by GSDana

Originally published at Zap's Trixie FanFic Site August 15, 2000.

Wannabe Author’s Note:  I must confess I have very little knowledge of the process of legal appeals and parole, so if my description of Dick’s parole situation is incorrect and/or impossible, please willfully suspend your disbelief! :)  Thanks to everyone who has been so encouraging about this story.

Chapter Nine: Revelations

At  6:45 the next evening, Trixie sat at the kitchen table at Crabapple Farm waiting for Scott to pick her up for their Friday night date.  Trixie still didn’t know where they were going, despite the fact that she had asked Scott several times.  He just got a happy, mysterious voice and told her to dress casual and trust him to show her a good time.  Trixie knew that Scott’s refusal to tell her where they were going would worry her friends, so she simply told them that she was going out with Scott and left it at that.  Diana and Honey were happy for her, but she could tell that none of the male members of the Bob-Whites completely trusted Scott.  She also knew that Honey had apparently had some words with them because not one of them had tried to talk her out of her decision to go ahead with her date, even after receiving not just one, but two bouquets of flowers that day.

Trixie’s mind wandered to this latest development.  The stalker was getting clever.  He had visited two large shops in  Connecticut the day before and had paid extra to have her flowers delivered from Tarrytown, instead of sending the order to the Sleepyside Florist, where Alice was on the alert.  Fortunately, this made him easier to trace, because the florists at both shops remembered the sender due to the special request.  Unfortunately, he had obviously anticipated this because one florist described the sender as a young boy of about seventeen or eighteen, with blond hair and blue eyes.  The second florist described an older woman, about fifty years old, with gray hair.  The boy had ordered a dozen roses, eight white and four red.  The woman had ordered seven white roses and five red roses.  Neither had chosen to leave a message; the messages had been phoned in to the local flower shop.

The Tarrytown florist had been surprised to see two similar orders come in from Connecticut for the same person all the way in Sleepyside, but had figured that his job was to arrange and deliver the flowers, not question why.  After speaking with both Trixie and the Sleepyside police, he was now aware of the situation, but everyone involved knew that chances were slim that the Tarrytown flower shop would be receiving any more orders for Trixie.  Whoever this person was, they were being very careful about covering their tracks.

The cleverness of the “stalker,” as everyone was now openly referring to him as, the escalating delivery of the flowers, and the increasing ominous-ness of the notes was now becoming truly frightening. 

Trixie’s thoughts inevitably turned to the most recent messages.

Trixie thought she was so smart
Putting me away
Well now my little girl
It’s your turn to pay

Plotting and planning
Calculating and scheming
Patiently waiting
Until I leave you screaming

Trixie shuddered involuntarily, thinking of the bouquets slowly turning red.  She had an idea what that meant, but she refused to let that thought fully surface.  Despite the fact that the messages were threatening, she did feel grateful for the information that this was someone that she and the Bob-Whites had helped put away.  That made her more determined than ever to learn every detail she could about every criminal she had ever helped send to prison.

 She then wondered how that florist guy in  Tarrytown  could actually calmly write out those messages and send them to her.  Was he that stupid?  He already admitted that it was a suspicious order, how could threatening poems not make him contact the authorities?  Trixie briefly wondered if he might actually be in on the stalking, but quickly dismissed that idea.  When she had talked to him she had gotten the impression that he hadn’t been that bright to begin with.

Trixie saw Scott’s car pull up the lane and vowed not to worry about the stalker that evening.  She wanted a normal life, with a normal date, and she was determined to go out tonight and forget about the chaos her life was in.  Her heart fluttered as she walked down toward Scott’s car and watched him walk toward her.  He really is handsome, she thought, not for the first time.  She saw the grin light up his face when he saw her and could not help but smile in return.  If anybody had the ability to make her relax and have a good time, Scott was definitely the one.

He gave her a quick hug and looked into her bright blue eyes.  “I’d love to kiss you right now, but I’m sure those windows are full of prying eyes,” Scott said tenderly.

Trixie gave him a devilish grin.  “Then let’s give them something to look at!”

