Chapter Six
Dan startled Trixie when he pulled her chair out for her at dinner. “What’s gotten into you?” she hissed. “Nothing, dear,” he murmured. The expression on her face was priceless as he hid his smirk. Jim was scowling at them appropriately across the table. It was becoming apparent the others were as puzzled as she was. It went on through the meal, Dan being overly attentive and making Trixie crazy. The others had noticed and wondered what had possessed Dan. Trixie kept slapping his hand away when he reached to feed her. By the end of the meal she was ready to run, and quickly slipped out of the dining hall before Dan could follow her. “Stupid men,” she muttered, taking the long way to her room. Unfortunately he was already there. “What’s gotten into you?” she demanded. He raised one eyebrow. “Nothing. I came up here to look at this stuff one more time.” “What was that crap at dinner?” “What crap? Dinner was pretty good.” Trixie eyed him suspiciously and Dan withheld her laughter. “Just keep your hands to yourself.” Dan held up both hands, looking innocent and somewhat puzzled. Trixie shook her head in puzzlement. “Anyone call yet?” “Nope. And cells are useless out here.” Trixie sighed. “If anything happens while the Family is here. . .I’ll never forgive myself.” “Hey, don’t be so hard on yourself,” he frowned. “I should have solved this by now Dan. I think I’m just too close to the situation. My judgment is clouded.” “Your judgment is not clouded, Trix,” he said sternly. “This perp is very, very clever. They know what they’re doing.” They returned to the game room, where everyone had gathered after homework and dinner. Trixie was
disturbed as Dan suddenly became Mr. Attentive again. Jim scowled a lot and the other Bob Whites seemed to think Dan had lost his mind. He perched on the arm of the chair Trixie was sitting in, staring at her lovingly. Trixie noticed Peg had wandered into the room briefly, stared hard at her and Dan, then left. The boys were finishing hanging the Christmas decorations, bright colored streamers, tinsel, and Justin placed a red Santa hat on Jim, which clashed splendidly with his hair. Di and some of the boys would start baking soon, with a long list of goodies to make. Mart and brian would add a few more ornaments to the tree that evening. As they slowly turned in, Dan met up with Trixie, who shoved him against the wall. “What the hell?” she snarled. Dan chuckled. “Jim thinks we’re an item so I thought. . .” Trixie stared at Dan, horrified. “You weren’t!” “Au contraire Ms. Belden, I was,” he laughed. Trixie slapped her forehead, then his. “You dope! Jim was probably-“ “Jim was in on it,” he laughed. “We had a chat this morning.” “Then why-“ “Just to make you squirm,” he laughed. She punched him in the chest. “Ow!” “Boys,” she muttered. *** The following day, Dan found Trixie in her room, staring at the charts they had drawn up. “It’s Christmas Eve, Trix, give it a rest,” he said gently. She shook her head. “It’s the perfect time for something else to happen,” she murmured. “Where’s the suspect list?” he asked. She pointed to the chart on her left. He studied it for a few minutes. “You’ve got two teachers on here and one of the students?” he asked. She nodded. “I’m ready to rule out the kid though. I think he’s just rebellious.” “The teachers? Peg? That’s that dark hair lady, kind of a big nose?” Trixie nodded, staring at the other whiteboard filled with notes and scribbles. “There is something odd about her,”
he mused. “She’s real twitchy around me.” “Probably just thinks your hot,” she laughed. He shook his head. “No, she gets real jumpy. Why do you have her on here?” “Just a bad feeling,” Trixie turned to Dan. “And she came onto Jim last spring, big crush. He turned her down. He says she acts very professionally but the accidents didn’t start until this summer. Three of the staff live here year round and help pitch in. She’s one.” “You only have two on here.” “Yeah, the third, I ruled out because he adores Jim. But I’m waiting for calls on their background checks. Without the internet, it’s slowed me down, and half the time the phones don’t work out here.” Dan left the room for a few minutes and returned. “I put in a couple calls to the guys at the precinct, see what they can dig up on these two. Too bad this Keith Miller is dead. He’d have made it way too easy. Jim just couldn’t help him. The guy became a petty criminal, did some jail time. Shot and killed this summer during a drug raid. One of his family members blames Jim for not setting his kid straight. Of course it’s nothing.” “Any idea who the person is?” “Nah. But they made a number of calls to the papers slamming Jim and the school.” “I remember,” Dan nodded. “I was on duty that night. Got called as part of the backup team. It was chaos at