Shadows of the Past - Image © FreeFoto.com
by GSDana

Originally published at Zap's Trixie FanFic Site July 24, 2000.

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Chapter Six:  Hunches and More Mysteries

Halfway through her dinner date, Trixie finally relaxed.  Despite the fact that Honey had urged Trixie to give Scott her phone number, now she seemed to have some kind of alliance with Jim, so Trixie wasn’t sure how Honey was going to react to an evening out with Scott.  And having her older brother out on a first date was a bit unnerving, even if it had been Trixie’s idea.  But Scott was getting along well with both Honey and Brian, and was obviously very intelligent and charming.  While Brian and Scott discussed the merits of med school versus law school, Honey leaned over to Trixie.  “I think he’s great.”

Trixie beamed at Honey.  She thought so, too.  Even she and Matt had not had as much in common as she and Scott did.  He might even turn out to be her dream man: handsome, intelligent, polite, charming, and without a tendency to lecture!  Trixie could definitely see herself with this guy.

Scott looked over at Trixie just then and winked.  Trixie blushed slightly and smiled back.  She definitely was looking forward to a second date—this time without chaperones!  She pushed the sudden thought of Jim from her mind—that boat had sailed, it was time to move on.

“So, after I finish up next year I have to decide,” Scott was saying.  “Do I strike out on my own or accept an offer at a large firm to gain some experience?  There are certainly advantages and disadvantages to each, but I have a year yet to decide.”

Brian nodded.  “That’s one decision that has been nicely taken care of for me.  I don’t have the agony of deciding to start my own practice or take a position with a hospital.  That was decided years ago.”

Scott raised his eyebrows. “Oh?”

“Honey’s brother recently opened a school for underprivileged boys in Sleepyside.  When I’ve finished my residency, I’m to be the house doctor,” Brian explained.

Scott looked impressed.  “Well I think that’s great.  Honey’s brother must feel lucky to have such a loyal friend come work for him.”

Honey nodded.  “Jim does feel lucky.  Especially since Brian and Trixie’s other brother is the school’s resident agriculturist and science teacher since earning his degree from Cornell.”

“What a family operation!  You all must be very close,” Scott commented.

Trixie smiled and explained that they all had been very close once.  “So close we formed our own semi-secret club when we were kids.  And now the members are getting married off, one by one.  Or I should say, two by two!”

Honey and Brian laughed, as Scott looked puzzled.  “My brother married another club member last year, and now Honey and Brian are engaged.”  Trixie explained.  “So now my two best friends are my sisters-in-law.  Or soon will be.”

Scott smiled.  “I see.”  He looked at Trixie, “You’re not secretly married or engaged to another club member are you?  Do I need to become a part of this club to ask for a second date?”

Trixie laughed self-consciously.  “No, not at all,” was all she could think to say.  Fortunately, the waiter arrived just then to ask them if they would care for any desserts.

Honey spoke up.  “I have been craving tiramisu lately.  Can I get an order of that please?”

“Of course, Miss.  Anyone else?”  The waiter looked expectantly at the other three.

After the other three decided on their desserts, the left the table to place their order.

Talk at the table stalled for a moment, until Scott turned to Trixie.  “Speaking of decisions, have you gotten any closer to making yours yet?”

Before Trixie could reply, Brian jumped in.  “What decision is that, Trix?”

Scott looked embarrassed at Brian’s words.  “I’m sorry, I wouldn’t have said anything if you hadn’t known.  Please forgive me, Trixie.”

Trixie waved him off.  “It’s no big deal, Scott.  I just haven’t seen my brother lately in order to tell him, that’s all.”  Trixie took a deep breath while Brian looked at her expectantly.  “The FBI has offered me a job, so I guess I’m in the same kind of boat as Scott.  I need to decide whether to take the position with them, or start the Belden-Wheeler Detective Agency with Honey.”

Brian looked at Honey.  “Are you okay with this?”  As much as he hated the thought of Honey possibly finding herself in danger, he certainly would never even think of trying to stop her from pursuing her childhood dream.  He never would have thought that it might actually be his sister who put a halt on their plans.

