Later that evening, after several visitors had come and gone, only the Beldens and the Bob-Whites remained. Trixie found Dan sulking alone in the dining room, leaning against the picture window, hands shoved deep into his pockets, staring out at nothing in particular. “So, what dire thoughts are you thinking?” she asked casually.
Dan looked broodingly away from her piercing gaze. “Just wondering how your life would have been different if I’d never come here.”
“That’s easy,” she said breezily. “Bobby would have been killed by the catamount, and I would have been killed by Blinky, Pedro and Big Tony in New York. Next question.”
Laughing cynically, Dan shook his head. “You make it sound so easy. But your life is in jeopardy because of me.”
Trixie snorted. “And how many times have you people been in danger because of me?”
“It’s not the same,” Dan protested.
Trixie stood in front of him, hands on hips, staring up into his face with angry eyes. “Why not? What makes it okay for you he-men to risk your lives for my sake, but not okay for me or anyone else to do the same for you?”
He broke away from her angry gaze and stared at the ground for a long time. His eyes were moist as he whispered hoarsely, “I’m not worth it.”
The brilliant blue fire blazed brighter. “How dare you!” she spat at him. “How dare you belittle my choice of friends like that? How dare you dishonor the worth of a Bob-White? If you think, even for one brief moment, that I will let anyone talk about one of my brothers like that, you’re just plain crazy. Get over it, Daniel! Wake up, and realize that you are my friend, my brother; I love you; and I would lay down my life for you. You’re worth that much, at the very least!”
The troubled former street-kid heard the words of the all-American family girl, and they shook him to his core. The Belden family was the ideal of troubled teens everywhere. For Trixie Belden to put him on par with her own brothers was the greatest gift he could ever imagine. His heart swelled.
Reaching out to hug her, he whispered in a choked voice, “So this is what it’s like to be your brother?”
“Not at all,” she replied, squeezing him tightly. “If you were really my brother we’d fight more. Instead, you get all the love without all the bitter rivalry.”
Dan laughed, and the smile brightened his deep black eyes. “How is it that the craziest person I know is the one who keeps me sane?”
She shrugged and grinned. “You pull me down from my flights of fancy; I pull you up from your bouts of depression,” she said lightly. “We have a perfect balance.”
He dropped a kiss on her forehead. “I love you, Trix. I’d be lost without you.”
“Then don’t go anywhere,” she said mock-sternly. Softly, she added, “I hate it when people leave me.”
He saw a flash of something in her eyes, but it was gone before he could decide what it was. He wondered if she was talking about Brian or Jim. Before he could ask she smiled and kissed his cheek. “Besides, I’m going to need all the help I can get.”
Dan’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Just what do you think you’re going to do?”
Trixie batted her eyes innocently. “Why, nothing, really.”
He wasn’t buying the innocent act at all. “Tell me, Miss Belden,” he ordered sternly. “If you choose not to cooperate, I have ways of making you talk.”
She grinned and moved away. “You wouldn’t dare,” she challenged.
He reached out to tickle her, and she dodged. Soon they were involved in an all-out chase from one end of the house to the other, laughing and playing like the kids they were, their troubles momentarily forgotten.
* * *
The Bob-Whites had eventually settled in the living to watch a movie, and had fallen asleep where they lay. In the dead of night, Dan woke with a feeling of something being terribly wrong. He sat up and looked around the room, searching for anything out of place. Then he realized something important was missing.
“Guys, wake up!” he called. “Trixie’s gone!”
“Dan, get real. She probably just went to the bathroom,” Di mumbled.
Brian looked up at him from his sprawled location and said, “She’ll kill you for being overprotective, you know.”
Mart snorted, “I guess that must be the voice of experience speaking.” This earned a round of laughter from the others.
“This is Trixie we’re talking about,” Jim sighed. “We should probably try to find her.”
“I’ll check the bathroom,” Honey groaned as she rose slowly from her chair.
Fifteen minutes later, the entire house was in a state of panic. They couldn’t find her anywhere.
Peter pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “Please tell me she wouldn’t have gone off on her own to try and hunt him down,” he moaned.
Mart snorted, “I thought you didn’t like us to lie to you.”
