All disclaimers apply, see author's notes below. Directly follows Unchained Melody.

 

Unchained Melody: The Sequel

By

Ginger Garland

 

 

Chapter One

Trixie Belden heaved a long and loud sigh; it was now two p.m. on a Sunday. It was raining outside as it had been for the past week. She watched as two droplets raced down her bedroom window. The telephone rang and Trixie jumped. Interrupting the second ring was her mother's gentle voice. "Hello? Belden residence, Helen Belden speaking. Okay, hang on." A few seconds later her mother called up the stairs. "Trixie, Honey wants to talk to you!"

"Thanks, Moms! I'll take it up here."

She ran to the hallway telephone.  "Honey?"

"Hi Trixie! I just found a mystery that you'd be mighty interested in."

"A mystery in 1965?"

"Yes, it's a whopper, too."

"Great, I'll be over in five minutes."

"Okay, see ya then. Bye."

"Bye."

Trixie dropped the phone in its cradle and raced down stairs. "Moms, can I go to Honey's for awhile?"

"Sure, but be back before supper."

"I will." Trixie ran back up the stairs, and hurried to put on her raincoat and boots.  Soon she was racing towards Honey's house.

She arrived at the large and glamorous Manor House. She didn't bother ringing the doorbell, she simply pulled a brick and grabbed the spare key to unlock the door. She hid the key back in its hiding place and entered.

"Honey!" she called.

Honey paraded down the stairs, with some other friends and members of their club, the Bob-Whites of the Glen, Chelsea Phipps and Di Lynch.

"Hi guys!" Trixie greeted, hanging her coat up. Chelsea put her finger to her lip to hush her. "What?" Trixie whispered.

"Listen," Di said.

Trixie paused.  She heard the piano being played. "Who is that?"

"That's my cousin, Archibald," Honey answered.

"Archibald?" Trixie repeated, and listened to the playing some more.

"Yes, don't worry, he won't bother us."

"How old is he?"

"Eleven, but if you look at him, he sure doesn't seem that way," Di replied.

"Gleeps, he's not!"

"Not what?" All three girls chorused.

"A Mart!"

"No, no, no," Honey said quickly.

"Whew, we have one Mart and he's enough."

"Well, we better get going."

"Where are we going?"

"To the mystery!" Chelsea grinned.

"Gleeps! I nearly forgot!"

"Come on, or we'll never make it back before dark," Di urged.

Every girl grabbed her rain slicker and hat, and they quietly left the large house and Archibald. They ran to the bike rack. The rain kept on pouring down on them.

"Not in the rain!" Di begged. "We can go some other time!"

"There is and will never be no time like the present," Chelsea answered.

"Okay, but it will be hard peddling in the mud!"

"Come on, Di. We've got 'All Terrain' tires! And besides, I'm dying to find out what this mystery is!" Trixie told her.

"O-okay."

Honey led the girls down a muddy path to an abandoned corner of the Wheeler game preserve. It was brushy and deeply wooded.

"This is impossible!" Chelsea cried out.

"I want to go home!" Di yelled.

"Don't act like a five year old," Trixie snapped. She saw how hurt Di was. "I'm sorry. It isn't much further right?"

"Nope," Honey said with a twinkle in her eye.

She pulled some brush away, and led them through a very narrow path, just as lightening blazed through the sky, and loud thunder crashed nearby.

Di screamed. Chelsea covered Di's mouth. "Shhhh."

Di nodded and they continued down the path. They walked and rode their bikes in single file for about an half-hour.  The rain didn't let up, but the trees overhead gave them some shelter.

"Do you know where we are going?" Di asked tiredly.

"Yes, we are almost there."  Honey was right.   Five minutes later they were at the 'mystery'.

"Wow!" Trixie said.  She parked her bike against a tree and so did the others.

"Wow is right!" Chelsea stated.

"It's gorgeous."

"Isn't it?" Honey inquired.

"How'd you know it was here?"

"A legend I heard a long time ago."

They stood before a large three-story house, covered in ivy with peeling paint and windows boarded up.  It appeared to be from the turn of the century.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna to explore," Trixie said barely containing her excitement.

