*All Ages
The Case of the Besmirched Brother
by Zap
Trixie Belden was proud that her brother Mart was representing their high school in the Academic Challenge. Every high school in Westchester county was being represented by three person teams and Mart had made the Sleepyside one along with two other students.
"Isn’t it terrific?" Trixie said to her best friend Honey Wheeler as they took their seats in the auditorium where the Academic Challenge was being held.
"It’s nice to see you so happy for Mart," Honey said.
"Oh, sure he drives me crazy sometimes with his teasing and all those big words, but he’s still my brother. I guess those big words helped get him here!" Trixie grinned.
Just then, Diana Lynch came running over to Trixie and Honey. "Trixie, it’s just terrible!"
"What’s wrong, Di?" asked Trixie, rising from her seat.
The violet-eyed Diana looked on the verge of tears. "Mart is being disqualified!"
Honey gasped. "Disqualified? Whatever for?"
"It’s unbelievable," Di cried. "They say he’s a cheater!"
Trixie clenched her fists. "Mart’s no cheater! Come on, Honey, let’s get to the bottom of this."
The three girls made their way backstage where the teams were gathering. They found Mart with Mr. Benson, the coach for the Sleepyside team, and another man. Mart was red-faced and clearly agitated.
"What’s going on here?" Trixie demanded as she approached the trio.
"Stay out of it, Trix," Mart told her.
"Trixie, I am very sorry," Mr. Benson said. He sounded sincere. "Someone has accused Mart of cheating on the test and planning on doing it here."
"It’s not true!" Mart said angrily.
"Well," said the strange man, "we did find this." He waved around some papers.
"What is that?" Honey wanted to know.
"These, little girl," the man said pompously, "are the questions for tonight’s contest."
"This is Mr. Neal," said Mr. Benson. "He’s the principal of Westland High and one of the coordinators of the Academic Challenge."
"Mr. Neal," Trixie said, "where did you find those?"
"In this young man’s backpack," said Mr. Neal. "I don’t know how he got ahold of them, but he’s obviously been studying them for tonight. That is why I must insist he is disqualified."
"Someone put those questions in my backpack," Mart said. "I never saw them."
"Who told you that Mart was cheating?" Trixie asked. "A student from a competing team, I bet!"
"No, Trixie," Mr. Benson said sadly. "That’s just it—Marie Kelley is the one who told us."
"Marie!" Diana exclaimed.
"Yes," Mr. Neal said with a rather triumphant glow in his eyes. "Marie Kelley not only told us Mr. Belden was a cheater, but that he attempted to entice her into cheating as well, thus ensuring a victory for Sleepyside."
"Marie is lying!" Mart said vehemently. "I don’t know why she’s doing this to me."
"Because she has a conscience," Mr. Neal said, glaring at Mart. "You are a poor representative of your school, Mr. Belden. I am taking this to Miss Fields right now. If she agrees with me, then you are finished here."
Mr. Neal left them. Trixie turned to her almost twin brother quickly. "Mart, why would Marie or anyone want you out of the Academic Challenge?"
"I told you I don’t know!" Mart snapped and he stalked away from her.
"He’s just terribly upset," Diana said. "I’m going to talk with him." She hurried after Mart.
"Mr. Benson," Trixie asked the Sleepyside teacher, "what happens if Mart is disqualified? Does that mean the Sleepyside team is out of the challenge?"
"No, Trixie," replied Mr. Benson. "In that case, the alternate will step in and take Mart’s place. I’d better find him right now, in fact, and prepare him for the possibility. Excuse me, girls."
Watching Mr. Benson walk away, Trixie knew she had to help Mart somehow.
"Honey, Mart did not steal those questions," Trixie said with certainty. "So, who did? And why would Marie lie about Mart?"
"I don’t know why she’s lying," Honey said. "And how would Mart or anybody get ahold of the questions?"
Trixie sighed. "Good question, Honey. I think we need to speak with Marie."
They found Marie browsing through some notes and quizzing fellow teammate, Louis Nichols on important dates in history.
"Marie, we’d like to speak with you a moment," Trixie said to the girl.
Marie peered at Trixie through wire-rimmed glasses. She was a tall, thin girl with straight brown hair and huge green eyes behind the glass lenses. "I’m busy. We have to be ready in less than half an hour."
"It’s important," insisted Trixie.