Scott obliged with a sweet kiss and Trixie could feel all of her worries slip away.  “Now will you tell me where we’re going,” Trixie begged when the kiss was over.

Scott’s melodious laugh filled the air.  “Has anyone ever told you that curious might as well be your middle name?”

“A couple of times,” Trixie grinned.

“I bet the suspense has been killing you,” Scott teased.

“Yes, it has as a matter of fact!”

“Well, let’s get going so that I can put you out of your misery,” Scott placed his hand on her back and led her to his car.  Trixie turned and waved at the house, not seeing anyone, but knowing that Bobby, Moms, and Dad were probably watching her leave on her date.

Scott drove north on  Albany Post Road  , changing the subject every time Trixie asked where they were going.  Just when Trixie was starting to get annoyed, and, although she wouldn’t admit it to herself, a little worried, Scott pulled his car into a local park.

He cut the engine and turned to Trixie.  “We’re here.”

Trixie looked out the window.  “A park?”

Scott unhooked his seatbelt and put his arms around Trixie.  “Not just any park.  I discovered this park the other day and knew immediately that I wanted to show it to you.  It has a wonderful view of the river, so I packed a very romantic dinner that we could eat while enjoying the Hudson River.”

Trixie was beside herself with contentedness.  What a wonderfully romantic gesture!  All she could do was lean forward to give Scott a long, lingering kiss.  Kissing Scott was quickly becoming one of her favorite pastimes.

Finally, Scott pulled away and kissed the tip of Trixie’s pert nose.  “Let’s go eat, Sunshine.”

Trixie helped carry the picnic baskets and blanket to the top of a bluff overlooking the  Hudson.  “Scott, you’re amazing!  This is an incredible view and I never even knew this was here.”

“Well, I was just driving around, trying to acquaint myself to the area, and quite accidentally came upon it.  A pretty serendipitous discovery, wouldn’t you say?”

Trixie nodded and began to set up the blanket on the soft grass that ran almost to the edge of the bluff.  She was careful not to set it too close to the edge though, having learned how thin the shelf near a bluff could be when she was a teenager.

Scott began unpacking the baskets and Trixie could not believe the feast that lay before her.  There was Brie and crackers, grapes, a pasta salad with pesto and pine nuts that looked divine, a whole, roasted chicken, croissants, and a bottle of chilled champagne with chocolate covered strawberries to accompany it.  Scott had even thought to bring candles and was lighting them.  “Wow,” was all she could say.

Scott looked pleased with himself.  “I’m glad you like it.  I had a hard time deciding what kind of menu would be perfect for a romantic, candlelit dinner overlooking the  Hudson.”

“You did great!”  Trixie said as she helped herself to a cracker covered with Brie.

Scott had even brought crystal champagne glasses, and poured each of them a glass.  He gave Trixie hers and raised his glass.  “To romance,” he said.  Trixie raised her glass.  “To romance,” she echoed, and the two sipped the bubbly liquid.

“Here, try a chocolate covered strawberry with your champagne.  There is not a better tasting combination on earth,” Scott informed her.

Trixie tried it and had to agree.  The two ate their dinner slowly, savoring the wonderful food and enjoying their conversation.  Slowly, the sun sank in the sky as the two shared lovely talk and laughter and more than a few kisses.  Scott packed up all of the picnic gear and the two sat on the blanket next to each other, Scott’s arms wrapped around Trixie as they watched the golden orb finally sink below the horizon.

Trixie leaned her head on Scott’s shoulder.  “I love watching the sunset with you, Scott.”

“I love doing just about anything with you, Trix,” Scott said.  He pulled away slightly to face the blond woman he couldn’t stop thinking about lately.  “Trix, this may be kind of rushing things.  I know this is really only our third date, but we have so much in common and I love spending time with you, or even just talking to you on the phone.  I…I’d really like it if, well, I was wondering if…”

Trixie smiled at Scott’s nervousness but also felt butterflies in her stomach, wondering what he was going to say next.

