*all ages
Trixie Belden and the Mystery of the Egyptian Poacher
by Hannah
Chapter 1: Egyptian mail
"Did everyone bring their hieroglyphics?" Jim asked the BWGs as they sat in their clubhouse.
"Yes!" said the rest of the Bob-Whites in unison.
"Now," Jim said. "Everyone put them on the table!"
There was a rustling of paper and then a sound of seven slaps as the BWGs put their papers on the table.
"Can I read them and see they all say the same things?" Trixie asked eagerly.
"Yes," Jim said.
Trixie looked at the papers for about ten minutes and said: "Everything is the same about them except for the second word."
The rest of the Bob-Whites looked at each other; puzzled.
"I think that they are our names," Trixie told Jim, Honey, Brian, Mart, Dan, and Di.
"Can I see them?" Dan asked.
"Sure!" Trixie said as she handed him the papers.
"Hmmmmm..." Dan said. "There are nine letters in the first word. I would say that means 'Greetings!'"
"Why don't we go to the library and some books on hieroglyphs?" Honey asked.
"Okay!" chorused the other BWGs.
* * *
"Now that we have our book, let's see what our mail says," Trixie said. "Now who has the book? Di, you checked it out."
"I know," Di said. "But I gave it to Mart."
"And I gave it to Brian."
"I gave it to Honey," Brian said.
"I thought I gave it to Jim," Honey said.
"You did," Jim said. "But I gave it to Dan."
"I gave it to Trixie because she wanted to look at it in the car."
The Bob-Whites all turned to Trixie.
"I think I left it in the car," she said.
"Therefore you must go retrieve it," Mart said.
"The keys are on the windowsill," Jim said.
"I'll be back in a minute," Trixie called as she opened the door.
When Trixie returned with the book, the letters were on the table.
"Okay," she said. "Let's start decoding!"
* * *
When the Bob-Whites finished decoding the hieroglyphics, Trixie read the message aloud to the rest of the Bob-Whites of the Glen.
"It says:
"Greetings, Trixie!
"Or Honey, Jim, Di, Brian, Mart, or Dan.
"I don't exactly know if I should greet your tiny club. Rather, I should be warning you. Though I came from Egypt, I have lots about you from my friend, Mrs. Elliot. She has told me lots about you. We exchange letters with each other. When I was visiting Sleepyside--about ten years ago--I taught her hieroglyphics. That was when we first met. Now, let's get down to business. I will visiting your town again. Leaving in a week. I have come to claim my property. I own exactly one half of Mrs. Elliot's land. An agreement having to do with Mr. Elliot. Something I did for him. None of your business. 'Tis all!
"And that's where it ends. On all the letters."
"I wonder if that man is here now," Di said.
"Why would he be here now?" Trixie asked.
"Because he said he would be leaving in a week," Di said. "And a that's at the time he wrote the letter. Then he had to mail it and it had to get in the U.S.A. All the way to New York. Then it had to come to Sleepyside. Don't you see?"
"Yes," Trixie said. "I do now that you explained it. We have to keep a sharp eye out for anyone who looks Egyptian."
"Do think he's related to Cleopatra?" Honey asked.
"No," Jim said. "Cleopatra was royal. This man certainly isn't."
"How do we know it's a man?" Brian asked. "It could be a woman just as easily as a man."
"Yes," Jim said. "It could be a woman."
Just then there was a knock at door. Trixie answered it.
"'Ello," he said. "I am Abdu."
"Come in, Abdu," Trixie said. She unfolded one of the extra chairs and motioned for him to sit down.
"Thank you," Abdu said. "You a nice one."
"Now," Trixie said. "We would like to introduce ourselves. I'm Trixie Belden and these are my brothers, Brian and Mart."
"Good to meet you," Abdu said.
"Same here," said Mart.
"This my friend, Honey Wheeler, and her brother, Jim Frayne."
"You have good hair, girl," said Abdu as he looked at Honey.
"This is another friend, Dan Mangan," Trixie said.
"Pleasant meeting you," Dan said.
"Boy does good manners," Abdu said.
"And this is my other friend, Di Lynch."
"Nice eyes, girl, good eyes," Abdu said. "Does any of you know where the place Mrs. Elliot is?"
