Chapter 8
The next day, Tuesday, the Bob-Whites had an uneventful day on the lake. Miss Trask had stayed at the resort. Hannah was going to take her into town and show her some of the little craft shops and boutiques.
Even though Honey’s hand was still hurt, it did not hinder her from fishing, swimming, and diving off the boat. They had caught lots of fish that morning and now Honey, Di, Dan, and Mart were all swimming around in the water near the boat dunking and splashing one another.
"I’m glad to see Honey look like herself again," Trixie said to Jim as they cuddled on the seat at the back of the boat while the others swam. "I was really getting worried about her."
"Me too," Jim said. "I was about ready to just carry her to the car instead of the cabin when she fainted the other night and take her to the ER. I’m glad she seems to be feeling better today, but I still wish she would go to the doctor."
"I know," Trixie said. "Or at least I wish she would have mentioned it to Brian. I know he’s not a doctor yet, but he’s read up on so much of it and he has learned so much more since he started college."
Just then Trixie felt a splash of cool water hit her face. "Hey," she spluttered, wiping her eyes. Jim was doing the same. Someone had splashed him as well. "Jim I think it’s payback time, don’t you?" She gave him a knowing look. He winked back at her, and on the count of three they each cannon balled over the side of the boat where the others were, engulfing them in the splash. Everyone started shouting and laughing and trying to dunk one another. Trixie, Diana, and Honey ganged up on Mart and pushed him under; then they took on Dan. Jim just sat back laughing at their antics and then everyone, including Mart and Dan, shoved him under repeatedly until he begged them to stop.
The sky was beginning to get a little dark and gloomy so they decided to head back before it started to storm. The Bob-Whites were exhausted as they got ready and walked to the lodge for dinner. They were all sunburned, especially red-haired Jim, and sore from skiing and kneeboarding.
"I don’t know if I’m going to be able to stay awake long enough to play cards with Colleen and Michael or not," Honey said. "I’m really tired."
"Me too," everyone said in unison and then they all laughed.
"Perhaps we could engage in recreation with the affable couple tomorrow since it’s supposed to be tempestuous," Mart said.
Di looked at him, her violet eyes wide, "In English please?"
"Mart simply said we should ask the Andrews’ if they would be willing to play tomorrow instead of tonight since it’s supposed to be stormy tomorrow and we will probably not get to go out on the boat," Jim explained to her.
"Mart couldn’t you use this trip to take a vacation from big words?" Trixie asked sarcastically. "You were doing pretty good until then."
"I’m sorry. It just happens now and then," Mart said, trying to sound serious. Everyone just rolled their eyes and entered the lodge.
It was a great dinner that night. Hannah called it a Mexican fiesta. They had tacos and enchiladas and rice and beans. However, things were once again dampened by Mr. Robert Adams.
"There they are. The people who want to steal my land right out from under me," he snarled, pointing his cane at the BWGs. "And there’s the pretty little rich girl whose daddy thinks he can send them right in here to just see how well they like my place. Well, maybe they won’t like it. Maybe I’ll make sure that they don’t like it!"
Trixie looked across the table at Honey. She was sitting in between Dan and Mart and she was holding her side. She didn’t look like she was going to faint this time though, so Trixie was relieved. "Sir," she said to the elder Adams. "Honey and her family do not mean to come and take something that is yours without consent. I’m sure…"
"Is that so," Robert asked. "Well they shouldn’t send you kids in here to check the place out. That girl’s father," he pointed to Honey, "should have come in person and faced me like a man…"
"Dad, don’t be ridiculous. Mr. Wheeler doesn’t know anything about you. He didn’t know that his children were going to be up against you to begin with. I arranged for them to come and look the place over. Don’t be mad at them; be mad at me for not telling you about all this to begin with. Let’s get you to your cabin. I think you need to rest."
Robert kept up his grumbling as his son led him toward the door. Rob looked back and mouthed, "I’m sorry," to the Bob-Whites. They all nodded in understanding. They knew the old man did not understand what he was doing or saying anymore. Honey still looked very hurt by his comments.
