Chapter 15: Superstition, Black Cats & Voodoo Dolls
The trio returned to the Federal Building, repeated the security procedures, and trooped up to the third floor. Welte was waiting for them there. I still think it’s weird that I’ve never met him, but he knew my name, Trixie thought.
He led them back to his office and shut the door this time. "This is what we found," he began without preamble. "As far as the cup, there were no prints, no smudges, so the shooter probably wiped them off, because there were no prints – not even a counterman’s. We might think about gloves, but if your theory is that he got this in a public place, gloves in this heat would be a little strange. And people would notice, so like I said, he probably wiped the cup off, though it would be careless to just leave it at the scene. So it’s pretty helpless to your case, except that it puts the perp in a locale around the same time as the vic."
Welte continued, "I have better news about the letter from your ‘Mad Lurker.’" Welte smiled, he really liked that nickname! Welte shook out an envelope on his desk. The pieces of newsprint fluttered out. "There were prints on the envelope, but they’ll probably check out to you, Belden, or to a Postal worker. The curious thing is, these letters were all cut from a paper I’m betting you’re familiar with – the Sleepyside Sun. Once we separated them from the notebook paper, we turned them over, and were able to piece them together a bit. Sort of like a puzzle."
Welte began putting the pieces together on his desk. "As you can see, there’s enough here from the articles on the backsides to gather a little more information." Trixie, Mart, and Honey peered at the backsides closely.
"Hey, here’s a bit of a scorebox from Sleepyside little league games," exclaimed Mart, who recognized the names of local ball teams written in tiny print. "Crimper’s Swingers" vs. "Wimpy’s Shakers" along with a box score.
"So all we have to find out is when Crimper’s played Wimpy’s," Honey exclaimed. "That will give us an idea of when the person was in Sleepyside."
"There’s more, though," said Welte. "Most of the back sides include little league scores, like maybe this person only reads the sports section, or saves the sports section?"
"Conversely," interjected Mart, "it could mean that the person doesn’t care about the sports section and cuts that one up."
"Interesting point, Belden, as usual," agreed Welte.
Trixie and Honey looked at each other. Honey read the question in Trixie’s eyes, How does Welte know anything about Mart?
"All I feel that’s concrete at this point is that it’s someone with access to the Sleepyside Sun," Trixie said.
Before Trixie could delve further into how Mart knew Welte, Mart said, "Gosh, ladies, it’s getting on to one o’clock. Can we take these, Agent Welte? We’d like to keep all our evidence for now."
"Sure, sure," agreed Welte. Something wasn’t quite right about this trio, he figured as he returned the bits to the manila envelope and handed everything to Honey. As he escorted them out, he stopped to introduce Honey to several agents who had heard of her legendary exploits.
"Next time, I want to hear all about how you disarmed two Libyan terrorists while your wrist was broken," Welte told her as they shook hands for the final time.
"Next time," Honey smiled. He was nice, he was handsome, he looks like Brian Belden, added the little voice. Honey was beginning to dislike her too-honest inner voice!
They found their limo driver in the nearby coffee shop and headed toward the Hard Rock Café for lunch. Jim was waiting for them at a table. His face was grim as they sat down. Honey lifted a brow in question. In reply, Jim handed her an envelope.
"My secretary said this came for me Monday. She almost turned it over to our security people, but she wanted me to see it first," Jim said. "Luckily, she keeps envelopes, too. This one was mailed from Sleepyside."
Honey unfolded the paper.
DO YOU LOVE YOUR SISTER? I BET SHE’S NEXT GIVE HER A KISS GOODBYE XOXO
Honey felt a chill run through her. What did this mean?
Trixie looked over to read the paper in Honey’s hands. "What kind of sicko is this?" she asked in disgust. "First, my brother, then my lover, who allegedly would’ve been Molinson. Now what does this mean?"
"Have we checked to see whether anyone except Trent thought that you and Molinson were more than friends, Trixie?" inquired Mart. "I’m around Sleepyside more than you guys, but I’ve never heard that rumor about you two. Then again, this guy must think something weird about Honey and Jim, too. Or is he just trying to cause a rift – get us divided? Make us hate each other?"
Mart had a point, Trixie acknowledged silently. Maybe this Mad Lurker was just trying to divide and conquer, using suspicion and innuendo.
"Dan may know about any rumors. He seems to be in touch with some things. I doubt that Hallie would’ve heard it," Jim said.
"Maybe Hallie has heard it, but she’d never tell Trixie that," Honey objected. "I mean, Hallie’s at the PD and so if the rumor originated there or even if it was years-old, people still talk and she might have heard something at least once in six years. Or Jeannie might know. You need to talk to her, Trixie, the sooner the better."
Trixie nodded her head in agreement. She did need to talk to Jeannie ASAP.
The waitress came to the table, and Mart made the BWGs all choose something different from the menu. "In the interest of helping me with MY job," he said smoothly. When the food came, he also sampled off everyone’s plate, "so I won’t be lying if I say something’s good or bad," he explained. Trixie just thought he was still a pig when it came to food.
After lunch, Mart decided he’d take a cab back to his place and then meet Diana at her studio. Jim, Trixie, and Honey headed back toward Sleepyside. Trixie and Honey told Jim all they’d found so far about Trixie’s letter coming from the Sun.
"I agree that it looks like an inside job, I mean, someone from Sleepyside," Jim admitted. "But why would he leave a Wimpy’s cup at the scene? That’s practically a calling card, like he wants us to know he was there."
Mart let himself into his apartment. Like Trixie, he was hardly ever at his "place." He started going through his accumulated mail. Since he hardly spent any time in his apartment, it was practically barren so he was holding everything in his hand. He sorted it out the oldest stuff first, but when he found a familiar white envelope, his stomach lurched. He opened the envelope slowly, dreading what it may say.
PRETTY IS, PRETTY DOES, DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR PRETTY IS? THIS BIRD KNOWS
Mart sighed. It doesn’t make sense, does it? He checked the postmark, it was from Saturday through Sleepyside, and it was near the most recent of his mail. "Pretty, my pretty, ohmigod! My pretty Diana Lynch!" Mart shouted. In high school, when he and Di had been dating, he called her "his pretty" or "pretty flower" all the time, until he started getting teased by the guys in the locker room after gym class.
Mart rushed to his phone and dialed Di’s dressing room at the studio. A few clicks, and then a tinny recorded voice said, "This number is out of order." Mart panicked. He grabbed a few things from his apartment, slammed the door, and ran outside to catch a taxi.
As the cab approached the intersection near the studio, Mart’s fears were realized. The area was cordoned off, with police cruisers and fire trucks at the scene, lights flashing and sirens blaring.
Mart threw some bills at the driver as he jumped out of the car. He ran to the barrier and was going under when a burly officer tried to stop him. "This is a crime scene, off-limits," the officer barked at Mart.
Mart reached in his open shirt collar and pulled out a chain with a badge on the end. "Mart Belden, Federal Bureau of Investigation. Let me pass," he said and brushed by the officer.
Chapter 16: I Would Die For YOU
Mart finally got close enough to the building, striding toward it and ignoring everyone else around. He felt a tug on his arm, and turned to brush off whoever it was, but as he turned, he saw that it was Diana.
Di stood there, wrapped in a fireman’s coat. Her hair looked singed and her face was soot-smeared. "Mart, you came," she whispered.