"I think she's at home," Honey said.
"Thank you, Honey," he said. Then he left.
Chapter 2 : A Suspect
"We have a suspect," Trixie said. "Say 'Aye' if you agree."
"Aye!" came six voices. The Bob-Whites looked at each other and then burst out laughing.
Trixie was the first to recover. She said: "It's actually a good thing that we all agree. That way everybody will get what they want."
"Don't you think we should follow Abdu and make sure nothing happens to Mrs. Elliot?" Honey asked.
"Yes," Trixie said. "It's Brian's turn to drive. I left the keys on the treasury box."
* * *
"Boy," Trixie said when they had caught up with Abdu. "He drives slow."
"He's probably just watching out for deer and other animals like the traffic sign says to," Di said. "He probably doesn't want to get arrested in a different country. I know I certainly wouldn't."
"Neither would I," Honey said. the rest or the Bob-Whites silently agreed.
"We're getting close!" Trixie said excitedly.
Suddenly Abdu pulled over to the side of the road and walked over to the Bob-Whites.
"Why do you go where I go?" he asked when Brian pulled down the car window.
"Actually," Brian said. "We need to go Mrs. Elliot's house. We were supposed to see her today. And that's not a lie."
It wasn't a lie. And it's a good thing, too. The Bob-Whites were known for the good deeds they did. Not for the lies they told.
As Abdu left the BWG's station wagon, he muttered something in Egyptian.
When the Bob-Whites got to Mrs. Elliot's house, they got out of the car.
"That's strange," Trixie whispered to the rest of the Bob-Whites. "He's not heading straight for Mrs. Elliot's house. He's going into the garden!"
"Let's follow him!" Jim said. They silently ran after Abdu.
When he reached the chrysanthemums, Di stepped on a twig. Abdu swung around. "See!" he said. "I tell you not to go behind me! I will get something bad to happen to you!"
Chapter 3 : A clue
Trixie lay in bed that night, unable to sleep. She was thinking about how Abdu was going to get them back. I wonder why he's so interested in Mrs. Elliot's chrysanthemums, she thought. Nothing's exciting about flowers. Maybe he was looking at them to if they're worth what Mrs. Elliot was asking for them. Hmmmmmm...
Suddenly Trixie sat bolt upright in bed. Why didn't I think of this before! she silently asked herself. It's too hot to grow chrysanthemums in Egypt. They're probably worth a lot there. He probably stole them! I've got to call Honey!
Trixie went downstairs, being careful not to wake anyone. When when she reached the phone, she dialed Honey's number. The answering machine picked up. "You have reached the Wheelers' house. Please leave your message and telephone number after the beep."
As soon as Trixie heard the beep, she whistled the Bob-White whistle as loud as she could. Bob, Bob-white!
As soon as she finished the first time, Honey picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Honey," Trixie said. "It's me, Trixie. We've got to get over to Mrs. Elliot's house!"
"But it's one o'clock in the morning!"
"I know, and that's an even better time to be there!"
"But Mrs. Elliot is probably still sleeping!"
"We don't want to see Mrs. Elliot," Trixie explained. "We want to see if we can catch Abdu taking her mums."
Trixie told Honey her theory about Abdu stealing the chrysanthemums.
"It makes perfect sense now that you told it," Honey said. "I thought of that, but I thought Abdu was just so innocent-looking, that he couldn't do a thing like that. Plus; I didn't think of not being able to grow mums in Egypt."
"Well," Trixie said. "Throw your jacket and shoes on and get your bicycle. I'll meet you at the stable."
"But we're in our PJs!"
"Who cares? We're not going on a social call, we're going to solve a mystery!"
* * *
"Are we almost there?" Honey yawned as she peddled her bicycle.
"About three more blocks," Trixie said. "We'll park our bikes by the old blue spruce by the drive-way."
"Okay," Honey said.
Trixie and Honey peddled without talking until they came to the old blue spruce by Mrs. Elliot's drive-way.
"The mums are planted right a after the corn," Trixie whispered to Honey.
They held hands and started across the garden.
When they got to the chrysanthemums, Trixie touched Honey on the leg with her foot to motion that they had reached the mums patch.
