rated * mild profanity, violence, adult themes
The Rival
by Laws
Prologue
A cat scampered across the alley and hid behind some overflowing garbage cans. 26-year-old Trixie Belden walked up the alley listening carefully. All her instincts were telling her something wasn’t right with the scene, but she couldn’t put her finger on what exactly was wrong.
A man appeared suddenly from a side alley. It was who she was meant to meet. As Trixie approached him, there was a sudden movement to her right. Realising the danger at the last minute, she started to pull her gun from its holster, but it was too late. The gun dropped out of her hand as the knife sunk itself into her shoulder.
Chapter One
A couple of hours later, Trixie sat in a small cubicle in the emergency room at Sleepyside General Hospital. She had been assessed, and was now waiting on the doctor to come back and stitch her wound up.
Beside her sat her policing partner, Dan Mangan. He was absolutely fuming about Trixie’s injury. He and Trixie had been working on this case for months, and when it finally looked like they had a breakthrough, it turned out to be a setup, and now Trixie was injured.
“I think I am going to find one informant and do some serious damage to him,” he muttered darkly.
Trixie regarded him fondly. Dan was sixteen when he was first bought to Sleepyside by his uncle to live with Mr Maypenny and help patrol the reserve. At that time he had been on the verge of going to Juvenile Detention because of his involvement with a street gang. Despite them initially getting off on the wrong foot, they were now the best of friends, spending time with each other outside of work, despite being policing partners. He had become the final member of the Bob-Whites of the Glen. Also in the group were Trixie’s two older brothers, Brian and Mart; her best friend Honey Wheeler; Honey’s step brother, Jim Frayne, and another close friend of Trixie’s, Diana Lynch.
“Dan, he’s probably gone down the deepest darkest rat hole he can find by now,” she told him “You will have to give him at least six months before he will surface again.”
Dan grunted sourly.
“Did you find anything or anyone else down there?” she asked
“Nope! Hopefully the knife has some prints on it, but I don’t like our odds,” he replied.
Trixie looked at him for a few moments. There was something else he was holding back on.
“Okay, Mangan, spill it. Something’s eating you,” she told him.
Dan sighed. He’d never been able to hide anything from Trixie. After they had solved their initial conflict, Trixie had always been able to read him like a book.
“I think we have a leak within the force, Trix. It’s not the nicest feeling when you suspect one of your own,” he replied quietly.
Trixie frowned. “Do you have any ideas of who?” she asked.
“A few, but this isn’t the place to talk about it. Besides, here comes the doc and the rest of your family.”
Chapter Two
Trixie Belden was the only daughter of Peter and Helen Belden. Her eldest brother Brian was three years older than her and was the odd one out of the family, taking after their father with his dark wavy hair. Mart, who was 11 months older than his sister, Trixie, and their youngest brother Bobby, all had blonde curly hair and big blue eyes. Mart still kept his hair trimmed short, but Bobby had discovered that girls loved curls, and he had gotten to that age. Trixie’s hair was now quite long, but she kept it tied back out of her face.
Trixie was not quite as impulsive as she was as a teenager. Training had taught her to stop to think before jumping into a situation. She was one of the police force’s best detectives, and had literally had a meteoric rise through the ranks. For the past two years she had been paired with Dan for detective work.
Trixie pushed a stray hair back from her face as she sank into the cosy seat in the lounge room at Crabapple Farm. She reflected on the conversation that she had with Dan at the hospital about there being a leak in the police force. Dan wouldn’t say anything unless he was absolutely certain. She knew that. She sat puzzling, while she sipped at a steaming cup of tea. Of all their colleagues, there was only one that she didn’t like, Detective Steve Acheron. There was just something about him that made all the hairs on Trixie’s neck stand up. She sat thinking deeply. From what she could discern there was not blemish on his record. In fact he had received quite a few commendations. She debated whether it was her dislike of him that made her think that he was a leak or whether she could be right. Her reflections were interrupted by the door bell ringing. Darn! she thought, as she struggled to get off of the couch. Her shoulder was getting better, but it was still difficult to do much with it.
As she opened the door, she groaned inwardly. Standing at the door was none other than Steve Acheron. She forced a smile to her face. “Hi, Steve. What are you doing all the way out here?”
“I came to see if our number one detective is okay,” he replied
“I’m fine and so is the shoulder. Actually your timing is great, Dan should be here soon,” she told him, secretly hoping that the mention of Dan’s name would get rid of him.
“Oh, I didn’t realise that you two socialise outside of work,” he responded a little stiffly.
“We were just going to go over some case notes.” She watched him closely. “We just thought we would take a look and see if we’ve missed anything on this case. We think there might be a leak in the police department,” she told him.
It was almost imperceptible, but Trixie was watching Steve close enough to see it, a slight tightening of his jaw, but it made Trixie positive she had found the culprit.
Chapter Three
“I’m telling you Dan, our ‘leak’ is Steve,” Trixie said emphatically a couple of hours later.
Dan ran his hand through his hair. He was tired. He had lost a lot of sleep trying to work out who had set Trixie up. She was one of the most respected and loved members on the local police force. He knew a lot of the young female rookies looked up to Trixie and sought to be like her. ‘Who would have wanted her dead?’ was the question that kept him awake at night.
“No, Trixie, you’re wrong. He wouldn’t do that. I’ve known Steve a long time, we did our training together. He isn’t like that,” Dan replied stubbornly. “Why would he want to hurt you?”
“I don’t know. I can just tell you what I saw. I deliberately let slip that we thought that there was an informant in the station, and it was barely perceptible, but I saw it. He clenched his jaw, just slightly. And don’t tell me it was my imagination, Daniel Mangan, because it wasn’t.”
“You just don’t like him because he is hanging around all the time,” Dan answered. “Just because he gives you the creeps doesn’t mean that he is ratting on us.” He added the last part firmly.