Mart opened his arms and grabbed her, holding her tight. "God, Di, I will always try to be there when you need me. Sweetheart, what happened?"
Di explained that they had just returned from their lunch break, and were getting ready to tape the day’s episode. She was in her dressing room getting ready, when her TV lover knocked on her door. He wanted to go over a couple of lines again, so they were out in the hallway, heading toward the set. After she shut the door, there was an explosion – her whole dressing room went up in flames. She had been far enough down the hallway that she wasn’t hurt badly, just a little stunned and scared but the fire had soon engulfed the hallway. It took them a few moments to get out of the building. Her dressing room was down near the end of a corridor, and in fact, she usually shared it with a co-worker who was luckily not needed for taping today.
Mart was grim-faced. He kept Diana close, rubbing her back while she sobbed the story into his arms. An officer from the PD finally approached him. "You with the FBI?" she asked. Mart nodded. "There’s a couple more of your guys down by the hook and ladder. They need to talk to Ms. Lynch." Some girls get all the luck, thought Officer Persons as she led Mart and Diana toward the other agents.
"Welte. Didn’t expect to see you again today," Mart said.
"Belden. Wanted to apologize, almost gave it away in front of your sister, didn’t I?" Welte replied in a low voice.
Mart introduced Diana to the other agents, and then led her through her story one more time. He pulled out the letter he’d stuffed into his back pocket and handed it over to Welte. "This came for me in the mail. I’d bet when you check it out, they all came from the Sleepyside paper."
Welte put the letter in his jacket pocket. He wasn’t sure of the connection between Belden and the beauteous Ms. Lynch. The police on the scene took down Diana’s name and address, and urged her to be checked over by a medic. She protested, "I’m fine, I just want to go home."
"I’ll take care of her, don’t worry," Mart assured them. Diana returned the jacket to the fireman, and thanked the ones she saw. "They won’t let you back inside for your purse or anything, Di," Mart said gently, "so do you want to come to my place or should we go to your building and get the super to let you in?"
Mart didn’t want her to see what might be left of her dressing room, or tell her that everything in it was probably destroyed, including her purse and all the personal knickknacks he knew she kept there. He wasn’t sure he could face her dressing room right now, either. He’d seen the results of explosions like this before, but having a more personal connection, having it be Diana, may just send him over the edge. He didn’t want to see how close she’d come to death.
Di decided she wanted to get some things from her place and to head back to Sleepyside as soon as possible. Even knowing the Mad Lurker might be from there, she felt better with her family and friends nearby.
Trixie called Dan and Hallie from the cell phone and had them meet up at Manor House. "Guess we don’t need to use the clubhouse, really, do we?" she asked Jim wryly.
"No, but we have a lot of good memories there," Jim replied, "and I hate to think of it as abandoned. We’ll still hang out there once in awhile," he added and wiggled his eyebrows.
Trixie smiled at his innuendo as they entered the house.
"I left the boys with your mom and Celia let us in the house," Hallie explained why she and Dan were already inside. "Hope that’s okay."
Honey brought them up-to-date on the day’s findings, and asked if either of them had heard the Molinson-Trixie rumor.
Dan shook his head no, but Hallie looked upset. "Yeah, I heard it," she finally admitted. "Shortly after I started. Someone asked about you, Trixie, and it was around the time of your first presidential election. You used to write me those funny letters about the candidates and the dumb things they’d do, or their kids. I mentioned them one day, something you’d written, and actually, Tad Webster is the one who brought the rumor up. He seemed to think it was true, no matter what I said! I was really upset about it. Finally, I went to the Chief and told him about the rumors, and he laughed."
Hallie explained, "He told me that people with tiny minds had started those rumors the summer you were 14 – way before you even were friends with him. He admitted at first, it made him really angry at you, but then he realized you were both victims of a gossip, though he could never figure out who started it. He told me that about once a year he heard something about it, but that even before he and Jeannie had gotten married, he had explained it to her. He said he always thought it was started by one of the detectives who was jealous of the Bob-Whites’ success at solving mysteries," Hallie finished.
"Wow," Trixie commented. How come Hallie never told me? she wondered.
"Dan, what did you find out today?" Jim asked.
"Not much about much, actually. No one that we put away as a group is known to be in the area, though that’s hard to check thoroughly. I called in some favors, talked to some lawyers and came up with a decent list of criminals. I can’t find anything that indicated Molinson had any specific enemies, other than the usual ones who hate cops."
They discussed the theory that Dixon may have done it, or someone else on the force, but couldn’t figure out who would benefit from murdering their Chief, or trying to get at the BWGs.
"I learned something else today, though," Dan said. "I remembered that when I clerked for Judge Holman in White Plains, there was a hush-hush case involving an officer. I gave him a call today to see what he had to say. He wouldn’t name names, but he did say that the officer in question left the White Plains force and ended up in Sleepyside. There was never any action brought against the officer, but Holman let on that it was kind of an unprofessional lapse that let to a bad incident."
"Didn’t you say Dixon hadn’t been around long?" Jim asked.
"It wasn’t Dixon," said Dan. "He actually was federal, and became a cop here about six years ago after he had served his 30 years with the Feds. He’s still a pretty young guy, about 58. The timing’s right, but he was a Postal Inspector before, in Milwaukee. He never worked at the White Plains PD."
"The only person I know who worked at White Plains was Spider Webster," admitted Honey, "but there’s no way I’ll believe it’s him!"
"Don’t you remember, Spider came back Mart’s last year at Sleepyside, and Tad transferred in again. He rejoined the Hawks for awhile," Trixie said. "That was more like 11 years ago, not 6."
"I didn’t know Spider well back then," interjected Dan, "but they way it sounds, he always was a bit jealous of all your successes, and always had to be pushed into backing you up."
Honey’s cell phone rang, interrupting the conversation. "Hello?" Honey answered. The others waited, unabashedly listening in to her conversation. "Really? Oh no! Is she okay? No, bring her right to Manor House. Yes, you can stay here. I’ll call Brian. How far away? He’ll be here, I know it." Honey hung up.
She looked at the group, clearly troubled. "It was Mart," she explained. "Di’s dressing room exploded today. He’s bringing her here – she wants to come to Sleepyside but doesn’t want her family in danger. He’s going to spend the night. And Mart got a letter, he thinks it came in today’s mail. It told him that Diana was next. I’m going to call Brian and ask him to come here to look her over. She didn’t want to go to the hospital."
As Honey made the call to Brian, Hallie directed Jim to get two more upstairs bedrooms ready for occupancy, and for Dan to look for something to make hot tea. Jim tried not to think about the letter he got, indicating that Honey might be one of this Lurker’s targets.
Chapter 17: Killing Me Softly
As Mart drove up in his car, the whole gang was waiting outside in the drive. Mart’s car looks like a beater, Trixie noted to herself, but it sounds really good. Like a V-8 engine. Another mystery to solve.
As the BWGs crowded around the car, Mart gave orders for everyone to stand back. He wanted to take care of Diana himself. He was afraid to let her out of his sight. He went to the passenger side and gently scooped her out of the seat, carrying her into Manor House. Di offered a weak protest that she could walk, but Mart ignored her.
Jim grabbed Trixie’s hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. She smiled at him. Honey was at the front door, holding it open for Mart. Mart asked for someone to get the luggage out of the trunk. Hallie directed Mart upstairs to one of the guestrooms and then followed to help Mart settle Di in.
