all ages

By Mary C. (MCL2130)

Chapter One: On The Bus

Honey Wheeler waited for the bus to Sleepyside Junior-Senior High School with Mart and Brian Belden. It was a chilly fall day, and Honey hugged herself to keep warm, while the boys stomped their feet and waved their arms. Honey hated the cold almost as much as her friend Trixie disliked the midsummer heat.

She shivered, saying, "Maybe we should have gotten up early and taken a ride with Trixie and Jim. We would have missed a little sleep, but it would have been worth it to be in a warm car." Trixie and Jim had left early in the Bob-White’s station wagon to attend a breakfast meeting of a dance committee they served on.

Of course, Mart had something to add, "My sleuthing sister and your successful sibling are no doubt testing more temperate temperatures, but we have indeed managed to sustain sustenance from further seconds of a somnolent state of slumber."

Brian grinned. "Translated-that’s simply more sleep. If the Queen was running right, I could have driven us, but her engine still needs some work. Anyway, you won’t have to suffer much longer, Honey, because here comes the bus, and it looks like Dan made it just in time."

The Bob- Whites looked up to see Dan running down the hill, yelling greetings, just as the bus came to a stop. Honey stopped to pick up her bag as the boys boarded in front of her.* Diana waved from the back, and Dan, with a sly glance at Mart, headed straight back to sit beside her. A funny look passed over Mart’s face, but as usual, he wasn’t at a loss for words for long. He plunked himself down in the seat in front of them, starting right in with his "entertaining" antics. Brian laughed and took the only completely empty seat, which was near the front. Honey looked around nervously. Usually she sat with Trixie or Di and there weren’t many free seats available. As the bus started to move, she sat down next to Brian, blushing slightly. The noise of the back drifted up as the bus continued on its way to the school. The front seemed uncomfortably silent. Honey was used to being with Brian with the other Bob-Whites around to fill in the chatter.

"The problem with Brian and I is that we’re both shy," thought Honey. " Mart could talk his way through anything, and although Di’s a little shy, she’s so beautiful that flirting seems to come naturally to her. Trixie can be somewhat subdued with Jim, but usually she’s pretty outgoing and impulsive. Besides, she usually has a new mystery to discuss with him. Brian and I are the shy, more serious types." She looked up at Brian tentatively, and he smiled warmly at her. "Why am I so nervous?" she chided herself. "I’ve known Brian for ages." Honey’s perfect manners and boarding school background finally came to her rescue.

"How is the new floating lab on the Hudson going?" she asked him.

"It’s really going great," he answered, "We’ve gotten a ton of samples, and done some important research on it. We’re really lucky to have it. It’s an exciting way to study the river, and hopefully get valuable information for future generations. Plus, the experience I’ve gotten on it should help me get into a decent biology program for college."

"That’s wonderful." Honey said, "But how are you getting along without Loyola?" Loyola Kevins was Brian’s former research and lab partner. Her grandfather had recently decided to send her to private school, and the Bob-Whites had held a going-away party for the sweet-tempered girl."

"I’m really worried about that" Brian confessed, "I’ve been working on my own for the last two weeks and I’m supposed to find out who my new partner is today. Loyola was great because we were both very serious about our work and our futures. If anything, she was a little too serious, but it was great having such a dedicated partner. I don’t want to do anything to screw up my future, and I’m worried that I’ll get someone who thinks it’s just a lark."

Honey tried to ease his worry by replying, "Brian, I know that they screen the candidates for those positions pretty carefully. They’d never admit someone like me, for instance, with my biology grades." Honey laughed, "I’m sure she’ll be fine as long as she doesn’t feed you too much Waldorf salad. I’d like you to stay around for awhile."

As Brian laughed at this reference to Loyola’s unintentional almost- poisoning of him with apple seeds in his favorite salad, the bus pulled up to let the kids off at the school. He followed Honey off the bus, saying, "Waldorf salad somehow never tastes quite the same anymore."

 

Chapter Two: Sadie Hawkins

"Sometimes it feels as though I’m running on ice. Paying the price too long."

 

As the BWG’s entered the school, they noticed Trixie and Jim, along with several other students, putting up posters in the lobby.

"Hey, gang," Trixie called in greeting, "you’ll never guess what we’re planning for the dance next week."

Jim added, "Yeah, this idea is a real winner. Have you ever heard of Sadie Hawkins?" Most of the Bob-Whites answered in the negative, and Dan wanted to know if Sadie was a new girl at SJSH**.

Mart, however, was pleased to be given an opening to show off his knowledge, saying, "Methinks, Sadie had her humble beginnings in a comic strip-namely, if I remember correctly, as I almost always do, that of "Li’l Abner" by Al Capp. Sad Sadie was ‘the homeliest gal in the hills’ who grew tired of waiting for the fellows to come a courtin’. Her father, one Hekzebiah Hawkins, was even more worried about Sadie living at home for the rest of her life, so he declared the first annual Sadie Hawkins Day***, on which a foot race was held where the unmarried girls pursued the town’s bachelors."

Mart paused for a breath, and Honey took advantage of it, asking with a giggle, "Is that what you want us to do at the dance, Trix, chase after the eligible guys?"

"Not a bad idea," Jim grinned, but Mart added," It might be little tricky for Trixie, though, she’s so used to chasing criminals, she might get mixed up and end up proposing to someone on the wrong side of the law."

"Ha Ha," Trixie answered her almost-twin, "You’re so funny Mart Belden. If Honey and I hadn’t chased so many criminals, there would be a lot more crooks on the loose, and the Bob-Whites wouldn’t have had half as many adventures, and…"

Brian, ever the calming influence on the group, said, "Trixie, we know all that. But tell us, what does Sadie Hawkins have to do with us?"

Trixie answered, "Since the 1930’s Sadie Hawkins Day has become an American Folk event. In 1939, over 200 colleges held Sadie Hawkins Day events, where women asked men to events instead of the other way around. Since the feminist movement blossomed, it was seen as an empowering rite for women, and many schools hold these dances in November- the women have their choice for a change. The dance committee is holding ours two weeks from Saturday."

As the first bell rang, there was much good-natured kidding among the Bob-Whites and their friends. "Gee, I like this idea." Mart said. "Now I won’t have to worry about asking my favorite date, but will anxiously await her invitation." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at Di.

"You’ll just have to wait and see, Mart Belden, if your favorite date feels the same way," was Di’s reply.

"Yes," Dan chimed in, "she may want to test different waters for a change." He winked at Di, and Mart’s face turned crimson as he picked up his backpack to walk to class. The rest of the Bob-Whites laughed.

Brian said, "Gee, Honey, have any idea who you’ll invite to the dance?"

"Not a clue," Honey replied, swinging her hair and starting down the hall, "how about you, Trixie?"

"I’ll have to give it some thought, there are a few possibilities," Trixie answered. She and Di fell into step with Honey as she walked toward homeroom. The boys stood staring after them with confused looks on their faces.

"Those boys," said Di, "can really take us for granted. I really think they expected us to ask them right away. I think we should keep them stewing for a few days."

"I agree," said Trixie, and Honey nodded her head.

"But what about you, Di," Trixie asked, "Are you really thinking of asking someone other than Mart?"

Di sighed, "I don’t know. Your brother sometimes makes me so mad. I mean, I know he likes me, but he’s always trying to impress me with his vocabulary, and he seems to like me better when I’m slightly stupid. I think he takes me for granted, and I’d like to keep him guessing a little. Besides, he’s not the only guy in Sleepyside." As Diana said this, she sighed and thought about Dan’s broad shoulders, dark good looks, and warm smile. He was so different from Mart, was she really beginning to have feelings for him, or was this a passing phase? Just then, the final bell interrupted her thoughts, and the three girls ran to get to homeroom on time.

 

Chapter Three: Thoughts and Dreams

"If you’re so smart, tell me, why are you still so afraid?"