Honey nodded.  “Of course.  Hallie and I can open the agency if Trixie decides to go to  Washington  .  I’m still going right ahead with obtaining my PI license.”

Brian looked startled.  “  Washington?  You mean it’s not even a job at the New York field office?”

Trixie shook her head.  “No, I would be moving back down to  Washington  for at least the next two or three years, if I accept.  There may be a spot sometime down the line in New York, but for now I would be at headquarters.”

Scott looked proudly at Trixie.  “This woman must really know her stuff if they want her that bad.  I’m very impressed with your sister, Brian.”

Trixie blushed and tried to smile graciously; accepting compliments had never been her strong point.  Brian, on the other hand, was starting to fully comprehend the fact that his sister had grown up, that she was already considered accomplished by specialists in her field, and that men—in this case Scott—saw her as a very attractive woman.  When did that happen?  Brian wondered.

“Brian, if you don’t mind, I’m waiting to tell Moms and Dad about the FBI offer until later.  And if I decide not to take it, I probably won’t tell them at all, okay?”  Trixie was saying.

Brian nodded.  “I won’t mention it to them.  Does Mart know?”

Trixie shook her head.  “I asked Di not to tell him until I had a chance to.”

Scott looked rueful.  “And here I shoot my big mouth off to your other brother.  I’m really sorry, Trix.”

“Don’t be silly!  I was going to tell him, I just hadn’t gotten a chance yet.  And if I was that concerned, I would have told you not to bring it up.  Please don’t worry about it anymore,” Trixie admonished.

Scott looked relieved.  “Your wish is my command,” he said as the desserts arrived.

The four took one look at the tempting desserts and dug in with gusto, the conversation dropped.

After dinner, Honey suggested a walk through Sleepyside.  The early summer night was balmy, and the sky twinkled with stars.  Trixie wanted nothing more than to stroll through town with Scott and readily agreed to her friend’s suggestion.  Honey took Brian’s hand and the couple walked a few paces ahead of Trixie and Scott.

Scott took Trixie’s hand.  “I’m having a wonderful time.”

“Me too,” Trixie admitted with a smile.  “Have you been able to see much of Sleepyside since you’ve been here?”

Scott nodded.  “A little bit.  I’ve seen Town Hall with its unique grasshopper weathervane.”

“That’s Hoppy.  He was a gift from the same coppersmith who designed the one for Faneuil Hall in  Boston.  With one small exception, Hoppy has sat on the top of Town Hall for over two hundred years,” Trixie loved telling the history of the copper weathervane she loved so much.

“One exception?”  Scott inquired.

“Well, two actually.  He was brought down for recoppering at the turn of the century, and then a few years ago, he was stolen,” Trixie explained.

“But the town got him back?”

Trixie smiled.  “The town got him back and he was recoppered before he was replaced on his perch.”

Scott looked at her inquiringly.  “Why do I have a feeling that you were instrumental in getting him back?”

“Well, it wasn’t so much me as it was all of the Bob-Whites,” Trixie said modestly.

“The Bob-Whites?”  Scott looked puzzled.

“Sorry.  The club we told you about earlier was called the Bob-Whites of the Glen.”

“Ah, I see.  And they were your partners in mystery solving when you were younger,” Scott deduced.

“We did have a lot of great adventures when we were younger.  Mysteries just seemed to fall into our laps.  Then we all went off to different colleges and the mysteries weren’t quite so frequent.”

“But you managed to scare some up while you were in college?”  Scott asked.

Trixie nodded.  “Diana, who you met the other night, has an uncle who owns a dude ranch out in  Arizona.  He was having a little trouble with some sabotage so he invited us out to investigate one summer.  Honey, Di, my brother Mart, and another club member named Dan all went out to help him out.”

“And you caught the guy?”  Scott looked intrigued and proud at the same time as he looked at Trixie.

“It was a competing rancher who was an amateur at being a criminal.  He left all sorts of clues behind and it only took a very short time to gather the evidence and get him to confess,” Trixie informed him.

“Interesting.  What other kinds of cases did you solve?”  Scott was curious as to how one woman had such a penchant for finding and solving mysteries.

“Do you mean in college?  Or when I was still in high school?”