“Dan, you’ve always trusted my instincts before, why are you ignoring me now?”
“Because I think you are letting the fact that you dislike Steve cloud your judgement,” he told her. “I’ve not seen anything of Steve to suggest to me what you are. What about Jack Simpson?”
Trixie shook her head. “He doesn’t have the mental power to be a double agent. I’m telling you, Dan, Acheron is our man.”
Dan reached out and jokingly punched Trixie on the jaw.
Trixie glared at him.
“Settle down, kiddo.”
“Dan, please listen to me,” she begged.
“No, Trixie. Not this time.”
Trixie gave up trying to convince Dan, but decided that she was going to do some checking in her spare time.
Honey Wheeler sat at her desk, concentrating on the latest dress design she was creating. Suddenly she crumpled the paper up and threw it in the bin. The neckline just wasn’t right. After careful consideration, Honey had decided that the police force wasn’t for her, and had followed her love of design. She was now one of the most popular designers in the country, and her creations had seen more than one red carpet premiere event. Despite all of her fame, she was still down to earth. She still lived at home in the Manor House with her parents, and was engaged to her best friend’s brother, Brian. She pulled out another piece of paper, and started sketching in a neckline, looking up as someone entered her office.
“Hey, babe. How’s Trixie?”
“I love that. You haven’t seen me much over the last couple of days, and when you do, you ask how my sister is, and not me,” Brian answered
“I’m sorry. How are you?”
“Good. And in answer to your first question, my sister is doing fine. You know what she is like; she heals fast and never stops.”
“I know. I wish I healed as quickly as her. Has Dan forgiven himself yet?”
“Nope, he still blames himself. I rather suspect that Dan likes Trixie a little more than he admits, even to himself,” Brian told her.
“Well, here’s a surprise, I think your sister is the same. I am hoping that Dan being the best man at our wedding and Trixie being the maid of honour may be a good thing. Speaking of which, have you heard from the caterers at all?”
“They rang me this morning. Finally. It’s all sorted.”
“Thank goodness. I was starting to worry,” Honey told him. “What about your suits?”
“All done. Maybe I should be asking you about the dresses?” Brian teased.
“We have a fitting on Tuesday. Di wasn’t able to organise time off until then. You know how successful her childcare centre is. It is the most popular in town.”
Diana Lynch had decided to open a childcare centre in town, not far from where she lived in a townhouse with Brian and Trixie’s brother; Mart. Mart was now the second in charge at the agritourism centre in town.
“I think we have got all those particulars out the way now,” Brian told Honey, coming around the desk. “Are you doing anything really important?”
“Not really,” she replied, making a face “I simply can’t get this neckline to work. Why?”
“Well, it is just that I’ve heard a few interesting things about desks and work and the like.”
“What sort of things?” Honey asked with an innocent look.
“Let me show you,” he answered, pulling her up out of the chair she was sitting and, and kissing her deeply.
Chapter 4
“How’s your shoulder?” Honey asked Trixie a couple of days later, as they were trying on the dresses for the last time before her wedding.
“It’s fine,” Trixie replied “Just as well you didn’t go for the strapless design, though,” she added wryly.
Honey burst into peals of laughter.
“Getting you into a dress was one thing, but getting you into a strapless gown that is something else altogether. I must have known something, though, when I designed it.”
“It’s perfect, Honey, and Brian’s eyes are going to pop out of his head when he sees you in your dress.”
“I certainly hope so,” Honey replied. She paused before adding, “I think that Dan may have to same problem when he sees you.”
Trixie snorted “Yeah, right. I swear he still thinks of me as thirteen years old. Besides, it isn’t really like that. We are just friends.”
Honey wisely let the subject drop. Despite Trixie’s answer confirming her suspicions, she realised that in her present mood Trixie was not likely to want to talk about it. Amy and Diana came in at that moment anyway, so nothing else could be said.
The four girls were buzzing with excitement over Honey’s designs. Honey’s dress was off-white, with a square neckline. It had cap sleeves and a princess hemline. The bodice was heavily beaded, and the overskirt was of lace. Trixie, Di, and Amy wore dresses that were similar, yet different. Trixie’s bodice was the same design as Honey’s, but the skirt was straight. Honey knew Trixie was not one for dresses; in fact, Trixie had always preferred pants to skirts, and had kept her dress very simple. Di and Amy’s dresses were strapless, and had a fuller skirt, similar to Honey’s dress, except theirs were beaded, rather than having lace on them. All three dresses were of a navy blue organza.
“Are you nervous, Honey?” Amy asked her
“I’m fine at the moment. But if you ask me in two weeks' time, I may have a different answer,” Honey replied, “I think Brian is more nervous.”
“That he is, Honey. He is afraid that you will leave him standing at the altar,” Trixie told her. “I know you won’t. It’s sickening the way you two dote on each other. He absolutely adores you, and I know he is looking forward to Jim being his brother-in-law. Whether you are so eager to be related to us Belden’s is another matter.”
Honey laughed at her future sister-in-law. “Now, you know I can’t wait to be related to you all. I always wanted a sister, and now I have one, and fairly shortly I should have two more, I think. And another two brothers, that will be nice too. Speaking of which, what’s Bobby up to now a days? I hardly see him anymore.”
“You know Bobby. He’s a sports nut, and he has discovered girls. He’s just managed to work out that we don’t have germs,” Trixie answered.
The rest of the girls burst into laughter.
“Oh, Trix, you’re the best,” Honey said, wrapping her arms around her.
“Hey, Dan, Jim!” Brian and Mart called out, as they walked up the steps of the Manor House
“Are the girls back, and have you seen my wayward younger brother,” Mart added
“No, but they should be back soon,” Jim answered. “I think they were having lunch after their dress fittings. Honey and the others are driving me nuts. All they did this morning was giggle. I didn’t think your sister was capable of giggling.”