 

(Later that same day)

Brian sat in Calculus class next to Jim. Usually he found any kind of math or science pretty interesting, but today his thoughts were wandering. He couldn’t help thinking about the upcoming dance and whether or not Honey would invite him. None of the girls had committed themselves yet, but he knew they were probably just having a little fun, and that was OK with him. After all, it must not be easy for them to have to wait for invitations to dances and parties, and even now, girls still didn’t seem to ask guys too much. That would probably go double for Honey, because she was a little shy. He and Honey had been "unofficially" dating, always in groups with the other Bob-Whites, for a while now, and although he knew they were too young to get serious, he couldn’t help having special feelings for her. Whenever he thought a lot about Honey, he remembered the days they had spent on Cobbett’s Island, which he considered some of the best of this life. Yes, they had been with the other Bob-Whites then, too, and as usual, Trixie had dragged them into another crazy mystery, but something about the sand and sea had changed him, and he had felt a little less shy with Honey. He remembered walking on the beach with her at sunset, and he blushed thinking about running to the shed to find the saw, hand-in-hand. As usual, he hadn’t had the nerve to make much of a move, but there had been a special closeness between them. Since then, they had been caught up in the usual routine of chores, exercising the horses, and solving mysteries. Not to mention his heavy load of schoolwork. Sometimes he thought that he wasn’t really fair to Honey; after all, you know what they say about all work and no play. He should make an effort to pay her a little more attention. Ever since he was little, he had this goal of becoming a doctor, and he resolved that nothing should stand in the way of that. But almost from the moment he’d first set eyes on Honey, smiling shyly at himself and Mart, his goals had also included her. He’d have to find a way of balancing the work and keeping her happy. She really deserved more than he was giving her. He made a promise to himself, and then thought wryly, "Yeah, if I ever have to nerve to ask her on a real date, then I’ll keep the promise." Then he remembered that she was in the position to ask him this time. "Well, we’ll just see what happens," he told himself, and then started as he realized Jim was poking him. He looked up, and noticed Mr. Sutherland was looking at him expectantly.

"Sorry, sir, I guess I lost track of where we were," he said, as the rest of the class cackled. Brian reddened. He’d better watch himself; he was starting to sound like Trixie.

Mr. Sutherland merely warned, "It’s unlike you, Mr. Belden. In the future, please try to keep your mind on the matter at hand. Now, Mr. Frayne do you have the answer?"

Luckily, at least Jim was paying attention.

 

 

Di and Mart sat in the Bob-White’s Clubhouse. They usually met on Wednesday afternoons so Mart could "help" her with her homework, but the help usually consisted of talk (mostly on Mart’s part), holding hands, and closeness. Today Di felt impatient with the whole thing. She gazed out the window as Mart once again attempted to explain a math concept to her. Talk about long-winded! She didn’t know what had gotten into her lately. Ever since grade school she’d had a secret crush on Mart, and it was certainly not so secret anymore. All the Bob-Whites kidded them about their relationship, and a lot of the kids at school gave her a hard time about being with Mart. Most of the guys thought she should pay attention to them instead and most of the girls didn’t understand what she saw in Mart. After all, he was kind of nerdy, with his short haircut, freckles, and big words. Di had never been able to explain how she felt. Maybe it was because Mart was always her champion, not being afraid to show how he felt. Or maybe it was because she had known him so long that she just felt completely safe with him. Whatever the reason, until recently she had never questioned her feelings for him. Lately, however, she kept catching herself being critical (in her own mind) of just about everything Mart did.

"Maybe we’ve just been around each other for too long. I’ve never even really liked another boy, let alone gone out with anyone else." She dragged her gaze from the window back to Mart.

"I hope he’s never a teacher," Di thought "His pupils would never understand anything he said to them. Besides, they’d never get him to stop talking long enough to ask any questions."

Mart looked at Di, and finally sensed that she might be giving him her less-than-complete attention.

"Fair princess. Where is your mind wandering off to on this felicitous fall day? Are you perhaps thinking about the sure-to-be-successful soiree coming up soon at our place of study? Tell Mr. Lonelyhearts what’s on your mind."

Di giggled and thought, "Well, Mart can always make me laugh, but I sure do get tired of his big words sometimes."

"What ever happened to Miss Lonelyhearts? " she said aloud, "and Mart, are you trying to influence my decision about who to ask to the dance?"

"Negative," he replied, "Merely wondering what was occupying your thoughts. But since you ask, have you decided who you’re going to invite?"

"I don’t know," Di answered, and then fibbed a little, stating, "I really haven’t given it much thought." Actually, she’d thought of little else since she’d heard about the dance.

Mart couldn’t help interjecting, "I wouldn’t think you’d need to give it much thought."

"Why did I say that," he thought to himself, "stupid, stupid, stupid!"

Diana looked Mart coolly in the eyes, "What do you mean by that?"

Mart stammered, "Well, uh, that is, we usually do go places together. People think we’re pretty much a couple. Most people probably expect that we’ll go together," he finished lamely.

"Don’t you mean that you expect that we’d go together?" asked Di.

Mart avoided her gaze, "Well, um, yes." He knew he was digging himself into a hole, but he couldn’t seem to find a way out.

"Mart" Diana said decisively, "We’ve gone to some parties and dances together, but we’re not officially going steady, and for every dance or party so far, I’ve always had to wait and see if you would ask me. This is girl’s choice and I haven’t completely decided yet. After all, I only found out about the dance this morning."

"I don’t understand why it has to be such a big production" Mart was trying to keep hold of his temper, "Does this have anything to do with Dan?"

Di looked away and Mart felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"It does, doesn’t it?" Mark queried insistently. "Have you been seeing him?"

"No," Diana looked up at him with wide violet eyes. "Please believe me, Mart, I’ve never gone out or spent anytime alone with Dan. I’m just a little confused about everything lately. Maybe we’re seeing too much of each other. We’re really too young to even go steady."

Mart just sat and stared dumbly at the beautiful girl in front of him. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Now he wished he hadn’t bugged her about the dance. He chose his words carefully.

"If you want some space, Diana," he said quietly, "I’m not going to stand in your way. I hope you know how I feel about you, but you’re right, we’re too young to be serious."

"OK," Di said cautiously, "Thank you for understanding." She held her breath and bit her lip to keep from crying as she gathered up her books and left quickly, before she could change her mind.

Mart put his head down on the table for a minute, and then got up with a long sigh. Walking up to the door, he gave the wall a quick sharp punch and surprised himself when his fist went through the plaster. He almost welcomed the accompanying pain that sprung up in his hand.

"Oh great," he groaned to himself, "How am I going to explain that one? I’d better get the plaster and try to fix it before anyone else notices it." He walked off, thinking that this had to be the worst day of his fifteen-year life. He sure hoped Moms had dinner ready on time. Food couldn’t make his problems with Di go away, but in Mart’s opinion, a good meal could never hurt.

 

 

Chapter Four: Mysterious Meanderings

"If I’m crazy then it’s true, that it’s all because of you, and you wouldn’t want me any other way."

 

"Mondays! Did anything good ever happen on a Monday?" Trixie wondered to herself as she exited the Bob-White station wagon and made her way toward the school. "And why does it have to be so cold? After all, it’s only November. It would be different if we could go skating or sledding."

"Trixie, wait for us!"

Trixie turned around and Honey ran up to her.

"Is anything wrong this morning?" she asked her best friend.

"No, just the usual Monday morning stuff," Trixie replied, "I’m tired of this cold weather and we have that math quiz today. Ugh!"

Mart joined the girls just in time to catch this last comment, and Trixie glared at him, waiting for his wordy comment about her not studying for the math quiz this weekend. With the mood she was in, her temper was all ready to flare before he even said a word.

Her jaw dropped, however, when he walked by without saying anything. Even Honey stared. It wasn’t like Mart to pass up an opportunity like that.

"Honey, don’t you think Mart has been acting a little strange lately? He’s been kind of quiet all weekend," Trixie asked Honey.

"He has been quiet," Honey answered slowly, "Has Di said anything to you?"

"No" Trixie said, "Do you think it has anything to do with her? He hasn’t said anything."

"I don’t know, but remember what she said about him the other day?" Honey reminded her, "And she didn’t ride in with us today."

"That’s right. Gosh, do you think they had a fight?"

Trixie and Honey stopped short as they entered the school and heard loud complaints in back of them as Jim, Brian, and Dan almost caused a pile-up in order to avoid bumping into the girls.

"What gives, Trix?" Dan asked.

"Look! Who could have done this?" Trixie cried, pointing her finger at the wall. The poster that she and Jim had hung in the lobby the other day was slashed down the middle and covered with black paint. In the center of the black was smeared a big splotch of red that suspiciously resembled blood.

"That’s horrible," said Honey, "How could anyone do this? You must have worked hard on that poster."

"It’s a sick joke alright," Brian agreed, "But you know how some of these tough kids are; they specialize in sick jokes."

"Besides," Jim put in, "We put up tons of posters, remember Trix? Hopefully, they didn’t get to the others."

"No such luck," Nick Roberts, just walking by them with a dazed expression on his face, had heard Jim’s remark. Nick was on the dance committee and had put more work into the posters than anyone. "Every single poster now resembles this one."