"All right, Trix, we're with you. Like always!" Honey stated.

All four girls ran to the porch to escape the rain which was coming down harder now.  The sheets of rain formed a barrier between the house and it surroundings.

"Wow. You can barely see the bikes!" Chelsea noted.

Trixie grabbed the doorknob; it turned, but didn't open. She pushed against it with all her weight and it finally gave way.

They entered and found everything covered in dust and grime.   There were cobwebs and torn pictures hung from the walls.

Di shrieked as she felt something brush against her skin. "Oh, it's just a cobweb," she said, relieved.

"Hopefully, no spiders in it," Trixie teased. Di made a face at her..

"Can you believe this place?" Honey inquired, as they entered the would-be kitchen. Trixie went over to the sink and examined the pump.

"Hey, everyone, take a look at this," Trixie called. The rest of the girls rushed over to her side.

"What, Trix?" Di questioned.

"On the faucet of this thing, there is no rust."

"Yes, so?"

"Someone has been here and cleaned the sink."

"Why did they have to clean it?"

"So they wouldn't drink rusty water, of course!" Chelsea supplied.

"Chelsea, you're right. We may not be the only ones here."

Honey looked at Trixie who looked at Di who looked at Chelsea who looked at Honey. "I don't want to stay here any longer!" Di cried.

"Shh. It's okay," Trixie comforted. "We could be wrong."

"Most likely not," Chelsea said.

As they stood looking at one another, they heard footsteps above them.

Di stifled a scream.

"Is it ghosts?" Chelsea questioned.

"No, ghosts don't drink water," said Trixie.

"Then what is it?"

"Probably the storm," suggested Honey.

"Okay," Trixie said. "Di andChelsea, you stay down here.  Honey and I will explore up stairs."

"We will?" Honey asked, suddenly very afraid.

"Why not just leave?" Di suggested.

"We have to find out what it is," Trixie replied.

"Why don't we all go?" Chelsea said. "There is safety in numbers."

Trixie nodded. "Okay, come on. Let me go first to see if the stairs are safe. You never know in these old houses."

Trixie took a deep breath and climbed the first step.  It was solid;  she let out a sigh.  She continued climbing and the others slowly followed.  Di went up last. As she placed a foot onto the eighth step,  it let out a moan. Di froze.

"Come on, Di!" encouraged Trixie.

"I'm too scared!" Di cried.  Suddenly, the stair gave way and Di was swallowed up by the collapsing wood.

"Di!" Honey screamed.

 

Chapter Two

The dust of the stairs cleared.  The three girls stared down in horror at the black hole.

"Di! Can you hear me?" Honey called.

There was no reply.

"Di!" Chelsea screamed.

"Please answer!" Trixie begged.

There was a moan.

"Di, are you okay?"

"I-I-I don't know. I can't move my legs!" Di sobbed.

"Stay calm. We'll get help."

"Hurry!"

"Trixie, how can we get help?" asked Chelsea. "The storm is getting stronger by the minute.  Besides, we can't even get down from here!"

"Honey, stay here.  Chelsea, follow me."

Chelsea and Trixie opened some doors and found a bedroom.   Trixie pulled the sheets off the bed, coughing as dust filled the air.  She tore them into lengthwise strips.

"What are you doing?" Chelsea asked.

"We can't go get help unless we get down. So you are going to climb out a window and get help."

"Me?"

"Yep, unless you want to end up underneath the stairs."

"Okay, I'll go," Chelsea said.

Trixie began knotting the sheets tightly into a rope. She tied one end to the bedpost and dragged the rest to the window. The rain was coming down hard still. The roof was slanted, but it looked sturdy.  She tried to open the window.

"It's stuck," she groaned.

"Good grief!" Chelsea exclaimed.

"Get back, Chelsea!" Trixie shouted. She grabbed a chair by its leg which promptly fell off in her hand. "Gosh," she said, startled. She went to the window and hit it with the leg of the chair; glass flew everywhere. "All right, Chelsea. Time to go."

"O-okay." Chelsea stepped out onto the roof clutching the sheet.  With Trixie's help, she was gently lowered until she had both feet on firm ground. She ran to her bike, led it to the path, and began peddling through the mud.

