* mild sexual references

Regan pulled on the reins, slowing the horse down to a walk. He was riding a new stallion named Nightrider that Mr. Wheeler had just bought. The horse was a thoroughbred with a lot of speed. Mr. Wheeler was interested in racing this horse. Regan was to evaluate Nightrider and report back to Mr. Wheeler, to advise whether or not, this three-year-old had what it took to be a racehorse. Regan knew that Nightrider had the speed, but he had been mishandled in the past and would need a lot of work.

Just as Regan signaled the horse to stop, a hawk swooped down, making the nervous animal rear up. Regan held his seat and managed to bring the animal under control quickly. The hawk swooped again, causing the horse to take off running. Regan managed to, once again, get the horse under control. He got off, wanting calm him down before heading back to the Manor House. They were on the bluffs, the air cold and damp. Regan had brought a soft cloth with him. He gently wiped the sweat that was pouring off the animal. He talked calmly and quietly to the excitable horse.

In a short time, Nightrider quieted down under the experience and gentle hands of the big red-headed man that loved horses.

The stallion’s ears pricked up and he started to paw the ground. Regan stopped wiping Nightrider down and looked around. He looked toward the woods and there stood a young woman, staring at him.

She had long, deep red hair and porcelain white skin. She was a tiny thing. If it wasn’t for her feminine curves, one could mistake her for a child. She was wearing a long, flowing black gown.

Regan had been riding through these woods up to the bluff for over a year. He had never seen this young woman before. The hawk that had terrorized Nightrider, landed gently on the young woman’s raised arm.

Nightrider started to raise a fuss. Regan turned his head back to the horse to calm him down. He glanced back towards the woods but the young woman had disappeared. Regan shook his head, wondering who she was and where she had come from. He mounted Nightrider and turned the horse back towards home, keeping his eyes open, hoping to get a glance at her again.

Regan was still thinking about the mysterious young woman in the woods, when Honey and Trixie arrived to exercise the horses.

"Brian and Jim will be along soon. Sirene is going to take Mart’s place, because he’s going over to Di’s house," Trixie said.

"I’m glad that we’re done with Halloween. The haunted house was a great success, but it was hectic getting everything ready. Now this week is Homecoming. But that shouldn’t stop us from riding like the haunted house did," Honey added.

"Well, that’s nice to hear, because I thought that Sirene and Dan were going to get saddle sores from riding. I’m glad they decided to help with the horses," Regan said. "I was wondering if you girls might know of any new people that might have moved in the area?"

"Just Sirene. Why?" Trixie asked.

Honey and Trixie were saddling up Strawberry and Susie just as Brian and Jim entered the stables.

"I saw a young woman out on the bluffs today. I didn’t recognize her, so I was curious if we have new neighbors," Regan answered.

"What did she look like? Did you get a chance to talk to her at all?" Honey questioned.

"Well, she had long red hair, a little darker than Jim’s. She had on a long, black flowing dress. She was really small. She was a good distance away from me, so I couldn’t talk to her," Regan answered. "What really got my attention was that she apparently has a trained hawk."

"By that description, it might have been Tansy Gifford you saw," Brian said. "She lives with her aunt in an old house that sits on the bluffs. Last time I saw her was a couple of years ago."

"Hello all. So, which beast do I get today?" Sirene asked as she entered the stables. "Hey, Regan. How’s the new horse coming along?"

"Looks like you’re going to get Lady today. Nightrider is going to take some time to settle but I think he’ll be fine. I see that your beasts are with you. Don’t let them get close enough to get the horses excited."

"You know that Merlin and Sam won’t bother the horses. Dan wanted me to pass on the message that he would be a little late for dinner tonight," Sirene said.

"Thanks. So Brian, doesn’t Tansy go to school with you kids?" Regan asked.

"No. Her aunt took her out when we were in sixth grade. As far as I know, she does home schooling. But she may be done with all that. I can’t remember if she’s older than I am or the same age. You should ask Dan about her. He’s probably run into her a few times while patrolling. I think she spends a lot of time in the woods," Brian answered while finishing up saddling Starlight.

"Poppy mentioned a Tansy the other day. Apparently on Halloween night some kids tried to go up to her house and a hawk attacked them. I don’t think any one was hurt but Poppy thought that if a big enough fuss was made, then some one might shoot the bird," Sirene said.

"Then, they better have a special license. It’s against a county ordinance to shoot hawks or eagles in this county. Only someone with a license and only if the bird has been proven to be dangerous can it be shot down. Usually they will try to capture it first and move it," Jim told them as he mounted Jupiter. "So if Dan does know Tansy or if you see her again and that bird belongs to her, you might want to warn her."

The Bob-Whites and Sirene rode out to the preserves.

"I don’t believe how cold it is!" Sirene complained. "Oh, I know, none of you find it that cold, but I’m a Florida girl, and I’m telling you that it’s cold out here."

"What are you going to do when it really gets cold?" Trixie asked, mildly amused.

"Please, I’ve heard all of this from Diana and Dan. I told Poppy that I wanted to hibernate until spring, but he insisted that I go to school. You would think that he would show some compassion. After all, I could go to summer school and make it up," Sirene said.

"But you would miss so much fun. Wait until it starts snowing! We have lots of fun. After the lake freezes over, we’ll have a lot of fun skating. You won’t even notice the cold then." Honey tried to reassure her.

"Diana did tell me that, since I know how to roller skate, it shouldn’t be too hard for me to pick up ice skating. I have to admit that I’m looking forward to building my first snowman. Larry and Terry have already promised to show me how," Sirene said with a happier look on her face.

Jim and Brian rode a little ahead of the girls.

"I’ve been meaning to ask you something, but the time never seems right," Honey said. "Remember when you said that you could see people’s auras? I was just wondering if you would tell me about my aura? What do you see?"

Sirene was a little startled. It had been a little over two weeks since she confessed to the Bob-Whites about her psychic powers, and except for Dan and Diana, no one else had mentioned it. She had seen the auras around these particular people a lot in the last three weeks, so she didn’t need to look directly at Honey to tell her what she wanted to know.

"You have a golden aura. Your energy band is a short distance from you, so you like space between you and other people, not a huge space, but a little. Since your color is gold, that means you’re an optimist. You always see the good in people and you have a gentle nature. When you come in contact with people that you really care for a lot or love, then it shines a deep gold. It fades to a yellow when you come across people that you don’t like or trust. " Sirene’s eyes were shining very silver as she turned her head and looked directly at Honey. "You have a strong aura. With the exception of one or two people, other people’s auras bend to yours."

"What does that mean?" Honey asked.

Sirene looked away from Honey. Jim and Brian had stopped ahead and were waiting for the girls. They had heard the last part of what Sirene had told Honey. Sirene’s eyes fell on Jim for a moment and she quickly looked away.

"Yes, tell us what you meant by that!" Brian said, skepticism in his voice.

