Chapter Eight

Thursday, 6.30 PM
Downtown White Plains

"Oh, come on, Annie! It’ll be fun! Just us girls out on the town," Diana was trying to cheer Annie up. She and Honey had picked Annie up to take her shopping. Mrs. Parker had told them Annie was a bit depressed lately and hadn’t even bought her dress for the dance yet. So Di and Honey had decided to take the matter into their own hands. They remembered the many times they had to drag Trixie to the shops, so this wasn’t a first for them.

Annie made a face. "I really don’t like shopping much."

Honey laughed and turned to the back seat to look at the youngest BWG. "Well, I’ll bet you going shopping with us is a lot more fun than going with your Mum. I used to hate shopping with my Mother."

"Yeah, I bet you did," Annie replied, as she thought of the nice but too formal and almost frighteningly elegant Madeline Wheeler.

"We’ll have fun, you’ll see. And then we’ll have dinner at this nice little restaurant I know near the mall," Di stated.

"It’s a school night, Di."

The violet-eyed girl smiled at the teenager’s words. "Don’t worry. We’ve talked to your mother and we’ll get you home before nine."

"Ok then. But please don’t take me to any fancy shops," Annie pleaded as she stuck her head between the two front seats.

"Gee, how come I’m remembering a certain freckle faced, curly blonde haired girl right now, Honey?" Diana giggled.

"Beats me!" Honey answered, as she burst out laughing.

The girls browsed the shops for a while, dragging a bored Annie after them. She might may have enjoyed the shopping spree, but she was to worried about Bobby.

"Annie, look!" She startled at the sound of Diana’s excited voice. "Oh, this is just perfect for you!"

Annie looked up and her eyes widened in horror. The dress Diana was holding out to her was kind of pretty, but it was PINK! No way would she wear a dress that colour. She could stand it in a T-Shirt, but never, ever, on a dress! It was just too… pink!

Honey couldn’t help a smile. "Di, I think Annie doesn’t agree with you."
Diana looked a bit disappointed, but then shrugged and smiled. "Oh, okay then. I guess I’m just too used to my sisters’ tastes. What’s your favourite colour, Annie?"

"Oh, let me guess: blue, right?" Honey laughed once more as Annie nodded. "I knew that!"

"Talk about dejá vu!" Di moaned, as she faked despair.

"What?" Annie was puzzled.

"Nothing, sweetie. We’re remembering the way Trixie used to act whenever we came shopping. Just don’t mind us." Honey motioned towards a dress rack, mostly in shades of blue. She browsed them for a few seconds and then shouted, "Hooray! I think I’ve got it. Look at it, Annie."

"That’s more like it!" Annie’s eyes shone. The dress was of a rich shade of blue, made of a shiny, satin like fabric and the flared skirt should fall just below her knees. It came with a short-sleeved coat that hid the thin spaghetti straps.

"That’s beautiful!" Diana said, admiringly. "It should really suit you! Oh, just go and try it! I can’t wait to see how you look, all dressed up."

"Come on, I’ll help you out," Honey offered as she led Annie into the booth.

Diana looked through a few more racks while she waited. Suddenly, she recognized a young woman who had just walked in the store.

"Joeanne, hi!"

The other girl looked up, startled. "Diana! Oh, hi! I’m sorry, I didn’t see you."

"That’s ok. How’ve you been?"

Joeanne shrugged. "I’m fine, I guess. I was just…" she blushed. "Well, I had some free time and I decided it was about time to start looking for something to wear at Honey’s wedding." And I really didn’t feel like going home, she added in her thoughts.

Diana smiled. Somehow she knew what Joeanne meant by having some free time. "I came here with Honey and Annie. We had to drag the kid to see if we could get her to finally buy a dress for the Spring Dance."

Joeanne lowered her eyes for a moment, as Diana’s words reminded her that Sally should have been going to that dance herself.

Diana felt a bit embarrassed. She could well imagine what was going through her friend’s mind. Impulsively, she reached out and squeezed her hand. Joeanne looked up, surprised and smiled, though sadly.

"I’m fine, Diana. I was just thinking about Sally and about all Annie is going through. She should be enjoying this moment and not worrying about the adoption," she said, as she patted Diana’s hand reassuringly. She amazed herself with the ease she revealed her thoughts to Diana and was rewarded with a smile from her.

"I thought as much," Di replied. "Come on, let’s check out how the dress looks on her."

Joeanne hesitated. "Oh, Di, I think it’s best if I don’t. Annie might not like to see me here and I would hate to spoil her day."

Dismissing her arguments with a gesture, Diana pulled her to the dressing room. "Nonsense! Annie knows you are a friend. Besides, you can use this time with her to see what a fine young lady she is and put that in your report." Di winked playfully at her, and Joeanne found herself smiling again at the ease and friendliness of the other girl.

The moment they reached the booth, they saw Honey peeking out.

"I was wondering where you were off to," she said and then greeted Joeanne. "Hi, Joeanne. You came just in time to see this princess we’ve got here."

"Oh, yeah, right!" said a disbelieving Annie from behind the curtain.

"Come on, let’s see it."

Annie stepped outside the room, twisting her hands. But Honey was right. She looked so beautiful in the blue, sparkling dress the other girls even overlooked the fact she was barefooted. The skirt flowed freely over her legs and the close fitted top was very becoming to her developing body. The elegant little coat was a nice complement to the dress and Honey had even managed to do her hair up, improvising with a few hairpins.

"Oh, Annie!" was Joeanne’s automatic response. "You do look beautiful."

Annie had paled a bit when she saw Joeanne, but now a most becoming blush invaded her cheeks. "Thanks," she said meekly.

"Well, I think we can stop searching. It can’t get anymore perfect!" Diana’s eyes shone in excitement. "I can just imagine Bobby’s face when he sees you!"

This time, Annie turned red. "Oh, quit it, Di!"

Honey laughed and decided to take the girl out of the limelight. "Come on, let’s get you out of that dress before you just decide to call the whole thing off!"

"We’ll wait for you at the restaurant, Honey. You are joining us, aren’t you, Joeanne?" Di asked, anxiously.

She seemed to hesitate and looked from Honey to Annie and then back at Di. "I don’t… know if I should."

"Please stay," Honey asked, holding her hand. "It’s been a while since we’ve talked."

"I would like you to stay too." Annie smiled, shyly.

"So, you see, there’s no way you’re escaping us now!" Diana put her arm through Joeanne’s and pulled her closer to herself. "You never accepted our invitations to lunch back in high school, but I won’t let you off the hook again. You’re stuck with us."

"I don’t stand a chance, do I?" Joeanne’s face lit with an open smile, and her features softened, making her look as young as her years.

"No, you don’t. So, let’s go. The girls will meet us there."

As they left the shop, Diana was still clinging to Joeanne’s arm. Suddenly, Di exclaimed, "Oh, you never got around to buying that dress, did you?"

"No, but that’s ok. I was just window-shopping really. My mind isn’t really into it."

"Tell you what: why don’t we get together sometime and I’ll help you out? I really rather go shopping with a friend than by myself. It’s a lot more fun."

"I really wouldn’t know," Joeanne said, almost ashamed. "I don’t… I don’t go shopping much."

Di heard the truth behind the other girl’s words and felt a little guilty. She had always liked Joeanne, but her own shyness and insecurity had prevented her from approaching her. In her lonelier moments, Diana had wondered what it would have been like if there was another girl in the club, and recently she wondered if Joeanne could have been that girl.

Honey and Trixie had always been her dearest friends, but Di had always missed the intimacy that the two girls shared between them. Like Dan, there were times when she felt a bit put aside. Not that the others had ever intended for her to feel like that, but she just did. Of course there was Mart, but that was different. To this day she felt the need for a girl friend she could share her most intimates thoughts with, even though she also felt she was being unfair to Trixie and Honey. And she had the distinct feeling Joeanne could have been that friend, if only things had been different.

By the time they reached the restaurant, and were directed to a table near the window, Di had made up her mind.

"Joeanne," she said. "I know we’ve never been that close, but I really would like that to change. It’s strange. Us, I mean. We’ve been neighbours for such a long time and we hardly ever talk."

"We don’t exactly move in the same circles, Di," Joeanne replied, without any intention of sounding reproachful. Still, Diana blushed.

"I know, and that’s even sillier. I’ve been thinking…If things had been different, you could have been a Bobwhite."

Joeanne stared at her, wondering if she had heard her right. "What do you mean?"

"If you had returned to Sleepyside right after Jim did, maybe you would have hung around with them more and became a part of the club." Diana’s face lit as she revealed what she had been thinking for quite some time. "It makes sense, Joeanne. After all, you did qualify." Seeing Joeanne was confused, Diana laughed and explained: "You see, one of the reasons for creating the BWGs was because we kids on Glen Road lived away from town and hadn’t many chances of enrolling in any after school activities. So you qualified."

Joeanne couldn’t help a smile as she wondered if it could really have happened. But she indulged on that fantasy for no more than a few seconds. "Maybe I did. But it didn’t happen."

Diana reached out and held her hand in hers. "I feel guilty, Joeanne."

"Guilty? Whatever for?" Joeanne stared into Diana’s eyes, and realized she was being honest.

"I’m not sure…" Diana hesitated. "For not being enough of a friend. For not acting on my thoughts about us being closer."

Joeanne shook her head. "Diana, don’t. You and your family have been more than my friends. If it wasn’t for your Dad, I don’t know what would have happened to Sally. I owe him enough of a debt already."

"I’m not talking about my father. And since you mentioned it, there is no debt. He doesn’t want anything in return."

"Maybe he doesn’t, but I will pay him back," Joeanne said, firmly. She hated feeling indebted to anyone, even if she knew Mr. Lynch would never bring up the subject. But she was just too proud to accept a gift.

Diana understood and decided it was best not to touch the subject. "Anyway, I was talking about the Bobwhites."

"Oh, Di, you guys tried, but I was the one who wouldn’t join you."

"And why didn’t you?"

The young woman drew back her hand and sighed. Somehow she was finding it easy to talk to Diana and decided to be honest. "My life wasn’t easy back then. I didn’t have much time to myself. I liked to watch you guys, from afar. You looked… perfect. So if I joined in and brought my problems with me…"

"It just wouldn’t be so perfect anymore." Diana added. "Oh, Joeanne! If I’d only known that. You know, I used to feel the same way, just before Trixie asked me to join the group. Oh, I wish I could turn back time and force you to accept at least one lunch invitation! I know that would have made a difference!"

"But we can’t turn back time, Di." It was Joeanne’s turn to hold the other girl’s hand. "Believe me I’ve tried."

Diana smiled and felt the sting of tears in her pretty eyes. "Well, but as they say, it’s better late than never. You can still become my best friend. Would you like that?"

The innocence of the offer made Joeanne smile, and her heart warmed towards Diana, even though she knew it simply didn’t happen that way. But still, somehow it didn’t really matter. Feeling very close to tears herself, she answered, "Yes, Diana. I would like that very much."

 

8 PM
Wheeler’s Preserve

A long way from the mall, in the Wheeler’s preserve, Jim and Dan were also sharing their thoughts, as they rode into the woods, their conversation made private by the silent night and the trees around them.

"I feel I’m going crazy, Jim," Dan confessed. "Every time I think Joeanne might get mad at me because I went to see Sally, I get scared. Really scared."

Jim grinned.

"Are you falling for her, man?"

Dan shrugged.

"I don’t know. She makes me mad sometimes, but then I sense all the pain behind her words and I just want to…I don’t know…To take all the pain away!"

"Joeanne is a wonderful girl, but she’s also very complicated. Just make sure you’re not getting close to her just because you pity her."

"Pity her?" Dan shook his head, making a few strands of black hair fall over his eyes and chuckled. "I admire her, Jim. I respect her. And I ‘d like her to be happy. But somehow I think she’s the greatest obstacle to her own happiness. She’s too damned hard on herself!"

"I know," Jim said, as he brought Jupiter to a halt near the lake and dismounted. "But then again, how can we blame her? Just think about the life she’s led so far." The red headed young man sighed and sat on the sandy margins of the lake. "I was talking to Diana at the barbecue the other day, and she told me something that has made me think."

"What did she tell you?" Dan tied Strawberry’s reigns to a nearby tree and sat by Jim’s side.

Jim rubbed his temples, feeling suddenly overwhelmed. "She says Joeanne should have been the eighth BWG. You know, before Bobby and Annie came along." He sighed again, feeling suddenly weary. "It makes sense, if you think about it. And she probably would have been, if the Darnell’s had moved back to Sleepyside right away. When they finally did, we were just too engrossed in our own lives to think about her. I kinda feel bad about it, you know."
"Didn’t you try to get close to her before?"

"Yeah, we did. But she always seemed to avoid us. I didn’t understand why until Sally’s story came afloat and I realised what her life had been like. Knowing her, I guess she was just too proud to tell us of her problems or to ask us for help. And I blamed myself for not realising it sooner. By the time I did, she had already built that thick wall around her."

Even as he repeated to himself that things were simply the way they were and there was no use in wondering about ‘what ifs’, Dan couldn’t help imagining what it would have been like if Joeanne had joined the group. Then he wouldn’t have felt like the fifth, or rather the seventh, wheel on the wagon. And as Joeanne had obligations towards her family that prevented from having too much free time, they could have kept each other company when the other BWGs were off to their frequent trips. He wouldn’t have felt so lonely. And who knows? Maybe they would… Dan got back on his feet. Snap out of it, man, he thought, taking deep breaths and forcing himself to forget all those fantasies.

Jim looked up at him, wondering what was going on. Suddenly, he understood. "Maybe it would have made it easier for you too?"

Dan smiled, wryly.

"Who knows? She’s a lot like me. But still, it’s much easier to figure this kinda thing out when it’s happening to someone else," he added, referring to his own conversations with Jim, back when his friend was still hesitating to tell Trixie he loved her.

"I’ve noticed." Jim got up and shook the sand from his jeans and wondered if there was anything he could say to help Dan with Joeanne. But he figured it was better to just let them work it out on their own. He patted his friend’s back, saying: "C’mon, Dan. Let’s get those horses back to the stables or your uncle will kill us."

 

Chapter Nine

Friday, 10.15 AM
Sleepyside High

On Friday morning, as everyone exited Biology class, Bobby lagged behind as he put his books back into his backpack. He needed everyone to leave before he could put his plan in action.

Finally, the only person left in the classroom was him and Ms. Martin. She looked attentively at him, as if she knew he wanted to talk to her.

"Ms. Martin," he finally said. "I’ve been wondering about our talk the other day…"

"Yes?" She raised her eyebrows and smiled, encouragingly.

"What exactly were you referring to, when you spoke of new experiences?"

Her smile widened and he couldn’t help thinking she kind of looked like Cruella DeVille. Without the furs.

"Oh, Robert! There’s so much in the world to be experienced. I’ve noticed you’ve been hanging around with Darryl Warren. He knows what I mean."

"So," Bobby tried to look cool, but felt his legs trembling. "Darryl has experienced those things?"

Janet Martin left her place behind the desk and wrapped an arm around the boy’s shoulders, leaning towards him as if to tell him a secret. "Robert, we both know what I mean. And don’t get scared with all the commotion at school right now. You’re a smart young man, you’ll know when to stop. It’s not as hard as they say, you know?"

Bobby felt disgusted, but managed to keep a straight face. He knew very well how hard it was! But he had to stick to his plan, if he wanted to bail Annie out. He knew Ms. Martin was involved, but he needed evidence. He had learned that through the years, as he attentively watched his sister.

"I’m up for it, then. When can you…?"

She placed a finger on her lips, indicating he should be quiet. "Don’t worry. I’ll talk to you Saturday, at the dance. What better time to really have fun?" With that, Janet left the room.

As soon as she did, Bobby had to hold on to the table for support. He felt sick at the way the woman had spoken. How could she? He was now sure she had been the one who had lured the other kids into using drugs, using their need to feel older, for acceptance to lead them into something that could destroy them.

