Part III

By four o’clock Trixie had almost worn a path in the concrete on the floor. So when the door opened she was ready for anything. But it was just Anna that came in.

She carried a tray down and placed it on the table. On it were cups, a teapot and some sandwiches.

"I thought that a nice cup of tea wouldn’t go astray. Jonesy is out so I have a few minutes so I thought that I would join you if that is alright."

"I would like that," Trixie told her.

She made them both a cup of tea and they sat on the bed and slowly sipped it as they nibbled on the sandwiches.

Anna then turned to her.

"I know that Jonesy has something awful planned for your fiancé. I wish that there was something I could do to stop it."

"I know that you are concerned about your mother and I know what Jonesy is capable of."

"He is an evil, evil man," Anna sighed. "I am going to try to escape and if I can I will let your friends know where you are."

"But what about your mother?"

"My mother would be upset if she knew that I risked your life to save her own. I know she would want me to try and help you."

"Thank you," Trixie told her.

Anna picked up the tray and turned to Trixie again.

"You are a brave woman and I will pray that everything works out for you."

When she had gone Trixie again sat on the bed and allowed the stray tear to track down her face.

"I love you, Jim Frayne," she whispered.

*     *      *

Jim sat outside, his mind torturing over the past. He did not even look up when Brian sat beside him.

"Want to talk brother?"

Jim turned to him and smiled slightly.

"I have kept this secret for so long it actually feels good to tell someone about it."

"You mentioned you had told two others."

Jim nodded. "It wasn’t long after I was adopted and dad came and hugged me. I am afraid that I totally lost it with him. He finally got me to tell him what had happened. So he booked me in to see a therapist and I went once a week for almost two years. Even mother didn’t know."

"She does now."

"Dad told me just then he will explain it to everyone in the room. I couldn’t say anymore so I came outside."

"It took a lot for you to even say what you did. Never in my wildest dreams would I imagine Jonesy to be--" He stopped for a moment. "Thief, murderer but never a--" He again stopped.

Jim touched his arm.

"You can say the word pedophile, Brian."

"It’s just..."

"I remember when I first met Trixie and Honey. I told them at the time that I believed that Jonesy had really loved my mother and that in a way it was my fault that he hated me so. It took me a long time to realise that he had never really loved my mother. That somehow he had found out about the inheritance and that was one of the reasons he married my mother. And even until this day I now believe that he had something to do with my mothers death."

"I wouldn’t put it past him," Brian told him fiercely.

They sat together for another few minutes.

"Jim, did Jonesy ever...?" Brian fell silent, not knowing how to ask.

Jim shook his head. "I had heard my mother talking to my aunt a few days before she died and that is how I found out about what Jonesy had done. When she died he would beat me most of the time and lock me up. But there was always something else there.

The night I left he came into my room. I knew by his eyes what he was planning. He had his whip in one hand and I made ready for my whipping. But luckily the phone rang and he had to go out. He locked me in my room before he left. When he had gone I got my things together, smashed the window and high tailed it out of there. But if the phone had not rung I know what would have happened."

"So he is planning his revenge now."

Jim stood up. "He wants his pound of flesh now and he won’t stop until he gets it."

Brian stood up and took his friend by his shoulders. "You can’t Jim."

"Brian, I love Trixie more than anything else in this world and I will do anything, and I mean anything to protect her."

"Jim, I..."

"It’s all right Brian. But please don’t repeat our conversation to anyone."

Brian nodded. "But I will do everything in my power to make sure that scum does not lay a finger on you."

"I know you will Brian." And the men hugged briefly.

"Now, we had better go in. He will be ringing me soon. He has his deadline."

"I thought you did not know what time he would ring you?"

"If I did not have my work all completed by the time the hand reached seven at night he would beat me. I am sure that is the time he is wanting to meet me again."

And Jim was right. The phone began to ring at six and Jim picked it up on the fourth ring.

"Well?"

"Anxious, are you, my boy? You know the time and I will give you the place. I want you here half an hour before my time. And this is the address."

He gave him the address. "Now, if I see one of your precious friends, all that will be left of your bride- to- be will be memories. Am I understood?"

"Perfectly."

"Then I will see you soon my Jim."