Dan grabbed their bags out of the car and brought them in the house. Trixie and Jim lingered outside to wait for Brian. "I’ve never seen Di look so pale and fragile," Trixie commented forlornly. Jim nodded his head in agreement. Trixie inspected Mart’s car, and it made her even more curious. The glass was tinted very dark and if she wasn’t mistaken, when she tapped on it, it had the thud of bulletproof glass.
She was thinking to herself about the way Mart had had to carry an exhausted Diana in, and the fact that she let him, and it made Trixie angry. "We have to find this guy," she said vehemently. "They’ve threatened all of us, almost. The only ones who haven’t been threatened are Hallie and Dan. What does this all add up to?" Trixie wondered aloud.
"Well, Hallie not being threatened makes sense, sort of, if we go with the idea that this person is after Bob-Whites. She was only recently made an official member of our group," Jim offered.
Trixie started thinking aloud again. "Okay, let’s rehash," she pulled out her logbook to review some notes. Just then, Brian wheeled up in his mini-van. Trixie, momentarily forgetting her plan to rehash, ran over to his car and pulled open the door before he shut the motor off.
"Jeez, Trixie, pull me out of the seat, why don’t you?" asked Brian. He gathered up his medical bag and climbed out of the car.
"Give her a break, Bri," defended Jim, "you haven’t seen Diana. She looks, well, not good."
The three went up to the house. Inside, Honey escorted Brian up to the room where Mart was tenderly sitting on the bed, with Diana under the sheets. Mart had one of Di’s hands in his, and the other was restlessly stroking her head. He jumped up when he saw Brian. Di gave Brian a wan smile. Brian set his bag on the nightstand, and excused Hallie, Honey, and Mart from the room. Hallie and Honey left quickly, but Mart said, "I’m staying."
"I think that’s Diana’s decision," Brian said quietly. He was using his best patient-soothing voice. He looked at Di questioningly.
"Mart can stay," she said. Her voice was shaky, and barely audible. Brian went to work, checking her throat, eyes, asking how she felt. In the end, he told her that she just needed to rest over her ordeal, and gave her a mild sedative. Her throat was a bit raw from smoke inhalation, and there was nothing he could do for that, other than tell her ‘plenty of fluids’ and ‘don’t talk much.’
Brian left Mart with Diana in the room. It looks like this has made them come to their senses, at least, thought Brian. They belong together. I don’t know why they didn’t marry years ago. He returned to the informal family room off the kitchen, where the rest of the gang was gathered.
"How is she?" asked Honey. Brian explained what he’d told Mart and Diana.
"We have got to find this jerk!" exclaimed Dan angrily.
Trixie remembered her notebook, and was pulling it out when Mart came into the room. "She’s out like a light," Mart commented.
Trixie informed the group that it was time to start naming some suspects aloud. But before she could continue, Brian interjected, "Oh, wait! I wanted to show you something. I found it last night when I was sorting through my accumulated mail." He pulled a stained envelope out of the side of his medical bag and handed to Trixie. By now, she knew what it would contain.
Inside was a pasted-together letter. It read:
Have Hope, Have Faith, But You Lost Charity
"I just don’t get it, but I have a feeling it could be important," said Brian.
Trixie checked the postmark – July 27th. "Didn’t Charity die a few months ago?" asked Dan. "And what’s the yellow stain all over it?"
"Yeah," Brian said, "but it just seems kinda weird. Did this person have something to do with her death? They had plenty of witnesses, but never actually found out who was driving that car. And the stain," he admitted sheepishly, "well Benji was holding it while getting his diaper changed."
The women groaned at that! Mart explained about the letter he’d gotten, and what had happened to Diana and how he’d figured it out, remembering the locker room teasing of more than a decade ago.
Trixie looked through her notes, and wrote down the latest two messages in the logbook. She noticed Honey doing the same. She caught Honey’s eye and grinned. Trixie knew she was narrowing down the list.
"Do we think it’s someone from New York or not? Brian’s letter makes it seem like it could be someone from out-of-state," Hallie remarked.
"I am pretty sure I know who it is," Trixie finally announced. The others were stunned. Honey gave her the ‘go ahead’ nod. "But I don’t want to say, because if I’m wrong, I’m horribly wrong. It helps me to talk it over out loud. Maybe you guys can clear up my thinking. But I don’t think it’s someone from out-of-state, too many things point otherwise. What I also wonder about is the timing of Brian’s letter…it came months after Charity was killed. All the other letters have come right around the same time as whatever bad thing happened. In my case, I just don’t collect my mail regularly enough. Mart got a letter, maybe today, threatening Di. Jim got a letter threatening Honey on Monday, but nothing has happened yet. Brian’s letter came months later, though, which doesn’t fit the pattern."
Trixie continued, "We know it’s someone after the BWGs. But Dan and Hallie haven’t gotten notes, so it’s possible that the person doesn’t consider them part of our group. As far as we know, Di herself wasn’t threatened, but, the explosion,"
"Actually," Mart cut in, "Di may have been threatened beforehand. Someone sent her a copy of this morning’s article from the Sun. It was just pasted on notebook paper. Only it was outside in an envelope on their front steps when Harrison brought the paper in. There was no pasted note like the rest of the Mad Lurker’s warnings, though."
Trixie nodded, this didn’t change her theory. "So it’s someone we’ve ticked off AFTER we met Di, but before we knew Dan or when Hallie came to visit."
"It could be someone who knew us when Dan missed out on one of our mysteries, too," interjected Brian.
"Hmm, true," agreed Trixie. "But there are a few more things. Mart, who was in your gym class to know your nickname for Diana? I never heard about it. Anyone else?"
Honey said, "No, but like other stuff, maybe knowing that Mart was your brother or Di was our friend, people didn’t talk about it with us."
Mart began naming his gym classmates. "This was years ago…let’s see, Lester Mundy, uh, Nick Roberts, Jerry Vanderhoeven, a couple of nerdy guys from my advanced math class, I can’t remember all their names!"
"Think, Mart, this is important," urged Jim.
"It was a small class. We were taking handball. Oh! Bull Thompson had just gotten out of reform school and Tad Webster was in there too, after he and Spider moved back from White Plains. There were only about 8 of us."
Trixie had been writing down all the names in her logbook. She was almost positive now, but there were still loose ends to tie up, like motive and opportunity, to make a hard case.
"Okay, well, I’m getting hungry," she surprised everyone by announcing. "I think I want to run into Wimpy’s and get some takeout. Honey, will you come with me?"
Honey, never slow on the uptake, agreed instantly. She gathered everyone’s orders and called it in. Thursday nights shouldn’t be too bad, even though it was six o’clock.
They hopped in Trixie’s ‘borrowed’ BMW and zoomed into town. "It’s all beginning to add up, isn’t it?" Honey asked quietly.
Trixie nodded yes. She knew they were both being drawn to the same conclusion, or she hoped they were.
Trixie parallel parked the snappy little car in front of Wimpy’s, and she and Honey were about to go in, when they ran into Spider and Tad Webster coming out. "Hey guys," Honey called. The two men stopped to talk.
Spider shifted his weight a bit self-consciously, "Wanted to let you know, Trixie, that the State Police are considering closing the case. There’s absolutely no evidence as to who may have shot Molinson."
Trixie hid her surprise. This was an interesting development, and pretty quick to close a case. She wanted to see what else he’d say.