"Bobby, are you ok?" Annie asked as he exited the classroom. She had been waiting for him for a while and had been worried when she saw him alone with Ms. Martin. "You’re pale as paper."

To her surprise, he held on to her hand and squeezed it. "I’m fine."

"What did she say to you?"

Bobby sighed. "Enough for me to know for sure she’s in this up to her neck. What I don’t get is why she’s so interested in me. There are a lot of other kids who would be easier prey. Besides, she’s taking a big chance, knowing that Trixie is on the case. And why on Earth are they trying to frame you? It just doesn’t make sense."

"Guess I’m one of the easy prey. They had to let someone take the blame!"

He shook his head and his blond curls bounced. "No. There’s something else. I just want to figure out what it is."

*  *  *  *

"I can’t just sit around, Mart. I need to do something," said an impatient Trixie, standing in a corner of the teacher’s lounge.

"Cool it, Shamus. We are doing something. Molinson’s on the lookout, Dan got important clues from Sally Darnell, and Bobby has gathered a few himself." Mart crossed his arms across his chest and frowned at his fidgety sister.

She groaned. "I know! But still I feel so… useless! I feel we’re just standing around waiting for something to happen! And I’m worried about Bobby and Annie and Jim!"

"Jim’s taking this hard, isn’t he? I mean Jonesy’s return?"

Trixie sighed and sat on the edge of the desk she’d been leaning against. "Yeah. I mean, he tries not to worry me, but after last night…I’m afraid he’ll lose it, if he comes face to face with that bastard again."

Mart rubbed her back, trying to comfort her. "Easy, sis. That boyfriend of yours is hotheaded but he also has his feet firmly attached to the ground. He won’t do anything stupid," he reassured her.

Trixie looked up at him, a thankful look in her blue eyes. But then she noticed Janet Martin watching them from across the room, an ironic grin on her face.

"I wonder what’s so funny?" she whispered to Mart. "I really don’t like that woman! Especially since I’ve seen her with Dick..."

"Don’t jump to conclusions, Trix. We still don’t know what they were up to!" But Mart wasn’t convinced either, and Trixie knew it. She was about to tell him so, when she saw Janet walking their way.

"My, my! Aren’t you two looking gloomy?" she said, as she picked up a cup and poured herself some coffee. "Cheer up! It’s such a beautiful day!"

"With everything going around in the school, we are hardly noticing the beauty of the weather, Janet," Mart said, seriously.

She took a sip from the cup, holding it with both her hands, smiling. "I wouldn’t worry much about it, if I were you."

"Yeah, we’ve noticed you’re taking all this very lightly." Trixie couldn’t keep a hint of hostility from her voice.

The older woman laughed. "This happened on a daily basis in the school I used to teach in. Besides, I really do think the kids here need to get used to this kind of thing. They are too… provincial!"

Mart turned red and had to count to ten not to explode. "If it means not getting used to being around drugs, I really do hope they go on being provincial!"

"Oh, I didn’t mean to offend you." Janet laid a hand on Mart’s arm, and smiled condescendingly. "After all, I do know that there are some of your friends who aren’t exactly the ‘kids next door’."

Angrily, Trixie stood up and faced her. "And just what do you mean by that?"

"Oh Beatrix, calm down." Janet seemed irritatingly composed and calm. "What I mean is Annie Dugan was a run away, and Dan Mangan used to be in a gang, so they’ve experienced a part of life most of you didn’t."

"And that’s bad?"

"Of course not. I think everyone should have a chance to experience things, and judge for themselves if they’re wrong or right."

"Yes, I agree." Mart stated, "But I also think that there are things people don’t need to experience to know they’re bad for you. And I wonder if you practice what you preach, Janet?"

Trixie was surprised at her brother’s audacity and swore Janet’s eyes shot anger at Mart. She didn’t answer him but her smile turned cold. She finished her coffee, and setting the cup on the desk, said: "I really don’t know why you are so concerned. When you’re in the case everything works out fine, doesn’t it? After all, you are known for turning little silver cups into mattresses stuffed with dollars!"

Mart and Trixie watched her go, each one of them wanting to pluck every hair from her head.

"God, I hate that woman," Trixie said through clenched teeth.

"Was it just me, or she was challenging us?" Mart asked, just as mad as Trixie.

"Well, if she was, she’s in for a treat!"

Mart had to smile at Trixie’s decisiveness. Trixie’s worried expression and feelings of hopelessness had been worrying him more than he cared to say, and he was glad to see her react to the provocation. He would die before admitting it, but he loved her energy and spunk. Glad to see you back, sis, he thought.

*  *  *  *

After last period, Bobby and Annie headed for the bus stop, neither of them very cheerful. Not knowing what was really going on, and the thought of going to a dance under the circumstances was bringing their spirits down. Suddenly, as they walked down the hall, Annie stopped and started checking her backpack for something.

"What’s wrong?" Bobby asked.

"I left my History book in the classroom. I have to go back and get it," she said, already moving in the other direction.

"We’re going to miss the bus, Annie," he warned, as he followed her.

"Oh, whatever! The bus isn’t all that fun anyway, these days! A lot of the kids are still acting funny around me. We’ll just catch a ride with your brother or your sister, after they leave their meeting," Annie answered.

Bobby shrugged and walked her back to the classroom. But the book wasn’t there.

"Are you sure you left it here?" Bobby was getting impatient.

"No. But this was the place I last saw it." Annie put her hands on her hips, trying to figure out where she could have left the damned book. Suddenly, she thought of something. "I know! The janitor must have cleaned this room before last period, because someone’s pen exploded and there was ink all over. He must have seen it and took it for safe keeping."

"Come on, then!" Bobby said, mocking annoyance. "I’ll have to ask your mother to attach the books to your hands, so you don’t keep losing them.

They walked the now empty corridors towards the janitor’s cubicle. But the door was open and there was no one in there.

"I’ll just take a peek and see if it’s there. If it is, I’ll leave him a note and tell him it was mine." Annie entered the room and started checking the cabinets, before Bobby could stop her.

"Annie, we’ll get in trouble. We should go find Mr. Harrison first, before messing with his stuff." Bobby entered the room and grabbed her arm, trying to get her out of there.

But Annie’s stubbornness was a hard thing to deal with. She just disengaged herself from him and kept looking as she said: "Mr. Harrison is a nice guy, he won’t mind. Besides I have homework."

Resigned, Bobby sighed and leant against the wall as she looked on. But suddenly, he heard voices coming from the hall. At the same time Annie found the book. Before the triumphant words could escape her lips, Bobby covered her mouth with his hand and dragged her behind the open door. He had recognised Ms. Martin’s voice, and something told him he had to hear this.

Looking through the small opening between the door and the wall, Annie realized why Bobby had forced her to be quiet and then signalled he could let her go. The two kids stood behind the door, motionless as the two figures stopped right in front of them. And Bobby knew he had been right to think this was important as he recognised the second person. It was Darryl Warren.

Annie’s eyes widened as she recognised him herself and she looked up at her friend. He signalled he had seen it too and placed a finger over his lips, indicating they should be silent. Janet and Darryl weren’t speaking very loud, and it wasn’t easy to hear what they were saying.

"I’m telling you, Ms. Martin. You shouldn’t be talking that kid into this!" Darryl was saying. "He means trouble. He’s been sniffing around and I don’t trust him."

"Darryl, honey, you shouldn’t be telling me what to do or not. Things are going according to plan. You are the one who screwed up, by putting that in the wrong girl’s backpack," the blonde teacher said, in a menacing tone.

Annie’s heart jumped in her chest. She’d been right all along! That bag wasn’t meant for Melanie, but for herself!

"Oh, and just how was I supposed to know their backpacks were alike?" Darryl’s voice went up.

Janet seemed angry. "Quiet, you moron! Do you want someone to hear us? You shouldn’t be talking to me here anyway!"

"Well, he was the one who asked me to come to you. He says he needs results."

"Tell him that it takes time to do things the right way. He’s risking himself too much by appearing in public! He bumped into that Trixie Belden already. Tell him to lay low while I work things here. And while you’re at it, take him this." Janet handed the boy an envelope.

Darryl nodded and put it in his jacket’s pocket. "What about the kid?" he insisted.

"The kid is my problem," she said, in a tone that left no place for an argument. "Now get the hell out of here!"
Janet waited there a few seconds, watching as Darryl walked down the hall towards the exit door and then moved in the opposite direction.

Only then did Bobby and Annie allowed themselves to breath normally again. They didn’t have to say anything, because as they looked at each other, still amazed, they knew the other was thinking the exact same thing. Darryl and Janet were somehow in this together, and Darryl had just been warning the teacher about Bobby.

As they left the janitor’s storage room, Bobby already had a plan. And he had to put it to work fast.

"Annie, I’m going to follow Darryl. He lives in town so he won’t be taking the bus home. Chances are he’s headed to wherever that guy they were talking about is. And I have no doubt they were talking about Dick," Bobby said hurriedly, as he pulled the girl down the hall by the arm.

"Ok, I’m coming too!" She said to him.

At her words, he stopped and turned to her, saying: "No! You’re waiting for me here. I won’t be long. I’ll just see where he’s headed. There’s no use in getting everyone worked up. I’ll be back before Trixie and Mart’s meeting is over."

Before Annie could protest, Bobby shot down the hall, chasing Darryl. The girl sighed and decided the best thing to do was listen to him. So she went outside, sat on the stone steps and waited.

Slowly, the dark haired girl walked towards the building. It had nearly been two years since she’d last been there, but she wouldn’t forget it. Ever. What she didn’t remember was the run down aspect of everything around it, the degrading looks and smells of it all. She had probably been too stoned to even notice. But now she saw it and it scared her. But the thought of letting him get away with all he had done scared her even more. She had been a fool then, but now she knew better. And she wouldn’t let him ruin anybody else’s life.

Sally still had a key to the house. She had kept it, not really knowing why. In the beginning it had probably been because she still wanted to challenge Joeanne. But now… Now it was something that would bring her closer to revenge.

With a pounding heart, she tried the key and was relieved when she heard the click. Of course they wouldn’t change the locks. They wanted them to come back. She entered the house, trembling and checked her pocket for the knife she had managed to steal from the centre’s kitchen. Then she sat on a corner of the dusty living room. All she had to do now was wait.

As Trixie and Mart left the school, they found Annie sitting on the front steps, a worried look upon her face.

"What are you doing here, sweetie? Shouldn’t you be home already?" Trixie asked.

"I’m waiting for Bobby," the girl answered, her voice trembling.

Mart frowned. "Waiting for Bobby? Am I mistaken or should you kids have been home hours ago?"

Annie blushed. "We would have talked to you, but both you and Trixie were in that meeting. And I couldn’t stop him."

Now, Mart was getting really worried. "Annie, stop him from what? Oh, please tell me he didn’t do something really stupid!"

"I think he did!" The girl on was the verge of tears. "Oh, Mart, we heard Ms. Martin talking to Darryl Warren. They sounded really mysterious, talking about how Darryl put drugs into Melanie’s backpack, thinking it was mine and how Ms. Martin had put him up to it and then Bobby decided to follow Darryl to see where he was headed, because she gave him an envelope and…" Annie choked, as the tears fell down her face.

Sighing, Trixie exchanged glances with her brother and wrapped an arm around the girl’s shoulders. "And you have no idea where he is right now?"

The girl shook her head. "No. He told me to stay put, because he wouldn’t be long. He said he would come back before you two left the meeting and we could go home with you. But that was a long time ago."

Mart caressed the girl’s hair, trying to comfort her. But his heart was telling him that something was wrong. "I just hope that Bobby’s love for ‘sploring won’t get him into real trouble this time!" He exclaimed, the pale tone of his face matching his sister’s exactly.

*  *  *  *

It was getting darker and Bobby was starting to worry. He had never meant for this to take this long or to take him so far from the school. He had followed Darryl into a part of town he didn’t know and he really wasn’t very interested in knowing it. The place was degraded, deserted, and he couldn’t see any signs indicating where he was. I should have called one of the guys, he thought as he felt his stomach growling. He was tired, hungry and concerned. Annie must be worrying by now, and chances were Trixie and the others were too. He should have been back a long time before, and Annie had probably told them about his little adventure already.

Suddenly, he saw Darryl stop and look about him. He only had time to duck behind a half destroyed phone booth and hope he hadn’t seen him. The other boy had looked back a few times in his course through town, as if he sensed something was wrong, but apparently had not seen Bobby.

Bobby peeked from behind the booth and watched as Darryl entered through the yard gate of a house, just as old and run down as the rest around it, and carefully slipped the envelope Janet Martin had handed him under the door. Then he looked around again, and walked away, whistling.

Taking deep breaths, Bobby considered what course of action to take. He could either go on following Darryl (who was probably just going home, so that would be dumb) or go on home himself (which was quite appealing). But Bobby knew his curiosity wouldn’t let him go home just like that. He had to at least take a peek at that house.

So, in seconds, Bobby found himself in the yard of the house. He peeked through the windows, but it was either too dark inside or the window was just too dirty, because he couldn’t see a thing. Then he noticed that there was a tiny piece of the envelope still visible under the door.

Kneeling on the front steps, he tried to pull it out. But as he leant against the door to get a better angle, the door slid open and he fell inside, landing on his back.

"Damn," he cursed to himself, as he shot fearful glances around him. But as far as he could tell, the house was as empty as it was dark. Still trembling he picked up the envelope and opened it. And just before a tremendous pain on the back of his head made him black out, Bobby saw that there was money inside.

 

6 PM
Darnell Farm

Dan felt his heart was just about to jump out of his chest, as he parked Jim’s jeep in front of the Darnell’s house. I really have to think about buying a car, he thought, turning off the engine.

He sat still behind the wheel, for a few moments. He had to calm down before he could face her, so he took his time observing his surroundings. The Darnell farm was a small but well taken care of place, with an orchard behind the house and a greenery to the right side of it. The one-story house itself was notably old, but it had been freshly painted probably just last summer. On the porch that surrounded the front and left sides of the house, there was a swing with some comfy looking pillows on it. Its only occupant right now was a brownish, lazy cat that was stared at Dan for a few seconds, as if considering if his presence was interesting enough for him to leave his comfortable position. Apparently, the swing was a lot more interesting, because he just laid his head over his front legs and went back to snoozing.

Taking deep breaths to even the rhythm of his heart, Dan stepped out of the car and slowly walked towards the front door. He spotted Joeanne’s own car in the garage and he felt as if butterflies were flying in his stomach. Come on, this isn’t exactly your first day of school, is it? he thought, trying to calm himself down.

As he was about to knock, the door was opened and Dan found himself staring at Joeanne’s younger brother, Kenny.

"Hi, Dan." The boy greeted him with an open smile. Then he pulled him by the arm, practically dragging him into the hall. "I saw you through the window. I’m really glad you made it!"

Before Dan had time to do anything but smile, John Darnell came out of what appeared to be the kitchen, holding a pile of dishes.

"Oh, you actually came, hum? I’m glad Joeanne didn’t manage to scare you away! Welcome aboard, son!" John said, winking at him.

"Thank you, sir." Dan was feeling kind of dizzy. "I… Well, here’s my contribution to dinner." He handed out the box he was holding to Kenny, who peeked inside it and smiled even wider.

"Chocolate cake! Joeanne," he yelled as he rushed into the kitchen with the box, "Your boyfriend brought chocolate cake!"

Dan wanted the ground to open and swallow him as he heard the boy. John Darnell laughed and handed him the dishes.

"Go on, the dining room is through there. Just set these on the table and I’ll be back in a second. Got go teach that boy not to say whatever comes to his mind. Though I think Joeanne is probably doing that already!" He disappeared into the kitchen, leaving a dumbfounded Dan in the hall, holding the pile of dishes.