Jim put down the phone and sighed. He felt Brian’s hand on his shoulder. He turned around and gave them the address.

"He wants me there by six thirty, but I know I won’t see him until seven so you have to wait until after then or he may escape."

Dan nodded. "I will give the policemen in the area that message, too."

Mr Wheeler touched his son on his shoulder. "Please, be careful, son. We have already bought your wedding present."

Jim realised the message behind it. "Can’t have you taking it back, can we."

His mother walked over and hugged him. "We love you, Jim."

He hugged her back. "I love you, too, Mother."

He headed out to his car and Brian stopped him. "I will be there, brother."

Jim looked at him with pleading in his eyes. "I need to know that Brian."

He got in his car and drove away. Brian turned to the Bob-Whites.

"Okay, let's put this plan into action. We don’t have much time."

*     *      *

Trixie looked at her watch and it read six-thirty. She heard a click of a lock and then she heard voices. Someone was pushed into the basement and the door was shut and locked again. By the time he had reached to bottom of the stairs she was in his arms.

"Baby, are you okay?" he asked and she nodded, pulling him tighter.

He moved back slightly and studied her face. "I was so afraid he had hurt you."

She shook her head. "I haven’t seen much of him. He has a girl staying with him whose mother was kidnapped."

"The police found her mother tied and gagged in her own basement. She is all right, but worried about her daughter."

"Anna will be so relieved. She is trying to get word to the bobwhites and tell them where we are."

"They already know."

"Then why aren’t they here now?"

"Jonesy won’t show up until seven and if they come now he could escape."

"But why seven?"

Jim led her to the bed and sat her down.

"When I was with him, seven was the time of night when he would check to see if I had done all my work. If not, he would beat me."

Trixie held his hand tighter. "He told me that he wasn’t after your money-- it was more personal than that. Do you know what he means?"

Jim nodded his head. "Baby, there is so much I want to tell you and I have so little time."

"Is this about the fact that he is a pedophile?"

Jim looked at her shocked. "How do you know about that?"

"One of the first things I did when I became a policewoman was check up on him. It is one of the things I found out. But, unfortunately, since we got engaged, I forgot to check on him or we might have been more prepared for this."

"Jonesy would have found a way to get to me, whatever we did."

"Why did you not tell me, Jim?"

"I spent two years in therapy after I came to Sleepyside trying to deal with it. I have wanted to tell you about it so many times, but I guess I was afraid it might make you feel differently towards me."

"Never."

"I am glad," he told her. "And when we get out of this I promise I will share everything about my past."

Trixie was glad he said when and not if. But she still had a question. But how to ask it?"

"No, baby, he didn’t." Jim broke into her thoughts.

She looked at him surprised. "What?"

"He never touched me that way. The night I left I know that was on his agenda, but luckily the phone rang and he was called away. So I left."

Trixie thought for a moment and a sudden thought entered her mind.

"That is what he meant by the personal business. Isn’t it, Jim?" He nodded and she gasped. "Why did you come?"

"Do you have to ask, my love? I would do anything to protect you."

They heard voices upstairs and Trixie gasped again. "No, Jim."

He turned her face to his. "Promise me something, Trixie. Please."

"Anything, Jim."

"Whatever happens you will keep your eyes locked with mine. Don’t look elsewhere but at me. Please baby. I can only get through this if I see your love shining out of your eyes for me."

"I will do anything you want me to do," she assured him.

He reached down and kissed her, their tears mingling together.

The jumped up as the door unlocked and a shadow of a stoop shouldered man appeared, a whip in his hand.

"Jim, are you ready for me, my boy."

Trixie grasped Jim’s hand tighter as he began to walk down the stairs, a gun gleaming in his other hand.

 

Part IV

Jim moved forward slightly, shielding Trixie behind him as Jonesy walked into the light.

Trixie saw the evil gleam in his eye and she shuddered. She also saw the gun in his hand, pointing directly at Jim.

"Well, well, my boy, nice to see you again."

"I can’t say the same," Jim told him, and Trixie could feel the tautness in his body.

Jonesy looked at his watch and then looked up with a smile. "The hand has reached seven Jim and you have not finished everything I asked. So you know that you must be punished."

"Then let Trixie go. That is what we agreed on."