the station. We had someone’s father down there ranting and raving he was going to sue all of us because his kid was dead. From the photos and other officers information, he was snorting down a few lines of coke with some crack whore next to him in the bed.” “Nice,” Trixie said disgustedly. “We’re slowly eliminating people but we still have a number of weak suspects.” “Who’s Janie Spencer?” “Lady Jim dated briefly last year. Seems harmless enough, no criminal history. Was thinking about crossing her off the list.” They stood in silence, looking at the information. “Impressive you could remember all that stuff about a case this summer,” she said. “Yeah. I only remember because we didn’t believe the father was the kid’s father. Some big shot in a thousand dollar suit, screaming about his drugged up kid. They had different names too. What was it…Wellingson…Welling…Wellington, I think. Yeah, Wellington.” Trixie’s head snapped up. “Wellington?” “Yeah, you know the name?” “Mr. Wheeler has a friend by that name, he’s one of the financiers of the school. I saw a letter on Jim’s desk from a couple weeks ago, threatening to basically pull all of his money out of the school if the accidents don’t stop. I met him once a couple years ago.” “Wait-that drugged up punk was the son of one of the school’s financiers?” Dan asked. Trixie stared at him and they headed for Jim’s office. “He keeps files on every student who came through here. Let’s see.” *** Jim came to slowly, pain racing through his skull. When he opened his eyes, he was startled to see Peg sitting across from him. Then he realized he was on the sofa in the lake house, hands and feet tied up. “Peg?” he asked thickly. “It was you?” “Things weren’t supposed to happen this way,” she whispered, kneeling on the floor in front of him. “If you had just fallen in love with me, and not killed my little brother, we could be living happily right now.” Jim’s eyes widened slightly. “I’ve never killed anyone, Peg,” he said. “He was such a sweet boy. Mama tried. Stupid Daddy didn’t care until it was too late. But I stood by him. I loved my brother.” “Peg, who is your brother?” he asked gently. Her eyes flashed. “Keith Miller. My poor sweet brother, shot to death this summer.” Of course Jim remembered. “You were supposed to fix him, years ago. You were supposed to make him better.” “He didn’t want to be here. He didn’t want help, or to change,” Jim said staunchly. Peg smacked him across the face. “Of course he did! He came here for help but you never gave it to him. He said all you made him do was chores, working in the fields and-“ “Peg, you’ve been here for two years. You know what the curriculum is like.” “He was such a frail boy.” Frail like a small elephant, Jim though, his eyes darting around for an escape route. “I came here to meet you, understand you. I’m not really a teacher Jim. The references were easy enough to forge, my bastard father knows a lot of people. And I figured turning up the charm wouldn’t hurt. I just happen to be good in English. The Bachelor’s degree was real.” Jim’s mouth fell open. True, he hadn’t checked her references very thoroughly. The school was in desperate need of an English teach at the time. “And I kept my husband’s name, so you wouldn’t make the connection.” She did look an awful lot like the kid, Jim finally noticed. Same sharp features. “I never counted on falling in love with you,” her hand traced his cheek and it took all the restraint he had not to flinch. “But you wouldn’t have it. Total rejection, because of that blonde little bitch up there. Miss Big Shot Detective.” “Leave Trixie out of this,” he growled. She laughed bitterly. “Always protecting her,” she murmured. “I had thought about giving you one last chance tonight, to go away with me, be with me, but I see now you’ll never leave her,” she glared at Jim. “I saw you two that night in the lake house, making out like teenagers. But she didn’t want you, did she. Then that cop shows up and she’s like a bitch in heat all over him, and obviously he wants her, leaving you out. Now you know how it feels to be rejected so cruelly.” “Peg, you were always so nice. What the hell happened?” “Once Keith died, Daddy was beside himself with grief. I don’t know why, really, since he never seemed to care about us when we were younger. That’s why we had mama’s last name. He thought about withdrawing all his money from this school but I told him I’d take care of it.” Jim felt his heart pound. Money in the school? Was her father one of his investors? Impossible! He had known them all for years! “Every time there was an accident, I made sure he knew so he could tip of the papers. Matthew Wheeler’s son’s school…suddenly