"Honey is the one that asked me to tell her what I saw. So if you don’t want to hear this or it’s beyond your imagination to comprehend something that is not scientifically proven, I would suggest that you just keep riding ahead. I don’t need your attitude," Sirene said in a hard voice. Since Brian and Jim stayed with the girls, Sirene decided to go on.

"Since you asked , I’m going to use you as an example. When you come in contact with Lauren, your aura turns yellow and your energy band actually pushes out, forcing her band to cave in. This tells me two things: one, you don’t like her and two that you have a stronger will than she does. Now when you come in contact with Trixie, your aura turns to a soft gold, a little darker than normal, and your energy band rests side by side with hers. This tells me that you have deep feelings for her, almost like a sister and that you both are equal in the strong will department. But when you come in contact with Jim, your aura stays soft gold, but your energy band curves into you. Which tells me that Jim has a stronger will than yours." Sirene gave a little chuckle. "But don’t worry about that, I haven’t seen very many auras as strong as Jim’s."

"So my energy band gives way if I come upon someone stronger willed than I am, rest next to someone that is equal and pushes their energy band towards them if they have a weaker will. The band changes color for each person, depending on my emotional attachment. Have I got it right?" Honey asked, fascinated with the concept. "Is that everything?"

"Well, there is one more scenario, but I’ve only seen it a few times. Sometimes an aura will blend in with another one. When that happens the colors are usually mixed and very deep, and you can’t tell where one leaves off and one begins. There is a lot of energy around us. Our emotions actually will produce certain types of energy. They’re like strings of energy shooting out from your body towards the person that is the focus of that emotion. But the only time I’ve ever seen that is when very strong and powerful emotions are present. For every day life and most people, they never produce these types of bands or strings."

"So what’s mine like?" Trixie asked.

"Sunshine yellow. Your energy band is very small. Dense but small. This tells me that you have an adventurous spirit and are a very outgoing person. You don’t mind people getting close to you. You’re also stubborn and determined. Mart shares the same type of aura," Sirene answered.

"Did Dan or Diana ask you about theirs?" Honey asked.

"Sure, but if you think about it, I bet you could tell me. I’ve found that most auras fit a certain personality. That’s why it’s so hard to prove because, as I’m sure Brian and Jim are thinking, the descriptions I gave you could have been what I’ve learned since meeting you. If you had asked me when I first met you, before I got a chance to know anything about you, then it would be easier to believe. But since I’ve known you all for about a month now, everything I’ve said could be coming from that."

"Hasn’t anyone done a study on this?" Brian asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

"Sure, I use to spend my summers in a think tank in Colorado. They used to test me all the time. I would meet a stranger and tell them what I saw. They would do their scribbling and send me to another test. As of last summer, they were still experimenting," Sirene answered as they arrived at the Manor House.

"Jeepers! What a way to spend a summer! How often did you do that?" Trixie asked, aghast that someone would spend a summer as a guinea pig.

"Oh, it wasn’t that bad. We did a lot of hiking, riding and rafting. I went every summer from the time I turned eight. When I was still living with my dad, it would be hard because I’d miss him, but after he got killed, it was a great excuse to get away from Mother. Actually, it was the highlight of my year. I also met others that showed psychic talents, so for those two months, I wasn’t the strange one." Sirene dismounted and started to take off Lady’s saddle.

"What is a think tank?" Honey asked a little bit later while they were grooming the horses.

"It’s a place where a bunch of very intelligent people work. They do a lot of experiments and come up with a lot of ideas. They work on a lot of things at once. We were restricted from a lot of the buildings and certain areas. I think there is a lot of secret testing and experimentation going on in these places. I always got the impression that studying people with psychic talents was a break for these people. They only spend two months of the summer on this. The rest of the year was spent on serious work. I think that they report all their findings to some governmental agency."

"I wouldn’t think that they would have enough people to do a good study," Jim remarked.

"They test people before inviting them to the think tank. You’re right. There haven’t been a lot of us. I was the youngest until two years ago. A few more teenagers have been added. Apparently, psychic talents usually show up during puberty. I was the exception. But I think there are a lot more out there. They just don’t want to come forward. I would imagine, because there are so few of us that are willing to be tested or treated as guinea pigs, that’s why they haven’t released any real data on this study. They also have the problem of finding enough people with the same talents. There were two others that saw spirits, but nobody else saw auras."

"Wait a minute. If I remember correctly, the article said that your parents refused to have you tested," Trixie said.

Sirene laughed as she settled down to clean the tack. "My mother refused to have me tested by Dr. Miller. If I were tested too close to home, someone might have found out about me being there. But sending me all the way to Colorado was okay. Besides, I didn’t like that Dr. Miller."

Brian had been listening closely to Sirene. Brian had read about think tanks and knew that only the most brilliant minds and serious scientists work in them. He may have to do some rethinking on this subject.

Jim kept an eye on Trixie while cleaning the tack. He could see her thinking about everything Sirene said. Jim smiled to himself. Maybe there was something in what Sirene was saying. Trixie gave off enough energy to light up a state when she was involved with a mystery or thinking about a clubhouse project.

Since he had also read about people having their own space in a psychology book, he was willing to give Sirene the benefit of the doubt on this matter. But he wasn’t going to budge on the spirit thing.

"Well, I’m going to take my dogs home. I think the horses are getting used to them. They barely noticed that they were around." Sirene put her tack away.

"They’re so big that the horses probably think they’re ponies," Trixie said teasingly.

"Hey, at least I don’t have to worry about anything or anybody bothering me with them around." Sirene called back as she left.

"Well, I thought that was interesting. I’m not sure if I believe all of it, but she sure does," Honey said.

"But even more interesting was what she let slip about her dad," Trixie said as they all walked out of the stables.

"What do you mean?" Jim asked.

"She used the word killed. That was the first time she used the word," Trixie answered.

"Since her dad was a cop, he probably died on the job. I’m sure that it was very hard for her. Maybe that slip of the tongue is a sign that she’s beginning to trust us enough to help her. I wouldn’t push if I were you. I think that by just being her friend and showing her that we’re here for her, we can give her the confidence to tell us what happened," Honey said.

"Honey’s right. It was probably easier for her to tell us about her talents than it is to talk about her dad’s death," Jim added.

"Well, I’ll try to let it go. But I’ll bet if we did some research, we could find out what happened to her dad," Trixie said. "Speaking of research, if I don’t get home and get some homework done, you may be researching my demise."

Trixie and Brian said their good-byes and headed to the farmhouse. They saw Dan as he came up the hill.

"Hey there! Perfect timing! The horses have been exercised, brushed down and put to bed. Sirene told Regan you would be late for dinner, but it’s not that late," Trixie said.

"I got finished with some work earlier than I though I would. As for the horses, I think I’ve done my fair share this week," he answered, stopping for a moment before continuing on to Regan’s.

Dan could smell the pizza as he entered his uncle’s apartment. Mrs. Belden might make the best hamburgers around, and Mr. Maypenny might hold the best Hunter’s Stew after award but no one, nowhere, made better pizza than his uncle!

