The Mystery of the Whispering Statue

Part II

The sun cast gold and orange beams on the frost covered leaves as Trixie biked to the store to get the Sunday paper.  The crisp fall air and beauty around her revived her spirits from the night before.  She paused while putting down her kickstand beside the small store Mr. Lytell owned on Glen Road.

Everything in the small wooded clearing was still with a graceful quiet only found in nature.  Trixie took several deep breaths and enjoyed the morning peace. 

Feeling rejuvenated, she walked into the store to face the headlines of the paper, reminding her of the events of the night before.  Tucking the paper into the basket of her bike, she headed homeward to drop off the news. Then she went to meet the others at the clubhouse.

When Trixie arrived, everyone was gathered around the conference table in the middle of the snug clubhouse as Di brought them up to date on the latest news about her mother's necklace. Trixie joined them. 

"Mother is terribly upset. The necklace was an anniversary gift from Dad," she was saying.

Honey patted her arm sympathetically while everyone frowned. 

"But guess what?" she continued.  "When the sergeant was at the house this morning, we found out that Mum wasn't the only one robbed!"

"What?" Trixie sat up straighter in her seat.  "Who else, Di?"

"Well, it turns out that three other women were missing jewelry, including Mrs. Boyer.  Someone stole an antique brooch right off her dress!"

"That couldn't have been hard, Di," said Brian. "A lot of people were crowding around her when she fainted."

Mart frowned.  "Anyone could have taken the valuables during the bedlam."

"The sergeant said it is going to be tough to find the thieves, since not everyone on the guest list came. And many people that weren't invited came, thinking it was a public event.  Mr. Xavier hadn't the heart to turn them away.  And everyone was in and out of the building all night."

"Your Mom must be awfully worried, Di," said Honey.

"Especially after losing a sentimental gift," Jim agreed. "But I guess there's not much we can do."

Trixie stared guiltily at the table.  She had checked the driveway for her bracelet earlier that day to no avail.

"Isn't that right, Trixie?" Brian said.

She gave a small start and looked blankly at Brian.

"What about the person who bumped into Trixie last night and broke her statue?" asked Honey quickly.

"Not likely, Miss Wheeler.  The perpetrator could not have run into her while escaping.  Our beloved Shamus was impeding the way to the new wing which is not the most convenient way out of the building."

"That's right, Mart!" said Di in amazement.

"Looks like Sergeant Molinson was right about that, Trixie." Brian looked at her dejected face.  "He was right about jewelry thieves being bad news, too."  He rose from his chair.  "Time we got going back to school. "  

Jim stood up and stretched. 

"Back to the old grind," he declared with a grin.

Brian tossed car keys at Mart.  "Take care of old Betsy."

Mart saluted smartly.  "Full tank, wash and shine, sir!"

Jim pulled one of Trixie's curls.  "Keep your tangled head out of trouble."

His tone was light, but his eyes were serious.

Trixie merely wrinkled her nose at him.  "Same goes for you two.   Don't bury your heads too far in your books."

Laughing, Jim and Brian walked towards Jim's car. 

"I, too, must travel the lonesome highway.  If only I was not at a lack for pleasant company…." Mart sighed.

Trixie rolled her eyes.   "You are taking Terry and Larry home, Mart.  That's plenty of company."

"Ah, dear little sister, I said pleasant company, making all the difference, you see."

Honey giggled.  "Would the presence of Miss Lynch make the difference, Mr. Belden?"

"If he wants her to go along, why doesn't he just ask?" demanded Trixie.

Giggling, Di stood and waved her hands to avoid further argument.  "I think that's a wonderful idea.  Come on Mart, let's rescue your mother from my little brotherly terrors."

Honey and Trixie followed them out of the clubhouse and then headed toward the stables.  Not much was said until they were astride Susie and Starlight, heading down one of the trails of the big game preserve Honey's father owned.

The soft sunlight and brightly colored leaves fell gently around them as they rode down the trail discussing the robberies.  

"Do you think the jewelry thieves were part of the catering staff?" Honey asked.

"No, they would be too easy to keep track of--the catering company would have a list of workers."

"It must have been someone going in or out.  Almost anyone could have gotten in.  I guess that doesn't leave us much in the way of suspects."

"Unless some of the museum staff was involved."

Honey frowned.  "It couldn't be anyone working there, Trixie.  Why would they want to cause such trouble at the reception?  And anyway, we know most of the staff.  I don't believe any of them are professional jewel thieves."

Trixie turned her head to look at her friend.  "We don't know all of them, Honey.  The new assistant and his brother, for instance."

"I hardly think Mr. Pierce is involved.  Di was telling me of his high credentials.  In fact, she was amazed that someone with his knowledge and experience would come to a small museum like Sleepyside."

They turned down the path back to the stables.

"What about his brother, then?"  Trixie said. "Someone broke my dragon dog rushing past me.   And I thought I heard a door slam down the hall."  She scowled.  "Besides, just because he has all those credentials doesn't make him a nice person."

"Poor Trixie.  Jim said Mr.Pierce was really rude to you.  What were you looking at in that corner?"

Trixie looked thoughtful as they dismounted.  "I'm not sure, Honey.  I saw something out of the corner of my eye, and before I could investigate, I found myself tangled up on the floor."

They led the horses into the tidy stable.   Trixie brushed and curried Susie's coat until the black fur shone.  

Making sure the horses were comfortable, the girls sat down facing each other to clean the tack.

"I don't know what it was I saw, but I had to investigate it," Trixie went on.

"Well, your sixth sense has been right before," Honey said.

"And it's gotten me in trouble before," she admitted.

"Trixie?"  Honey looked up from the leather she was polishing.  "Did you really hear the statue talk?"

Trixie shivered slightly at the memory.  "It sounded so hollow and faint.  But it definitely came from the statue.  It said to look for the green lady."  Trixie shrugged helplessly.  "I have no idea who it meant.  There were at least twelve women wearing green at the reception."

Honey's eyes got wide.  "Mrs. Boyer was wearing green.  Do you think the statue was warning you about the robberies?"

"I don't know, Honey.   It did say, to 'be careful'.  But Mrs. Lynch wasn't wearing green, she had a pale blue dress on."

"But Miss Frye was wearing an olive green skirt, and she reported a gold bracelet missing in the paper this morning!"

Trixie hung up the leather.  "That has to be a coincidence, Honey.  Not everyone who lost jewelry wore green.  I think it meant something else."

Honey fell in step with her as they strode out of the stable.  "What else could it mean?"

"I don't know yet, Honey, but I'm going to find out after school tomorrow."

Honey hesitated.  "We can't go down to the museum to investigate the robbery. Sergeant Molinson will probably arrest us if he thinks we are anywhere near the case."

"But we have a good excuse, Honey."  She turned to look at her friend sadly. "My bracelet is gone."

"It was stolen?"  Honey's hand flew to her mouth. 

"No, I don't think it was stolen."

Honey frowned. "You're right.  Even though it has sentimental value, a crook wouldn't bother noticing jewelry on a teenager."

Trixie nodded.  "I looked all over the driveway and the house.  The only other place it could be is the museum."

"Or the station wagon," suggested Honey. 

Both girls were standing outside the clubhouse where the club car was kept.  The automobile was owned by all seven members in the club, and each one had a key. 

After a thorough search, Trixie slammed the rear door shut behind her, and shook her head sadly. 

"I didn't think we would find it in there.  I'm pretty sure I lost it by the dividers in the Far East wing."

"When that Mr. Pierce grabbed your arm?"

Trixie nodded, flushing red at the memory.

Honey hugged her friend.  "Don't worry, Trix, I'm sure we will find it tomorrow.  And," she added as she started to head back up the hill home, "perhaps the dragon dog will deem me worthy to talk to."