“Heck, I should just say it!”  Scott laughed at himself.  Trixie loved the richness of his laugh.  “I was just hoping to make things exclusive with us.  I know I don’t want to date anyone else, and I was hoping that you felt the same way.”

Trixie nodded and gave Scott a tender smile.  “I do feel the same way.  I love the time that we spend together, too, and I would love to be your girlfriend.”

Scott smiled his thousand watt smile.  “I’m so glad, Trix.  I’ve never met anyone like you, and I don’t want to lose you.”

Scott drew her in for another kiss, and it was quite a while before either of them came up for air.  Trixie felt like she was floating on cloud nine—not since Jim, had anyone made her feel this way.  The couple sat and talked until well past  midnight  .  Trixie knew she needed to get home or her family would worry about her.  Reluctantly, Trixie and Scott left the wonderful spot by the river and headed for Crabapple Farm.  Trixie promised to save Saturday night for Scott as she kissed him goodnight and headed into the farmhouse.  She lay in bed that night, thinking of the glorious evening she had just had, and Scott’s kisses, and not once did she think about the stalker before she drifted into pleasant dreams.

Unfortunately, she was reminded of the stalker once again the next morning.  When Trixie came downstairs for breakfast, another dozen roses sat on the table, half red, half white.  She looked at her mother, a question in her eyes.

“They were on the front porch,” Moms explained.  “Bobby found him early this morning when he went outside to feed the chickens and gather the eggs.”

Trixie realized what this meant:  the stalker, or someone he knew or had paid, had been at Crabapple Farm.  Trixie felt fear clutch at her heart at this realization.  The tears in her mother’s eyes and the worried look on her father’s face indicated that they, too, had recognized the full import of the situation.

“I want you to go somewhere safe,” Moms said in a strained voice.

Trixie started to protest, but she caught sight of the no-nonsense look on her father’s face and kept quiet.

“Trixie,” he began, “you must consider your safety, for once.  I know you’ve never been one to run and hide and, although that has given your mother and me some bad times over the years, it also makes us very proud of you.  But in this case, it is just plain foolish.  You’ve been lucky over the years, with more lives than a cat, but someday that luck is going to run out.”

Peter Belden got up from the kitchen table and crossed the kitchen to stand in front of his only daughter.  He took her into his arms and, with great emotion, told her how much he loved her and feared for her safety.  Trixie succumbed to her emotions and, tears running down her face, returned his sentiments of love and promised to find a safe place to stay.

She pulled away and moved to get a hug from Helen, who also had tears glistening in her eyes.  “Thank you, Trixie, for being so reasonable.  It won’t be forever, just until Molinson can catch this guy.”

Trixie smiled up at her mom and wiped her eyes.  “I know.”  Her thoughts returned to the flowers.  “Did you read the note?”

Both Helen and Peter Belden shook their heads.  “We were waiting for you.”

Just then, Bobby came inside the house with Reddy following behind him.  He looked at everybody’s faces and knew immediately what had been discussed.  “Are you leaving, Trixie?”  Bobby’s fear, worry, and disappointment showed clearly in his voice.  He was excited to have his big sister home from college, but he didn’t want her to get hurt, or worse, by sticking around here where someone obviously knew all too well where she lived.

Trixie nodded.  “I’m afraid I am, Bobby.”

Bobby swallowed his disappointment and merely nodded.  Boy, this stunk.

Trixie reached for the small card attached to the offensive bouquet.  This time the message was typed.

White roses are Trixie
Bloodshed is red
I’m having so much fun
Playing with your head

Trixie looked up at the concerned faces of her family, unwilling to share the contents of this latest note, but knowing that they would never go along with that.  She handed the note to her father and went to the kitchen extension.  She dialed Alex’s home number.

When she heard Alex’s voice on the line she identified herself and immediately got right to the point of her call.  “I know it’s only been a couple of days, Alex, but have you found anything out about what we discussed?”

“I take it you’ve gotten more flowers since we last spoke,” Alex’s voice told Trixie he was very concerned about her.

“Yes, three more bouquets actually,” Trixie admitted.