“Shut up, Mart!” Brian growled.
“Call the police. I’m going to check the clubhouse,” Dan ordered as he hurried out the door.
“Not alone, you’re not!” Jim called, grabbing a flashlight and rushing after him.
They were a good distance from the house before Jim caught up with Dan. Dan scowled and muttered nearly under his breath, “I don’t need a damned babysitter.”
Jim frowned fiercely. “I shouldn’t have to explain to you why you shouldn’t go out here alone. Even Bobby could explain it to you. You want revenge on two people, one with a penchant for getting in trouble, one with a penchant for rescuing her. How do you get them both in one fell swoop? It’s a no-brainer.”
“I don’t care if I get hurt.”
“Yeah, well, we do!” Jim yelled. Glancing sideways at his friend, he shrugged and continued, “Besides, if I let you go out here alone and you get hurt, she’ll beat me to a bloody pulp. I’m more afraid of Trixie than Luke.”
Dan suddenly burst out laughing, just as Jim had intended. He stopped and turned to the redhead, reaching out his hand. “Thanks, man.”
Jim grasped the extended forearm in a manly embrace. “That’s what friends are for. I thought you learned that a long time ago, but obviously you needed a refresher course.”
“Apparently so,” Dan nodded. Then he turned and continued toward the clubhouse. “Shamus, on the other hand, needs a good swift kick in the ass.”
Jim grinned and followed along. “Get in line, Danny boy, get in line.”
* * *
Trixie huddled in a dark corner of the clubhouse, pondering her next move. She had been sitting by the living room window, listening to the sounds of the house sleeping around her, when she spotted Luke out in her mother’s front garden. He had been spying on the house with binoculars, and rigging up some contraption. She had quietly slipped out of the house and followed him.
Luke had finished his work and headed for the clubhouse. She had waited outside and watched while he went in. He went in and out quickly, grabbing a backpack he had apparently left inside, before heading off into the woods. Rather than trying to track him through the woods in the dark, Trixie had gone into the clubhouse to look for clues to his movements.
Inside, she had found one of their scrapbooks spread open on the table. There was a knife stabbed through a picture of Trixie, and fake blood dripped everywhere. The young detective pulled a flashlight from her pocket and examined the book more closely. She realized the blood was carefully placed: there were drops on every picture of Trixie and on every picture of Dan, but nowhere else.
She had no idea how long she sat there, knees pulled up to her chest, thinking. She was startled from her reverie by the sound of footsteps outside the clubhouse. Is he coming back?
Then she heard Jim whistle, bob-white, bob, bob-white. Heaving a sigh of relief, she answered the whistle as she unfolded herself from her huddle.
Dan came storming in. “Are you crazy? What if Luke had found you here?”
Trixie folded her arms across her chest and glared at him. “First of all, I followed him here. Second of all, he took off into the woods. Contrary to popular opinion, I am not stupid enough to follow him through the woods in the dead of night.”
“Then why didn’t you just come back to the house, instead of sitting here in the dark and scaring us half to death?” he yelled.
Jim was standing by the table, looking at the scrapbook. He cleared his throat. “Um, Dan, this might answer your question.”
Dan turned around and demanded angrily, “What will?”
Jim gestured toward the book, and Dan moved over to examine it more closely by the light of Jim’s flashlight.
“I hate to say ‘I told you so,’” Jim announced, “but I told you so.”
Dan’s shoulders sagged.
Trixie stepped between them and looped an arm through each of theirs. “Let’s go find out what he was rigging up in Moms’ flowerbed.”
Dan groaned. “Sometimes, Trix, you are more trouble than you are worth.”
Jim snorted. “Sometimes?”
“Alright, wise guys. Just come help me look for clues.”
Feigning shock, Dan exclaimed, “Oh, my God! Trixie wants to look for clues! What is this world coming to?”
Laughing at his friend’s antics, Jim responded, “It’s returning to the natural order of things, I would say.”
Grinning brightly at both boys, Trixie said, “Well, what are we waiting for?”
* * *
The contraption in the flowerbed turned out to be a spring-loaded catapult armed with a grenade. It was set with a timer to go off at seven a.m. Molinson was livid – not only had the night guard failed to spot Luke, he had failed to notice Trixie leave. And if it weren’t for Trixie, her room would have been blown up in the morning.