Trixie and Honey waited for something to happen when suddenly they saw a figure digging up the mums.
"Dose kids 'll not fin' me 'ere," he said after a sinister chuckle.
Honey nudged Trixie and smiled as if to say "that's what he thinks".
Trixie smiled back, agreeing with her best friend.
They watched Abdu until he left. They knew he was gone when they heard the engine of a car start.
Trixie and Honey waited for a while, then came out of their hiding spot.
The chrysanthemum patch was bare and the soil was neatly smoothed out. There were no footprints anywhere. Trixie and Honey went back to where their bikes were parked, and found a branch from a pine tree. There was a footprint right next to it.
"How clever!" Trixie said. "He used the pine branch to sweep away his footprints!"
"Abdu must have been pretty smart to think of that!" Honey commented.
"I don't know," Trixie said. "I've seen that a lot on movies."
There was a sudden wind, which blew a piece of paper to Trixie's feet. She picked it up and unfolded it.
"What is it?" Honey asked.
"I can't tell," Trixie said. "It's too dark."
"I'll take it home," Honey said. "And look at it in the light. Then I'll call you and tell you what it is."
"No," Trixie said. "Both of us better go to your house and look at it so that no one will here the phone ring."
"Good idea," Honey said. "But why my house?"
"Because you put your flashlight by the door," Trixie said. "We can see what the piece of paper is without even risking waking anyone up."
"Okay," Honey said.
When they got to Manor House, Trixie and Honey went inside and turned the flashlight on. Trixie pulled the paper out of her jacket pocket.
"It's a-a-a-a oh! I don't know what it is!" Trixie said.
"We're only going to be able to know what it is if we go to the clubhouse and look at the book about hieroglyphics," Honey said. Then both girls groaned.
"Tomorrow after the meeting," Trixie said. "I'll call you and we'll meet at the clubhouse and find out what it says."
"Okay!" Honey said.
4-The Paper
Trixie woke before the sun did the next day. Her first thought was the paper. Good, she thought. It's a Saturday. I don't have any chores. I think I'll go over to Honey's house now and ask her to come over to the clubhouse and we can see what the paper says before the meeting.
Trixie quickly dressed herself and ran a wet comb through her hair. She remembered that Honey had promised to get up at six o'clock and be ready to do anything that needed to be done by six fifteen--and it was six thirty now!
After Trixie had quietly gone down the stairs, she slipped into her Bob-White jacket. She went outside through the kitchen door.
When she got to Manor House, she knocked on the door. Honey answered it at once.
She was perfectly ready. Jacket on, hair in a pony-tail, her jeans and white T-shirt on, and the flashlight and paper in her pocket.
"C'm on," Trixie said. "I decided to start our decoding extra-early so know one would be up."
"Good idea," Honey said.
* * *
When the girl had finished decoding the message, it went like this:
Mrs. Elliot:
I've come to say that I now own one half of your property. I'm sorry to say that your husband made a deal with me about this before he died.
"He must have forgotten to put it in Mrs. Elliot's mailbox," Honey said. "I'm glad, too. I don't want Mrs. Elliot to know about this thing with her garden."
"Neither do I," Trixie said.
5-A LightTrixie tossed and turned in bed that night. She was absolutely unable to sleep. She had gone to bed at ten--and now here it was--three in the morning! She hadn't had a wink of sleep.
Trixie had some vague feeling that something was happening at Mrs. Elliot's. I'm going to be up all night, Trixie thought grumpily. I have to stop thinking about this mystery! If this happens to me the next time I try and solve a mystery; I'm resigning from the BWGs.
Trixie looked at the clock: ten after three. The time just went by--without Trixie sleeping. Three thirty, four.
Trixie's eyes had just closed when suddenly she up in bed. It was five after four. I am not going to fall asleep tonight! No matter how hard I try--I just know I won't, Trixie thought. And gives me a good reason to go to Mrs. Elliot's house and investigate! I'll call Honey and tell her I think something's going on at Mrs. Elliot's. I'll tell I can't sleep and then she'll understand.
Trixie was in a second and down the stairs in two. She ran to the phone and dialed the Wheeler's number.
