Disclaimer: These characters are not mine. They belong to Golden Books. No money is being made from this story, just enjoyment of their continuing lives.
A Detective Disappears
by Leslie
Sergeant Molinson was working late when the telephone rang. A deputy answered the call. Sergeant Molinson heard him say, "Okay, can you give us a description?"
He repeated the caller’s words aloud. "Female, short, sturdy, sandy-blond curls, blue eyes. Nineteen years old. Male, tall, red-hair, green eyes, twenty-two years old. Last seen two days ago. What were they wearing?"
Sergeant Molinson felt a sinking in his stomach. He knew it had been way too quiet the past few weeks. The deputy’s next words confirmed his suspicions. "What kind of jackets? Did you say ‘bob-white’?"
He groaned aloud, wondering what had happened this time. For he knew from the descriptions exactly who was missing. Trixie Belden had been a constant worry to him for the past six years. Jim Frayne, Trixie’s boyfriend, usually tried to keep her out of trouble. However, it seemed that this time, they were both in trouble. After the telephone call ended, he got the details from the deputy.
It seemed that Trixie had made plans to visit and tour the University of Georgia. Jim had friends at the college, and with her parent’s permission, had accompanied Trixie on the plane. A friend of Mrs. Belden’s met them at the airport and acted as chaperone. At the end of the visit, the chaperone drove them back to the airport and saw them board the plane. The Bob-Whites were at the airport in New York to meet their plane when it landed. When the plane arrived without the Bob-Whites, Trixie’s best friend, and Jim’s sister, Honey Wheeler called the police.
Sergeant Molinson called the airline. Both tickets had been used, and their luggage arrived in New York unclaimed. No incidents had been reported on the plane. They had simply vanished without a trace. The sergeant decided to investigate this one himself. Suddenly, he chuckled. This was one case he would investigate without Trixie breathing down his neck. Just as suddenly, he sighed. Trixie could really be in trouble this time.
His first action was to get a warrant and search their luggage. Jim’s bag contained clothing, and little else. Trixie’s contained clothing, toiletries, and several pamphlets and books with the UGA logo. There was also a stuffed bulldog. The bulldog wore a red T-shirt with the phrase "GO DAWGS!" imprinted on it. Sergeant Molinson groaned. "No wonder the South has such a bad image, the state universities can’t even spell the word ‘dog’!"
Then, he found something stuck to the tag of the toy. Trixie’s soap had spilled; leaving a lottery ticket stuck to the tag. He pulled it off carefully, noticing that someone had drawn pyramids and a sphinx on the back. Although he realized this was an important clue, it was too late to do anything about it. He headed home to watch Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, which was being shown on cable. While watching the movie, he ate his supper. This consisted of a can of Vienna Sausages, a pack of saltines, and a can of soda. "I have got to learn to cook!" he told his cat.
The next morning, he arrived at the office, and placed a call to Nancy Ann Singley, Mrs. Belden’s friend. He wanted to learn what had happened while the young couple was in Georgia. He discovered that most of their time had been spent in Athens on the college campus. However, Trixie had asked to spend a day seeing some of the surrounding area. She had been told that a nearby lake, Lake Sinclair, was good for fishing. After talking Mrs. Singley into taking her, Jim had agreed to go along. Although fishing wasn’t a dangerous sport, Sergeant Molinson knew anything could happen when Trixie was around. Finally, he asked about the drawings on the lottery ticket he had found.
"Oh, Trixie drew that as we were on the way to the lake, " Mrs. Singley replied. "We passed through a small town called Eatonton. On the outskirts, there is a property owned by a group called the Nuwabians. They have built several pyramids, and even a replica of the Sphinx. They call it ‘Little Egypt.’" They seem harmless, but they live on this property waiting for a spaceship to return for them. Trixie and Jim were entranced as we passed by, Trixie especially. She seems to like anything out of the ordinary."