Meanwhile, Honey looked at Tad with some astonishment. He was almost no taller than he was when she first met him at 13 – and his head was already balding. "Hi Tad," she began politely, "congratulations on being promoted to Chief of Detectives."
Tad smirked, "Yeah, well, some people got it and some just don’t."
He’s almost gloating, thought Honey in disbelief, considering the circumstances.
Trixie politely asked Spider what he had been doing, and if there really were no suspects. "None," he confirmed, "Tad and his men went over every inch of Louis Road and into the woods all along the south side of the street. They didn’t find anything."
"Anyway, will we see you at the benefit Sunday?" Spider asked.
"What benefit?" queried Trixie.
"The one Tad’s put together for the Molinsons," Spider answered proudly. "It’s a hog roast and baseball game, Police versus Fire this Sunday afternoon. All proceeds will go to the Molinson family."
"Just shows you’re not the only people in town who can put together a benefit," Tad said.
Spider flushed, "Now Tad, they don’t even live here anymore."
"Yeah, that’s true, which is why it’s a shame that Jeannie Molinson asked HER to give the eulogy, when we all know it should’ve been you," Tad replied in an undertone.
Honey hated confrontations, even though she wasn’t sure that’s what was going on, since neither Trixie nor Spider heard that last remark. Honey said, "We have to pick up our food," and pushed Trixie inside the restaurant. As they walked through the door, Honey commented, "Well, Tad’s still unpleasant, isn’t he?"
They walked up to the counter where Mikey was working. "Hey, Mikey. How’s it going?" asked Trixie. "Mikey" was several years older than the BWGs and had taken over from his dad, Mike. "Hear you guys are sponsoring a little league team."
"Yes, we are," Mikey answered proudly. He pointed at the team picture over the register. "This is actually last year’s team, but we hope to have another championship this year." The photograph showed fifteen young boys, in about 3rd grade, and their two coaches….Tad Webster and Bull Thompson.
Honey and Trixie stepped up to get a closer look. The photograph was also a plaque, with the names of opponents and scores listed on brass. "So, how is the team this year? Did you beat Crimper’s?" Honey asked casually.
"Oh, yeah," Mikey enthused. "We really kicked their rears the first game in June, but a couple of weeks ago, we won but it was close – extra innings."
"Can I get a copy of the schedule? We might want to take Brian’s kids to the game," Trixie said. Mike obligingly grabbed one of the placemats, which had the Little League schedule on it, and handed it to Trixie. She folded it and stuck it in her back pocket. Their order wasn’t ready, so Trixie and Honey looked at all the photographs displayed on the wall. Trixie was embarassed to find that one of them was her, in frame with the president, from about five years ago.
As Honey went into the restroom, one uniformed officer and a plainclothes walked in to Wimpy’s and sat at the counter. Trixie didn’t know them, but Mike greeted them, "Hey Bob! Hey Harry!"
The two men said hello, and placed their orders. Trixie noted that they didn’t have to pay. She decided to sit down next to them and introduce herself.
"Hi. I’m Trixie Belden," she began. She hoped they didn’t read the papers, or that they disliked Paul Trent as much as she did.
The one that she surmised was Bob Dixon stood to shake her hand, "Yes, of course. I remember you from the funeral. How long are you in town?"
"Oh, for a while I guess. Just getting back into the feel of small-town life," Trixie answered. "So, how’s the Molinson investigation coming along?"
The two men looked at each other. Finally, Harry said, "Well, as far as we know, the State Police have taken it over. We were out there for the first few days, mostly on the road, searching for anything, but no dice. Chief’s been keeping pretty quiet on this one."
Dixon cleared his throat, "Actually, I heard that Spider’s going to recommend that the case be closed."
Honey had walked up behind Trixie at this point, "What?" she exclaimed, pretending that this was news to her. "Close the case? It hasn’t even been a week!"
"He feels like the perp left the area, it was a one-time thing," Dixon was non-committal.
Trixie couldn’t get a feel for what Dixon’s opinion was, he was good – no inflection in his voice was giving anything away. But it was strange, Spider had intimated to her and Honey that the State Police wanted to close the case. An interesting twist. "Wish I’d seen Molinson before he was killed. Wonder if he was working on something?" she mused.
Harry said, "Oh, I saw him that night. You know, we almost always take our breaks here at Wimpy’s. Best free shakes in town."
Mikey set a chocolate shake in front of each of the two men. "Damn right, these are the best shakes in town. Free’s just a bonus."
Trixie knew the practice – a lot of places gave officers free food and drinks to keep them coming back. That way, it almost always looked like there was a police presence, making customers feel safe, and deterring criminals. Trixie knew how little officers were paid, so she couldn’t begrudge them their little bonuses, though officially the practice was frowned upon.
"Glad Molinson’s last meal was here, though, since Wimpy’s was one of his favorite places," added Mikey. "He and Hallie were really cutting up that night, laughing and carrying on. In fact, there were a few other officers in here that night. Weren’t you here, Harry?"
Harry shook his head yes. "With my family, though. You sure had a full house that night. Seems like there were a lot of people here besides on-duty cops."
"Yeah, let’s see, oh, the Hartmans were here. Didn’t I have to tell the police investigator this already?" Mikey reminisced. "Seems like he should know, though, since the investigator was Tad and he was here himself, at least briefly, that night. Oh, and Thompson brought the kids in for a shake after their practice. Pretty funny thing, too, he had batting gloves on both his hands! Just about everybody in town stopped through, it seems like. Hot weather’s good for my business."
"Anyway," Mikey continued, "Thompson rushed out when Molinson and Hal came in. Would’ve thought he wanted to talk with Tad about the team’s progress. No matter that he’s turned his life around a bit, guess he’s still wary of the law. Think if Spider had been in here, too, poor Bull would’ve just fainted dead away."
The kitchen bell dinged, and Mikey turned to put the girls’ order in sacks. "Need help carrying it out to the car?" he asked after Trixie paid.
"Na, think we got it, but thanks," Trixie said.
She was pretty sure she was right, that she knew the identity of the Mad Lurker.
Back at Manor House, Diana had woken from her nap, and was sitting on one of the loveseats in the family room, with a blanket wrapped around her. The BWGs decided to eat in there and continue discussing the case.
While Trixie and Honey were gone, Brian had gone to the Farm to check on the boys. Mart sat with Diana, while Hallie made iced tea, and Jim and Dan had fulfilled Trixie’s request to find Honey’s high school yearbooks.
As they munched on food, Honey leafed through the yearbook from Mart’s senior year. "What do we know about any of these guys from Mart’s class?" she asked.
"Nick Roberts took over his dad’s business, got married a few years ago," said Hallie. Since she’d been in Sleepyside, she’d learned a lot about its residents. "He still loves the BWGs, though, and gets nostalgic every time I go in the store."
"Jerry Vanderhoeven?" asked Brian.
"He died," said Dan. The others looked at him in surprise. "I did his will – he had testicular cancer, left a wife and two children. It’s been two years, at least."
"Lester Mundy?" said Trixie as she looked through the list of names they’d come up with earlier.
"Don’t know him," admitted Hallie.
"I seem to recall he went into the service," said Brian. "Don’t know why that sticks out in my mind so clearly. Must’ve read it somewhere. But I think he’s down south. He wouldn’t have the time or inclination, I would think."
Jim leaned over Honey’s shoulder and looked as she scanned through the pictures of guys in Mart’s class. "When did Bull Thompson come back to school in Sleepyside?" he asked.