Kind-hearted Honey was visibly upset by the destruction.

"Nick, I just can’t believe that someone would destroy all your beautiful artwork, but don’t worry, we’ll all help you make new ones, won’t we guys?"

She looked around at her friends, already sure of their approval.

"Absolutely," Brian agreed immediately.

"Sure. We’ve tackled lots more difficult projects than this before and still come out on top," Dan put in.

"We’ll all meet this afternoon and have the posters done in no time, right Trix?"

"Trixie?"

Jim glanced over at Trixie to see why she wasn’t answering him and noticed she was walking up to the poster. She reached up and touched it.

"Hmm," she mused, "the black paint is dry, but the red is still wet. Do you think it could be real blood?"

Nick walked over to take a look. He touched it and then sniffed his hand.

"Nah, it’s just paint," was his judgment.

"Why would anyone want to make it look like blood?" Honey asked.

"I don’t know," Dan replied, "but it somehow seems more violent this way."

Jim was watching Trixie, who had a familiar gleam in her eyes.

"What do you think, Trix?" he asked her.

"I don’t know," Trixie answered thoughtfully, "but I’m sure going to find out. I don’t know who would be against this dance, but we spent a lot of time and effort on those posters and now they’re destroyed. We have to try to find out who did this so no one interferes with the dance. Agreed?" She looked around at her friends expectantly.

The four Bob-Whites present all nodded their heads, but Brian said, "Just a minute, Trixie, you know we’re behind you, but I don’t really like this pseudo-blood thing."

"I don’t either," Jim, agreed promptly, "Please promise us you’ll be careful, and not do anything rash."

"OK," Trixie agreed meekly.

Brian and Jim exchanged glances. They’d heard similar promises before. Jim watched Trixie walk away, thinking about all the times in the past when Trixie had had near misses while solving mysteries.

"I don’t think anything I could say would curb that impulsive spirit," he thought to himself, "but I have to admit, I wouldn’t want her any other way."

 

School Days in Sleepyside

By Mary C. (MCL2130)

 

Chapter Five: Complications

"No, I have seen the sad surrender in my lover’s eyes, and I can only stand apart and sympathize. For we are always what our situations hand us-it’s either sadness or euphoria."

 

Brian sat across from Jim in Biology, waiting for class to begin. They were discussing the upcoming dance. Jim confessed that a girl in his homeroom had already asked him, but he had turned her down. Neither guy had gotten the invitation he was waiting for yet, and they talked about when they thought they would be asked. It seemed strange to talk about being asked, instead of how and when they would do the asking.

"I bet they ask us this weekend," said Brian, "I hear they’re planning a sleepover at Di’s and they’re going into White Plains shopping."

"Yeah," Jim agreed, "I heard Honey talking about it. I just hope they ask us soon. I hated giving that girl an excuse this morning. I sure hope no one else asks me before Trixie does. It’s really rough."

"Thank goodness I haven’t had that problem," said Brian, "And I hope I don’t. Dan told me he’s been asked by THREE girls, and he’s turned down all three of them."

"Hello, boys." The guys looked up as their biology teacher, Mr. Moore, approached them with another student.

"Kelli, this is Brian Belden, your new lab and research partner, and these boys are Jim Frayne and Jeff Reardon (he indicated Jim’s lab partner). Guys, this is Kelli Greer. She’s a new student here at Sleepyside."

The guys all greeted Kelli as she settled onto her lab stool. They couldn’t believe their eyes. Kelli was short, no taller than Trixie, and well put together, and she certainly dressed to accentuate her curves. She had on low-slung tight jeans and a belly button ring. Her sweater did nothing to cover up her tight tank top and a dove tattoo was just visible over her belt in the back. Brian thought Jeff was going to fall off his lab stool and both of the boys across from him had goofy grins on their faces. Noticing this, he made sure he kept his own face expressionless.

Kelli leaned over to ask Brian what they were studying and he could see right down her tank top. He reddened and thought to himself, "Why me? Why can’t she be Jeff’s partner, or Jim’s, or anyone else’s for that matter? How will I ever get any work done?"

None of the three boys had much idea of what the biology lesson consisted of that day. Jeff watched Kelli the whole time, while Jim and Brian tried to keep their eyes away from her. It was especially difficult for Brian because she kept leaning over and whispering questions to him throughout class.

Jim watched his friend sympathetically. He could see that this situation had the potential to cause a lot of problems. To make matters worse, the girls had ecology class across the hall this period and they usually met in the hallway after class and all walked to lunch together.

As the bell rang, Jim and Brian exchanged glances, both thinking similar thoughts, mainly, "Make a quick exit and leave Jeff to deal with Kelli."

They could tell that Jeff would be more than happy to oblige. Kelli, on the other hand, had other ideas. She put her arm through Brian’s, looking up at him and fluttering her heavily-mascarad lashes.

"Brian, would you guys help me find the way to the cafeteria?" she asked, "I really don’t know my way around yet and I don’t know anyone either."

Brian looked speechless, so Jim took pity on him, saying, "Kelli, we’re sort of meeting friends for lunch. Maybe Jeff could show you the way."

Jeff nodded and stared at Kelli with the same goofy grin that he’d had on his face since he’d first been introduced to her. Brian tried to free his arm, but Kelli hung on tight, saying, "Guys, I’d love to meet your friends. As I said, I hardly know anyone in Sleepyside yet."

Brian and Jim exchanged glances once again, thinking that there was really no way out. As soon as they exited the classroom and walked out into the hall, they saw three pairs of eyes on them. The violet ones widened in disbelief, the blue eyes narrowed critically, and the hazel ones quickly looked away as tears began to form in them. Brian looked at Honey, but felt completely helpless.

Jim cleared his throat, "Um, girls, this is Kelli Greer, a new girl in our biology class. Kelli, this is my sister, Honey Wheeler, Brian’s sister Trixie, and our good friend, Diana Lynch." He didn’t think it prudent to mention that Kelli was Brian’s new lab and research partner. They’d figure it out soon enough.

Di recovered first, saying, "Kelli, welcome to Sleepyside. I really think you’ll like it here. You’ll have to sit next to me at lunch and I’ll tell you all about everything here."

As she talked, Di skillfully pulled on Kelli’s free arm, and Kelli had to let go of Brian in order to avoid being rude. Brian tried to move over to Honey, who pointedly looked the other way. Trixie stayed close to her friend, while Jeff fell in step beside them, chartering away, oblivious to any tension in the air.

Honey felt suddenly in danger of being tactless, but she managed to say, "Excuse me. I don’t feel very hungry. I think I’ll skip lunch and go to the library and study for that math quiz." She turned around abruptly and headed down the hall in the opposite direction.

Trixie quickly said, "I could use some extra study time, too. I’ll go with you."

Brian made a move to go after them, but Jim stopped him as he saw the girls detour into the girls’ bathroom.

"Let Trixie talk to her first. I think she’ll be able to calm her down and you can talk it over with her later."

Brian sighed resignedly as the boys made their way to the cafeteria to join the others.

 

 

After school, Trixie and Jim walked together to the art room to work on the new posters.

"How did it go with Honey?" Jim inquired.

"Well, she seemed to be okay after I talked to her. I tried to convince her that Brian was just being nice to the new girl, but honestly, what is his problem? I don’t know what he could have been thinking." Trixie answered.

"I don’t think Brian had a lot of choice," Jim told her, "She just sort of attached herself to him."

"Yeah," Trixie said thoughtfully, "and I guess he’d have no clue how to handle a girl like that."

Jim chuckled softly.

"What are you laughing at?" Trixie demanded.

"I’m thinking that not too many guys would know how to handle a girl like that. Although I guess there are plenty who would love to try."

"Including you?" Trixie asked curiously.

"Not with a ten-foot pole," Jim declared fervently, "She’s not my type at all."

"No, the tall blond, glamorous type is more yours," Trixie couldn’t resist adding.

"No, I go more for the short, blond type with the irrepressible personality and enough curiosity to kill nine cats. It always seems to get me into trouble, but I never seem to learn." Jim glanced sidewise at Trixie to see what her reaction was.

Trixie blushed, but couldn’t help smiling. Jim’s green eyes twinkled at her as they both entered the art room with happy smiles and flushed faces.

 

Chapter Six

"Everybody’s got a million questions. Everybody wants to know the score."