“I have a distinct feeling that they know a lot more about us than we really need to know,” Mart answered
“You know that Honey and Trixie have no secrets, don’t you, Brian? I, unfortunately, happened to overhear some of their conversation this morning, and there was something mentioned about desks and work.” Jim grinned as Brian went bright red. “I got out of there as quick as I could after that. Sometimes there are things that you just don’t want to know. Which brings me to a point; Hurt my sister and watch out!”
“I certainly don’t plan to do anything like that, Jim. You know me better than that. I am marrying Honey until death do us part.”
“I know, but I had to do the expected thing.”
“You’re pretty quiet this morning, Dan. What’s eating you?” Mart commented. “Have you worked out who knifed Trix?”
Dan’s face darkened, “No, and when I do we are going to have a few words.” He paused briefly, debating about how much he could reveal to his friends. “I think we have a rat in the station. We were set up by someone. Trixie thinks it is Steve Acheron, but I’m not so sure. I’ve known Steve a long time. Problem is I’ve never known Trixie’s gut instinct to be wrong, not in all the time that I’ve known her. The worst part of it all is that I did my training with Steve, and besides that, I can’t find anything to support what Trixie thinks.”
Mart frowned. “She told us that she was in the wrong place at the wrong time, not that she had been set up.”
“I guess she didn’t want to worry you. She found out about my suspicions not long after she got knifed. She figured out that something was bothering me, and told me to spill it while we were waiting for the doctor to come back to stitch her shoulder up. Just keep it under your hat. I shouldn’t have told you what I have. Besides, here are the girls back.”
Chapter 5
It was the day before Brian and Honey’s wedding and Trixie sat at her desk, checking into some old case records. They had hit the wall with the investigation into her knifing, and had decided to put it aside for a little while.
“Hi, Trixie.”
Trixie grimaced as she turned to face Steve Acheron at her office door.
“Hi Steve. How are you today?” she answered as politely as she could. Even though she couldn’t stand the man, she was always polite to him rather than cause any problems at the station.
“Good, good, good. What are you doing tomorrow?” he asked.
“It’s my brother’s wedding tomorrow, as I have told you every day this week.” she replied, trying to keep from yelling at him.
“Oh, what about the next day?”
“Steve, I have told you so many times, I am not interested in a relationship. I am too busy focussing on my career. How many more times do I have to tell you that?” Her patience was starting to desert her, and her voice was rising.
“Trixie, can I have a word with you, please?” a voice came from behind Steve Acheron.
“Yes, sir, here or in your office?” she replied to her boss Captain Teal.
“Here’s fine. Will you please excuse us, Steve?” It was not a request.
“Oh, yes, sorry, boss,” Steve answered, as the burly captain stepped in front of him and shut the door.
“Thanks for that. What’s up?”
“Nothing. You just looked like you were going to punch Steve in the nose,” he answered with a smile.
Trixie sighed. “He just won’t take no for an answer. I have told him so many times over the past couple of months, plus every day this week.”
“I’ll have a chat with him.” He changed the subject, “How's that shoulder of yours going? I would have spoken to you earlier, but we seem to be in the middle of a crime spree, and I haven’t had a chance.”
“Good. The physical therapist is happy with my progress, although it is generally stiff in the mornings. John, can you please do me a favour?”
“Depends on the favour.”
“Can you please do a bit of investigating on Acheron for me? I think he is ratting us out to someone. I can’t shake the feeling that he is somehow involved in this crime spree, and me getting stabbed,” she explained.
John Teal gave his top detective a long look.
“Okay, missy, you are going to have to give me more than just a feeling. You know I can’t go investigating people on a whim,” he told her crisply
“I can’t really give you much more than that, unfortunately. There are a few things he has let slip that don’t quite add up. Dan won’t even consider what I am suggesting. I think he is in denial because he did his training with Steve.”
John Teal sat for a few minutes thinking deeply. He, too, had a few suspicions about Steve Acheron, and a few of his other senior detectives had come to see him about investigating him, including young Danny Mangan. Obviously Dan had felt that Trixie was in danger, and had uncharacteristically chosen not to tell his policing partner that he had been to see their captain. He might have been nearing retirement, but he wasn’t dumb. He privately suspected that Daniel Mangan and Trixie Belden had feelings for one another, but they were both in denial.
“Okay, I will see what I can do, Trixie. In the meantime, you better get out of here. Your brother is getting married tomorrow, and as I recall you are meant to be on leave for the next fortnight.”
Trixie grinned at him. “Aye, aye, boss.”
John smiled at Trixie and headed back to his own office. Once there, he sat down at his desk and picked up the phone and dialled the number of his old friend.
“Ah, yes, Can I please speak to Jeff Lindstrom?”
Chapter 6
Trixie was nervous. She was the first one to have to walk down the aisle, in front of Amy, Di and Honey. Honey, on the other hand, looked serene. She looked absolutely stunning too. Her long golden brown hair, which had earned her the nickname of Honey, had been swept to the side, cascading down over one shoulder.
Trixie had gasped after she had helped Honey into her dress. “You look beautiful, Honey.”
“Do I really? I hope so.”
“You do, honestly. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to go to the toilet again!”
Honey laughed at her friend.
“Anyone would think that you were the one getting married, not me.”
“It’s okay for you. You have both of your parents there to catch you if you trip. I’m certain I am going to trip on this dress and land face first on the ground.”
Di and Amy joined in the laughter, along with Honey’s mother.
“Go, and hurry. It is nearly time to start,” Mrs Wheeler told her.
Just as Trixie got back into Honey’s room, where they had been getting organised, Miss Trask popped her head around the corner. She was no longer Miss Trask, but Mrs Lytell. She had married the nosey old shopkeeper about eight years ago, but she still managed the Manor House Estate while Mr Lytell ran the shop on Old Glen Road.