Mart answered, "Well, seems that he got out of reform school and came back at the end of our Junior year. I’m not sure what grade he was supposed to be in, but they stuck him in my class. He was a real pain. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he’s the Mad Lurker."
"The timing could be right," Trixie agreed. "Our Lurker, we suspect at least, is someone who didn’t dislike Dan as much as the rest of us, someone with no reason to not like Hallie. And since we met Dan after the antique show…" she trailed off.
"Isn’t it possible it’s someone you met after you knew Dan? Someone whom you hurt on one of your out-of-state adventures when Dan wasn’t along?" Hallie repeated an earlier question. She knew that Dan had missed out on a lot of life’s fun as a teen.
"But the postmarks all come from around this area, and so did the paper clippings," disagreed Dan, "and I participated or was at least around for most of our in-town adventures. People would know me as part of the group, I would think. I have to agree with Trixie, that it’s someone from before I came to Sleepyside."
"But Dan," argued Hallie, who hated to bring this issue up, since it was part of the reason they broke up, "Bull might hate the rest of the BWGs, but you at least defended his uncle on the rape charge when no one else in town would take the case. So maybe he has it in for everyone but you and me. He still makes weird anti-Belden comments when I see him around town."
"Part of the key might be related to Judge Holman. I still think it had to be someone close to the police who did this whole thing. I still want to know who was disciplined in White Plains and came here," Trixie said.
Deciding it wouldn’t be solved that evening, and with Di’s drooping eyelids, Brian, Dan, and Hallie all left. Mart wouldn’t be parted from Di for the world, and Trixie was practically living at Manor House anyways.
The next morning, on her regular jog, Trixie headed towards the cemetery where Captain Molinson was buried. She found his grave, with a tiny American flag stuck near the stone, and fresh flowers on it. The dirt mound was still visible, and no grass was yet growing on top of it.
"Hey Captain," Trixie said softly. "We have a real problem here. I’m hoping you can help. I think I know who did it, at least, I’m pretty sure. But if I’m wrong, it’s going to be a big mistake, one of the biggest someone in law enforcement could make." Trixie sat down beside the headstone, and told him everything that had happened so far, and the clues she’d pieced together.
"So that’s where it stands," she concluded. "I’m really not sure of my next step, but you were always willing to lend an ear when I was befuddled in the past." Trixie sat silently for a few minutes. Her knees were pulled up, and she rested her forehead on them, thinking.
Molinson always told me to use my talents. What are my talents? No, what are the BWGs talents? she amended. Jim’s good-looking…she giggled, Mart’s got a big mouth, Honey’s a great friend, Di’s a brilliant actress… "Oh! That’s it," she exclaimed. She got up, said good-bye to Molinson, and jogged back to Manor House.
As she slammed the side door, Honey was on the phone and said, "Oh, here she is." It’s Wiggins, she mouthed as she handed Trixie the phone.
Trixie updated him on what was going on, and then asked for a favor. "I need backup on this one. I think I can make it all happen tonight."
"On one condition, Belden," replied Wiggins. "We need you to work the Democratic Convention in LA. We’re still really short-handed and people are all over my butt about when you’ll be back."
Trixie looked through the window at Jim, outside. Whitey had wandered up from the Farm and Jim was throwing a stick for him. "Agreed, Wiggins. But it’s my last assignment. I won’t be back after this." Honey, who was shamelessly eavesdropping, felt her jaw drop. She couldn’t believe Trixie would quit the Secret Service.
But Trixie had decided she was going to grab what she wanted and hold on for all she was worth, and if that meant jetting around the world while Jim took care of Wheeler International, she’d be right beside him, if he’d let her.
"Wiggins will be here for backup sometime this afternoon," Trixie explained after she hung up. "I think this is going to be too hard for us to handle on our own. And I need Diana."
Chapter 18: One Down, One to Go
Brian was at work, Diana and Mart still asleep in the guestroom. Trixie called Dan at his office and made a request. She met up with him an hour later, Jim and Honey in tow. Trixie knew she was on the trail, "Just wait, it’ll be clear in a few minutes, I know it," she explained to them.
Dan drove them to a farmhouse halfway between White Plains and Sleepyside. They got out, and Dan knocked on the door. Judge Holman answered immediately. "Dan, I’ve been expecting you." He looked curiously at Trixie, Honey, and Jim.
Dan made the introductions and Judge Holman ushered them in. "I think I’ll let Trixie explain everything, Judge," Dan said.
Trixie began her story with Brian’s wife’s accident up to what happened yesterday, and her ideas. "But I need your help, Judge," she confided. "I need to have Bull Thompson’s Juvenile Record unsealed, or at least have a peek at it, and I also want to know which officer was investigated in White Plains and came to Sleepyside."
"But you know all of Thompson’s record, or most of it," said the Judge. "You helped send him to my courtroom! Since he got out at 18 and moved back to Sleepyside, I haven’t heard a word of trouble about him. Seems he found a good woman, married her, and has been living pretty clean."
Trixie had felt there was a strong possibility that her perp had an accomplice. But if Bull had been ‘living clean’ then perhaps it wasn’t him. She explained her reasoning to the Judge and the others. "I only had a few possibilities for an accomplice. I was thinking that it was either Spider Webster or Bull Thompson, though I didn’t want to think it was Spider. I was kind of hoping it was Bull." She thought he’d continued his life of crime, but perhaps not. Or perhaps he just hadn’t been caught at anything.
The Judge shook his head, "No, it wasn’t SPIDER Webster who had problems on the force at White Plains, it was his brother. See, a large shipment of cocaine and some other items went ‘astray’ as they say, while Tad was in charge of the property room. Tad was a rookie, barely out of the academy. Prop Room is a dog’s job, if you know what I mean, and Tad really wanted in on the action. Anyway, he denied having anything to do with the missing goods, said it had been a set up, and tried to cast the blame on Bull Thompson. Said Thompson was an old friend who’d visited him at work that night. Of course, that would’ve been against the rules, too, so Tad was disciplined and he left the force under a cloud. He was never convicted, so Molinson let him join Sleepyside. They were understaffed, and Molinson confided to me that he intended to keep a close eye on him. And Spider’s a great guy, so Wendell probably figured that Tad wouldn’t pull anything with his brother right there."
"Who has a record of what was missing from the property room that night?" questioned Honey.
"The case was closed, but I’ll go call in a favor," the Judge offered. "I really liked Molinson a lot. And there’s more you don’t know…" he trailed off uncertainly.
"Please, sir, tell us," Jim asked. "Molinson meant a lot to us, too, and from what we understand, the Sleepyside PD is already ready to give up the case. It goes against everything we stand for."
The Judge sighed, "Well, your questions have brought back some unpleasant memories for me. Seems like after the Websters moved to White Plains, Tad got in with some bad kids. He had some gang affiliations – you know he was a ‘Hawk’ in Sleepyside? They were mostly athletes. But the Hawks in White Plains were bad news. Vandalism, petty thievery, smoking pot, that sort of thing. Tad was hauled in a few times and it was really an embarrassment to Spider, who was trying to raise him. That’s why they eventually moved back to Sleepyside. Spider realized he’d made a mistake moving Tad to a bigger town, more athletic competition. Tad couldn’t make it in White Plains. Sort of ironic that’s where he tried to become a cop. Of course, his juvenile records were sealed. I really shouldn’t’ve told you this."