Three rings. Trixie heard the phone being picked up.
"Hello?" Honey asked.
"Honey," Trixie said. "It's me Trixie. Get dressed and meet me at the stable with your bike in ten minutes."
"Trixie," Honey said. "Why on earth?"
Trixie set the phone on the reciever to avoid any further conversation. We have to get there fast, Trixie thought. Her faint feeling had now turned an urgent pull. She knew something bad was happening at Mrs. Elliot's.
* * *
"Alright Trixie," Honey said as they started out on their bikes. "What's this all about?"
"I couldn't sleep all night," Trixie explained. "I kept thinking something was happening at Mrs. Elliot's. Then I just couldn't stand it so I called you and arranged to meet at the stable so we could check out Mrs. Elliot's. Okay?"
"Yeah," Honey said.
Max, Mrs. Elliot's nephew, had recently moved away to college. He came to visit once a month on the weekend and stayed all Summer.
They soon peddled up to the old blue spruce by the drive-way of Mrs. Elliot's home. The light was on in the kitchen. I wonder why anyone would be up at this time, Trixie thought. Honey looked at her with questioning eyes that told Trixie her friend was just as confused as herself. Trixie shrugged to show Honey she didn't know why the light was on.
The door of the small house opened and Trixie saw two figures exit. One of them waved and then went back inside. The other one came walking up the path to Mrs. Elliot's drive-way.
Trixie looked at Honey and they both dodged behind some brush that was luckily nearby the old spuce. They crouched down and waited until the man had driven away. Probably Abdu, Trixie thought.
Chapter 6-One or Two?
"Has anyone heard any news about Abdu?" Jim asked before he dismissed a club meeting the next day.
Honey looked at Trixie. Trixie made a face to say "Don't tell them. Not yet".
"Do you and Honey know something we don't?" Brian asked.
"Well," Trixie said. "I did manage to catch his license plate number."
"Really?!" Honey said. "What is it?"
"I'll write it down," Mart said taking a notepad and pencil off the shelf.
"It's kinda like a couple of words put together," Trixie explained. "EGYPAL."
"It sounds like Egypt pal," Di commented. The others nodded in agreement.
Suddenly a car pulled up to the clubhouse. Trixie hurried to the door to see who it was.
It's Abdu, Trixie thought. She looked at the license plate number. But this car says NYPAL. I wonder why? Trixie's thoughts were interupted by a sharp rap at the door. Trixie opened it and said:
"Hello Abdu. Please come in."
"I do think I will. I have much things to tell you."
Trixie led Abdu to her seat and unfolded an extra one for herself.
"Now," Trixie said. "I'm just dying to know what you have been wanting to tell us."
"Me, too!" Honey and Di said at the same time.
"I have come to ask you how to talk to Mrs. Elliot about this land thing," Abdu said. "I do nut want to talk to her about this in a way that would hut her. Nut a dear old lady like her."
"Well," Dan said. "You might begin by saying 'I once knew your husband. He was a nice man. Once I did something for him. He said there was no way to pay me back but to give me half of his land. I have come to claim it. I hope this does not mean you will not be making as much money.'"
"Yes," Abdu said. "I tink that wud be a good plan. Thank you alot. I hope I didn't bother you."
Abdu arose from his seat and went outside. Trixie made sure he was gone and then said: "I think Abdu's accent sounds a little different from what it did before. It was a bit deeper. Did you notice it?"
The six other BWGs stared at each other puzzled.
"I also noticed that he had a different license plate. Instean of EGYPAL it said NYPAL."
"Do you think there's two Abdus?" Di asked.
"I don't know," Trixie said. "But for now the question is 'One or two?'."
7-Mart's Story
Trixie slept well that night and slept in until eight thirty. She was usually up at seven.
"Trix-ie!" Moms called from the bottom of the stairs. "Breakfast is ready!"
Trixie sat up and rolled out of bed. "Com-ing!" she called back.
Trixie took off her pajamas and put jeans and a white T-shirt on. I have to dress comfortable if I'm going to do any mystery solving today, she thought.
Trixie quickly made her bed and hung her PJs on their hook behind her bedroom door. She ran a comb through her short, curly and sandy hiar and then she closed the door and ran down the steps.