“They are just about ready for you, Honey. They are going to start the music soon, so we had better head down stairs.”
“Thank you, Margery.” Mrs Wheeler said with a smile. “Are you ready, my darling?”
“Yes, Mum, I think I am.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
They filed out to the front door of the house. As they stood out of sight, the first few notes of the music started. Trixie took a deep breath and stepped onto the path.
What did I do, before the day I set my eyes on you?
Spending my time, just working at the things I had to do.
But then I saw your face, I was captured heart and soul
You gave me so much moreTrixie started to walk down the path toward the platform where Brian was waiting for her best friend, along with Mart, Jim and Dan.
You’re the reason why, tears fill my eyes
And I steal the softest kisses while you sleep
You’re the reason why, I lost this heart of mine
At the very moment you arrivedAs Trixie rounded the curve in the path, she looked up and saw her brothers, and Jim and Dan waiting. Brian looked nervous, but gave her a smile. Mart had tears in his eyes, as did Jim. She looked at Dan. He looked grave, as he normally did, but there was no sign of emotion there at all. Di and Amy were not far behind her, as Trixie mounted the steps and took her place. An expectant hush fell over the crowd as Honey came around the curve with her parents. Trixie looked up at her eldest brother as she heard him inhale sharply at the sight of his bride. She could clearly see the tears in his eyes. Of all the girls her brother could have chosen, he had chosen Honey, and Trixie knew that she was a perfect match for him.
As she reached the altar with her parents, the celebrant stepped forward and asked the age old question “Who gives this woman to be wed?” With a proud look on their faces, both Matthew and Madeleine Wheeler answered in unison that they did. The celebrant reached out and helped Honey up the steps to face her groom on the altar.
The huge lounge room on the second floor of the Manor House had been transformed for the event. Pale lavender roses were on every table, and there were matching ribbons and balloons on the roof. Brian had asked their younger brother Bobby to be the MC for the night. Bobby was in his element. He had retained that cheekiness he had as a child, and was cracking jokes about his older brother and his new sister-in-law.
After dinner and the speeches had been finished, it was time for the bridal waltz. Once Honey and Brian had been dancing for a few minutes, Bobby called the rest of the bridal party up onto the dance floor.
“You dance really well, Dan,” Trixie complimented him. “Where on earth did you learn?”
“Oh, I just picked it up here and there,” he replied
“I wish I could dance as well as you. I seem to have two left feet.”
Dan laughed softly at her. “I’ve noticed. You’ve already stepped on my toes a couple of time.”
Trixie went red. “Sorry,” she mumbled.
“Don’t worry. That’s nothing to other things you have done to me while we’ve been working.”
“Oh, like what. I’m always nice to you.”
“What about the time you punched me in the arm that day?”
“Ha, you deserved it. Like you deserve those sore toes you have now,” she told him
“Touché,’” he responded.
After Dan, she danced with her three brothers and Jim. After dancing with Jim, she excused her self to the toilet.
When she came out, she happened to glance the way of the bride and groom, who were sharing a private moment. Tears came to Trixie’s eyes, and seeing that one of the doors had been opened for the huge veranda, she hurried outside.
She stood outside for a while, taking some deep breaths to calm herself down. “Will I ever be able to do that?” she asked herself. “Maybe I shouldn’t have rejected Steve, what if my feeling is wrong?”
Dan stood in the lounge room, looking around for Trixie. He had been blown away by how beautiful she had looked this afternoon. His breath had almost been taken away when she stepped around that curve. He could no longer deny it to himself; he was in love with Trixie Belden. As he turned, he saw her familiar silhouette out on the balcony. The moon light on the nape of her neck made her skin look almost translucent. He went out to her.
“Trix?” he murmured softly.
She whirled around in surprise. It was rare anyone could creep up on her, but she had been lost in her thoughts.
Anything Dan was going to say died on his lips. He had never seen Trixie look so vulnerable, except the day Bobby had been caught in the cave and the catamount was prowling around. He owed his life to this girl. If it hadn’t been for her, he would have probably been rotting in jail.
A single tear coursed its way down her cheek. Dan reached out, cupped her face in his hand, and gently wiped the tear away with is thumb. Almost mesmerised, he gently pulled her closer, leant down and kissed her.
“Brian, do you know where your wayward brother and Di are?--and your sister and Dan, for that matter?” Honey asked her husband.
“Well, I’d say Mart is off proposing to Di as we speak. And as for Trixie and Dan, I’d say the question of will they or won’t they has finally been answered.” He nodded in the direction of his best friend and his sister, who were standing on the balcony kissing.
“It would appear so,” Honey replied. “It’s about time, for both them, and for Mart and Di. Di was beginning to despair of him.”
“I know. He knew that too. He would have asked her earlier, but there was something else he was waiting on to happen.”
“What?”
“I think I had better leave that to Mart to tell everyone. I’ve already spoilt one of his secrets.” Brian told her.
Chapter 7
“Are you okay, Trixie?” Dan asked her softly, still holding her in his arms.
“Yes. I am now,” she breathed. “I thought you only wanted me as a friend? Is that still the case?”
“I kept telling myself that was all I felt for you. How stupid was I. When I saw you coming down that path, I wished that I was Brian, and that it was us getting married. I couldn’t deny it any longer. I love you. I have for a long time.”
“I love you, too, Dan. At least I can now tell Steve that I am involved with someone.” Dan frowned, tightening his arms around her.
“Dan, what’s up?”
“Just be really careful around him. I think you might be right. There are a few too many details not adding up about him. I spoke to John about him yesterday, and asked him to look into him a bit. He didn’t seem too keen.”
“I spoke to John, too, Dan. He didn’t mention that you had spoken to him. He is going to investigate him. I got the strong sense from John that we weren’t the only people to say something to him. He didn’t say anything to that effect though.”