 

The other Bob-Whites waved to them from one of the long tables that had been set up. Trixie noticed that Brian and Honey, and Mart and Diana sat at opposite corners from each other. She groaned inwardly. This was really going to be a barrel of laughs. Dan sat next to Di, admiring her poster, and Nick Roberts was helping Honey with designing hers. Mart had broken out of his quiet mode and was keeping up a constant chatter, which no one really seemed to be listening to. Trixie and Jim sandwiched themselves into the middle of the table and quickly got to work.

The general conversation focused mainly on the destruction of the posters and the upcoming school dance.

"Mr. Stratton almost cancelled the dance," Nick reported, "but he agreed to hold it as long as we can find some extra chaperones and there are no other incidents between now and the dance."

The Bob-Whites all agreed to ask the adults in their respective households if they’d chaperone. Trixie asked interestedly, "Do they have any idea who did this, Nick?"

"No, none so far," Nick replied, "The school was locked all weekend so it had to be someone who came in early this morning, unless it was one of the custodians."

"Maybe it was that grouchy Mr. Maynard," Dan suggested.

"It’s possible, but you know he’s been here forever, Dan, and so have the rest of the custodians," Di replied.

"We should ask who comes in early," Trixie suggested.

"Mr. Stratton already looked into that. The school is actually opens at 5:30 AM, although the teachers don’t even start coming in until about an hour after that. The students usually arrive at 6:45 or after, but they sometimes come in early for various reasons, just like we did for the dance committee meeting last week."

Trixie said, "So, we should find out what meetings were held this morning, but I guess anyone could have walked in after 5:30AM. I bet whoever did it came in early. At that time, he or she would only have to avoid the janitors."

Mart corrected her, "That’s whomever. And have you considered the possibility that this crime had more than a single perpetrator? There were quite a few posters, all over the school. It would have been an awful lot of work for one person to destroy them in that short period of time."

"That makes sense," put in Honey, "but what I can’t figure out is the motivation. Why would anyone do this? Was it just a mean prank, or is someone holding a grudge?"

"Gleeps, good thinking, Honey," Trixie told her friend, "I wonder what they would have a grudge about. Maybe being expelled from school or an activity or sports team? Or someone rejected by the person they were going out with? In that case, it would probably be a guy who doesn’t think the girl would ask him to the dance. Or I guess a girl who doesn’t want to ask a guy if she thinks he’ll say no."

"Discontinue, cease, and desist!" Mart put up a hand to stop his sister’s steady flow of conversation, "Most of that is idle speculation. This case obviously requires that we all keep our optical and auditory organs on high alert."

"Desist yourself," his sister interrupted, "And why can’t you just say to keep your eyes and ears open like anyone else would? Anyway, it looks like these posters are pretty well finished."

"Numerous nimble digits manufacture a minimum of manual motions," agreed Mart, "Or, for those like my beloved sister, who might need a translation, ‘Many hands make light work.’"

Brian groaned, thinking he had had enough problems for one day without having to once again referee an argument between Mart and Trixie.

Old habits die hard though, so he said diplomatically, "Trixie, I don’t think we’re going to have enough time to hang these posters today. We’re already late, and Moms is expecting us home to help out."

"I know," Trixie replied, "and Mr. Stratton doesn’t want anyone coming in early tomorrow after what happened, so we’ll have to put them up tomorrow after school. Jeepers, I hope Moms can spare me for one more afternoon."

"Well, you’ll have to count me out then," Brian, said, "I have to show the floating lab to…I mean I have to work at the floating lab tomorrow."

He glanced inadvertently at Honey as he said it, and something about his look and his statement gave Honey a pretty good idea of who his new lab partner was.

With a sinking feeling, Honey said quietly, "I’ll help you tomorrow, Trixie." Nick and all the other Bob-Whites agreed, except Jim who was also going to the floating lab with Jeff, Brian, and Kelli. With that resolved, the Bob-Whites and Nick put away their supplies and headed for home.

Chapter Seven

"Have you really read all of Dickens’ works?" the blond girl next to Mart asked.

"Yes, and most of them twice, but Great Expectations is my favorite," Mart replied. "I’ve always loved the adventures of Pip and Miss Havisham."

"Well, maybe you’ll be able to help me figure it out. I tried to read the first few chapters, and it’s just so wordy." Amy looked at Mart appealingly as class began.

"Sure, I’ll be glad to help you," Mart said in a low voice, "Dickens is wordy, but once you get into his stories, they’re some of the best around."

Mart was anxious to share his love of English Lit with his new friend. Amy sat next to him in English and was also in his history class, but they had never really talked other than to exchange greetings. He knew she was a cheerleader, and thought she was pretty, in a natural, unassuming kind of a way. She didn’t have the plastic looks that some of the cheerleaders had. With her straight, long blond hair and blue eyes, she had more of a girl-next-door look, Mart thought, and then frowned thinking about the girl-almost-next-door who never seemed to be very far from his thoughts.

Since his discussion with Diana last week, she had completely avoided him. He wanted to call her, but didn’t really know what to say. Maybe he should apologize, but he didn’t think he’d done anything wrong. He had talked to Brian, who said he should just give Di a little time, but Brian wasn’t exactly the world’s leading expert on women. He shook his head, thinking this must be the week for Belden men to have problems with females. Maybe he should ask Jim…or Trixie. Out of all the Bob-Whites, their relationship seemed about the strongest right now. He shook his head, thinking, "Definitely Jim." Something about asking Trixie advice in matters of the heart didn’t sit well with in his stomach, no matter how good that advice might be.

Diana meant so much to him. Why couldn’t she see that? This was tearing him apart. In the past few nights, he’d gotten very little sleep, and last night he’d only managed to eat 2½ pieces of Moms’ apple pie. It was a sad day when even food couldn’t help him get over his unhappiness.

After class ended, he fell into step with Amy as they both walked to history class.

"Do you think you could help me after school today?" Amy asked, "I guess we could meet at the library. I’d invite you over, but my mom works and I’m not allowed to have guests over when she’s not home- not until she meets them, anyway. "

"Sorry," Mart answered, "But today I’m helping put up the new dance posters after school. How about tomorrow?"

Amy laughed, "I have cheerleading practice Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. What about Thursday?"

"I think I can manage to squeeze you into my busy social schedule," Mart answered, "But could we meet at Wimpy’s instead of the library? I’ve always found that further sustenance assists in recalcitrant tribulations of intellectual endeavors."

Amy gave him a blank look. She wasn’t yet used to his confusing vocabulary.

"Um, sorry, I mean, fries and chocolate shakes always help me think better," Mart hastily translated for her.

"Me, too," Amy quickly agreed, "Wimpy’s is one thing I really love about Sleepyside. I transferred from Central High this fall and they didn’t have anyplace there nearly as good."

As an afterthought, she added, "Although I try not to eat that kind of food too often."

Mart glanced at her slim figure and thought she certainly had nothing to worry about. As they walked into history class, he found himself smiling for the first time in days.

 

After school, Jim, Brian, Jeff, and Kelli met in the parking lot. There was a bus that stopped near the floating lab, but they planned to drive over in Jeff’s van. That way, he could drop them off at their respective houses on his way home. As Jeff led them to his ancient van, the other boys gave him a hard time.

"Are you sure this thing runs?" Jim asked him.

"Yeah, it looks like the rust is holding it together," Brian put in.

"Hey, it runs fine," Jeff protested, "Besides, Belden, I’ve seen that old jalopy you drive and it doesn’t look much better than this."

"Okay, okay," Brian agreed with a smile, but as Jeff got out his key, Jim couldn’t resist asking, "You actually lock this thing?" And he and Brian laughed again.

"All right, if you guys don’t like the van, you can walk and Kelli and I will ride. Here you go, Kelli," Jeff said, unlocking the passenger door and opening it for her.

"Oh, Jim or Brian should probably sit in the front. They both have much longer legs than I do."

"We’re fine back here," Jim assured her, opening the back door as Jeff hit the unlock button. Besides, it’s way too much of a mess for you back here. In fact, it might not be healthy for any living thing," he added with a grin.

Before they could get in, Jim and Brian had to throw a grimy-looking sweat suit, an old pair of jogging sneakers, and a beat-up jacket into the back on top of a bunch of tools and paint supplies. Jeff turned red, but got in and started the van without comment. The van made a ruckus, but started fine and Jeff drove out of the parking lot with no problems.

Brian said, "Jeff, I have an idea of what might be making that noise. The same thing happened with my jalopy. If you want, we could get together on Saturday and I’ll have a look at it for you."