"Now Honey, you don’t even begin to take what he said to heart," Miss Trask began. "You nor your father have done anything wrong so don’t you worry about a thing."
"I just feel bad for him," Honey said. She was still clutching her side. "I’m really too tired to worry about it just yet though." The Andrews’ had come in on the end of Robert’s outburst. Honey greeted them politely and smiled. "Michael, Colleen, we’ve decided that we’re all pretty tired and sore and want to turn in early tonight. If it’s ok with you, we would like to meet you up here sometime tomorrow for more Spades instead of tonight. It’s supposed to storm tomorrow, so we most likely won’t be going out on the water."
"That sounds great. We’ve had a rather hard day ourselves," Colleen said with a smile. "Isn’t tomorrow your birthday?"
Honey nodded. "We’re having a fish fry and party tomorrow night if you would like to come."
Colleen looked at Michael and he nodded his head, "We accept." Colleen said. "That sounds just lovely."
The Bob-Whites left their new friends to their meal and started toward their cabin. Di and the boys decided to sit up for a while and watch the small television in the living room. Trixie wasn’t really ready for bed, but she followed Honey to the bedroom anyway. She planned to just make sure Honey was all right and then she would go join the rest of the group.
The girls walked into their bedroom and shut the door. Honey picked up her pajamas and ducked into the bathroom. Soon she came out and sat down on the foot of her bed and began brushing her hair. "So, are you going to bed, too?" She asked Trixie.
"No, I just came back here to talk to you. Are you sure you are okay? I mean, a lot of things have happened since we’ve been here and I don’t feel like you’ve wanted to talk about them, so I’ve tried to refrain from asking."
"I’m fine, Trix, really. I’m sorry if it seems like I haven’t wanted to talk. I feel a lot better, emotionally at least, than I did before we left. I’m having a lot of fun despite all of the things that have happened, and I really hope Daddy will buy this place. I just wish this pain in my side would go away."
"Has it gotten worse?" Trixie asked with a look of concern.
Honey avoided Trixie’s eyes not wanting to tell her that it had gotten worse, a lot worse in fact. She was determined to make it until they got home without letting the others know so the vacation wouldn’t have to end early. "I promise, I’ll go to the doctor as soon as we get home," she vowed to Trixie.
Trixie sighed as Honey got up to put away her hairbrush, pull back her covers and get in bed. ‘I wish she would go to the doctor sooner, I don’t care if this vacation ends right now,’ she thought. She was tempted to go tell Miss Trask and have her make Honey go to the doctor, but her thoughts were interrupted by a frightened scream from Honey. Trixie rushed to her side and saw the source of the scream. When Honey had pulled the covers back she had found a large black snake coiled up on her bed. It was flicking its long tongue, ready to strike! It was a good thing Trixie was standing beside Honey because her face went white and she fainted dead away.
Chapter 9
"Jim! Mart! Someone come quick!" she managed to yell as she drug Honey out into the hallway. The boys were already on their way after hearing Honey scream.
"What is it?"
"What happened?"
"Is she okay?"
Everyone was talking at once and fussing over Honey. Trixie was trying frantically to explain to them that someone needed to go take care of the snake, but no one would be quiet long enough. Finally, she put her fingers to her lips and whistled bob bob-white. That was the club’s secret call for help, but she figured it would get their attention.
Everyone stopped and looked at her. "As I’ve been trying to explain," she said sternly, "there is a big black snake on Honey’s bed. I wish someone would go take care of it so that it doesn’t decide to come out here and take care of us!"
Di let out a little scream and started moving down the hallway away from the bedroom. Jim, Dan and Mart slipped into the girls’ room and shut the door. Miss Trask and Trixie were kneeling beside Honey trying to get her to come to.
A few moments later the guys emerged from the bedroom, Jim clutching the top of a wriggling pillowcase. Honey had come to and when Jim came out carrying the snake she inched away from him quickly.