After staring Trixie down for a full ten minutes, Molinson huffed in exasperation. “Detective Belden, instead of yelling at you, I’m tempted to let you loose and tell you to call me when you’ve solved this problem. Clearly, you’re more competent than my staff.”
Trixie’s jaw hit the floor. Most of the others were equally surprised. Dan winked at Mart and turned to Molinson. “Goodness, Sergeant. This time you actually said it to her face. Those compliments just keep getting easier and easier for you, don’t they?”
The sergeant glared at him and said abruptly, “Shut up, smartass.”
Mart laughed out loud. “We knew you liked her!”
“Go get some sleep, all of you!” Molinson growled. “I’ll be back in the morning, promptly at seven, to see what he does when his little bomb doesn’t go off. Good night!”
* * *
By seven o’clock, Crabapple Farm was again crawling with police and parents. All residents of the Manor House were there, as well as Mr. Maypenny, Mr. and Mrs. Lynch, and Mrs. Vanderpoel. Poor Mrs. Vanderpoel had needed to get away from the raging argument between Spider and Tad over whether Tad was going to school that Monday morning, or to the Farm to be with the Bob-Whites. Spider was adamant that he go to school, and Tad was extremely unhappy.
Helen Belden decided to make breakfast for everyone, and was busy in the kitchen. Trixie knew there weren’t enough eggs, and no one had been out to gather fresh ones that morning. With as many people as there were all over the yard and garden, it never occurred to Trixie that the barn was a bad place to go alone.
Just as Trixie reached for the egg basket, she felt someone behind her. Before she had time to react, one calloused, dirty hand clamped down on her mouth and another pressed a gun to her temple. Luke pulled her roughly against him, and placed his unshaven face right next to hers.
“I’ve waited a long time for this,” he hissed, his hot breath blowing right in her ear.
Trixie went rigid with fear. She couldn’t scream, she couldn’t move, she couldn’t think. Tears welled up in her eyes. Oh, no, she thought. There is no way this creep is going to make me cry! The anger that rose to the surface calmed her fear and helped her to start thinking of a way out of this mess.
Luke released the hand from Trixie’s mouth to grab her in a chokehold and drag her toward the back of the barn. Finding the seclusion of an old stall, he shoved her down roughly. He knelt beside her and leered at her. His black jeans and black t-shirt hugged his figure, muscles rippling – clearly he was much stronger than she was. He plopped down beside her and fondled her, making her skin crawl.
Luke held the gun to Trixie’s throat, and his mouth to her ear. “You know you’re going to pay for what you did to me, right, snooper?”
“You know you aren’t getting out of this, right, stupid?” she replied sassily.
He whacked her hard in the face with the muzzle of the gun. Her mouth and nose were bleeding, but she refused to cry. In fact, now she was downright pissed off.
He jerked her head back and shoved the gun against her windpipe. “You will die long before I get caught, you know,” he promised her.
“No, I don’t know,“ she responded, further infuriating him.
His eyes blazed with a crazed fury. Luke leaned his face closer to hers, purposely rubbing his body against hers. “I am going to have so much fun making you pay, you little bitch,” he sneered.
At this point, Trixie figured she had little to lose. She did not want to think about what things he would do to her if she didn’t get herself out of here. His hands were busy grabbing her hair and holding the gun. He was lying against her right arm and leg, but her left arm and leg were free.
She thought about her chances of actually getting away from him, and knew they were slim to none. She thought about letting him have his way with her, and decided she’d rather die.
She simultaneously directed her knee towards his groin and her hand towards the gun. Her knee connected hard, and her hand went to shove the gun away from her and towards Luke.
In that instant, the gun went off.
The sound of the gunshot caused panic at the farm. There were screams and shouts. Several people identified the direction from which the sound had come and rushed toward the barn.
Molinson got there first. Gun drawn, he yanked open the barn door and then proceeded in cautiously. He heard Trixie faintly call for help and headed in her direction. By this time, Brian was right on his heels.