Now, he had a new worry. Was this cult somehow involved in their disappearance? Sergeant Molinson went to his computer and logged on to the Internet. The information he found confirmed that the group was regarded as harmless, although they caused a lot of controversy in their home state. Still, he couldn’t rule out any possibility, no matter how unlikely it seemed to be.
Late that morning, Brian Belden telephoned the police station. Trixie had just called home. He didn’t know if she had been forced to make the call, and she hadn’t said much. She said, "Brian, its Trixie. Jim and I are fine. We love you." Then the line had gone dead.
Sergeant Molinson sighed. At least he knew Trixie was alive. He dialed the phone number that appeared on the Beldens' Caller ID box. To his vast surprise, someone answered the telephone. "Northside Hospital. May I help you?"
Immediately he identified himself. He asked if Trixie or Jim had been admitted to the hospital. Neither of them were listed as patients, and the receptionist didn’t recognize their description. He decided to fly to Georgia.
After some wrangling with the airline, Sergeant Molinson managed to get a ticket on the same aircraft that Trixie and Jim should have taken. He settled in his seat, and began to look around the plane. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, until an elderly man sat down beside him. The man began to hum quietly, and took a pair of knitting needles out of his bag. As he began to knit, he spoke to Sergeant Molinson. He explained that knitting kept his mind off the fact that he was flying. He then went on to explain that he was knitting a sweater for his horse. "Now I have heard everything!" Sergeant Molinson thought to himself.
The plane arrived at Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta. After stepping off the plane, the sergeant headed to the information booth. He showed the attendant a photograph of the missing couple, and asked if she recognized them. She was unable to help, so he took a cab to Northside Hospital.
At the hospital, Sergeant Molinson asked to see the current registration log. He showed his police credentials, and explained that he was looking for two missing people. He examined the list, but it provided no clues. He asked the clerk to search her records for a Beatrix Belden and a James Frayne. To his astonishment, both were listed. The had come in for blood tests two days earlier, on the day that they had been reported missing. They had picked up the results the day before. Sergeant Molinson assumed that must have been when Trixie called Brian.
Suddenly, he noticed the elevator open. In the crowd leaving the elevator was a young woman who looked just like Trixie. He thought at first that he was seeing things, then began to chase after her.
As the young woman noticed a strange man chasing her, she began to run. Panicked, she left the hospital, and borrowed a skateboard from a group of teenagers standing nearby. She sped down the sidewalk as Sergeant Molinson commandeered a bicycle to follow her. Finally, as he realized he would never be able to catch up, he had an idea.
He headed back to the hospital, and had another look at the patient log. One of the names jumped out at him. He called the Sleepyside police station, and asked the deputy a question. The answer confirmed his theory. Benjamin Riker and Jim Frayne were cousins. Ben had recently married Trixie’s cousin, Hallie. Hallie and Trixie looked a lot alike. Ben was now a patient in this hospital. Yet, some clues still didn’t add up. The sergeant decided to go undercover.
A very mystified nurse lent Sergeant Molinson a complete nurse’s uniform. He changed out of his street clothes into the uniform. He then headed to Ben’s room. He didn’t want Hallie to recognize him as the one who had chased her until he had a chance to properly identify himself.
He entered the room and found Hallie talking quietly to the patient. She looked up, and before she could panic, he introduced himself.
"Mr. and Mrs. Riker? My name is Wendell Molinson. I’m with the Sleepyside Police force. I want to apologize for scaring you earlier, Hallie, but I’m trying to locate your cousins. I don’t want to upset either of you, but Trixie and Jim are missing."
"Sergeant Molinson, we’re right here," a voice said from the doorway. Trixie and Jim entered the room. "I know we’ve got a lot of explaining to do, but, first, will you please explain why you’re impersonating a nurse? Don’t people usually impersonate policemen?"
"Trixie Belden! I assume you’ve got a good story to tell me. Just let me put on my own clothes first!"
