the lake. Ryan, Megan, Eric and Bradley were waiting for them. Trixie was relieved that Aurora and Sean and Cody wouldn't be there.
"Hi," she said to Bradley as they walked up to the group.
"We've just about got the fire started," said Ryan as he and Megan gathered driftwood.
Someone had brought a portable CD player, which once again played classics from the sixties and seventies. Modern music just somehow didn't seem right in Blueberry Cove.
The couples all sat on blankets around the campfire and talked as the music played in the background. The sunset was absolutely beautiful with a myriad of oranges, pinks, corals and apricot colors.
"Wow!" said Trixie as she leaned against Bradley. "It's been a long time since I saw the sun set at Blueberry Cove."
"Too long," Bradley said as he kissed her.
The couples danced some to the music and talked and joked around. The time passed quickly.
"Uh-oh, it's nine-twenty-six," Honey said standing up and brushing sand off her backside. "We have to go."
"I know," said Megan understandingly. "My parents said I could stay until ten-thirty, but it's only because Bradley is my brother and he's here. Since you two are leaving, I probably should go, too." She stood up and began to brush herself off.
After everyone said goodbye, Ryan left to walk Megan home and Bradley and Trixie started down the trail with Honey and Eric a short way behind them.
"So, is Sean still having problems?" Trixie asked innocently, looking up at Bradley.
"Yep. He's still drinking and Aurora is obsessed with him like she was before."
"Why would Sean feel that he's responsible for Mrs. Alexander's death?" Trixie asked. "That just doesn't make sense to me."
"It doesn't to me, either," said Bradley, staring ahead of him. "Sean has never told me why he feels that way. I do know that he and Aurora were in the house shortly before the incident occurred. For some reason that information was kept quiet. Maybe he feels that he could have done something to stop it."
"They were in the house, and they didn't see anything?" Trixie asked incredulously, forgetting to put on her nonchalant act.
"No, detective. They didn't see a thing," Bradley replied, as he looked away from her, obviously annoyed.
"I'm sorry," Trixie said, embarrassed.
"Let's talk about happier subjects," he said. He stopped and pulled Trixie into his arms. "Like, how we'll be together all day tomorrow for the Fourth."
"Yeah," said Trixie, smiling.
After letting Moms know they were home, the two girls ran upstairs to take showers. Afterward they went out on the porch where they had their camping cots neatly made. Since it had been a long fun filled day, Honey was soon out like a light and snoring. Trixie tossed and turned in her cot. She heard Moms get up and head upstairs to bed, but Trixie was too keyed up to sleep.
Chapter 12
Trixie sat up in bed and looked toward the lake. How could Sean and Aurora not have known anything about the shooting when they were there shortly before it happened? The question haunted her.
She sat staring at the moonlight over the lake. In the distance, she saw someone walk up to the boardwalk and sit down, dangling his legs over the water. Sean's there and he's alone, she thought. Maybe this is my chance. Quietly, she went inside and pulled on a pair of cutoffs, a plain white T-shirt, and tennis shoes. She eased the screen door open and headed for the lake.
"H, Sean," she said as she walked toward him.
"Hi," he said disinterestedly. He took a swig of beer from the bottle he had in his hand.
"Are you okay?" she asked, sitting down beside him.
"What do you care?" he said.
"Why don't you talk to me?"
"There are things I'd rather do," he said, looking meaningfully at her and slipping his arm around her shoulders.
Trixie pulled away from him and chose to ignore his veiled suggestion. "I've heard that you feel responsible for Mrs. Alexander's death."
She could tell he was already drunk, so she felt that she could talk more pointedly with him than if he had been sober. Hopefully, he wouldn't remember the conversation tomorrow.
"I was responsible," he said.
"How could that be possible?" Trixie asked.
Sean tossed the beer bottle out into the lake and reached in the bag beside him for another beer. "I only meant to protect Aurora, I didn't mean too..."
"Sean!" Aurora's voice seemed to come from nowhere as she stepped out of the bushes. "Haven't you said enough?" She glared at Trixie. "Why don't you take your little detectiving self back home where you belong?"