"Hi, need me to do anything?" Dan asked.

"Yeah, how about putting the salad in the salad bowls and putting them on the table? This is about ready to come out," Regan answered as he closed the oven door and turned it off.

After they had settled down to eat, Regan brought up the subject of Tansy. He told Dan about his encounter with the young woman and asked if Dan had come across her before.

"Yeah, I’ve seen her, but I’ve never gotten close enough to talk to her. If I’m on Spartan, she goes deep enough in the woods that it’s hard to catch up to her. If I’m on foot, she runs away and I’ve been reluctant to chase her. I asked Mr. Maypenny about her." Dan took a bite of his pizza.

"So, what did Maypenny have to say?" Regan asked impatiently.

"Why are you so worked up about this girl?" Dan asked, smiling.

"I’m not worked up," Regan denied. "I’m just curious. Is there some rule that says only Trixie and Honey can be the curious ones around here?"

"Of course not! Mr. Maypenny told me that it probably was Tansy Gifford. Apparently, her family has owned a house on the bluffs for as long as anyone can remember. She lives with her aunt. Mr. Maypenny said that she’s been running wild in the woods since she was a knee high to a grasshopper. I He also told me to leave her alone, that she was strange, but harmless."

"Strange how?"

"Well, for one, there seems to be some kind of confusion about who her mother is. Mr. Maypenny said that her aunt was really her mother, but the family covered it up because of who her father was. He also said that Tansy was ‘fey’ whatever that means."

"When you’ve seen her, did she have a hawk around her?" Regan asked.

"She always has animals around her. I thought Jim had a certain ability with animals, but compared to this girl, his is nothing."

"Well, if you should see her and can talk to her, you better tell her to keep that hawk away from the horses. So are you ready for Homecoming, and have you and Mart been able to keep your secret?"

Dan grinned at his uncle. "They’re not even aware of anything going on. Mart is getting a kick out of pulling something over Trixie. Thanks for covering for us."

"What are uncles for? I admit that I like knowing something, for once, that has escaped our sleuths." Regan chuckled.

Dan got up and helped his uncle clean up. He was happy that he and Regan had finally gotten to the point of being able to really talk and spend time together.

Chapter Four

Same Day
At the Hartmans’ house, approximately forty-five minutes before karate lessons:

There was a knock at the door. When Mr. Hartman opened the door, Dan and Mart were standing on his doorstep. Seeing Dan there wasn’t anything new, for Dan always seemed to be at his door.

"Well, aren’t you a little early for karate?" Mr. Hartman asked, knowing very well that they weren’t there for karate.

"Ah, Mr. Hartman, you know that I’m here to see Sirene. Mart found out that Diana was here, so here we are," Dan said, smiling. He had gotten to know Sirene’s grandfather fairly well. Mr. Hartman was always willing to talk about his days as a police officer or just listen to Dan’s dreams of being one.

"They’re in the basement. I better warn you. Sirene is trying to convert Diana to opera. I believe that she’s already gone through Domingo and Pavarotti. I believe Brightman is on at this moment," Mr. Hartman said.

They had to walk through the kitchen to get to the basement door. Mrs. Hartman was waiting there with a tray of brownies and milk. She handed it to Dan as he passed by.

"Sirene and Diana have already eaten dinner, but I’m sure they’re ready for a snack. I believe that both of you could use a little pick-me-up too," Mrs. Hartman said with a charming smile.

"Mart is always ready for food and I wouldn’t turn down your brownies no matter how full I was," Dan assured her.

"You’re such a sweet boy! Sirene is lucky to have a friend like you," she said.

Mart couldn’t remember seeing his friend blush before, but sure enough, Dan’s cheeks were getting a little red.

"Don’t say anything, Belden!" Dan warned his friend. "Just try to remember all the times I could have said something and kept quiet."

"Me! I wasn’t going to say a word," Mart assured him with a grin.

As they went down the basement stairs, they could hear the clear tones of Sarah Brightman. Mart had never really listened to opera before. He was surprised how powerful and beautiful it was.

"Hey, I hope some of those brownies are for us!" Sirene exclaimed when she saw what Dan was carrying.

"It’s a good thing that Dan’s carrying it. We know how food disappears with Mart around," Diana teased.

"Just for that, I think I’ll withhold some of these nectarous pabulum. I would hate to endanger your petite physique, especially since it’s such a delightful one, if you don’t mind my saying so," Mart said to Diana as he grabbed the brownies from Dan.

"Mart Belden! I’ll endanger your fat toes if you don’t hand them over," Diana said, reaching for the tray. Mart held the tray over his head, grinning at her. Mart had grown a few more inches in the last few months, so now he was taller than she was.

"Okay, you two, enough. You’re going to dump those all over the place. Since I happen to have a high metabolism, I can indulge, which I mean to," Sirene said, laughing.

"Say, how come you all are here so early? I’m sure you didn’t come over here just to steal our brownies," Sirene said after the tray had been safely set down and things had calmed.

"Uncle Bill was driving me nuts asking about Tansy. Remember I told you that he saw her yesterday?. Well, he saw her again today. He wanted to make sure that the person he saw today was really Tansy. So he asked me if I saw her today and what was she wearing," Dan said. "Sheesh! How many red head, scrawny females does he think we have running around in the woods?"

"Tansy’s not scrawny, she’s just tiny," Diana said. "Mart and I saw her the other day when we went up to the bluffs. She has beautiful skin and gorgeous hair."

"Well, I guess it’s a matter of personal taste. I don’t mind short women, but I like them with a little meat on them," Dan answered while putting an arm around Sirene’s waist, giving her a squeeze.

Sirene pulled away from him. "Yeah, we get the idea. Some times you are so primitive!"

"Yeah, but that’s why you like me so much," Dan said as he pulled her back to him and started tickling her.

"Well, if you two are done indulging in your archaic wooing, maybe we can listen to some more of that melodious music that was playing when we came in," Mart suggested. He sat down on the mats and leaned back against the wall.

"Sirene, put Sarah back on. I love this CD," Diana said as she sat down next to Mart. "I didn’t know that you liked opera."

Mart looked at Diana. "I don’t know if I do or not. I never really paid attention to it. But I did like what I was hearing when I came in. I though you were into hillbilly music."

"Well, it was okay, but I guess I outgrew it. I like some country pop, but not all country music. I never paid much attention to opera either. But Sirene loves the stuff. I just recently started listening to it. I have to admit that it calls to you. I would love to see a full opera," Diana answered with a sigh.

The magnificent voice of Sarah Brightman filled the room. Dan and Sirene had stretched out on the mats, just lying next to each other; eyes closed, allowing for the music and the voice to take them away.

Dan had been very surprised the first time he had heard this music. He always thought of himself as being strictly a rock lover. But something about those voices blending with the music and the emotion that was felt in each note touched a place in him that he didn’t even know he had.