Trixie smiled and hurried homeward as the sun started to dip on the horizon.

*   *   *

Trixie paced impatiently in front of the bench where she and Honey were to meet.  

The one time I am early for a change, Honey is running late, she thought.

Heaving a sigh, she flopped down on the bench with her armload of books. 

I can't be mad at Honey, though. I don't know how she puts up with me.

Trixie smiled to herself at the thought of her patient best friend and vowed to try to be more punctual in the future.  She was trying to arrange the papers that were jutting out of her schoolbooks at all angles when Mart sprawled on the bench beside her.

"Why the sudden organizational fit, small squaw?" he asked. "Wait, Mart the magnificent knows all." 

Trixie couldn't suppress a grin as he struck a pose and waved his hands above his forehead and hers. 

"Could it be that our scatterbrained sleuth wishes to emulate the elegant Dr. Watson's organizational skills in order to vastly reform her own chaotic ways?"

Trixie giggled.  For all his teasing, Mart could read her mind sometimes. "O.K. Mr. Magnificent.  Now can you tell me where she is?"

Mart opened his eyes and looked at her.  "She was helping Norma Finch juggle a tuba and umpteen schoolbooks to her car.  And where are you two going that you don't need to rush for the coveted back seat on the bus?"

Trixie ignored his question and looked towards the school parking lot to see Honey hurrying in their direction. 

"You're right.  Here she comes now."  She bent to gather her books from the bench.

Mart grabbed her by the wrist.  "You didn't answer my question, little sister.  But fear not," he continued "I can deduce your future whereabouts from the absent piece of décor on your appendage."

Trixie pulled her arm away and sat down dejectedly.  "How did you know, Mart?"

"Mart the magnificent obtains his powers from the mysterious unknown."  He made a hypnotic gesture at her.

Trixie relaxed and giggled again.

"Seriously, Trix, I saw you searching the driveway last night."

"I think I lost it in the museum, so Honey and I are going to look for it before the museum closes today.  We only have a half hour, you know," she said as she looked at her watch.  "What are you doing here?"

"I am going to pay a short visit to my classmate Pete's house to laden the lad with his math assignment he missed due to a preordained periodontal appointment."

"Could you give us a ride home, so we don't have to wait for the late bus?"

"I could rescue the distressed damsels if their mission is an honest one." He looked at her sharply.  "The said missing item wouldn't be missing on purpose to cover a jewelry heist investigation, would it?"

Trixie hastily assured him that it wasn't.

"In that case, I will meet you and Miss Wheeler in the museum parking lot."

"Are you giving us a ride home, Mart?  That's very sweet of you."  Honey had just arrived at the bench.

Mart bowed and strode off to start Brian's old jalopy.

Trixie jumped up off the bench.  "Hurry, Honey, we haven't much time before the museum closes!"

Both girls rushed off in the direction of the museum, Honey trying to keep pace with her energetic friend.

*   *   *

They hurried down the new hall of the museum, not pausing to look at the fascinating exhibits.  Dodging the samurai armor, Trixie came to a stop in front of the dragondog.   Again both girls gazed up at the magnificent reproduction.   As if mocking their expectations, the statue remained silent, grinning fiercely at them. 

"We don't have much time, Trixie," said Honey, pulling at her friend's sleeve.

They walked over to the spot that was previously partitioned off. 

"Look, Honey, the ropes aren't up anymore."

Honey shrugged.  "I guess they just didn't want the public to get too far." She peered at the floor.  "Is this where you think you lost your bracelet, Trixie?"

Trixie was looking over the floor where she had seen the glittering object.

"The boxes that were under the canvas are gone.  I wonder…." Her eyes scanned the area.  Nothing much was to be seen, except the small end table and the closed door.  Some bits of straw on the carpet caught Trixie's eye.   She got down on her hands and knees and looked under the table.  Her hand grasped a small piece of clay.

"Can I help you ladies?"  The assistant curator was walking towards them.  His face darkened when he recognized Trixie. "You again!"

She flushed at his scowl, and was about to speak, when Honey came to the rescue.

"Please, Mr. Pierce, my friend has lost a bracelet and we believe she dropped it here Saturday at the reception.  Have you seen it?"  And she went on to describe the bracelet while Trixie stood up. 

Thank goodness for tactful Honey, she thought.

The assistant shook his head at them.  "No such item has been reported to us. Perhaps someone picked it up in all the unfortunate confusion that day.  Now, we are closed for the day."  He escorted them to the front door.  " I hope you find your jewelry.  Good day now." 

He locked the doors behind them and they started down the stairs.

"I was so sure we would find your bracelet, Trixie.  Do you think someone could have taken it?"

Trixie unclenched her teeth.  "I wouldn't be surprised if that man has it in his office!  What a…a...."

Honey, who always tried to see the best in people, hesitated in her opinion. 

"He was a bit cold to us, but I guess the last thing he wanted to hear about was more lost jewelry."

"I guess you're right, Honey, but there is something mysterious about that man."

Honey hid a smile at her friend's familiar declaration.

"Anyway, take a look at what I found under the end table."  Trixie pulled the piece of clay out of her pocket and handed it to Honey.

"It looks like a piece of terra-cotta clay like your dragondog.  Did you get all the pieces when you dropped it?"

"I think I did, but I didn't drop it anywhere near that end table."  She squinted at the piece.  "It looks like part of one of the paws." 

Honey handed the piece back to Trixie. "It's a shame your statue was broken."

Trixie stamped her foot.  "Oh, bother!   I wanted to get another one, but I guess it's too late today."

Both girls looked up as Brian's jalopy pulled into the lot and backfired loudly.

"I guess we should get home.  I have a paper to write and three pages of algebra."  Honey wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck and hurried to the car.

Trixie gazed at the piece of clay again and dropped it in her pocket as she followed slowly behind.

*   *   *

Study hall the next day found Trixie staring up at the ceiling and chewing on the end of her eraser.   In front of her was a blue notebook in which she had decided to list the facts of the mystery before her.   Real detectives, she had reasoned, would do the same, and maybe if she had the events on paper in front of her they would make sense.  

Jim had started to solidify his future plans with his school; perhaps it was time she and Honey started to get serious about the Belden-Wheeler detective agency.

She looked down at what she had written so far.   A listing of the events of the night consisted only of two things. 

Another list of 'things detectives should carry' was more productive, including flashlight, magnifying glass, pocket notebook and pen.

There was also a list that was started and completely scribbled out, and finally, a doodle of what could be a dragondog, but on second glance looked like a cross chicken with a bear's head.

"Hard word problem, Trixie?" 

Trixie started as a voice whispered in her ear. She looked over to see Di Lynch sitting next to her.   She smiled at the quiet girl and whispered back, "No, just thinking about that dragondog."

"Actually, that's what I came over to talk to you about.  Dad and I are going over to the museum tomorrow to pick up a piece he had on loan.   Mr. Xavier had mentioned to Dad that he felt bad about your statue and wanted to replace it.  Can you stay for dinner and go over with us later that night?"

"That would be great, Di!  I don't think Moms would object at all."

Di smiled back at her as the monitor shushed them both.

Trixie's mom had no objection, and Wednesday after school, both girls were sprawled on the floor of Di's spacious bedroom after finishing their homework. Trixie was telling the story of the whispering statue and the hostility of the assistant.

"That is fantastic," said Di, her violet eyes wide. "Do you think the statue will talk to us tonight?  Although," she added, "that may be a little creepy."  She shivered at the thought.

Trixie absentmindedly twirled her loafer around on her foot.  "Di, how much do you know about how the museum gets pieces on loan?" she asked. 