"Aurora." Cody followed her out of the bushes and got between her and Trixie. "Just calm down."
"Sean, come on!" Aurora sounded so angry; her voice was almost a shout. To Trixie, she said, "I'd appreciate it if you'd mind your own business, before you stir up something you'll regret!"
Trixie was a little frightened; she could tell Aurora was seething.
"Come on, Trixie, I'll walk you home," said Cody calmly. "Aurora, why don't you take him back to your dad's place. He's drunk."
Aurora helped Sean up and they headed down the trail toward her father's.
"It's all right, Cody," Trixie said. "I can walk back to the cabin by myself."
"Nonsense!" He grabbed her arm; a little roughly, she thought. "A pretty girl like you shouldn't be out in the dark alone."
Cody made her a little nervous. "I'll be fine," she said.
"You wouldn't care for a moonlight swim, would you?" Cody asked, backing Trixie up to the edge of the dock.
"No," she told the handsome young man, stepping around him and jerking her arm away. She headed off the dock. "If my mom gets up and catches me gone--"
"Wait, I'll walk you," he said as they headed up the path.
When they got to the cabin steps, Trixie said, "Goodbye, Cody. Thanks for walking me home." She tried to open the screen door, but he held it closed.
"We need to talk," he told her, turning her around to face him. The look in his eyes made her feel a little afraid.
Just then, Trixie saw a light come on upstairs. "Cody, you have to go! I think my mom is awake!" Trixie said, alarmed.
Cody headed off down the trail. Trixie breathed a sigh of relief and climbed into bed.
Trixie heard her mom come down the stairs. "Trixie, are you all right? I thought I heard voices down here."
"I'm okay, Moms," Trixie told her. "I just couldn't sleep and was listening to the radio." Trixie winced inwardly. She hated lying to anyone, but she especially hated lying to her mother.
"You need to get some sleep. Tomorrow's a big day."
"Sure, Moms. Goodnight."
"Trixie Belden, where have you been?" Honey asked, sitting up in bed, after Mrs. Belden had gone back upstairs.
"I thought you were asleep," Trixie said.
"No, I slept for about thirty minutes and awakened and realized you were gone and then you have that guy Cody walking you home! Is there something going on that I don't know about?" Honey teased.
"Of course not. But tonight I came closer to the truth about who killed Mrs. Alexander!"
Chapter 13
The next day was a beautiful hot summer day, perfect for the Fourth of July. Trixie and Honey slept late, because they had sat up talking after Trixie's lake incident.
"Trixie." Trixie heard her name and awakened to bright sunlight pouring into her eyes. She rolled over and looked at Honey, who was sitting up on her cot. "We'd better get up before Bradley and Ryan come by here to see why we aren't down at the lake." She pointed to the lake. "Look, everyone's gathering down there. We have on our pajamas still and your hair looks like ten rats came and built nests in it while you were sleeping, so I know mine must look bad."
"Oh my gosh! You're probably right." Trixie sat up quickly and brushed her fingers through her tangled hair.
The two girls quickly made the cots up and headed inside.
"Girls," Moms called from the kitchen, "there's cereal for breakfast. I didn't cook, because I knew there'd be so much food today."
"That's okay, Moms," Trixie yelled back. "We're going to save room for all that yummy Fourth of July food."
As Trixie waited, Honey came out of the bathroom with a pair of cute navy blue shorts and a red, white and blue, tie-dyed tank top, with navy blue sandals and U.S. flag earrings.
"Oh man," said Trixie. "I never think about dressing for holidays and things like that. I was just going to wear my white denim shorts and a light blue tank top."
"Well, I can help you with that. If you want to look patriotic, I have a sleeveless blue denim button-up shirt with a U.S. flag on it. You can wear it with your white shorts."
"Oh, that'll work," Trixie said.
"It really won't matter, though," said Honey. "We'll have on our bathing suits most of the time anyway."