Before anyone realized it, time had passed and they heard the basement door open and could hear the rest of the Bob-Whites coming down the stairs.

Sirene reluctantly got up and turned off the music.

Trixie wasn’t sure, but it had sounded like opera music had been playing when they came in. She looked around and saw Diana, Mart and Dan were there. Surely Mart and Dan wouldn’t be listening to opera!

"Since when did Mart and Dan start listening to opera?" Honey whispered to Trixie as they did their warm-ups.

"I don’t know. I thought that’s what I heard, but since I don’t know much about it, I wasn’t sure," Trixie answered. "I guess there’s always something new to learn about people, even people you know real well."

Mr. Hartman joined the group. He started the lesson. He was very pleased with all of his students. They all were serious and worked hard. He could tell that they were finding time in their busy lives to practice what he was teaching. It was going to be interesting to see how well they would do at sparring. Most of them were very competitive. He was going to have to be very careful how he matched them up.

"Once again, an excellent lesson. I’m very proud of all of you. You’re doing extremely well. I can tell that all of you practiced. I’ll see all of you on Thursday," Mr. Hartman said as he dismissed the class.

Sirene, as was her habit, went to the refrigerator and started to get out the water bottles. Dan came up behind her and reached both arms around her, so she was encased in his arms. He leaned into her, whispering, "If only this room wasn’t full of people." He picked up two water bottles and slowly backed away from her.

Sirene stood there for a few minutes, trying to get her composure. She had never felt anything like that before, but now was not the time to think about it. She turned back to the group and carried the rest of the water bottles over.

"Sirene, I’ve decided to look for the cellar," Jim said. Sirene looked at him in surprise.

"What cellar?" Trixie asked.

"Let me start at the beginning. Brian and I came across Sirene while we were out riding today. She was standing in the middle of the ruins at Ten Acres. Apparently my great-uncle James had a message for me and was determined to have it delivered to me. It seems that there is supposed to be a hidden cellar somewhere on the Ten Acres property. He wants me to find it," Jim explained.

"Wow! Why does he want you to find it?" Trixie asked, excited about the prospect of a mystery.

"Why don’t I let Sirene answer that?" Jim answered

"Well, he seemed to want Jim to find some papers and albums. I’m afraid that’s all he would say. He was very agitated about it," Sirene answered quietly.

"Well, it would seem that Uncle James can‘t go on to the spirit world until we find this cellar," Jim added.

"Is that who’s been hanging around Jim?" Honey asked Sirene.

Sirene nodded her head. She knew that everyone had thought that Jim’s parents were the ones around him.

"I thought you didn’t believe in spirits or that Sirene is psychic," Trixie stated to Jim.

Jim shrugged. "I don’t really. But if there’s a chance that Sirene is right, I can’t leave Uncle James haunting the place. I figure that we’ll either find a cellar or not. If we do, then maybe there will be some pictures of my parents in these albums of his. It’s worth a chance."

"And if you all don’t find the cellar, then it will cast doubt on my psychic abilities," Sirene added quietly.

"Well, I suggest that tomorrow we go over to Ten Acres right after school and look around," Trixie said.

"It might help if we could look at the original blueprints, but I’m not sure how we could get them," Honey added.

"That’s not a problem. There were sets of blueprints among the papers that Mr. Rainsford gave me. I think Dad has them. We’ll just ask him for them," Jim said.

"That is a good idea! We may find something tomorrow, but if we don’t, maybe the blueprints might give us a clue," Trixie said.

"Well, you’re going to have to excuse Mart and me, because we have some things we need to do after school tomorrow," Dan said.

"I think that the intrepid sleuths of the Belden-Wheeler Detective Agency, along with their fervid inamoratos, can handle this mystery. If they need our intellectual input, of course, then we will have no choice but to assist them in this endeavor," Mart added.

Trixie looked at Diana. "I thought you cured him of dictionaryitis! Sounds like he’s regressing to me."

Diana giggled. "Well, I do try, but it’s hard to keep a Belden in line."

"Trixie, we can’t make it right after school either. We have to go to the dress shop," Honey reminded Trixie.

"Oh heck! You’re right. I forgot all about that," Trixie said, exasperated.

"Don’t worry about it. It shouldn’t take too long. It took Diana and me only about thirty minutes. I can’t imagine that it would take you all any longer," Sirene said encouragingly.

"Why don’t Sirene and Diana go ahead of us and get started? Maybe Jim’s great-uncle will be more cooperative and give Sirene some clues,’ Honey suggested.

"I don’t think that is such a good idea. I think we all should wait and do this together. After all, we do have chores that have to be done before we do any sleuthing," Brian said. He was worried about Sirene. In his mind, he could still see Sirene as she was this afternoon.

"I agree with Brian. Besides, if I understand Sirene right, she can’t talk to him anyway without me being there," Jim said.

"Okay, let’s see, we get out of school at two-thirty. Let us say it takes us a half an hour at the dress shop, plus time to do chores. How about four o’clock?" Trixie recommended.

Honey, Diana and Jim agreed to that time. "What’s wrong? Can’t you make it at that time?" Trixie asked Sirene when she didn’t say anything.

"Can I bring Merlin and Sam?" Sirene asked. That wasn’t really the reason she hadn’t said anything before, but she felt kind of dumb not realizing they were including her. She didn’t want to hear Dan and Diana lecturing her

again about her lack of confidence.

"Why not? Chances are Reddy and Patch will be around somewhere," Trixie said.

"Then I’ll be there. I don’t know if I can be of any help, but I’m willing," Sirene said with a smile.

"Don’t let her fool you. She’s just dying to see if there really is a cellar," Dan commented.

As the Bob-Whites got up and gathered their things to go, Jim said, "Well, if there is a cellar, you can bet Trixie and Honey will find it."

"Oh my! Be still my beating heart! He actually included me for once in his praises about sleuthing instead of just praising Trixie," Honey teased.

Honey glanced over at Trixie and wasn’t surprised to see her blushing.

Jim gave Honey a gentle push. "Keep it up and you’ll never hear a compliment from me again."

"Okay, gang, we need to be getting home. Diana still has two sets of twins to put to bed, and I know that a certain blonde headed seven-year old is waiting for his sister to read to him," Brian said.

Brian was the last one to go out the door. He stopped beside Sirene. "Are you okay?"

"Sure. I know I freaked you out this afternoon, but I’m fine now," Sirene answered.

"Just checking. Make sure you get plenty of rest tonight," Brian suggested.

Sirene smiled. "You just can’t help yourself, can you? Honey’s right. You will make a perfect doctor."

"Hey, I thought you were the one in a hurry! Come on! It’s cold out here!" Mart shouted from the car.

Brian was intrigued about the idea that Honey had been talking about him to Sirene. He wondered what else she had said about him.

Oh, well. I’ll probably never find out. Somehow I don’t think Sirene is going to volunteer any information, he thought as he headed out to the car.