Alex whistled.  “Trixie, this is serious.  You need to take some action—like getting out of Dodge.”

“I know, I just promised my parents that I would,” Trixie divulged.

Alex was relieved.  “Okay, great, I can book you on the next flight out of JFK into Reagan National and –“

“Alex,” Trixie interrupted gently.  “I’m not coming to D.C.  That’s too far away.  If my cousin will let me, I’m going to stay with her at her apartment in  New York.  Her boyfriend, my friend Dan that I told you about, is a cop and very street smart.  I’ll be safe there and still close enough to solve this thing.”  Not to mention the fact that this is Honey’s old apartment and Mr. Wheeler wouldn’t let his daughter take an apartment there until he looked into building security and found it to his liking, Trixie added to herself.

Alex didn’t even try to hide his disappointment.  “Okay, Trix, I know better than to try to talk you into something you’re not ready to do.  Don’t you miss the heat and humidity of D.C. in the summertime though?”

Trixie laughed in spite of herself.  “That is one thing about D.C. I must confess I don’t miss!”

“I don’t blame you.”  With his try to get Trixie back to D.C. unsuccessful, Alex then turned to the important topic at hand.  “Well, Trix, I was able to find out a little bit about some of the characters you put away.  Most of the ones I checked into, and I haven’t had time to check into all of them yet, just the ones you told me were more likely, either haven’t had visitors at all, or have had the same visitors at the same frequency as they have since they were put away.  The only two exceptions were Dapper Dick Simpson and Tilney Britten.  Both are due for parole soon.”

Trixie was surprised to hear that.  “Dick?  Molinson told me he wasn’t due yet.”

“Well, this is a very recent status change.  Apparently, his lawyer finally just won some sort of appeal and as of just two days ago, Dick is eligible for parole in just two months,” Alex paused to let Trixie digest this information.  “He has had the same visitors, but the change in parole status threw up a red flag to me.  Tilney Britten had very infrequent visitors up until about three months ago.  Since then he has had a nephew visiting him like clockwork every Thursday.  I’m going to check into the identity of this nephew and determine if he really is Britten’s nephew.  First thing Monday, I’m going to order him tailed because whether it is or isn’t his nephew, he could still be doing Tilney’s dirty work.”

“Thanks for your help, Alex, I really appreciate all that you’re doing for me—especially since I’m kind of leaving you hanging on the other question,” Trixie said.

“Anything for you, you know that.  I might point out that you did graduate four weeks ago today and that seems like a sufficient amount of time to decide,” Alex added humor to his voice to let Trixie know he wasn’t pressuring her, or at least not that much.

“Alex, I have had other things on my mind lately.  I hate to admit to you that I haven’t been thinking too much about that, but I haven’t.”

“I understand, Trix.  And I want your full attention on this situation anyway.  I hate to be blunt, but you are obviously in danger and the last thing I want is for your mind to be elsewhere and have something unfortunate happen.”

“I know, Alex, thanks for understanding.”

“Your friends back home taking good care of you?”  Alex wanted to know.

“The best,” Trixie stated.

“How’s Jim?”

“We’re getting along a lot better and he’s really helping me out with the situation.  Being very supportive.”  Trixie thought about telling him about Scott, but decided not to.  She still wanted to keep some things private.

“Good to hear it.  Well, give me until Wednesday to look into the other criminals on your very impressive list.”

Trixie smiled.  “Okay, Alex, thanks again and take care.”

Trixie turned to her family, patiently waiting for her to hang up so that she could explain.  “That was my friend Alex.  He was one of the instructors at the FBI training I attended last summer.  I called him day before yesterday after the fourth bouquet arrived.  He was checking into the prison habits of some of the criminals the BWGs have put away.  He’s only gotten to the dozen or so I told him I was particularly worried about, but most of them have not had any change in status.  There are two exceptions: Dick, who lost the diamond in the gatehouse, has had a change in parole status as of a couple of days ago.  Apparently his attorney won some kind of appeal and Dick is due for parole in two months.”

“What does that mean?”  Bobby, who once adored “Dicky,” asked.