Trixie ran back to Honey. "Chelsea has gone to get help."

"What a relief!" Honey sighed.

"How's Di?"

"She calmed down. But we need to find out what's wrong."

"Okay, I'll be back."

Trixie ran to the bedroom and returned with the rope of sheets.

"Help me down."

"Trixie, you're kidding?"

"No, we need to see if Di is okay. Help might take an hour or two if this weather holds up. Tie the sheet to the stairwell and let me down."

"Okay," Honey replied and tied the sheet.

Trixie was safely lowered to the ground.

"Di?" Trixie whispered.

"Trix-Trixie?"

"How are you holding out?"

"Okay, my leg hurts."

"No wonder! There's a two by four on it."

"Ohhhhhh," Di moaned.

"Let me see if there is a light or something down here." Trixie felt around and she found a flashlight with fresh batteries. "What do you know? A flashlight in a house this old? Seems inconceivable."

"You're beginning to sound like Mart!" Di laughed.

Mart was Trixie's almost-twin brother whose love for big words was sometimes contagious; after all, Nick Roberts now had the problem.

Trixie switched the flashlight on.  To her surprise the beam of light revealed desks with high-tech computers, short wave radios, and maps of the world.  "What in the world?"

Di looked around at all she could see. "Trixie, what is all this stuff?"

"Di, I'll tell you later. Right now, we got to get out of here."

Trixie somehow managed to lift the beam off Di's leg. It looked like she had sustained only a slight fracture, but, of course, a doctor would have to confirm it. Trixie made a splint out of two pieces of wood and part of the sheet. Di stood up with Trixie's help.

"Di, grab the rope. Honey will pull you up."

"Okay..."

Di did as Trixie asked, and soon she was resting up on the second story.

 

Chelsea peddled hard, she could barely see what was in front of her, the rain was getting colder it seemed. Chelsea kept on talking to herself. "Maybe, maybe this is a dream. Maybe, I'm actually in my warm bed on Chestnut Log Road. I'm sleeping and just imagining this."

Chelsea peddled as hard as she could when suddenly her chain locked up on her. Chelsea and her bike tumbled to the ground.

 

 

Chapter Three

Trixie, Di, and Honey sat on the second story, a large hole separating them from the rest of the stairs.

The rain thundered down on the roof and the roaring thunder made the house shake.

"This is ridiculous!" Honey giggled, trying to get Di to laugh.

"What I don't understand," Trixie mused, "are the footsteps up here.  The person who made them must still be up here with us."

"It is mysterious!" Honey agreed.

"I'm going to take a look around."

"Oh, please be careful!"

"I will, don't worry."

Trixie opened a door and looked around.  There was nothing unusual. She went to another room and saw the window was open. Odd, she thought.   She walked over to the window to investigate and felt a hand clamp over her mouth. Trixie let out a muffled scream.

After a terrifying moment, the hand let go and Trixie turned around to see the person it belonged to.

"Bernadette!"

"Trixie Belden. Isn't this a quaint little surprise?"

"What are you doing here?"

"What is it to you?" Bernadette asked back.

"The sheriff is still looking for you.  He'll find you."

"Ha! You think so?"

"Of course, he's the greatest sheriff in the whole world!" Trixie exclaimed loyally.

"He's the greatest sheriff in the whole world!" A man mimicked as he entered.

"Put her in the van."

"What are we going to do with her?"

"What do you think?" Bernadette snapped.

"Oh."

He stuffed a neckerchief in her mouth and led her away from the direction of the  brokendown staircase.

Bernadette closely followed. The gruff man swung open a door that revealed another staircase.

I hope they don't know about Honey and Di!

 

Honey tried not to let Di think she was worried, Trixie hadn't returned and now the wind was rattling the windows. Honey sighed. She tried singing Home on the Range, but it didn't help.  She tried to strike up a conversation with Di, but Di was tired and in pain.

Minutes passed and then all of the sudden, a cold, wet hand touched Honey's shoulder. Honey screamed and a scream answered her.

