Chapter 9

Saturday, June 26, 1987

On Saturday the Bob-Whites plus Hallie had decided to spend the day together. The guys would be leaving for camp on Sunday. The day was spent as a group and in the evening everyone had special dates. Before any festivities could take place, the Beldens did have to do their Saturday chores.

Trixie and Hallie made quick work of the dusting and vacuuming while Brian mowed the lawn and Mart weeded and watered the garden. Moms was busy putting the finishing touches on the potato salad and chocolate cake she had volunteered to make for the get together. She realized that she was going to be short on mayonnaise and asked Bobby to run to Lytell’s store on his bike to pick some up. Bobby was thrilled to be able to ride his bike that far down Glen Road by himself.

Mart had just finished weeding the tomatoes. Hallie was frosting the cake and Trixie was putting away the last of the breakfast dishes when the kitchen door slammed shut and Bobby stomped into the room. He forcefully placed the mayonnaise on the counter and then marched up to his room.

“What was that all about?” Trixie asked. “I can’t imagine Mr. Lytell giving Bobby a hard time.”

“Some girl was probably at the store and started flirting with him,” Mart said, as he headed upstairs to get cleaned up. “You know he’s still in the ‘girls have cooties’ stage.”

Brian came in, sweaty and sticky from mowing the lawn. “I want it known I’m not on mowing duty next week. It’s Mart’s turn.”

Hallie chuckled as she carefully put the cake in the carrier. “Well, I’m not sure the director of Victory Camp will approve of Mart taking off to come home to mow.”

Brian’s scowl turned to a smile. “Well, I guess next week you girls are going to have to put your money where your mouth is and do some of the manly jobs around here.”

“Don’t you worry about a thing,” Trixie said. “We’ll manage just fine.” What Brian and Mart didn’t know was that Mr. Wheeler had recently purchased a riding lawn mower for Manor House. He had told her dad that he was more than welcome to use it on Saturdays since the gardener didn’t work on the weekends. Peter Belden had declined, until he was reminded that Brian and Mart wouldn’t be around for most of July and August.

Trixie hung up the towel and headed upstairs to change out of her dusty clothes and into something comfortable and attractive. As she headed up the stairs, she heard Bobby’s door slam. Something wasn’t right. Bobby was the last person to get upset over something trivial.

Curiosity got the better of her and she knocked on his door. “Hey, Bobby,” she said. “Is everything all right?”

The only thing she heard from the other side of the door was mumblings that sounded something like, “Just leave me alone.”

She decided that she would leave him alone. If he needed to talk, he’d seek Brian or her out when he was ready.

Trixie carefully changed her clothes. Her shoulder was still sore from her accident but she was slowly getting better. She debated about taking a shower but remembered that they were going to start the afternoon at the boathouse and swimming would most likely follow. She did take time to try to tame her curls by pulling her hair back into a ponytail. She slipped on her swimsuit and then put on shorts and a t-shirt. In a bag she placed a change of clothes and clean underwear.

“Hurry up, squaws,” Mart called up the stairs. “Brian and I are ready to go.”

Carefully, Trixie swung the bag over her good shoulder and headed down the stairs. Hallie followed right behind her.

As they entered the room, Brian asked Trixie, “So are we walking or taking the car today?”

Trixie thought a few minutes. She really wanted to walk. She missed not being able to run this past week but didn’t know how her ankle would hold up. “Let’s walk,” she decided. “I’m sure if I can’t make it Mart will rescue me.”

Mart choked on the cookie he had just snatched from the cookie jar. As the four of them headed out the door, Mart and Brian grabbed the baskets of food Moms and the girls had prepared.

The four Beldens made their way up to Manor House. It was slower than Trixie would normally go. Of course, that was usually at a run. It felt good to be moving again and feel her muscles used. She was frustrated at how weak she felt. By the time she made it up the hill she was slightly out of breath.

“Man,” she said. “This is really frustrating.” She stopped to catch her breath at the steps to the verandah. Honey and Jim were just walking out the door as the group approached.

Jim hurried down the steps and to Trixie’s side. “Are you okay?” he asked and then placed a chaste kiss on her lips.

“Oh, I’ll live,” Trixie said. “I’ve just discovered how quickly I’ve gotten out of shape in the last week. My ankle is fine but my pride has been beaten down.”

Dan came up from the stables. “Your pride will survive. I’m going to channel Jim here and say I’d rather have a little hurt pride than you reinjure your ankle.”