“Well, it either lets him off the hook or makes him a suspect.  If he honestly had no idea that he would win this appeal and his parole date would be moved up, he’d have no motive for stalking me at this point.  But if he knew ahead of time from his lawyer that his date was likely to change, then he may have decided to be optimistic and put a revenge plan into action,” Trixie explained.

“And the other exception?”  Her level-headed father inquired.

“Tilney Britten, alias Uncle Monty, has had infrequent visitors until three months ago.  Suddenly, a nephew has entered the scene and is visiting him every Thursday.  Alex is checking to see if the story that this guy is Britten’s nephew is legit and he’s having him tailed in the meantime.  This one is sounding like a strong possibility,” Trixie said.

“What can we do?”  Helen wondered, feeling helpless.  Most of the times in the past she had found out about Trixie’s exploits after they were over and she was out of danger.  She always had a vague worry about her precocious daughter, but rarely did she feel this gnawing fear.

“Moms, just keep your wits about you.  I feel really bad about this, but I’m afraid that I’m putting all of you in danger, too.  Everyone just please be really careful.  I’ll call Hallie and Dan and see if I can intrude on them for a while.  I can stay in touch with Alex and his FBI contacts and still be near Molinson.”

“Trixie,” he father said sternly.  “Molinson can handle this case on his own.  You stay safe in  New York  and let the police chase this guy.”

Just then the phone rang and Trixie was saved from making a promise she might have difficulty keeping.  She was on the phone very briefly.  She hung up and turned to her parents.  “Someone broke into Jim’s office at the school last night.  The alarm was deactivated, the window cut with a glass cutter, and his office torn apart, as though someone was looking for something.  The only thing taken was an expensive  Waterford pen and ten dollars that Jim had in his drawer, but the break-in indicates this guy is a real professional since he was able to successfully deactivate the alarm system.  I’m going to call Dan and Hallie and then head over to Ten Acres.”

Trixie was already dialing the number before anyone could even comment.  As Trixie waited for someone to answer, she heard her mother, father, and Bobby start to converse in low voices.  She didn’t want to think about what they might be saying.

Hallie answered on the third ring.  “What’s up, cousin?”  She said after hearing Trixie’s voice.

“I just got a seventh bouquet of roses today and everyone has decided it’s best if I head to parts unknown.  Mind if I lay low at your place for a while?”

“Of course!”  Hallie said immediately.  “You can have Honey’s old room for as long as you like.”

“Great!  Thanks, Hal.  I’m sorry to be such a nuisance.”

“You’re not, Trix,” Hallie assured her pert cousin.  “Dan and I will enjoy having you here.  And I know both of us will feel safer with you here.  Dan hasn’t said anything specific, but I can tell he’s real anxious about your safety.”

Trixie knew that Dan had always felt protective of her, like another older brother, so she wasn’t surprised to hear this.  “Well, now he can see for himself that I’m okay.”

The two chatted a little longer and made arrangements for Trixie’s stay.  Hallie informed Trixie that Honey still had a key, so Trixie could get it from her.  “Make sure someone drives you out here and make sure you’re not followed.”

Trixie promised to do so and told her cousin she would call right before she left, so they would know when to expect her.  She hung up the phone and turned to her family.  “  Mission  accomplished.”

Half an hour later, after a quick shower and a bite to eat, Trixie was standing in Jim’s office with Honey.  Molinson’s crew had just left.  Molinson himself had accompanied them, and Trixie had informed him of the latest developments in the stalking case, including her decision to stay with Dan and Hallie.

“A wise idea.  I’ve got to get back to the station, so Jim can explain to you why we think the break-ins at his place and your stalker are related.”  Molinson turned and was halfway down the hall before Trixie digested this latest revelation.  The young blonde turned to Jim and saw an odd look on his face that she couldn’t place.  It seemed almost like embarrassment, but it disappeared before Trixie could assess it.

“What does he mean?”  Trixie immediately asked.

“I wasn’t completely up front with you about what was taken.”

“There was more?”