“I asked him not to say anything to you. Trixie, promise me that you will be careful of him. Try not to leave yourself open to any danger or anything.”
“Is it that serious, Dan, or are you just being protective?”
“I am being protective, but it has nothing to do with being in love with you. We are policing partners first, and you know I wouldn’t say what I have said without any reason.”
Trixie leant back and looked into his eyes. “Okay, Dan.” She smiled impishly. “What a totally unromantic conversation this is. Here you are meant to whispering sweet nothings in my ear and instead you are warning me that I could be in danger.”
“Ha ha ha. Is this better?” He leant forward and whispered, “Sweet nothings, sweet nothings.”
Trixie cracked up. “Good one, Mangan.”
She punched him on the arm
“I give up,” he said, pretending to be hurt. “I do as you say, and you reward me by punching me. Come here.” He pulled her to him and kissed her again.
“I think we had better go in before we are missed,” she said almost regretfully after they had pulled apart.
“Too late, my younger sibling,” Mart announced coming out onto the veranda, followed by Di. “And pray tell, what is happening out here?” he asked in a lofty voice
“What does it look like, Belden?” Dan asked him
“My optical orbs saw a certain person canoodling with my little sister.”
“Mart, will you talk in English please,” Trixie begged
“He’s only teasing you, Trix,” Di told her quietly. “It’s his way of hiding his emotions, because he is happy for you. Aren’t you, Mart?” Di turned to him.
“Well, instead of saying things the long way, just tell us straight, Mart,” Trixie said, and then changed the subject. “Didn’t Honey look gorgeous tonight?”
“Most definitely. I’m sure Di will look just as radiant on our wedding,” he replied.
“What?” Trixie glanced at Di’s hand. Sure enough, there was a glittering ring on her left hand. “Finally, Mart! See, Di, I told you he would get around to it one day. Can I have a look at your ring? Oooh, I can hardly wait. Another sister!”
Chapter 8
A week or two later, Trixie sat at her desk working on her computer. She glanced at the clock on the wall. 10.30pm. Dan should be here soon, she thought to herself.
She looked back at her screen notes. She was just about to scroll down the page when something she had written in her notes caught her eye. ‘Victim identified S. Acheron in line up. Despite repeated questions about if they were sure, were still adamant that S. Acheron was the perpetrator.’ Thinking rapidly now, she quickly stood up and went to the filing cabinet in the corner of the office. After a few minutes she found the case files she had been looking for. Again the victim had identified Steven Acheron as the assailant. Not only that, that victim had later been found dead along the Hudson River. The next file read the same, and that victim had been bashed quite severely, enough to put him in intensive care for a week. She lifted the receiver of the phone on her desk, and dialled Dan’s mobile number.
“Dan, it’s Trix.”
“What’s up? I’m just about to leave home.”
“The missing link is Acheron. I’ve got a couple of files here in front of me, where the victim identified Acheron as the perpetrator in a couple of incidents. I’m not sure why it escaped me before.”
“Just stay where you are, Trixie, I’m leaving now,” Dan told her.
“Okay, Miss Nosey. Put down the phone to lover boy, and get up. Take your guns off.” A gun pushed in her back. “Don’t make any sudden moves; make sure you remove all of the guns, including the one on your thigh.”
Trixie put the phone down.
“How did…?”
“Just do it!” he barked, pushing the gun even harder into her back .
“You know Dan will be here soon, don’t you?” Trixie said, trying to stall for time
“So? Your pretty little lover boy doesn’t worry me. He’ll be quite happy to comply when I threaten to slit your throat. Besides I think he is going to have a few car problems.” He laughed cruelly.
Trixie began to remove her guns. As she did, she felt her mobile phone vibrate on the side of her hip. Disguising the movement as one to remove the gun on her back, she pressed the talk button, praying it was Dan.
The line went dead. Dan stared at his mobile phone for a minute with a sick feeling in his stomach. There was no doubt in his mind that the voice he had heard was Steve Acheron’s. Remembering that Trixie usually kept her mobile on vibrate alert, and the key tones turned off, he rang her mobile. It picked up immediately, but Trixie didn’t answer. Dan surmised that she had answered it, but wasn’t able to talk without giving away what she was doing. He heard her voice though.
“What have you done to Dan’s car?” she demanded, though her voice was shaky.
“I didn’t say that I did anything. I’m just saying that he may have a hard time stopping his car,” Steve Acheron replied. “Now move.”
“Okay, Steve, I’m going. Where to?”
“Your car. You drive.”
Dan was thinking rapidly now, all the while listening to the conversation at the other end of the phone. Obviously Steve had tampered with the brakes on his car, so he had to rethink his plans. John Teal only lived around the corner from him, so he started to head there as quickly as he could, without making any noise on the end of the phone that would alert Steve to the fact that Trixie had the phone on.
John Teal was sitting back enjoying his favourite TV show when he heard a knock at the front door of his house. He was surprised; it was 11pm at night. Drawing his gun, he went to the front door, looked out of the peephole, and saw Daniel Mangan standing there. He frowned. Something was obviously wrong; otherwise he wouldn’t be standing on his front step. He opened the door quietly. As he faced the young detective, his words died on his lips as Dan held this finger to his mouth to indicate silence, and then handed the phone over to the older man.
“Where are you going to do to me, Steve?” Trixie’s clear voice came over the phone.
“I don’t know. Maybe I will just take you somewhere and do something to keep you quiet permanently. Turn right at this road here.”
“Which one?”
“The one just there, with the shrub in front of it,” Steve told her impatiently
“Okay.”
Handing the phone back to Dan, he started to swear fervently under his breath. He hadn’t seen this coming. He hadn’t even heard from his old friend Jeff Lindstrom who worked in Internal Affairs. There had been several hints that something wasn’t right with Steve Acheron, but nothing that seemed too out of the ordinary. Obviously he had missed a lot of things about the man, and that knocked him big time. Now one of his best detectives was in grave danger because he hadn’t seen what the other officers in his station had. He looked up suddenly as Dan started swearing sulphurously.