Taking a few seconds to digest all that had just happened, Dan smiled and walked into the dining room. He looked around, observing the inside of the house, as he laid the dishes on the table. The room wasn’t very large, but as everything else in the Darnell farm, it was comfortable and meticulously clean and organized. No wasted space, no useless or tasteless knick-knacks hanging around. Most pieces of decoration seemed to serve a purpose, but many others seemed to be of emotional value. Considering that three males inhabited the house, it wasn’t hard to figure Joeanne still had an important role to play in it.

He had just set the last dish when Joeanne came in the dining room, through a door that apparently led directly into the kitchen.

"Oh, Lord," she said, having trouble looking him in the eyes, probably because of her brother’s words. "Dad’s already put you to work! I’m sorry. He doesn’t entertain much, you know."

Dan chuckled. "That’s fine! I like it that way. Makes me feel right at home! Just like I do at Crabapple farm, when Mrs. Belden puts everyone to work!"

Joeanne smiled too, still a bit embarrassed. "Crabapple farm is…very different from this place. Well, since you’re here, you might as well help me out."

As they finished setting the table, Joeanne found the courage to mention Kenny’s thoughtless words. "I’m really sorry about my brother, Dan. He has the annoying habit of not thinking before he talks. It’s not like there’s any reason for him to think you’re my boyfriend." Joeanne shrugged. "He was merely teasing me. Kids!"

"Well, you know what they say about the mouth of babes…" Dan glanced sideways at Joeanne to see the effect his words might have. He wasn’t disappointed. Joeanne almost choked and her cheeks turned a bright shade of red.

John Darnell saved them from an awkward silence, by arriving with a tray with roast chicken in one hand and the salad in the other. "Will one of you kids help me or are you willing to eat from the carpet?" He asked with a smile.

Joeanne rushed to him and took the tray, taking the opportunity to get out of the embarrassing situation of not knowing what to say. Dan smiled inwardly; somehow enjoying the feeling of knowing his words had affected her.

John stared at him for a few moments, and then at his daughter, trying to figure out why her cheeks were so brightly coloured. But as the two boys entered the room, he decided it was best to leave it at that and sat down to enjoy dinner.

The meal was pleasant enough, since Dan and John got along extremely well. They talked of several subjects, from the changes in Sleepyside in the last years, to horses, farming and the adventures of the BWGs. Joeanne didn’t say much, but she was in a good mood and was enjoying the fact the two men were comfortable enough in each other’s presence. She kept watching her brothers, though, probably afraid some other embarrassing comment might spoil the mood. But the two boys behaved wonderfully, despite the occasional chuckling that seemed to follow furtive glances at their sister.

"Joeanne, I still have some homework to do," Dave said, as they ate dessert. "Will you help me?"

"Sure. It isn’t Biology, is it?" Joeanne made a face.

The boy shook his head. "No. English."

"Fine, then. I’ll help you out."

"Do you have something against Biology, Jo?" Dan’s eyes sparkled mischievously.

John raised an eyebrow at the way he called her, but didn’t say a word. Joeanne cast a glance at her father and answered: "No, but it was never my specialty. I can deal with Math, English, French, History… But I never really liked Biology."

"What my daughter is trying to say is that she used to get B+ at Biology instead of A." John chuckled, and reached out to caress his daughter’s hand.

"Dad!" Joeanne admonished. "I wasn’t that good."

"You were in the top five of your class. That’s good enough for me."

"Well," Dan said, turning to Dave. "I always liked Biology, so next time you need help, you can call me up."

"Really?" The boy grinned. "That’s great."

"Dave, Dan has better things to do. I’m sure he’s just being polite." Joeanne gazed at Dan, who shook his head.

"No, I meant it. I really don’t mind at all."

"That’s settled, then." John got up from his seat and patted Dan on the back. "Come on, son, let’s go into the living room. Joeanne, the boys and I will clean up. You just leave everything and I’ll take care of it later, darling."

Dan couldn’t help feeling jittery as he got in the living room, following John Darnell. As they got settled on the chairs near the fireplace, he prepared himself for John’s questions. And he didn’t have to wait long.

"Daniel, if you don’t mind me asking, are you dating my daughter?" John asked, looking him straight in the eyes.

Dan held his gaze, despite his nervousness. "No, sir. We met in New York, and we realized with had common friends. Then we met back here and got involved in this case… Joeanne must have told you about it."

"Yes, she did. So you’re friends, then?"

Dan chuckled. "Well, I’m trying, sir."

John laughed back, understanding completely the meaning of Dan’s words. He knew Joeanne very well. "She can be difficult. But she’s a nice girl. I don’t know how I would have managed without her after my wife passed away." His face turned serious and there was a sad look in his eyes. "I know I let too much responsibility fall on her shoulders, but when I did realize it, it was too late."

Gulping, Dan realized this was the perfect time to tell John Darnell what he felt about the subject. He knew he was meddling, but the older man seemed to appreciate honesty, so Dan went for it. "Mr. Darnell, I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but perhaps it isn’t too late yet."

Joeanne’s father looked up at him, surprised at the young man’s boldness. He seemed to consider how to take his words and then said: "And why do you say that, Daniel?"

"I think I’ve grown to know Joeanne fairly well, these past few weeks, sir, and I know she believes that responsibility is all hers. She won’t let anyone help. But that’s tearing her apart," Dan couldn’t help the plea in his voice.

"And you think I’ve grown too accustomed to her being the leader of this family…"

"Forgive me, sir, and you can tell me to just mind my own business, but yes, I do." Dan half expected the man to kick him out of his house, but instead John sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"As much as I’d like to tell you to mind your own business, somehow I think this now is partly your business. Besides, you’re right and I must face that. But I just don’t know what to do."

"Joeanne is very possessive of the ones she loves, Mr. Darnell, and she won’t ever let you just brush her aside." Dan took a deep breath, knowing his next words could send everything down the drain. "But maybe you could start by visiting Sally."

For a moment Dan thought John Darnell was going to reduce his face to a pulp. The older man got up from his seat and stared at him, his fists clenched. Now I know where she got her temper, Dan thought. But then John closed his eyes and when he talked his voice sounded so tired and weary, Dan had to feel sorry for him.

"I miss my baby, Dan. I miss Sally with the bows in her hair and the way she rushed to me when I got home from work. But I don’t know the girl that’s in that place, the girl that looked at me with all that pain in her eyes. I’m scared of her."
Dan felt embarrassed. He had never expected John Darnell to open up like that. But apparently the man badly needed to let it all out. "Joeanne thinks you’re mad at Sally," he said, slowly.

John agreed with a nod of his head. "I know. I let her think that. And I was, in the beginning. I was mad because she was throwing her life away. I was mad at her until I realized it had all been my fault."

"Mr. Darnell, it’s nobody’s fault. But you should know Joeanne feels the same way. She feels guilty too."

He looked up at Dan, surprised, as if the thought had never even crossed his mind. "Joeanne feels guilty? Why? She was both a mother and a father to Sally and the boys. I was a coward. I could deal with their smiles but never with their tears. Joeanne was the rock we all held on to!"

"And where did she hang on to, sir?" The words left his mouth before Dan could stop them and he felt his heart miss a beat when he saw the tears in the man’s eyes.

"I know, son. I’ve spent many sleepless nights wondering about that. About how I ruined my children’s lives."
"Don’t be so hard on yourself. We all make mistakes. I’ve made a few myself," Dan smiled, wryly. "But there’s still time. Go to see Sally. She needs you. And Joeanne does too."

John took a deep breath, and to Dan’s surprise he held out his hand. Dan took it and shook it, puzzled.

"Thank you for being honest, son. I think I needed to hear someone speak the words that have been in my mind for such a long time. I’ll try to find the courage to act on it. I will. But until I do, I need you to hold on to Joeanne, no matter what. She needs you. She needs someone who is brave enough, who loves her enough, to force his way into her heart."

Knowing he had given John Darnell the right to speak freely to him by speaking honestly himself, Dan didn’t bother contradicting John’s words, or trying to explain that all he felt for Joeanne was the love of a friend. Because when she entered the room, a few moments later, he wasn’t so sure of that anymore.

*  *  *  *

"What were you and my father talking about?" Joeanne asked as she walked him back to the car. "You were silent the moment I walked in on you."

"Oh, nothing." Dan smiled. "Guys stuff."

"Yeah, right." Joeanne returned the smile. "You two seemed to get along."

"We did. Your father is a great guy." As they reached the car, Dan turned to her and added, "I really enjoyed tonight, Jo. Thank you."

"I’m glad you did. But I’m the one who has to thank you. You were great with the boys. Though I think you created a monster. They are going to make you live up to that promise you made them, about Biology homework."

"I hope they do. I look forward to spending more time with them and your father…" Dan held his breath and completed, "And you."

Joeanne looked up at him for a few seconds and then looked away again. "I do, too." Her words were a mere whisper, but they seemed to echo in the silence of the night and then hang in the air, like something physical.

"You do?" Dan asked when he was finally able to speak.

"Yes, I do." When she stared into his eyes, she held his gaze. Her eyes were shining and she had never looked more beautiful.

Something broke inside of him and the thought of being away from her suddenly terrified him more than anything ever had. Slowly, he reached out to touch her face with his fingertips, gently caressing her and revelling in the softness of her skin. He felt her tremble, but she didn’t walk away. Dan went on tracing the contour of her face from her cheekbone to her chin, afraid of the intensity of his own feelings and wishing time would just stop.

Joeanne didn’t move. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest and her knees were turning to jelly. She knew she should make him stop, but she couldn’t even think straight. His touch felt so good and he looked so handsome, out there in the moonlight. When he gently tilted her chin upwards with his fingers, Joeanne knew what he was about to do, but didn’t stop him. She was scared to death but she wanted this. She had wanted this for such a long time! That was her last coherent thought before she felt his lips on hers, tender, but firm. And the warmth of him spread through her body in a way that made her want to cry.

Dan let a soft moan escape his throat as he felt the velvety touch of her lips for the very first time. Feeling dizzy, he closed his arms around her, bringing her closer to his body. He could feel her hands on his chest, clutching at his shirt. He was so afraid she would run from him! But instead her lips parted slightly, responding to his kiss, almost shyly. Knowing he was going too fast, but unable to stop himself, he deepened the kiss, wanting to taste her fully. And he realized how hungry for her touch he had been.

Suddenly, the annoying ring of a cell phone broke the silence and the magic of the moment. Joeanne parted from him, holding on to the disruptive sound as if it would save her from him. She looked for the phone in her pockets with trembling hands, unable to look him in the eyes. She finally found it and answered it.

Dan was still too shaken up by what had just happened to say a word. He pressed his back against the jeep’s door, trying to catch his breath. His lips felt numb and there was a lingering warmth that reminded him of the sweetness he had just experienced. He hadn’t planned it, he hadn’t expected it, but now he wanted more. And the most amazing thing was that she had kissed him back! Now if she would just get off that damned phone…!

But when she did, he automatically knew that something had just gone terribly wrong. Dan stood up straight, suddenly alarmed by the girl’s pale face and scared eyes.

"Jo, what’s wrong?" He asked, cupping her face with his hands.

"It’s Sally…" Joeanne was so scared, she could barely talk. "Sally ran off!"

"What?" Dan felt the blood in his veins turn to ice. "She ran away from the centre?"

Joeanne nodded, choked by tears. Dan took her in his arms and cradled her for a moment, knowing this wasn’t the time to get back to where they had left off. Besides, he had the excruciating feeling this had something to do with his visit to the centre. "Jo," he said, suddenly aware of how much he cared about her. "I have something to tell you…"

She breathed in deeply, trying to regain her composure. "No, Dan…I’m sorry! I have to get to the centre. I have to know what happened!"

Oh, I bet I can tell you that. I told her Dick was back and she went to find him, Dan thought, feeling sickeningly scared. She was going to hate him forever, if something happened to her sister. "I’m coming with you, Jo," he said. "And you should tell your father what happened."

She looked at him as if she hadn’t understood what he was saying.

"Tell him. I bet he’ll want to go too," Dan insisted, knowing Joeanne would need someone with her. He was coming too, but he had a feeling she was going to hate him before the night was through.

She didn’t question him further and went inside the house. She was too confused to even think about why Dan was so certain her father would go with her. And the fact was, as soon as he heard the news, John Darnell picked up his coat and shot out the door.

John held Joeanne’s hands in his own and said, "There’s something else I blame myself for. I let so much land on your shoulders, honey, and I looked away. When your mother died, I thought I would never be able to cope with all of you on my own. But then you took over, just as strong as your mother. It felt good to share the responsibility with someone again, and I forgot you were just too young. But though I blamed myself, I was too weak to stop it. And that’s what I can never forgive myself for."

"Dad, please, I…" Joeanne tried to stop him, but this time John had made up his mind.

"I tried not to see how lonely you were, how you had shut everything but this family and your work out of your life. But when I saw you and Dan Mangan together, I knew there was something I had to do. And that was to force you to have a life."

Joeanne looked away, tears stinging her eyes, but he went on.

"When you left this house I was relieved. Of course I knew I’d miss you, but I thought you were going to have more time for yourself, that you were going to take care of your own life. But then I realised the reason you’d left was because you wanted to take care of Sally without having to fight me. And even from afar you still held the reins of this house." He caressed her cheek and tilted her chin up, forcing her to look at him. "I love you, sweetheart, and I refuse to let you do this to yourself. You are so pretty, so smart… You deserve much better. Promise me you’ll take care of your life now."

"I am taking care of my life, Dad. You, the boys and Sally are my life."

"But that’s wrong. We’ll always be your family, but we don’t have to depend on you. You should have been the one to depend on me, while you were growing up, not the other way around. Give yourself a chance at happiness. Give Dan a chance."

Joeanne looked up, surprised. "Dan? What does he have to do with anything?"

"He has a lot to do with it, Joeanne. He was brave enough to say the things I’d needed to hear. And he did it out of love for you."

"Don’t be silly, Dad. Love? He hardly knows me!"

"Well," John got up and ran his fingers through her hair. "I know you, and I’m sure you’ll use this little mistake of his to shut him out. You may think you’re doing it because you’re mad at what he did or didn’t do, but I say you’re just afraid he’ll get too close to you. Goodnight, baby. Don’t stay out here too long," Saying this, John got back in the house, leaving a very troubled Joeanne sitting out on the moonlit porch.

 

Chapter Twelve

Friday, 9 AM
Sleepyside Police Station

On Friday morning, Bobby went to the Police Station, escorted by Trixie and Dan. Captain Molinson was waiting for them, and greeted the group with a serious look on his face. Bobby turned a bit pale as he looked at the police officer. He had been dreading this.

"Well, young man, I don’t think I have to tell you that you and Sally Darnell did something extremely stupid, do I?" Molinson grabbed the arms of the chair Bobby was sitting in and leaned towards him.

Bobby gulped, and before he could think of an answer, his sister came to his rescue, knowing too well what facing Molinson was like. "Come on, Captain, we’ve put him through that already. Give him a break," she pleaded.

Molinson slowly turned to her. "I should have known that getting you kids into this would mean trouble! I guess you just don’t learn!" Seeing that Trixie was about to answer, her temper having the better of her, Molinson motioned to her and held his finger in front of her nose. And suddenly, Trixie thought she was seeing things, because she could swear Molinson had winked at her. "Miss Belden," he said. "This is my police station, and in it I’ll repeat things as many times as it takes until I get them through your or your brother’s thick skull!"

Glancing at Dan, she noticed his amused expression. He had seen it too. She wondered if Molinson had only been acting angry every time he had scolded her in the past. Boy, this guy should get an Oscar, she thought, trying hard not to laugh.

Going back to Bobby, who was fidgeting on the chair, feeling uncomfortable, the police officer said, "You are aware that we could charge you with breaking and entering, aren’t you?" As Bobby nodded, and mumbled something about being aware of it, Molinson went on, "With your assault on Dick, he could have sued you, if he was smart enough! And then everything would have been lost!"