When they reached the stall, they saw Luke sprawled on top of Trixie. Molinson grabbed him, threw him off of her, and shoved his weapon in Luke’s face…. or what was left of it.
Brian rushed over to Trixie. She was covered in blood and was clutching her left hand, which had caught the edge of the impact of the gun going off in Luke’s face. As Brian bent over to check her out, she whimpered in pain, her eyes rolling back in her head.
Molinson whipped out his radio and called for an ambulance. He then holstered his gun and came over to check on Trixie.
Dan rushed in with a couple of other cops. He saw Luke lying there, then looked up at the sergeant, who shook his head. Dan clenched his jaw and turned his attention to Trixie, who had by now passed out. Molinson knelt down beside Brian, and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. “A lot of the blood is Luke’s,” he said quietly.
Brian just barely acknowledged the policeman. He was busy wrapping his shirt around his sister’s hand to stem the bleeding. The welcomed sound of sirens could be heard in the distance.
* * *
It was a very long day, and a long night as well. There were ambulances, police, and the coroner. There were statements to be taken, and many people made trips back and forth to the hospital. Trixie’s hand was broken and bloody, and required surgery and a cast. She had to spend the night in the hospital before being released in the morning.
The Bob-Whites all spent the night at the hospital, taking turns sitting by Trixie’s bedside. She barely noticed, being unconscious most of the time. She woke up once, when Mart was sitting with her.
“Hi,” she whispered hoarsely.
Mart leaned over her, and tenderly brushed a curl off her forehead. “Hey, Princess. How do you feel?”
She winced in pain. “Like an elephant is standing on my hand.”
“Well, at least you still have it,” he chuckled softly. He sobered and looked at her very seriously. “Another couple of inches and you wouldn’t be that lucky.”
The fear and worry in his eyes tugged at Trixie’s heart. Then another thought struck her, and she searched Mart’s face. She wasn’t sure she really wanted the answer, but she had to ask.
“Luke?”
He gazed at her sadly and just shook his head.
Shock and horror were reflected in her eyes before she squeezed them shut tightly, as if that could block out the reality of what had happened. Tears slowly trailed down her cheeks.
Mart leaned over and kissed her cheek before laying his forehead against hers, tears falling from his own eyes. In a choked voice, he said, “I’m just glad it wasn’t you.”
* * *
In the morning, Honey and Di helped Trixie get dressed so she could leave the hospital. Trixie went to use the bathroom, and returned stomping her foot in frustration.
“This is ridiculous,” Trixie wailed. “I can barely wipe myself with this stupid cast on. How am I supposed to get dressed?”
“That’s why we’re here,” Di soothed. “Your personal ladies-in-waiting.”
“Yeah. You might actually learn that you can’t do everything by yourself,” Honey put in bitingly.
Trixie looked sharply at Honey, surprised by the anger and bitterness in her face. She turned to look pleadingly at Di. The violet-eyed beauty smiled reassuringly, and went on as if Honey had not spoken.
“I know this is embarrassing, Trix, but it’s just us. Hang on to the bed rail with your good hand and lift your feet for me. We’ll get your underwear and pants on before we worry about trying to fit that cast through anything.”
Trixie nodded and did as she was told, all the while glancing warily in Honey’s direction. Di calmly and efficiently helped Trixie dress, just as if she was helping one of the twins. Honey remained silent, arms folded tightly across her chest, her face a mask of hostility.
When Di finished with her pants, Trixie went and stood in front of Honey. “I never meant to shut you out, Hon.”
“You usually talk through your ideas and suspicions. We do this together.” The anger was fading away, and quickly being replaced by tears welling up in the hurt, hazel eyes.
Trixie fought back her own tears. “I know. It’s just that I wanted to be wrong.”
“Then you could have told me that. Instead of sulking in your room for hours, waiting to hear back from Molinson, you could have talked to me,” Honey ranted. “You could have told me what you were afraid of. You could have shared. Stop shutting me out!”
Trixie looked as if she’d been slapped. She thought back over the past week, searching through her own actions. Had she been trying to exclude Honey intentionally?
Di walked up and put an arm around each of her best friends. “You know, nothing’s been normal about this whole mystery. How about if we just call it an aberration in our otherwise pretty cool lives, and move on, okay?”