Regan looked out over the bluffs. He was sure that she was there, just on the edge of the woods that were behind him. He had seen her that morning when he was out working with the horses. She was, once again, watching him from the woods. He purposely rode Lady to the bluffs that afternoon, hoping that she would be around. He knew that Lady was calm enough that, unless the hawk directly attacked her, she wouldn’t pay much attention to it.

The hawk appeared a few minutes after he had dismounted. Now they were playing a waiting game. Regan knew that he wasn’t very good at waiting. There were only two things that he had patience for: horses and children. But he had a feeling that if he wanted to find out about Tansy, he would have to be patient. After talking to Dan the night before, he was fairly sure that the girl was Tansy.

Regan slowly turned away from the bluffs and walked towards the woods with Lady following him. Tansy moved out of the woods right before he got there. For a few minutes, they both just stared at each other. Tansy was wearing jeans, sneakers and a green sweatshirt.

Tansy raised her arm and the hawk landed on it.

"That’s a beautiful creature. I don’t know anyone that has a hawk for a pet," Regan said quietly.

"He’s not a pet," Tansy stated.

"Well, he’s beautiful no matter what he is. I’m Bill Regan, but everyone calls me Regan," Regan said as he held out his hand for a handshake.

"I’m Tansy," was all the young woman said, refusing to shake hands, and took a step backward.

"So do you like horses?" Regan asked, dropping his hand.

Tansy shrugged her shoulders. "They’re all right, I guess."

"I see. So why have you been watching me?" Regan asked, deciding to get right to the point.

Tansy looked up at him, for she barely came to his chest. " Because you have red hair."

"Do you watch all red headed men?" he asked.

"Just the ones that live at the Manor House," was the response.

"Not very informative, are you?" he asked rhetorically.

Tansy shrugged her shoulders again. "I did notice that you seem to understand animals; so does that red headed boy that lives there."

"His name is Jim and yes, he’s good with animals. So is his father, Matt Wheeler," Regan answered, wondering why this seemed important to this young woman.

Tansy shook her head. "If you’re talking about that big man that rides that big black horse, then you’re wrong."

"How am I wrong?" Regan asked gently, because he was not sure that she would stay to answer the question if he showed any anger or hostility. He realized that she was tense and was ready to move fast if she needed to.

"That man is good with animals, but he doesn’t understand them. There’s a difference. Which means that he isn’t the one."

Just then, the hawk took to flight, letting out a cry. Tansy took off into the woods at a run without looking back at Regan.

"Wait, don’t go!" Regan called out. But she had disappeared into the woods.

Regan mounted Lady wondering why she took off and what she meant by Matt Wheeler not being the one? The one what? Did she think that Jim or he was the one she was looking for?

A few minutes later, Regan came upon Mr. Maypenny. He was checking a feeding station.

"Sorry about that. That darn bird gave me away," he apologized to Regan as Regan approached him.

"So, you’re the one that spooked her. I would have thought that she would be used to you being in the woods," Regan said.

"Tansy runs from anyone that comes within ten feet of her. I was amazed that you got as close as you did. It actually looked like you two were talking. Don’t know of anyone but the aunt who has talked to that girl for years," Mr. Maypenny said.

"Yeah, we were talking, but I came away with more questions than answers," Regan admitted.

"The Giffords have always been a might strange. Guess it comes from having so much Indian and Irish blood in them. Tansy’s grandfather was a full-blooded Oneida Indian. I guess that’s why he didn’t mind taking his wife’s name," Mr. Maypenny said.

"What do you mean?" Regan asked very curious.

"The property and house have been handed down through the female line since about 1860. It was Philip Gifford that started having the females inherit. He had no sons and was determined to have the family name passed on. If you want to marry a Gifford female, then you have to be willing to take the Gifford name. I guess it hasn’t been a problem, because there have been Giffords on that property for almost four hundred years. First Gifford came over in the 1600’s, married into the Indian tribe that had this land at the time. When white people came and took the land from the Indians, Stratford Gifford bought up the land. Over the years, they sold off land until it’s just the small piece they own now. Don’t know how many times they built a house on that land. The one that they live in now is only about eighty years old," Mr. Maypenny explained.

"So if they were one of the first settlers here, why aren’t they respected? I would think that anyone with such a long history in a small town like this would be well known and respected," Regan said.

"The Giffords have always kept to themselves. I knew Tansy’s grandmother. That was one remarkable woman. She raised two daughters on her own. She would always seem to know if someone was ill. She would show up on their doorstep with herbal medicines. Her herbal medicines always worked. If she couldn’t help you, she would tell you so. Never took a penny for her help,’ Mr. Maypenny said. " Unfortunately, because they seemed to know things in advance or had been known to have a special way with animals, they have been labeled witches."

"Well, thanks for the information. I have to get back," Regan said, putting Lady into motion. Mr. Maypenny had given him some background on Tansy’s family, but it didn’t answer his questions about Tansy.

After Regan had taken care of Lady, he met up with Tom. They were going to make some repairs on a few window shutters that were loose. Regan had been thinking about Tansy and the information Mr. Maypenny had passed on. He decided to find out about the gossip dealing with Tansy, maybe he could find some more clues. Regan had to smile to himself as he realized that he was beginning to think like Trixie and Honey.

"I saw Tansy today. It seems that she’s been watching Matt, Jim and me," Regan said, trying to sound casual.

"You mean she actually spoke to you?" Tom said, surprised. "Why in the world would she be watching all of you?"

"I don’t know. I was going to ask her, but she ran off. Apparently she knew that Mr. Maypenny was close by and that scared her off," Regan answered. "To be honest, I thought that maybe the answer is somewhere in the gossip that you’ve heard."

Tom thought while he carefully tightened the screws on the shutter. "Well, I believe that I heard that there seems to be some confusion about who Tansy’s parents are. Some say that her aunt is really her mother and as for her father, well, that seems to be a mystery. Roiya and Impatia were twins. They never came to town much. Then one day about seventeen or eighteen years ago, they brought a baby girl into Dr. Ferris’s office. The baby was having trouble breathing. Gossip had it that Impatia claimed to be the mother of the child. Dr. Ferris treated the baby girl, whose name was Tansy. Then about three years after that, Impatia disappeared. Some say she ran off; others are saying that Roiya and Impatia had a fight and Roiya killed her and just buried her. So Tansy has lived with her aunt Roiya since she was three years old. That’s all the gossip I know. How much is true, only Roiya and maybe Tansy, knows."

"Could Tansy be looking for her father?" Regan asked. "That would be explain why she’s so interested in red headed men."

"I thought Trixie came up with some wild ideas! Why would she look at you or Jim? You both are obviously too young. I might also point out that none of the red heads that live here were around Sleepyside when she was conceived."

"She doesn’t know that. She may think that Jim and I am from this area, so therefore, our fathers would be from here. Jim’s father has been in and out of Sleepyside most of his life. Don’t forget that he used to visit his Uncle James."