"I will let her go, Jim, when I am good and ready. There are things about you that she has never seen and I want her to see before she goes." He then looked at Trixie and pointed his gun at a rickety chair beside the table.

"Sit."

When she did not move he moved forward an inch.

"Sit or I will blow your precious Jim's head off now and upset both our lives."

Trixie moved from behind Jim and sat down. Jonesy put his hand in his back pocket and threw a piece of rope towards Jim.

"Tie her up, Jimmy boy, and make it tight. I don’t want any interruptions to our fun and games."

Jim walked over to Trixie and as gently as he could tied her hands securely behind her back.

"Remember your promise," he whispered as he kissed her gently on the cheek.

He then walked back towards Jonesy. "What do you want Jonesy?"

Jonesy gestured towards Jim's chest and he nodded. He pulled of the sweatshirt he was wearing and then the tee shirt. His muscular chest gleamed in the light and Trixie could see how much it was heaving.

He then turned towards Trixie and knelt down in front of Jonesy.

"Now, Detective Belden, you see how the real Jim behaves."

Trixie jumped slightly when she heard the whip crack.

"Trix." She just heard his pleading whisper.

And remembering her promise she turned her eyes towards him and saw the gratitude in them.

As the whip made its first mark across Jim's back she saw him flinch and his eyes close slightly. She bit her lip, tasting blood as she refused to look anywhere else but his face.

With the second whip she saw his face whiten and beads of sweat formed on his upper lip and forehead. But still he looked at her.

It wasn’t until the fifth whip found its mark that she heard a slight groan come from his lips.

"I love you," she mouthed to him, wishing she could remove the pain he was feeling.

When Jonesy had finished Jim had seven bleeding wounds on his back. Jim fell forward onto his hands and Trixie saw for the first time what Jonesy had done to him.

She looked up at him with hatred in her eyes. "You will pay for this Jonesy. I will make sure of it."

"Oh but Detective Belden you haven’t seen nothing yet. I have just started with the beautiful James Frayne."

"You touch him and I will--"

"Will what, Miss Nosy? Remember that you are tied up and your friends are nowhere to be seen. I will not allow anyone to stop me this time."

He then touched Jim on the back with his whip.

"Stand up, Jimmy boy, I want to see more of your flesh."

Jim slowly got to his feet and Trixie could see that he was finding it almost impossible to stand.

"Don’t go doing anything, stupid boy. This gun is loaded and I am prepared to use it. Believe me, I have before."

Jim looked at Trixie for a moment and then tore her heart out as he closed his eyes, unable to look at her any more. As he reached for the belt of his jeans, she let out a scream. She threw herself backwards and the chair toppled, smashing her to the floor. She felt a pain in her side, but her determination had her on her feet instantly.

"Trix, no!" Jim called but she hardly heard him as she headed towards Jonesy. She saw Jim move, heard the gun go off, and felt a pain in her shoulder. She fell to the ground as she heard yelling above her and a door being smashed open. She heard another two shots and then there was silence.

She opened her eyes to see Jim crawling towards her, blood pouring from a wound on his head.

"Trixie!" he cried as she felt the room spinning.

The last thing she remembered was seeing her older brother drop beside her.

"It is okay, Trix," Brian  told her, his voice fading to nothingness.

*     *      *

Trixie opened her eyes and squinted against the light. She looked around her, realising she was in a hospital room. She saw movement beside her and saw Honey's face appear.

"Hi, Trix, how are you feeling?"

"Jim," she whispered.

"He is okay," Honey assured her. "He is with Brian and getting his wounds seen to. He refused treatment until he knew that you were okay."

"Jonesy."

Honey took her hand. "He is dead, Trixie."

Trixie did not know why, but she suddenly burst into tears.

Honey was wiping her eyes when Jim came in, supported by Brian.

"I am so glad that you are awake," Jim told her, sitting beside her and taking her hand. "I have been so worried."

"I don’t remember what happened," she told him. "Was I shot?"

Jim looked up at Brian and he nodded.

"You have a gunshot wound to your shoulder, Trix," Brian said. "The bullet went straight through, but it will hurt for a while I am afraid. When you broke the chair, a large piece lodged itself in your side, but it is all cleaned out and you shouldn’t have any problems with it."