“College, high school, both, either.  I guess your friends told me a few of your high school tales last weekend at the brewpub.  Why don’t you tell me some of your college adventures?”

“Okay,” Trixie agreed.  “The most recent case was during my senior year.  Someone was embezzling money from Honey’s roommate’s sorority.  Everyone thought it was the treasurer, which would be logical, but it turns out it was the president, and she was framing the treasurer.  She was pretty crafty. 

 “During our freshman year, Honey and I stayed at Cornell with my brother Mart during spring break.  There were a lot of break-ins and thefts in Mart’s dorm his sophomore year.  Turned out to be the maintenance man who had a key, but tried to make it look as though someone was breaking in.  When he was doing maintenance, he’d case the rooms to see which ones were worth robbing.  Then he’d make himself busy in the hallway, pretending to do repair work like changing light bulbs and such, and wait for the kids to leave their rooms to go to class.  Nobody really notices maintenance men working; they kind of become fixtures.  As soon as they were gone, he’d take his toolbox in, use it to carry out small but valuable stuff, like jewelry, and then make it look like the lock had been jimmied before he left.  If anyone caught him in the room, he used his maintenance position as an explanation.”

“And you went up there at your brother’s request and figured it out,” Scott stated, no small amount of admiration in his voice.

Trixie shrugged.  “I was glad to help.”

By this time, Honey and Brian had gotten far ahead.  Scott stopped, right in front of town hall as it happened, and looked into Trixie’s eyes.  “I think you are an amazing woman, and I would like to see more of you, is that okay?”

Trixie nodded and then suddenly Scott’s lips were on hers and she was enjoying his kiss immensely.  Trixie got lost in the wonderful feeling of his soft lips on hers and the feel of his strong hands running through her hair.  She could feel the electricity between them as the kiss deepened, a wonderful dizziness surrounding her.  Too soon she heard someone clearing her throat nearby.

“I hate to break this up, but Brian has an early morning tomorrow, so we were going to head back to the car,” Honey said, an amused twinkle in her eye.

Trixie was glad it was dark so that her friend and brother couldn’t see the blush she knew was creeping into her cheeks.  Twenty-two years old and I still blush at every little thing!  She thought.  Out loud she said, “Sure, Honey, we were just waiting for you and Brian.”

Trixie walked back to the car, hand in hand with Scott, feeling happier than she had in a long time.  The feeling followed her all the way home and into her dreams.

Saturday morning she awoke refreshed and happy.  She entered the kitchen humming softly to herself and was greeted with the delicious smells of Mrs. Belden’s cooking.  “Do I smell sausage and waffles?”

Bobby piped up.  “You sure do.  Mart and Di and Honey are on their way to have a special breakfast with us.”

Trixie looked at her mother.  “What’s the occasion?”

“Since Brian is in for the weekend, I thought it would be nice to have a big breakfast, just like it used to be, that’s all.”

“But Brian was here for a whole week just last week,” Trixie stated.

Moms sighed.  “Trixie, it may not be a big deal to you, but for the last several years it has been rare when I have had all four of my kids in one place.  Just because it happens to happen twice in a row, doesn’t mean I’m not going to be thankful or think it’s not special.”

“You win, Moms, I know you’ve missed us all,” Trixie said as she headed to the refrigerator to get out the milk and orange juice for everyone.

Breakfast was a loud and noisy affair, and Mrs. Belden was glad to see all four of her “babies” around the table.  As much as it had sometimes tried her patience when the kids were younger, she actually enjoyed their friendly bickering and bantering now.  It was nice to have a full house again, even if it was temporary. 

 “Trixie, would you mind terribly if I left you with this mess?  I just realized the time.  Your father and I have to take Bobby into town for his dentist appointment and run some errands,” Mrs. Belden stated, after dishes had been cleared of waffles, sausages, hash browns, and fruit salad.

 “Have I ever had a problem doing the dishes?”  Trixie asked mischievously, a twinkle in her eye.  “But you know, when I make my first million, I’m buying you an electric dishwasher!”

 “That’ll be the day!”  Helen laughed.