She was face to face with a young black girl who was maybe eleven-years-old. She had curly black hair and beautiful brown eyes.

"W-who are you?" Honey asked.

"Me? My name's Latisha Phillips. What's yours?"

"I'm Honey Wheeler, and this is Diana Lynch."

"Hi! A pleasure to meet you!" Latisha exclaimed.

"You, too. May I ask what you are doing here?"

"Sure, you can! I was dared."

"How long have you been here?"

"Longer than you. I was waiting for the bad guys to leave before I came out."

"What do you know of them?"

"Only that they're plotting something terrible."

"What?"

"They were planning on robbing the Sleepyside bank."

"Trixie's dad works there!" Honey cried. "Have you seen a girl about our age, with sandy-colored hair and blue eyes?"

"Curly hair?"

"Yes!"

"I saw her go down the hall. I didn't see her come out." Latisha lowered her head.

"Oh no! What if something happened to her!" Di cried.

"Now, let's keep our heads. What would Trixie do in this situation?"

"Get help!" Di screamed.

"Latisha, do you know a way out?"

"Yes, I do. Follow me."

"We can't leave Di!"

"What's wrong with her?"

"Her leg may be fractured."

"It's best for her not to move, then. We can carry her out."

"Carry her?"

"Yes, we can do it." Latisha smiled at her new friend.

Honey and Latisha both lifted up Di and carried her to the hallway.

"You see that door at the end of the hall?"

"Yes."

"That's another stairwell."

"Marvelous.  Oh, but our friend Chelsea went to get help."

"We'll probably meet her on our way. Come on."

They carried her down the stairs with great effort.  The rain was still pouring down, but they were shielded under the porch.

"How are we going to get her help?" Honey asked.

"Improvise," Latisha answered.

Honey noticed that Latisha had a backpack.  The girl opened the bag and pulled out a yellow rain coat.

"Cover her waist with the raincoat like a skirt."

"Diana, you're gonna start a new fad!" Honey joked.

"Now, we need two straight branches." Latisha looked around; she ran off the porch and returned with two wet, but sturdy branches. Latisha stretched an aluminum blanket over it, and tied it with a few sailors' knots.

"Where did you get all this stuff?" Honey pondered.

"This is my dad's back pack, I borrowed it. The aluminum blanket is strong; it should hold her. She isn't to heavy."

Latisha finished the makeshift stretched by adding a blanket.   She smiled. "All right, Diana, get on!"

Honey helped Di lay down on the stretcher and then she and Latisha picked up different ends of it and began walking.

"Be careful, guys!" Di pleaded.

"Just stay calm, and everything will be fine!" Latisha ordered.

They made slow progress , but at it was working.

 

Trixie was lying in the back of a van in the same position she landed in when the gruff man tossed her. Her hands were bound behind her and her mouth was gagged. She managed to crawl to the back of the van where there were two small windows.  She peered out. They were going down Glen Road! Her road! She started kicking the sides of the van with her feet, trying to make as much noise as possible.

She knew it was a longshot, but maybe someone heard and would call the police.

I gotta get out of these ropes.  She looked around and discovered a small piece of glass on the floor. She crawled to it, and began cutting the ropes.  It took time, but she managed to break free.  She pulled the gag out of her mouth just as the van stopped.  She looked out the window and saw that she was right behind Sleepyside bank!

She heard a door close softly. She watched as Bernadette's thug sneaked around the side. Probably going to break in through the employees' entrance.

She searched the back of the van and found a wrench. She looked at the wrench, then at the window. She broke the window as quietly as she could and cleared the glass away.  Bernadette was still in the front of the van.

She poked her head out and tried opening the door. It was locked. She glanced around outside and saw the thug coming out of the door. She pulled her head back in quickly and stuffed her mouth with the gag. She hid the wrench and put her hands behind her back.

The door opened. The man examined the window and shrugged when he saw Trixie sitting in a corner. Not the brightest of men. I'm glad though! Trixie thought. He threw the bag of money in and slammed the door. Soon the van was on its way again. Trixie went to the window and poked her head out again, along with her arm, waving, trying to get someone to see her. No one noticed. She looked around and she picked up the gag.  It was red.