"Do you know what you’re saying? Let’s just say that Tansy father is Jim’s father. Can you imagine the effect that would have on Jim?" Tom asked.

"Yeah! It would be devastating to him," Regan said as he picked up the tools they had been using to make the repairs.

"Do you think we should mention this to Jim?" Tom asked worriedly.

"Tell him what? All this is just speculation based on gossip. Let’s face it. Tansy may be a mental case that just likes watching red headed men. Maybe she thinks that she’s going to marry a red head and decided to look us over. The only fact we have is that we don’t know why she’s been watching us. I can’t see getting Jim upset based on what little we know," Regan answered.

"You’re right," Tom said. "If you’re really want some answers, maybe you should tell Trixie and Honey about Tansy. They wouldn’t be able to resist solving that mystery."

Regan chuckled. "So true, but think of the fun I would have solving a mystery all by myself, knowing that they don’t know a thing about it."

"Don’t you wish. My bet is somewhere along the line, they’ll be involved," Tom told Regan. "Especially if Jim ends up being the one whom she is watching."

 

 

Chapter Six

Same Day- Late Afternoon

Sirene and Diana were at the ruins of Ten Acres waiting on the rest of the group. They had arrived about fifteen minutes before the arranged meeting time. Sirene’s dogs, Merlin and Sam, were lying in the shade watching them. Diana had been studying the foundation, while Sirene was looking very closely at the fireplace.

"I cannot see any way that a cellar door could be hiding here," Diana remarked.

Sirene sighed. "I don’t see anything special about this fireplace either. You told me that Trixie, Jim and Honey were looking for hidden money before this place burnt down. I would think that if there was a cellar that they would have noticed the door."

Diana shrugged. "I didn’t think we would find anything here. Maybe the cellar door is one of those outside ones? Like the one in the Wizard of Oz? Remember they had to go outside and away from the house to get into the cellar?"

"Since I know nothing about cellars, I’m willing to go along with whatever idea you come up with," Sirene said.

Diana stomped her feet and rubbed her hands. "It sure is chilly out here. It’s usually doesn’t get this chilly until around Thanksgiving, and that’s still about three weeks away. I wish we could make a fire."

"What’s stopping us? This is a fireplace. Surely we can build a fire in it."

"Do you know how to build a fire?" Diana asked.

"No, but you should know how to. After all, you’ve lived up here all your life. Don’t tell me that you’ve never built a fire before!" Sirene said.

Diana sighed. "I never had to. At my house, someone always built it, and there always is a fire going when I arrive at the lake during the winter. I don’t think Honey knows how to either. The boys have always done it."

"Well, I think that is something we should learn," Sirene said.

"What is it that you need to learn?" Jim asked, as he, Trixie, Honey and Brian approached them.

"Diana and I were just discussing that we women should know how to build a fire," Sirene answered.

"I think Dan would be more than willing to show you how to build a fire," Brian said.

Sirene and Diana looked at each other and started to giggle. Trixie nudged Honey, and both of them started to laugh. Jim smothered a smile. Brian looked around, puzzled about what everyone found so funny.

"Well, let’s get this investigation started. Why don’t we walk around here and look for anything that might lead to an opening?" Trixie suggested.

"Well, Sirene and I looked around, but we couldn’t find anything. I was thinking that maybe the cellar opening is away from the house," Diana said.

"I think Diana may have something. There’s not much to see here. Just a concrete slab and a fireplace," Honey said.

Trixie walked over to the fireplace. She walked around it, then she got down on her knees and started feeling the inside of the fireplace. Everyone watched her. After a short time, she backed out of the fireplace and stood up, dusting herself off.

"Nothing! I didn’t really expect to find anything, because that would be too easy. But I wanted to be sure," she explained.

"So I guess the blueprints won’t be any help," Jim remarked.

"I don’t see how," Trixie said.

"I think we should still look at them," Brian said, noticing Honey’s disappointed look. He just remembered that it had been her idea to look at them. "I know for a fact that Crabapple Farm’s original blueprints included the garage and the barn as well as where the garden would be. It even had the entire orchard on it."

"It’s a thought. A lot of times when plans are made up for a house, if it’s going to have other buildings and grounds, then those are included. Maybe Ten Acres had such plans made up," Jim said thoughtfully

"Well, since we don’t have those, we should do what Diana suggested," Trixie said. "We’ll split up and search the grounds for signs of a cellar. I would imagine that it wouldn’t be too far from the house."

"Trixie’s right! We should split up in three teams. Trixie and I will take the back north side, Brian and Honey can take the west side, and Sirene and Diana can cover the south side," Jim suggested

"Who’s going to take the east side?" Sirene asked.

"Since that’s the side that the summerhouse is on, I doubt if it’s there, but we all can look there after we cover the rest of the area," Jim answered.

"It sure would be easier if your great-uncle would just tell us where the stupid thing is," grumbled Sirene.

Diana giggled. "I bet he just wants to see if Trixie can find it."

Diana and Sirene picked up some large branches and started searching. They used the branches to clear the leaves, thinking that if there was a hidden door or something strange in the ground, the branch should hit it.

"Boy am I glad that I didn’t get the hots for Jim, Brian or Mart," Sirene said.

"Oh, why is that?" Diana asked, keeping her eyes on the ground, searching.

"Because I don’t think I would handle unrequited love very well," Sirene answered.

‘I must admit I was a little worried when I first met you. You’re so gorgeous that I thought for sure Mart would fall," Diana admitted. "I think Honey and Trixie were a tad worried too."

"Oh, please! Those guys wouldn’t notice if Marilyn Monroe walked by them. They are totally focused on you girls. Besides, Diana Lynch, as beautiful as you are, I somehow doubt that you worry too much about any competition."

"Well, I know that people think I’m pretty. But you have something extra. Guys always notice you when you walk in a room and most the time gawk. Did you ever have to even work at getting anyone you were interested in?" Diana asked.

Sirene smiled. "The only something extra I have is the fact that I’ve developed physically faster than you, plus I have more than enough to spare. To be honest, the only guy that has been a challenge so far is Dan. I know he’s interested, but I have a feeling that he won’t allow me to get away with too much. Plus I don’t see Dan allowing me to be in charge of the relationship like the others."

"Why does someone have to be in charge? Wouldn’t the relationship work better if you’re equal partners?" Diana asked.

"Every relationship is different, because people are different. Take Jim and Trixie, for instance. Trixie wouldn’t mean to, but she would walk over anyone that wasn’t more determined than she is, plus she would have to really respect his opinion. Honey and Brian are a good match, because Honey has a lot of patience and is strong enough to be a partner to someone like Brian. Actually, Brian needs Honey more than Honey needs Brian."

"I don’t know. I see Brian as not really needing anyone," Diana said.