"But he was going to kill Sally!" Bobby defended himself. "What was I supposed to do? Just stand there?"

"He is right, Captain," Dan said. "He saved Sally."

Molinson sighed as he got back to his chair behind the desk. "I know. You don’t lack bravery. It runs fast and abundant in your family." Casting a glance at Trixie, he had the pleasure to see her blush. "And if it wasn’t for Sally, you would be in trouble. Despite what you told us, she said you two had entered the house together. And since she had a key, given to her by Dick himself, we can’t charge her with anything. Only for that bump in your head, but I’m sure you won’t be pressing charges."

"He won’t!" Trixie and Dan spoke in unison and then laughed as they stared at each other.

"Has Dick said anything?" Bobby asked, hesitatingly. He really wasn’t sure if he was off the hook or not. He soon regretted having spoken.

Molinson gazed at him menacingly, and the boy slid on the chair, wishing the ground would open and swallow him. "I can’t discuss that with you, kid!"

Trixie sighed and rolled her eyes. Approaching Molinson’s desk, she leaned over it and said, "Come on, Captain. We’re in this together. You have to tell us what we’re up against."

He looked up at her with a frown, seemingly considering what he should do. Then he gave in. "All right, but only because there are quite a few loose ends in this story, and I still need your help to tie them up, as hard as that is to admit." Rubbing his temples, he went on. "Dick didn’t say much. He didn’t deny the dealing, but he wouldn’t say who was in it with him. All we have on the kid and Janet Martin are Bobby and Annie’s words. It won’t do in court. We need more."

"That’s strange!" Trixie crossed her arms across her chest. "I always thought Dick wouldn’t want to go down alone. Last time, it took you guys five minutes to make him talk."

Molinson nodded. "I know. But this time Dick was scared. Trixie, I think this time he’s not the mastermind. There is someone else behind this, and Dick is very much afraid."

"Captain," Bobby said, shyly. "I know of a way to catch Janet. That is, if she hasn’t run off yet."

Gravely, Molinson turned to the boy and said, "Actually, she hasn’t. I have people watching her and Darryl. They’re both in the school, as we speak. Apparently, they haven’t heard what’s happened last night. We did everything to keep the media off this. Besides, there’s no reason for them to think last night is related to the school events."

"Great," Bobby was getting excited. Apparently, Molinson’s scolding hadn’t done much good. "After all this, she told me she would give me something that would make me really have fun tonight, at the dance. It only takes half a brain to realise what she’s talking about. If she knows nothing about Dick’s arrest, then chances are she will act according to her previous plans."

Molinson groaned. "Well, I hate to say this, but that probably is our only chance. If we let more time go by, she might suspect something." Then staring down at Bobby, he added, "I’ll have people two steps behind you the whole time. One agent to watch her, and two others to watch you, mister!"

*****

As the three Bob-Whites left the Captain’s office, they noticed there was some commotion within the precinct. Then they realised two officers were practically dragging a man downstairs. Trixie’s blood chilled in her veins when she recognised Dick.

"If you take me outside, he’ll get me!" The man yelled, as he squirmed in their grips.

"Oh, shut up, you chicken!" One of the officers snorted. "You weren’t so scared when it came to selling drugs to kids, were you? Besides you’ll be much safer at the White Plains precinct."

Despite her throbbing heart, Trixie moved towards the staircase, somehow wanting to stare Dick in the eyes. At that precise moment, Dick looked up and their eyes met. His fear seemed to disappear and he grinned, sarcastically.

"He’s going to get you too," he said, with a short laugh, before the officers dragged him out of her sight.

 

10 AM
Hudson River Rehabilitation Centre

Sally looked up when her sister walked over to her, accompanied by another young woman that looked familiar to her. Then she remembered: it was Diana Lynch. The girl smiled shyly at them, and noticed Joeanne seemed surprised at her welcome. No wonder, she thought sadly.

"Hi, Jo, Diana," she greeted.

"Sally?" Joeanne sat by her side on the bench, and gazed at her, as if she didn’t quite believe she was actually talking to her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I’m fine." Sally avoided her sister’s eyes. She really didn’t know how to act around her now. "How’s Bobby’s head?"

Diana chuckled. "Oh, he’s okay. Thick skulls run in the Belden family. And it serves him right! I would like to whack him over the head myself for pulling that stunt."

"I hope he’ll be fine. I guess I overdid it a bit." Sally shrugged.

"Well, I just came here to say hi." Diana gently caressed the girl’s face. "I’ll wait in the car. I think you and your sister need to talk." Looking encouragingly at Joeanne, Diana walked away.

A heavy silence set between the two girls. After so many years of misunderstandings and wrong words, neither of them knew where to start. Finally, Sally found the courage to speak out.

"I’m sorry, Jo," she said, keeping her eyes on the ground. "I really don’t know… what else to say. But I’ll never forgive myself for hurting you and Dad the way I did."

Joeanne breathed in deeply, trying to fight back tears. "Don’t blame yourself. I guess we all hurt each other, without noticing. It wasn’t easy for any of us." Glancing sideways at Sally, Joeanne risked softly touching her hair, brushing it back from her face.

Sally looked at her, her eyes filling with tears as she felt her sister’s caress.

"I wish I could…I wish I could go back and make up for the things I’ve done." The girl’s voice was strangled. "Yesterday, that’s what I was trying to do. If he disappeared, then those kids would be safe and you would be able to forgive me."

"Oh, Sally," Joeanne wanted to hold her, but she thought maybe it was too soon. So she just kept on caressing her hair. "What were you thinking planning to do? Kill him?"

The girl groaned. "I don’t know. I just wanted… to do something! Ever since I came here, I’ve been feeling so damned helpless. I guess I felt like that all of my life!"

"But why? We always tried to look out for you, me and Dad. We were there for you. But that never seemed to be enough…"

"That’s just it, Jo. You looked out for me, and Dave, and Kenny, and Dad! And I always felt like there was something I should do too!" Sally hesitated before taking Joeanne’s hand, but then she finally found the courage to do it. "Remember after mum died, when I used to hang around you all day, wanting to help you set the table or take care of the babies? You always told me to go play…"

"You were too young! You shouldn’t have to worry about those things!" Joeanne said, still amazed by the way Sally was opening up to her.

Sally stared at her, looking deep into her eyes. "And you should? For crying out loud, Jo, you were 13!"

Swallowing hard, Joeanne had to admit she was right. But still, had Sally resented the fact she had taken over? "Sally, sweetie, what are you trying to tell me?"

Sighing, Sally hid her face in her hands, as if trying to organize her thoughts. Finally, she answered, "What I’m trying to say is that I always felt so beneath you. Useless! You managed to take care of everything, of everyone. Up to a point I looked up to you, I tried to be like you. But then, when I discovered I couldn’t match you, I started hating you for setting the standards so high! And I tried to convince myself you had prevented me from being like you, on purpose, because you wanted to take all the credit. It was easier than believing I really wasn’t as good as you."

"But why should you want to be… me?" Joeanne was astounded. She had never imagined these to be Sally’s reasons. Besides why would anyone want to be her?

"You’re kidding me, right? Have you ever noticed the way Dad looks at you? He admires you, he looks up to you. Me he always regarded as the baby, even if Kenny and Davy were younger. He would forgive me for just about anything, saying I was just a child even when I was already old enough to face the consequences of my actions! I guess I ended up wondering if he did that because he really didn’t care…"

Joeanne interrupted her, unable to stop the tears anymore. "And I always wished Dad would love me the way he did you!"

Sally stared at her, her mouth hanging open. Slowly, she closed her eyes and rested her head on her sister’s lap, catching her breath as she gave in to the yearning for human touch. The yearning for her sister’s love.

Joeanne closed her eyes as well, as she felt her sister cuddling up against her, and realized she needed this very much. She needed Sally to forgive her for not seeing the truth. "Sally, I’m so sorry you had to go through all this! All I wanted was to take care of you as best as I could. And in the end I overlooked the most important thing of all: that I was your big sister. That you probably needed me to hold you and tell everything would be okay more than you needed me to check if you had done your homework."

"Please, don’t apologize, Jo. It’s not your fault. You did your best. But I…I was a brat! I started hanging out with those guys because I wanted to challenge you, to show you I could take care of my own life. And look where it got me." Sally curled up on the bench and held on to Joeanne’s hand.

Taking a deep breath, Joeanne realized Sally had just relieved her of a weight she had been carrying around for years, the weight of not knowing where she had gone wrong. Now she did, and she also knew it hadn’t been entirely her fault. Or Sally’s. Or her father’s. It simply had gone wrong, because they had misunderstood each other.

But now life was giving them a second chance and this time Joeanne decided she wouldn’t screw up.

"Are you up for starting over?" She asked, softly, as she helped Sally up. "Are you ready to discover your sister isn’t all that perfect, that she’s wanted your friendship all her life?"

Sally smiled and wrapped her arms around Joeanne’s neck. "I love you, Jo. But I always thought you saw me as a burden!"

"Oh, no, Sally. I wished things would be different, that none of this had ever happened, but I never considered you as a burden!" Joeanne hugged her sister tightly, feeling happier than she had in years. "Let’s just forget about all this, let’s start over!"

Sally pulled away from her and nodded. "Ok, I’d like that too. But I still have a long way to go."

"And I’ll be with you all the way, honey." Joeanne brushed back her sister’s dishevelled hair.

"So, if we’re going to be friends," Sally wiped her eyes and smiled naughtily. "I really want to know the story with you and Dan…"

Joeanne blushed. "Well, I promise to tell you when I figure it out." Then she smiled. It was a nice feeling, to be able to talk to her sister that way.

Sally must have thought the same thing too, because her smile widened and she leaned back on the bench. After a few moments of comfortable silence, she said, "I would like you to tell him I appreciate what he did. He gave me a chance to change things. And I want him to know I’m ready to testify."

"Are you sure?" Joeanne sounded apprehensive, but she fought against sounding overly protective.

Sally nodded. "It’s time I face it. There’s no use in just sitting here feeling sorry for myself. I’d rather do something to stop Dick from fooling other kids like me."

Despite her concern for Sally’s emotional vulnerability and of what the pressure of a courtroom might do to her, Joeanne felt proud of her sister’s courage. She reached out and caressed her black hair. "I’ll tell him, Sally. Don’t worry."

The girl returned the smile and leaned her head on her sister’s shoulder. And the two girls sat there for a long time, in silence, just enjoying the new chance destiny had given them.

******

Over an hour later, Joeanne joined Diana in the car.

"I’m sorry to keep you waiting. But time flew."

Di dismissed her worries with a gesture and a smile. "Oh, that’s nonsense. I understand. Time has a habit of flying away when you’re happy. And you do look happy."

"I am," Joeanne said as she started the car. "I’m still dizzy at how fast everything’s changed, but I couldn’t be happier."

Biting her lip, Diana considered if this was the time to bring up the subject, but after a few moments she decided she had to do it. There was no way on Earth she was letting opportunity run by her again. Taking a deep breath, she asked, "What about Dan, Joeanne? Have you decided what to do?"

Joeanne’s smiled faded and Di feared she had gone too far. But then the other girl took a deep breath and answered, "I guess I have forgiven him. I’ve thought about it and I know maybe I overreacted last night. He did apologize, and I know he never meant to hurt Sally. But still, it hurts that he went behind my back. I… I didn’t expect that from him, you see."

Diana nodded. "Yes, I understand. But there is something I can tell you about Dan, and that is he doesn’t meddle in anyone’s life. He never even gives his opinion, unless it’s asked for. He stands aside, he watches, he thinks about things, but he won’t say a word unless he’s asked to. So, if he did this, if he went ahead without your consent, he either thought it was too urgent to wait or…" Di hesitated, but then went on. "Or he thought he had already proven you could trust him."

As Diana’s words sank in, Joeanne realized how true they were. Whatever he had thought, he had been right. It was too urgent, and he had given enough proof that he would never do anything to hurt her or Sally. He was a true friend, and she had said pretty awful things to him.

"I just hope he’ll understand why I reacted that way," Joeanne’s voice was no more than a whisper, and Diana realized how upset she was. To reassure her, she reached out and patted her shoulder.

"I’m sure he does. But maybe you should tell him yourself. Just in case."

Joeanne smiled. "I will. Now that I have his friendship, I’d hate to lose it."

Di giggled. "Oh, I’m sure you have a little more than his friendship."

"Don’t be silly, Di. He just felt sorry for me and tried to help me out." Joeanne tried to sound convinced of her own theory but she failed miserably. She knew there was more to it than pity or compassion.

"Sorry for you? I never heard it being called that!" Diana laughed again, and her violet eyes sparkled mischievously. "It’s not pity I see in his eyes, when he looks at you!"

"Yeah, right!" Joeanne glanced at Diana and blushed. "As if he had nothing better to do with his life than hang around with some emotionally crippled girl who had never even…" She stopped herself before saying the words. She wasn’t ready to share that yet, and Diana must have understood because she didn’t force her to go on. "Besides, he has Hallie Belden."

"Hallie? What are you talking about?" Diana sounded confused.

Joeanne’s hands clutched tightly at the wheel. She hated to use Diana this way, but this was something she needed to know.

"I remember seeing them together and the way he looked at her. He doesn’t look at me that way."

Diana did the last thing Joeanne expected her too. She laughed. Heartily, till there were tears in her eyes. Joeanne stared at her, trying to figure out what was so funny.

Finally, she managed to control herself enough to make a straight face and say, "Joeanne Darnell, I dare say you’re jealous."

She gulped. "Jealous? Why should I be jealous?"

"That’s right. You needn’t be." Diana wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and smiled tenderly at her newfound friend. "Jo, Hallie’s been out of his life for years. They both realized they wanted to follow different paths and their feelings weren’t strong enough to make them consider bending their dreams. They parted as friends. I guess there never was anything between them but wishful thinking."

"What do you mean, wishful thinking?"

"Dan always felt lonely. We were all paired up from the beginning, so to speak, even if we were too young to take it seriously. But Dan never had anyone, so when Hallie came along I guess he tried to imagine she was someone different. Of course it was hard for him to realize he had been fooling himself for such a long time, but he knew he had never loved her. They weren’t right for each other. They’re still friends, but the only contact they have is the occasional email."

"All right, but Dan can have just about any girl. He would never want me."

Di’s smile widened as she sank on the passenger’s seat, feeling her job as her friend was accomplished. "That’s just it, honey. He never wanted any of the girls he could have had. It was as if he was waiting for someone else."

 

4 PM
Crabapple Farm

Later that day, Trixie got back to Crabapple Farm, after leaving Bobby with Brian at the hospital for some more tests. Her own head was hurting. Once more she had that feeling in the pit of her stomach. What was she overlooking?

With a sigh, she kicked off her shoes and threw herself on the sofa. She lay there, staring at the ceiling for a while, trying to put the pieces of this crazy puzzle together.

Now they knew for sure Janet and Darryl were the ones to blame for the dealing in school and that Dick was their supplier. But who was the man that Dick feared? And why had they tried to frame Annie? Had this something to do with the girl’s life in New York? But that made no sense. Annie had never met Janet or Dick before. And Janet’s words in the teacher’s lounge kept coming back to her. Mart had been right about Janet challenging them to sort out everything. As if she wanted to prove they couldn’t.

The ring of her cell phone interrupted the course of her thoughts. Startled, Trixie fumbled in her purse to find it. As she picked it up, she saw Jim’s name flashing on the screen and smiled.

"Hi, baby," she said, answering the phone.

"Hi yourself. I saw you drive by from Ten Acres and I wondered if something was wrong," he said with a note of concern in his voice. "Shouldn’t you still be in school?"

"I had a headache," Trixie explained. "Besides, everyone is getting things ready for the dance, so I don’t think I’ll be missed. Mart’s over there, ordering everyone around. The way I’m feeling, if I stayed, I would have to shove some balloons down his throat, so I decided to come home."