Jim nodded and looked away, trying to get the courage to say what he needed to.  Damn Molinson for not doing it himself!  “I had a picture of you in my desk drawer, Trix.  It’s gone.”  Jim said as quickly as possible to get through the awkward moment.

Trixie’s mind raced.  Jim kept a picture of her in his desk drawer?  How long had it been there?  Behind those thoughts she immediately realized that some thief had a picture of her.  It was a creepy thought to begin with, but the added knowledge that it might be in the hands of the person who was threatening her added another element of revulsion.

“What picture was it?”  Trixie wanted to know.

“It was one of your senior pictures from Sleepyside High,” Jim said, unable to look her quite in the eye.  If the situation hadn’t been so serious, Honey would have been amused.

“Oh.”  It was all Trixie could think to say.

“Trixie, you don’t know how bad I feel,” Jim’s voice dripped agony.  “Because of me, this guy has a picture of you to fixate on.”

“Jim, don’t worry about it.  It may not be connected at all.  Are you sure it’s gone?”

Jim nodded solemnly.

“And you’re sure it’s not been missing for a while?”

“I’m sure,” Jim stated.

Trixie pressed on, knowing that she was treading on a sensitive subject, but also knowing that she needed as much information as possible.  “When was the last time you saw it?”

Jim looked sheepish.  “Yesterday.  I’m really sorry, Trixie.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Trixie repeated.  “Even if it is the same guy, a picture of me isn’t going to change much.  He’s bound and determined to get revenge whether he has a picture of me or not.  And he may already have pictures of me from other sources.”  It was not a pleasant thought, but one that had already occurred to her.  She had been in the paper quite a bit and he could also be watching her with a camera and a telephoto lens.  The revelation that Jim still kept a picture of her close at hand was a more interesting, and welcome, thought to Trixie.

The three had been cleared by Molinson’s crime scene team to clean up the mess, so that’s what they set about doing.  None of them spoke, each lost in their own thoughts.

Trixie was trying to make sense of her confused feelings—feelings that had nothing to do with a stalker or a burglar.  Last night when she had told Scott that she wanted to be with him and only him, she had been excited at the prospect of being Scott’s girlfriend, but now the knowledge that Jim still kept a picture of her reawakened all of the feelings that she had been trying so hard to forget.  But did one ever forget their first love?  Trixie asked herself rhetorically.

Jim was thinking how embarrassing it was to admit to someone that you still carried her picture around—and had obviously been doing so for years.  It might not have been so bad if he thought Trixie felt the same way as he did, but he knew from Honey that things were going well with Scott.  He involuntarily wondered how their date had gone last night.  In addition to his frustration and disappointment over Trixie’s love life, Jim was also beating himself.  Some creep, whether it was the stalker or not, had a picture of Trixie, and that had to be an unsettling thought for Trixie.  It was certainly unsettling for him.

Honey was desperately worried about Trixie’s safety, but glad that Trixie was beginning to realize that the feelings Jim had for her had never left.  Maybe, despite Scott’s presence in Trixie’s life, there was still a chance for her best friend and her brother to find each other again.

After they had restored order to the mess, the trio discussed the latest developments in the case—both the break-in and the latest flowers.  Honey felt that the Tilney Britten angle was a good possibility.  Jim, having his own memories of the diamond thief, decided that Dick was hot-tempered and had a big enough ego that revenge was a very real possibility.

“There’s still Jeff Higgins and Burt Mitchell to consider,” Honey pointed out.  “I think it’s too soon for Dan or Mart to have found out any useful information about them yet.”  At the meeting the other day, Mart had volunteered to follow Jeff Higgins and Dan was going to use his position on the NYPD to do some digging into Jeff and Burt’s pasts.

“I agree,” Trixie stated.  “Now we have four real possibilities: Jeff Higgins, Burt Mitchell, Dick Simpson, and Tilney Britten.  Alex is checking into Simpson and Britten, and Mart and Dan have Higgins and Mitchell covered.  Di is looking into the florist angle again, although I really think the police have done all they can in that respect.”

“Trix, you keep mentioning this Alex guy—who exactly is he?”  Jim asked, curiosity getting the best of him.