Trixie and Honey looked at each other, trying to figure out where to go from here. Trixie offered a tentative, “Honey, I’m sorry…”
Honey cut her off. “Oh, Trixie, I’m the one who’s sorry! I’m being such a brat. It’s just that… I’ve never actually been so scared before. Even in Mississippi.”
Trixie laughed ruefully, and answered in a very shaky voice, “Well, that makes two of us.”
Honey snorted. “Yeah, right. You weren’t scared.”
Trixie shook her head. “Terrified,” she whispered.
Honey started to say something, but Di cut her off. “Shut up. She’s actually admitting it! Don’t ruin the moment.”
The three girls laughed, then shared a group hug. After a moment, Honey pulled pack and looked at Di. “Aberration?”
Eyes twinkling, Trixie nodded at Honey. “I told you she’s been spending too much time with that loony brother of mine.”
Honey returned Trixie’s nod. “I’ll have to cure her of that, and occupy more of her time myself.”
Trixie pretended horror. “And stick me with him? Do you hate me that much?”
Honey patted her good arm sympathetically. “No, no, dear. You just stick with us. We’ll palm him off on poor Dan. Only he is goony enough to be able to survive Mart. We’ll just have a good, old-fashioned girls’ night.”
Trixie sighed dramatically in relief. “Thank you! I’d be lost without you!”
Di laughed. “Okay, you two clowns. You set yourselves up for this one, and I’m not letting you out of it. Girls’ night, complete with sleepover, at my house on Saturday.”
“What’s wrong with Friday?” Honey wondered.
"Bobby!” Di and Trixie chorused, before the three girls burst into loud laughter.
At home, Trixie was tucked safely into bed with a heavy dose of painkillers. Bobby fussed over her, plumping her pillows. He sat next to her and read to her from his favorite Dr. Suess book, The Foot Book. When he thought she was asleep, he leaned over and kissed her cheek.
“I love you, Trix. You’re my hero,” he whispered. Then he softly padded out of the room and closed the door behind him.
A single tear slid down Trixie’s cheek before sleep overcame her completely.
Once Trixie was settled, everyone else had been shooed away to their respective homes. They were all exhausted, most having spent the night at the hospital with her, and in need of good sleep in a real bed. Nearly everyone slept all day.
The entire gang met back up at Crabapple Farm for dinner. Helen insisted on hosting everyone, but Miss Trask and Cook arranged most of the food, having Regan and Tom bring it down from Manor House. They insisted Helen needed a break.
After dinner Tom would be driving Brian and Jim back to Boston, so they could return to classes. The entire crew had already missed two days of school, and there was no reason to miss any more.
Trixie still slept soundly. During dinner, Brian slipped upstairs to see his sister. She lay on her right side, with her cast-encased left hand cradled on a large pillow. Her curls sprawled randomly across her pillow. Her face was soft and peaceful, and she looked young, innocent, cherubic. How is it that this little bit of a thing can look so angelic, and yet get herself into so much trouble?
Brian reached out and gently brushed a curl back off her forehead. He whispered her name, and she slowly stirred from her slumber. Sleepy blue eyes met warm chocolate brown. Trixie offered a small smile while she tried to clear her head and focus her thoughts.
“What time is it?” she asked fuzzily.
“About six-thirty. Everyone is downstairs having dinner.”
She processed that for a moment, then slowly started to sit up. “I suppose I should eat something, huh?”
He helped her to sit, and arranged her pillows behind her back as well as one on her lap to cushion her arm. Then he sat down next to her. “Only if you feel like it. Besides, we can always just bring up a tray for you. That’s not why I woke you.”
Trixie gazed at him curiously before a look of understanding crossed her features. “How soon are you leaving for Boston?”
“Eight at the latest.”
They sat in companionable silence for a while, her head resting on his shoulder. Trixie finally spoke. “I’m sorry, Brian.”
Brian looked at her with a question in his eyes. “For what, exactly?”
“For being such a problem. I mean, you’ve only been gone away to college for three weeks, and you’ve already had to come running home to rescue me.”