Jim chuckled on the other side of line. "I’d like to see that."

"Yeah, I bet you would. What about you? What have you been up to all day?" She asked, cuddling up on the sofa, loving to hear the sound of his voice in her ears.

"Well, the usual. I’ve been discussing some details of the building with the architects, boring stuff. Oh, and remember my uncle’s bible? I finally got a call from the book restorer. He said it looks as good as new. He even managed to remove the dirt stains, from the time I hid in the woods. We’ll have to find a special place for it, next to my christening cup, when we move into our house. It should have a plaque saying something like ‘This was the beginning’…"

As Jim talked on, Trixie started feeling goose bumps all over. Janet’s words came back to her: turning little silver cups into mattresses stuffed with dollars! The words had bothered her then, but she had thought it had been because of her tone. Now she knew. The fact Jim had been carrying his christening cup when he first came to Sleepyside certainly wasn’t common knowledge and it had never been mentioned in the papers. Apart from the BWGs and their families, there was only one person in the world who could have known that. Someone that had located Jim 9 years before because that same cup had been innocently photographed by a reporter who didn’t even know it wasn’t merely a part of the clutter inside the Frayne mansion.

"Jim," Trixie could hardly speak, as the meaning of it all finally sank. "Jim!"

He stopped what he was saying. "What? What’s wrong?"

"Jim, we really need to talk. I figured it out!" Trixie’s head was spinning. Everything made sense now! "I’m coming up there." Saying that, Trixie hang up and put her shoes back on.

She only had time to scribble a note to Mart, who would be getting home soon so he could get dressed to chaperon the dance, and darted out the door, uphill towards Manor House.

Jonesy! He is the mastermind! He’s the one Dick fears! They were in it together after all! Thoughts were running wild in her head as she ran to meet Jim. She kept stumbling on stones, such was her hurry, but she wouldn’t stop. She had to tell Jim, fast!

But Trixie was so oblivious to everything around her that she never noticed she was being followed, until someone grabbed her from behind and pulled her into the woods.

*****

Jim sat there, staring at the phone, still wondering what had happened. They had been talking, and suddenly she hung up on him, after saying something about going up to Manor House. But that had been over twenty minutes ago. Something was wrong.

"What’s the matter, Jim. Are you waiting for a call?" Miss Trask, the Wheeler’s housekeeper, asked, as she noticed him staring at the phone with a frown.

"I’m not sure…" Jim looked up at her, looking confused. "Trixie sounded in a hurry. She said she would meet me up here, but that was a while ago. I’ve called her cell phone and Crabapple Farm, but I get no answer from either one."

"Maybe she said she would me you at the clubhouse. Why don’t you go check?" Miss Trask smiled and walked away.

Well, I could have heard it wrong. Everything happened so fast! Jim thought. He then decided to check it out. If she were on her way over, they would probably meet anyway.

The red headed young man walked down the road towards the old gatehouse that had been turned into a cosy meeting place for the Bob-Whites. But as he got there, he knew, even before he opened the door, that no one was there. Trixie would have opened the curtains, he thought. Still, he opened the door. The clubhouse was as empty as he’d thought. Jim was getting really worried now and decided to go down to Crabapple farm, to see if she was there. But as soon as he walked out the door, someone hit him over the head and he blacked out.

*****

Mart found it strange that all the lights were still out at Crabapple farm. At five o’clock, it was getting dark, so Trixie should have at least a few lights on. But she hadn’t even turned the porch light on.

"Didn’t you say Trixie would be home?" Brian said as he got off his own car. He and Bobby had just arrived too.

Mart nodded. "I’ll kill her if she forgot that she promised to cook dinner! I have to get ready for the dance, and so does Bobby!"

Brian laughed and nudged his brother’s shoulder. "Yeah, you do take more time to get dressed than Di does."

Overlooking his brother’s comment, Mart reached for the doorknob and turned it. It wasn’t locked. Instantly he knew this wasn’t right. Glancing at his brothers, he could see they were thinking the same thing.

They found Trixie’s note on the kitchen table, and it didn’t comfort them. It read,

Mart,

I’ve got it! Jonesy’s behind it all. I’m off to Manor House.

Trixie

The three Belden young men stared at each other.

"I guess we should be heading to Manor House," Bobby said shyly.

"The only place you’re heading is upstairs, to get ready for the dance. We’ll see what’s up," Brian stated, leaving no space for an argument.

Bobby knew better than to protest when Brian used that tone. So he climbed the stairs in silence and headed for the shower.

"I’m calling Manor House this minute," Mart said as he rushed to the phone. When he came back, he was pale. "We’ve got trouble, Bri."

"What? Come on, spill it!" Brian felt his stomach in knots.

"There’s no one there but Miss Trask and Celia. Honey’s in town with Mrs. Wheeler and Jim got a call earlier from Trixie, saying she was headed up there. But she never showed up, so Jim thought he might have misunderstood what she said and went out to see if she was at the clubhouse."

"And…?"

"He hasn’t come back since."

"Why do I have the feeling they aren’t just somewhere making out?" Brian asked, turning as pale as his brother.

"Because we have a note from Trixie with Jonesy’s name on it. I’m calling Molinson." Mart disappeared out of the kitchen once more.

******

The ropes around her wrists and ankles were burning her skin, cutting into it. He meant to hurt them when he tied them up. And now the vengeful little man was sitting right in front of her and Jim, enjoying seeing them helpless and defenseless.

Trixie would never forget the terror she had experienced when she’d seen that horrid creature drag Jim’s limp body into the school building. Until then she’d only been mad at herself for being careless and getting caught, but then she’d truly feared for Jim’s life. The minutes before he wokeup had been the most horrifying of her life. And now they were both tied up back to back, forced to just sit there, while Jonesy stared at them.

Finally, the man got up and walked around them, an ironic grin in his face. "I hope you are feeling comfortable," he said, his voice even more hoarse than Trixie remembered. "This isn’t exactly what I planned, but it will do. The result will be the same. Only, you both die!"

"You’ll never get away with this," Jim said, his voice strangled by hate.

Trixie searched for his fingers behind her back and squeezed them, trying to reassure him somehow. She hoped Mart had got home by then and found her note. Maybe he would figure it out.

"Oh, won’t I?" Jonesy crouched in front of him, the stale stench of cigarettes filling both Trixie’s and Jim’s nostrils. "And who exactly is going to stop me? I’ll be long gone when they see this place go up in smoke!"

Trixie’s heart almost stopped. He was planning to burn this place down, like he’d done with the Frayne mansion, although accidentally. Would anyone ever get to them in time? She had to find a way to stall him, to keep him talking, and buy themselves some time. Oh, my dear almost twin, please prove you’re as smart as you say you are!

"They know you’re in this. It won’t take them long to figure out where you’ve taken us!" Trixie said, trying to sound a lot more confident than she really was.

"Oh, do they? Aren’t you smart, little miss busybody?" Jonesy turned his attention to her. "Let’s see who’s smarter! After all, if it wasn’t for that fool getting greedy, I would have taken all of you down and you wouldn’t ever know what hit you! One by one, starting with the Dugan kid!"

She felt Jim’s back straighten up, as the truth dawned on them finally. Jonesy’s plan was to destroy the BWGs one by one, starting with Annie. That’s why they had tried to frame her! And next in line was Bobby. Trixie felt shivers down her back.

"So he got greedy, hum?" she said, managing to sound sarcastic and keep away the fear from her voice. "I take it you mean Dick!"

"Yes, smarty pants, I do! I met him in jail and we ended up discovering we had some common acquaintances. I decided to have him help me with my plans. But he and that sister of his decided to do some business on the side and attracted attention. So we had to speed up the plans a bit."

"Oh, and I take it you still don’t know we caught Dick last night!" Trixie announced triumphantly. She was pleased to see the confused look on his face. She had played her cards right. "He’s been talking, you know? The police are probably on your tail as we speak," she lied.

Jonesy’s face turned red with anger and he punched the wall violently. "That fool! I should have taken care of him when I had the chance!"

"Guess you lose again, hum?" Jim’s voice was defiant. He knew what Trixie was trying to do and decided to play along. This wasn’t about their safety anymore. It was about the safety of all of the Bob-Whites. They had to stop him from hurting their friends, even if it meant taking on his rage.

Enraged, Jonesy turned to Jim again and violently slapped him across the face. Trixie felt the slap as if it had been on her own face and tears started streaming down her cheeks. Jim didn’t utter a sound, but squeezed her hand so tightly she almost screamed. Still she left her hand in his until the pressure lightened. She knew this was like a return to his dreadful past with his stepfather and she wanted him to know this time he wasn’t alone.

"Still stubborn, hum? But I bet I can make you scream before this is through!"

Jonesy’s yellowed teeth showed in his wicked grin. "What if I start by having a little fun with your girl here? Wouldn’t it be nice to scar her pretty face?" Jonesy pulled a knife from his pocket and started playing with it.

"Don’t you dare touch her!" There was so much anger and fear in Jim’s voice, Trixie hardly recognized it.

"Oh, just do it!" Trixie exclaimed. "You’re going to kill us anyway! Just do it! I don’t even care. But I’ll die happy knowing you’re going back to jail!"

"I won’t get caught!" He snorted.

"Oh really? Well, Janet is about to be put behind bars too! The dance is a set-up to catch her! I bet she doesn’t know Dick is in jail either! Do you think you’ll ever be able to leave town? Molinson probably has barricades in every exit! There’s nowhere to go!"

Jonesy seemed to consider her words. "I might go down, but you two are dying." The man picked up a large can and started pouring its contents all over the place. From the strong smell, Trixie had no doubt what it was. Gasoline! He was really going to burn down the place. With them inside!

When he’d emptied it, Jonesy threw the can aside. Moving towards them again, he strongly kicked Jim’s shoulder, causing them both to fall over. Trixie saw stars, when her head hit the side of a nearby counter, and felt dizzy.

"Now, fry!" Jonesy said, with that disgusting grin of his plastered to his face, leaving them to die.

 

Chapter Thirteen

6 PM
Glen Road

Joeanne drove away from the Lynch Estate, back on to Glen Road, still thinking about Diana’s words and the promise she had made herself. How would she ever be able to face Dan, now that she had admitted to herself (and to some extent to Di) that he was not indifferent to her? But she would have to. She owed it to him, after the way she’d behaved. But not just yet. She needed time to adjust to this new life of hers.

Suddenly, a movement to her left startled her from her reverie and she hit the brakes. The car skidded on the gravel, and she almost lost control, but finally managed to pull over by the side of the road.

Breathless, and with her heart still thumping in her chest, Joeanne closed her eyes and sat still, waiting for her head to stop spinning. What on Earth had just happened?

"Jo! Are you ok?"

At the sound of the familiar voice, Joeanne opened her eyes and stared at Dan, pale and trembling, standing by the car window.

"Dan?" Then she saw the horse, nearby. Had this happened again? Maybe it was just nerves, but Joeanne couldn’t fight the irresistible fit of laughter that took hold of her.

Dan frowned. This was the last thing he’d expect from her. Actually, he had never seen her laugh like this. And despite the recent fright, he couldn’t help noticing just how beautiful she looked when she did.

Finally, she managed to control herself enough to ask, "Whose fault was it this time? I didn’t see you!"

He smiled. "Guess it was mine! I was distracted and Odin just got out of the woods before I even noticed. He has a mind of his own!"

"We better stop meeting like this, or soon enough he’ll hold a grudge against me." Joeanne got out of the car, unable to look him in the eyes.

"No one will ever be able to hold a grudge against you…" Dan’s voice became huskier, as he suddenly remembered she was supposed to be mad at him.

"Yeah, right," Joeanne kept her eyes locked on the ground, wishing to be miles away.

"Anyway," Dan said, trying to overcome the uncomfortable situation. "I went to Manor House, to take Jim’s car back, and then my uncle bribed me into taking this guy here for a walk, in exchange for a ride into town. I kind of started day dreaming and…" Dan stopped talking and felt his face grow hotter. He had been thinking about her. How was he supposed to tell her that? He then decided to change the subject. "I called you earlier at the office. They said you’d taken the day off."

She looked up at him, seemingly surprised, but only for a moment. Averting her eyes again, Joeanne explained, "I went to see Sally."

"I thought as much. Did your father go with you?"

"No. He had to work, but he’s taking the boys over tomorrow. Diana offered to go with me today. I was just returning from her place."

"Oh," Dan couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed at the fact she hadn’t asked him to go with her. But he was lucky enough she was still talking to him. So he just swallowed hard and went on, "And how is she?"

"She’s fine." Joeanne took a deep breath and finally met his eyes. "She’s asked me to tell you she’s ready to testify."

"And are you okay with it?" Dan bit his lip. He had to try hard to keep his voice from trembling and himself from asking the question burning on his lips. Have you forgiven me?

To his surprise she didn’t look away. Joeanne held his gaze and answered, slowly but firmly, "Yes, I am. It’s what she wants and I have to let her deal with this her own way. Like you said, I can’t go on sheltering her forever."

"What about us, Jo? Are we okay?" The question escaped his lips before he knew it and he himself was surprised at the emotion in his voice.

Despite the sudden jolt in her heart, she managed to keep looking in his eyes. "Last night, I… I overreacted. You have proven more than once that you…" Joeanne paused, weighing her words. "That you care for me. I shouldn’t have said those things. So I think I owe you an apology."

He chuckled and shook his head, in disbelief. "You owe me nothing, Jo. But I’m glad you’ve forgiven me."

"I still don’t like being lied to." Joeanne lowered her eyes for a moment, staring at the key chain she had been twisting in her hands for the past minutes.

Gently, Dan tilted her chin up with his finger, forcing her to look back up at him. "I didn’t mean to lie. I was going to tell you but then…" he gulped, his mind travelling back to the moment they’d kissed. "I didn’t mean to lie to you, Jo. And I promise not to do anything behind your back again."

"I certainly hope not." Joeanne smiled, faintly. "I really enjoy our friendship, and I’d hate to have it spoiled. After all, you did win me with your honesty. You had the courage to tell me the things no one had ever dared to say. And to my father too. If it wasn’t for you, he probably wouldn’t have forgiven Sally, and she and I wouldn’t be trying to really understand each other. Actually, I probably should be thanking you."

Dan’s mind was still locked in the part when she’d said he had won her and he had trouble understanding what she’d said next. "Nonsense." He almost didn’t recognize his own voice, thick with unspoken emotion. "I’m the one who should thank you for letting me be your friend."

"It’s not like you ever gave me a chance of stopping you…" Her voice faltered when his hand travelled from her chin to her cheek and down again, softly tracing the contour of her face.

Eyes locked, they just stood there, unable to move or even to think. Both their hearts were overflowing with feelings they couldn’t explain or were just too afraid to acknowledge. But as with all such moments, this particular moment was also too fragile to last, and a sharp sound brought them out of the reverie.

Startled, they instinctively broke apart and looked back. Annie was heading for them on her bike, an ominous look upon her girlish face. She stopped abruptly in front of them, her chest heaving.

"What’s wrong, Annie?" Dan asked, placing both hands on her shoulders to help her calm down.

"Bobby called…" She could barely speak, through her ragged breath. "Bobby called me. Something has gone terribly wrong!"

Dan and Joeanne exchanged glances, the emotion of the previous moments replaced by concern.

"What did he tell you?" Dan was trying hard not to scare her even further, but he knew fear was strangling his voice.

"He said Trixie and Jim are missing! Trixie left a note saying Jonesy was behind it all and went off to find Jim… She never got to Manor House."

"And then Jim went to find her and he disappeared too," Dan completed, closing his eyes and rubbed his forehead. "Sweet Lord!"

"I needed to do something… I was going over to Manor House to see if I could help!" Annie looked from Dan to Joeanne, panic quite visible in her eyes.