"Not too much, I know that some of the exhibits are lent to the museum for a short time from private collectors, like Dad does; some pieces are bought by the museum or willed to the museum from private estates. Those are the permanent ones.  Then, there are the ones lent to the museum from other museums.  I think they are packed and shipped to the museum and are displayed for a short time, and then sent back to where they came or sent on to another museum as part of a scheduled program that several museums are participating in."

Trixie sat up, impressed with her friend's knowledge.  "Like the jade figures."

"Yes.  Usually greater protection is taken with pieces on loan like that. It's a shame that one is missing from that set."

A maid appeared then to call them down to dinner. They followed her downstairs; a discussion of the jade figures forgotten as the smell of Yankee pot roast wafted up to them.

*   *   *

Trixie and Di followed Mr. Lynch and Mr. Xavier through the back entrance to the museum. The curator had greeted them cheerfully despite the lines of worry on his forehead.  The police had had no new information about the robberies, and the lighting was still flickering and prone to blackouts.  Both problems had kept the public away from the museum so far that week.

They emerged from a short corridor into a cavernous room full of large crates and shelves housing curious items.  On one high shelf, a whole flock of assorted stuffed birds gazed down at them.  In one corner of the room, a rustic canoe made of bark rested against the wall, waiting for its return to the spotlight.  They went through the storage area down a short hall, past a few offices, and up a flight of stairs.   A start of recognition hit Trixie as they came out the door at the end of the Far East wing.

"Would you girls like to stay here and look around while we retrieve the Manet from upstairs?"

"That would be great, Daddy.  I did want another look at the ceremonial tea set," replied Di.

As the men went upstairs, Trixie and Di gazed again at the tiny jade figures behind the glass. 

"I wish I knew more about Hindu legend," Di said. "It's a shame about the missing piece. With all the intricate carvings, this set must be worth a fortune."

"Mart could probably spout a dictionary about it at us if he were here.  I wish I knew more about where your Mother's necklace is right now.  Has she heard anything new?"

Di shook her head.  "Sergeant Molinson says that jewelry theft at parties and receptions is getting almost commonplace."

Trixie chewed her lip thoughtfully.  "I suppose the thieves work in small groups and pocket items throughout the evening.  The lighting here certainly did help."

Both girls glanced up at the ceiling, where the lights were humming and flickering as they spoke.

"I hope they don't decide to go out again!" Di exclaimed, "It's really creepy in here when it's empty." 

She glanced over at Trixie who was gazing up at the dragondog.  Cautiously, she joined her blonde friend at the base of the fierce creature.

"Do you think it will ta--" A faint sound from the statue interrupted Diana's whisper.

Trixie held a finger to her lips and both girls waited breathlessly, leaning as close as they could to the open mouth.

  ".…The upside down moon…." echoed softly from deep within the Dragondog.

They waited, but no more was to be heard from the statue.  The sounds that now broke the silence belonged to the curator and Mr. Lynch coming down the hall towards them.

"….have had enough of Gary Pierce trying to fix the lights. He's a good lad, but it's time for Sleepyside electric to take over.  I'm afraid I can't tolerate much more of this.  Look how nervous it's made the young ladies."

Mr. Lynch chuckled.  "It would take more than faulty wiring to scare Miss Belden, I'm afraid."

Trixie relaxed and smiled at Mr. Lynch.  He was still as jolly as ever despite his worry over his wife's necklace. 

She gave Di a wink and said, "I guess we were worried that the soldiers might come back to claim their armor."

"Yes Daddy, it is a bit scary in here with the lights the way they are."

Mr. Xavier glanced over at Trixie who was staring at the dragondog again. "It seems that my large guardian speaks to you, young lady."

Trixie turned to him, blue eyes wide.  "Does it talk to you, too?"

The older men laughed at her confused look. 

"I meant that the dragondog seems to have ignited your interest," Mr. Xavier explained. "It couldn't have really been talking to you, could it?"

Di moved as if to speak, but stayed silent due to a quick look from Trixie. 

Trixie shifted uncomfortably and cleared her throat.  "Were they rumored to speak to people at all?"

"Not to my knowledge.  I suppose they were thought to speak to evil spirits, but I have not heard any tales of their converse with humans.  Now, there are many stories of dragons communicating with humans.  We have some of the folktales in the gift shop library."  He gazed at the statue.  "I didn't know this one was talking to the museum patrons."  He gave Trixie an amused look.

"Perhaps we should go before your statue sends these girls off on another mystery," joked Mr. Lynch.

Di and Trixie traded a guilty glance.

"If he does talk, perhaps he should tell me what is wrong with these lights. Shall we go back down to the storeroom?"

"Sounds good to me. It is getting late, and this is a school night." He playfully shook a finger at his daughter.

"Then we shall journey downstairs again." Mr. Xavier opened the door to the lower level.

"Ladies first." And he waved them through with a flourish.

Happy to be moving away from the statue, Di led the way, Trixie following behind at a slightly slower pace, deep in thought.

When they were all downstairs the curator paused before a large crate, which he opened and removed some packing material.

"I wanted to replace your statue that was broken at the reception, Trixie," said Mr. Xavier.  He pulled a small clay figure out of the crate and handed it to her. 

"Thank you, Mr. Xavier!" She beamed at him.  "How kind of you to think of it. I'm sure I wouldn't have with all that must be on your mind."

"Now, now, you mustn't worry about my problems.  Besides, I have Mr. Pierce to lighten the load here.  He practically runs the inventory and has been a first rate assistant.  I believe he has the release forms back in his office.  He is working much too late again, I'm afraid"

The two men walked down the hall as Trixie admired her statue.

"You are going in a safe place." She admonished the little figure and carefully tucked it into her purse.

"Now who's talking to who?" Di laughed nervously.  "I'm afraid those hideous birds over there will be speaking to me next."

"The upside down moon.  I wonder what it meant.  Do you suppose it meant something on the shelves here?

Both girls were looking intently at the items on the shelves when Mr. Lynch came back with the painting.  They bade the curator a good evening and settled back in the comfortable rear seat of Mr. Lynch's luxurious sedan for the drive to Crabapple Farm.

Trixie thanked Di and her father for the evening and stepped out into the chilly night.  Gravel crunched under her feet as she glanced over at the window and noticed Mart's figure moving around inside.  She hurried into the warm kitchen of the Belden farmhouse. Antique copperware gleamed in the soft light of the cozy room as she hung up her coat and glanced over at her brother.

Mart was standing at the counter, making a sandwich. On the counter she saw pickles, a sliced tomato, Swiss cheese, American cheese, cheddar cheese, and she counted five different types of meat, including leftover meatloaf. Mayonnaise, mustard, some sliced egg, and even a few potato chips were being wedged between two thick slices of bread.

She set her books on the kitchen table and leaned back on the end of the long counter to watch him with a half-amused, half-amazed air.  Mart held one hand out at her briefly as a warning to not break his concentration as he deftly built a quadruple-decker masterpiece.  Trixie fought back a giggle, poured two glasses of milk, and waited patiently at the table as he cleaned the counter and made his way over to the table with the dangerously swaying sandwich. Seating himself, he ceremoniously took a huge bite and rolled his eyes in mock ecstasy.

Trixie grinned at his antics and decided to tell him about the trip to the museum.  Mart could be an awful tease, but when she really needed him, he was always there.

"Mart," she began, "where do you think you would find an upside down moon?"

Mart paused with the sandwich halfway to his lips.  "Australia?" he ventured, then looked at Trixie sharply.  "Heading for the outback, mate?"

"Actually, it is something to do with the museum.  But you aren't going to believe me," she said, taking out her notebook.

"I've been known to believe in as many as six impossible things before breakfast," he quoted. 

"Well it's long after breakfast...."

"Not tomorrow morning's."

Trixie groaned.  "Now I am starting to feel like Alice in Wonderland."