The wonderful aroma of bacon and pancakes filled the air.
"Hi, Trix," Mart said. "Smell breakfast, uh? It'll taste better than it smells. But we can't eat until the table's set!" Mart shoved some silverware and napkins into Trixie's hands and then walked away. Trixie just stood there staring.
"C'm on, squaw!" he said pointing at the table that had plates set all around it.
"Mart," Trixie said. "Please pinch me."
"Whatever you say!" he said. He walked over to her and pinched hard on the elbow.
"OW!!" Trixie said. "I guess I wasn't dreaming. Mart, are you sure you feel alright?"
"Yeah, why?"
"You aren't using any big words--that's why."
"Well," Mart said. "I guess you could say because I wasted twenty-five dollars on something I didn't really need. And it's because of my big mouth."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you know how I went to Wimpy's last night?"
"Yeah, when you were supposed to be getting fertilizer for Moms."
"Well, I went up front to the counter and when a waiter came by I said: 'I would like some fuel. Tell me the price and I'll pay.' Well, at first he looked at me real weird. Then he went to the back of the store. When he came back he had a container of fuel in his hand. 'That'll be twenty-five dollars,' he said. I shook my head and told him, that I meant fuel as food--not as car fuel. He said that he wasn't going back to his car-- he was waiting on too many people. I told him that he could just set it on one of the counters but he said I told him what I wanted and that was what I was going to get. So I had to pay for it. That's the story! Satisfied?"
"Yes."
"Now go finish setting the table!"
"Okay."
* * *
After breakfast, Trixie called Honey to ask her come over.
"Sure!" Honey said.
She was at the Beldens' small farmhouse in less than ten minutes.
"Do you want to go and visit Mrs. Elliot and ask her how she's doing?" Honey asked.
"Of course I do!" Trixie said.
Just Moms's voice called from the kitchen: "Trixie! Time to do your chores! Then you can go do whatever you want. But be sure to be back before dark!"
"Okay, Moms!" Trixie called back. "Honey, I can't go right now, I have to my chores. Will you help? They get done twice as fast with two people."
"Sure!" Honey said. "I'd do anything to help anyone--but I like it even more when it means our mystery will be even closer to being solved!"
8-A Trip to Mrs. Elliot's
Trixie rang the doorbell of Mrs. Elliot's house. Trixie thought it had a beautilful ring.
Mrs. Elliot answered it at once.
"Trixie, Honey," she said. "Please come in."
After she had motioned for them to sit down at her dining-room table, she seated herself in-between the two girls.
"Would you like a cookie or two?" Mrs. Elliot asked the girls. "They just came out of the oven."
"Yes, please," Trixie said.
Mrs. Elliot went into the kitchen and brought out a large platter of freshly-baked oatmeal cookies.
"Now," Mrs. Elliot said. "Let's get down to buisiness."
"Well," Honey said. "We actaully came just to see how you were doing."
"That's very kind of you," Mrs. Elliot said. "But I'm doing just fine."
"We wanted to know if you have a pen-pal from Egypt, too," Trixie said.
"No," Mrs. Elliot said. "Where on Earth did you come up with that hogwash?"
"Well, we recently recieved a letter written by a man named Abdu. He said he knows you quite well and knew your husband even better," Trixie said.
"Oh my goodness," Mrs. Elliot said. "That's very scary. I didn't know Sam had anything to do with someone Egyptian! But why did you happen to tell me that?"
"Because he said that he owned half your land," Trixie said. "He said it had something to do with Sam."
Mrs. Elliot looked as if she might begin to burst out crying.
"This can't be true! Sam would never do that to me!"
Honey quickly changed the subject. "Did anyone you didn't know come to your house in the past few days?"
"Why, now that you happen to bring up the subject, yes. A man. Said his name was Mike."
"Why did he come to your house when he didn't even know you?" Trixie asked.
"He said he was lost and needed a map of Sleepy-Side."
"Did you give him one?" Honey asked.
"No," Mrs. Elliot asnwered. "I've never needed one. I was raised here, and know the county almost by heart.
"But I told him where to get one."
"Where?" Trixie and Honey said at the same time.