 The elder Beldens left with Bobby, and the gang all chipped in to set the kitchen to rights.  Just as they had dried the last dish, the phone rang.  Trixie went to answer it as everyone else headed for the large family room.  Trixie joined them a few minutes later, disappointment in her eyes.

“What gives, Trix?”  Mart wanted to know.

“That was Captain Molinson.  The results of the fingerprints are in.  Not one of the cans had any on them.  There were two sets on the bottle of tequila—both of them belonging to people who work at the liquor store in town.  That’s what took so long. Neither set matched anything in the database, so Molinson checked the employees at the liquor store on the off chance that it was actually bought there and the prints might match.  One of the guys had a couple of days off, so they had to wait for him to come in to get printed.  He was one of the matches, the other was the stock boy,” Trixie told the group sitting at the table.

“So what does that mean?”  Brian asked.

“Who knows?  If the intruder had wiped the bottle clean to get rid of his own prints, he would have gotten rid of all of the prints, including the store personnel.  It sounds as though he might have done that with the cans, since there were absolutely none on them, but I don’t know how to explain the lack of the intruder’s prints on the bottle,” Trixie sat down, lost in thought.

“Could one of the store personnel be the intruder?”  Mart asked.

“I doubt it.  I asked that same question of Molinson, but he had done a little research.  The stock boy lives with his parents and the clerk’s wife says her husband has spent the night at home every night going months back.  Plus, neither of them smokes.  It just doesn’t make sense.  The bread wrapper indicates it was recent, but it certainly hasn’t been glove weather recently.  I could understand the lack of prints in the winter, but not in June!”  Trixie concluded.

“We never were sure that the bread wrapper was from the intruder,” Honey said.

“Jim asked around,” Trixie informed her. “Bill insists that he was the only one who actually entered the building.  Just to be sure, he talked to his crew, and they all denied bringing that brand of bread to work at all, let alone to the barn.  I also interviewed Bill and the crew myself and I’m convinced that it must have been from the intruder.”

“What about the possibility that it was one of the students?”  Honey rationalized.

“That’s a possibility, but I’m beginning to think that it was an outsider, not someone from inside the school, and that it was more than just a random event.  Whoever stayed in that barn knew the area.  And furthermore, I don’t think they cared if it was discovered that they were staying there,” Trixie said, almost to herself.

“What are you basing that assumption on?”  Brian wanted to know.

“Mostly a hunch,” Trixie admitted.  “But if it was a random tramp, I think there would have been fingerprints.  Whoever it was didn’t want his identity known.  But he didn’t care to hide several days worth of cigarette butts and food cans, either.”

“You have a point,” Brian acknowledged.

“What’s next?”  Diana finally spoke up.

Trixie shrugged.  “I don’t know.  I guess I’ll head up to Ten Acres and talk this latest info over with Jim.  Would he be at his office on a Saturday or at home?”  She asked Honey.

“He’s probably at the cottage.  Do you want me to go with you?”  Honey asked.

“No, that’s okay.  I can handle Jim on my own these days,” Trixie said with a smile.  She headed upstairs to change out of her sweats, knowing that she would probably be a topic of discussion as soon as she was out of earshot; she was right.

“So what gives with her and Jim, Honey?”  Mart wanted to know.

“They’re finally civil to each other,” Honey answered.

“How did her date with Scott go last night?”  Di asked.

Surprise registered on Mart’s face.  “Trixie had a date last night?”

Brian nodded.  “Yeah, they doubled with Honey and I.”

“You possessed erudition of this momentous occasion and retained said knowledge from thine sagacious, favored sibling, namely me?”  Mart did his best to appear the wounded younger brother.

“Yes, Mart, I knew and didn’t tell you.  Scott goes to Georgetown Law, he seemed like a really great guy,” Brian informed the group.

“He is a really nice guy—and handsome, too!”  Di grinned.

Et tu, Brutus?”  Mart pretended to clutch a dagger in his heart.

“Oh stop it!  I met him last weekend, and he did seem like a great guy.  Jim and Trixie were way on the outs, so we thought we should encourage a little romance in her life,” Diana smacked at Mart, willing him to be serious for once.

“But now she’s getting along fairly well with Jim,” Brian observed.