Marie shrugged and handed Louis her notes. "I’ll be back in a second, Louis."
Marie followed Trixie and Honey to a corner where they could talk.
"I assume this is about your brother," Marie said coolly.
"No way is Mart a cheater or a thief," Trixie told Marie.
Marie pushed her glasses back on her nose. The ID bracelet she wore clinked with the motion. "Look, Trixie, I know what I know. Mart offered to share the questions with me. I declined. I felt it was my duty to report him to Mr. Neal."
Trixie’s face reddened with anger. "You are nothing but a liar, Marie Kelley! You probably stole those questions and planted them on Mart!"
Marie paled slightly. "How dare you, Trixie Belden—How dare you accuse me! I won’t say another word to you!"
Marie turned her back on them and left.
"What do you think, Honey?" Trixie asked her friend.
Honey’s hazel eyes were troubled. "I think Marie is hiding something," she said slowly. "She is lying, but I can’t figure out why."
"Why does her ID bracelet read ALM?" wondered Trixie.
"Trixie, that hardly matters right now," Honey said.
"You’re right," agreed Trixie. "Sorry. It just seemed a little mysterious. You know what we should do? We need to talk to the alternate. After all, he’s the one gaining something from this."
"Drew is the alternate," said Honey. "I heard from Jim that he was a bit disappointed not to make the team except as an alternate. He’s hoping to go to Princeton and he thought that this would be a nice extra to have on his application."
"Drew…you mean Drew Montgomery? Wow, he’s so smart, I’m surprised Mart beat him out. I’m sure Drew probably gets better marks."
"Well, that’s just the way it worked it out," Honey said.
"Come on, let’s go find him."
Drew was surprised to see Trixie and Honey.
"I’m sorry about Mart," he said. "But I am glad to get the chance to be in the Academic Challenge. You know, if Sleepyside wins the county, then it’s on to the State challenge."
"Drew, do you have any idea how those questions wound up in Mart’s backpack?" Trixie asked, eyeing him with suspicion.
Drew looked startled. "What do you mean? I didn’t know Mart was cheating, if that’s your question."
"That is not my question!’ Trixie said sharply.
Honey stepped in. "What Trixie means is that it would be difficult for anyone to have access to the questions and Mart had no opportunity."
Drew frowned. His gray eyes seemed thoughtful. "I suppose that’s true. Even Mr. Benson didn’t have the questions. Only Miss Fields and Mr. Neal, I think."
"Nobody in Sleepyside had opportunity then," Trixie said, puzzled.
Drew suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Look, I am sorry about Mart, but I need to try and pull myself together for the competition. Excuse me."
"That was strange," Trixie mused.
"I don’t think he knows anything about what happened to Mart," Honey said.
"I’m not dismissing him as a suspect yet," Trixie said firmly. "Let’s go and find Mart and Di. Maybe Mart has calmed down enough to talk to me."
Mart was calmer, but still very angry.
"I don’t get this," he mumbled. "Why would someone frame me?’
"I’m trying to find out, Mart," Trixie said. "If we could find a motive for Marie to lie, then we might have the answer."
"Diana Lynch!" someone called.
Di’s face broke into a smile. "Lizzie! How are you doing?"
Lizzie came over to the group. "I’m fine, Di. How have you been? It seems like ages since I’ve seen you!"
"I’m fine," Di replied. She turned to the others. "Trixie, Mart, and Honey, this is Lizzie Fields. She and I spent last summer in art class together. She’s very talented."
"You’re very talented, too, you know," Lizzie said. "Nice to meet you all."
"Hi, Lizzie," Honey said politely.
"Fields?" Trixie said curiously. "No relation to Miss Fields?"
Di laughed. "Trixie, there must be millions of Miss Fieldses in the world."
Lizzie grinned. "I guess she means Miss Fields, the teacher from Lynnsville. Yes, she’s my sister, Trixie. I came over here with her today. I suppose I’ll root for Lynnsville, though I do hope Marie does well."
"Marie Kelley?" Trixie asked, getting goosebumps.
"Yes, Marie is my cousin," Lizzie said. "Our mothers are sisters."
Trixie and Honey looked at each other.
"I see," Trixie said, breathing out slowly.
"Marie is pretty excited by it," Lizzie went on, oblivious to Trixie’s reaction. "And now that Drew is going to be in it, too, she couldn’t be happier."
"I’m leaving," Mart said abruptly at the mention of Drew.