Honey packed a beach bag with sunglasses, sunscreen, and bathing suit cover-ups for herself and Trixie. The two girls helped Moms carry food down to the waiting tables the men had set up by the lake. The tables were covered with Navy blue and bright red tablecloths and there was enough food to feed an army.
"What kind of soup is that?" Honey asked, pointing to a large tureen, not quite understanding why anyone would have soup with a barbeque.
"Oh, that's not soup. That's Mrs. Smith's Brunswick stew. It's delicious," Trixie told her.
"What's Brunswick stew?" Honey asked curiously.
"It's a dish served with barbeque in the South," Trixie said. "It has small bits of chicken, pork and beef, along with potatoes, tomatoes, little green lima beans, onions and spices all in a tomato base. It's delicious. I haven't had it since the last time I was in Blueberry Cove."
Mr. O'Rourke, Mr. Smith, and Mr. Singleton had set up a huge barbeque grill and Honey could see chicken, pork chops and hamburgers already cooking. Everything except the hamburgers had a rich homemade barbeque glaze. On the table were hamburger buns, and Honey set down Moms contribution, which was lettuce, tomatoes and onions from Crabapple Farm gardens, as well as Moms homemade dill pickles and catsup. There was a huge bowl of potato salad, the big pot of Brunswick stew, roasted corn on the cob, and huge platters of baked beans. Then, there was the dessert table, with Moms blueberry cake and Mrs. Smith's pies, as well as some freezer containers of homemade ice cream, and several watermelons the Smiths had brought from Georgia.
"Oh, Trixie. I can tell I'm going to gain forty pounds today," said Honey, rubbing her tummy.
"Hi," said Eric walking up to Honey.
"Hi, yourself," she said, smiling.
Chapter 14
"My dad brought our Jet Ski down here," Bradley told Trixie as the two walked hand in hand toward the dock.
"Oh wow! I can't wait to ride. I've never ridden one before," she said excitedly, remembering that Jim had tried to get Mr. Wheeler to purchase one for the lake, but he wouldn't because he felt that the lake at home was too small for that.
"It looks like a motorcycle on water," Honey said as she and Eric came up behind Trixie.
"I have to go help Dad with something," Bradley told Trixie. "I'll be back as soon as I can." After he had walked away, Colleen, Sean, Aurora and Cody also joined them on the dock.
"Trixie, let's take the first ride on the Jet Ski," Cody told her, throwing an arm around her shoulders.
"I think I'll just wait for Bradley to come back," she said, shrugging his arm off while remembering the uncomfortable way she'd felt last night.
"Oh, come on," he protested, jumping off the dock and climbing on the machine. I don't have anyone to ride with."
"I'll ride with you, Cody," Colleen offered. Colleen looked stunning in a red, white and blue bikini.
"No, I want Trixie to. Come on."
Trixie looked around at the others. She really didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, not even Cody's, and she already felt like a know-it-all, since they knew she solved mysteries. Reluctantly, she jumped in the water. She had already shed the shorts outfit in favor of her bathing suit, which she had on underneath.
She climbed on behind Cody and they rode out to the middle of the lake. She felt like they were getting further and further away from the shore and she didn't like that.
"Cody, I think we need to head back," She yelled in his ear. She couldn't tell if he heard her. She was about to tell him again, when all of a sudden the Jet Ski tipped over, landing her upside down. She quickly disentangled herself from it, preparing to surface. She got to the top of the water and she felt someone pull her down. Once again, she tried to rise to the surface, but she had to fight off Cody's hands to do it. She finally managed to rise to the surface, and quickly saw Honey and the others jump off the dock and head for them, but they were still so far away. She found herself being pulled back under. Is Cody drowning and panicking? Maybe he can't swim, she thought. Is that why he keeps pulling me under?"
Finally, after struggling with him, he grabbed her arms and pulled her to the surface. "Trixie, you scared me. I was trying to help you to the top and you kept fighting," he told her. "I was afraid you would drown us both before it was all over with."
Trixie didn't say anything. She felt relieved when she saw Bradley headed toward her on the other Jet Ski.
"Trixie, are you alright?" Bradley asked, helping her on the back of the Jet Ski.