"But Brian," Kelli reminded him, "I thought we were going to spend most Saturdays on the lab doing research for the projects. As it is, I have a lot of catching up to do because I’m new."

All the biology students had to spend at least one afternoon on the floating lab, but the advanced students who wanted to study science in college were doing additional research projects that involved more time spent on the Hudson.

"Yeah, we should do some work," Brian agreed, "But 3 or 4 hours should be enough, don’t you think? I could help you after that, Jeff."

"Sounds great," Jeff replied, "How about we meet for a late lunch at Wimpy’s? Say about 2 o’clock - do you think you’ll be done by then?"

"Sure, as long as we start by about 10?" Brian looked at Kelli for confirmation and she nodded.

For the rest of the ride, Brian and Jeff kept up a technical discussion on engines and the relative merits of cars, vans, and trucks. Jim sat back and watched the other three. He didn’t know Jeff that well, but they had been lab partners all year, so he knew he was pretty smart, and he seemed like a nice guy. Plus, not that he was into checking out guys, but he seemed fairly good-looking - tall with blond hair and green eyes. He also was in the band and started on the basketball team, but he never seemed to have any luck with girls, maybe because he tried to hard. It’s too bad he doesn’t have a little more confidence, he thought.

He switched his gaze to Kelli, who was pretending to look interested in the discussion of mechanics, but was doing her best to stifle a yawn.

"Are we keeping you awake, Kelli?" Jim asked her teasingly.

"Sorry," she said with a giggle, "It’s not you guys. It’s just that I haven’t had much sleep lately. I’ve been so excited and nervous about starting school here, and then yesterday I had to come in early to meet with the guidance counselor and arrange my schedule. I hope I’ll be able to be a decent help at the lab."

"Don’t worry," Jim assured her, "Brian’s been working with no partner at all for the past few weeks. I’m sure even a half asleep partner will seem great to him."

"Oh, I’m sure with Brian I’ll be able to stay awake," Kelli replied, "He seems to know everything about the river." She gave Brian an admiring look.

"We’ve all learned a lot since we’ve had the floating lab," Brian told her, "It’s nice to have the chance to study the river hands-on."

Kelli’s eyes locked with Brian’s as she said with a seductive smile, "Hands-on is my favorite way to study."

Brian repressed a sigh, and looked out the window. Thank goodness they were almost at the lab, but he still had to get through the research session. Today shouldn’t be too bad, at least Jim and Jeff were here, but what about Thursday afternoon and Saturday morning, when he would be studying with Kelli pretty much independently? Loyola had been the ideal partner. He had valued that at the time, but now that she was gone, he could appreciate it even more. Yes, she was female, but he wasn’t attracted to her, so it just wasn’t an issue. They had just been friends and partners. Kelli definitely wasn’t his type, but any guy would have to be blind not to realize how attractive she was. Somehow, I’ll have to find a way to get past that and establish a working relationship with her, he told himself as the four alighted from the van. I don’t know how, but I’ll just have to.

 

Chapter Eight

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, or rather, back at the Art Room, the other BWG’s and Nick were once again congregated. Nick looked at the stack of posters waiting to be hung up.

"Let’s split up into teams of two. The job will get done a lot quicker that way."

"Okay," Honey said quickly, "Trixie and I can be one team."

Trixie thought she saw a disappointed look pass over Nick’s face, but it disappeared so quickly she couldn’t be sure.

Dan looked at Diana, "Do you think you could put up with me, Di?"

"Oh, I think I could somehow manage to suffer through," Di replied with a giggle.

Mart glowered, but only said, "Okay, Nick, buddy, I guess you’re stuck with me."

"Tell me this, with three pretty girls present, how did I get stuck with the partner with the crew cut?" Nick joked after they had divided the posters, and started out into the hall to disperse them.

"At least you get the best looking guy," Mart quipped.

"And the most humble," Trixie said sarcastically, "Just to warn you, Nick, you may want to bring along your dictionary for quick translations."

"Your blue eyes are turning green again, " Mart warned her, "Jealousy doesn’t become you, dear sister."

"Jealous, of you," Trixie pretended to choke, "Besides, dear almost-twin, we really are so much alike, what would I have to be jealous of?"

Mart reddened as he always did when Trixie called him her almost-twin, but Honey quickly grabbed Trixie’s arm and pulled her down the hallway before the good-natured squabbling between the two siblings became any-other-natured.

Trixie allowed herself to be pulled along by Honey for a minute and then stopped her.

"Honey, I’m glad we’re working together. I thought while we’re going around the school anyway, we could do a little detecting."

"What did you have in mind?" Honey asked as they walked along, "Wait a minute, we have to hang a poster here."

The girls stopped, and as they hung the poster, Trixie filled in her friend on the details of her detection plan.

"I thought we could stop by the custodian’s room and talk to Mr. Maynard or any of the custodians who happen to be there. Even if they weren’t involved, one of them might remember seeing something yesterday morning. Also, we have to put up one of these near the office. We could talk to Mr. Stratton about what groups met yesterday morning."

"That’s a good idea, but we’d better hurry. We’re supposed to meet everyone else back at the Art Room as soon as we’re finished, and we’ll never hear the end of it if we keep them waiting too long."

"Okay," Trixie said, "Let’s go." They had just finished hanging the poster and she took off running in the direction of the custodian’s room.

"Slow down," Honey protested after a few minutes, "I have to catch my breath. Sometimes I wish this school wasn’t so big. I thought Sleepyside was a small town."

"All right," Trixie agreed, slowing down to a fast walk. "Anyway, we’re almost there."

She looked at her friend, teasingly asking, "Honey, I was surprised when you chose me for a partner instead of Nick. After all, he’s much better looking."

Honey looked at her friend reproachfully, "Trixie, you know Nick is just a friend. He’s a nice guy, but that’s it."

"Are you sure he knows that?" Trixie asked her, "He’s been following you around like a little puppy dog."

"Trixie, you know that’s not true."

Trixie just stared at her with a grin until Honey reddened and gave in.

"Okay, so maybe he has been following me around a little bit, and he’s hinted around about the dance a few times. What do you think I should do? You know I’m not interested in him in that way."

"Just be happy this is a girl’s choice dance," was Trixie’s advice, "At least you don’t have to worry about coming up with excuses for when he asks you. Just be nice to him, and he’ll get the message when he finds out you’ve asked Brian to the dance."

"Oh, Trixie, are you sure you think I should still ask him? What about that girl?" Honey couldn’t quite bring herself to even say Kelli’s name.

"Honey, I told you he was just being nice to a new girl. Jim told me that she just sort of latched onto Brian and he didn’t know what to do." She smiled, but refrained from relating the rest of Jim’s conversation.

"Maybe he likes her type better. She is awfully sexy." Honey still had a worried look on her face.

"Honey, trust me, she’s not his type at all" Trixie tried to reassure her friend, "Remember when we went to Iowa and I thought that Jim really liked Dot - that she must be his type because she was so glamorous. It turned out not to be true at all." Unconsciously, she glanced down at the ID bracelet that Jim had given her at the close of that trip.

Honey smiled as she saw Trixie’s glance, "And then he gave you the bracelet. I never knew my big brother could be so sentimental."

It was Trixie’s turn to blush, " Um, yeah, anyway, my point is that you mean a lot to Brian. Kelli is definitely not his type. This Saturday we’ll all go shopping for dresses, and then we can call the guys from Di’s and invite them to the dance. I know Brian will be thrilled to go with you, and then you’ll have such a good time that you’ll look back on this discussion and laugh at how silly it was."

Trixie saw with relief that her friend looked a little happier at her words, although all Honey said was, " I hope so. Now come on, we have some janitors to talk to!"

As they approached the custodians’ room, the girls heard several voices laughing. They stopped at the door and saw Mr. Maynard drinking coffee and talking with two other custodians. They looked up as the girls entered, and Mr. Maynard asked in a gruff voice, "What do you want?"

"I, we, um…" Everything Trixie had planned to ask went right out of her mind now that she was faced with the grouchy look on Mr. Maynard’s face.

"We, um, wanted to ask if you saw anyone destroying the posters," she finally blurted out.

Mr. Maynard’s eyes narrowed, "I already told Mr. Stratton I didn’t see nothing. I don’t need a couple of pesky kids poking their noses in my business."

Trixie realized she wasn’t going to get anywhere with Mr. Maynard’s attitude, so she turned to go, but Honey stepped out determinedly from in back of her, and smiled warmly at Mr. Maynard.