"Oh, Mart," Di pleaded. "Stay."
"I need some fresh air," he said.
The girls watched him go in silence.
"Lizzie, why is Marie so happy about Drew being in the challenge?" asked Trixie suddenly.
"Why, Trixie," Diana said. "Everyone knows that Drew and Marie are a couple."
"They are?’ exclaimed Trixie. "Drew’s name…is it Andrew?"
"Yes, but he prefers to be called Drew," Lizzie said, frowning at Trixie.
"Andrew Montgomery," Honey said softly. " AM…I bet his middle name starts with an L!"
"Honey, there’s no time to waste," Trixie said. "We need to talk to Mr. Benson and Mr. Neal right now. Di, please find Mart. He may be in the Academic Challenge after all!"
Trixie and Honey found Mr. Benson and explained what they had learned. He agreed to go to Mr. Neal.
"I don’t know," Mr. Neal said doubtfully. "This is circumstantial evidence at best."
"But Mart could never have gotten those questions," Trixie said. "Nobody in Sleepyside had them. Only you and Miss Fields."
"And Miss Fields is Marie’s cousin!" Honey added.
"And Drew is Marie’s boyfriend," Trixie continued. "She wanted him in the Academic Challenge and Mart out."
In the end, Mr. Neal agreed to speak to Marie. They found her and Drew having a heated discussion.
"Pardon me, Miss Kelley," Mr. Neal said coldly. "But there is a matter that needs to be settled."
Marie was pale and tense. There were tears shining in her green eyes. "I’m sorry," she whispered.
"Sorry?" Mr. Neal echoed. "Are you admitting that you stole the questions, Miss Kelley?"
Marie glanced at Drew. With her eyes downcast, she replied in a choked voice. "Yes, I am, Mr. Neal."
"And you planted them in Mart’s backpack!" Trixie accused.
"I did that, too," admitted Marie. "I’m sorry. I know it was a terrible thing. I wanted to help Drew. The Academic Challenge meant so much to him."
"So, Mr. Montgomery," Mr. Neal said, "do I assume correctly that you were involved in this.?"
"No, you don’t," Drew said quietly. "I only just found out."
"That’s true," Marie said. "I never told him what I was doing. It was all me. I was visiting my aunt in Lynnsville and I decided to go over to Pam’s house. Pam is my cousin…Miss Fields. I let myself in with her emergency key and I stole the questions. I didn’t read them, I swear. I just took them to plant in Mart’s backpack."
"Well, Mr. Neal," Mr. Benson said with a sigh. "What do we do now?"
"Mart Belden is not disqualified," Mr. Neal said. "But Marie Kelley is."
"What about me, sir?" Drew asked.
"You seem to have been innocent," Mr. Neal said. "You will remain in the Academic Challenge. Without a third person, Sleepyside would have to drop out."
"Honey, let’s go tell Mart the good news!" Trixie said happily.
Later, when the Academic Challenge was over, Mart thanked his sister. "I owe you, Sis," he said, smiling. "You cleared my name."
"Well, half of that name is the same as mine," Trixie said cheerfully. "Too bad Sleepyside only ranked third."
"Oh well," Honey said, "Mart made a good showing, I think."
"Yeah, but Drew was a little off," Mart said.
"He was distracted with thoughts of Marie, I’m sure," said Di sadly.
"It’s sort of funny," Trixie said. "Marie wanted someone disqualified so Drew could be let in. And the someone turned out to be her."
"All this cerebration has suscitated my edacity," declared Mart.
"Huh?" Di said.
"Explain yourself, Mart," said Honey. "We didn’t make the Academic Challenge, you know."
"Allow me to translate," Trixie said with a grin. "The answer to everything concerning my brother—he’s hungry!"
"Starving, actually," Mart said, rubbing his stomach. "May I invite you ladies out for a splendid repast?"
"Are you paying?" Trixie asked.
"Well," Mart said with a sigh. "I find that I am momentarily bereft of the sufficient currency."
"Looks like Dutch treat!" Honey said with a laugh.
"Let’s go," Trixie said. "I wouldn’t mind some pizza. Solving mysteries makes me hungry!"
"Just promise me one thing," Mart said as they started to leave.
"What’s that?"
"No more mysteries today!"
"Well, just for today," Trixie said, her blue eyes twinkling. "That’s all I can promise."
The End