She waved it frantically and people gasped as they drove past.   Very soon, the police were following the van and the van sped up. Trixie fell back.

 

Honey and Latisha stopped, weary and filthy. They had been walking for thirty minutes carrying Di. They set the stretcher down on the ground and sat down on nearby rocks.

Di sat up, wincing with pain. "This is awfully sweet of you," Di told them when no one said anything.

"For goodness sakes! I'm worried about Trixie.  What if she's in grave danger, what if..." Honey began.

"What if you're just worrying?" Latisha interrupted.

"I... I'm sorry," Honey apologized. "I guess I lost my head for a moment."

"It's okay. We all do sometimes," Latisha said.

"I wonder where Chelsea is," Di thought aloud.

Lightning struck a nearby tree.  The girls screamed as a tree came crashing down. Chelsea came running from up the road covered head to toe in mud.

"Chelsea!" Honey cried.

"Are... you... guys... okay?" she said between deep breaths.

"Yes, what happened to you?" Di asked.

"My bike fell and I went with it.  I hit my head on a rock. I think I blacked out."

"Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah," Chelsea answered. "Fine, just fine."

Chelsea sat down on a rock and noticed Latisha.

"Who's that?"

"That's our new friend, Latisha Phillips. Latisha, this is Chelsea Phipps."

"Pleasure to meet you," Latisha said politely.

"Likewise."

"Where's Trixie?"

"We think, no, we know that she's been kidnapped.   That's why we left."

"Kidnapped! Gleeps!" Chelsea rose to her feet in astonishment. "I hope she's okay."

 

The van was now trying to shake the persistent officers. Trixie looked out the window and saw Sergeant Molinson driving his patrol car. Trixie couldn't help but smile. "This is kind of like a movie!" Trixie said with a laugh.

The van took a sharp right turn and Trixie was slammed against the side of the truck.

"Ow!" Trixie rubbed her shoulder. She could hear more sirens joining the chase and then the voice of Sergeant Molinson.

"This is Sergeant Molinson of the Sleepyside Police Department, pull over!"

The van came to a halt, throwing Trixie to the back of the van.

Officers ran by the van yelling, "Get out of the car! Hands behind your head!"

She heard the reassuring voice of Officer Spider Webster. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided for you at government expense," he recited.

The van doors opened and Trixie saw her father and Sergeant Molinson staring at her.

"Dad!" Trixie climbed out of the truck and into a hug.

"Trixie,  are you okay?"

"I'm fine. It's great to see you, Sad." She then hugged Sergeant Molinson. "Thank you."

"All in a day's work, young lady. Just don't do that again."

Trixie laughed. "I won't!"

 

Latisha, Honey, Chelsea, and Di were singing in their little circle as they waited for help. "Oh, give me a home, where the buffalo roam, and the deer and the antelope play!"

"Honey!" A voice called.

"What?" Honey whispered, trying to see where the voice came from.

"Chelsea!"

"Latisha!"

"Diana!" A woman screamed.

"They're looking for us!" Latisha cried happily. The girls began screaming and hollering.

The tired, but happy, faces of their parents and Trixie soon greeted them.

"Daddy, I'll never, ever do that again!" Latisha promised, hugging her father.

"You better not!" Mr. Phillips said to his only daughter.

"Trixie, who kidnapped you?" Honey questioned.

"Bernadette. Remember her? She and this thug robbed the Sleepyside bank."

"Why?"

"I'm guessing they're Russian spies in need of some funds."

"And it'd be best if they took the money from some out-of-the way place!"

"Exactly!"

It was decided that all the girls should be taken to the hospital to be checked for hypothermia while Diana and Chelsea were treated for their injuries. As they chattered in relief, Trixie slipped away from the others and headed back to the old run-down house with the mysterious basement, two stairways, and who knows what all.

She soon was in sight of the house. A light went on in a window. A shadowy figure appeared. Trixie's pulse skyrocketed. 

"Trixie!"

"Coming!" Trixie looked back at the house. The figure and light were gone.

That mystery will have to wait till next time.

The End

There may or may not be another sequel. We'll wait and see. ;)

TBH Main