With a wry grin he responded, “I don’t think we needed to. There were more than enough males here eager to rescue you, not to mention that you had the police absolutely at your beck and call. Then there’s the fact that, in the end, you rescued yourself.”
Trixie snorted. “Got myself shot, you mean.”
“Took out the bad guy, you mean.”
A shadow passed over her face. “Killed him, you mean,” she said quietly.
Brian lifted her chin to look into her eyes. “Trix, it was kill or be killed. If you continue to walk this path of yours, this won’t be the last time. Personally, I’d rather you weren’t killed.”
Trixie raised an eyebrow. “That’s it? No tirade about keeping myself away from dangerous situations?”
Brian sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair. He stared up at the ceiling in deep thought for a moment before looking back at her. “I wish you were never in danger. But this time you did nothing; you did what you were told, you kept the cops close, you were surrounded by big brothers and friends at all times, and yet you were still in danger. You attract it. It’s a part of you. If you’re going to deal with it, at least do it right. Otherwise, I am going to have to lock you in a glass cage and put you up on a shelf.”
A far away look clouded her eyes. “I once told Hallie that I felt like I was all alone in a glass box. All the world is a parade marching by and I can’t touch anyone or join the parade until I can melt the glass.”
Brian stared at her, first in astonishment, then with guilt and regret. “And I’m constantly trying to keep you in the glass, making you feel even more alone.”
Tears welled up in her eyes. “Let me out, Bri. Please. The world may be dangerous, but I won’t be alone.”
He pulled her into his arms and held her. Emotion clogging his voice, he promised, “You will never be alone, Trix. Too many people in this world love you. They love you for who you are, and for all you do for everyone you meet. They reflect the love you give. As long as you are true to who you are, you will never, ever be alone.”
They sat together for a long while before Trixie sighed. “Come on, let’s get downstairs. You need to go soon, and I have to be sociable so I can prove that I am still alive and well.”
They went downstairs together and joined the noisy crowd. Trixie suffered through her mother’s fussing while she had something to eat. They chatted and visited until it was time for Brian and Jim to leave.
When Jim was done with his goodbyes, Trixie stepped out on the porch with him. “Come on, College Man. Time for your show to hit the road.”
“Trixie, we…”
Cutting him off, she continued, “You need the time to figure out how to apologize to Tonya for blowing her off Sunday night.”
Suddenly realizing he’d forgotten about his date, Jim uttered a sheepish, “Oops.”
Trixie laughed. “Make it a good story, Frayne.”
Emerald eyes stared at her intensely. “I know one way I could tell it.”
She grew serious. “You have to go back there. And I have to stay here.”
They stared at each other for a long moment, lost in a battle between responsibility and freedom, carefree hopes, flights of fancy, dreams, desire, and all the paths in the labyrinth of the future.
Brian and Tom came out onto the porch. “You ready, Jim?” Tom asked.
“I’ll be right there,” Jim replied, his gaze never wavering.
Brian glanced back and forth between his best friend and his sister. “Come on, Tom,” he said and walked to the car. Tom shrugged and followed him.
“Go,” she said. It seemed lately that every word spoken between them held layers upon layers of meaning. “You need to fly.”
“I’ll call you Friday,” he whispered.
She smiled softly. “Please.”
He hugged her tightly, but quickly, careful to avoid her injured arm. She returned it fiercely, then jumped back.
“Go back to Boston, College Man. Have fun.”
He nodded and hurried to the car. She stood and watched until the car was gone before allowing a single tear to slide down her cheek.
She wiped her face and breathed deeply. The warm September air cleansed her soul and refreshed her spirit. She painted on her best smile and went back inside to join the parade.
The End
Author’s Notes:
Aren’t you guys glad it’s finally over?
April and Kathy deserve an award. They faithfully edited this for me, and kept their mouths shut and played along with all my teasers on the boards. April even volunteered to be tortured. (with Mart, of course) Kathy deserves and extra hug for demanding I rewrite the last chapter a few times. The story is so much better for all her nagging. I love you guys!
Thanks to Zap for hosting the Trixie Belden Home Page, and posting so much fanfic. Without her I wouldn’t have learned to weave my wicked web. (Oops, sorry. Not wicked. EVIL. ☻ )