Wannabe Author’s Note: Laura S. you get your wish! J

Chapter Five: Investigations

Monday morning Honey called Trixie, requesting her presence at the clubhouse. Trixie agreed to meet her friend there and called to her mother to let her know where she was going to be as she slipped out the back door of the white frame farmhouse.

Trixie tried hard to control her curiosity all the way to the clubhouse. Fortunately it’s a short walk or I’d never be able to contain myself! Trixie chuckled to herself, knowing patience had never been one of her virtues.

When she opened the door to the clubhouse, she was surprised to see Jim sitting at the table next to Honey. Her first instinct was to run, but she quickly smiled and tried to act casual but friendly. "Hi. What’s up?"

Honey looked at her friend, silently begging Trixie not to be mad at her for setting up this meeting. "The Belden-Wheeler Detective Agency has its first official client. That is, if you want to take the case."

Trixie looked at Jim, her curiosity definitely piqued. "Let’s hear it. I assume you’re the client?"

Jim nodded. "First, Trixie, I want you to know that I asked Honey not to tell you I was here when she called, so don’t blame her. Second, I’m really sorry about the other night. I was way out of line. Can we be friends?"

Trixie looked at the pleading in Jim’s green eyes and knew she could not stay mad at him. "I’m not mad at Honey or at you. We both lost our tempers the other night, but that’s water under the bridge." She held out her hand in a gesture of friendship. "Truce."

Jim took her hand and smiled. "That’s great, Trix. Thanks."

Trixie sat down at the table and pretended not to see Honey’s cat-that-swallowed-the-canary grin. She knew that Honey’s arm didn’t have to be twisted to set this meeting up – Honey was forever playing matchmaker. First she encouraged me to give Scott my number, and now she’s encouraging me to talk to Jim, I wish she’d make up her mind! Just what is she up to? Trixie vowed to ask her about it later, but right now she focused on the case before her.

"So, Mr. Frayne, what can we at the Belden-Wheeler Detective Agency do for you? I assume Ms. Wheeler explained our fee structure," Trixie looked at Honey.

Honey did her best to keep a straight face. "Actually, Ms. Belden, I had not proceeded that far into negotiations with Mr. Frayne. I was waiting for your presence to negotiate a business arrangement with the client."

Trixie nodded, all business. "Fine. Mr. Frayne, we demand a $100,000 retainer to take the case. Additionally, we charge $3000 an hour for our services – that’s each, by the way – and of course all expenses we may encounter in the investigation are your responsibility. Do you agree to the terms?"

Jim’s face took on the look that he reserved for handling business arrangements connected with the school. "Well, Ms. Belden, I am quite sure that both you and Ms. Wheeler are worth those exorbitant fees, however, I feel the need to make a counteroffer. You take on my case and I won’t tell your brothers about the time I caught you, Honey, and Dan skinny-dipping in the Wheeler lake!"

Both Trixie and Honey blushed red to the roots of their hair. The summer before Dan had left for college he had told both girls that although they were bold and adventurous, he didn’t think they were gutsy enough to actually go skinny-dipping with him in the Wheeler lake. Both girls had risen to the bait, and that happened to be the night that Jim decided to take a moonlit swim. He had not been happy to discover both his sister and his girlfriend less than respectable with Dan, but fortunately he had seen the humor in the situation. He had also seen the blackmail potential in the situation, as well. It was times like this that a gentle reminder kept both girls in line.

"That was years ago!" Trixie finally managed to respond.

"Well then, let’s go tell Brian and Mart about that evening, shall we?" Jim kept a poker face, but a mischievous glint sparkled in his eyes.

"How about I kick you in the shins instead?" Trixie said playfully as she did just that.

"Ow!" But there was more surprise than pain in his exclamation, and both girls knew it. "Now I am going to tell them!"

"Jim Frayne! You’ll do no such thing," Honey was indignant. "And now that we’ve gotten this silliness out of our systems, let’s get to work."

"Ma’am, yes, ma’am," both Trixie and Jim shouted in their best military voice. All three dissolved into laughter, thinking how good it felt to laugh with one another again. There may have been a lot between them, but both Trixie and Jim finally felt as though they were back on the road to friendship.

The three sobered up and were about to get to business when Dan came striding in the door of the clubhouse. "If I didn’t hear it and see it, I never would have believed it!" He exclaimed. "Trixie and Jim laughing together in the clubhouse. Have I gone back in time? Entered a parallel universe? Should we call Mulder and Scully and get them out here to solve this X-File?"

Trixie snorted. "If you feel the need, smarty pants. What brings you out here this morning – don’t you have a job in New York?" She grinned wickedly then. "Or at the very least some patrolling for Mr. Maypenny to do?"

Dan laughed, remembering that he rarely got to do anything with his friends when he was younger because he was forever out patrolling, or chopping wood, or working with troubled kids – all teaching him responsibility, keeping him out of trouble, and helping toward his goal of becoming a New York City policeman, of course. "Nah, I took the day off to help my uncle with some things he needed. You know how he is about driving a car and I haven’t taken a day off since I started with the force over a year ago, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt anyone. I was headed that way when I heard the unmistakable sound of insane laughter drifting through the trees. Now, it’s been a while since I patrolled these parts, but I wanted to make sure the property was free of those disagreeable hyenas. Imagine my surprise when I realized the laughter was coming from the clubhouse. I knew I had to investigate right away!"

By this time, the three friends were giggling again at Dan’s explanation. "Guilty as charged – we are the source of the insane laughter!" Trixie freely admitted.

"So what are you guys all doing here?" Dan inquired.

"Jim’s got some hot mystery he wants Honey and I to solve," Trixie started to explain. "Do you have time to sit and hear about it, or does Regan need you right away?"

Dan took a seat. "I’m actually early. I was going to cajole Cook into making me one of her famous Western omelets."

"Well, we can’t offer you brunch, but maybe you’ll be interested in the case," Honey said. "Go ahead, Jim."

So Jim explained what he had found in the barn, ending with an apology that he didn’t have a better time frame for the intrusion, except that it had to have been in the last six months.

"And you’re sure the boys couldn’t have done it?" Trixie asked.

Jim shook his head. "No, I’m not sure of anything, Trix. I doubt it, though, because it looked like someone was staying there – you know the blanket and empty food cans. If any of the boys had sneaked back there to smoke or drink, I don’t think they would have taken overnight stuff. I also think that they would have the brains to clean it up so it wouldn’t be discovered. They have more to lose than some tramp."

Trixie nodded. "It sounds like good sound logic, and I have to agree with you, but before we rule out anything, are there any boys who are particularly attention seeking? Or just plain ornery?"

Again, Jim shook his head. "No, I got blessed with a bunch of great kids. I mean, considering their background, some of them might have had an ax to grind when they first came to live here, but they’ve been really responsive. I think they’re glad not to be in a foster home or an orphanage somewhere, or even worse. I’ve really tried to stress that this is their home and that we’re a family, as corny as that sounds. Some of the older ones sounded off when I first brought them here, but they all seem to be settling in great."

"Okay, I’m convinced," Trixie said. "We’ll keep that possibility at the back of our minds, but let’s go on the assumption that it was an unknown trespasser. Now we have to decide if it was an innocent case of a vagrant needing a place to get out of the weather, or a malicious break in."

Honey broke in then. "Jim said he found quite a few cans, so I think that whomever it was stayed for more than just one night. And I would hope that whole bottle of tequila wasn’t consumed in the same evening, but you never know!"

"How big was the pile of cigarettes?" Trixie wanted to know.

"It was pretty big. I’d say at least two packs worth," Jim speculated.

"Well, I tend to agree with Honey. Someone camped out there for a couple of days. Now we need to determine when."

"Is the stuff still there?" Dan queried.

Jim nodded. "Let’s head over there. Do you have time to look, Dan?"

"Sure, I’ll just go tell Uncle Bill what I’m doing. He won’t mind if we delay going into town a little bit," Dan headed off to tell Regan of the change in plans, while the other three headed over to Ten Acres.

Within a couple of minutes, Trixie found herself staring at the debris in the loft. "Well, we can try to ask Captain Molinson to have one of his men dust for prints, but if it was some hobo here during the winter he may have had gloves on. Hence, no prints. If it was recent, and it was just some tramp, chances are there are prints, but unless he happens to have a criminal record or served in the military, we probably won’t be able to id him. And there’s a third possibility," Trixie hesitated, formulating her thoughts.