Hallie stepped over to Dan and he placed his arm around her shoulders. “What did you bring for the picnic?” she asked, noticing the bag he was carrying.

“Well, Mr. Maypenny wanted to contribute to the feast. He sent some cornbread and a thermos of hunter’s stew.”

Mart’s eyes lit up. Trixie wasn’t quite sure if it was because of the thought of hunter’s stew or that Diana had come into his vision having walked from her house.

“Let’s get this show on the road,” Mart said. He grabbed Diana’s hand and headed toward the lake. Hallie and Dan followed suit.

Brian started to grab the basket of food from Honey’s hands. She switched it to her other hand and grabbed his hand instead. “I’d much rather hold your hand,” she whispered.

Jim and Trixie brought up the rear. Jim noticed that she had started to limp a little, but knew better than to say something to her. As difficult as it was, he let Trixie determine when she had had enough.

By the time Trixie and Jim made it to the boathouse, the rest had set out the food.

“Come on, Frayne,” Dan said. “We’re waiting for the drinks.” Jim was carrying a jug of lemonade.

Trixie conspicuously sat down at the picnic table as everyone began filling their plates. She decided to rest a bit before getting her plate. Before she knew it, Jim had brought her a plate filled with all of her favorite foods.

“You didn’t have to do that,” she said. “I was just resting a bit.” It felt good to be able to admit her weakness and not feel like she was going to be smothered by the BWG’s concerns.

“I know,” Jim said, “but just humor me. I enjoy playing the knight in shining armor.”

While the group ate their delicious picnic, they talked about Victory Camp and the adventures the guys had planned for their campers. Trixie decided to bring everyone up to date on the Mr. Lytell mystery.

“Just be careful,” Brian warned. “There have been some strange things happening.”

“We will,” Hallie said. “And we won’t even go out on our own even on a bright sunny day at noon.” She winked at Dan and then punched Brian in the arm. “I don’t know how we’ll survive without the he-men around, but we will.”

Jim looked offended and started to sputter.

“Somehow we’ll survive,” Diana said. “It will be difficult but we can make the sacrifice.” Then she pushed Mart into the water.

After that the party really began. Trixie wisely sat at the picnic table while the rest of the group quickly removed their shirts and shorts and ended up in the lake. Once everyone was in the water, Trixie carefully removed her shirt and shorts and then sat down on the dock with her feet in the water.

“Come on in, Trixie,” Honey yelled. “The water’s fine.”

“I’m fine,” she said. “I don’t want to jar my shoulder. Maybe I’ll wade a little later.”

Jim swam up to the dock and asked, “Are you sure you’re okay? I’m more than happy to sit out.”

“I’m fine,” she assured him. “I could use some help putting on some sunscreen, though.”

Jim pulled himself onto the dock and quickly dried himself off before beginning to slather the lotion on her.

“Watch where you’re placing your hands,” Mart shouted. He tossed a Frisbee at Jim, hitting him on the shoulder.

Jim, whose hands were innocently rubbing the lotion into Trixie’s shoulders, shrugged and ignored Mart. When he finished, he sat down next to her and watched the antics of the rest. He tossed the Frisbee at Diana. For several minutes the six played keep away, boys against the girls. That didn’t last very long as the girls quickly began to play dirty and distracted the guys by flirting with their boyfriends.

Trixie struggled to get up and Jim offered her his hand. “I need to stretch and I really don’t want to watch my brothers play kissy face with my best friends.” Even after they had all been dating for so long, she still felt uncomfortable with that.

She went over to the picnic table and finished putting the food back into the coolers and picnic baskets. She pulled a pair of shorts over her suit and slipped on her shoes. When she was done, she grabbed Jim’s hand and whispered. “Let’s go for a short walk. My legs need a little work out.”

“Are you sure you’re not overdoing it?” Jim asked.

“I think I’ll be okay, and if not, I’ll have my knight in shining armor to help me,” she replied. “We’re going for a walk,” she yelled over her shoulder.

Amid shouts about not doing anything they wouldn’t do and have a good time, they headed toward the path that led toward the preserve. As they came around the boathouse something rustled in the undergrowth. As she looked into the woods, she saw something heading into the preserve towards the old schoolhouse.

Her immediate response was to take off after whatever she saw. She managed two strides and her ankle reminded her that she wasn’t fit to be running yet.

“Trixie, what are you doing?” Jim asked. “Trying to hurt your other leg?”

Trixie turned to him. “Didn’t you see something?” she whispered. “It took off into the woods.”