"It’s okay, Hon." he said. "He’s big, but harmless. We’re going to take him down to the lake and let him go."
"Couldn’t you just kill it?" Honey asked with a look of disgust on her face.
"Nah," Mart scoffed. "No need in killing it. It eats lots of bugs and mice and other things you don’t want to find in your bed. Come on, let’s get you to a more comfortable place so you can rest." He bent down and helped Honey to her feet. Jim and Dan went outside to take care of the snake.
Mart started to lead Honey to her bed but she immediately protested. "I’m not sleeping in that bed until I change the sheets!"
"Go lie down on the couch," Miss Trask said. "I’ll take care of the sheets."
Honey did as she was told. Mart helped her to the couch in the living room and propped her feet up with a pillow. He, Trixie, and Di sat down in the living room to keep her company.
"Who could have done that?" Trixie wondered aloud. "I know Robert has made some threats, but I never thought he would act on it. This makes two incidents that seemed to be aimed specifically at Honey. Why is it just Honey and not Jim too, or the rest of us for that matter."
"Maybe it’s just coincidence," Di said. "How would anyone have known for sure which bed was Honey’s?"
"That’s true," Trixie said. "But the skiing incident seemed directed at her."
"We don’t know that for sure either, she just happened to be the one out there at the time," Mart pointed out. "Does Robert know that Jim is Honey’s sister?"
"I don’t think we’ve ever mentioned that to him, but Rob could have told him," Trixie stated.
"That’s true, it’s just that during both of his tirades seemed to be directed mainly at Honey and the fact that her ‘daddy’ is trying to steal the land out from under him."
"Good point," Trixie said. Mart may tease her a lot, but he was usually one of the first ones to jump in and help her where she needed it.
"I don’t want to just automatically assume it’s Robert and start accusing him of anything. It’s so hard to think he would do that being so old and sick and all," Mart said.
"But Alzheimer’s really changes your personality, so he could be doing it and not even thinking about it," Trixie pointed out.
"Yeah, but I somehow doubt that he is allowed to go out on the water alone and I seriously doubt that he has hired someone to do his dirty work for him," Honey said groggily. "Maybe it’s Rob and Hannah. Maybe they really don’t want to sell. Maybe they are being forced to sell by the bank and if they can just hold on to the place long enough to get some money, they can keep it."
"Oh, I can’t believe that it would be them. They seem so nice," Di said.
"How many times have we thought that about people in the past and been wrong?" Trixie asked hypothetically. "I think Honey has a good point. The only other people we have met since we got here are Michael and Colleen. It could be them to, though I have no idea what their motive would be."
"How could they have gotten into the cabin?" Mart asked. "The other suspects would have a key. The Andrews’ would have to break in."
Trixie got up to check the locks and windows. Nothing looked as if it had been tampered with. "I guess they could have jimmied the lock with a credit card," she concluded. "Nothing else looks like it has even been touched."
"Still, though, how would they know which bed was Honey’s?" Di asked.
"I don’t know," Trixie said. "It would be easy for anyone to know that they had the correct bedroom. Maybe they didn’t care whose bed it was in, they just wanted to make sure they scared us and they knew that it would scare us girls worse than you guys. Still, I want us all to look out for Honey. I don’t think she should go anywhere alone."
"That’s fine with me," Honey said. "After seeing that snake, I don’t think I want to be alone for a while."
Miss Trask walked into the living room, "Ok, Honey, you’re all set. I think you need to get to bed and get some sleep. Actually, we probably all need to get to bed and get some sleep."
"You’re right, Miss Trask," Trixie said as she yawned. "I know I could use some extra sleep tonight."
Jim and Dan had just entered the cabin. "I agree," Jim said. "How about we plan on sleeping in tomorrow morning, since it is supposed to rain. We can just snack around on the stuff we brought with us for breakfast and go to the lodge for lunch. If it doesn’t rain, we can always go out on the water tomorrow afternoon."
They all agreed that it was a good plan and started for their bedrooms—after searching the cabin over to make sure there were no more surprises!
To Be Continued