"What’s that?" Jim wondered.

"If it is someone who knows the area, and was camping out here to spy, he may have been smart enough not to leave any prints at all," Trixie explained.

Dan climbed into the loft just then. Instead of joining them at their end of the loft near the window, he headed in the opposite direction, toward the darker end. Trixie watched as he stooped to pick something up, excited that Dan may have found another clue.

"What did you find, Dan?" She called.

Dan approached them, holding a plastic bag. "It’s a Wonder Bread bag, and the expiration date is next week."

Trixie was excited. "If that bag is from our intruder, that places him here very recently. I mean, bread’s not usually not marked ahead more than a week or two."

Jim slowly nodded. "We may have even scared him away. I got Bill to have some men patrol here at night after this stuff was discovered."

Trixie thought of something. "Was this place locked up, Jim?"

Jim confirmed that it was. "I looked at the lock when Bill first told me about the intruder, and it looked as though the lock had been picked. If I hadn’t been examining it for that specific reason, I never would have noticed it. But to the casual observer, the barn would have looked locked up."

Honey spoke up then. "If we’re dealing with someone who can pick a lock without doing much damage, we’re probably dealing with a criminal."

"And if we’re dealing with a criminal, he probably has his prints on file," Dan carried the logic one step farther.

"Okay, the next step is to get Captain Molinson involved. I’m all for just taking this stuff to him, but you know how he would react to that one!" Trixie smiled ruefully. "Go ahead and give him a call, Jim. His men can analyze the scene, and take what they feel is the best evidence."

Trixie took one last look around the loft before climbing down the ladder. She then made a thorough inspection of the barn, but found nothing amiss in the lower portion of the structure. Jim headed to his cottage to call Captain Molinson, Dan toward Manor House to his waiting uncle, and Honey and Trixie took the trail back to Crabapple Farm, knowing that Jim would have better luck with the gruff policeman if they weren’t present.

Despite the fact that Trixie was eagerly, and somewhat impatiently, waiting for the results of the fingerprinting, the week went by rather quickly. Things were settling back into the routine Trixie had grown used to as a teenager: chores and keeping her younger brother out of trouble. Even at fourteen, Bobby wasn’t much easier to handle that he had been as a six year old, still demanding attention from his older sister. Trixie helped him with his homework and took him for rides in her jeep. Mr. and Mrs. Belden had agreed to let Trixie give him lessons in shifting on the little used, dead-end Louis Road, but Trixie wasn’t sure her jeep was going to survive it.

Also, Scott had occupied her time by calling her everyday. Trixie enjoyed their conversations, about anything from criminal law, to D.C., to music, to movies, to whatever happened to catch their interest at the moment. Scott and she did have a lot in common and, unlike Jim, he seemed intrigued by her penchant for mystery solving, not once telling her to "be careful" or "start thinking." Trixie was actually looking forward to their double date with Honey and Brian.

Friday morning, as Trixie sat bemoaning the fact that four days had gone by with no word from Captain Molinson about the fingerprints, the doorbell rang. Trixie hopped up to get it and was surprised to see a flower delivery boy standing there holding a bouquet of roses. "Delivery for Trixie Belden."

"That’s me," Trixie confirmed as she took the fragrant arrangement. She set the flowers on the table and grabbed her mother’s purse to give the boy a tip. Her own purse was upstairs and she vowed to remember to replace the money as soon as she read the card.

After the boy had gone, Trixie examined the flowers. It was a simple arrangement of a dozen roses, eleven white ones surrounding one red one. Trixie took the card and again noted that the penmanship was distinctly feminine. And once again, the card held a rather cryptic note.

I have you to thank
For my situation
And these flowers are
My declaration

"What is up with this?" Trixie wondered out loud. "Could Scott have sent them before our date tonight? No, he would have signed his name, plus I got the other flowers before I even met him. Very weird."

Moms entered the kitchen just in time to hear Trixie’s last remark. "What’s weird, Trixie?"

"These flowers," Trixie stated simply.

"They’re beautiful. No name on the note again?"

Trixie shook her head. "No, Moms, and now I’m a little worried. I really don’t think it’s Jim and I haven’t been in town long enough to have a secret admirer."

"Well, I know you haven’t talked to Matt in a while, but maybe you should call him," Helen suggested.

"Call him out of the blue after nine months and say, ‘Hi, Matt, you’re not stalking me are you?’"

Helen chuckled at her daughter’s expression. "Well, I don’t know what to tell you, but at least ask Jim to be sure."

"Moms, Jim and I are finally on speaking terms. I don’t want to ruin anything by bringing these up. The notes aren’t threatening, so I’m sure there’s no danger involved," Trixie reasoned.

"I still don’t like it, Trixie. I honestly thought that Jim or Matt might have sent them to you, but now I’m not so sure. And with all the criminals you’ve put away over the years, who’s to say that one of them doesn’t want revenge?" Mrs. Belden was frankly worried for her daughter.

"A criminal who sends roses?" Trixie asked incredulously.

"It could happen. Trixie, I’m worried, even if the notes aren’t threatening. Call the flower shop and find out who they’re from."

"Neither the envelope nor the card has the name of the florist and come to think of it, the delivery boy didn’t have it on his baseball cap either. He was just wearing a Detroit Red Wings cap, not one with the florist’s name. Do you remember what he was wearing last week?"

Helen Belden shook her head ruefully. "It might be the same boy, because I do remember the cap, but I don’t remember what was on his jacket."

"Well, I could either call every florist in the area or wait and see if more get delivered and then ask the person who delivers them what shop they’re coming from," Trixie said.

"There is only one florist shop in Sleepyside, so it shouldn’t be too hard. They would be the only one in the area to deliver to us, so that narrows your search down," Mrs. Belden pointed out.

"Okay, you’ve made your point. I’ll go call," Trixie stated with a sigh.

She pulled the phone book out, located the number, and dialed.

"Sleepyside Florist," a cheerful voice trilled into the phone after three rings.

"Hi, my name is Trixie Belden, and I just received some flowers. I was wondering if you could give me some information."

"Yes, Miss Belden, my name is Alice and I remember both of your flower orders. What can I do for you?" Alice certainly sounded friendly.

"Did you take the order in person?" Trixie wanted to know.

"No, actually, I took both orders from two different stores in New York City. The person who ordered the flowers wanted them delivered to you, so the stores in New York put the information in the computer and sent the orders onto us for delivery. Is there a problem?"

"No, but as you know since I am assuming you wrote the card, there’s no name and I haven’t a clue as to who might be sending them," Trixie informed the florist.

"Ooooh, how exciting! A secret admirer!" Alice exclaimed, not knowing Trixie’s penchant for trouble. Anyone else might be getting flowers from an admirer, but with Trixie’s luck, it could turn out to be something else.

"Does the order say what the person’s name is?" Trixie went on as though Alice hadn’t squealed right in her ear.

"Let me check the computer," Alice said as she put Trixie on hold. Trixie only had to wait a few moments before Alice was back on the line. "According to this, both orders were paid for in cash and the gentleman didn’t leave his name."

Trixie perked up. "But you’re sure it’s a man and not a woman."

"Well, no, I just assumed…" Alice sounded a little flustered.

"Can you give me the names and phone numbers of the two shops, please?" Trixie requested, realizing she would get no more information out of Alice as to the identity of the mysterious sender-of-roses.

"Of course."

After taking down the information, Trixie thanked Alice for her help and hung up the phone. She was even less successful in her quest for information at the flower shops in the city. Both were very large shops, handling many customers every day, and no one at either shop could remember any details of the transactions. Frustrated, Trixie hung up the phone, and reported the news to her mother.

Then she had to decide: Should she call Matt? This might be nothing and she’d hate to call him for nothing. While she was deciding what to do, her mind drifted back to the last time she had seen him. Matt and she had broken up in June, not long after Jim’s second graduation and right before she had left for Quantico. She had tried calling him a few times while she was at the FBI training camp, but had never gotten a hold of him. Finally, when she got back they had made arrangements to go out to dinner.

"Trixie, I don’t want to do this." Matt had said over Thai food.

Trixie froze, thinking of how familiar this scene was. "What?"

"I thought I could stay friends with you, but it hurts too much to see you if you’re not my girlfriend," Matt had said.

"Well, let’s get back together. I miss you, Matt."

"It’s not that simple. You’ve got baggage that I thought I could deal with, but I’m sick of being in a relationship with two other people: you and Jim," Matt didn’t say it to be mean, but the words angered Trixie just the same.