"That’s why he needs her. Brian has this very powerful aura, and it has a deep blue that is surrounded by black. Nothing touches it or makes a dent in it, except for Honey. When she’s around him, then his aura changes completely. The black disappears and the blue merges with her gold, and their auras become one. I’ve only seen that one other time. So I’m thinking that the black aura is what keeps Brian isolated emotionally. Without Honey, he could become a very logical person with little imagination, and his feelings could become detached," Sirene explained.

"But everyone has feelings!" Diana said.

"Don’t you believe it! I’ve seen people that have so detached themselves emotionally that they have no concept of any emotion. Anyone that has studied serial killers and other violent crimes will tell you that a lot of them are totally devoid of emotion. They commit these crimes to obtain some sort of feeling whether it be rage, hate, love, or excitement. I once saw a serial killer. His aura was totally black, absolutely no light whatsoever. Now that was a scary person."

"What about Mart and me?" Diana asked.

"Your aura blends in with his, but only on the edge. So I see two different auras, but with a band of green. Which makes sense, because as you know, your aura is blue, and his is yellow," Sirene said.

"Which means what?" Diana asked, stopping under a big tree.

Sirene stopped next to her. "Your aura means that you’re artistic and that you always want to be in harmony with people. You want the people around you to like each other. Which means you have a very difficult time asserting yourself. You will if it’s very important to you, but normally you’ll allow people to have their way. Because Mart’s aura is yellow, it works with yours. Now the blending of your colors tells me that you two are very close emotionally. The way they blend tells me that you are equal partners."

"Well, I guess seeing auras helps you to keep away from guys that are involved with someone else," Diana said.

Sirene laughed. "Yeah, it helps. I don’t put my foot in my mouth often, but sometimes I see how the relationship is supposed to be before the couple realizes it, so I have to make sure the couple is aware that they’re a couple."

"Gee! You wouldn’t happen to be thinking of Trixie and Jim, by any chance? One doesn’t have to be psychic to know how that’s going." Diana giggled.

"Well, I don’t see anything even remotely resembling anything that could lead to a cellar. Do you?"

Diana sighed. "No. I guess we should head back. Maybe one of the others found it."

 

Meanwhile, on the west side Honey and Brian were searching…

"Thank you," Honey said, as she and Brian walked around looking for any signs of an entranceway to a cellar.

"For what?" Brian asked.

"For supporting my idea about the blueprints. I know that you and Jim think we’re on a wild goose chase, but I feel that we’re on to something. I’ve noticed something else that is a little strange. I’ve lived here for over a year now. I can’t even guess how often I’ve gone through these woods, yet I’ve never seen this Tansy. Neither had Regan or Jim. Now she’s appearing, and at the same time, we find out about a mysterious cellar that belonged to Jim’s great-uncle. I think they’re connected somehow," Honey said.

"Well, I have to admit that it does seem strange that Tansy has been hanging around. Why, after all these years of avoiding us, has she suddenly taken an interest? Did Regan tell you that he saw her again yesterday? I don’t want to discourage you, but I don’t see how Tansy and this alleged cellar are connected."

"No, he didn’t, but Dan was telling Trixie and me about it. I know right now there isn’t any logical reason to believe that there is a connection. But one thing I have learned is that when dealing with a mystery, there is no such thing as coincidence. I bet if you asked Trixie, she would say the same thing," Honey said.

"I’ve learned that once you two are on a scent, the best thing for me to do is to just give in and try to help the best way I can. But do me a favor. Don’t you two take off to do some sleuthing without telling me or Jim where you’re going and keep us informed on which direction the mystery is going. That way, if you two get into some trouble, it’ll make it easier for us to find you. Believe me, there has been a few times that it was pure luck that we were able to find you," Brian pleaded.

"I’ll make a deal. If you and Jim will be a little more adventurous, we’ll keep you two in the loop," Honey said, smiling.

"Deal! Now, how are you going to get Trixie to agree with this deal?" Brian wondered.

"We don’t mean to leave you two out; things just happen. Most of the time, we’re just talking about it, and then one of us comes up with an idea, and before you know it, we’re off, checking to see if we’re on the right track. But I think we’ve both learned that it would be better to take the few minutes and let someone else know what we’re up to. I also think Trixie feels better when Jim knows what’s going on," Honey explained.

"I know I’ll feel better if Jim and I are kept in the loop," Brian assured her.

They were silent as they continued to look for signs of the cellar, but it was a comfortable silence. After a while, Honey stopped.

"I don’t see any sign of any kind of cellar or any other type of structure," Honey said, discouraged.

"I think we should go back and see if the others had any luck," Brian suggested. He took Honey’s hand and started walking back towards the ruins. Brian really did think that they were on a wild goose chase, but if it was going to give him time with Honey, he was willing to chase that goose to wherever it led them.

 

Meanwhile, on the north side, Trixie and Jim were searching…

Jim and Trixie walked through the grounds of Ten Acres slowly, looking for anything that might indicate that there was a cellar buried somewhere. Trixie kept stopping and looking around. After a short time, she realized that Jim was doing the same thing.

"Do you feel like we’re being watched?" Trixie asked.

"Yeah! At first, I thought I was just imagining it, but I definitely feel like a pair of eyes are watching me," Jim admitted.

"I feel it too. But I don’t see anything. I would think that Sirene’s dogs would be barking if there were a stranger about," Trixie said.

"I don’t know about that. I’ve noticed that those dogs only pay attention to something that might be a threat to Sirene. Whoever is out there is a very good woodsman. I haven’t heard anything strange. It’s just a feeling."

"Well, it’s a feeling that I’m sharing. Maybe it’s Tansy. I know that she’s been watching Regan lately. Maybe she saw us here and decided to see what we’re up to," Trixie suggested.

"Why would she be curious? She never seemed to bother with us before. I find it hard to believe that as much time as she spends in the woods that she never noticed us before," Jim pointed out.

"It is strange that after all these years of having nothing to do with us, she seems to be around a lot. It also seems like a strange coincidence that as soon as she starts showing herself, your great-uncle decides that you have to find this cellar," Trixie said.

"Are you trying to say that the two things are connected?" Jim asked.

"I’ve learned from our experience that there is no such thing as coincidence while solving a mystery. If you think back, there had been a few times that you would think that something was a coincidence, just because you couldn’t see a connection, and it ended up being important," Trixie reminded him.

"I admit, that some of your farfetched ideas have been on target. But I can also name just as many times that you were off and had to backtrack. I’m only saying let’s see if there even is a cellar before we connect any dots. Besides, we don’t know if my great-uncle is just now trying to contact me. He may have been trying since he died. If Sirene hadn’t moved to Sleepyside, then we would have never known he was trying to contact us. That is, if you believe she really can contact spirits."

"Well, Jim Frayne, you can say what you want, but I know you well enough to know that if some part of you didn’t believe, then we wouldn’t be here looking for a cellar," Trixie commented. "What amazed me was that you were able to talk Brian into helping. We are talking about a guy who told me when I was five years old that there was no such thing as the Easter bunny, and that there was no such thing as fairy dust. At least he didn’t spoil Christmas for me. Moms probably threatened him with his life if he tried to me that there was no such thing as Santa Claus."