“The phone just cut out. I’m guessing they’re out of range.”
“Okay, I’m guessing Steve has got Trixie. What the hell happened?” John Teal asked crisply, putting aside his own worry for a moment.
“Trixie rang me to tell me that she had finally found what she had been after. We were talking and all of the sudden I heard Steve’s voice. Not long after she hung up the phone because he told her to.” Dan took a deep breath and told his boss what had transpired over the past thirty minutes, as John made a coffee for them both.
“At least we have a bit of a break,” said John, “We know roughly where they have headed. They are about half an hour out of town, and they have headed up a side road. There aren’t many roads or houses out that way. We also know that the side road was on the right, and that there was a shrub around the sign post. Let me change and we’ll head down to the station.”
John quickly changed into his uniform, and the two men were just about to head out the door when the phone rang. Glancing at the younger officer, John went back in to answer the phone. It was his friend Jeff Lindstrom. His face grew darker as his friend filled him in on his investigations. After a few moments he hung up the phone.
“Let’s go,” he said tersely, “I’ll fill you in on the way there.”
About ten minutes up the dirt road that Steve had made Trixie turn up, he told her to turn left into a narrow driveway. She followed the driveway up to a rundown on house, and stopped. As she turned the car off, she pulled her mobile off her hip, and dumped it on the floor, disguising that action as best she could.
“Now get out of the car, and don’t even think about running away. Remember, I’ve got my gun on you.” He came around to the left side of the car, and grabbed her arm roughly. “Move.” He pushed her toward the house, then dragged her inside, and then tied her up in a chair. “Now we are going to do some talking, about being a sticky nose.”
Trixie was calm as she faced Steve Acheron
“Why did you do it, Steve?” she asked
“You really don’t get it, do you? I’ve always been the one who just missed out promotions. 'You do a good job, Steve, but we have decided to give the job to Mr Mangan', 'Sorry, we can’t give you a pay rise this month', 'Sorry, I don’t want to go out with you, Dan has just asked me'. Then I found that there was money in the seedier side of life. It was a perfect way to do business. I could hide what I was doing, because I was a police officer. Not even your stupid lover boy worked out what I was up to. But you just wouldn’t let it go.”
“So you went over to crime, just because of Dan?”
“Not only that. There is more money to be made. Plus there are other benefits too.”
“Like what?”
“I never had to get my hands dirty. Like Dan’s car for instance.”
“You got someone else to cut the brake lines.”
“I had other things to do, like take his woman.”
Suddenly, Trixie understood, and it scared her. It wasn’t her he was after; he was trying to get back at Dan, for everything he perceived Dan to have taken from him. Steve approached her, and stroked her face. “I’ve always wondered what you would be like. I reckon you would be a little hellcat.” He slipped his hand down her top, and stroked the skin of her breast. “A real little hellcat,” he murmured, his head against hers.
Oh Dan, where are you? she thought desperately.
Chapter 9
Dan sat in the office of John Teal. He had his head in his hands. He was desperately worried about Trixie, and the information that his boss had imparted on their way down to the station, had done little to relieve his fears. John Teal looked at Dan sympathetically.
“Dan, I’m sure we’ll find her. Have you spoken to her family yet?”
“No, there hasn’t even been time. How can I face them and tell them that she has been kidnapped? They’ll blame me for it.”
“Daniel Mangan, I’ve known the Beldens for years, and I have also known Trixie for years. That girl can get herself in enough trouble without any help from anyone else. Her parents know that too. They won’t blame you for it. I promise,” John Teal told him firmly, and then added gently, “Besides, they know as well as I do, and the rest of the town for that matter, that you and Trixie love each other and you wouldn’t let anything like that happen deliberately.”
Dan looked up, startled at his boss’s comment.
“Is it that obvious?”
“Yep, now come on. There isn’t much we can do here, and Page and O’Connell have got the situation in hand.”
Dan took a deep breath and rang the door bell at Crabapple Farm. He was not looking forward to what he had to tell the Beldens. John Teal stood beside him. He wasn’t much looking forward to having to tell the Beldens that their daughter had been kidnapped either. He hated giving families bad news at the best of times, and now it was one of his own. He shook himself mentally as the door opened.
“John, Dan.” Peter Belden answered the door. “Come in, Trixie isn’t home yet.” He looked at Dan. “Oh, I’m guessing that is why you are both here.”
Dan nodded silently.
“Let’s sit down, Peter, and talk. Is Helen home? I think she should hear this too,” John said.
“Everyone is home, including Brian and Honey, actually. Brian decided that they should stay here for the night for some reason. I’ll go and get them all. We may as well hear it altogether.”
John nodded.
Once all of the Beldens were assembled, John filled them in on the situation.
Bobby whistled softly when he had finished. “Trixie never could stand that bloke,” he told everyone
“I know,” John replied
“Do you know why he did it?” Honey asked
“To get back at me,” Dan answered suddenly. He had been quiet during the time John was talking, and now he had to tell them something of what else had set Steve off. “I’ve always just pipped him at the post on just about everything. The only way he sees he can get to me is to take Trixie from me. I’m guessing that he has been watching us. He kept asking Trixie to go out with him, but she kept refusing, saying that she was not interested in a relationship. Then all of the sudden she’s with me, I’m guessing that is what pushed him over the edge. I’m sorry that I’ve put Trixie in the position she is in.” He quickly rose and walked out of the room, with tears in his eyes.
“I’ll go,” Honey told everyone quietly, getting up and following Dan out of the house.
“He’s pretty upset about it all,” John told the Beldens. “He’s head over heels about your daughter, and now that they’ve finally sorted things out between them, it’s seems to have hit him pretty hard.”