"The only one who puts Jim in this relationship is you!" Trixie had blazed. "You mention him more than I do. I don’t mention him at all!"

"That’s worse, because I know that you’re thinking about him," Matt looked into her eyes, daring her to deny it.

Trixie couldn’t.

"Someday, you’ll go back to Sleepyside and be with Jim. Just you wait and see. Just wait and see what happens then, then you’ll finally understand how I feel. All the frustration and hurt I’ve been carrying around."

Trixie hadn’t understood what he had meant then, and he refused to explain it to her, telling her that she would find out in time.

I just thought he meant that he would be proven right and I would finally see that he was right when he nagged me about my feelings for Jim. I had chalked it up to nothing more than male ego, but what if it was more ominous than that? What if he’s been tracking me and thinks that just because I’ve moved back to Sleepyside that I’m with Jim? Could the thought of me with Jim be so unbearable to him that he would snap and do something drastic? Trixie didn’t like the possibility that a man she had been with for almost a year could be a stalker. But that doesn’t make sense, does it? He had no contact with me at all throughout senior year, and never did I even get a hint that something was wrong. It can’t be Matt. As far as I know, he’s still in D.C. and these flowers were ordered in New York. Then a thought struck Trixie. But he’s from New York City and his parents still live there. No, no, it can’t be Matt. I refuse to even allow the notion that it might be Matt. Trixie tried to dismiss the thought, but it remained lodged in her consciousness. She decided to make a deal with herself. If I get flowers one more time, I will call Matt. No, better yet, I will show up on his parents’ doorstep with the flowers and judge his reaction myself.

With this resolved, Trixie felt much better. She glanced at her watch and realized it was almost time to meet Honey for an afternoon horseback ride through the preserve. She said good-bye to her mother and hurried up the path to the Manor House.

Helen waited until her daughter was out of sight and grabbed the phone. She looked up a number and dialed, hoping to catch him in his office. She was in luck.

"Ten Acres Boys’ School, this is Jim Frayne."

"Hi Jim, it’s Mrs. Belden."

"Hi there! This is a surprise," Jim wondered why she might be calling him at work. He had already called to apologize for not showing up for pie last Sunday.

"Well, Trixie will kill me if she knew I was making this call, but I’m just too worried about her," Helen stated.

Jim was immediately on guard. What had Trixie gotten herself into now? "What’s up?" Jim tried to sound casual, but his heart accelerated at the thought of Trixie in some kind of trouble.

"Well, I hate to put you on the spot, but have you been sending Trixie flowers?" Mrs. Belden asked.

The question took Jim by surprise, and it showed in his voice, convincing Mrs. Belden that he was sincere. "No. I take it she’s been getting some?"

"Yes. A dozen white roses came last Sunday with a cryptic note and no name. This morning another dozen were delivered but this time one rose was red. And there was another cryptic note, a poem really," Helen informed him.

"What do the poems say?" Jim inquired.

Helen read the most recent poem to him, and recited what she could remember of the first one. "They’re not threatening or anything, but they’re not exactly a romantic tone you would expect with a dozen roses, either," Trixie’s mother concluded.

"I don’t like this one bit," Jim said bluntly. "What if she’s being stalked? Has she tried to find out who sent them?"

Mrs. Belden reported what her daughter had found out from the florist that morning. "That’s why I wanted to call you. Trixie felt strange asking you, but I had to know if it was you. And you know Trixie. I don’t think she’s taking this nearly seriously enough."

"Well, I’m glad you told me, Mrs. B. It is most definitely not me, but I would like to get to the bottom of this. Is there anyone from school it might be?"

"I asked her if it might be the only boyfriend she’s had beside you, a fellow named Matt, but she insists they haven’t had any contact for almost a year."

Jim sighed. He hadn’t had much contact with Trixie over the years, either, but that hadn’t stopped him from thinking about her, missing her, longing for her. Trixie was unforgettable. What if this guy had just been planning, plotting, making Trixie think he had forgotten about her? Jim remembered meeting him at Mart’s and at Dan’s graduations. He hadn’t liked him, he recalled. "Is this guy still in D.C.?"

"I don’t know," Mrs. Belden admitted. "I do know that his parents live in New York City."

"So he had opportunity," Jim said before thinking.

"Do you think it could be Matt? He always seemed like such a nice boy," Helen fretted.

Jim felt bad for thinking out loud and upsetting Trixie’s mom. "No, just a habit I picked up from your daughter – thinking out loud without stopping to think if I should be thinking out loud." Jim laughed. "And apparently I picked up Trixie-and-Honey-speak somewhere along the line, too."

Mrs. Belden laughed, glad that she had confided in Jim, even if Trixie might be angry. After all, Trixie may have felt funny asking Jim herself, but she had never said she hadn’t wanted Jim to know. And Mrs. Belden certainly didn’t feel funny asking Jim if her daughter might be in the slightest bit of jeopardy.

"I won’t let Trixie know you spoke to me. I’ll try to reason things out on this end, but you keep me posted, okay?"

Helen promised that she would and the two hung up.

Jim opened his desk drawer and pulled out a worn photo of Trixie. It was one of her senior photos from Sleepyside High and her blue eyes sparkled in anticipation of the exciting year ahead. It was one of Jim’s favorites; he had carried it in his wallet until he had gotten himself this desk when he opened the school.

Jim stared into those ocean blue eyes and wondered, What have you gotten yourself into now, Trixie?

Chapter Six: Hunches and More Mysteries

Halfway through her dinner date, Trixie finally relaxed. Despite the fact that Honey had urged Trixie to give Scott her phone number, now she seemed to have some kind of alliance with Jim, so Trixie wasn’t sure how Honey was going to react to an evening out with Scott. And having her older brother out on a first date was a bit unnerving, even if it had been Trixie’s idea. But Scott was getting along great with both Honey and Brian, and was obviously very intelligent and charming. While Brian and Scott discussed the merits of med school versus law school, Honey leaned over to Trixie. "I think he’s great."

Trixie beamed at Honey. She thought so, too. Even she and Matt had not had as much in common as she and Scott did. He might even turn out to be her dream man: handsome, intelligent, polite, charming, and without a tendency to lecture! Trixie could definitely see herself with this guy.

Scott looked over at Trixie just then and winked. Trixie blushed slightly and smiled back. She definitely was looking forward to a second date – this time without chaperones! She pushed the sudden thought of Jim from her mind – that boat had sailed, it was time to move on.

"So, after I finish up next year I have to decide," Scott was saying. "Do I strike out on my own or accept an offer at a large firm to gain some experience? There are certainly advantages and disadvantages to each, but I have a year yet to decide."

Brian nodded. "That’s one decision that has been nicely taken care of for me. I don’t have the agony of deciding to start my own practice or take a position with a hospital. That was decided years ago."

Scott raised his eyebrows. "Oh?"

"Honey’s brother recently opened a school for underprivileged boys in Sleepyside. When I’ve finished my residency, I’m to be the house doctor," Brian explained.

Scott looked impressed. "Well I think that’s great. Honey’s brother must feel lucky to have such a loyal friend come work for him."

Honey nodded. "Jim does feel lucky. Especially since Brian and Trixie’s other brother is the school’s resident agriculturist and science teacher since earning his degree from Cornell."

"What a family operation! You all must be very close," Scott commented.

Trixie smiled and explained that they all had been very close once. "So close we formed our own semi-secret club when we were kids. And now the members are getting married off, one by one. Or I should say, two by two!"

Honey and Brian laughed as Scott looked puzzled. "My brother married another club member last year, and now Honey and Brian are engaged." Trixie explained.

Scott smiled. "I see." He looked at Trixie, "You’re not secretly married or engaged to another club member are you? Do I need to become a part of this club to ask for a second date?"

Trixie laughed self-consciously. "No, not at all," was all she could think to say. Fortunately, the waiter arrived just then to ask them if they would care for any desserts.

Honey spoke up. "I have been craving tiramisu lately. Can I get an order of that please?"

"Of course, Miss. Anyone else?" The waiter looked expectantly at the other three.

After the other three decided on their desserts, the waiter promised to bring them out immediately and left the table.

Talk at the table stalled for a moment, until Scott turned to Trixie. "Speaking of decisions, have you gotten any closer to making yours yet?"

Before Trixie could reply, Brian jumped in. "What decision is that, Trix?"