Mart wiped crumbs from his chin.  "I thought this was going to be Trixie's adventures in museum land.  What happened?  Did my sibling sleuth continue her volatile path of destruction therein?"

Trixie glared at him.  "I didn't fall again, if that's what you mean."

"Then what else beside your maladroit ways could cause an upside down moon?"

"I don't know, Mart.  Are you going to listen or not?"

"Shoot," he said, reaching for the glass of milk. "But make it a fast draw."

Showing him her notes, she explained the events in the museum and the whispering statue to him. 

"And that's why I'm so confused," she confessed. "Why would a statue warn me about a green lady and an upside down moon?  Not to mention the jewelry thefts.  They have to be connected with the statue somehow."

"I must admit your fertile imagination conjured up quite an amazing ventriloquism act with the dragondog, but connecting that with the pilfered valuables is quite a stretch, Sherlock."

"I didn't imagine it, Mart.  Ask Di. She was standing next to me tonight when it talked.  No-one else was there to throw a voice or anything like that." She scowled down at the table. 

"So this statue tells you to beware."

"No, to be careful."

"How do you link that to the robbery, then?" Mark questioned as he leaned back on his chair.

Trixie sighed and laid her head down on the table.  "I just have a feeling."

Mart folded his arms across his chest and sighed.  "I could blame the whole thing on your over-active imagination and say that your desperation for a new mystery is leading you to hear strange voices."

He held up a hand as she began to protest.  "But," he continued, "you are getting too old to be imagining things and, as much as we all hate to admit it, your intuition is usually right on."

Trixie was silent.  Mart's praise was rare. 

"Thanks, Mart," she finally mumbled.  "I think we should have an emergency Bob-White meeting tomorrow at lunch.  Maybe we all can make sense of this together."

"United we stand, divided we fall.  Sleep-deprived, we fall harder."  With a wave goodnight, he headed upstairs.

Mart can be really nice sometimes, Trixie thought.  Suppressing a yawn, she took their empty glasses to the sink and went upstairs.

After getting into her pajamas, she pulled the small dragondog out of her purse and sat turning it over and over in her hands.  Perhaps this small one can give me a clue as to why the statue is talking to me.  She looked into its mouth, but it wasn't very deep.  Turning it over, she looked at the symbol on the bottom. 

That's funny,  she realized, This one seems to be different.

Putting the statue back into her purse, she turned out the light.

Di may know something about it tomorrow, she thought as she drifted off to sleep.

*   *   *

Trixie paused from copying notes from the board and wearily looked around the classroom.   Honey caught her eye and both girls shared a look of agony.

Ten more minutes until the lunch bell.  Trixie gripped her pencil harder and tried to concentrate on the industrial revolution. 

I wish someone would invent a way to speed up time. 

"Quiz on this material tomorrow," announced the teacher, ignoring the moans and groans that followed.

Dan and Di were waiting with Mart at the table when Trixie and Honey shuffled in to the cafeteria. 

"Ah, our resident flatfoots have arrived.   From your vacant expressions, I deduce that our American history has not been enthralling or enlightening."

Honey made a face at Mart as she opened her milk. "And we have a quiz on inventions tomorrow.  I can never keep names and dates straight."

"Just remember Thomas Edison, Honey," said Dan with a smile. "He invented at least half of everything."

"Ah, Edison, a man after my own heart…." Mart began.

"Puh-leeze, Mart, spare us your lectures on Edison.  We only have twenty minutes left and we need to discuss this case."  Trixie pulled at her hair. "So far," she continued, "we have missing jewelry, a ring of thieves, and a seven foot talking dragondog."

"And no suspects," added Honey.

"Are you sure you heard this thing talk?"

"I heard it all right, Dan." Di's violet eyes were wide.  "It had a deep, hollow whisper."  She shivered. "I don't want to go near it again."

"Never fear, Di, dragonslaying is in the Belden lineage." Mart waved his straw like a sword to prove his point.

Everyone laughed at Mart's antics.

"Seriously, though, Detective Wheeler has a point: where are the suspects?  I, for one, am apt to think someone is playing a practical joke on the femmes."

"As a matter of fact," Trixie said, "I do have a suspect." 

"What about Mr. Xavier?" interjected Dan. "He was definitely near all the people who were robbed."

"He couldn't have done it," protested Di. "He's been a family friend for such a long time.  Dad was so happy when he came back to Sleepyside to take the curator position last year."

"What about the catering staff?" asked Honey. "They were all wearing green, like the statue warned about."

Trixie shook her head as if to clear it.  "I think our main suspect is Mr. Pierce."

Mart grinned at her.  "It couldn't be his dislike for tangle-haired sleuths that makes him prime suspect, could it?"

Honey hesitated. "He is a very reputable man, Trixie."

"That's my point.  What is a man with his credentials doing taking an assistant's job in a small town?"

"Maybe he wanted to get out of the city atmosphere?" suggested Dan.  "I certainly could understand that."

Trixie smiled at the dark haired boy.  Dan had been an orphan and mixed up with a New York City gang before he was sent to Sleepyside to be under the supervision of his uncle Regan.  Things had changed for the better when he went to live with Mr. Maypenny, the Wheelers' gamekeeper, and became the seventh Bob-White. 

"Why would a man with his prestige have a side job as jewel thief.  Doesn't wash, Trixie."  Mart shook his head at her.

"Alright, alright."  She took the statue from her purse. "Let's concentrate on the statue, then.  Di, isn't this a different symbol on the bottom of this one?"

She turned the dog over.  Di tossed her blue-black hair over her shoulder and took the statue from her friend. 

"I don't know, Trixie." She frowned.  "It might be a bit different."  She handed it to Honey.

"It is different, Trixie. At least, I think so.  I guess you got a misprint or something." She handed it back to Trixie with a shrug.

"I thought we might go over to the museum and compare it to the others in the gift shop after school," she said nonchalantly.

"The plot thickens!  We're on to your deviant train of thought, Beatrix." Mart twirled an imaginary moustache.  "Shall we accompany Sherlock to the museum, gang?"

Dan laughed.  "I kind of hope the statue will talk to us when we are there. Until then, I have a Trigonometry test to keep me occupied."

Trixie stood and put the statue back in her purse.  "Then it's settled.  We'll meet out front by the flagpole after last class."

Honey walked with Trixie to her locker.  "Did you find your bracelet yet?" she asked.

"No, Honey.  I forgot to ask Mr. Xavier last night, too.  I feel certain that Mr. Pierce didn't tell him I was looking for it."

Honey squeezed her arm sympathetically.  "I know you don't like him, Trixie, but do you really suspect him of stealing the jewelry?"

"I just have a feeling he's involved, somehow."  She sighed, " I can't really explain it."

"Just be careful, Trixie."

"I know, I've been wrong before with my suspicions."  She shuffled her books for her afternoon classes in front of her.  Straightening up and puffing on an imaginary pipe, she said, "We need more evidence, Watson."

Honey giggled at her best friend's Sherlock Holmes imitation.

Firmly shutting her locker, Trixie became serious again.  "And I intend to get it soon."

Leaving Honey with no explanation, she hurried to her next class.

*   *   *

Laughing and out of breath, the Bob-Whites reached the steps to the museum entrance. 

"No fair," panted Trixie. "You guys had a head start."

"Sour grapes, little sister.  Perhaps if you eat less of them you would run faster."

"I'm surprised you can run at all after that sandwich you ate last night, Mart."

"OK, you two, let's not scare the museum patrons," Honey laughed as a busload of Cub Scouts filed out the doors.

After the wave of blue and gold went past, the lobby seemed deserted.  The Bob-Whites spotted Barbara Gray behind the counter in the gift shop.  She looked tired.