“We know, John,” Peter replied. “It’s not his fault. Trixie can normally get herself into these fixes without any help. Is there anything else that we need to know?”
“Not that I can think of. Just try and stay alert and positive. Trixie has given us a pretty good idea of where she is. She is one smart cookie, I’ll give her that. Not many of my officers would think to do what she has. When I get back, I’m going to call all of my people in, and set them onto finding your daughter.”
“Dan?” Honey asked, softly, coming out onto the back veranda. She could see him leaning up against one of the poles, staring off to the horizon. Dan didn’t answer. Honey came up and touched him gently on the arm. “Dan, are you okay?”
“Sorry Honey. I don’t want to be rude, but...”
“Don’t be sorry, Dan. We’re all worried about Trixie. But you have to be positive. If you give in to despair, how is that going to help her?”
“You’re right, like you normally are,” Dan replied, “But it doesn’t make it any easier. If only I had been ten minutes earlier, it wouldn’t have happened.”
“Beating yourself over the head isn’t going to help, either. What if he had have been ten minutes earlier, too, or tenminutes later? Think, Dan, you’ve known this Steve bloke for a long time, where do you think he would go? You are Trixie’s best hope at the moment, because you know her kidnapper so well. So use it to your advantage,” Honey told him.
Dan continued to stare off into the distance, thinking about Honey’s words.
“We know that they are about fifteen minutes out of town,” he said, more to himself than Honey. “That would put him in the vicinity of the chaff mills out that way…” he broke off, gnawing at his lip, “I had a conversation with him once about the area. He mentioned an old guest house that his parents owned. He told me then that the property had been sold, but what if he still owned it? Or even if he didn’t own it, he probably would go out there anyway…” his voice trailed off again. “It’s worth a go,” he said in a firmer voice. He turned around and gave Honey a quick hug. “Brian’s one lucky man. You are amazing, Honey. Let’s go back inside; I think I know where Trixie is being held.”
Chapter 10
“What are you going to do now?” Trixie asked Steve
“I don’t know, maybe if I keep you here with me, you will begin to love me, instead of Dan. Then again, it would probably be simpler if I kill you.”
“Maybe,” Trixie answered, trying to hide her fear “You know it’s pretty hard to begin to like someone when they have you tied up.”
“Forget it, Belden. Do you think I’m dumb or something? I’ve heard about some of your exploits. Besides,” he added as he drew closer to her, “I’ve heard you like being tied up, and I hear you like it rough. Danny boy has been bragging about it in the locker rooms.”
“I find that rather hard to believe,” Trixie retorted angrily. “Dan and I haven’t even slept together yet.”
“Liar!” he yelled, hitting her face with the back of his hand. “Don’t lie to me Trixie Belden, otherwise I’ll make you wish you never had.”
“Okay, I won’t,” she whispered, tears streaming down her face. She was more scared than she had ever been in her life. She had no idea what Steve Acheron was going to do to her, and what scared her more than anything was that he didn’t either.
“Shhh, don’t cry,” he murmured against her hair. “It’ll be okay in the end, you’ll see.”
Trixie bowed her head and sobbed.
“Heard anything yet?” John Teal asked Detective Page. It was 6am the next morning and, other than Dan’s suspicion, they had no concrete leads to find where Trixie was.
“No, we’ve taken the liberty of calling everyone in that we can,” Detective Meagan Page, reported. “It looks like Trixie took her own guns off. They only have her prints. We’ve saturated all of the roads out of town, asking every motorist if they have seen Trixie’s car.”
Like most of the other officers in the station, she was shaken over Trixie’s disappearance. She had heard of some of her exploits as a teenager, and had an appreciation of the risks that she took when chasing down criminals. To Meagan, Trixie was her very ideal, and she sought to emulate her successes. Trixie had seen in Meagan a kindred spirit and had taken her under her wing, and helped train her.
“Good. Let’s hope something comes up soon to verify Dan’s hunch,” John Teal told her.
“How’s Dan coping?” she asked quietly
“As well as can be expected. He’s pretty worried, like the rest of us.”
Peter Johnson came out of the radio room.
“We’ve had a break boss, someone reported Trixie’s car heading out on the road to New York.”
“Looks like Dan’s suspicions were right.” he muttered. He went over to the map that hung on the wall of the main office. “There are only a couple of roads out that way. Well, we’ll have to just cruise out and take a look.” He raised his voice. “Right, gather around, everyone, this is what we are going to do.”
The entire Sleepyside Police force quietly surrounded the rundown farmstead on foot. “There’s Trixie’s car boss,” Meagan pointed out softly.
John Teal nodded. “We are going to have to get in there as soon as possible. I think we will have to do it by force. Let’s just wait a little, though, and see if we can hear anything.”
“Can we afford to wait?” Meagan asked worriedly
“I think we are going to have to. If he hears us coming, he may do something to Trixie. Hopefully he will try something, and we can get in while he is distracted. I think the main area we need to concentrate on is the lounge area. I’m guessing that is where he is hiding out.” Meagan nodded. “I need you to go around and let everyone know that is where to concentrate on. We want to storm the house at 6.25am. If there is a ruckus however, that will be the signal to go. Can you let everyone know?”
“Yes sir.” Meagan nodded and slipped away from him.
“You ready, Dan?” John Teal asked
“Yes, I just hope he isn’t ready, and Trixie is okay.”
Trixie was exhausted. All night Steve had been tormenting her. She wasn’t game to doze off, just in case he did something to her, not that she could really defend herself anyway. She shook herself, as Steve came over and started to undo the ropes around her feet. “What are you doing?” she asked
“I think it is time that we got to know each other a little better,” he told her, pulling her up from the chair. “Move!” he told her, pushing her toward the bed
“Please, Steve, don’t do this,” he begged. “What will it achieve?”
“A lot of things.” He shrugged, tying her to the bed. “The least of which being that I get to try you before Dan. Now shut up.”