Scott looked embarrassed. "I’m sorry, I wouldn’t have said anything if you hadn’t known. Please forgive me, Trixie."

Trixie waved him off. "It’s no big deal, Scott. I just haven’t seen my brother lately in order to tell him, that’s all." Trixie took a deep breath while Brian looked at her expectantly. "The FBI has offered me a job, so I guess I’m in the same kind of boat as Scott. I need to decide whether to take the position with them, or start the Belden-Wheeler Detective Agency with Honey."

Brian looked at Honey. "Are you okay with this?" As much as he hated the thought of Honey possibly finding herself in danger, he certainly would never even think of trying to stop her from pursuing her childhood dream. He never would have thought that it might actually be his sister who put a halt on their plans.

Honey nodded. "Of course, Hallie and I can open the agency if Trixie decides to go to Washington. I’m still going right ahead with obtaining my PI license."

Brian looked startled. "Washington? You mean it’s not even a job at the New York field office?"

Trixie shook her head. "No, I would be moving back down to Washington for at least the next two or three years, if I accept. There may be a spot sometime down the line in New York, but for now I would be at headquarters."

Scott looked proudly at Trixie. "This woman must really know her stuff if they want her that bad. I’m very impressed with your sister, Brian."

Trixie blushed and tried to smile graciously; accepting compliments had never been her strong point. Brian, on the other hand, was starting to fully comprehend the fact that his sister had grown up, that she was already considered accomplished by specialists in her field, and that men, in this case Scott, saw her as a very attractive woman. When did that happen? Brian wondered.

"Brian, if you don’t mind, I’m waiting to tell Moms and Dad about the FBI offer until later. And if I decide not to take it, I probably won’t tell them at all, okay?" Trixie was saying.

Brian nodded. "I won’t mention it to them. Does Mart know?"

Trixie shook her head. "I asked Di not to tell him until I had a chance to."

Scott looked rueful. "And here I shoot my big mouth off to your other brother. I’m really sorry, Trix."

"Don’t be silly! I was going to tell him, I just hadn’t gotten a chance yet. And if I was that worried I would have told you not to bring it up. Please don’t worry about it anymore," Trixie admonished.

Scott looked relieved. "Your wish is my command," he said as the desserts arrived.

The four took one look at the tempting desserts and dug in with gusto, the conversation dropped.

After dinner, Honey suggested a walk through Sleepyside. The early summer night was balmy and the sky twinkled with stars. Trixie wanted nothing more than to stroll through town with Scott, and readily agreed. Honey took Brian’s hand and the couple walked a few paces ahead of Trixie and Scott.

Scott took Trixie’s hand. "I’m having a wonderful time."

"Me too," Trixie admitted with a smile. "Have you been able to see much of Sleepyside since you’ve been here?"

Scott nodded. "A little bit. I’ve seen Town Hall with its unique grasshopper weathervane."

"That’s Hoppy. He was a gift from the same coppersmith who designed the one for Faneuil Hall in Boston. With one small exception, Hoppy has sat on townhall for over two hundred years," Trixie loved telling the history of the copper weathervane she loved so much.

"One exception?" Scott inquired.

"Well, two actually. He was brought down for recoppering at the turn of the century, and then a few years ago, he was stolen," Trixie explained.

"But the town got him back?"

Trixie smiled. "The town got him back and he was recoppered before he was replaced on his perch."

Scott looked at her inquiringly. "Why do I have a feeling that you were instrumental in getting him back?"

"Well, it wasn’t so much me as it was all of the Bob-Whites," Trixie said modestly.

"The Bob-Whites?" Scott looked puzzled.

"Sorry. The club we told you about earlier was called the Bob-Whites of the Glen."

"Ahhh, I see. And they were your partners in mystery solving when you were younger," Scott deduced.

"We did have a lot of great adventures when we were younger. Mysteries just seemed to fall into our laps. Then we all went off to different colleges and the mysteries weren’t quite so frequent."

"But you managed to scare some up while you were in college?" Scott asked.

Trixie nodded. "Diana, who you met the other night, has an uncle who owns a dude ranch out in Arizona. He was having a little trouble with some sabotage so he invited us out to investigate one summer. Honey, Di, my brother Mart, and another club member named Dan all went out to help him out."

"And you caught the guy?" Scott looked intrigued and proud at the same time as he looked at Trixie.

"It was a competing rancher who was an amateur at being a criminal. He left all sorts of clues behind and it only took a very short time to gather the evidence and get him to confess," Trixie informed him.

"Interesting. What other kinds of cases did you solve?" Scott was curious as to how one woman had such a penchant for finding and solving mysteries.

"Do you mean in college? Or when I was still in high school?"

"College, high school, both, either. I guess your friends told me a few of your high school tales last weekend at the brewpub. Why don’t you tell me some of your college adventures."

"Okay," Trixie agreed. "The most recent case was during my senior year. Someone was embezzling money from Honey’s sorority. Everyone thought it was the treasurer, which would be logical, but it turns out it was the president, and she was framing the treasurer. She was pretty crafty.

"During our freshman year, Honey and I stayed at Cornell with my brother Mart during spring break. There were a lot of break-ins and thefts in Mart’s dorm his sophomore year. Turned out to be the maintenance man who had a key, but tried to make it look as though someone was breaking in. When he was doing maintenance, he’d case the rooms to see which ones were worth robbing. Then he’d make himself busy in the hallway, pretending to do repair work like changing light bulbs and such, and wait for the kids to leave their rooms to go to class. Nobody really notices maintenance men working; they kind of become fixtures. As soon as they were gone, he’d take his tool box in, use it to carry out small but valuable stuff, like jewelry, and then make it look like the lock had been jimmied before he left. If anyone caught him in the room, he used his maintenance position as an explanation."

"And you went up there at your brother’s request and figured it out," Scott stated, no small amount of admiration in his voice.

Trixie shrugged. "I was glad to help."
By this time, Honey and Brian had gotten far ahead. Scott stopped, right in front of town hall as it happened, and looked into Trixie’s eyes. "I think you are an amazing woman, and I would like to see more of you, is that okay?"

Trixie nodded and then suddenly Scott’s lips were on hers and she was enjoying his kiss immensely. Trixie got lost in the wonderful feeling of his soft lips on hers and the feel of his strong hands running through her hair. She could feel the electricity between them as the kiss deepened, a wonderful dizziness surrounding her. Too soon she heard someone clearing their throat nearby.

"I hate to break this up, but Brian has an early morning tomorrow, so we were going to head back to the car," Honey said, an amused twinkle in her eye.

Trixie was glad it was dark so that her friend and brother couldn’t see the blush she knew was creeping into her cheeks. Twenty-two years old and I still blush at every little thing! She thought. Out loud she said, "Sure, Honey, we were just waiting for you and Brian."

Trixie walked back to the car, hand in hand with Scott, feeling happier than she had in a long time. The feeling followed her all the way home and into her dreams.

Saturday morning she awoke refreshed and happy. She entered the kitchen humming softly to herself and was greeted with the delicious smells of Mrs. Belden’s cooking. "Do I smell sausage and waffles?"

Bobby piped up. "You sure do. Mart and Di and Honey are on their way to have a special breakfast with us."

Trixie looked at her mother. "What’s the occasion?"

"Since Brian is in for the weekend, I thought it would be nice to have a big breakfast, just like it used to be, that’s all."

"But Brian was here for a whole week just last week," Trixie stated.

Moms sighed. "Trixie, it may not be a big deal to you, but for the last several years it has been rare when I have had all four of my kids in one place. Just because it happens to happen twice in a row, doesn’t mean I’m not going to be thankful or think it’s not special."

"You win, Moms, I know you’ve missed us all," Trixie said as she headed to the refrigerator to get out the milk and orange juice for everyone.

Breakfast was a loud and noisy affair, and Mrs. Belden was glad to see all four of her "babies" around the table. As much as it had sometimes tried her patience when the kids were younger, she actually enjoyed their friendly bickering and bantering now. It was nice to have a full house again, even if it was temporary.

"Trixie, would you mind terribly if I left you with this mess? I just realized the time. Your father and I have to take Bobby into town for his dentist’s appointment and run some errands," Mrs. Belden stated, after dishes had been cleared of waffles, sausages, hash browns, and fruit salad.

"Have I ever had a problem doing the dishes?" Trixie asked mischievously, a twinkle in her eye. "But you know, when I make my first million, I’m buying you an electric dishwasher!"