"I’ve notice that Brian does have a problem with accepting things not explained by science," Jim said with a grin. "But on the other hand, he believes in God and my sister’s feelings. He has even admitted to me that you seem to have a sixth sense when it comes to mysteries. So maybe there’s hope for him yet."

"Well, my sixth sense isn’t helping today. I see no clues to show us were the cellar might be," Trixie said.

"I don’t think it would be this far from the house. Diana’s idea was a good one, but it looks like it didn’t pan out, unless someone else had better luck than we did. Let’s head back," Jim suggested.

He still felt like someone was watching them as he and Trixie started back towards the ruins.

"So did you pick up your dress today?" Jim asked.

"Yes, so I’m all set for Saturday. Lauren came in while we were trying on the dresses. I don’t know what is wrong with that girl. She’s been keeping away from us since she and Sirene tangled. But today, she just had to make a snide comment," Trixie said. "Sometimes I wish I could be more like Honey. She just thanked her for her opinion, while I wanted to scratch her eyes out."

"You and Honey are more alike than you think. My guess is that the remark was made towards Honey, because you don’t pay attention to insults directed towards you, but you get very angry when someone insults someone you care about. Of course unless it’s Mart that is insulting you. Mart is the only person I know that can get you to lose your temper so quickly," Jim said, chuckling.

Trixie sighed. "I know. You would think that I would learn."

"Well, that’s just one of the reasons we all love you. You wouldn’t be Trixie if you never lost your temper or did impulsive things. You’re full of life, and that’s what makes you special," Jim said.

Trixie could feel her cheeks turning red, but she reminded herself that if she wanted to have Jim take her seriously, then she needed to act more maturely. So she turned her head, red cheeks and all, to look at Jim.

"Thank you. That was a very nice thing to say, and I’m glad that you feel that way."

Jim just smiled at her, proud that she was willing to overcome how uncomfortable compliments made her.

When they approached the ruins, they noticed that the others were already there.

"By the look on your faces, I would guess that none of you found anything," Trixie said.

"Well, since you didn’t whistle, my guess is that you two didn’t find it either," Honey said.

"No, we didn’t find anything. I just don’t know where to go from here," Trixie admitted.

"I think that we should still get the plans. Something might show up on them," Brian said, reinforcing Honey’s earlier idea of looking at the blueprints.

"I talked to Dad last night. He said that he would bring them to me tomorrow. Why don’t we meet in the evening right after dinner?" Jim suggested. "That way Mart and Dan should be free."

"What about karate?" Brian reminded Jim.

"I forgot about that," Jim admitted.

"Why don’t you just bring the plans with you, and we all can look at them after karate?" Diana suggested.

"Now that sounds like a real plan," Trixie said.

Just then Sirene’s dogs, Merlin and Sam started to growl. "Merlin! Sam! Heel!" Sirene commanded. The two big dogs moved towards Sirene and sat down next to her. They sat alertly, eyes focus on the area that Jim and Trixie had explored. Their low growls were deep and threatening.

The Bob-Whites looked toward the area the dogs were staring. They could see nothing. They took a few steps towards the overgrown bushes. Suddenly, the dogs stopped growling.

"Well, whatever was there is gone now," Sirene said. "Merlin and Sam would still be on alert if anything was out there."

Jim and Trixie told the others that they had had a feeling that they were being watched.

"Well, I’ll tell you this; it had to be a person. Merlin and Sam only act this way if they sense a stranger. They don’t pay attention to anything smaller than they are. The only animal I’ve ever seen them growl at was a panther," Sirene said while she was petting her pets.

"You’re supposed to be the psychic. How come you didn’t know someone was out there?" Jim asked.

"Because I’m not that kind of psychic. Now if it had been a spirit, then I would have sensed it," Sirene said, not offended by Jim’s question. "Actually, Frayne, you should have sensed it before any of us."

"Well, it doesn’t matter now. We all need to get home. Jim, why don’t you walk Sirene home and I’ll take Honey, Trixie and Diana home? I don’t think the girls should walk alone, especially since we don’t know who was out there," Brian suggested.

Sirene smiled. "I don’t think I have to worry, as long as I have Merlin and Sam with me."

"One more thing before we leave, Sirene. Is Jim’s great –uncle James still here?" Trixie wanted to know.

"Of course he is. He can’t leave. He can move to another place nearby, but he can’t leave Ten Acres for more than a few minutes. Unfortunately, he isn’t paying attention to us, just doing the murmuring act."

"Just checking," Trixie said.

Sirene insisted that she would be all right as long as she had her dogs with her.

As the Bob-Whites watched her walking away, Trixie said, "I wonder what she meant when she said that Jim should have sensed someone watching us before anyone else did."

"Who knows? I’ve noticed that she often says things with no explanation," Brian answered.

The Bob-Whites headed home, each thinking about how to find the cellar and who it was who had been watching them.

Continue

Disclaimers and Comments:

Once again I do not know of any studies being done one the paranormal.

As for think tanks, I have no idea what they do or who they report or even if they exist. It’s just an expression that I’ve picked up in reading other books.

Once again, these views on the paranormal are just my own and are meant to be entertaining.

Regan cleaning out the stables and checking the fencing has nothing to do with the mystery. I just wanted to add it in because there are too many people out there wondering what does he do all day. I myself often wonder that but after talking to people who own just one horse I realized that there was a lot of work owning horses. The more I found out about the caring of horses, especially ones that are used in shows and racing, the more I realize how important it is to have someone who not only loves them but have a talent with them.

Being from Florida, I know little to nothing about  cellars. I know that some of my family in Rochester, NY and in Maine all have cellars, so I’m assuming that there could have been a cellar at Ten Acres. It was pointed out to me that Jim never mentioned a cellar but Jim may not have known about it. There are a lot of things that Jim doesn’t know concerning the Fraynes. So the possibility of a hidden cellar is for the purpose of this story.

Also, the time frame of this story is set in the fifties with some of our modern convenience. So yes the girls get to wear jeans but not at school. Isn’t it fun to take literary licenses and get to mish-mash time lines. (*g*)

Chapter 5 comments:

It was brought to my attention that Ten Acres did have a cellar, since I had already stated early that no one knew of a cellar I can’t correct it. ( I tried) so for the purpose of this story there was no cellar. I will try to double check my information next time. I have a couple people willing to let my use them as a sounding board so hopefully I won’t have to keep writing these kind of comments and having to admit to dumb-dumb mistakes!

I want to thank everyone who has read this and is willing to get past the mistakes.

Okay I did a little research (very little) on what Indians where there in the 1600’s. I picked the Oneida Tribe because they seemed to be everywhere in eastern New York. I also figured that no one can really know which white man went where back then. It wasn’t like any one was keeping track. So for this purpose of the story I’ve mish-mash the time line again. (I love doing that).