Slowly, Joeanne wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Annie seemed surprised but didn’t move away. Relieved, Joeanne smiled softly.

"Everything will be okay, Annie. We’ll come with you." Her eyes searched for Dan’s, seeking approval. He nodded, eyes shining in a look she couldn’t identify. But there were more pressing subjects now.

"Jo, you better leave your car here and come riding with me. We’ll get there faster through the woods." Dan didn’t wait for an answer and went to get Odin.

A little dazed at his words, Joeanne locked the car and went over to him, eyeing the animal with suspicion.

"It’s been a while…" she whispered.

He grinned.

"Don’t worry. I’ll hold you tight."

Joeanne almost lost her breath, and her heart started thumping wildly. She’d been worried about the horse, but now she was much more worried about the fact that he would hold her. But there was no time to find an excuse not to ride with him. Annie was already pedalling up the road. So she just let Dan help her on to the horse and braced herself for what came next. And she got goose bumps all over when his arms encircled her waist from behind and the warmth of his body spread through her like a blanket.

*******

Mart and Brian were desperate. They had searched almost every possible place. Where could they be? The clubhouse was empty, all the horses were in the stables, Jim’s car was in the garage and they weren’t at the lake either.

"We should check Ten Acres," Brian suggested, running his trembling fingers through his dark hair.

Mart nodded, anguish visible in clear blue eyes. "Yeah, let’s do it! If they’re not there I have no idea where they could be."

Brian swallowed hard. He’d been dreading saying the words, but he had to speak them now. "If Jonesy caught them, he might have taken them far away. He’s probably in New York by now! We’ll never catch up with him."

"Please, don’t even think that, Bri! Please don’t!"

Suddenly, they saw Bobby running up the way, his breath heaving. "Guys! There’s smoke coming from Ten Acres! I saw it from my room’s window! I already called the fire department."

Glancing at each other, Mart and Brian smelled the faint odour of burning wood in the wind. Seconds later, they were rushing to Ten Acres, with Bobby close behind them.

As soon as they got up there, they saw the smoke rising from the school building and the flames already licking the walls. The heat was intense and they knew there was no time to lose. Taking off their shirts, Mart and Brian wrapped them around their faces to prevent them from asphyxiation. Before running to the burning building, Brian sent Bobby down to Glen Road to indicate the closest route up there to the firemen. The sirens were already sounding in the distance.

Combining efforts, Brian and Mart rammed into the door, knowing the knob was just too hot to be touched. The improvised door wasn’t strong so they easily brought it down. There was a cloud of smoke and heat coming from inside and they had to take a few steps back.

When it cleared a bit, they rushed in, feeling tears stream down their faces from the smoke. It was hard to see inside, but in the midst of smoke and flames they finally saw Trixie and Jim, their heads bent forward, probably already unconscious.

Thanking the heavens for his old habit of carrying around his pocket knife, from his Boy Scout days, Mart cut the ropes around their wrists and ankles and then dragged Trixie outside, while Brian did the same for Jim. They had to do it fast, before the flames stopped them from reaching the door, or the unfinished first floor collapsed.

Just when they had got outside, the windows exploded, sending tiny, but sharp pieces of glass everywhere. Brian got a cut on his cheek, but he didn’t even feel it. The idea of them having arrived too late was torturing him and he needed to know his sister and best friend were safe.

Laying them both on the grass, far enough from the building to be secure, Brian checked them for a pulse. Feeling the heartbeat on their throats, Brian cried out in relief. They were still alive.

*****

They could already smell the smoke. In a heavy silence, Dan, Joeanne and Annie moved as fast as they could through the woods, crossing them as they headed to Ten Acres. In their hearts, they knew they weren’t needed at Manor House. Whatever was happening was happening at Ten Acres.

Suddenly, Annie stopped her bicycle right in front of them, forcing Dan to pull back the horse’s reins. Then he saw what had made her stop. Right in front them, hidden by some bushes, was a car.

"Whose is it?" Joeanne asked, trying to shake away the disturbing feeling of Dan’s arms around her.

"I don’t know. Is it familiar to you, Annie?"

The girl shook her head.

"No. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it around here before."

"It is a public road, Annie, but it’s still strange." Dan dismounted and carefully walked towards the vehicle. "See, those branches were broken and placed here to help hide the car. Hey, the keys are still in the ignition."

"Do you think this has anything to do with Trixie and Jim’s disappearance?" Joeanne asked as she dismounted herself and walked towards Dan.

"I don’t have a clue…" Dan paused as he noticed Annie opening the car’s door. "Annie! What are you doing?"

"There’s something on the passenger’s seat!" Excitedly, Annie crawled over the driver’s seat and got whatever had called her attention. As she crawled out she was holding a large brown envelope, triumphantly. "Maybe there is something here to help us find out who the owner of the car is."

"Dan, that’s private property," Joeanne cautioned.

"Actually, this area of the woods is part of Ten Acres. The car owner is the one who’s trespassing since he drove the car into the woods." Dan smiled, wickedly. "So, Annie is right. We should try to find out who he is."

Thrilled with Dan’s approval, Annie opened the envelope. Her face went pale when she saw its contents.

"Dan…" she held out a pile of newspaper clippings and photographs.

Shivers ran down his spine when he saw the pictures and news clippings. All around the same subject: Trixie and the BWGs.

"I bet this is Jonesy’s car!" Annie twisted her hands, nervously.

"Hold on, we don’t know that yet." Joeanne looked from Dan to Annie, wondering how she had ended up in the middle of this mess. But then again, deep down in her heart, she knew she had always dreamed of playing a role in the Bob-Whites’ adventures. She only wished it could have happened in a different situation.

"No, we don’t," Dan agreed. "But anyway, whoever collected these has a pretty suspicious obsession with Trixie and the rest of us. And I’m sure none of us ever agreed to have our pictures taken. I’m taking this to Molinson. Let’s hope he’ll be able to dust it for fingerprints."

As Joeanne and Dan got back on the horse, Annie seemed to remember something and went back into the car. She came back out and showed them the car keys.

"Just in case," she said, grinning.

******

It took a few minutes for the cool evening air to revive them. Trixie woke up first.

"Jim!" she called out, as soon as she realized where she was.

"Calm down, Sis, he is okay." Brian’s reassuring voice magically quieted her thumping heart and she finally saw Jim sitting close by, aided by Mart. Her brother’s arms closed around her and he cradled her for a while as she cried, finally letting fear take hold of her. "Shh, everything will be fine! You’re safe now!"

"Trixie."

At the sound of Jim’s voice, Trixie let go of her brother and dove into his arms, holding on to him tightly. She felt him rub her back softly and relaxed as she ran her fingers through his wavy red hair.

Brian noticed Mart was standing aside, watching them, tears streaming down his face. "Are you okay?" he asked, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

Mart nodded, as he wiped his eyes to his smoke stained shirt. "Yeah, it’s the smoke. It makes my eyes sting," he lied, knowing perfectly well his big brother was seeing right through him.

He chuckled. "Yeah, the smoke really does get to you!"

Then the fire trucks finally appeared, sirens screaming, and Bobby jumped from one of them.

"Are you guys okay?" he asked anxiously, as approached them.

"Yeah, we made it," Jim answered, his voice still strangled, as he held on to Trixie. "But I guess Jonesy escaped!"

"No, he didn’t!" Mart almost jumped in joy when he saw who the passenger in the police car coming up the road was. Jonesy was in the back seat, with a strange look of amazement in his face.

Molinson himself was driving. When he got out of the car, Trixie noticed he couldn’t hide the look of anxiety on his face. "Is everyone all right?" When they nodded, he sighed in relief and scratched his balding head. "You’re going to give me a heart attack, one of these days! But I have to congratulate you for having the presence of mind to steal Jonesy’s car keys!"

The group in front of them stared at each other, surprised. "Car keys?" Trixie uttered. "Was it any of you guys?"

Her three brothers shook their heads. "We didn’t even know Jonesy had a car!" Brian said.

Molinson put his hands on his hips, looking truly confused. "We were coming here, after Mart called us, when we saw that creep walking up Glen Road. He tried to get in the woods, but we caught up with him. Apparently he had hidden his car in some bushes and left the key in the ignition. When he came back, it was gone! He tried to hot wire it, but that idiot couldn’t even manage it! So he decided to walk all the way to Sleepyside. But if it wasn’t any of you, who was it?"

"Me!" said a voice behind them. They all turned and saw a smiling Annie holding Jonesy’s keys in her hand, followed by Dan and Joeanne on horseback.

"What…? How…?" Mart was speechless for one of the few times in his life.

"Bobby called me when you guys left to look for them, so I decided to ride down Glen Road and see if I could spot anything. I met Dan and Joeanne on the way over.

Then we saw this car, parked in the midst of some bushes and thought it was strange.

The keys were still in the ignition and this was on the passenger’s seat." Annie handed the large envelope to Molinson.

"We thought it was strange, because Jim had said Jonesy was probably looking for revenge and those pictures really looked obsessive," Dan explained as he approached the group that had crowded around Molinson to look at the pictures in awe. "So Annie here decided to take the keys. Just in case!" He looked back at the girl, the mischievous spark in his eyes matching her own.

"Oh, I could just kiss you!" Bobby didn’t think before he said the words. But when he saw the priceless look on Annie’s face and heard the laughter coming from behind him, he blushed to the root of his blond curls.

Mart was laughing so hard, more out of relief than out of amusement, he had to sit down.

"Well, I meant…" Bobby was embarrassed and didn’t even manage to look at Annie, who had blushed just as much as he had.

"We know what you meant, Bobster!" Jim dishevelled his hair, wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes. "I kinda feel the same way! Come here, kid." Pulling Annie by the arm, Jim hugged her tightly. "Thanks. I owe you one!"

"We’re even, then!" she said, with sparkling eyes.

Molinson cleared his throat. "Well, no more of the mushy stuff," he said, as he tried to hide his own emotion. "We still have work to do! And you, Goldie Locks," he pointed at Bobby. "Still have a mission! Go and get dressed for that dance."

Bobby turned red again. "Okay," he mumbled.

Jim took a few steps away from the group, and gazed at the now smouldering ashes of the school building with sadness in his eyes.

Trixie joined him and held on to his arm. "We’ll just build it again," she said, softly.

He nodded. "Yeah, I know. And this time I don’t think I’ll have to worry about that bastard again." His eyes drifted towards Molinson’s squad car and met Jonesy’s for a moment. The man was pale, and wasn’t able to hold Jim’s clear gaze for long. He looked distraught.

"He’s going down for a long time," Trixie said, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"I certainly hope so." Jim leant over to her to kiss the top of her head. His heart felt lighter than ever before, and he had the distinct feeling everything was going to be fine now. Looking down at her he smiled softly, knowing this was the time to celebrate. "Are you still up for a dance, beautiful?" He asked, his voice growing huskier as he stared at her with those deep green eyes.

"With you, always!" Trixie threw her arms around his shoulders and hugged him tight.

*****

A little while later, as the group slowly walked back to Crabapple Farm, Trixie found herself watching Joeanne. She and Dan were still ahead of them, Dan leading the horse by the reins and JoeAnne silently walking beside him, immersed in her thoughts.

"They really do look nice together, don’t they?" she whispered to Jim.

He smiled.

"Yeah, they do. You know, lately I’ve been wondering what would have happened if Joeanne had joined the club."

Trixie looked up at him, blue eyes shining.

"You know, it’s not too late…"

Arching an eyebrow, Jim stared at his fiancée. He knew what she was thinking and he liked it. Winking at her, he let go off her hand and walked over to Joeanne.

"Joeanne, Trixie and I have been thinking," he started, glancing at Dan and then at the young woman. "And we decided that we would like you to become an honorary member of the BWGs. Of course the others will have to vote, but I’m sure no one will oppose."

Her jaw dropped and her eyes grew wider in amazement, as Dan’s face lit with a wide grin.

"Well, you can certainly count on my vote," he said, reaching for her hand and squeezing it.

Blushing, Joeanne stared at her feet. "I’m honoured," she said. "But if you guys are doing this because you think you haven’t been there for me when I needed it, don’t. You were there. I was the one who pushed you away."

Moving towards them, Trixie smiled softly. "No, Jo. You’ve earned it. I guess it’s our way of saying we won’t let you push us away again."

Joeanne looked up again and searched their faces. They were honest about it and Trixie’s brothers seemed to like the idea too, smiling as they watched the scene.

"It’s a great idea, Joeanne," Brian said, in his low, firm voice. "Maybe some of us haven’t had a chance to know you very well, but we’ve grown to respect you. As far as I’m concerned you are very welcome."

"Here, here," said a smiling Mart.

Annie then moved closer to Joeanne and held her other hand. "I’m voting you in too," the girl stated with a smile.

"That leaves Honey and Di, but I’m sure they’ll be as happy as we are in welcoming you aboard," Jim said.

"I really don’t know what to say…" There were tears in Joeanne’s eyes. Not even in her wildest dreams had she imagined this. "Thank you!"

"The only thanks we want is to see that smile on your face, permanently." Trixie’s felt the sting of tears in her own eyes and she patted her friend’s shoulder. In her heart, she knew this was the right thing. Joeanne should have always been with them.

******

The ride back to her car was a nightmare to Joeanne. While Annie had been with them it had been easier. They had been distracted by their concern about Trixie and Jim and the fact that they weren’t alone was enough to postpone any other discussion. But now… She knew it was a matter of minutes before he would bring up the subject.

As if on queue, Dan said, "I’m very happy about all this, Jo. I had already thought about talking to the guys about you becoming a member myself, but I guess I feared was afraid you would think this was silly."

Forcing herself to overcome the shivers his voice in her ear sent down her back, Joeanne managed to ask, "Why would I think it was silly?"

"You know," Dan cleared his throat. "Grown ups playing at secret clubs. It may sound kind of childish. And you take life so seriously."

"I never had reasons to take it lightly, Dan," Joeanne was surprised that she hadn’t said this with the usual bitterness. Things really were starting to change, even from within. "But I don’t consider it childish. The bond you share between you is anything but silly or childish. I’m proud that you want me to become a part of it."

"You deserve it," Dan said, as he dismounted. He held out his hand to help her down and as their eyes met, he lost his breath. She was doing that to him a lot.

Relieved to have her feet back on the ground and a little more space between them, Joeanne combed back her dishevelled hair, desperately searching for something to say. But Dan spoke before she managed to find a way to excuse herself and drive away.

"You know we still need to talk, don’t you?"

Her first impulse was to say there was nothing to talk about, but something stopped her. To her amazement she discovered she wanted to talk to him. Only not just yet. She needed to figure this all out, to understand her own feelings. She couldn’t even think straight in his presence, and this simply wouldn’t do.

"I know," she admitted, after a few moments silence. "But I need to think first. This last 24 hours has been a roller coaster, for both of us. I have to manage to find some balance, to think about what I’m going to do now."

Breathing in deeply, he closed his eyes for a moment. Then, as he opened them, he said, "All right. But promise me you won’t use this time to write me out of your life."

"I won’t." Joeanne smiled, softly. "There wouldn’t be much left if I did…"

The confession filled his heart with hope and he marvelled at the fact that all the anguish had vanished from her voice. But he knew what she meant. Her problems had demanded so much of her, she never had time or enough hope in the future to make plans. Joeanne had not only put off her dreams, but the dreaming itself.

"There soon will be," he said in a strangled voice. He wanted to say this with his arms around her, but he knew he couldn’t. So he buried his hands in his pockets, and smiled. "And if it depends on me, you’ll recover all of your dreams."

There was a hint of sadness in her smile as she spoke and shook her head.

"It doesn’t depend on you, Dan. Most dreams are irrecoverable, but now I can start thinking of myself. I’ll just have to get used to it. But this afternoon one of my childhood dreams did come true. One I had never even dared to admit I had. So, I’d never be able to think it was silly." Joeanne reached out and rested her hand on his arm for a second. "I better go now," she said.