"At Mac's Sleepy-Side Memory Box. Why?"
"When does it close and open?" Honey asked.
"Closes at five and opens at eleven thirty. Why?"
"Oh, we just wanted to know," Honey said.
Trixie looked down at her watch. It was eleven fifteen.
"We really have to be going," Trixie said. "C'm on Honey.
"Oh, yeah, Mrs. Elliot--thanks for your cookies and all your help! Sorry to leave so abruptly but we really have to get going. Come Honey, we're going to be late!"
* * *
When Trixie and Honey were on the road, Honey asked: "What was that all about?"
"We have to get to Mac's before half past eleven. It's twenty after now."
"Why?"
"You'll see when we get there. I'm glad it's close to here. We should be there in about five minutes.
9-Mike
The girls pulled up to Mac's store just as a man was unlocking the doors.
Trixie saw a man dressed in blue jeans and a shirt that said: Yankees RULE!!
The girls went inside after the man did. Trixie figured it was Mike.
Trixie led Honey over to the section that had little toy men and boys from New York. They had toy baseball men dressed as players from the Yankees and Mets and several other baseball teams from New York.
They knew that they should be acting like tourists from another state.
"Wouldn't this be cute for Bobby?" Trixie asked, pointing to a Yankee baseball player.
"Yes," Honey said. "And wouldn't this little boy be a nice thing for Jimmy?"
Trixie giggled at the name Honey had chosen for Jim.
Just then a man walked over the girls. It wasn't Mike though. It was the man who had been unlocking the doors earlier.
"Hello young ladies," he said. "My name is John. May I help you with anything?"
"We're actually just here to look," Trixie said. "But if find something we like; we'll be sure to tell you."
"Alright," he said. John walked back over to the counter to wait until someone was going to buy something.
Just then the man in the Yankees shirt went over to the front counter.
"How much is this map?" he asked, showing the map to John.
"It's $2.12," John answered.
"I'd like to buy it," the man said as he pulled his wallet out of pocket.
"I need to know your name and address," John said.
"My name's Mike Blunder and I live in Atlantic City in New Jersey."
"I'd like to know your address."
"1500 Arctic Ave. Anything else you need to know? My job? How many kids I have? Am I married?"
"No," John answered. "I don't need you to answer any of those questions."
Mike left the small gift shop. He got into his car started the engine.
Trixie looked out the front window of the store and caught Mike's license plate number.
IT WAS NYPAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
10-Abdu or Mike?
"Honey," Trixie said. "We'd better hurry up and choose what we're going give to Bobby and Jimmy or we're going to be late."
"Late for what?" Honey asked, confused.
"Remember we're going to go to movies?"
"Oh, yeah," Honey said, now figuring out what was going on.
"I think I like this baseball player, did you choose anything?"
"I think this model of the Titanic is something Jimmy would like."
"Let's pay for them and get going," Trixie said as they walked over to the counter.
"We would like to buy these things for our brothers," Honey said as she set them on the counter. "How much are they?"
"They're $2.00 each so that'll be $4.24," John said. "Including tax."
The girls set their items on the counter and handed John the money. John put the girls' purchases in two small bags and handed them to them. "Have a nice day," he said.
"We will," Trixie called back.
"What was that all about?" Honey asked as they put their figurines in the basket of Trixie's bike.
"Come on," Trixie said. "Peddle as fast as you can. I'll tell when we get going. Just follow that blue Mercedes-Benz."
"Why the blue Mercedes?"
"Because that's Mike, otherwise known as 'Abdu.' "
"Trixie!"
"I've figured it out."
"Trixie! But how?"
"Well, Mike's the second Abdu."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Look at the license plate."
"NYPAL. What's that have to do with EGYPAL?"
"Remember I said the second license plate I saw was NYPAL? The one when the taller, deeper-voiced, came. When he knocked on the door, I caught his license number."
"Oh, yeah."
"Look! A red light! That'll give us time to catch up with him!"
The girls peddled as fast as they could. They finally caught up with him.
As soon as the light turned green, Mike swerved into the alley to the right. The girls had now entered the busy and dangerous city of Sleepyside.