"Thirty-Five ten year old boys!" she exclaimed when they came into the shop. "All of them energetic and curious and all of them asking questions at the same time!"  She sat down on the tall stool behind the register.

"Brings back fond memories of Junior Counseling at summer camp last year, eh, Mart?" Dan's dark eyes smiled at his friend.

Mart rolled his eyes.  "I have been willfully repressing those memories.  Yet I still chant 'leaflets three, let it be' in my tortured sleep."

"You poor traumatized youth." Honey wrung her hands in mock sympathy.

Trixie was looking at the empty shelves.  "Only three statues left?" she asked Barbara.

"Yes, and none of the dolls.  Both of those seem to be very popular items.  I think almost all the boys just bought a statue."

Trixie was turning over each dog and looking at the symbol.  All were identical to each other.  She got out a sketch of the symbol on her statue and compared them.

"Do you need another statue, Trixie?"  Barbara leaned on the counter.

"No, thank you, Barb.  I was just wondering if all the symbols on the bottom were the same.  I was hoping to have more statues to compare."

"Well, not until Saturday morning.  Our next shipment comes in Friday night. Mr. Pierce inventories them personally, then I will shelve them on Saturday. Hopefully, Celestial Products will deliver on time."

"I do not think our shipping schedule is part of the standard museum tour, Miss Gray."

They turned to see Mr. Pierce standing in the gift shop doorway.

Barbara straightened up behind the counter.  "I'm sorry Mr. Pierce, I didn't mean to do anything wrong."

"Please limit your discussions to exhibit information in the future, Miss Gray.  As for your friends, I am sorry, we are closing."  He waved the Bob-Whites out the front door.

They started to walk back to the school parking lot.  Trixie was first to break the silence. "You see, there is something mysterious about that man. Why should he care if we know when gift shop items come in?"

"I don't much agree with his behavior!" Mart's scowl duplicated Trixie's.

"He was rude, I guess," said Honey.

"Did you get a chance to check the symbols, Trix?" asked Dan.

"All three on the shelf were the same.  Mine looked different."

"It is probably a stamping error just like Honey said.  I think you are grasping at straws, sis."

Any further comment was drowned out by approaching police sirens. 

Everyone stopped and turned to see two police cruisers pull up to the museum, one in the back and the other near the front.

"What could have happened?" gasped Di.

"Let's go find out." And Trixie started towards the museum, only to be stopped when Dan grabbed her arm.

"Hold on, Trix, let's observe from a distance first."

Honey came over by her best friend.  "Dan's right.  We don't want to be in the way of an emergency."

"You're right Honey," she admitted ruefully.  "I was jumping in without thinking again.  But what could possibly have happened?"

"Perhaps your statue turned informant and revealed the perpetrators," Mart quipped.

They watched as several officers entered the front of the museum.  A small crowd began to gather across the street, attracted by the flashing lights. 

After what seemed an eternity, the officers got back into the patrol cars and drove away.

"I saw Mr. Xavier in the back of the second car."  Di looked ready to faint. "We have to tell Daddy."

Just then Barbara Gray came down the steps.  They ran over to the grief-stricken girl.

"You won't believe what just happened!  He couldn't have possibly have done it!"

"All right, Barbara, calm down," said Dan, handing the crying girl his handkerchief. "Let's go sit down and you can tell us."

They all moved over to two park benches facing each other.  Honey and Dan sat next to Barbara. Di, Mart and Trixie sat down facing them.

"What happened?"  Trixie asked gently. 

"I was downstairs," Barbara told them, "counting the cash receipts, when all these policemen came in.  They said they had an anonymous tip that Mr. Xavier was fencing some stolen jewelry."

A collective gasp went up from the group.

"And then they searched his office and found Mrs. Lynch's necklace inside a small vase!"

Diana's eyes got very wide and she clutched Mart's arm for support.

"But he couldn't have taken Mum's necklace.…" she said weakly.

Trixie ran a hand through her curly hair, while Honey patted Barbara's shoulder gently.

"We have to get to your Dad, Di, and tell him about this," said Trixie. "Shall we walk you to your car, Barb?" 

Blotting at her eyes, the dark haired girl shook her head.  "I'll be alright, thank you, Trixie.  Once I get past this initial shock.  I mean, they can't send an innocent man to jail, can they?"

No one had a reply.

*   *   *

Barbara's eyes were still red when she met Trixie between classes the next morning. 

"I just don't understand any of this.  Mr. Xavier is being held without bail. Mr. Pierce called me last night to let me know what was happening.  He told me to take today off to rest from this nightmare.  I told him that we only had half a day of school today, so I could be in earlier to help him put away the Celestial Products inventory, but he insisted I need the rest."  She sighed. "I think maybe I do."

Trixie patted her on the shoulder.  "Don't worry.  Mr. Lynch has been working on getting Mr. Xavier out of jail.  We will figure something out."

As they parted, something nagged Trixie in the back of her head.  She turned and called back to the older girl rapidly disappearing in the crowd of students. 

"Barb!" she shouted.

Barbara turned and scanned the crowd to see who called her name.  Trixie ran over to her. 

"What does 'celestial' mean?" she asked breathlessy.

Barbara wrinkled her forehead.  "It means like heavenly.  Like the universe. You know, sun, moon and stars.  Those are the symbols on their crates, anyway."

Just then the late bell rang, interrupting their conversation.

"Gleeps! I have to get to the other side of the building!" Waving hastily to her friend, Trixie hurried down the emptying corridor.

Five very dejected Bob-Whites rode the bus home in the early afternoon. 

"Daddy has talked to the sergeant, but there seems to be interest in the case enough to keep Mr. Xavier there without bail," Di was saying sadly.

"What kind of interest?" asked Dan.

"Sergeant Molinson didn't say, but Dad overheard a man talking and he thinks it's the FBI."

Trixie and Honey lifted their heads.  

"Why on earth would they be involved in a small robbery?" Trixie demanded.

Honey's hazel eyes got wide.  "Maybe there was more than one," she speculated.

"That doesn't help Mr. Xavier's case," Dan remarked gloomily.

Everyone slumped again at the reminder of the kindly curator's predicament.

"I, for one, must forgo jewel theft and talking statues for car detailing this afternoon, since our collegiate chums are due back later, same day," Mart said.

"I have some trails to patrol and an English paper to write," sighed Dan.

"I have some mending to do.  Call me when you find out anything else, Di," Honey said as they got off the bus.

*   *   *

Trixie went through her chores distractedly. Her mother came in to find her staring through the knickknacks she was dusting.

"Trixie?"

"Hmmm?"

"Is something bothering you, dear?  I know the house is quiet without Bobby here, but.…"

Trixie smiled.  The high school was the only one with half a day scheduled. Bobby wouldn't be home for another hour.

"I guess I have a lot on my mind, Moms."

"Yes, I heard about poor Mr. Xavier.  I do know that Mrs. Lynch is glad to have her necklace back, though.  I remember how happy she was when she got that necklace for their fifteenth anniversary."  She fluffed the cushions on the sofa. "Heavens, I know I would feel bad if I lost a gift from your father."

Trixie winced inwardly.

"Do you think Dad would be awfully mad at you if you did?" she asked tentatively.

Mrs. Belden turned and smoothed one of her daughter's wayward curls. Smiling, she said,  "No, I'm sure he wouldn't be.  After all, even after the gift is gone, the sentiment remains."

Trixie chewed her lip.  "So, it's the thought that counts, right?"

Her mother laughed.  "Something like that."

"Speaking of thoughts, Moms, would you mind if I go down to the clubhouse and do some thinking?"

Mrs. Belden smiled.  "Go ahead, the dusting can wait until you can give it a little bit more of your attention."

Grabbing her notebook and purse, Trixie hurried out the door, leaving her mother holding a dust rag and shaking her head in wonderment at her tomboy daughter.