"That’ll be the day!" Helen laughed.

The elder Beldens left with Bobby, and the gang all chipped in to set the kitchen to rights. Just as they had dried the last dish, the phone rang. Trixie went to answer it as everyone else headed for the large family room. Trixie joined them a few minutes later, disappointment in her eyes.

"What gives, Trix?" Mart wanted to know.

"That was Captain Molinson. The results of the fingerprints are in. Not one of the cans had any on them. There were two sets on the bottle of tequila – both of them belonging to people who work at the liquor store in town. That’s what took so long. Neither set matched anything in the database, so Molinson checked the employees at the liquor store on the off chance that it was actually bought there and the prints might match. One of the guys had a couple of days off, so they had to wait for him to come in to get printed. He was one of the matches, the other was the stock boy," Trixie told the group sitting at the table.

"So what does that mean?" Brian asked.

"Who knows. If the intruder had wiped the bottle clean to get rid of his own prints, he would have gotten rid of all of the prints, including the store personnel. It sounds as though he might have done that with the cans, since there were absolutely none on them, but I don’t know how to explain the lack of the intruder’s prints on the bottle," Trixie sat down, lost in thought.

"Could one of the store personnel be the intruder?" Mart asked.

"I doubt it. I asked that same question of Molinson, but he had done a little research. The stock boy lives with his parents and the clerk’s wife says her husband has spent the night at home every night going months back. Plus, neither of them smoke. It just doesn’t make sense. The bread wrapper indicates it was recent, but it certainly hasn’t been glove weather recently. I could understand the lack of prints in the winter, but not in June!" Trixie concluded.

"We never were sure that the bread wrapper was from the intruder," Honey said.

"Jim asked around," Trixie informed her. "Bill insists that he was the only one who actually entered the building. Just to be sure, he talked to his crew, and they all denied bringing Wonder Bread to work at all, let alone to the barn. I also interviewed Bill and the crew myself and ‘m convinced that it must have been from the intruder."

"What about the possibility that it was one of the crew?" Honey rationalized.

"That’s a possibility, but I’m beginning to think that it was an outsider, not someone from inside the school, and that it was more than just a random event. Whoever stayed in that barn knew the area. And furthermore, I don’t think they cared if it was discovered that they were staying there," Trixie said, almost to herself.

"What are you basing that assumption on?" Brian wanted to know.

"Mostly a hunch," Trixie admitted. "But if it was a random tramp, I think there would have been fingerprints. Whoever it was didn’t want his identity known. But he didn’t care to hide several days worth of cigarette butts and food cans, either."
"You have a point," Brian acknowledged.

"What’s next?" Diana finally spoke up.

Trixie shrugged. "I don’t know. I guess I’ll head up to Ten Acres and talk this latest info over with Jim. Would he be at his office on a Saturday or at home?" She asked Honey.

"He’s probably at the cottage. Do you want me to go with you?" Honey asked.

"No, that’s okay. I can handle Jim on my own these days," Trixie said with a smile. She headed upstairs to change out of her sweats, knowing that she would probably be a topic of discussion as soon as she was out of earshot; she was right.

"So what gives with her and Jim, Honey?" Mart wanted to know.

"They’re finally civil to each other," Honey answered.

"How did her date with Scott go last night?" Di asked.

Surprise registered on Mart’s face. "Trixie had a date last night?"

Brian nodded. "Yeah, they doubled with Honey and I."

"You possessed erudition of this momentous occasion and retained said knowledge from thine sagacious, favored sibling, namely me?" Mart did his best to appear the wounded younger brother.

"Yes, Mart, I knew and didn’t tell you. Scott goes to Georgetown Law, he seemed like a really great guy," Brian informed the group.

"He is a really nice guy – and handsome, too!" Di grinned.

"Et tu, Brutus?" Mart pretended to clutch a dagger to his heart.

"Oh stop it! I met him last weekend, and he did seem like a great guy. Jim and Trixie were way on the outs, so we thought we should encourage a little romance in her life," Diana smacked at Mart, willing him to be serious for once.

"But now she’s getting along fairly well with Jim," Brian observed.

Honey smiled ruefully. "Don’t I know it! I thought that Scott could take her mind off of Jim and his distance and then bam! The day after she meets Scott, Jim does an about face! I’m getting very confused in my matchmaking strategies!"

Brian put his arm around his fiancé. "Why don’t you take a break from the matchmaking and let Trixie choose," he said as he kissed her.

"What can Trixie choose?" Trixie herself wanted to know as she entered the room wearing her favorite white denim shorts and a snug light blue scoop neck top.

Everyone present jumped when they realized she was in the room.

Honey, never good at fibs, tried to stammer out an answer. Trixie knew exactly what they were talking about and decided to have some fun while they squirmed.

"What to do, what to do?" She said in a blasé voice. "Scott or Jim? Jim or Scott?" Then she laughed at the dumbfounded looks on her friends’ faces. "That’ll teach you to meddle in someone’s personal life and then talk about it behind her back. Serves you right!"

She was still chuckling as she walked up the path to Ten Acres, knowing her friends were wanting to discuss her, but probably convinced she had superpower hearing abilities and were afraid to get caught again.

She knew exactly why Honey had nudged her toward Scott. She didn’t even mind – she hadn’t had a date since her disastrous last dinner with Matt. It was fun to go out with Scott. And as for Jim… Trixie sighed, trying to sort out her muddled feelings. She enjoyed being with Scott, there was no history, no landmines to avoid, as there was with Jim. But Jim was…well, Jim was Jim. Despite the fact that not all of it was good, she loved having a history with Jim. She loved that she had watched him change from a scared runaway to a beloved son and brother to a sexy college guy to the upstanding school director that he was today. But their friendship right now was tenuous at best. They were getting along better, that was true, but if Jim wanted more than a friendship, he certainly wasn’t letting on. Why should she toss the possibility of something with Scott when she didn’t know where she stood with Jim? But what if her feelings for Jim got in the way of her relationship with Scott, as they had with Matt?

Argh! Belden, knock it off. One date does not a relationship make, and Jim has given you no indication that he wants anything more than a friendship. Take things day by day!

That resolved, Trixie walked up to Jim’s cottage and knocked soundly on the front door.

"Hey, Trix!" Jim greeted her when he opened the door. "I got off the phone with Molinson not too long ago. He said he was going to call you with the results, so I was hoping you’d show up. Come on in."

Trixie stepped inside the entry hall and looked around. "This is really nice, Jim."

"That’s right, I’d forgotten you’ve never seen the place. Would you like a tour?"

"I’d love one," Trixie said simply.

As Jim took her through the homey cottage, Trixie couldn’t help but note it certainly didn’t look as though a bachelor lived there. Everything was neat and in order. The family room was masculine, but not overly so, done in forest green and deep blue and Trixie fell in love with the kitchen, done in bright, sunny yellow. Copper pots gleamed above her head.

Jim saw the look of surprise on Trixie face as she looked up at them. "My mom, Katje, always had copper pots in her kitchen," he said almost shyly. Trixie nodded in understanding and they continued the tour. Jim’s den, with its bookshelves filled with books, was impressive and the dining room was furnished with an antique table and chairs, as well as an antique china hutch. Trixie loved the character of the room.

Upstairs Trixie discovered a master suite complete with its own bathroom and walk-in closet. She loved the beamed ceilings and said so. Jim smiled, happy that she approved. The second floor also held another bathroom and two empty rooms, both carpeted in a rich forest green. Trixie looked in the rooms and turned to Jim, a question in her eyes.

Jim avoided her gaze and looked away. "You just never know when you’re going to need an extra storage room or two."

Trixie smiled, pretending to go along with his explanation, but Jim had built this house with a family in mind, of that she had no doubt. She hated herself for thinking it, but the thought would not be stopped. Was he thinking of me when he designed this house?

"Well," she said a little too brightly. "Shall we sit down and discuss our next move?"

Jim went along with the charade. "Yep, we can have a cup of coffee in the kitchen, if you’d like, or we can take them outside onto the deck."

"It’s such a beautiful day, let’s sit out on the deck," she decided.

"Your wish is my command," Jim grinned and hurried into the kitchen to get the coffee.

Trixie wandered out onto the deck through the family room. That’s twice in less than twenty-four hours that I’ve heard that. Well then, I wish I knew what I wanted!

Trixie sat down at the wood table that Jim had obviously built at the same time he built the deck, it matched the style so well it blended in with the deck in a harmonious fashion. He’s done a wonderful job with the house, Trixie couldn’t help but think.