“Alex is a good friend of mine at the FBI.  He was one of my instructors last summer,” Trixie explained.

“A good friend?”  Jim repeated.

Trixie bristled.  “Yes, just a friend.”

“I’m sorry, Trix, I didn’t mean it that way.  I just wanted to make sure that you can trust what he tells you,” Jim apologized.

“Of course I can trust him.  What makes you think I couldn’t trust the FBI?”  Trixie demanded.

“I don’t know.  It just seems like an FBI agent would have his own cases to worry about, and here he is using all of his FBI resources for you,” Jim said.  He realized how bad the words sounded as they were coming out of his mouth.  Once again, Trixie had him flustered and he wasn’t expressing himself very well.

“I suppose you think that’s a waste of FBI resources?”  Trixie said sourly.

Jim sighed, frustrated.  “Of course not, Trix.  That didn’t come out right.”  Jim decided that the only way he was going to get out of this one was to be honest, as painful as that might be for him.  “I guess I’m jealous of this guy, Trix.  He’s closer to a part of your life than I will ever be and I can’t help but wonder if he has ulterior motives in helping you.”

Trixie smiled.  “It’s possible he has ulterior motives, but not the kind you think, Jim.  He doesn’t want to date me—he wants me to join the FBI.”

The surprise showed on Jim’s face.  “Oh,” was all he could manage to say due to the lump in his throat.

“I’ll be honest with you, Jim, I am seriously thinking about accepting the Bureau’s offer.  Honey and I have talked it over and she and Hallie are willing to open the detective agency without me.  But since all of this stalker business has come up, I honestly haven’t given it much thought.  Once I take care of this problem, I can really start to consider what I’m going to do with the rest of my life.  We just have to make sure the rest of my life isn’t so short that I won’t be making any more decisions of any kind.”  Trixie sighed with the knowledge that if she made a wrong move, she might not have to make this decision at all.  Suddenly, instead of feeling agonized over it, she welcomed the opportunity to make the decision when all of this was over.

Honey jumped in, trying to ignore the crestfallen look on Jim’s face.  She knew that he felt like he was losing Trixie to D.C. all over again.  “I think we agree that there is nothing more we can do right now, since we have people doing everything they can to help.  Do you want help packing, Trix?”

Trixie nodded gratefully.

Jim thought of something.  “Mart was only going to tail Jeff Higgins part time, but now that the stalker has actually visited Crabapple Farm, I think we should step up our efforts.  I’ll appoint someone from the grounds crew to temporarily take over for Mart and I’ll hire a substitute teacher from Sleepyside’s pool of teachers.  That will free up Mart so that he can really tail Higgins.  I’ll tail him myself whenever Mart isn’t, that way we’ll have 24 hour coverage.”

Trixie disagreed.  “Jim, I can’t ask you to disrupt your school and your life to help me out.”

“Trixie, I’m not taking no for an answer.  Your safety is more important than anything,” the firmness in Jim’s voice made Trixie decide not to argue.

“Okay, Jim Frayne, you win…this time.  I really do appreciate all you are doing to help me.”

Jim smiled.  “Anything for my favorite schoolgirl shamus.”  Jim and Trixie shared a smile while Honey watched, smiling inside to see the deep, personal look that passed between her two favorite people.

Trixie, memories flooding through her, turned to Honey to break the spell Jim had over her.  “Ready to head to the farm?”

Honey nodded.

“I’m going with you,” Jim declared.  “And if I had known when I called this morning that the stalker, or someone associated with him, had been at your house, I never would have let you walk to Ten Acres alone this morning.  Trixie, do you know what kind of a risk that was?”

Trixie sighed, bracing herself for the lecture that she knew was going to follow.  Jim saw the look on Trixie’s face.  You’ve done it again, Frayne!  Back off.

Honey, once again, jumped in to rescue her brother.  “Let’s just go get Trixie packed.”  Within minutes, the three were on the trail back to the farm.  Jim walked the girls to the edge of Crabapple Farm, turned and started back up the familiar path.