Trixie sat down at the large table in the club house and spread her notebook open in front of her.  "This is it," she said to herself out loud.  "Time to piece all this jabberwocky together."

Concentrating, she wrote down the events of the last week in one column on the right.  She placed significant clues on the left side of the paper. 

"Be Careful, Look for the Green Lady, The Upside Down Moon."  Sitting back, she clutched her hair with both fists.  "This is a riddle from Alice in Wonderland."

Suddenly she remembered what Honey had said.

"And no suspects," she repeated.

She did have a suspect. 

"Pierce must have planted that necklace in Mr. Xavier's office. But why would he do that?  I guess framing the curator would assure him of the job."

She tapped the pencil rapidly on the table.

"But only Mrs. Lynch's necklace was recovered."

Dropping her pencil, she pulled her statue out of her purse and gazed into the small figure's eyes.  "I wish you would talk sense instead of riddles."  She admonished the little dragondog.  It merely grinned at her.

At that moment, Jim came down the path to notice the clubhouse door slightly ajar.  Frowning, he moved to close it, when he came across a most interesting sight. 

Trixie was leaning back as far as she could on her chair, eyes closed, one hand twisting a stray curl around her finger.  Balancing precariously on one knee was her diminutive statue of the dragondog.

Suppressing laughter, he quietly backed out of the clubhouse, as not to startle her.  Or tried to.  He backed into the door, causing it to squeak loudly. 

He cringed at the pandemonium that followed.  Startled, Trixie had lost her balance.  She came crashing down to the clubhouse floor, followed closely by the noise of the chair slamming down and her second statue shattering when it hit the ground. 

Trixie looked up to see Jim hurrying over to her.

"Gol, Trix, I'm sorry!  Are you alright?"

Trixie, blushing furiously, tried to extract herself from the chair, and hit the back of her head on the table.  Tears welled in her eyes.

"I'm sorry I startled you."  Jim was kneeling beside her.  He untangled the chair and set it aside.  "Are you okay?"

Trixie looked woefully at the remains of her second statue and then at Jim's concerned face.  She touched the back of her head and winced.  "No," she began tearfully, embarrassed that Jim of all people had to see her at her clumsiest. 

Then, she began to picture what the whole scenario must have looked like from his point of view.

She couldn't help it.  She began to giggle.

"No," she repeated. 

Jim's look of concern became a confused stare. 

That did it.  Trixie threw back her head and roared with laughter, all the while trying to explain herself. 

After a bit, Jim was laughing as hard as she was.

"Are you sure you are going to be okay?" he asked as they sobered.

"I don't know," she answered truthfully, wiping tears out of the corners of her eyes.   "I have to deal with jewel robberies and talking statues that keep breaking."  She giggled. 

He surveyed the mess.  "It doesn't look too bad, it's only the bottom that shattered. The top is pretty much just cracked.  What do you mean by talking statues, though?"   He looked at her quizzically.

Trixie sighed and looked into his honest green eyes.  Slowly she began to tell him about the events of the last couple of days. 

"Seems like you're in the middle of another mystery, Trix." He gave a puzzled frown. "I don't understand what could make a giant statue talk."

"That's not the worst of my problems, Jim," she said, all the merriment gone out of her.  "I didn't want to tell you."

She brushed her bangs out of her face restlessly and took a deep breath. 

"My silver bracelet you gave me is missing.  I can't find it anywhere.  I thought it was at the museum, I mean, I'm pretty sure it should be, but…." she stopped as he gathered her hands gently in his. 

"Is that all?" he asked.

Silently she nodded, then looked up sadly at his freckled face. 

He thought for a moment, and said,  "Don't worry about the bracelet.  Even if it isn't here, what it represents still is.  Isn't it?"

Trixie nodded again; this time happily.

Moms was right, she thought.

"Trix...." Jim said softly.

She felt her breath catch in her throat as he ever so slightly inclined his head towards hers.

"Jim!"  Honey's voice rang out from behind the door. 

He gave a small start, stood and replied "In here, sis." 

Trixie found herself very busily picking up clay pieces from the floor.

"There's a Doug Bowden on the phone.  He said it was urgent and was willing to wait, so I ran down as fast as I could," she panted.

Jim slapped his forehead. "How could I forget!  The lab notes!   I'll be back in a few."  He ran up the hill towards the large mansion.

Honey noticed Trixie under the table.

"Oh, Trixie, not again!" She bent to help her.

Trixie plopped the remains of the statue on the table.  "I'm afraid so, Honey. I'm beginning to think these things are unlucky."  She rubbed the bump on the back of her head.  Honey was reading over her list of clues. 

"We certainly seem to be out of luck with this case.  What's that?" she asked, pointing at something sticking out of one of the cracks of what was left of the statue.

Trixie frowned.  "I don't know.  It looks like a piece of cloth."

"Do you suppose.…" Honey left her sentence unfinished as both girls had the same thought.  Together they pried open the rest of the statue.  Some straw fell out that was packed around the cloth.

"Hurry, unwrap it," said Honey.

"You do it," Trixie told her. "My hands are shaking."

Honey took the cloth from her friend and unwrapped it carefully.  A green arm rose mystically from the layers. Unbelieving, Honey sat the small jade figure of Sita on the table in front of them.

"The missing statue," Trixie breathed.

"But how did it get in your dragondog?  Those are mass produced by a company in California, aren't they?"

A light blazed in Trixie's brain.  "That's it!" she shouted.  "Celestial Productions!"

She pointed at the notebook.  "Just like the dragondog said--the upside down moon."

Honey's eyes were wide with recognition.  "Then this is the green lady!" she exclaimed, holding the statue in front of her.

Things started clicking rapidly in Trixie's head.  "Come on!" she shouted.

"We have to grab our bikes.  There isn't a moment to lose!"  She ran out of the clubhouse, Honey following close behind.

*   *   *

"Are you sure about this?" Honey puffed as they biked to the museum after visiting Barbara Gray's house.

"Positive.  When Barbara takes that note I wrote and that statue to the police, they will know what to do," Trixie said..

At least, I hope they do, she added to herself.

"Then tell me again why we have to go to the museum now."

"Because, Honey, we have to get our hands on the shipping records before the Pierces destroy them."  Trixie put her head down and pedaled faster.

Arriving in the park next to the museum, they stashed their bicycles in the bushes and caught their breath.

"I wish you hadn't talked Barbara into giving you the key to the back door, Trixie."

"Is that how you two plan to get in?"  Jim's voice from behind them made them both jump.

Honey grasped his arm.  "Don't do that again!"

"How did you find us?" asked Trixie.

Jim grinned at her.  "Most of your writing is indecipherable, but I did pick out something about Friday night shipment at the museum."

"Right on the nose."  She unlocked the door carefully.

"I wish I knew what I was right about." He looked at her sternly.

Ignoring his question, Trixie opened the door.

Jim noticed the determined set in her jaw.   He sighed and followed the future detectives through the doorway.

"By the way, these might help." He handed them each a flashlight.

Trixie threw him a grateful look and put a finger to her lips as a warning to be quiet.  Silently they followed her down the corridor into the large storeroom.  Honey stifled a scream as her light shone over a group of gleaming eyes.

"Don't panic, Honey.  Just a group of stuffed birds."  Trixie pointed her light from a different angle, revealing the feathers and beaks.

"They are really creepy.  Let's find the invoices and get out of here."

"What are we looking for?" asked Jim.

"We need to find an unopened crate of ceramic dragondogs with today's shipping date on it," replied Trixie.

"Does the phrase ' needle in a haystack' mean anything to you?" he asked, shining his light around at the stacks of boxes in the large room.

"We'll split up," she suggested. 