accident prone,” she smirked. “Little stuff at first. Broke equipment. Falling rocks. Loose wolf. But then she showed up, and I had to move up the problems.” “You locked Trixie in the cellar, didn’t you?” he demanded. “Correct,” she smirked. “No one ever notices me. It’s so easy for me to slip through crowds and be somewhere and never be seen. Play my part of the concerned teacher.” “Peg, let me go, and I won’t press charges. You can go anywhere you like and start over. It doesn’t have to end like this.” “Oh but it does, my red headed love,” she smiled as she rose and to his horror, picked up a gasoline can started throwing gas everywhere. “Peg, no! Please!” he shouted. She laughed. Without another word she set the gas can near Jim, pulled out her lighter, lit it, and dropped it on the line of gasoline. The flames caught instantly and shot around the room, up the curtains. Waving at Jim, she slipped outside. Thank god she hadn’t poured gas on him, he thought, his lungs beginning to fill with smoke. But he had to get away from the can. The door way a long way away and there was a lot of fire between them. Window was closer but. . .it seemed. . .so. . Jim’s eyes closed and he lay still near the sofa. *** Jim was so organized it took only a moment to locate Keith Miller’s file. “There’s nothing in here about who to contact for emergency, just his mother and sister’s names.” “You think Jim didn’t know?” Dan asked. Trixie thought hard for a moment. “I’d bet money he didn’t know. If Wellington is this kid’s father, then it gives him the motivation to ruin the school. The accidents didn’t start until after the kid died.” “Wouldn’t it be simpler to pull out his money?” Dan mused. Trixie shook her head. “No. That would be too obvious his fault if the school suddenly closed. But this-but how could he make all this stuff happen when he’s in New York all the time?” Trixie stared at the picture of Keith Miller. Pointy features, dark hair and eyes, lots of Latino blood. Very familiar. But Wellington was a blonde and fair haired as herself. “The mother. Call your friends about the mother, Wellington’s wife, and any type of mistress. Somehow he’s got someone here on his payroll.” At that moment Jim’s desk phone rang. Dan answered. Trixie waited impatiently as Dan listened, asked a few questions and wrote a lot down. Thanking his contact he hung up. “Listen to this,” Dan said excitedly. “Wellington had a divorce about fifteen years ago. A poor Hispanic woman he had been married to for about ten years. They had a daughter, Margaret, and they divorced right before the boy was born. One Keith Jose Miller. The ex-wife gave the kids her maiden name, a nice American name, instead of Wellington. They lived in the ghetto, grew up poor. Wellington never paid any child support and the mother was too broke to file charges.” “Talk about hostility,” Trixie muttered. “It gets better. The daughter made something of herself, put herself through school, wanted to become a teacher. Never finished school though. Got married, divorced, etc. Kept the husband’s name though.” “Not connecting the dots, Dan,” Trixie looked at him. Dan searched through the filing cabinets of teachers and pulled a file. “Margaret Miller becomes Margaret Nickson. Also known as, Peg.” Dan said triumphantly, pulling out the picture of her. He set it next to the one of Keith and they both gasped. The resemblance was uncanny. “She’s jumpy around me because I’m a cop from NYC, and she might have realized I knew the case on her brother. She’s been here a long time-“ “She was near the cellar the day I got locked in. I spoke to her right before I went inside,” Trixie whispered. How could she have forgotten? “She knows the land.” “And Jim rejected her. I was right. She’s held a grudge this whole time!” “Not necessarily over Jim though. Think about it. Her brother failed out of here. Rich father who’s an investor.” “Revenge,” Trixie murmured. The pair stared at each other for a moment. “Jim is supposed to be in her rooms, going over lesson plans for the next semester,” she whispered, blood draining from her face. “Let’s go,” Dan grabbed her hand and they ran downstairs. They found their friends in the game room, decorating for Christmas. The families were all due to arrive in an hour or so. “Mart, where’s Peg’s room?” Trixie demanded breathlessly after they burst into the room. “Why?” he asked. “Where?” she demanded. “South wing, last room in the corridor. Trix what’s-“ Trixie and Dan were already gone, racing down the hall. The brothers glanced at each other, Honey and Di and then leapt up to follow. The door was unlocked and the pair barreled through. It was empty and neat as a pin. A large room, private bath, closet, big bed, bookcases, computer. “Where are they?” Dan murmured. “Who?” Mart demanded. Trixie whirled around, eyes wild. “Peg. She’s the one behind the accident. It’s all about revenge, for her