"Excuse me, Mr. Maynard, I’m Honey Wheeler. Trixie and I know you did everything

you could to help Mr. Stratton find out what happened to the posters. But sometimes something occurs after the fact. You might remember something that you forgot to begin with, maybe something that didn’t seem important at all, but you never know what might be important."

Mr. Maynard’s face softened from outright belligerent to just a little grouchy as Honey talked. Trixie wanted to cheer for her friend. How did she do it? She knew Honey had been just as upset by Mr. Maynard’s mean reception as she was, and yet she could smile and act charming to him, while all Trixie wanted to do was scream and yell and run away.

"Honey Wheeler, huh?" the custodian asked, "Do you live at the Wheeler estate out on Glen Road?"

"Yes," Honey replied, "My father is Matthew Wheeler."

"I don’t know your father, but I do know Miss Marjorie Trask, who from what I’ve heard, pretty much runs your estate. I just played cards with her and Babs, that new cook of yours, up at Lytell’s on Saturday night. Marjorie Trask is a fine woman - Lytell might find he has some competition with her, if you know what I mean." He nudged Honey and winked.

"Thank goodness for Miss Trask," thought Trixie. I can’t believe she’s coming to our rescue again, without even knowing it. But what did she ever do to deserve two grouchy men like Mr. Maynard and Mr. Lytell lusting after her? She certainly deserves better than either of them!

Honey was quick to agree with Mr. Maynard’s sentiments, "Yes, Miss Trask is just about the nicest person in the world. She’s been like a second mother to me."

"Well, be sure and tell her I said hello, and I hope to see her again real soon," Mr. Maynard told her. "Now, what did you want to know about those posters? That was a real cruel trick someone played."

"We just wondered if you saw anything unusual on Monday morning." Honey answered him.

"Well, like I told you, if I had seen anything, I would have told Mr. Stratton. Besides, Monday is my late morning. I don’t come in ’til 6:30. Molly here- I mean Mrs. O’Riley- opens the school at 5:30 every Monday."

"I did open the school, but Charlie, you forgot that you were here early, too." To the girls she said, "Mr. Maynard is so used to getting up early that a lot of times he comes in early even on his late days."

Mr. Maynard gave Molly a grumpy look, " I may have been in early on Monday, although I don’t remember it. The days all blur into each other after awhile."

"You were in early," Mrs. O’Riley stated positively, "I saw you down by the gym when I was unlocking the gym and the locker rooms."

Trixie and Honey looked at each other. Mr. Maynard’s denial was interesting, but Trixie felt the conversation was slipping away from the original topic.

"Well, did either of you see anything unusual on Monday morning?" she asked.

Mr. Maynard turned to glare at her. Trixie guessed he was back to his usual grouchy self.

"I didn’t see anything," he insisted, "I told you I would have reported anything I saw to Mr. Stratton."

Trixie turned to Mrs. O’Riley, who had a thoughtful look on her face. It was apparent that she wanted to help with the investigation.

"Now let me see," she said. " I really didn’t see anyone at first, except Mr. Maynard." He turned to glare at her once again, and she hastily continued, "but after that, I think I remember something. Yes, near the cafeteria. It was nothing important, but as I was coming around the corner, I did notice someone, but they disappeared so quickly, I didn’t get to talk to them. It was kind of unusual to see someone that early, but I didn’t think too much about it because there are early meetings, and some of the teachers come in early to get work done in peace. Looking back on it, though, it did seem like the person was trying to avoid me."

Trixie was getting excited, "Did you get a good look at the person? Was it a male or a female? What were they wearing? Did you notice what color hair they had?"

By Mrs. O’Riley’s tone, they could tell that she hated to disappoint Trixie, "No, Sweetie, I only got a glimpse of him as I rounded the corner. About the only thing I noticed, though, was that the person was fairly tall. I guess really tall for a woman, and still pretty tall for a guy."

"Can you make a guess on the height?" Trixie asked.

"Well, don’t quote me on this, but I would say, for a ballpark figure, about 5’10", give or take a couple of inches. Also, I got a glimpse green-maybe a jacket or a sweatshirt. Does that help you at all?"

Trixie and Honey looked at each other excitedly. Their first clue! They hastened to reassure Mrs. O’Riley about how important her information was.

 

Meanwhile, Diana and Dan were proceeding at a more leisurely pace, but accomplishing a lot more (putting-up-posters-wise, as opposed to mystery-solving-wise, anyway.)

As they strolled along, comfortable in each other’s presence, Dan asked Diana about her day and her different classes, and she found herself telling him all about her trials and tribulations in math and English and about how much she loved chorus, art, and drama. She was surprised and pleased discover what a good listener he was, and she couldn’t believe how much she was talking. With Mart, she was always the quiet one.

"I know I’m usually the quiet one," she told Dan, "Although you wouldn’t know it today, I’ve been talking your ear off," she added with a laugh, "but drama really helps me come out of myself. I can even be someone loud and obnoxious, and not hurt anyone’s feelings. It’s good for the soul."

"I like hearing you talk my ear off," Dan told her with a grin, " With the other BWG’s, it’s sometimes hard to get your point of view across. I like hearing yours."

"Yeah," Di agreed, "Sometimes I think they just see me as quiet, and they don’t really consider my opinions, or I can’t get a word in edgewise enough to express an opinion. Trixie and Honey are my best friends, but they’re so close, and when they’re caught up in a mystery, it’s sometimes like I don’t exist, or even that I’m in the way because I’m not as brave as they are."

Dan looked at the quizzically and said, "I never would have guessed that you sometimes feel left out. I mean, you grew up in Sleepyside and you’ve known the Beldens since grade school. It’s weird how even someone who belongs can feel like an outsider."

His voice trailed off as he said the last few words, and a shadow passed over his face. Di rested her hand gently on his arm.

"I think we all feel that way sometimes," Di told him, "It’s great to belong to a group, but even though I grew up in Sleepyside, I didn’t join the Bob-Whites until after the others, so I missed their first adventures. It must be even harder for you, coming from the city, and joining even later. You missed out on a lot."

"Well, it’s been great in most ways," Dan replied, "I really love being a Bob-White, and I’ve had some of the best times of my life here. Still, it’s tough when everyone else has a family. I mean, I know I have Uncle Bill, and Mr. Maypenny also considers me family, but it’s not the same as what all you guys have. In some ways, I’m just an employee. I try to be grateful, and I am most of the time, but it’s hard when I have to lose out on the fun because I have to chop wood or patrol the preserve. Sure, everyone else has jobs, but they’re not as time-consuming as mine. Sometimes I feel that if I have to chop one more piece of wood, I’ll run away and lose myself in the preserve forever."

"It must be really frustrating," Di agreed, "But I have to say, the results are great." Di’s hand that had been resting on his arm lightly squeezed the results in his bicep as she smiled up at him.

Dan looked down at her and smiled back, taking a step closer to her. "Why thank you," he told her softly, " I think we should form our own secret club - the S.B. W.G.’s."

"S.B.W.G.’s?" Diana asked, puzzled.

"Secondary Bob-Whites of the Glen," Dan explained.

"I don’t think there’s anything secondary about us," Diana stated, "I think it should be the Sensational Bob-Whites of the Glen."

"Sensational is a good description for one member of our secret club, anyway," Dan told her, and he couldn’t resist stroking her soft hair as he spoke.

"Definitely sensational for both members," Diana told him firmly.

Suddenly, they heard voices from down the hall. One was easily identifiable from the tone and from the words it was emitting, "The superlative location for this particular poster is, in my perspective, at the summit of the point between . . ."

The couple sprang apart as Mart and Nick came into view from around the corner. For the second time that day, Mart glowered at Dan and Diana, looking from one to the other suspiciously, but merely asking, "How many posters do you have left? This is our last one."

"We still have a few," Dan admitted, "But we’ll speed up now and meet you back at the Art Room in no time."

"Okay," said Mart, "We’re going to put up this one and then go in search of Beatrix and Madeline. Me thinks they may have been sidetracked by the recent…ahem, dare I say the word…mysterious happenings."

"Yes, Trixie did have that gleam in her eyes," Di agreed as the two groups took off in opposite directions.

As they rounded the corner and were safely out of view of the other two boys, Dan turned to Diana.

"S.B.W.G.?" he asked her, grinning and holding out his hand to her.

"S.B.W.G.," she agreed, taking his hand as they headed down the hall to finish putting up the posters.