“Wait, Jim!”  Trixie called.

Jim turned around and saw Trixie running toward him.  “What’s up?”
  Trixie was feeling very mischievous indeed at that moment, but she didn’t care.  “You were concerned that Alex was disrupting his work schedule for me because he had ulterior motives.  What ulterior motives do you have for disrupting your work schedule?”  With that said, she was hurrying back to where Honey was standing before Jim could say a word in defense.

He grinned at her audacity and at the fact that, if he deep down dared to admit it, she was right.  He walked up the path with a spring in his step.

Trixie was having a hard time deciding what she might need to take since she didn’t know how long she was going to be gone.  Meanwhile, Honey was subtly trying to ply information out of her best friend while she grabbed some jeans from Trixie’s bureau drawer.

“You and Jim shared a few good personal moments today, huh?”  She tried to say casually as she laid the jeans into Trixie’s open suitcase.

“Knock it off, Wheeler, you’re not fooling me with your exaggeratedly casual voice.  If you’ve got something to say—out with it!”

Honey grinned.  “You know me too well.  But Trixie, Jim just told you he’s been carrying around a picture of you for years, don’t you feel good?”

“Honey, maybe he stuck that picture in his desk drawer and forgot about it.  I don’t think it means what you think it does.”

“If he forgot about it, he wouldn’t have admitted he saw it just yesterday.  Trust me, Trix, it means something,” Honey stated matter-of-factly.

“Maybe,” Trixie said in a non-committal voice, “but I have a boyfriend now, so it doesn’t really matter.”

Honey looked at her friend in surprise.  “You what?”

Trixie smiled happily and lay down on her bed.  “You will never believe what Scott did last night for our date.”  Honey sat down on the bed and listened to Trixie recap her date.

“He sounds very romantic,” Honey said.  “What a wonderful date!”

“Oh, Honey, it was.  I was so happy thinking I’d found this wonderful guy.  And when I told him I wanted to be his girlfriend because I didn’t want to date anyone else I meant it.  And then this morning I find out Jim keeps a picture of me in his desk drawer.  It really may mean nothing, but just the thought that it might mean something—oh I don’t know!  Am I making any sense?”

“You are, Trix, at least to me.  It must have been wonderful to get swept away in all that romance, but it couldn’t have been easy to learn that your first love, whom you have never gotten over by the way, still seems to have feelings for you.  Why else would he keep a picture of you, Trix?”

Trixie shrugged.  “I don’t know.  Scott is really wonderful and romantic and I want to see where this goes.  But on the other hand, how can I shut the door on another chance with Jim when deep down that’s all I’ve ever wanted since we broke up?”

“I don’t know, but why don’t you use this time in  New York to sort your thoughts out?  You can get away from familiar things to neutral territory, away from the two guys, and as long as you’re careful not to do so much thinking that you let your guard down, maybe you can really get a grip on what you want.  And that includes your career decision, too.  You’ve got to reconcile your past, Trix, before you can even think about the future—on all fronts.  Even dealing with the stalker is about taking care of the past.”

Trixie nodded.  Honey was always so wise that Trixie loved discussing her problems with her best friend—Honey always made her see things more clearly.  “You are absolutely right, Honey.  I will use this time away to get a new perspective on life.”

“Good—now let me call Brian to have him come pick you up.  I don’t want you driving or taking the train into  New York  all alone and neither does anyone else who cares about you.”

Trixie agreed and went to the phone to break her date that night with Scott.  She hated to do it, but some things were necessary.

 Later that night as she lay in the unfamiliar bed in Hallie and Dan’s guest room she thought about the daunting tasks she had ahead of her: finding the stalker, choosing between Jim and Scott, and deciding between the Belden-Wheeler Detective Agency and a position with the FBI.  Honey was right about one thing—it all came down to dealing with the shadows of her past in order to find the light in her future.

Trixie Belden® is a registered trademark of Random House Books. These pages are not affiliated with Random House Books in any way. These pages are not for profit. Image courtesy of Ian Britton, FreeFoto.com.

Story copyright © GSDana