brother Keith. She’s got Jim somewhere and she’s liable to kill him!” The other four looked at Dan who filled them as Trixie began searching the desk. “Honey, start looking. Newspaper clippings, journals, anything that might give us a clue where she took Jim,” Trixie order. Honey moved without hesitation towards the computer. “Trix-are you sure?” Brian asked. “Peg is a nice lady she-“ Trixie strode to the closet and flung it open and Dan started searching through drawers. Pushing clothes aside, Trixie gasped. She certainly hadn’t seen this when they searched all the rooms the other day! “Come here!” she called. They crowded around in amazement. Behind the rack of clothing was a small shrine built to Jim. His picture was everywhere, drawn with hearts around some pictures. “Nice lady? She’s obsessed!” Honey whispered. “We have to find Jim, and fast!” Trixie turned to them. “Mart, get some flare guns and meet us in the kitchen. Dan, Mart, round up our jackets and flashlights. Di, I want you to stay here with the boys. Keep them calm, and the families once they arrive. Brian, get your medical
bag, we may need it. Move!” They reassembled in the kitchen moments later as Trixie bundled up. “It’s going to be a bitch in the snow, but we have to find them. None of the treehouses would be warm enough with this weather. Err on the side of caution. Brian, Mart, check the stables. Dan, Honey, go with me to the lake house. First one to find them, fire the flare gun. No calling his name to alert her.” “We know those paths better, one of us should go with you,” Brian protested. “We’ll be fine. Check the tables and make sure they didn’t take any horses. The horses know you better. Let’s go!” “Trixie Belden you know good and well they’re not in the stable!” Honey exclaimed once out of ear shot. “I know. I just didn’t want to put up with Mart’s bullshit. Besides, they still see me as their kid sister, not a famous detective,” she grinned through her heavy scarf. “Shhh!” Before they could see the lake house, the smelled the smoke. Running forward through the falling snow they stared in horror across the lake and at the lake house with flames licking its way across the inside. Without hesitation Trixie ran forward onto the frozen lake, and went skating across. The others followed on the bank. Trixie scrambled through the snow covered bank to get into door, which was locked. Kicking it did no good. Finally she reached into her jacket and pulled out her gun, blowing the lock on the door. Pushing her way in she tried to see through the smoke. “Jim!” there was no answer and the fire was spreading. Finally she saw him, unconscious near the sofa and a large can of gas. Darting forward she grabbed him by the shoulder and began hauling him towards the door, which suddenly slammed shut. Trixie let go of Jim and threw herself at the door. It gave way and she saw Peg fall to the snow. “Bitch!” she shouted, scrambling to her feet. Dan and Honey had almost reached her. “Dan, get Jim, hurry! Honey, fire the flare gun!” “What about-“ “I’m going after her!” Trixie was on her feet and running, gun drawn as Dan dashed inside. Honey watched in terror as her friend dragged her brother’s body out. She helped Dan carry Jim away from the cabin and deposit his body into the snow. “Stay put. He's breathing, but barely. Get Brian over here! I’m going after Trixie. I called the police before we left, hopefully they’ll be here soon,” Dan got up and ran up the path after Trixie. Honey fired the flare gun again. “Brian! Jim’s hurt!” she yelled. There was an answering shout and could see their bobbing flashlights. They had already seen the blazing fire and smoke and were headed that way. Trixie ran, stumbling in the snow, but so did Peg. Trixie could see the outline of a car silhouetted on the top of the ravine, as she had feared. Peg was going burn the lake house with Jim in it, and run away. The snow would prevent the fire from spreading to the forest, but the lake house would be destroyed. By the time it would be discovered, Peg expected to be long gone, and the authorities would have to hunt her down. If she had money from her father, she could disappear. Branches slapped at her face and hair, snagging her curls and slowing her down. Trixie kept going. Peg twisted her foot and stumbled. Getting up she saw Trixie was gaining, and realized she was on the edge of a ravine. Turning quickly to go the other way she was hit by the full force of Trixie’s body tackling her. To her horror, Trixie realized they weren’t landing but falling. Maneuvering Peg under her, the pair hit the side of the ravine and rolled down. Peg threw Trixie off of her as they landed and Trixie had the wind knocked out of her. Peg struggled to her feet but Trixie, in better shape physically was ahead of her and