Trixie and Honey made sharp turns around the corner. There was no side-walk for them to ride on.
There weren't any cars (except for Mike's) on the road, either. That, of course, made it safe to ride on.
The alley was very close. If three 6' 6" men stood arms' length apart, they could touch the old abandoned shops on either side of the road.
It was one of the most spooky places Trixie had ever seen. She knew that once, in the early 19-hundreds, the successful businesses had their stores here--but it was still a pretty spooky place.
Probably why he drove through here, Trixie thought. so no one would think of following him.
When they began to near the end of the alley, Mike put his right blinker on.
Honey looked at Trixie and Trixie looked at Honey.
Why hadn't Mike put his blinker on before turning into the alley?
11-Captured!
Mike turned right and then right again onto another alley. Soon he stopped at an old, gray building that Trixie could tell was abandoned years ago.
Trixie and Honey got off their bikes and wheeled them behind some bushes in a front yard. I'm sure glad nobody lives here, Trixie thought. Then we couldn't hide here.
After Mike had entered the building, the girls slowly stepped out of their hiding places. "Lets go look in the back window and see what's going on," Honey whispered to Trixie.
"No," Trixie whispered back. "We won't be able to see anything from the back. We have to look in the front window."
"Okay."
Trixie and Honey crawled over to the building and peered into the window. Whoa!! Trixie thought. Look at all those antiques. Someone could make a fortune out of them!
Honey was busy looking in the window, too. She was amazed at the sight of all the antiques. She had never seen so many together.
When Mike and another man who Trixie couldn't identify went up the stairs, Trixie motioned to Honey to come in the building with her. Honey nervously nodded her head and followed Trixie into the old building. Trixie had guessed it was a store because of the counter to the left. There was even antique cash register on it.
Honey shivered. It sure is creepy in here, she thought.
Suddenly Mike and Anonymous came running down the steps.
Trixie and Honey dodged behind the counter.
"Should we make off with the goods now in your truck or wait 'till dumorra?" Mike asked.
"Wait until tomorrow," replied Anonymous. "Then we'll have time to rob the bank."
"Okay. I got the Halloween masks ready to go."
"Good. We'll leave midnight."
The men went into the back room. Trixie looked at all the dust on the shelves behind the counter. She could tell Honey was doing the same.
Trixie saw Honey make a very odd face. Honey took a deep breath. Please don't let her sneeze! Trixie prayed. But her silent prayer was of no use. Honey sneezed. But to make matters worse, she sneezed a second time; that simply assured the thieves that there were spies in their hideout.
Mike and Anonymous came charging into the front room. "Come out!" Anonymous harshly shouted. "Come on! It'll be worse if I come looking for you!"
Trixie didn't budge. Honey followed her example.
"We're coming to find you!" shouted Mike.
They split up, looking around the front room for Trixie and Honey.
Mike found them in their hiding spot. "Hey, Berdie," he said. "Look who I found! The famous Trixie Belden and her partner in crime, Honey Wheeler! I was right; they're just a couple of 'fraidy cats', hiding from their fears! They're behind the counter!"
Berdie came running over to Mike. "The world-famous Trixie and Honey Wheeler! How do you like that? What should we do with them?" Berdie asked, pulling a gun out of his pocket.
Honey gasped.
"Now that they know our secret, we can't let them go and report it to the police. I think it would be best if we just threw 'em in the van wi' the antiques. What d'ya say, Berd?"
"That sounds best to me," Berdie said. "I'll throw 'em in the closet while load up the van and then we'll throw the brats in, too."
"Okay," Mike said, picking up the cash register.
Berdie came and grabbed Honey by the arm. Trixie could see her frail body shaking with fear. Trixie saw a lone tear slip down Honey's cheek. Her eyes read: Trixie, do something!
Suddenly Berdie came and grabbed Trixie's arm, too.
He dragged both girls to a small storage closet in the back room and slammed and locked the door.
"Trixie," Honey quivering voice whispered. "I'm so scared. How are we going to escape?"
Trixie looking around the closet. Their only hope was a window in the corner. If only it was lower, Trixie thought. I estimate it's about twelve feet above the ground.
"Oh, Trixie," Honey whispered. "If only we could reach the window."