Jim put his arm around Trixie, pulling her to him, supporting most of her weight. “Are you sure it wasn’t a deer? Dad had Dan set up some feeding stations closer to the lake a couple of weeks ago. Mother has taken to watching the does with their young near the lake at sunrise.”

“It could have been,” Trixie said, not wanting to admit someone may have been spying on them. “Let’s go over and see if we can see any tracks.”

Carefully they made their way around the boathouse. It looked like something had tramped down the underbrush and there were some deer tracks around. “It looks like it was a deer,” Jim said.

“I guess you’re right,” Trixie said reluctantly. She started to walk the other way when she noticed some footprints around the back of the boathouse. “Look at this. I wonder if Dan did this when he was setting up the feeding station.”

Jim carefully looked at the prints, getting down on his hands and knees to get a better look. “Well, I doubt it. Dan usually wears work boots when he’s out patrolling or working in the preserve. This looks like an athletic shoe. It’s deep enough that the guy who was here must have mud on the top of his shoes.”

Trixie looked carefully at the prints. They seemed to head into the woods about in the same direction as where she thought she had seen someone run earlier. “Look over there,” she said. “The prints seem to be deeper at the ball of the foot, like the person was running.”

Jim started to take off into the woods. “Jim, wait,” she called. “He’s probably halfway to White Plains by now. Let’s go back and let everyone know what we found.”

When they returned to the dock, Dan, Hallie, and Diana were resting on the raft in the middle of the lake. Honey and Brian were in the boat rowing across the lake. Mart was digging in the cooler looking for something to eat.

“What have you two been up to?” Mart asked between bites. “On second thought, maybe I don’t want to know.”

“I think you might,” Jim said cryptically. “I think someone might have been spying on us and it wasn’t the wild animals from the preserve.”

Mart stopped mid-bite. “What are you talking about?” he asked.

“Just wait patiently,” Trixie said, “and we’ll explain. Let’s get everyone together though, first.”

It took a few minutes for Brian and Honey to row back to the dock.

When they were all together, Brian said, “So what’s this all about?”

Between the two of them, Trixie and Jim explained what they had seen and found. Dan and Mart were having a hard time believing they hadn’t heard anything.

“Well, we weren’t exactly quiet,” Diana reminded them. “And we had no reason to think we would be spied on.”

“Why don’t you show them the prints?” Trixie said. “I’m going to just rest my ankle since I’ve seen it already.”

While everyone else was looking at the prints, Trixie started thinking again. The BWG’s had had a run of bad luck over the past few weeks. At first she hadn’t thought it was anything more than that, but now she wondered. There had been that evening when she’d been at home alone and she thought someone might be watching her. The car had been damaged one day when Mart was at work, then Jim’s tires had been slashed, Diana and Mart had that run-in when they went to White Plains and then there was her accident. A white van had been involved in two of the incidents.

Then she remembered something that Mart had told her the day the car had been damaged. Mart had said the paint chip they found was brown. She wondered if it was the same car that had tried to run her over.

Now Trixie was a little worried. She never thought that the research she was doing would put her family and friends in danger. Despite claiming she wanted to rest her ankle, Trixie had to pace. Her ankle ached, but she couldn’t sit still. If her family and friends were put in danger, she didn’t know how she would live with herself.

Lost in thought, she didn’t hear the group return to the dock.

“Trixie,” Honey said, tapping her lightly on the shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

Trixie shook her head, not quite able to say anything but there was fear on her face. “I think we’re being stalked,” she finally got out.

“What are you talking about?” Hallie asked.

“Think about it. Ever since the band concert, strange things have been happening. I was run off the road, Moms’ car was damaged while Mart was at work, Jim’s tires were slashed and Mart and Diana had the incident in White Plains.”

“It could just be a run of bad luck,” Dan said.

Trixie finally sat down and propped her foot up. Brushing her hand through her errant curls, she looked at Jim. In his eyes, she saw his fear. “I thought that, too, but think about it. The guy at the train station saw a white van and so did Di and Mart.”

It didn’t take much more for Trixie to convince everyone she wasn’t being paranoid.

It was Brian’s turn to pace. “I wish we weren’t leaving tomorrow,” he said.

“You have to go,” Trixie insisted. “Too many people are counting on you.”

“I know,” he said. “I’d just feel better if we were around.”

Honey and Trixie both started to sputter.

“Now wait,” he started. “I know you girls can take care of yourselves, but that doesn’t mean we won’t worry.”

“We’ll be careful,” Trixie promised. “I don’t want anything to happen either. If I thought it would do any good, I’d just quit researching.”