"Oh, but it makes sense now!" Trixie exclaimed. "He always resented the Bob-Whites, and tried to lord it over us that the Hawks were so great, as if we really had a competition going with them. If we can just prove that it was him. At this point, it’s all circumstantial evidence. I mean he calls himself a ‘bird’ in the note to Mart, and he was in Mart’s gym class. We know he was at Wimpy’s earlier that night, and he’s been in charge of the investigation into Molinson’s death, and they seem to be missing clues left and right."
The judge had his former Bailiff fax him some records, and with those in hand, the group thanked him and headed back towards Sleepyside.
Trixie outlined the rest of her plan, and hoped that Diana would be up to it. They dropped Dan off at his office, and back at Manor House, Trixie spent the rest of the day rehearsing with Di. Hallie had confirmed that Tad would be on duty that Friday evening until 11 p.m.
Honey went over the six-year-old report for items missing from the White Plains prop room. Finally, she found what she was looking for, "Here it is, Trixie," she exclaimed as she pointed to a line, "not only were there a bunch of drugs missing, but look, body-armor-piercing bullets."
Wiggins arrived and Trixie introduced him to those present, including her brother. "Nice to meet you at last, Belden," he said to Mart with a wink as the two shook hands. "Now where are we setting up this party?" he asked.
I think Wiggins winked at my brother! Trixie thought incredulously. And since she knew Wiggins was happily married, she again got the feeling that there was something about Mart everyone knew but her. And Trixie knew Wiggins pretty well, having worked on a few protection details with him. But most of her time, admittedly, was spent in foreign countries dealing with counterfeiters and credit card fraud schemes, so there were things she didn’t know.
Trixie outlined her plan and they decided to use the clubhouse for the trap. Mart and Wiggins took the recording equipment that Wiggins had brought along and went to set it all up.
Diana was extremely nervous, but she knew this was going to be the performance of her life. The other BWGs arrived right around five p.m. They managed to eat a light dinner, and at six o’clock, they all headed down to the clubhouse.
Diana nervously used Honey’s cell phone to call the Police Department. She asked for Tad, and gave a message for dispatch to relay the cell number. A few minutes later, the cell phone rang.
"Hello?" said Diana.
"Webster here. Is this Diana Lynch?" came Tad Webster’s voice, suspiciously.
"Is this Detective Webster?" she inquired.
"I said that it was," he replied.
"Detective Webster, I need your help. You’re the only one I can turn to. I just escaped from Manor House. They’re keeping me in the guestroom, I had to get away. They keep saying all these things about Molinson’s death and how I’m next and I’m so scared," she continued. "Mart says they’re just trying to protect me, and he showed me this note. I think they’re trying to use me as bait," she finished.
Trixie gave her a thumbs up. She had injected just the right amount of fear and pleading in her voice.
"Is this a joke?" came Webster’s voice.
"No, no. It’s no joke. I barely know these people any more. I think they’re crazy – I don’t want to have anything to do with them. They’re such morons, talking about our old ‘glory days’ in junior high and solving mysteries. Well, and Mart Belden was furious when he found out that I was the one having an affair with Wendell. It was never Trixie! It was me, and Wendell told me all these terrible things about the Beldens since they moved away from Sleepyside. I just don’t know them any more. I’m scared, Tad, and you’re the only person I know I can trust," she added. "They just want to get Bull Thompson, trap him into confessing."
Mart rolled his eyes at the melodrama, but it seemed to be working. Trixie was right, Tad was mentally unbalanced and had some kind of Napoleon complex. He’d believe anything Di said to him because she was a beautiful woman and Tad wanted to believe that all beautiful women belonged to him. And that he was better than the BWGs.
"I’ll be right there, Diana," said Tad. "I’m on Glen Road right now, in fact."
Trixie looked around at the others and hissed "Places everyone." Tad was much closer than they expected, she hoped the light would soon fade. They all had hiding spots, which she’d mapped out earlier. The camera that Mart and Wiggins had put up was sophisticated enough that it didn’t need any extra spotlights. Di had been wired with a tiny microphone in both of her earrings, just in case one malfunctioned. Trixie, Honey, and Wiggins had the ubiquitous plastic earpieces that agents wore to communicate with each other. Wiggins gave Mart one, too, to Trixie’s amazement, and he seemed to know how it worked.
Diana kept Tad on the line until he pulled up at the end of Glen Road, giving him directions to the old gatehouse. From her vantagepoint, Trixie could see both the road and the clubhouse. Diana was waiting outside for Tad. She was artfully attired in a T-shirt that looked as if it had been ripped in a struggle. Her hair was messy, too. Hopefully, Tad wouldn’t note the incongruity of the large earrings, which had been necessary for the mike.
Trixie checked to see where the other BWGs were. The woods had grown dense in the past few years and all the BWGs had worn dark colored clothing to blend in with the trees in the waning light. If Trixie hadn’t assigned them spots, she wouldn’t have known they were there.
Tad approached Diana. "What’s this all about, Diana?" he asked.
Di threw her arms around him and hugged, "Oh thank god you’ve come. I think you’re the only one who’ll believe me. It was Trixie Belden! She killed Molinson! She found out about he and I and now…"
Tad looked at her in the eyes, trying to judge her. She seemed a little crazy, but she just might fit into his plans. He figured she was high or something, because all actresses got high, in Tad’s opinion. "Tell me everything you know," he commanded.
Di launched into her rehearsed story, discussing how Trixie and Brian had killed his wife in an insurance scam, how Trixie had been insanely jealous of any woman in her brothers’ lives; then Trixie had killed Molinson. She tried to kill Diana for taking Molinson from her by planting a bomb in her dressing room in New York, then keeping Di locked up in Manor House and drugging her. Now, she was trying to pin it all on Bull Thompson, "like she did all those years ago, blaming him for taking that antique of Mrs. Vanderpoel’s," Diana concluded.
Trixie had explained to Diana that actually, Tad had done a poor job of trying to make it look like Bull Thompson was behind all the notes and the crime, like leaving the Wimpy’s cup at the scene, and using the phrase that Bull had tormented Mart with years ago.
Trixie hoped that Tad would be so vain, he’d be furious at what Di said, angry that she wasn’t giving Tad credit. Trixie had figured out that what Tad really wanted all these years was attention.
"I guess it was a brilliant plan, really," sniffed Di, "I mean, Trixie has always been smarter than the rest of us."
Tad exploded, "That Trixie Belden! She’s dumber than a rock! She could never carry off such a brilliant scheme. Her meddling Bob-Whites have driven me nuts for years. Spider was always bragging about how she and Honey Wheeler became ‘big-time agents’ and that we never made it out of Sleepyside. I hate this little hick-town!" he yelled angrily.
Tad grabbed Diana roughly. "I should’ve been the one! I’m the one who’s brilliant, not some two-bit gumshoe like her. I’ve been doing things for years and no one will catch me, ever!"
Remember the plan, remember the plan, Di told herself. Trixie says Tad’s mentally unbalanced but they’re all right there if I need them. I need to get a confession. "What kinds of things, Tad?" she asked aloud, half fearfully, half admiringly.