He only nodded and watched her as she got in the car. Then she looked at him and waved goodbye. He returned the gesture and just stood there as she drove away. And a simple, yet daring idea crept in his mind. There was a wide grin on his handsome face as he climbed on Odin and rode away.

 

8 PM
Parker Estate

Bobby had never felt so nervous in all of his young life. Not only he was going to help the police catch Janet Martin in the act, he was also escorting Annie to the dance. Standing in the Parker’s lobby, he felt as if his bow tie would soon choke him. What was taking her so long? As the thought crossed his mind, Bobby turned to the staircase to check if she was coming down. And that was his last coherent thought.

Annie was standing at the top of the stairs, watching him, a nervous smile lighting her pretty face. Her light brown hair was tied on the top of her head, in loose curls that bounced when she started coming down the steps, and the blue dress Honey had picked out for her suited her perfectly. She looked so beautiful Bobby had to catch his breath. He had always considered her very pretty, but that was when he had only seen her in jeans and t-shirts. Now she was absolutely perfect.

When she finally stood face to face with him, he had to make an effort to remember how to speak. "Hi," he said, after clearing his throat. Still his voice came huskier than he intended. "You look… amazing."

Annie turned red and she averted her eyes for a moment. "You look good too," was all she could utter.

"Here, this is for you," Bobby held out the corsage to her and she giggled.

"I think you are supposed to pin that on my dress."

"Oh!" It was his turn to blush. With trembling hands, Bobby fumbled with the small bouquet but finally managed to pin it on her jacket, above her breast. "There!" he said triumphantly, "I guess we should be getting along now, hum?"

Annie looked back into the hallway that led to the kitchen. "Yeah, we better, before Dad manages to find the other film. He’s been taking pictures of me for the past hour. Thank God he ran out of film just before you arrived."

Laughing, the pair left the house and got in Mart’s car. He was chaperoning the dance and had offered his brother a ride. The blonde young man whistled appreciatively when Annie got to the car.

"My, my! Don’t you look pretty? We BWG’s really can brag about the feminine members of our club." He smiled widely. "They are truly the most beautiful women in town!"

Annie stuck out her tongue, but smiled, as Bobby opened the door to her. She had never experienced these kind of compliments and she was enjoying it immensely.

After picking Diana up, they headed for the dance. As they approached the school, their smiles faded and they became gradually more silent. Tonight wouldn’t be only fun and games and they knew it.

When the two couples got to the door, they found Dan waiting for them outside. Diana couldn’t help an admiring look and hoped everything would turn out fine for him. He had caller her earlier, to ask her for help with his plan. Dan was an old dear friend and she wished him the best. And if it involved the happiness of a new dear friend, she would do all she could.

"Hey, guys!" Dan walked over to them and with a smile, held Annie’s hand and made her twirl to admire her. "You look lovely, sweetie."

"Thanks," she mumbled, feeling uncomfortable with so much attention.

"You kids should be getting inside. Molinson is in there already. He wants to wire Bobby. It will be better to get everything on tape." Dan pointed at the building. "And you have to do it before Janet comes. He’s waiting for you in the Principal’s office."

Bobby paled a bit but nodded in agreement, as he led Annie inside. Seeing the worried look on Mart’s face, Dan said, as he patted his friend’s back, "He’ll be okay. We are all here to look out for him!"

Mart sighed. "I know. It’s just that we nearly lost Trixie and Jim today. I guess that’s getting to me now."

Standing on tiptoes, Di placed a soft kiss on his cheek. "Everything will be fine now, Mart. We are over the worst of it!"

He smiled and squeezed her hand, tenderly. Feeling his spirits returning to him, he decided to not let this chance of teasing Dan go by. "And what, may I ask, has produced this miracle? I’ve never seen you in a tux and I don’t believe a mere juvenile ball would be enough of a reason for you to wear it."

His friend chuckled. "Actually, it was. But I guess your girlfriend here can explain it to you. I’m… a little nervous."

Mart stared at Diana, frowning, waiting for an explanation. She giggled and pulled him away. "Come, I’ll explain it to you on our way in."

*****

Annie stood outside the men’s restroom, fidgeting and uncomfortable in the unusual attire, as she waited for Bobby. Captain Molinson and Spider Webster had taken him inside to set him up for the meeting with Janet. But though she knew every base was covered, she still felt her stomach tied in knots when she thought of Bobby going to that woman by himself. Part of her heart wished Janet had already run off, but the other part of her knew they had to get her.

"So, are you expecting to get a partner, standing by the men’s bathroom door?"

The sarcastic voice made her jump. Startled, Annie turned to see Maddie Kendall and two other girls. The blonde girl was staring down at her with a cynical grin plastered to her face, made even taller by the high-heeled shoes she was wearing. Annie wished she had agreed to wear heels, so she could at least hold her gaze without looking up. But she faced her anyway, holding her head high.

"If you must know, I’m waiting for Bobby. He’s inside," she said, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Yeah, as if I’m to believe Bobby came with you to the dance, when he could have asked me." Maddie laughed and threw her blonde hair back, knowing it would sparkle under the lights. The other girls giggled in agreement, and Annie’s stomach turned again but this time in disgust.

"Well, believe what you want. I don’t really give a rat’s…"

"Annie!"

Bobby interrupted her before she could finish. He closed the bathroom door behind him, trying not to smile at Annie’s still too loose tongue. Annie blushed and cursed herself silently. She had promised herself she would be ladylike tonight and that she wouldn’t respond to Maddie or anyone else’s provocation. After all, Bobby had brought HER to the dance and not Maddie.

Maddie was speechless. So, he had chosen that delinquent over her? How could this be? She really was confused and the fact that her friends seemed a little more amused than they should be with the situation wasn’t helping either.

"Bobby, I thought… I didn’t think you were coming," she finally managed to say.

"I told you I didn’t know if I would come or not because I wasn’t sure if Annie would want to come with me," Bobby smiled condescendingly. It felt nice to be fought over.

Annie arched an eyebrow. He’s actually enjoying this, she thought. But actually she was too. Maddie’s face was priceless.

"Oh," was all the girl could utter, as she watched Bobby carelessly wrap an arm around Annie’s shoulders.

"Now, if you’ll excuse us, we better find our table," Bobby said, as he led Annie away from the girls. "Save me a dance for later, Maddie. That is, if Annie is okay with it." The glint in his blue eyes told Annie he was having lots of fun, and though she didn’t like the idea of fuelling his growing ego, the opportunity was just too good to pass.

So, she turned to Maddie, who was already fuming, and said, innocently, "Oh, I’m okay with it. After all it’s just one dance," she stressed the word ‘one’. "And I guess I’ll get tired of dancing all night… eventually!"

Bobby had to control himself not to burst out laughing. You go, girl, he silently cheered her.

"You better wipe that smug smile off your face, Belden," Annie said, as soon as they were out of Maddie’s earshot. "I only played along ‘cause it was the best way to get rid of Maddie. If she made a scene it could scare Ms. Martin off."

He tried to make a straight face, as he said, "Yeah, sure. I know that." But he couldn’t help smiling. And he didn’t remove his arm from her shoulders.

She looked up at him, frowning, trying to figure out if he was serious or not. Bobby looked back at her, with the most innocent expression he could manage. Though he didn’t convince her, she thought it was best to leave it at that. After all, she had actually enjoyed the feeling of being chosen over Maddie and wasn’t interested in explaining why.

"Anyway," she said as she disentangled herself from his embrace. "What’s the plan?"

He shrugged.

"Well, we’ll have to wait until Ms. Martin gets here and play it from there. I’m wired and they’re going to record the whole thing."

Annie’s eyes widened.

"You mean… They have been listening the whole time?"

"Yep. And recording it too," Bobby hid his smile as she turned red. Tonight was proving more interesting than he had ever thought!

****

Bobby saw when Janet Martin entered the gym. The teacher looked pale and tired, as if she hadn’t slept much that night. Her usual proud and smug look had been replaced by a worried and somewhat scared expression.

Has she found out? Bobby asked himself. But then he dismissed the thought. If she had she wouldn’t have come and risked getting caught. She was probably upset because she hadn’t been able to contact either Dick or Jonesy.

Then he saw Darryl appear from behind a column and head towards her. Looking around, to see if anyone was watching them, Janet pushed the boy into a corner, apparently disliking the fact he had come to talk to her.

"Annie, stay here," he said. "Ms. Martin is over there talking to Darryl. I’m going to try and listen to what they’re talking about. Maybe I can even get it on tape."

The girl looked over to the direction Bobby had pointed, and bit her lip. It was time.

"Just be careful and don’t pull any stupid stunts, okay?"

He smiled and pulled one of her curls. "Don’t worry. I’ll be coming back to claim my dances."

She watched him as he walked away, trying to keep away from Janet and Darryl’s eyes. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she silently prayed for his safety, as she grasped the medallion that had once belonged to her mother and which she considered to be her lucky charm. You better be back soon, Belden, and in one piece. I really want to dance tonight…with you, Annie thought.

****

"Are you sure about this?" Darryl said.

Bobby hid behind a column, close to the place where Janet and Darryl were standing. The music and the noise of the crowd were making it hard for him to hear anything, let alone record it. But from where he now stood he was able to hear at least a part of what was being said. He only hoped neither one of them looked in his direction.

"I’ve told you before I can’t stand when you start telling me what to do or not, you little punk!" Janet sounded as if she was about to snap.

"Ok, okay! But you’ve said it yourself, something is wrong! I’m just saying maybe we should lay low while we find out what happened!"

"Look, kid! It’s not my fault that idiot brother of mine decided to get greedy and started dealing on his own. It wasn’t supposed to come to this! Jonesy’s orders were to cause a commotion in school and blame it on those kids. The dealing was Dick’s idea!"

Oh, God, I hope Molinson manages to hear this! Bobby thought, adrenalin rushing through his veins. Janet is Dick’s sister!

"But you went along. You were his dealer!" Darryl raised his voice and that won him a smack on the head.

"Keep quiet, you idiot!" Janet pulled the boy closer to the column behind which Bobby was hiding and he felt chills running down his spine.

"I didn’t know Jonesy was on the plan. They met in jail and arranged the plan. Dick was supposed to set everything up, before Jonesy got out. But when Dick got out 3 years ago, he decided he would arrange his own little business on the side. Apparently something went wrong and he had to lay low for a while, until it was time to set things up for Jonesy’s arrival. That’s when he called me up and asked for my help. He said he wanted to get even with the girl that had thrown him into jail ten years ago. I only found out that the dealing was never a part of the original plan and that Jonesy was supposed to call the shots after he came back to Sleepyside." Janet sighed. "I thought he would kill Dick when he found out! He is my brother, but he’s a fool. And I’m not risking having Jonesy on my back. The man’s dangerous! And if Dick has to go down, he’s going down alone. I’m going on with Jonesy’s plan!"

"What do they say about ‘honour amongst thieves’?" Darryl’s ironic tone awakened Janet’s anger.

"You better be careful," she hissed. "Or you’ll go down with him! Who do you think they’ll believe? The competent teacher or the known troublemaker? Now get the hell outta here, before someone suspects us."

Bobby held his breath. If either of them moved forward they would see him. Slowly, he moved to his right trying to circle the column, so he could mingle with the crowd on the dance floor and go unnoticed. As he feared, two seconds after he left his hiding place, he saw Janet leaning against that same column.

Letting out his breath, he tried to gather his composure and walked around the column so he could appear from behind the teacher and not raise any suspicion.

"Ms. Martin?" he called out, hoping she wouldn’t notice the tremble in his voice.

She looked up, startled. When she saw him, she smiled triumphantly, as if she considered his appearance a victory. "Robert! I was expecting you."

Oh, you are going down too, Ms. Martin. Rest assured of that, he promised himself as he put on a fake smile and moved closer to her.

"So, Ms. Martin, do you have it?" This time Bobby didn’t have to fake. He WAS anxious.

She chuckled softly.

"Easy, Robert. Eager to have fun, are you?" She patted his cheek, condescendingly. "Well, I understand. I was like you when I started to… to have fun! But you must take it easy. You have to learn to enjoy it. Only fools let themselves get controlled by it."

Bobby felt sick. How could she say that? He had seen what IT had done to Sally! But he controlled himself and merely nodded.

Janet then took a harmless looking small brown package from her purse and handed it over to Bobby.

"Here it is. Take it."

Now here comes the hard part. Bobby tried to concentrate and remember what Molinson had said. Make her say the words, he had said. And don’t touch the package!

"Well? Having second thoughts, Robert?" Janet frowned, and looked around, as if she feared someone would see them.

"I…" he hesitated. He couldn’t make any mistakes now. "It is a big step."

Janet let out a short, cynical laugh. "You are old enough to quit the baby steps, Robert. And this is nothing really. I’ve used it myself many times."

Ah-ah! Here we go! Bobby thought, adrenalin pumping in his veins. "Really?" he asked, trying to sound innocent. "Actually, I have been wondering why you are doing this… I mean, most teachers warn us against it!"

She took a deep breath and stared at him, apparently considering what to say. Bobby felt beads of sweat forming on his brow and the wires across his chest were starting to irritate his skin. After a few excruciating moments, Janet’s smile reappeared.

"Let’s just say I’ve always thought right and wrong, good and evil, are very subjective things. Their limits depend on the person in question. Basically, it’s a question of survival of the fittest. Some make it, some don’t. Let’s say this is a test that I believe you’ll have no trouble in passing."

He felt sick to the stomach. How could she say that? She was completely heartless!

"So, you want it or not?" Janet was getting impatient.

Bobby gulped. He couldn’t back out now. Looking past the teacher he saw Spider Webster showing him thumbs up from across the room. At least, they were getting everything fine.

"But you never told me what this is. It’s not, you know, to inhale, is it?" he finally asked.

She sighed, and rolled her eyes. "It’s ecstasy, Robert. Ever heard of it?"

"I don’t know if he has, but I certainly have, Ms. Martin." Molinson said, showing up from behind her, startling even Bobby.

She turned ghostly white. Her bravado dissolved into thin air. Just like her brother’s, Bobby thought, as he leant against the column, his legs finally giving out.

"You… you tricked me!" She actually sounded offended.

"Yes, he did, ma’am," Molinson closed the cuffs around her wrists. "And he did it brilliantly."

"Like you said, Ms. Martin, it’s a test. And you just failed it!" Bobby’s voice was hoarse, but he felt a rush he had never felt before. Now he knew why Trixie had kept going, despite every scrape she had managed to get herself in. The sensation of getting the bad guy overcame all fears.

*****

"Spider just called," Dan said, as he disconnected the cell phone. "Apparently, as soon as Dick heard Jonesy was under custody, he started talking."

The others looked at him, expectantly. Trixie, who had just arrived, with Jim, Honey and Brian, was fidgeting, anxious to know what he had to say.

"Basically, he confirmed what Bobby heard Janet say. He met Jonesy in jail and they discover they had something in common."

"Yeah, a stone in their shoe named Trixie," Mart joked, with a genuinely happy smile.

His sister stuck out her tongue and smiled too.

"But what was their plan?" Annie asked.

"Jonesy wanted to discredit Trixie and the rest of us within the community. Annie and Bobby were the easier preys, so they started with them. But Dick’s greed got in the way and things got out of hand."

"And Jonesy decided he should just go ahead and kill us," Jim completed, shaking his head. "He is smart, I have to admit. He knew the best way to get to us was to make people start doubting us. And he planned to slowly undermine everything we’ve built."

"Luckily for us, Dick is not so smart!" Bobby exclaimed, still a little shaken up.

"But he should know he shouldn’t mess with the Bob-Whites of the Glen." Honey’s eyes glistened and she pulled one of Bobby’s curls. "Good work, Bobby!"

"Well, I guess congratulations are in order for all of us." Brian said. "I don’t think after this we’ll have to worry about those two guys ever again. Or Janet."