Ten minutes later, they sat around Ben’s room, telling what had happened. Trixie began, "Jim and I got on the plane to go home. We turned around and saw Ben at a pay phone. Not knowing he was in Atlanta, we thought we would have time to speak to him and still catch our plane."
Jim continued, "We reached the pay phone and noticed Ben was in shock. He was holding a hypodermic needle. A note attached said ‘Welcome to the world of AIDS!’"
Hallie began to speak. "Ben fainted when he read the paper. Jim called an ambulance. Trixie called me. Both refused to leave until I could get here."
"The needle turned out to be a practical joke. It has been thoroughly tested, and so has Ben. No virus was found, but due to the severity of his shock, the doctors insisted on keeping him here for observation."
"We didn’t want to worry anyone, so I called Brian. I knew that if I spoke any longer than I did, I would tell him about Ben. And I couldn’t do that over the phone."
Jim continued, "Neither one of us wanted to leave Ben and Hallie while they needed us, or while we thought they needed us."
The sergeant finally spoke. "All right, one more question before I call your families. All of whom are worried sick, I might add. Has your wedding taken place yet?"
"You know!" Trixie exclaimed.
Sergeant Molinson nodded and Trixie began to explain. "We plan to be married this evening, since Ben will be released from the hospital this afternoon. We’ve made arrangements to be married at the top of Stone Mountain. A local pastor has agreed to go with us to perform the ceremony. Sergeant, this is what we want. Please don’t try to stop us!"
He looked into her pleading blue eyes, and said, "Trixie Belden, I have watched you and Jim for the past six years. As much as you irritate me sometimes, I think of you as a daughter. You’ve grown up since you captured Dapper Dick. I don’t believe I’m saying this, but you’ve got a good head on your shoulders. If you’re absolutely certain that this is what you want, I’ll back you up. Just do one thing for me. Let your parents know."
As much as she dreaded it, Trixie knew it was the right thing to do. Although she would like for her parents and the Bob-Whites to be there, she knew if she married at home, the wedding would be huge. She and Jim both wanted a small, intimate wedding. Sergeant Molinson offered to call and let her parents know they were safe, if she would talk to them afterward. She agreed, then Jim called the Wheelers.
A few minutes later, a call came from Mrs. Wheeler. When they realized there was enough time to fly to Atlanta for the ceremony, they decided to attend, and bring Mr. and Mrs. Belden and the Bob-Whites. "If we’re wanted, that is!"
The offer was gratefully accepted, along with the assurance that no one was too upset with them. Trixie suddenly realized she needed a dress. She went to a nearby mall, and found the perfect dress at J.C. Penney’s.
Making sure he had the license, Jim, dressed in a dark blue suit, led Trixie to the mountain late that afternoon. They sat on the lawn if front of the carvings. "Isn’t this amazing?" Trixie asked. "You can almost feel history come alive!"
Jim took her hand as he replied. "That is what makes it such a perfect place to start our life together."
He helped her to her feet and they walked to the trail that leads to the top of the mountain. Holding hands, they climbed and met the minister. With their family and friends looking on, Trixie and Jim became husband and wife.
After changing into regular clothes, the newly-weds had a reunion with their families. Everyone decided to stay for the Laser Show that began at sundown.
Sergeant Molinson was urged to stay. "Sergeant, you’ve saved Trixie’s life many times over the years. Now, you’ve made it possible for me to see her get married. Thank you for all you’ve done," Mr. Belden said with tears in his eyes.
Sergeant Molinson’s mind began to wander back in time. He remembered Trixie capturing the jewel thief. Trixie in the back of the red trailer. Trixie kidnapped by Snipe Thompson. She had been in danger so many times, and now she was grown up. She was well on her way to being a first-rate detective. Now, she had Jim to watch over her and protect her.
Sergeant Molinson breathed a sigh of relief. With Jim to protect Trixie, he could finally relax. He glanced at her as she laughed with the Bob-Whites. "Then again," he thought, "maybe not."
The End
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