Honey smiled ruefully.  “Don’t I know it!  I thought that Scott could take her mind off of Jim and his distance and then bam! the day after she meets Scott, Jim does an about face.  I’m getting very confused in my matchmaking strategies!”

Brian put his arm around his fiancée.  “Why don’t you take a break from the matchmaking and let Trixie choose,” he said as he kissed her.

“What can Trixie choose?”  Trixie herself wanted to know as she re-entered the room wearing her favorite white denim shorts and a snug light blue scoop neck top.

Everyone present jumped when they realized she was in the room.

Honey, never good at fibs, tried to stammer out an answer.  Trixie knew exactly what they were talking about and decided to have some fun while they squirmed.

“What to do, what to do?”  She said in a blasé voice. “Scott or Jim?  Jim or Scott?”  Then she laughed at the dumbfounded looks on her friends’ faces.  “That’ll teach you to meddle in someone’s personal life and then talk about it behind her back.  Serves you right!”

She was still chuckling as she walked up the path to Ten Acres, knowing her friends wanted to discuss her, but were probably convinced she had superpower hearing abilities and were afraid to get caught again.

She knew exactly why Honey had nudged her toward Scott.  She didn’t even mind—she hadn’t had a date since her disastrous last dinner with Matt.  It was fun to go out with Scott. And as for Jim… Trixie sighed, trying to sort out her muddled feelings.  She enjoyed being with Scott, there was no history, no landmines to avoid, as there was with Jim.  But Jim was…well, Jim was Jim.  Despite the fact that not all of it was good, she did love having a history with Jim.  She loved that she had watched him change from a scared runaway to a beloved son and brother to a sexy college guy to the upstanding school director that he was today.  But their friendship right now was tenuous at best.  They were getting along better, that was true, but if Jim wanted more than a friendship, he certainly wasn’t letting on.  Why should she toss the possibility of something with Scott when she didn’t know where she stood with Jim?  But what if her feelings for Jim got in the way of her relationship with Scott, as they had with Matt?

Argh!  Belden, knock it off.  One date does not a relationship make, and Jim has given you no indication that he wants anything more than a friendship.  Take things day by day!

That resolved, Trixie walked up to Jim’s cottage and knocked soundly on the front door.

“Hey, Trix!”  Jim greeted her when he opened the door.  “I got off the phone with Molinson not too long ago.  He said he was going to call you with the results, so I was hoping you’d show up.  Come on in.”

Trixie stepped inside the entry hall and looked around.  “This is really nice, Jim.”

“That’s right; I’d forgotten you’ve never seen the place.  Would you like a tour?”

“I’d love one,” Trixie said simply.

As Jim took her through the homey cottage, Trixie couldn’t help but note it certainly didn’t look as though a bachelor lived there.  Everything was neat and in order.  The family room was masculine, but not overly so, done in forest green and deep blue and Trixie fell in love with the kitchen, done in bright, sunny yellow.  Copper pots gleamed above her head.

Jim saw the look of surprise on Trixie face as she looked up at them.  “My mom, Katje, always had copper pots in her kitchen,” he said almost shyly.  Trixie nodded in understanding and they continued the tour.  Jim’s den, with its bookshelves filled with books, was impressive and the dining room was furnished with an antique table and chairs, as well as an antique china hutch.  Trixie loved the character of the room.

Upstairs Trixie discovered a master suite complete with its own bathroom and walk-in closet.  She loved the beamed ceilings and said so.  Jim smiled, happy that she approved.  The second floor also held another bathroom and two empty rooms, both carpeted in a rich forest green.  Trixie looked in the rooms and turned to Jim, a question in her eyes.

Jim avoided her gaze and looked away.  “You just never know when you’re going to need an extra storage room or two.”

Trixie smiled, pretending to go along with his explanation, but Jim had built this house with a family in mind, of that she had no doubt.  She hated herself for thinking it, but the thought would not be stopped.  Was he thinking of me when he designed this house?

“Well,” she said a little too brightly.  “Shall we sit down and discuss our next move?”

Jim went along with the charade.  “Yep, we can have a cup of coffee in the kitchen, if you’d like, or we can take them outside onto the deck.”

“It’s such a beautiful day, let’s sit out on the deck,” she decided.