Trixie ran down the path to the clubhouse. On the way to school that morning, she had called for a meeting of the B.W.G.’s to discuss the mystery surrounding the dance posters. Unfortunately, she had had some chores to do first (the dust seemed to multiply at the Belden’s house as quickly as the wood did at Mr. Maypenny’s cabin). Dan and Diana also had chores to do, so Honey and the other boys had agreed to exercise the horses, and hopefully prevent Regan from losing his fiery temper. The Bob-Whites always tried to stay on Regan’s good side, but now that he had agreed to chaperone the dance with Miss Trask, they were being extra careful.

As Trixie arrived at the clubhouse, she ran almost full tilt into Jim, who was just unlocking the clubhouse door. Fortunately, she was able to apply her brakes just in time.

"Hi, Jim," she greeted him, "Where are the others?"

"Do you ever walk anywhere?" Jim asked her with a grin, "You never seem to fail to make a high speed entrance. But in answer to your question, Brian somehow volunteered himself into taking care of Starlight and Lady. Penance, I guess. Honey must be keeping him company. When Mart heard that Cook was providing refreshments for the meeting, he took off pretty quickly in the direction of the kitchen."

"Great," Trixie lamented, "Half said refreshments will probably not-so-mysteriously disappear between the kitchen and here."

It was a little chilly, and Jim debated whether or not to light the little oil heater. He decided against it, thinking that they all had jackets and hopefully the meeting wouldn’t take too long. He turned to look at Trixie. Her hair, as usual, was a little messy, but she made a pretty picture. Her cheeks were pink from her run and her blue eyes seemed to sparkle. She looked, however, as though her thoughts were a million miles away.

"Trixie," he began. She turned and looked at him, but he could tell that her thoughts were elsewhere.

"Hmm," she answered absentmindedly.

"A penny for your thoughts."

Trixie came floating down from cloud mystery and said, "Sorry, Jim, you know me, I was just thinking about . . ." Trixie stopped in midsentence when she saw the way Jim was looking at her.

"Thinking about…what?" Jim asked her.

She took a deep breath. The look on his face made her totally forget what she was going to say.

"Nothing much," she finally answered, "I guess I was just thinking about the dance and the posters and what happened with them."

"That’s what I wanted to talk to you about," Jim told her, "I was wondering…is there anything you want to tell me …or ask me, about the dance?"

Trixie felt herself grow warm under his gaze. She couldn’t believe he was hinting for an invitation. He was really making things easy for her, and if she waited until Saturday, she’d have to actually pick up the phone and call him. Still, what would Di and Honey say if she asked him now, after they had all agreed to ask the guys on Saturday? She wanted to be fair to her friends, too. She took another deep breath.

"Actually, I was going to ask you something about the dance," she finally said.

"Really, what is it?" Jim smiled down at her, and Trixie felt a little guilty, but braced herself to answer him.

"Well," she said, giving him her sauciest smile, "did you know that Regan and Miss Trask are going to chaperone for it?"

Brian and Honey walked along a path that led from the stables to the clubhouse.

"Brian, you didn’t have to groom Lady and clean the tack," Honey told him, "If anything, I should have taken care of Starlight for you, considering all the help you’ve given me in Algebra this year."

"Both are my pleasure," Brian smiled at her, " And I haven’t even given you much help in Algebra lately-you’ve done so well."

Honey didn’t want to admit, even to herself, that she really didn’t need much help in Algebra, although she suspected that Brian suspected. It was the only chance she had to spend time alone with him.

"I still couldn’t get by without your help," she told him firmly, "I don’t know how I’ll ever survive Geometry next year when you’re away at college."

"Well, hopefully, I’ll be able to help you on weekends." Brian and Jim both planned on going to colleges in the state of New York so they would be close enough to come home frequently, "Besides, next year is still a long way away."

"Thank goodness," Honey added, leaving him to interpret whether she meant in terms of Geometry or in terms of his going away to college.

"Honey," Brian stopped her and took her hand, "There’s something I want to ask you."

She looked up at him shyly. He swallowed hard. Honey’s hair shimmered with color against the backdrop of the fall leaves in the late afternoon sun. He longed to run his fingers through it, but with some difficulty, he pulled his thoughts back to where they should be.

"I was actually wondering," he said, laughing nervously, "If there’s anything you want to ask me?"

Honey was silent for a few minutes, and he watched her carefully, trying to figure out what was going through her mind. Basically, her thoughts ran along the same lines as Trixie’s had a short while ago.

"Well, Brian," she said finally, "I did want to ask you one thing."

"Yes?" His eyes started to smile, and she felt terrible, but she decided to say it quickly before she could change her mind. The words ran together in her haste to get them out.

"DoyouthinkIcouldgetanAinAlgebraifIreallytried?"

 

Di walked along a path connecting the Manor House with the clubhouse. Dusk was setting in, giving an eerie look to the trees and shadows, so she hurried along nervously. She started when she heard a rustling in the bushes, followed by a noise she couldn’t identify. She froze on the spot and could barely stifle a scream when Mart emerged from a side path, chomping away on something. He had a frosting mustache and was holding a tray of cupcakes and a big thermos. He jumped guiltily when he saw Di.

"Mart, what on earth are you doing? Are those cupcakes for the meeting?" Di asked suspiciously.

"Affirmative, and hot chocolate," he said, holding up the thermos.

"Let me see those. I think I’d better take charge of those cupcakes or they’ll never make it to the clubhouse," Di said, taking the tray from him.

"I’ve only had two," Mart protested.

"And two is all you’re getting. It’s nearly dinner time," Di reminded him.

"Yes, Mom," Mart kidded her.

They walked along in silence for a few minutes.

"So, how have you been?" asked Mart.

"Fine, how about you?" Di answered automatically.

Mart took a deep breath, "I’ve really missed you, Di."

"I know, I’ve missed you, too," Di told him sincerely.

"Really?" Mart looked at her hopefully.

"Of course, you’re one of my best friends," she replied.

"Oh," Mart looked a little down, mumbling almost under his breath, "I guess that’s better than nothing."

"It’s much better than nothing," Di told him, "Our friendship means a lot to me."

"Me too," Mart told her seriously. He looked at her and stopped walking. "Um, Di," he began. She looked at him, having a pretty good idea of what was coming.

"I’m not trying to pressure you, but I just wondered if you’ve decided who you’re going to ask to the dance."

Di thought for a moment, and decided that she had put Mart through a lot recently. The least she could do was try to be honest with him.

"Actually, I haven’t completely decided yet," she finally answered, "Trixie and Honey are sleeping over this weekend, and we thought we’d invite our dates then. So I have until Saturday to think about it."

She looked up at Mart, willing him to understand. He looked hurt, but struggled to keep his composure.

"Okay, but just don’t forget I’m here," he told her with a half-hearted grin.

"You’re kind of difficult to forget," Di said with a laugh, and then more seriously, she said, "I promise. Now come on, the others are waiting for us."

 

Chapter Ten

Mart and Di were the last of the BWG’s to arrive, and Trixie was ready to call the meeting to order as soon as they walked in the door.

"Come on, you two, hurry up and take a seat, so we can start," she greeted them.

"Glad to see Di has the cupcakes under control," Brian observed, "Otherwise, I don’t know how many would have made it."

Mart and Di arranged the cupcakes, thermos, and paper cups in the middle of the table, and then sat down quickly.

"The reason I called this meeting," Trixie informed the other Bob-Whites," is because Honey and I have come up with some clues about who could have destroyed the dance posters. We thought if we could put our heads together, maybe we could figure out who might have done this, and try to prevent anything else from happening."

"Yeah," Mart complained, "While the rest of us were putting up posters like good little doobies, these two were once again doing their gumshoe act, which meant we had to while away precious multiple milliseconds in the chamber of artistic endeavors while awaiting their return."

"Well, the reason you had to wait so long in the Art Room," said Honey with a sigh, "is that once Mr. Maynard found out that we knew Miss Trask, he insisted on showing us this new line of brooms and mops that he thought would be perfect for the Manor House. Trixie and I thought we’d never get out of there, and we’ve decided to call him ‘Mr.Mops’ from now on."

"And what, pray tell, were you doing in the cubicle of our crusty chief custodian?" Mart inquired, "I assume neither of you wanted to invite him to the Sadie Hawkins dance."

The Bob-Whites laughed, but Honey pretended to look sad, saying, "No, we considered it, but Miss Trask is too much competition for us where Mr. Mops is concerned."

Trixie also assumed a mournful expression. "Yes, it might take us awhile to get over Mr. Mops, but his affections are obviously tied up elsewhere."