“Steve, don’t, please,” she sobbed.
“I said shut up!” he shouted pulling out a knife from the back of his pants. “I’d rather that you were willing, but I am pretty sure I can persuade you to be cooperative.”
Trixie’s eye’s widened. She knew that Steve had problems, but she really didn’t think he would stoop to this. Trixie’s mind was racing, but she lay still, waiting for the chance to act.
Using the knife, Steve ran it along her body, kissing her through her clothes. Trying to resist the urge to scream, Trixie lay quietly until he started to move down her body. She let him remove her pants, but as he was starting to move his way back up her body, she bought her leg up into his groin. Startled, he fell back, clutching himself.
“Right, you little…” Trixie screamed in agony as he punched her in the face, but it didn’t stop her from pulling her legs up again and kicking him in the stomach, knocking him on the floor. Steve stood up, grabbing the knife again. Suddenly the door slammed opened,
“Freeze!” said Dan’s voice. Steve Acheron whirled around, his knife at the ready. “Drop it, Steve. It’s over.”
“Mangan. Come on, we can both have her. You know what she’s like in bed.”
“Drop the knife Steve,” Dan told him evenly. Steve started to throw the knife at Dan, but Dan was too quick. He pulled the trigger on his gun, once then twice. The knife fell from Steve Acheron’s hand, as he collapsed on the floor.
“Meagan!” Dan called out, stepping over to the bed, and untying Trixie.
“Yes?”
“Read him his rights and get him out of here,” Dan told her, taking off his jacket and laying it gently over Trixie’s shoulders. He pulled her into his lap. “It’s over now, baby.” He could feel her trembling as he held her close while she wept.
A couple of months later, Trixie and Dan were on the couch in his apartment watching a movie together. Most of the wounds that Steve Acheron had caused to Trixie were gone, and apart from an occasional nightmare, she was pretty much over the whole ordeal.
“Trixie, I’ve been thinking.”
“Oh yes, what about?” she rolled over to face him
“Us. I thought I was going to lose you when Steve took you. I felt so helpless, especially after John told me what he had been up to.”
“I know. I couldn’t believe what he had been doing. I honestly don’t know what he was thinking when he took me though. Surely he must have realised that you would come after me. Oh, I see. He did plan on you coming. He planned to kill you, as well as me.”
“Except you gave us more clues than he anticipated. We got there quicker than he expected. Add to that, you fought with him, which he didn’t expect. When Meagan was questioning him, he admitted that he didn’t expect you to be so feisty, and that there was a definite timeline that he had.”
“What started it all, Dan? I got the impression it went back beyond you doing your training together.”
Dan sighed. “You’re right, at that. You know how I was when I first came to Sleepyside; I had been caught up in that gang?”
Trixie nodded.
“Well, Steve was also in the gang as well. Uncle Bill got me out of it just in time, because not long after, Steve went down for breaking into a house. He spent about six months in juvenile detention. When I met him again, it seemed that he had put the past behind him, like me. It always seemed that he was in some kind of contest with me, but I didn’t really take much notice. Then I caught him selling marijuana, and dobbed him in to the trainer. He got counselling, and again seemed to be on top of things. He certainly never slipped up again, until recently. Evidently a few officers mentioned something to John, but only recently. As you know, after you and I spoke to him, he bought Internal Affairs into the whole thing, and what he really was emerged. Turns out that a certain person, who you’ve sent down before, and I escaped from, turned up in town and started blackmailing Steve. It went down hill from there.”
“Was it Manton?”
“Yes, anyway, now you know the story, let’s get back to what we were originally discussing. Marry me.”
Trixie struggled to sit up,
“You’re kidding right?”
“No I’ve never been more serious in my life. Will you be my wife, Beatrix Belden?”
“Really truly serious? You’re not joking?”
“Do I look like I am joking? I know we have only been together for a little while, but…” his voice trailed off as Trixie leant down and kissed him.
“Yes, Dan.”
“You sure?”
Trixie burst into laughter. “First it’s me asking if you are serious, and now it’s you. Yes, I’m sure. I would love to be your wife.”
“Good. I’m glad we’ve finally settled that,” he replied, pulling her down into his arms and kissing her soundly, “Oh, one last thing.” He pulled a box out of his pocket. “I really think you should have a ring. Will this do?” he asked opening the box
“Oh Dan, it's perfect” she sighed, looking at it.
“The solitaire is opal; I bought it back with me when I went to Australia. It comes from a little town called White Cliffs, in the outback. The diamonds I just bought from the jeweller who made it. Do you like it?”
“Yes, more than anything,” she answered as he slipped it on her finger. “It fits perfectly. How did you know my ring size?”
“You should know I know everything about you,” he replied
“Do Moms and Dad know?”
“Yes, along with the rest of your family. I couldn’t exactly ask them and not your older brothers now. They are rapt for you, and I think your mother is already planning the wedding already.”
Trixie laughed out loud.
“I think she may have to wait a while,” she told her fiancé.
“Maybe,” he replied, pulling her down and kissing her again.
The End
Disclaimer: I am not making any money from this story (I can wish though). This is my first attempt, so please be kind to me. Steve Acheron, Meagan Page, John Teal, Jeff Lindstrom & Amy are characters that came out of my head. Feel free to use them if you want. The rest of the characters (Trixie, Jim, Dan etc) belong to Random House Publishing and I thank them for ‘lending’ them to me for a little while.
The lyrics come from John Farnham’s song, ‘You’re the Reason Why’ I nearly had this song for my wedding, it just rings bells in my heart.
White Cliffs is a real place. It was the first place opal was found in Australia. I’ve been going there since I was a girl, and amazingly enough, my engagement ring has an opal from there too. J
I also have to thank my now good friend Trace for reading over this for me and giving me the courage to post this on the internet. I hope you enjoy it as much as she did.