Jim joined her then with two steaming mugs of coffee and the two began to plan.

"Have there been signs of an intruder elsewhere?" Trixie asked.

Jim shook his head as he sipped his coffee. Trixie took a drink of hers, realizing Jim had put in the exact amount of sugar that she required. He remembers how much sugar I take in my coffee, she thought with wonder, suddenly realizing that Jim was speaking to her.

"I’m sorry, Jim, what was that?" Trixie had to ask.

"I’ve had extra patrols going since we discovered it, and we’ve turned up nothing."

Trixie was silent for a moment. "Well, maybe my theory was wrong." She then explained the theory she had come up with about the intruder knowing the area and the logic behind it. "But if you haven’t found any more signs of things amiss, than maybe it was just a tramp who needed a place to crash for a couple of nights."

Just then, Bill came up the deck stairs. "Morning, Mr. Frayne, Ma’am. Sorry to disturb you, but there’s been more signs of the intruder."

Trixie and Jim looked at each other, startled. The timing of Bill’s message couldn’t have been eerier. "Where?" Jim demanded.

"Down in the school’s boathouse," came the reply.

Trixie looked to Jim for an explanation. "Mom and Dad let me use their lake to teach the boys swimming and boating and for recreation. I built my own boathouse and dock, though, at the opposite end of the lake from where theirs stand."

"So, this intruder is on the Wheelers’ property, but in the school’s boathouse. Coincidence?" Trixie wondered.

Jim’s jaw tensed. "Let’s go find out."

Once again there was a pile of cigarette butts, the same brand that was found in the barn, and more empty food cans. Most importantly, there was another Wonder Bread bag. "Dated next week," Trixie proclaimed upon examining it. Trixie looked for other clues in and around the boathouse. She discovered that the lock was expertly picked, but other than that she could find no other clues.

She turned to Bill. "When was the last time this was used?"

"Summertime swim and boating lessons were due to start Monday. That’s why I came down here today, to get the place ready," Bill stated. He had liked this girl immediately when they had first met the previous week. She was straightforward, intelligent, and obviously very capable. Bill wondered if the rumors were true that Jim and she had been high school sweethearts; if it was true, he thought Jim a fool for letting her get away.

"This says to me more and more that this person knows the school’s routine. He knew that other barn was only used in the fall and he appeared to know that this boathouse, despite it’s location on the Wheeler property, belonged to the school and wasn’t currently in use. Are you sure no one who works at the school could be doing this?" Trixie wanted to know.

Jim and Bill looked at each other. Both were good judges of character, for the most part, and both trusted the other’s ability to hire good help. Jim always consulted Bill before hiring anybody onto the crew, and Bill had faith that Jim wouldn’t hire anybody less than trustworthy. None of the crew appeared unhappy – Jim was a fair boss and paid his employees well. They had great benefits, too. Although it certainly wasn’t outside the realm of possibility, neither man had an easy time believing that someone at the school was doing this. Each man explained their feelings to Trixie.

Trixie herself had faith in Jim’s ability to judge his employees and she instinctively liked Bill from the first moment she met him. Plus, her gut was telling her that this was someone with an axe to grind with the school, but not an insider at the school itself.

"Well, let’s go call Molinson and get some more prints analyzed," Trixie stated, heading back toward Ten Acres. "We’ll have to tell Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler, since it occurred on their property. They might want to set up a patrol, but I doubt this person will return to the boathouse. I don’t think he’ll bother the Wheelers, either."

Jim agreed, and the three walked back to the school grounds in troubled silence.

 

Chapter Seven: Complications

Trixie received the third bouquet of flowers the same day that Molinson called to tell her the results of the fingerprinting: once again, no prints. It was now Tuesday, and Trixie was becoming frustrated at the lack of clues to the intruder’s identity and to the lack of clues as to who was sending the roses with the peculiar notes.

Trixie stared at the bouquet, this time only ten of the roses were white, and two were red. As Trixie was pondering the significance of the increasing number of red roses each time, Mrs. Belden came into the kitchen.

"Who was at the door, Trixie?" She asked, stopping short when she saw the flowers sitting on the table. "Trixie Belden, you are going to report this Captain Molinson immediately!"

Trixie looked up at her mother, trying to reassure her with a plausible explanation, even though she herself knew there wasn’t one. "It’s probably just Jim, Moms."

Helen shook her head emphatically. "No, I hope you don’t get too upset at me, but after the last delivery I point blank asked him if he was sending them – he hasn’t been."

Trixie’s heart sank. Deep down she had known that Jim had not sent them, but at least having that possibility had allowed her some comfort.

"What does the card say this time?" Mrs. Belden demanded to know.

Trixie reluctantly handed her mother the card.

 

The great detective Belden

Can’t figure out who I am

Maybe your great skills

Are really just a sham

Helen gasped as she read it. "The notes are getting threatening!"

Trixie tried to calm her mother down. "Mom, this is hardly threatening. Insulting maybe, but not threatening."

"Well, they’re certainly not getting friendlier or romantic," Helen stated unequivocally. She tried to plead with her daughter. "Trixie, please report this to Captain Molinson. I’m really worried about your safety. I’d like you to try to call the flower shop again. I’m sure that you won’t get much farther than you did last time, but at least its something."

Trixie nodded, thoughts churning in her mind. A sudden unknown intruder at Ten Acres and a sudden unknown ‘admirer’ for me, both appearing at the same time. That’s a fantastic coincidence; what if they’re related?

"Trixie, what is going through that head of yours now?"

"Nothing, Moms. I’m going to call Captain Molinson and the flower shop now. I tell you what I find out," Trixie promised and headed to her bedroom to use her private extension to place the phone calls.

Trixie was glad to find that Alice was again working at the flower shop.

After identifying herself again, Trixie launched right into her questions. "How long is it before you receive the orders from the other shops?"

"It depends. The orders come in over the computer and I check the computer every couple of hours or so, to see if there have been any new requests," Alice answered.

"So by the time you actually see the order, it could already be a couple of hours old?" Trixie was not happy to hear this bit of information.

"That’s right," Alice confirmed.

"Is there anyway to get the order while the sender is still in the other flower shop?"

"Only if I were to stand at the computer and constantly refresh the monitor. Even then, by the time I get the order it could be minutes old and the sender could already be gone."

"And how long after you get an order are flowers delivered?"

"It depends. If someone pays for a rush delivery we do our best to get the arrangement to the recipient that same day. Most orders are delivered the day after we receive them. There has been a specific request on all three of your orders to be delivered to you the following day," Alice informed her.

Trixie immediately deduced that that meant the sender wanted to ensure some time had passed between the order and her receipt of them. She tried one last thing. "Alice, I’m not certain that these flowers are a good thing. Is there any way at all to track the sender?"

Alice sounded sorry. "No, this person is really covering their tracks. After your call the other day, I specifically noted which flower shop sent the order this time. It was yet a different store this time, and all three are very large shops, the three biggest in the city in fact, virtually guaranteeing the purchaser will not be remembered. He, or she, is using a different one every time and paying cash, making it almost impossible to trace. I can put an alert out to florists in New York City, but that’s the best I can do."

"If it’s not too much trouble, I would really appreciate it," Trixie told the florist.

"No problem," Alice assured her. "I’ll send a notice out to all of the flower shops in New York and its suburbs. Via our computerized system, it’s no problem at all. Hopefully, the next florist will be alerted to the problem and detain him."

Trixie thanked the girl profusely and hung up. She dreaded the next call. Although Captain Molinson had finally come to have a grudging respect for her, Trixie Belden was still not on his list of people he enjoyed talking to more than once a day – and she had already used up her quota that day.

She was transferred several times until someone was able to find him.

"Captain Molinson? It’s Trixie," she started.

"Already? Did something else happen after we spoke about the fingerprints this morning?" Molinson asked in his gruff voice.

"Something happened, but it has nothing to do with the intruder at Jim’s, well, I don’t know it has anything to do with that intruder…" At twenty-two, Trixie still got flustered talking to the abrupt policeman.

"Spit it out!" He barked.

Trixie took a deep breath and explained to him about the roses, recounting each poem, the information she had received from Alice, and concluding with her theory that the break-ins at Ten Acres might be somehow related.