“I agree,” Honey said. “Those guys aren’t going to believe we just dropped this so we might as well move forward.”

Jim and Brian still looked worried.

“We’ll be careful and not go out by ourselves,” Hallie said. “There’re just a few unanswered questions. Other than maybe a black mark against someone’s name, I’m not sure why anyone would be intimidated by our research. The statute of limitations has to have expired by now.”

For the next few minutes the group discussed ways they could proceed without putting anyone in more danger. Mart looked up at the weather-proof clock. “Wow,” he said. “It’s already four o’clock. I’ve got a little more packing to do before our evening activities.”

Everyone helped clean up the dock and began to disperse, confirming plans with their significant others for the evening. Jim insisted that he drive Trixie home and for once she didn’t protest.

Since Jim was going to take Trixie out for a late dinner, she decided to rest for a bit. Slowly, she made her way up to her room. Mart called the shower first and raced up the stairs, wanting to beat Brian and Hallie to it. Brian was notorious for spending time in the bathroom. Trixie secretly suspected whenever he washed his hands he pretended he was scrubbing for brain surgery.

She had just gotten comfortable when there was a knock on the door. Thinking it was Hallie wanting to get the shirt she had asked to borrow, she called to come in. “The shirt is hanging on the door knob to the closet, Hallie,” she said.

“Um, it’s not Hallie.” Bobby stood in the doorway waiting for Trixie to confirm his entry. “I need to talk to you.” He hung his head.

Trixie struggled to sit up. Bobby looked like he was going to be sick. “You know you can talk to me about anything and if you can’t talk to me, Brian, and even Mart, are always willing to listen.”

A petrified look of alarm crossed his face, “No!” he insisted. “This has to be just between you and me.”

“Okay,” Trixie said slowly. “I won’t say anything.”

Bobby started to tell his story. “This morning Moms sent me to Mr. Lytell’s store. I was so excited to be going by myself. So I got on my bike and pedaled down Glen Road. I was almost to the store when I heard a car come up from behind me. I got kind of nervous because I started thinking of your accident last week. So I slowed down and stopped to let the car pass. Unfortunately the car or I guess I should say van, started to slow down, too. Then I started to freak out. I was almost to the store and I figured if something happened I could scream loud enough for Mr. Lytell to hear. Well, all of the sudden the van pulled up beside of me and the passenger side window rolled down. The guy said, ‘Tell your nosy sister, Trixie, to mind her own business or someone will really get hurt.’ Then he took off speeding down the road.”

“Are you okay?” Trixie asked. “He didn’t hurt you at all, did he?” She reached for him, making sure he hadn’t been hurt.

“I’m fine.” He began to smile at her concern and then shook off her hands. “The guy is just a jerk and he’s not very bright. It was the assistant manager at the bowling alley. Gordy Stratton told me that he’s kind of a goon. He was hired for his brawn, not his brains.” Bobby replied.

“Do you know the guy’s name?” Trixie asked.

“They call him Moose, but that’s all I know,” Bobby said.

She got up and started to head to the hallway.

Again, Bobby panicked. “Where are you going?”

“I think we need to call the police. Someone is trying to scare me and I’m going to call their bluff.”

“You can’t,” Bobby cried. “They said if the police got involved, they would come back and run me off the road and I wouldn’t get off as easily as you did last weekend.”

“That’s it, now I’m definitely going to call the police. If something happens to someone because of this, I won’t be able to live with myself. You’re sure you can identify the guy?” Trixie asked.

“Not only can I identify the guy, but I’ve learned a few things from you over the past few years and I also got the license plate number for the van,” he said.

Trixie hugged Bobby. “That’s great. Mart and Diana were able to get the plate number from the van that followed them in White Plains. I’ll bet they’re the same.”

Trixie’s thoughts of resting went out the window and she went downstairs to talk with her parents. They agreed that Bobby should speak to the police. Trixie decided that unless Bobby wanted her there, she was not going to be around when the police came out to the farm. She was going to leave it up to the police to do the investigating. She’d also tell Mr. Lytell she was going to quit her investigation.

Slowly, she retraced her steps back to her room. She noticed the bathroom was empty so she decided she’d better grab it. She just hoped there would be some hot water.

By the time she had freshened up and changed, the police had arrived to talk to Bobby. Trixie stayed upstairs. She didn’t want to have to listen to whoever was here lecture her about being careful and safe. She wasn’t going to take any risks.