"I'm fine," she said, slightly dazed. "I want to get out of the water for awhile." They headed back toward the shore, leaving Cody to bring the other machine back.
When they got back, it was almost time to eat. Trixie felt cold, even though the day was warm. She quickly donned her bathing suit cover and followed the others to the table and all the delicious food.
Chapter 15
The rest of the day was uneventful. Trixie told Honey she would tell her later what happened and she didn't want the adults to know there'd been a problem. After recovering from the incident, the young people spent the day having fun. Riding the jet skis and playing water games, going off the swing. As darkness began to settle, Trixie and Bradley sat on the dock together, along with the others, and watched the sun set on Blueberry Cove once again.
"It's really beautiful," she said dreamily as she leaned against Bradley. He quietly put his arm around her.
When it was completely dark, except for the moonlight, the men rowed out into the middle of the lake to set off the fireworks. There was one beautiful fireworks display right after another and everyone oohed and aahed as they watched. The grand finale was a US flag, done with red, white and blue fireworks.
"Wow! That was awesome!" Trixie felt like she could stay in this peaceful beautiful place with Bradley forever.
"Trixie," Moms called. "It's time to go."
Reluctantly, Trixie and Honey gathered their things together and told the boys and the others a quick goodbye. Moms and Bobby went on ahead of Trixie and Honey. After leaving Bradley, Trixie's mind once again wandered back to the mystery. She had to know who killed Mrs. Alexander and she was determined to succeed before the vacation ended.
The next day dawned bright and sunny as Trixie and Honey climbed out of their cots and quickly made their way to the kitchen. Trixie's mind was on the lake and swimming, but Moms quickly reminded her that she and Honey had promised to harvest more blueberries. They changed into old faded jeans and T-shirts and headed down the path behind the cabin with their large buckets. They quietly picked blueberries. Honey tried to start a conversation, but Trixie's mind was on solving a mystery.
"I know what we can do!" Trixie said excitedly, startling Honey.
"What are you talking about?" Honey asked.
"Solving the mystery of who killed Mrs. Alexander," Trixie replied impatiently, as if Honey should know what she was talking about. "We need to go in the Alexander's cabin. I just have this feeling we can find a clue there."
"What kind of clue?" Honey asked curiously.
"I don't know," Trixie replied. "Maybe not a clue exactly. I just want to piece together what happened. It's like acting out a play in my mind. To see what happened that day. To see where the door is positioned, the minutes that may have passed between point A and Point B. That kind of thing."
"Trixie, I don't see how that's going to help you to know what happened, or more importantly, who did it."
"I know," said Trixie. "But I just have to see the inside of the cabin."
"Mr. Alexander may not let you see the inside of it, have you thought of that? We really shouldn't bother him," Honey said as they steadily put blueberries inside the buckets.
"We're not going to bother him," Trixie replied.
"Oh no," said Honey.
After picking until almost lunchtime, the girls walked the path to the back of the cabin and sat the buckets of berries on the porch. "Moms," Trixie called from outside.
"Where are we going to say we're going?" Honey asked worriedly.
"We'll say we went walking," Trixie told her. "There are many hiking trails up here and you haven't seen any of them."
"Can we have lunch first?" Honey asked, her stomach growling. It had been awhile since the blueberry waffles she had for breakfast.
"This won't take long and we can eat when we get back." Trixie yelled again for her mother, but she didn't answer. "Moms must not be here. Let's go."
The cabin was in the woods directly behind the Belden cabin, past the blueberry patch the girls had been in earlier. A person could stand on the Belden back porch and see a small section of the roof of the Alexander cabin.
The girls went quietly to the edge of the woods. They crouched down and quietly watched the cabin.
"I don't think anyone's home," said Trixie. "You know Aurora's probably somewhere with Sean and there's no car here. And look, that window on the front porch is open. We can climb through there."
"Is there anyway I can talk you out of this?" Honey asked, looking around to see if anyone just might be coming.
"No," Trixie replied impatiently. "I just have this feeling, that we're going to discover something important."
To Be Continued