"All those years ago, when I ‘caught’ Bull Thompson trying to break into Mrs. Vanderpoel’s, who do you think told him that she was easy pickins’?" Tad bragged. "And who do you think broke into the principal’s office and stole the money? It was me! Spider never gave me enough spending money, so I had to find my own. It got easier over the years, too. I can’t be expected to live on a cop’s salary. I’ve been stealing stuff out of the prop rooms for years," he laughed. "And Molinson never caught on until recently."
"I thought Trixie killed him?" Diana asked nervously.
In the bushes, Mart’s eyes narrowed. He’d played this type of scene many times in his past, but never with the woman he loved trying to eke out a confession from a cop-killer. And Tad was beginning to sound more and more unbalanced. Mart took his pistol out of his pants holster. Brian looked over at him, surprise showing in his eyes. The holster had been concealed, Mart’s shirt untucked. Brian had no idea that Mart was armed. Mart ignored Brian and trained his gun toward Tad’s head. One wrong move towards Di, and he’s history. I should have never let her agree to do this. My vantage point sucks. He’s too close to her and I won’t get a clean shot.
"Not only did I kill him, I planted enough evidence that Bull Thompson will once again take my fall," Tad gloated. "And I’;lll ‘solve the crime’ and get all the credit. I’m the one who tried to kill you, bitch, because I can’t stand your little group of friends – you always treated me like dirt. Everyone treats Tad Webster like dirt, but not anymore. I’m Chief of Detectives and pretty soon, Chief of Police!" he sneered.
Trixie wanted to think she’d heard enough, but she knew Dianan needed to keep Tad talking now that he was on a roll, it would only help their case.
"I respect you, Tad," Diana said pleadingly. "Please, tell me some more of the things you’ve done. I never knew you were so brilliant. I should’ve guessed."
Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say. Tad grabbed her roughly, "What do you want to know all this for? Why do you want details? I thought I was here to rescue you? Let’s go. I thought you wanted me to rescue you from the Beldens, but it’s beginning to sound like an interrogation!" he grabbed Diana in front of him, his arm around her throat, using her as a shield. "If you’re out there, Belden, you better come out or I’ll kill her right here."
Tad was nervous. What had he said? He couldn’t exactly remember, and that was happening a lot to him lately, forgetting things. Guess I shouldn’t be smoking as much as I sell, he thought mirthlessly. He’d had a plan to frame his old ‘buddy’ Thompson for the murders and drag the Beldens’ names through the mud, but along the way the wrong things kept happening. He’d thought they’d stay away, with the threatening letters, but he’d miscalculated.
Tad dragged Diana in the direction of Glen Road. Trixie, Wiggins, Honey and Mart trailed silently. Jim, Dan and Hallie remained behind. Hallie picked up the cell phone that Diana had dropped to the ground. "Should I call this in?" she asked in a quiet voice.
Dan nodded his head, but then said, "To the State Police, I think. I don’t think Sleepyside will handle this very well." Hallie made the call.
Diana was trying to hamper Tad’s progress to the car, by leaning heavily on him and stumbling. But he kept yanking her along. She knew that someone would be following them, but she was terrified now. It wasn’t acting anymore. Tad thrust her into the seat from the driver’s side, and locked the doors.
But while Tad had been up at the clubhouse, Wiggins had snuck down and disabled the car. Tad cursed when the engine wouldn’t start, and popped the hood. All the Sleepyside rides had been having problems lately, so Tad wasn’t immediately suspicious. He pointed his gun at Diana’s head, leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Don’t make a move, bitch, or I’ll shoot you. Stay inside the car."
Diana whimpered. Tad got out to look at the car’s engine. He needed to get out of town, he was scared now. Things weren’t working out exactly as he’d planned. Maybe he could just lock her in the bathroom of his apartment. Taking a hostage was high-risk. He supposed he could just kill her and dump the body over the cliffs or in the river…
While Tad was under the hood, Mart stealthily jimmied open the passenger side door and pulled Diana out, into his arms. He urged her back under cover of the bushes hedging the road. Trixie was surprised again at Mart’s quiet agility. Once Di was safe, she and Wiggins jumped out from the other side of the bushes.
"Hands up, Webster!" snapped Wiggins. Trixie didn’t trust herself to say anything. Tad looked at Wiggins, and noticed Trixie.
"Not YOU!" Tad shouted. He had set his gun on the fender. He quickly reached for it, and aimed directly at Trixie. He was partially covered by the open hood, but before he could pull the trigger, a shot sounded in the twilight.
Tad screamed in pain. Trixie looked at Wiggins, who shrugged. She looked over to see Mart, standing behind the bushes. He had shot the gun right out of Tad’s hand. It now lay several feet away, and Tad was clutching his wrist. Wiggins sprang over to Tad, patted him down and cuffed him.
"Thanks, Mart," Trixie said a bit shakily. "Where’d you learn to shoot like that?"
"Long story," Mart said, "I’ll tell you tomorrow." But he couldn’t resist teasing his almost-twin. In German, he said, "But remember, I am not your twin, and you’re the monkey butt."
Chapter 19: Cheeseburgers In Paradise
Author’s endnote: Okay, I hope this is all plausible! Anyway, as I said at the beginning, it’s my universe, so I can do whatever I want, right? Thanks a million to Cathy, Officer Peterson, and Cathy, perky waitress Bender, for their editing, and all the other friends and family who may have unknowingly ended up in my fanfic J Thanks for reading my story and if you are considering writing one, DO IT! It’s fun and funny….and you end up with a lot more sympathy for the Kathryn Kennys, IMO.Trixie sat at a picnic table, scarfing down a barbecue sandwich. Jim took a swig out of her diet Coke. She playfully grabbed it away from him. "Mine," she said.
"That’s right, I am," Jim retorted with a smile. It was a beautiful August Sunday. They were at the benefit for the Molinson family. Later, there would be a friendly softball game, but not between the Police and Fire Departments, as planned. Instead, it would be the Sleepyside High School girls’ team versus the Fire Department.
The Police Department had lost two members on Friday night. Tad Webster was arrested and would be charged with murder, conspiracy, theft, and a host of other crimes. It turned out he was addicted to cocaine, too. Spider Webster had resigned when it had all come to light. No one blamed him, but he had known about Tad’s downward spiral into drugs, and had never reported it. He even suspected his brother of some illegal activities, but didn’t want to confront him. He had told Molinson about his suspicions, and it was after Molinson had talked to Tad that Tad decided to kill him. Spider also felt responsible for Molinson’s death.
Tad really hadn’t killed Charity, though. Bull Thompson had sent the letter to Brian, and confided it to Tad his old ‘buddy’ and co-coach. He thought it would be funny to torment Brian anonymously, which is why that letter to Brian came so long after Charity’s death. It wasn’t reported in Sleepyside for at least a month after she passed away. The Bob-Whites learned that when Tad read of her death in the Sun, it triggered his hatred. When Bull got the idea to write the letter, Tad encouraged him and then stole his idea and continued to write the letters. Tad was merely taking advantage of the situation, trying to scare all the BWGs and keep them away. Ironically, his actions had drawn them all back to Sleepyside after over a decade of absence, so then he decided he’d kill them all. He was so high on cocaine half the time he didn’t really even know his own thoughts, which is what made the notes seem so bizarre.
Bob Dixon was temporarily acting as Chief of Police and there was a lot of mess to sort out for him. Though most of the off-duty officers had shown up for the picnic, playing the game had seemed out of the question, especially since Tad had been their star player.