She started to pace her room, but her ankle started to ache again. She had definitely pushed it to its limits today. Her shoulder was starting to ache as well. Part of her would have loved to take a pain reliever and go to bed. She then remembered this would be the last date with Jim for six weeks. She could sleep tomorrow afternoon after the guys left.

She didn’t want to fall asleep on Jim. It seemed like that was all she did lately, so she took an over-the-counter pain reliever. She was just heading back to her bedroom when Mart called up to say Jim had arrived. With a sigh, Trixie carefully made her way down the stairs.

“What’s going on?” Jim asked as he pulled Trixie into his arms and gave her a chaste kiss.

“I’ll tell you on the way. I don’t want to get a lecture about being careful when I fully intend to take all kinds of precautions.”

As they walked through the kitchen, Trixie greeted Spider Webster and then spoke to her parents. “We’re going out for dinner and then back to Jim’s house for the evening. I promise not to go anywhere by myself. I don’t want anything to happen to anyone.”

Her parents had realized that over the past year, with the exception of her break up with Jim in January, Trixie really had been thinking things through and not acting impulsively.

As they walked out of the house, Trixie asked, “So where are we going for dinner? To tell you the truth, I’m still pretty full from this afternoon.”

“You’ll have to wait and see,” Jim said. “It’s a surprise.” He opened the door and helped Trixie into the Mustang, making sure that he didn’t hurt her injured shoulder. To her surprise, he pulled into the Manor House driveway and parked the car as close to the clubhouse as he could get.

“Did you forget something?” Trixie asked.

“No,” he answered evasively. For once, he managed to get around to the passenger side of the car before Trixie could get out. “Come on. I have something to show you.”

Taking her hand they walked across the lawn and to the clubhouse. The sun was still rather high in the sky and there was a gentle breeze that blew through the woods. As they approached the clubhouse, Trixie stopped for a second and listened.

“What’s the matter?” Jim demanded.

“Nothing, really,” Trixie insisted. “I was just listening to see if someone was out in the woods. I didn’t hear anything but after this afternoon, I’m a little paranoid.”

Jim opened the clubhouse and as Trixie entered she gasped. The clubhouse had been transformed into an elegant restaurant. Sure, the curtains and shelves full of sports equipment still occupied the room but the table was covered with a linen tablecloth. Crystal candlesticks held square taper candles that were burning. There were china place settings and elegant flatware. A cart sat next to the table with silver domed covers over various platters that Trixie correctly assumed was their dinner.

“It’s lovely, Jim,” she said as she turned into his arms and placed a kiss on his lips. “When did you have time to do all of this?”

He returned her kiss and said, “That, my dear, is a secret known only to me.” He pulled a chair out for Trixie and removed the cover from one of the platters to reveal Caesar salad.

As they ate their salad, Trixie explained about what had happened to Bobby. “I don’t know if I’m more mad or scared,” she said. “I never want to put my family and friends in danger because of my investigating.”

Jim put his fork down and looked directly in her eyes. “Well, I think it’s a little late for that,” he said.

Trixie blushed and said, “Let me rephrase that. I never want to knowingly put my family and friends in danger because of my investigating. I think I’m just going to drop the whole thing. I hope Mr. Lytell won’t be disappointed.”

Jim didn’t answer right away but used the time it took to chew his bite of salad to compose his thoughts. “You’re probably not going to believe me when I say this, but I don’t think you should.”

Trixie did a double take and even went so far as checking to make sure something wasn’t blocking her hearing. “Did I hear you right?” she asked incredulously. “Did you say I shouldn’t give up on this?”

“Your hearing is perfectly fine,” Jim replied. “Let me explain. I think you’re too far along in your investigation to turn back. Even if you stopped, the police have been called into related incidents and the culprits aren’t going to know who knows what. It sounds like you’ve just about got this thing solved anyway. Just be careful and please don’t go off somewhere on your own, especially the preserve.”

Trixie still couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You’re right. I’ve just about gone through all of Mr. Lytell’s notes. While I think something fishy happened with the zoning commission and the alleged sacred land, I haven’t found anything that I think would warrant all of the trouble someone is going through to scare me off.”

“I’m curious about that sacred land. Didn’t you tell me that was the reason the grocery store construction was stopped?” Jim asked.

“Yes, but then a year later the bowling alley was built. How did they get around that?” Trixie said.

“Something must have happened,” Jim said. “You’ve got my curiosity piqued. I don’t suppose you have your notes with you?”

Trixie chuckled. “I know I get obsessive sometimes but I didn’t even think about bringing them on a date. We could go down to the farm and look at them there.”