“Your wish is my command,” Jim grinned and hurried into the kitchen to get the coffee.

Trixie wandered out onto the deck through the family room.  That’s twice in less than twenty-four hours that I’ve heard that. Well then, I wish I knew what I wanted!

Trixie sat down at the wood table that Jim had obviously built at the same time he built the deck; it matched the style so well it blended in with the deck in a harmonious fashion.  He’s done a wonderful job with the house, Trixie couldn’t help but think.

Jim joined her then with two steaming mugs of coffee and the two began to plan.

“Have there been signs of an intruder elsewhere?” Trixie asked.

Jim shook his head as he sipped his coffee.  Trixie took a drink of hers, realizing that Jim had put in the exact amount of sugar she required.  He remembers how much sugar I take in my coffee, she thought with wonder, suddenly realizing that Jim was speaking to her.

“I’m sorry, Jim, what was that?”  Trixie had to ask.

“I’ve had extra patrols going since we discovered it, and we’ve turned up nothing.”

Trixie was silent for a moment.  “Well, maybe my theory was wrong.”  She then explained the theory she had come up with about the intruder knowing the area and the logic behind it.  “But if you haven’t found any more signs of things amiss, than maybe it was just a tramp that needed a place to crash for a couple of nights.”

Just then, Bill came up the deck stairs.  “Morning, Mr. Frayne, Ma’am.  Sorry to disturb you, but there’s been more signs of the intruder.”

Trixie and Jim looked at each other, startled.  The timing of Bill’s message couldn’t have been eerier.  “Where?”  Jim demanded.

“Down in the school’s boathouse,” came the reply.

Trixie looked to Jim for an explanation.  “Mom and Dad let me use their lake to teach the boys swimming and boating and for recreation.  I built my own boathouse and dock, though, at the opposite end of the lake from where theirs stand.”

“So, this intruder is on the Wheelers’ property, but in the school’s boathouse.  Coincidence?”  Trixie wondered.

Jim’s jaw tensed.  “Let’s go find out.”

Once again there was a pile of cigarette butts, the same brand that was found in the barn, and more empty food cans.  Most importantly, there was another bread bag with the distinct logo of the same brand that they had found in the barn.  “Dated next week,” Trixie proclaimed upon examining it.  Trixie looked for other clues in and around the boathouse.  She discovered that the lock was expertly picked, but other than that she could find no other clues.

She turned to Bill.  “When was the last time this was used?”

“Summertime swim and boating lessons were due to start Monday.  That’s why I came down here today, to get the place ready,” Bill stated.  He had liked this girl immediately when they had first met the previous week.  She was straightforward, intelligent, and obviously very capable.  Bill wondered if the rumors were true that Jim and she had been high school sweethearts; if it was true, he thought Jim a fool for letting her get away.

“This says to me more and more that this person knows the school’s routine.  He knew that other barn was only used in the fall and he appeared to know that this boathouse, despite it’s location on the Wheeler property, belonged to the school and wasn’t currently in use.  Are you sure no one who works at the school could be doing this?”  Trixie wanted to know.

Jim and Bill looked at each other.  Both were good judges of character, for the most part, and both trusted the other’s ability to hire good help.  Jim always consulted Bill before hiring anybody onto the crew, and Bill had faith that Jim wouldn’t hire anybody less than trustworthy.  None of the crew appeared unhappy—Jim was a fair boss and paid his employees well.  They had great benefits, too. Although it certainly wasn’t outside the realm of possibility, neither man had an easy time believing that someone at the school was doing this.  Each man explained his feelings to Trixie.

Trixie herself had faith in Jim’s ability to judge his employees, and she instinctively liked Bill from the first moment she met him.  Plus, her gut was telling her that this was someone with an axe to grind with the school, but not an insider at the school itself.

“Well, let’s go call Molinson and get some more prints analyzed,” Trixie stated, heading back toward Ten Acres.  “We’ll have to tell Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler, since it occurred on their property.  They might want to set up a patrol, but I doubt this person will return to the boathouse.  I don’t think he’ll bother the Wheelers, either.”

Jim agreed, and the three walked back to the school grounds in troubled silence.

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