They spread out across the room, flashlights creating eerie shadows against the cluttered walls.  Sheets of canvas were draped over large objects, making them mysterious and ghost-like. Anything could be under those sheets, Trixie thought.  Shivering, she wandered over by huge columns of stacked boxes, carefully reading the labels on each.

"I found it!" Honey whispered loudly.

Just then they heard the sound of a key in the lock of the entrance they had just come through.   Trixie rushed behind a large stack of boxes.  Over the pounding of her heart, she heard Jim and Honey scrambling for cover. 

With a crackle that faded into a low hum, the lights slowly came on over head. Trixie found herself surrounded by large crates on all sides.  She slowly peeked over by the entrance. 

Mr. Pierce, dark brows furrowed, strode into the room, followed by his shorter brother.

To her dismay, she discovered Jim hiding close to the corridor.

He's safe if they don't look back, she thought.  Silently she crossed her fingers and scanned the room for Honey.  

"I just don't think it was too smart, planting that necklace in Xavier's office."  Gary Pierce was whining.

His brother rolled his eyes.  "Imagine that.  You deciding what's smart. Listen.  While the heat is on our friend Xavier, we wrap up our little end of a three year operation, and before the weekend is through, we are in Rio with a new future.  And a fortune. I am going to take care of some business in my office.  You can take care of your end of things by finding the remaining jewelry in this crate."

He turned and started walking towards his office. 

"Sure," Gary was saying.  "Like I found the statue last time I looked.  If you ask me, we are being double crossed somewhere."

The museum assistant strode back to face the shorter man across a draped cart.

"How do I know you aren't doing the double crossing?  That jade statue is worth a fortune." He pounded his fist on the table for emphasis.

"I didn't swipe it!" protested Gary. "I looked in the crate like you told me. The upside down moon symbol. But no green lady."

"Which is why we have to pack up operations.  Now get busy."  He strode briskly away. 

Trixie slowly exhaled the breath she'd been holding.  She knew why he didn't find the statue.

Gary Pierce was taking apart the packing crate and setting the statues aside on the table after he looked at the bottom of each one. Above them, the lights flickered and hummed menacingly.  Every now and then Gary would look up at them uncertainly.

Trixie looked over at Jim.  With the crook's back to him, he was slowly edging towards the open doorway.  Frantically she searched the room for Honey again.

Gary found the statue he was looking for.  He brought it down sharply on the table, knocking the tarp hanging over it slightly aside. Trixie put a hand to her mouth to cover a gasp. From her position behind the boxes, she could see Honey crouched helplessly under the table he was using to break the statue. 

The statue cracked open; Gary Pierce unwrapped a double strand of pearls and several large diamond rings.  Trixie looked over at Jim.  He was nearly at the door frame, but out of cover.  He quickly rolled around the frame and into the shadows of the corridor. 

Some kind of sixth sense must have alerted the thief to the flash of movement. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small pistol and pointed it unsteadily in the direction of the doorway.

Trixie's eyes widened.  She couldn't let him shoot!  Not hesitating, she threw all of her weight into the stack of boxes in front of her.   Gary Pierce swung around in enough time to throw his hands over his head as several large boxes came crashing down on top of him.

"Honey, run!" Trixie shouted as she tried to make her way over to the door.

The crates falling created a cloud of dust and straw that filled the room. Trixie and Honey were picking their way through the debris when a pair of hands grabbed them from behind.

"Not so fast!"  They turned to face the assistant, his dark features contorted in rage.

The dust and flickering lights gave the room an almost surreal appearance. Gary Pierce moaned and stood up slowly, coughing.

"Lucky for you those boxes were empty,"snarled his brother.

"What should we do with the nosy little girls?"  Gary asked.

"We'll take them with us on a short vacation.  I wonder if they like the ocean?" he leered at their frightened expressions. 

I have to keep him talking, thought Trixie. 

Trying to buy Jim some time, she said; "You'll have a long vacation in jail after the police are through with you!"

"What an imaginative child.  I knew when I saw you climbing over that rope you'd be trouble."  Twisting her arm painfully, he shoved her and Honey over by the wall.  They huddled together as Trixie rubbed her arm.

"I wondered what you were worried about me finding that night.  One of your bogus statues broke upstairs, didn't it?"

"Got it all figured out, don't you?" 

The flickering light made his features seem more menacing.  Honey cringed and moved closer to Trixie.

"Most of it." She continued, "You must have quite the operation.  How many museums do you have linked across the country?"

"She knows everything! Now what are we gonna do?" Gary was looking nervous.

Mr. Pierce just glowered at them.

Trixie assumed an air of bravado she certainly did not feel.

"My guess is six or seven," she said. "You have people steal jewelry at parties.  You transport it through those little dragon dogs to different places, where it would be easier to resell it.  Chicago must have gotten a little too hot for you, so you came east."

Honey looked at her in amazement.

"Very good," he replied. 

"In fact," she continued, "New York must not be very safe either, which is why you ended up here, close enough to the big city, yet far enough away from the New York detectives."

"How did you figure us out?" Gary interjected, squinting at her through the dusty haze.

Trixie fixed him with a cool stare.  "You must have been the one who bumped into me in the dark at the reception on your way back downstairs with the stolen jewelry." She shifted her position to hide her trembling legs. 

"You have been receiving plenty through your shipments, but when you saw Di's mother's necklace, you just couldn't resist."

"You are miss know-it-all."  The tall assistant shot her a contemptuous look. He started to speak, then stopped to regain his composure.

"This young lady," he said, pointing at Honey, "is worth some ransom money."

Honey looked as if she might faint.

"But I doubt you are worth much of anything."  As he spoke he grabbed Trixie's arm and twisted it fiercely behind her.

If only Jim would bring the police!  Trixie's nerves were starting to fail her.

"What are you going to do with her?" Honey's voice pleaded with the thieves.

"Your nosy friend is going to take a midnight ocean swim." Gary Pierce answered her menacingly.  "I'm afraid the water isn't very safe in the dark."

Just as Gary said the word 'dark', the lights finally failed.   Bending low and twisting away from the assistant curator, she drew back her foot and kicked at his shins, feeling the satisfaction of the connection as the man howled in pain.

Without hesitation, she and Honey hurried in the complete darkness towards the exit.

Trixie stumbled over an object on the floor only to fall into something warm and breathing.  She screamed as the lights came on.

Blinking her eyes, she found herself looking up at Sergeant Molinson. 

Startled, he lost his voice for a second while five other policemen surrounded the Pierce brothers. 

Brushing her aside, his voice boomed at the two men who stood dejectedly against the wall.  "Jewelry theft, fraud, and now we can add kidnapping to the list.  Check the offices for records, boys." He motioned at two men, and they hurried to the back rooms.

Trixie turned and hugged her best friend. 

"Are you o.k. Trixie?"

Trixie breathed a sigh of relief.  "I am now." 

Both girls looked over at more voices down the hall.  Jim strode towards them, followed by Barbara, Mr. Lynch, and Mr. Xavier.  Behind them stood Brian and Mart and Di.

There was a lot of excited chatter until Sergeant Molinson came over. 

"This is a crime scene, not a reunion," he said. "I need Mr. Xavier right now to help us straighten things out.  You girls I need to see in my office tomorrow morning."  He glared at Trixie. "You are lucky I can see you at all, Miss Belden.  I told you jewel thieves were hardened criminals!" 

One of his officers came over to the group and motioned to the sergeant.  Molinson admonished a beefy finger at Trixie.  "Take her home and keep her out of trouble until tomorrow," he barked at Brian and strode off with Mr. Xavier in tow.

"If that were a possible thing…." started Mart.

"I highly doubt it," Brian said wryly, "Trixie, what were you thinking, coming here?"