When she was finished, she could hear the police chief’s heavy sigh. "Trixie, you haven’t even been back in town three full weeks and already I’ve got more grey hair! I’ll talk to a buddy of mine in the NYPD, maybe he can get the florists to remember more information, or view any shop surveillance tapes, if there are any. I’ll do the best I can in tracking this guy down, but until you are actually threatened, I can’t provide you with police protection."

Trixie held back a laugh. Police protection! "Thanks, Captain. I wasn’t really asking for a bodyguard, just wanted to let you know that something’s not right here."

"Well, thanks for letting me in at the beginning this time. It’s much nicer to get a call explaining the situation then it is to get a call requesting back up because you’re already in too deep!"

Trixie sighed. Some things would never change – she still had the picture that Nick Roberts had drawn of the then Sergeant Molinson lecturing her after the bike-athon the Bob-Whites had held to raise money for the art department. To this day, she still felt like that humble fourteen year old when she had to listen to Molinson reprimand her. "Just doing my civic duty, Captain."

Molinson snorted. "I’ll look into this, keep me informed, okay?"

Trixie promised she would and hung up the phone. She sat and thought for a minute. Honey she definitely needed to talk to Honey about this. And Jim, if the intruder and mysterious flower sender were indeed connected. And Matt. She had made a deal with herself about checking Matt out if she received a third set of flowers. She was still lost in thought when the phone rang.

"Belden residence."

"Trixie? Hey, it’s me." Trixie smiled when she recognized Scott’s baritone voice.

"Hi Scott. How are you?"

"Thinking of you and how it’s been way too long since I’ve seen you! Do you want to catch a bite to eat tonight?" Scott asked.

"I would love to! What did you have in mind?" Trixie jumped at the chance to have a relaxing dinner with Scott.

"Well, I thought we could return to the scene of the crime – C.B. & Pott’s. Sound good to you?"

"That would be great," Trixie assured him.

"Okay, I’m on my way out the door now, but I’ll pick you up at Crabapple Farm at seven, okay?"

"I’ll see you at seven, Scott."

When she hung up with Scott, Trixie didn’t even bother to put the phone in the cradle, she simply pressed the disconnecter and called Honey and then Jim. Both agreed to meet her at the clubhouse right away.

She went downstairs, reported her conversations to the florist and the police to her mother and then explained that she was enlisting Jim and Honey’s help and would be at the clubhouse.

Jim and Honey were both waiting by the time she entered the old gatehouse. Her tense face immediately alerted Honey and Jim to the fact that things were more serious than she had let on over the phone.

"What’s wrong?" Brother and sister asked simultaneously.

Trixie sat down. "I got more flowers today. Ten white, two red. The note is not threatening, but it certainly is insulting." She pulled the three cards she had received out of her pocket and placed them on the table for Honey and Jim to read.

Honey looked up at Trixie. "Any ideas?"

"No," Trixie moaned. "Moms thinks it might be someone I put in jail stalking me for revenge. I suppose it could happen."

Jim’s face looked stark. "I know this isn’t your style, but can you take a vacation, get away from here?"

"No, Jim, I’m not going to run away," Trixie said with determination.

"But if your life is in danger…" Jim raised his voice, and Trixie could tell he was about to start a tirade about her safety – one she didn’t want to hear after already dealing with Molinson that morning.

"Jim, please," she pleaded. "No one knows my life is in danger. The notes aren’t threatening and it could be just some sick joke."

"But if it’s not, Trixie, you really could be in danger," Honey stated in what she hoped was a calm and gentle voice. She could tell that Trixie was already very frazzled.

Trixie gave a deep sigh. "I know. The only thing I can think of…" She broke off, not willing to talk about Matt in front of Jim.

"What, Trix?" Honey asked.

"Well, maybe Matt?" Trixie admitted out loud what she had been avoiding thinking since the receipt of the second flowers.

Honey was surprised, she had met Matt quite a few times and he seemed like a nice guy. He had obviously cared for Trixie. "You really think it could be Matt?"

"I don’t know," Trixie sounded very confused and torn. "I’d hate to think that a guy I trusted, that I was with for a year, could be capable of something like this, but I just don’t know anymore."

"Why do you think it’s Matt?" Jim questioned.

"Well, a criminal I put away sending me roses sounds too fantastic to me, no one I know is responsible for this, and an ex-boyfriend seems to be as plausible an explanation as any," Trixie stated. "Since I only have two ex-boyfriends, and I think we’ve ruled out you as a sender, Jim, that leaves Matt."

"Did he ever do or say anything that indicated he might be capable of something like this?" Jim tried to keep his voice neutral, but he was seething inside at the thought that this guy might have even hinted that he could harm Trixie.

Trixie hesitated.

"What did he do, Trix?" Jim insisted.

"He didn’t do anything. The last time I saw him, which was last August, he just said something rather…cryptic," Trixie disclosed.

"Like what?" Honey was curious.

So Trixie related the conversation, and discussed her original feeling that Matt was just telling her that he would eventually be proven right. Trixie felt uncomfortable relating this information to Jim, since it concerned her feelings for him, but she needed his help, so there was no holding back now. Jim’s face did not give Trixie a clue as to how he felt about the revelation about her feelings toward him.

"Are you going to confront him?" Jim inquired.

"Well, after the last flowers arrived, I vowed that if I got another delivery, I would take them and march up to his parents’ Manhattan penthouse and demand an explanation," Trixie admitted rather shyly, "but I’m not feeling really up to doing that now."

"Can’t you just call him?" Honey wanted to know.

"I could, but I thought it would better to see his expression and body language when he saw the flowers," Trixie explained.

"Makes sense, but what if he is still in D.C.? You could call down there and rule him out immediately. Here’s my cell phone. Call him now," Honey said as she dug her phone out of her purse.

"Honey," Trixie started to protest.

"No ifs, ands, or buts about this, Trix. Call him," Honey’s voice was gentle but firm.

"Since when did you become a drill sergeant," Trixie grumbled, but she took the phone and dialed.

Jim noted that she still had his phone number memorized after all of this time. Knock it off, Frayne, you know Trix was always good with numbers, until it came time to put them into equations that is.

Trixie reached Matt’s roommate, Josh. "Hi, Josh, it’s Trixie…yeah, it has been a while…no, I moved back to New York after graduation…you are? Well, that’s pretty cool. Listen, is Matt still in D.C.?…He moved back to New York, too?" Trixie looked at Honey and Jim significantly. "Did he move back in with his parents?…I see…Thanks, Josh, good luck with your art…You, too. Bye."

Trixie hung up the phone and handed it back to Honey. "He took a job with a firm on Wall Street. He found an apartment, but he can’t move in until the end of August, so he’s staying with his parents right now."

"Motive and opportunity," Jim stated.

"We never determined motive, Jim," Trixie argued.

Jim looked sheepish; he had already gone so far as to proclaim himself judge and jury, trying and convicting Matt of the "crime" already. But even he knew he was letting his personal feelings toward Matt get in the way. It just drove him nuts to think about anybody with Trixie that way. The thought of someone else kissing those luscious lips, running their hands over the soft skin and warm curves of her body…Stop it! Jim yelled at himself. He rued the fact that Trixie had never allowed him to truly make her his; she had wanted to wait until she was older, more emotionally ready, and of course he had accepted her decision without question. But had she let Matt? The thought haunted him. You didn’t wait for her, why should she have waited for you?

Jim tore his thoughts away from where they were heading and forced himself to pay attention to what Trixie and Honey were saying.

"So, we’ll go tomorrow to his parents," Honey decided.

Jim broke in. "Why not now or later this afternoon? The sooner the better."

Both girls looked at him as though he were from outer space. Uh-oh, what did I miss? He thought.

"Jim, didn’t you just hear Trixie say she has plans for later?" Honey asked in a slightly bewildered tone.

"Uh, no, I guess my mind wandered." Jim turned to Trixie. "What plans?"

Honey scolded. "Jim! Maybe Trixie wants some privacy. She doesn’t need to file a flight plan with you."

Jim was momentarily confused by Honey’s sarcasm. It was a simple, innocent question, why was she acting like he had given Trixie the third degree, complete with a bright light shining in her eyes? Suddenly it dawned on him. Trixie must have a date and that’s why Honey was being so defensive. He looked at Trixie, watching her cheeks flush as she looked away from him. Yes, that was it. Trixie had a date. Wonderful.

"Sorry, Trix, I wasn’t trying to pry," he said in a subdued voice.

"You weren’t, Jim, it was an innocent question," Trixie assured him.