"Is she really Dick’s sister?" Diana asked.

Dan nodded.

"Yes, and she really is a teacher. But she had been under some suspicion in the school she previously taught in. Nothing was ever proven though, so she didn’t have much trouble in getting this job."

"I remember Principal Richardson saying she had lots of experience and even good commendation letters. I wonder if she ever checked them…" Trixie shook her head making her blonde curls bounce.

"And Darryl? What’s going to happen to him?" Bobby’s eyes grew darker. He couldn’t help worrying about him.

"He’s in trouble, Bobby. He already has a record and your testimony, as well as Janet’s will probably send him to reform school," Dan patted his shoulder. "But maybe there’s still hope for him."

"He’s not really mean," Bobby said. "He’s just… dumb."

Mart wrapped an arm around his brother’s shoulders. "Let’s just hope he’ll smarten up then. But now it’s time for the victors to collect the loot. Or better yet, for the Bob-Whites to have fun!"

"It was really great of Principal Richardson to allow us to call all of the BWGs over to celebrate," Trixie said.

"Annie has a lot to celebrate too. Molinson said she has nothing to worry about now. Janet confessed she was trying to frame her," Dan explained, as he smiled tenderly at the girl.

Annie sighed, relieved. "Thank God! That means the adoption process will be resumed, doesn’t it?"

"I guess we can safely say it will, but we’ll have to check with Joeanne," Honey said. Then she frowned. "By the way, from what I heard of this afternoon’s events, shouldn’t she be here too?"

Di looked at Dan and winked at him, smiling widely. "Oh, don’t worry, Honey. That’s been taken care of."

 

Chapter Fourteen

10 PM
Sleepyside High

How did Di talk me into this? Joeanne asked herself as she locked her car and headed for the Sleepyside High gym, all lit up, ready to welcome the students to the Spring Dance. I never even came to my prom, and now I’m chaperoning? This is just too weird!

Di had called to ask her if she was free to help out as a chaperon at the dance. Apparently, Mart and Trixie were supposed to do it, but Trixie was too shaken up from the afternoon’s events to make it. Joeanne trembled as she remembered what Trixie and Jim had gone through. She simply couldn’t refuse, though she still didn’t understand why they had asked her. Di had said none of the other teachers was available, and the principal had agreed to let Joeanne do it but still… It was strange.

She was supposed to meet the Di and Mart there, but the fact that she had to enter the room alone was bothering her. It was a too familiar feeling. She had considered calling Dan, but just didn’t have the courage. Oh, God! It feels like high school all over again.

Suddenly, she saw him, standing on the steps, drop dead gorgeous in his tux. Joeanne stopped, absolutely frozen in place.

Dan was breathless when he saw her, stunning but obviously uncomfortable in the silky black dress. Legs trembling, he climbed down the few steps, holding the small box in his hands, and wondering how was she going to react. She usually didn’t like surprises.

"Hi," was all he was able to utter as he stood face to face with her.

"Hi," Joeanne didn’t know what to think. Was that box what she thought it was?

"You look amazing," his voice was hoarse. "You should dress up more often."

She blushed. "Di said I was supposed to wear a dress. This was the only one that could pass as formal. I’ve never worn it, and I feel awkward." I’m babbling, for Heaven’s sake! she thought. As she tried to control her nerves, she wondered why on Earth he was there. "Did you get recruited into chaperoning too?" she asked with a frown.

He chuckled. "Well, sort off." Taking a deep breath, he held out the box to her. "Here, this is for you."

Speechless, she opened it and took out a bouquet of tiny red roses. "What does this mean?" She asked, suddenly feeling her head spinning.

"This is dream number two." Dan took the bouquet from her trembling hands and tied it to her wrist. "I remember you said you never went to your prom, so I decided to take this chance and start with what could depend on me."

When she lifted her eyes to him, he saw tears in them and his heart skipped a beat. Was she mad at him? But then she smiled, in a way he had never seen her smile before.

"Thank you," she whispered. She didn’t know what to say, never expecting him to do something like this. This small gesture meant more to her than she was able to explain.

Feeling a lot like crying himself, he offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

Joeanne nodded and took his arm, an unknown part of her brain noticing the firmness of his muscles, underneath the fabric of the shirt and jacket. Suddenly she was feeling 18 again and her heart was beating wildly in her chest, because she was going to a dance with this gorgeous man she had dreamed of all through high school. And the fact that she had been lied to once more didn’t even cross her mind.

He glanced at her the moment they entered the room and saw how her eyes travelled through it, marvelling at the decor. Then she looked at him and he lost his breath, seeing how beautiful she looked, with her cheeks flushed from the excitement and her eyes sparkling.

"This chaperoning thing, it isn’t true is it?" She asked, not even bothering pretending she was angry.

"Well, it sort of is true. Trixie and Mart were some of the teachers that had offered to do it, but with all that’s happened, we weren’t sure if she would come or not. She did come, but when I asked Di to call you she wasn’t here yet." Dan gave her a shy smile.

"But why did you do this?"

"I promised I would make your dreams come true. This is just the beginning."

Joeanne bit her lip, not sure how to react. She had asked him for time, and this wasn’t it. But somehow it didn’t matter now. "And just how did you convince the school?"

"Oh, we’re crafty," Di said, showing up from behind them, accompanied by Mart. "And you aren’t really supposed to be chaperoning. We just asked permission for bringing a few friends along. But in the end all of the BWGs made it here. It became a celebration for getting Janet Martin."

Joeanne’s eyes widened.

"Really? I mean, you got her?"

"Well, to be truthful it was the youngest offspring of the Belden clan that accomplished the feat my other half has just named," Mart said, assuming his old half playful tendency for big words. "We, poor mortals, have no right to tonight’s crown of laurels."

Laughing, Joeanne seemed to relax.

"I’ll have to congratulate Bobby then."

Di squeezed Joeanne’s hand. "You’re not mad at us, are you?"

Joeanne squeezed Diana’s hand back and said, "I should be, but I guess it won’t hurt me to have a little fun. Though I really am curious to know why you went to all this trouble."

Diana and Dan exchanged glances.

"I’m sorry if we tricked you, Jo," Diana said. "But Dan had his heart set on showing you a good time. And it’s already been worth it! We got to see Dan in a tux! We’ve been trying for years!"

Dan made a face at her. "I see Mart’s sense of humour is rubbing off on you!"

"Of course it is. She’s learning from the master!" Mart chuckled. "But I do have to admit. You two look very well, this evening. But then again, anyone would look good by your side, Joeanne. Even him!"

Joeanne blushed at the compliment and laughed when Dan pretended to take a swing at Mart, who ducked and ended up losing his balance. Diana had to grab him by the arm to steady him.

"Come on, you clown." Diana said, winking at Joeanne. "Let’s dance, or you’ll end up doing something that might ruin your reputation with the students."

"Why don’t we take up on their suggestion?" Dan asked, signalling to the dance floor. Then he frowned at the look of hesitation on her face. "You’re not going to tell me you can’t dance, are you?"

She smiled and shook her head. "No. I can. Mother used to teach me, before she got sick. It’s just that…I’ve never slow danced with anyone before."

He grabbed her hand and bowed to her. "Then this is your chance. I’d love to show you how it’s done." He took her to the dance floor and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her as close to him as he could and with his free hand, held hers against his heart. He didn’t mind being obvious that he wanted to feel her body pressed against his. They were past that now. He could tell she was nervous, but at least she didn’t pull away from him. Instead she wrapped her own arm around his neck, letting him lead her through the dance floor, swaying at the sound of the soft ballad.

"So, are you enjoying your first time, so far?" He asked in her ear, after they’d danced for a while, in silence. He knew his words had a double meaning but didn’t even try to explain. He actually enjoyed teasing her.

She looked up at him, with flushed cheeks. But her blush wasn’t because of his words. This is not the only first time I’ve enjoyed with you, she thought. Joeanne had been too ashamed to admit to him he had been the first man to ever really kiss her. How silly will that sound? 22 and never been kissed?

"Yes, I am," she finally answered, wondering what he would say if he knew. Maybe I’ll get a chance to tell him some day. For the first time in years, Joeanne let hope start its way into her heart without stopping it.

"You know, now I’m glad I never made it to my prom either." Dan watched how surprise filled her eyes, and smiled.

"You didn’t? Why?"

"Because I didn’t have a date." There was an amused expression on his face.

Joeanne arched an eyebrow. "Yeah, right. As if…"

He laughed. Honest. Well, I guess I could have gotten one, but I just didn’t feel like going with anyone." His expression became more serious and he softly pulled on of the loose curls framing her face. "Maybe I should have asked you."

"Sure, a ninth grader," Joeanne tried to make a joke out of his words, but her voice trembled.

He didn’t answer her and pulled her back into his arms. Only then did he notice the words of the song they were now dancing to, and smiled at the irony.

Couldn't feel much better
Than the way I feel tonight
Feel like I could live forever
Feel like I could fly

Breathing in deeply, he felt her soft perfume enter his nostrils. He had never been much of a fan of romantic songs, since they always made him feel awkwardly empty, but this guy had got it right. He really felt he could live forever or just fly away. And he also felt he wouldn’t be able to hold back his feelings much longer.

When I thought I'd get it wrong, yeah
You somehow make things right
That's the way you make me feel
Better than I've ever known it
Better than it's ever been

Joeanne’s thoughts weren’t far from his. The words of the song were also making her heart beat faster. Not to mention the feeling of being so close to him. As her eyes drifted over his shoulder to the other couples on the dance floor, she saw Di and Mart, Honey and Brian and Jim and Trixie were also dancing, not far from them. But the three couples seemed oblivious to everyone around, lost in the eyes of their respective partners. Even Bobby and Annie seemed very comfortable in each other’s arms. Joeanne wished she had the courage to stare into Dan’s eyes too. And this song wasn’t helping it.

I can't seem to control it, no
The way you make me feel
Like the sun coming up in the morning
Like holding the world in your hands
In a way I could never imagine
The way you make me feel

Knowing that if he didn’t get out of that room fast he would do something that might ruin all he had accomplished so far, Dan softly broke away from her without letting go of her hand and said, "Come on, Jo. There’s something I need to tell you."

But as they left the room, he still had time to hear a few more verses of the song, and wondered if the DJ somehow could read minds.

I couldn't feel much better
Than when I'm here with you
You make everything seem so easy
I'm telling you the truth
You never try to please me
But somehow...you always do

Walking her out into the yard, Dan led her to a secluded corner and made her sit on the low wall. Sitting beside her, he held both her hands in his. "Jo, listen," he started, "I want you to know how happy I am for having you as an honorary Bob-White. Everyone has agreed you’ll make a great addition to the club."

She smiled faintly. "I’m very happy too, Dan. But I’m still afraid you guys are doing this because you think you haven’t been there for me when I needed it. I never asked you for help. How were you supposed to know?"

He caressed her hair, softly. "No, Jo, don’t be silly. Like Trixie said, you’ve earned it. You’ve always been a Bob-White at heart. We only need to make this formal." Dan got up and reached back behind the wall. He took out a package, tied with a red ribbon, and held it out to her. "Here, this is for you."

"What is it?" she asked, picking up the package.

"I guess it’s my personal way of making it formal. Open it," he said, as he sat close to her again.

She did as she was told and her heart nearly stopped when she realized what she was looking at. Slowly, she unfolded the red jacket and saw the three letters embroidered on the back. Tears came to her eyes.

"Honey intends to make a new one for you," Dan gulped. "But I was hoping you’d accept to wear that one instead. It’s the first one she made for me. I’ve outgrown it a long time ago, but I always kept it as a treasure." He held her hands, hoping he would be able to explain what he meant. "Jo, I don’t think I have to tell you how important that jacket is to me. Giving it to you is my way of telling you what you mean to me. Maybe it would be more romantic if I gave you a ring or my college pin. But I’m not much of a romantic and somehow this jacket seemed much more appropriate."

By now, tears were falling freely down Joeanne’s face. He had been right in thinking she would understand his feelings. She did, and this gift meant more to her than any ring in the world. But it was frightening, nonetheless. Was she ready for this?

"Jo?" He was getting worried. What was wrong? Had she hated everything he had said all that much? Why didn’t she say anything?

"Why, Dan?" she finally asked, "Why me? You’ve hardly known me for two months and most of the time we were fighting! Why me, when there are so many girls who are much less complicated, who are ready to give you everything you’d expect from a woman?" It was hard for her to say the last part, but she simply had to know.

He let out the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding, waiting for her answer, and smiled, relieved. "I don’t know why. Maybe it was that temper of yours, that annoying way you have of always twisting everything I say that got to me. That and the way your eyes shine when something makes you feel good and the fierceness with which you defend the ones you love… It makes me wish I was one of them." Dan’s voice faltered when Joeanne eyes met his, filled with surprise. "And just so you know, I’m not expecting anything from you. Except maybe a chance to make you happy. Will you wear the jacket, Jo?"

Joeanne couldn’t overlook the intense emotion in his voice. Softly she ran her fingers through his hair and felt him shudder at her touch. And suddenly she realized she wanted to take that chance. The little voice in her head had finally been silenced. "I will, Dan. I’ll wear it," she said, her voice barely over a whisper. "But are you up to dealing with my doubts, my fears? It may be a while until I get rid of them."

Gently, he cupped her face in his hands. "I’ve been waiting for you all my life. What are a few more months?" Slowly, he took the jacket away from her and wrapped it around her shoulders, using it to draw her to him. "We both have a lot to learn yet. Maybe it will be easier if we learn it together."

"So, you want me anyway?" There was anxiety in her voice, which she didn’t bother hiding. Something inside of her told her that she didn’t have to hide anything from him.

He knew that words would never tell her how much he really wanted her. So, he merely leant over and kissed her, his heart overflowing with a feeling he had never experienced before. Understanding the message completely, Joeanne kissed him back, fervently, knowing dream number three had just come true.

******

Trixie leaned back against Jim’s strong chest, and he encircled her waist with his arms, kissing the top of her curly head. She smiled, contented as her eyes drifted over to the dance floor. For the first time in many days, her heart was at peace. Everyone was happy and safe and Jim’s eyes no longer had that look of fear and anguish in them.

As if he had read her mind he pulled her closer to him and softly brushed her cheek with his lips.

"This feels great, doesn’t it? All of our friends having fun, not having to look over their shoulders," he whispered in her ear.

Trixie nodded and gently caressed his freckled hands.

"Yes, it is. Look at Annie and Bobby. They look so cute, don’t they?"

Jim chuckled.

"Do you think we looked that cute when we were their age?"

She turned in his arms and wrapped her own arms around his neck, with a naughty smile on her rosy lips.

"I guess we did, whenever you had the courage to get that close to me!"

He made a face at her and then kissed her full on the lips.

"That’s because this is HOW close I wanted to get, Shamus!"

Breathing in deeply, Trixie felt truly happy. As she rested her head on his shoulder, her eyes landed on Dan and Joeanne, who were just coming back in the gym, hand in hand. Joeanne was wearing the Bob-White jacket Trixie knew had belonged to Dan and looked happy, though still a little dazed. But when the young woman finally lifted her eyes to meet Dan’s, that look spoke volumes and Trixie realized she was witnessing a very special moment.

"I told you he wouldn’t be half as patient," Jim said, as he spotted the couple himself. "But I have to say, giving her that jacket was a very clever move."

She looked up at him with a frown.

"I don’t think he thought of it as a ‘move’!"

"I know, honey. I’m just kidding."

"Besides, you were the one who gave me a ring when I was thirteen," she teased, as she showed him the diamond ring on her finger.

His green eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Oh, I like to plan ahead," he said, tugging one of her sandy curls.

Trixie laughed and kissed him.

"It doesn’t get much better than this, does it?" she whispered.

He pulled her back into his arms and sighed.

"No, baby, it doesn’t. Like you usually say, everything is ‘perfectly perfect’!"

 The End