"Now then, Brian, I'm sure Sergeant Molinson will go over all that tomorrow. Trixie and Honey's parents must be starting to worry.  Let's go home," suggested Mr. Lynch. 

The boys loaded Honey and Trixie's bicycles into the station wagon. Trixie, overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events, meekly followed along, grateful to be on her way home.

*   *   *

"Sita and Rama look happy together, don't they Trix?" 

Honey and Trixie stood in front of the glass display case in the museum early Sunday afternoon.

Trixie nodded in agreement.  The previous day had been such a blur, giving testimony at the station house, meeting FBI agents and finding the stolen jewelry.

Honey glanced around at the steady lighting.  "Who would have guessed that Gary Pierce had a small fortune stashed in and around the electrical system here?"   Honey looked around in amazement.

"Mmm-hmm.  He overloaded some of the circuits, though, which caused the problems." Trixie shivered.  "He's lucky he didn't start a fire."

The rest of the Bob-Whites wandered over to the girls.

"It was swell of Mr. Xavier to have us over to the museum today," Brian was saying.

"My head is still swimming from all the news yesterday," said Dan.  "Let me get this straight.  Mr. Pierce was part of a large jewel smuggling ring?"

"Right, Dan,"confirmed Trixie. "They planted several people like Mr. Pierce in museums throughout the big cities.  They would steal or buy stolen jewelry, and use the clay statues to ship the jewelry to the other museums in other cities, where those gemstones might not be so hard to unload."

"I don't understand how they got the stolen pieces to the factory," Jim said with a frown.

"I think I know that one," said Di.  They all turned to listen to the soft-spoken girl.

"When items break, or come in imperfect, they are re-packaged and shipped back to the factory."

"So the thieves hid the jewelry in that package going to the factory," concluded Honey.

"It was actually quite a large operation, according to what those FBI agents said yesterday." Trixie's eyes glowed at the recollection.  "Remember when they said their raids throughout the country were successful?"

Brian glanced at her sternly.  "I remember what Sergeant Molinson said to you yesterday.  Do you?"

Trixie's face fell at the memory.  The sergeant had made clear his displeasure with her actions the night before, as did her parents.

Honey, who had gotten her fair share of the lecture, interposed on Trixie's behalf.  "I guess we shouldn't have gone to the museum.  We did turn over the jade statue right away, though."

"Actually it was the little jade Sita that was the gang's downfall.  One of their members wasn't too bright when they stole that piece," remarked Jim.

"The jade statue is what alerted the FBI to the museums," Mr. Xavier interjected.  He and Mr. Lynch joined the Bob-Whites.  

"If Trixie and Honey didn't find that piece and make all the connections involved," Mr. Xavier went on, "Agent Marley mentioned to me yesterday that the Pierce brothers and company might have gotten away with the whole scheme."  

"Golly!" breathed Honey. "Golly, golly golly!"

Both girls stared at each other for a moment, dreams of their future detective agency dancing through their heads. 

Smiling, Trixie turned to the curator. "It's really all your fault, Mr. Xavier.  You're the one who gave me the statue with the green lady in it."

"Just like the big dragondog statue said."  Di looked confused.  "But what did it mean by 'upside down moon'?"

Trixie turned to her pretty friend.  "Remember the mark of the company? Celestial Products used the Chinese symbol for the moon as their logo.  The dogs with the stolen jewelry were marked with a backward version of the symbol."

"Hence, the upside down moon."  Jim gave her an admiring glance.

"I have a question for our Sherlock." 

Mart, who had been quietly leaning against the wall, came forward to stand next to the large dragondog statue.

"As cleverly as my beloved sibling and her amazing sidekick figured out this mystery, they did have a helpful informant," he said.  "What I'd like to know is how did this statue whisper the appropriate hints to our Schoolgirl Shamus?"

Trixie joined him by the statue, not knowing whether to be annoyed or amused by him.

"I've been thinking about that problem also, and perhaps I can help. May I offer a suggestion?" asked the curator.

Trixie nodded as they all looked at Mr. Xavier.

"A reproductive piece is made either for atmosphere, or to give the patron an idea of what something was like if there is no hope of getting an original artifact.  Now something this large would certainly weigh quite a lot if it were a solid piece."

Trixie's eyes grew big, but it was Honey who said, "Then it must be hollow inside!"

"Then someone could have placed a microphone or speaker inside," Mart interjected.

"Or a tape player," added Dan.

Trixie looked up at the curator with mischievous blue eyes.  "Could the statue be sitting over some sort of air duct?" she asked.

He winked at her and mysteriously headed for the stairs, indicating for Jim and Mr. Lynch to follow.

"What's going on?" asked Di.

"If the building layout in my head matches up," said Trixie, "we should be standing over the assistant curator's office.  If an air duct is near his desk...."

Mart caught on.  "With an opening directly under the hollow statue, it would funnel sounds right through, seeming to come out the mouth!"

"So all the clues it gave Trixie were just a coincidence," marveled Brian.

"Not quite," said Honey.  "She must have overheard Pierce telling his brother what to look for in the crates." She smiled at her friend, and gazed up at the magnificent guardian.  "I do regret not hearing him talk."

"Bob-Whites of the Glen," Mr. Lynch's voice came out of the statue, "you must accompany Diana's father to Wimpy's for a great feast." 

The group laughed at Mr. Lynch's imitation of an ancient god. 

Mart playfully bowed to the statue.  "Your wish is my command, o' great and mighty one."

Laughingly, Di helped him to his feet.  "That sounds much better than last time," she said.  "Why is the sound so clear this time, Trixie?"

Trixie grinned. "Because your father is probably standing on a chair shouting into the vent, Di."

They all laughed at the mental image of wealthy Mr. Lynch doing just that.

"Shall we get our coats?" Brian suggested. 

Happily, the group started for the lobby.

"Trixie?"

Trixie and Honey, who had lagged behind the others, looked up at the statue in puzzlement.

"Meet me at the clubhouse at five o'clock," it whispered.

Honey smiled knowingly at Trixie as they hurried to catch the group in the lobby.

*   *   *

The afternoon had been filled with fun, laughter, and lots of good food. But now Trixie and Honey stood on the Wheeler estate waving goodbye to Brian and Jim as they headed back to college.

"I don't understand, Trixie," Honey said disappointedly, "If my brother is on his way back to the campus, then who is going to meet you at the clubhouse?"

Trixie looked at her friend's watch.  "It's five o'clock now.  Shall we go find out?"

They turned and followed the well-worn path to the Bob-White clubhouse.  Honey opened the door and they filed inside. 

On the large table sat another dragondog figure, its graceful form and fierce little grin intact.

Trixie laughed. "I guess I am meeting the little voice inside the statue."

Honey joined Trixie's laughter and looked closely at the little guardian.

"This one has an unusual collar," Honey said.

"My bracelet!" Trixie exclaimed, and picked up a folded piece of paper from under the statue.

She opened it up and began to read:

Dear Trix,

The police found your bracelet when they searched Pierce's office yesterday.  Mr. Xavier thought I might know who it belonged to.
He also wanted to replace your statue again.  I hope it lives up to its guardian reputation and you both stay in one piece until I get a chance to come home again.

Yours,
               Jim

Blushing to the roots of her sandy hair, Trixie handed the note to Honey.

"So you were right about Pierce having your bracelet!" Honey exclaimed.

Trixie looked fondly at the little figure with the dainty piece of jewelry around its neck.

"You know, I think the bracelet makes a very nice collar; I believe I will leave it just where it is."

"Maybe this guardian dog will bring you luck." Honey smiled at her.

"Maybe he will bring me something better."  Trixie grinned back at her best friend.

"What's that, Trixie?"

"Perhaps this statue will bring more mysteries!"

     The End

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