The three sat in an awkward silence until Honey broke it. "But, in case it’s not Matt, we need to think up some alternate plans."

Trixie and Jim agreed. "I didn’t want to do this," Trixie confessed. "But we need to start making a list of criminals that the Bob-Whites have locked up and check their status. Some of them could be getting out on parole right about now."

Honey pulled a pad of paper and a pen out of her bag. "Let’s get started," she said practically.

The three sat and brainstormed, in order, who they had set away.

"Okay, let’s start with when we met because that’s when things started happening," Trixie said.

"Well, the first criminal we were involved with was my stepfather," Jim stated. "You didn’t put him away then, but you did later when he tried to hurt my cousin Julianna and steal her rightful inheritance."

Honey wrote Jones at the top of her list in her neat handwriting. Trixie looked down at the piece of paper. "It’s a good thing you’re writing it, Honey, or we’d never be able to read it!"

Honey smiled. "The next case were those two trailer thieves…what were their names?"

"Jeff and Al," Trixie supplied. "I don’t remember their last names, we’ll have to look those up in our newspaper clippings in our scrapbooks."

"And then that phony chauffeur, Dapper Dick. Boy, Trix, he really had it in for you, he could be a real possibility," Jim stated. He knew the extent of Dick’s savageness having been knocked out and tied up by Dick while out on a "driving lesson."

"Di’s phony uncle was Tilney Britten," Honey said, writing. And so it went until the three had made a long list of thieves of all kinds ("Of sheep, jewels, antiques, you name it!" Honey proclaimed), imposters, kidnappers, arsonists, smugglers, gunrunners, counterfeiters, embezzlers, horse race-fixers, and even several criminals who had performed as ghosts to throw the Bob-Whites off their trail.

Honey looked at the list. "Oh, whoa, this is a big list, Trix. How are we ever going to track all of these people down!"

"We’ll give the list to Molinson," Trixie said briskly. "He can probably trace everyone in the computer rather quickly."

"Well, we might as well drive to town and give him this list so that he can get started," Jim stated. "I was going to take the younger boys to the lake for a swimming lesson this afternoon. Let me see if I can get Regan to fill in for me. He loves kids, I don’t think he’ll mind."

"Jim, don’t disrupt your schedule for me," Trixie begged. "Those boys deserve to spend some time with you, not some fill-in, even if it is Regan."

"Nonsense, Trix, I manage to spend lots of time with all of the boys. I really want to do this," he looked at his watch. "It’s almost lunchtime. Let me clear this with Regan and then we can have lunch at Wimpy’s and go talk to Molinson."

Honey laughed. "We’re not teenagers any more and we’re still asking Regan for help in getting out of a bind."

"Some things never change!" Jim said as he was out the clubhouse door. "I’ll meet you in 15 at the Manor House. Can we take your Saturn, Honey?"

"Sure, meet you in the car!" Honey called to Jim’s retreating back. He waved to let her know he had heard.

Trixie and Honey locked up the clubhouse and followed the path to the Manor House. "That was uncomfortable," Trixie stated.

"Talking to Jim about Matt?" Honey asked sympathetically.

"Yep. Admitting that the reason that Matt and I broke up was because he was convinced that I still had feelings for Jim."

"Well, you already know that Megan broke up with Jim for the same reason. She knew she fell in the shadow of a certain blonde firecracker with a penchant for mysteries and solving everybody’s problems!" Honey said with a smile.

"Maybe so, but he never told me that, you did. It was hard to have to say those words myself."

"I know it was, but you did and you survived," Honey reassured her friend. "And now maybe you can clear the way back to you and Jim. You guys were great together and I think you can be again."

"Maybe," Trixie said non-comittally. "I kind of want to see where things with Scott go, though. He’s so handsome and intelligent. And a great kisser!" Trixie said with a wicked grin.

"I could tell," Honey grinned back. "Do what you feel is best. I think Scott is a really great guy, but so is Jim, despite his tendency to be over-protective. That’s not always a bad thing you know!"

Trixie sighed. "I know, but sometimes I feel like I would have to give up too much of myself to be with Jim. He wants a wife and a family. I’m not sure he could handle me being a PI. The idea seems to excite Scott, though."

"Well, take it a day at a time, that’s all you can do, Trixie," Honey repeated what Trixie had already decided. Great minds think alike, Trixie thought as she looked affectionately at her bestfriend.

 

Half an hour later, Trixie was digging her teeth into a Wimpy burger. "Gosh, I missed these," she admitted between bites.

"They are good burgers," Jim agreed.

The three talked and laughed throughout lunch, but there was a definite undercurrent of tension. Someone was harassing Trixie, someone was trespassing at Jim’s school, and things were still not completely fixed between Trixie and Jim, but despite these things, the three friends were able to enjoy their lunch at Wimpy’s. Soon, it was time to head to police headquarters and make their request of Captain Molinson.

When Captain Molinson saw the trio enter his office, he didn’t appear surprised. "I wondered when you would be down here," he stated. "What do you need now?"

Trixie looked at Honey for support, took a deep breath, and explained about the list they had come up with, and the favor they were asking of the Captain and the police department.

"Great," Molinson said. "I had already started doing some digging myself into the whereabouts of the criminals that you helped capture in the Sleepyside area, but I didn’t know how to begin to look into those you had captured in other states or other countries."

"Well, here it is, Captain," Honey said in her sweetest voice as she handed the paper over to Molinson. His bushy eyebrows shot up as he looked at it.

"I hadn’t realized the list was this impressive," he said as he turned the paper over to read the second half on the other side.

"We put the places they were captured at next to the ones that were not in Sleepyside," Trixie explained.

"Good work. This shouldn’t take long to run through the computer. I’ll put one of the rookies on it and make sure I have it to you within the next twenty-four hours. Do you think any of these are more likely to be harassing you than others?" Molinson wanted to know.

"That’s what the stars are next to some of the names. We narrowed it down to my stepfather, Dapper Dick, the Thompsons, Sax Jenner, Oliver Tolliver, Diego Martinez alias Pierre Lontard, and the trio of Blinky, Pedro, and Big Tony. They were the hardest criminals, the ones who lost the most, and really seemed to have it in for Trixie, as well as nasty mean streaks," Jim explained.

Molinson nodded. "Well, check with me tomorrow around this time, if I don’t get a hold of you first."

Trixie promised that she would check back the following day, and the three left his office. "That went smoother than I expected. I thought for sure I would get reamed for handing him extra work."

"He’s not all that hard-hearted, Trix, and he really does care about your safety. Of course he’s willing to do it," Honey was always quick to defend other people.

Jim grinned. "Plus, you heard him say he was going to ‘give it to some rookie.’ It really doesn’t add to his personal burden at all."

"I guess not," Trixie agreed. "I’m just glad that things went smoothly!"

All three were silent during the car ride back to their respective residences. When Honey dropped Trixie off at Crabapple Farm, she promised to be ready when Trixie picked her up the next morning to take the train to New York.

That night as she was getting ready for her date with Scott, Trixie thought to herself, Tomorrow I will have more leads and I will have ruled out several possibilities. Tomorrow I will be closer than ever to solving this thing. And maybe that will give us a hint as to who is trespassing at Jim’s. But that’s tomorrow. Tonight you have a date with a gorgeous guy, Trixie, so relax and have fun for a change!

Trixie did relax and have fun, not allowing herself to think about the cases she was working on, even when Scott asked her if she was busy solving any mysteries currently.

She shook her head. "No, right now I am having a wonderful date with a cute guy." Well, right now that is what I am doing, Trixie rationalized her fib.

Scott looked around the restaurant, looking confused. "You are? Where is he?"

Trixie dissolved into laughter. "I’m looking at him!"

The two continued to joke and laugh through dinner, and Trixie could tell she was really falling for this guy. At his request, she snuggled up next to him on the drive back to Sleepyside. Trixie was content.

And when he dropped her off at her house, the kiss he bestowed upon her was just as sweet as their first, but this time with even more passion and urgency. Scott and Trixie sat in the lane at Crabapple Farm for quite awhile before Trixie broke away.

"I had a wonderful time tonight, Scott," she smiled.

"Me too. How about we do it again Friday night?" Scott asked.

Trixie nodded happily.

"Okay, seven o’clock, Friday night," Scott stated. "See you then, dearest."

With one last sweet kiss good-bye, Trixie practically floated into the house and up the stairs.

Ahhh, romance!

To Be Continued

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