The BWGs were all gathered around, along with the Beldens, the Delanoys, Regan and the boys from Jim’s camp. The Lynches had gone by and picked up Mr. Maypenny, and the Wheelers had surprised everyone by flying in on Saturday evening. Saturday had been extremely hectic with everyone giving statements and clearing up things with their offices. Trixie had officially handed in her resignation to the Secret Service, which would be effective when the Democratic National Convention was over. She’d had a bit of explaining to do about her off-duty investigating, but wasn’t really in trouble.
"I feel so relaxed now," commented Trixie.
"Same goes," said Honey. Brian had asked her for a date earlier that morning, and she had accepted. It seems they might be able to start fresh. She wanted to get to know him again, as an adult, not as a dreamy-eyed teenager with stars in her eyes. They’d both grown up.
Dan and Hallie seem to be willing to give it another shot, Trixie thought with a smile. And Mart won’t let Di out of his sight. She was extremely happy for her friends and family, that everything seemed to be going as it was originally intended all those years ago.
Jim looked at the huge group gathered around the picnic pavilion and decided that it was time; past time. He stood up and pulled Trixie to her feet. He asked her to walk with him out to her BMW. He noticed that not only did his friends and family look at him, but several other tables stopped what they were doing to watch his and Trixie’s progress to the parking lot.
Grabbing the bull, grabbing the bull, Jim chanted to himself. Finally, they reached the car. He cleared his throat, he could see people trying to sidle away from the picnic pavilion, trying to casually hear what he was going to say. But he really wanted this to be private.
"I just wanted to say," he began, "that for a secret agent, Trixie, you sure can be dense." Oh great start, Frayne.
Trixie looked outraged, "What is that supposed to mean?"
Fumbling, bumbling, Frayne! "No, no, I mean, this car, I bought it for you! C’mon Trixie, like a guy over six feet can really drive a BMW the size of a matchbox car? I thought you’d catch on right away. Even your dad knew."
Trixie was a bit hurt and a bit stunned, but she had her pride. "I don’t want your car, Jim, or the things your money can buy. You don’t have to pay me for our relationship!" Trixie whispered her comments, all the more effective, in Jim’s mind, for not having been shouted. She reached into her pocket to grab the keys – she also figured she could give him a black eye to match Mart’s and Brian’s.
"Oh Trixie! You’re making me nervous," Jim said, and grabbed her hands, which were in her pockets. He felt safer that way, as she looked spitting mad. "What I’m trying to say, and you’ll have to forgive me, I’ve never managed to do this before, is that I love you and the car can be yours, on one condition, marry me?" Jim’s voice reached a nearly a shout at the end of his declaration, mostly due to his exasperation. This was not exactly what he’d planned. He hoped for something romantic, so that everyone would be impressed. Jim thought that was important to women, to be able to impress their friends with the most romantic proposal.
"Excuse me?" Trixie said in a voice so low he could barely hear her.
"Trixie, will you please marry me? I’ve loved you since we were kids, but I was too shy to ever do anything about it. I’m glad you’re in my life, and I can’t imagine another day without you by my side." Jim said in a soft tone. That was what I meant to say originally!
Trixie wrenched her arms away from Jim’s hold, his heart plummeted. Then she practically tackled him, jumping in his arms. "YES!" she shouted, "I thought you’d never ask!"
After a few lengthy kisses, Jim glanced up and their audience all pretended to be busy. Well, guess I don’t need to make an official announcement, he thought. Practically everyone in town was at the picnic, and those that hadn’t been eavesdropping would soon hear.
Later that evening, after the game, tons of food, and a lot of goofing off, Trixie snuggled next to Jim on a couch at Manor House. Everyone in their extended families had come over to discuss the wedding plans, but the parents were in the kitchen. Neither Trixie nor Jim cared much about that. They were content to just sit together and hold hands. She was sure that her life wouldn’t be ‘perfectly perfect’ but knew it held a much brighter promise than just over a week ago. The rest of the BWGs were once again ranged around the informal living room.
"I won’t ask you to quit your job." Jim said quietly.
"Actually, I’ve already quit, effective in a few weeks. It’s time for me to settle down a bit. I want to be with you as much as you can stand. We can live in the City." Trixie said.
"Really? I mean, but, I’d rather have Sleepyside as our home base. Can we move here and I’ll commute in when I need to get to the city? I was thinking about rebuilding Ten Acres. If living in a small town won’t bother you," Jim said hesitantly. This was his adolescent fantasy come true, or at least one of them.
Trixie hugged Jim. It sounded wonderful. "Remember my old dream of opening up a detective agency?"
Jim nodded.
"Well, actually, Dixon has asked me to be the Chief of Detectives while they get this mess sorted out. And he says he’s been thinking retirement."
Jim was incredulous, but Trixie quickly set him straight, "No, I don’t aim to be the Chief of Police soon!" At least, not until all my kids are born. "But this will give me some legitimacy in Sleepyside, not to mention contacts if I do open my own agency."
Hallie and Dan occupied another couch. Dan had his arm over Hallie’s shoulder. "You’ve inspired me, Frayne," Dan called over. "Hallie and I made up for our adolescent spats, and she’s the love of my life. I think I’m going to propose to her. What are my odds?"
Trixie giggled, Hallie looked amazed. Jim smiled, "Maybe you should ask Hallie what the odds are."
Dan turned to Hallie with a grin, "Whaddya say Hallie? I’m not as smooth as Frayne, over there, but do you think?"Hallie sighed, "Yes," and leaned over to kiss Dan. They had both grown up, and it was what was meant to be. They both had what it would take to commit to a mature, loving relationship, and get over the rough spots that had seemed so insurmountable when they were younger.
"What I really want to know is how did Mart learn to shoot like that?" Honey asked aloud.
Mart didn’t answer, but Diana was sitting with him in an oversized recliner. She poked him. "Ouch, Diana!"
"You told me you were quitting, Martin Belden!" Diana exclaimed.
"I may as well come clean, then," sighed Mart. "Since my wife will bug me about it."
"WIFE?" Brian’s jaw dropped.
"Yep," Mart sighed again. "Di and I have been married for, oh, uh, three years now?" Diana nodded her head in agreement.
"We were dumb. We decided to keep it secret because of both our careers," she confessed."I don’t get it," said Hallie. "I mean, your career so you can go out with good looking movie stars, but the Junk Food Junkie needs to be single?"
"Actually, Hallie," Diana explained, "though Mart is the Junk Food Junkie at USA Today, he’s also, uh, well-" Di looked over at Mart, unwilling to give up this last secret.
"It’s okay sweetie, you’re right, when we decided to get married, I should’ve given up my other job and just worked for the paper. What Diana is trying to explain is that I’m a dual agent. It’s unusual, but I work for both the FBI and CIA. The Junk Food Junkie is my entree into foreign countries, sometimes hostile ones. I’ve decided to quit the secret agent stuff, though, and concentrate on my journalism career. I understand the Sleepyside Sun needs a new star reporter," he joked.
Diana’s machinations had gotten Paul Trent run out of town for good.
"I KNEW you were acting mysterious," Trixie exclaimed. The group groaned in unison. Hopefully, Trixie’s bloodhound scent for mystery would be worn off a little bit after all these years. "And that’s why Welte knew you, and Wiggins, and you have that seemingly hideous yet souped car and can shoot and - "
Jim leaned over and shut Trixie up with a kiss.
Honey shifted a little closer to Brian. I wonder what the future holds.
The End