“Yeah, like your parents aren’t going to be curious if we sit at the kitchen table pouring over a bunch of notes,” Jim commented. He chuckled. “I never thought I’d see the day that I was encouraging you to work on a mystery and not inform your parents about it.”

“Well, this is a little deceptive but I could say I forgot a jacket and you had arranged to go on a moonlight ride. Chances are Moms and Dad won’t even look up when I come in,” Trixie suggested.

“Let’s do it,” Jim said.

It didn’t take them long and they were back in the clubhouse pouring over all of the information that Trixie had collected. They worked in silence for a long time.

“This is interesting,” Jim said. “Here’s a copy of the contract from when the A&P purchased the land. It went for $30,000. They sold the land about six months after the original groundbreaking was scheduled for $15,000.”

“Wow,” Trixie said. “Even by today’s prices that’s quite a loss. Does it say who bought the land? Was it Fred Murphy?”

Jim glanced at the paper. “The land was purchased by FRM and Associates. Wanna bet that Fred Murphy’s middle name begins with R?”

“No, thanks,” Trixie said. She stifled a yawn as she tried to concentrate on the article she was reading. “What time is it?” she asked.

“I can’t believe it,” he said. “We’ve been working for over an hour and a half. It’s almost eleven o’clock.” He started to carefully gather up all of the articles and notes.

Trixie quickly joined in. “I didn’t realize it’s so late. I don’t think Dad will be upset if we’re a few minutes late, but I know you guys want to get going fairly early tomorrow.”

In short order they had gathered all of the notes and were headed out to Jim’s Mustang. When they pulled into the driveway of Crabapple Farm, there was no sign of Mart, Brian, or Hallie. Jim helped Trixie out of the car. He stopped and pulled her into his arms.

“I’m going to miss you,” he said. “I think this might be the hardest separation we’ve had yet.”

“Why do you say that? We survived last summer when you were gone,” Trixie said. She clasped his hands in hers and gently squeezed them.

“I don’t know,” he started. “I think it’s a combination of things. I know we’ve come a long way since I got home from school, but I still feel a little shaky in our relationship.”

Trixie turned to look at him with a startled expression and started to say something. “Let me finish,” he said. “I don’t doubt that we’re both working on our communications and everything. I just don’t want to go back to where we were six months ago. I’m sure Brian doesn’t want me going back there, either. We’re communicating better than we ever have and we trust each other. I guess I’m just afraid something will happen and we’ll be back to where we were.”

Trixie brought his hands to her lips and kissed them. “I get that. I don’t want to go back to that either but I think we’ve both grown and matured since then. I’m really trying to think of the other person’s feelings before I act. I’m not always successful, but I’m doing better.”

“You’re doing fantastic,” he said. “I’m so proud of how you’ve considered Mr. Lytell’s feelings into your current investigation.”

She blushed a little. “Well, I wasn’t always that understanding. At first I was ready to just solve the mystery without giving thought to what Mr. Lytell wanted. Of course, had I quit right away we wouldn’t know what we do now.”

For several minutes they were content in each other’s embrace. Then Jim continued with his thoughts. “I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, but the other reason why I think this summer is going to be harder is because you are in the middle of something and the only way to communicate is by mail. I can’t promise I won’t worry.”

“It’s okay to worry,” Trixie said. “I’d be worried if you weren’t worried. I promise I’ll write to you and keep you up to date.”

“I remember how well you write to counselors at camp. It seems to me that you usually send a letter about three days before they have to come home,” Jim teased.

Trixie giggled. “Well, those were my brothers. I promise I’ll write more than once. I’ll probably be so bored I’ll write every day and all I’ll say is I miss you, I miss you, I miss you.”

They snuggled for a few more minutes. “Trixie,” Jim said. “We’ll make it through the six weeks. Maybe you could come up on the weekend that we switch campers. There’s not enough time for us to come home but maybe you girls could come up for that Saturday night.”

“That sounds like fun. I don’t know if Moms and Dad will approve of me driving up to see you guys unchaperoned,” she said. “I’m sure if the four of us put our heads together we can think of something.”

Jim bent down and gave her a steamy kiss. He didn’t break it off until he heard a car pull into the driveway. “It looks like we’ve got company,” he said.

“I swear,” Trixie muttered under her breath. “My brothers have the worst timing in the entire world.”

 

 

This website is © 2005-2025 Mal. All rights reserved. All graphics created by Mal and may not be used without permission.