Mart looked at the girls in mock sympathy. "Cheer up, girls, there are other fish in the sea," he told them, "After all, if our jaunty janitor is in the race for Miss Trask’s affection, then Mr. Lytell may soon become available."

At this statement, bedlam ensued in the clubhouse as Trixie and Honey gagged and the others erupted with laughter. Finally, Trixie gave the Bob-White whistle to get everyone’s attention, and banged her imaginary gavel.

"We really have to talk about the dance. It’s getting late and we all have to be home soon."

"Okay," Brian said, "For the sake of getting out of here sometime before midnight, I’ll take the bait. What clues did you girls come up with?"

Trixie related their discussion with Mr. Maynard and Mrs. O’Riley and also told the Bob-Whites that they had stopped by the office and found out that the only groups that had met early on Monday were the band, the cheerleaders, and the Key Club (a service organization).

"Well, Trixie, you know we all want to help," Dan spoke up when Trixie had finished speaking, "but that doesn’t narrow it down all that much. I mean, there must be a bunch of people between those three clubs, and a lot of them probably wear green clothing and are between 5’8" and 6’0" – if that height is even accurate.

"We know it’s a long shot," Honey put in, "but first of all, most of the cheerleaders are shorter than that, so that would eliminate a lot of them. And, if we all keep our eyes and ears open, we might notice something. For instance, Trixie thinks Mr. Maynard should be on our suspect list because he was in early on Monday, but he tried to deny it until Mrs. O’Riley insisted that she had seen him."

"Also, he wears a green uniform, and I noticed tons of paint in the janitor’s closet when we were looking at the mops-all different colors," Trixie added.

"Well, that’s certainly suspicious," Mart said sarcastically, "I can’t imagine why there would be paint in a janitor’s closet. Also, he’s way too short. I’m about 5’10"and he’s much shorter than I am."

"Well, the height is only approximate, and he does have a motive," Trixie defended herself, "He’s so grouchy that he can’t be happy at this job. He’s probably sick of all the kids and the mess they make. And he probably wants to sabotage the dance so he won’t have to clean up after it."

"I wouldn’t be surprised if it was him," Di agreed, "Once, I had to call him to clean up a huge spill in the Art Room, and he grouched at me so much, I was ready to cry."

"I think we have to be careful not to jump to conclusions," Brian, always the cautious one, reminded the group, "This is mostly just speculation. As Dan said, there are a lot of people who could fit this description."

"That’s true," Jim said, "when you told us your clues, Trixie, one person came to my mind. Green sweat suit, in the band, and about the right height, but he’s a nice guy and I’m pretty sure he didn’t have anything to do with it. It’s not fair to make dangerous assumptions about people."

"Who is it, Jim?" Trixie asked excitedly, "We could at least add him to the list of possibilities. After all, I’m not going to accuse anyone until I have definite proof."

"You’re not going to accuse anyone, period," Brian told her, "If you get proof, we’ll go straight to Mr. Stratton with it and let him handle it. I know who Jim is talking about, and I agree with him. We shouldn’t throw names around without good reason. Someone’s reputation could easily become damaged that way."

"Yeah," Mart agreed, "I know a cheerleader, and she’s not short, but that doesn’t make her a suspect. She seems like a really nice person."

The Bob-Whites looked at Mart interestedly. What cheerleader was this? Di’s gaze was especially thoughtful. When Mart saw the looks on his friends’ faces, he mentally kicked himself for even bringing Amy up.

Trixie’s one-track mind, however, was still on the mystery.

"Who is she, Mart? Does she wear a green jacket or sweater?"

Brian groaned. "Trixie, you’re missing the point on this. I know someone else who came in early, too. Including Mr. Maynard and Mrs. O’Riley, that’s five people we can place at the school early on Monday morning. There are probably at least fifty others. That doesn’t make them suspects."

"But Brian, can’t we at least talk to some of these people who could be considered possibilities?" Trixie looked pleadingly at Brian, and then at Jim. Jim glanced at Brian and cleared his throat.

"Okay, Maybe it couldn’t hurt to talk to these people. Brian, Mart, and I can each question the people we know, subtly, to try to find out if they know anything or saw anything. But until we have something more definite, I don’t think we should name names."

Trixie looked disappointed. If the boys wouldn’t name names, she wouldn’t have anyone to question, but she knew better than to push the issue with the Jim and Brian. They could just be so honorable and stubborn.

"Well, I guess that will have to do," Trixie said somewhat disconsolately, "Maybe the rest of us can talk to anyone else we know from one of those three clubs, to see if we can find out anything."

"Trixie," Dan asked, "did you and Honey find out what shade of green Mrs. O’Riley saw? I mean, there are a lot of different shades of green."

"Yes," Di said, and began listing, "There’s olive green, sea green, khaki, kelly green, bottle green, forest green, and my personal favorite, emerald."

Di paused for breath, and Trixie said, "That’s a good point, and we didn’t think of that. Di, will you and Dan please talk to Mrs. O’Riley tomorrow and ask her, and get back to us at lunchtime."

Diana and Dan agreed, and then Mart looked at his watch.

"It’s getting late," he told them, "We Beldens had better hustle home or Moms will have our heads."

"Yes," said Trixie, "Let’s hurry. We’ve been so busy this week; we’ve hardly had anytime to help Moms. She’s probably going crazy with Bobby about now."

The seven friends quickly cleaned up and headed for their respective homes.

 

Diana looked around as the Beldens headed for home, and Honey and Jim headed for the Manor House. It was pitch black out now, and she didn’t relish the idea of walking home alone. Jim stopped.

"Wait a minute, Honey, Di can walk with us. We’ll walk you to the house first, and you can tell Miss Trask I’ll be home soon."

"Don’t bother." Dan had come up behind them, and heard Jim’s comments. I’ll walk with Di. Mr. Maypenny won’t even notice if I’m a little late."

"Sure thing," Jim said, winking at Dan behind the girls’ backs. "Have fun!"

Diana and Dan strolled in the direction of the Lynch estate.

"I really appreciate your walking me home," Diana said. "I shouldn’t be such a fraidy-cat, but I hate walking alone in the dark."

"You’re not being a fraidy-cat, you’re being smart," Dan told her, "There’s no way a pretty girl like you should be walking alone anywhere after dark."

Di smiled, "Well, anyway, I hope I’m not making you too late for your supper."

"No," Dan reassured her, "Mr. Maypenny’s stew will keep forever, simmering on the back of the stove. In fact, I think the longer it cooks, the more flavorful it becomes."

"Well, it’s certainly flavorful," Di said, "I’m starving, and it’s making my mouth water just thinking about that stew."

"Mine, too," Dan agreed. They walked along silently for a few minutes, enjoying the evening, and then he broke the silence, idly asking, "So, do you think Trixie will get her man this time, and figure out who’s behind the poster sabotage?"

Di giggled, "She always does. I hope she does because I’d hate to have the dance cancelled. It should be a lot of fun. Trixie and Jim were telling me about the decorations and the band and it sounds great."

"Yeah, it will be fun," Dan said, "Um, Di…" He started to say something, and then broke off laughing.

Di looked at him curiously. "What’s so funny?" she asked.

"Well, I almost asked you to the dance. For a minute, I forgot it was girl’s choice."

Di laughed too, and then looked at him musingly.

"Well, in that case, would you like to go to the dance with me?" she asked him after a few minutes.

"Well, let me think about it a minute," he kidded her, pretending to ponder the question for about three seconds. "Yes" he said enthusiastically, "I’d love to go with you. But are sure Mart won’t mind?"

"Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure he will mind," Diana told him, "and I hope this doesn’t get in the way of your friendship, but Mart and I aren’t going steady or anything. I’ve really enjoyed being with you lately, and I think we’ll have fun at the dance together. I hope Mart understands because I really do care about him. And this is just one date."

Dan agreed with her as they approached the Lynch house. He felt a little guilty about Mart, but he really liked Diana, and after all, he was almost always the third wheel with the three Bob-White couples. It was someone else’s turn this time.

"I’m sure Mart will be okay," he told Diana, saying goodnight.

Diana walked into the house, thinking about everything. She had a feeling her dance invitation was going to cause her a sleepless night. Not only did she have to deal with her guilt over Mart, but she’d have to tell Trixie and Honey that she’d gone ahead and invited her date, instead of waiting until Saturday. She hadn’t planned it this way. It had just happened. She’d have to call them after supper. What was she going to tell them? They’re going to kill me!! She ran upstairs to get ready for dinner, and then she thought about Dan again, smiling to herself, and thinking that it was just possible that all this guilt was worth it.

To Be Continued