"I remember it hurt, but I had to stop Jonesy from hurting Jim any more."

"You did, Trix. You gave us enough time to overpower the three men upstairs and your scream confused Jonesy enough to break in and rescue you."

"Honey told me that he is dead."

"When we broke in, he shot at Dan and Dan shot back, fatally wounding him. He died before he reached the hospital."

Trixie then turned to Jim. "You saved my life. Jonesy would have killed me if you had not knocked his hand. Is that when you got the head wound?"

"He did not take it my stopping him too kindly. But I am glad I did. When you broke the chair and jumped up he had the gun trained at your head-- he would have killed you instantly."

"Jim, I--" Trixie began and then looked at her brother.

He smiled at her. "Honey and I will go and get both of you something to eat and let the others know you are okay."

"Thanks, bro," Jim told him and Brian patted him on the shoulder.

When they left Jim reached down and kissed Trixie's hand. "What baby?"

"You would have let him." She stopped. "Just so he wouldn’t hurt me."

"My life means nothing without you in it, my shamus. What ever he did to me would not compare to the pain of losing you."

"I couldn’t let him. And I never broke my promise. You closed your eyes."

"I couldn’t let you see what it was doing to me bowing to his will. It almost killed me."

She sat up slightly and patted a space next to her on the bed. He instantly sat beside her and took her gently into his arms.

She lay her head on his shoulders and let the tears fall freely down her face. She was careful not to touch his back.

"Your back," she whispered.

"Brian looked after it and it will heal."

Trixie looked up at him. "These scars will join with the others on your back and every time I see them I will remember what you sacrificed for me. I love you, my Jim."

He kissed her gently on her lips. "And I love you, too, my Trixie."

When the others arrived some time later it was to see Jim asleep on his side on the bed with Trixie curled up in front of him. Jim's arms were around her, protecting her.

Brian turned off the light and quietly closed the door.

"She is where she should be," he told the others. They all made their way down the corridor.

 

Epilogue

The bride wore her mother's wedding dress. Slightly showing was the white bandage on her creamy white shoulder. To anyone who knew, a slight bulge on her right side was another white bandage. She walked down the aisle with a slight limp, hanging securely on to her father’s arm.

The man at the front turned. Just below his red hair, a white bandage was also present. And when he moved, he moved stiffly, as if wearing a suit was uncomfortable for him, as it rubbed against the bandages on his back. To anyone who really knew him, they could tell that he was slightly pale. To those who did not know him as well, they assumed he was just nervous. As the bride moved closer the smile on his face illuminated it, and the look of love in his eyes caused both mothers to softly begin to weep.

Her father stopped and looked at the man beside him. "I would ask you to look after her, but you already have proved that you do."

The groom smiled. "Thank you, sir," he told him and the father moved back a little. The groom turned to his bride-to-be. "You look beautiful, my shamus."

The bride smiled. "So do you."

The reverend coughed and they both turned to him.

"Shall we begin?"

The groom smiled. "Most definitely."

When they came to the part "Do you James Winthrop Frayne take Beatrix Belden to be your wife", Jim turned to her.

"With everything that is in me, I will."

Trixie smiled at him through her tears.

Hours later they stood and looked down at the lights of the city below. Jim put his arms around her waist and gently turned her around. He looked down at her and smiled. He gently touched her shoulder and she shivered slightly.

"The last few days have been so hard, but we have finally made it, Mrs Frayne."

She slid her arms around his neck and he drew her closer.

"I thought for a while that I was going to lose you, Jim."

"And I thought that I was going to lose you."

"I can’t promise that my job will not be dangerous, but I can promise you that I will love you for as long as I am on this earth."

He reached down and picked her up in his arms.

"Then we had better start our new life now, baby."

"Jim, your back."

"I am fine," he whispered against her lips. "I know that we are both still sore, but I can still promise you the best night of your life."

She grinned at him as he walked into the bedroom and gently laid her on the bed.

"Here’s to many best nights," she told him as he lay beside her, taking her in his arms.

"Many, many," he told her as his lips found hers.

This is the end of this story but not the end of the many. And I still have that tree to deal with don’t I . And I still receive no remuneration from Random house.

 TBH Main