pounced. Tackling Peg down Trixie punched in her the face. “You bitch! You tried to kill him!” she shouted. “Of course I did! He killed my brother!” “Your brother was a fool!” Trixie snapped. “And if Jim dies I’ll flip the switch on you myself!” “You’re why he turned me down!” Peg screamed, reaching for Trixie’s throat. Trixie punched her again and she went limp. She could hear Dan calling her. “Dan! Look out for the ravine!” Trixie called up to him. “I saw you go down it! Hang on, I’ll be down there in minute! The others are on their way,” She could make out Dan carefully coming don the side. She held Peg down, in case she came to or was faking. Dan reached her. “Damn, that was some tackle, Trix,” he grinned. Trixie tried to grin back but couldn’t, thinking about Jim’s condition. Dan rolled Peg over and cuffed her. She started to come to but Trixie quickly wrapped her scarf around her mouth, gagging her. “Let’s go Ms Nickson,” he hauled her to her feet. Mart was at the top of the ravine. “I always miss the fun,” he sighed, helping his sister up. “Jim?” she asked. “Big brother thinks he’ll be all right, but he needs to get him back to the school. It’s going to take most of us to get him back.” “I’ll baby-sit our friend here,” Trixie said menacingly. Mart realized her gun was out again but wisely said nothing. *** By the time they made it back to the school, there were two police cars out front, lights flashing, and a whole lot of scared people inside. “Jim!” Madeline Wheeler shrieked as her son was carried in by his friends. “Di, get the oxygen unit,” Brian snapped. Di ran for it. “He’s breathing Mrs. Wheeler, but he took a lot of smoke.” “Where’s Trixie?” his own mother demanded. “She’s fine Moms, talking with the cops outside,” Mart assured her and their father, Peter, the dark haired member of the family that Brian resembled. “Everyone step back please. Set him on the couch,” Brian ordered. Di returned with the unit and Brian slipped it on over his friend’s head. The door opened and two officers came in, followed by Trixie who was leading a very disheveled Peg Nickson cuffed and gagged. Both women had cuts and mud on their faces and clothes from their tumble. “Trixie!” her mother ran forward and hugged her tightly. “I’m fine Moms. Mr. Wheeler, call your friend Tom Wellington and tell him his daughter is in
custody pending investigation. She’s the one who’s caused all these accidents.” “Wellington? He has a daughter?” Mr. Wheeler asked in disbelief. “I’ve known the man for fifteen years!” “Should the boys hear this?” Madeline asked nervously. Trixie nodded. “Jim would want them to know. He always believed in treating them as equals. You boys have a seat.” Trixie went on to explain everything, Peg staring at her hatefully. Dan realized Trixie was still gripping her gun and reached over to take it. She gave him a sheepish half smile. “She covered her tracks well. Since Wellington’s kids were unknown, and she kept her married name, it didn’t click. Plus her brother was here years ago. Dan and I both suspected her but for a much weaker motive-unrequited affection. But she was here on site the whole time. She looks small but she’s strong. She grew up in NYC; of course she could hotwire a car, or know enough to tamper with. And she hates me, because in her eyes, I’m why Jim wouldn’t go out with her. Throw that in with the grudge her father has against Jim, for not ‘fixing’ her brother, you’ve got means and motive.” “That’s pretty much what she told me,” Jim rasped, having pulled the oxygen off. Honey’s eyes filled with tears as her mother held her son’s hand. Brian nodded to Mart who slipped the oxygen back on as Brian tended to Trixie’s cuts. “It was a masterful plan,” Trixie admitted. “No one knew he had this other daughter and son. Made it easy.” The officers ungagged Peg. “It wasn’t the original plan you fool!” she spat. “I wanted to know the man that my brother had hated so badly. I didn’t intend to fall in love with him! Then he rejected me because of this blonde bimbo! It took me years to track down my father. We were working on being a family, and when Keith died, Daddy was so furious. Said it was Jim’s fault that he couldn’t turn Keith around. And I got mad. Mad that he loved a woman who didn’t give two cents about him! And I began to see him as a broken man, a nothing who clung to the hope of helping boys in a dying setting. Your school will crumble, Jim,” she said hatefully, “even if Daddy kept sending his checks! No one wants their son playing in the woods with other boys anymore!” Madeline Wheeler looked almost faint at the revelations and Mart quickly got her a chair. Matthew’s Wheeler’s jaw clenched tightly as he tried to withhold his anger. Jim’s green eyes were glazed from the smoke inhalation. “The gun shot we heard?” Peter Belden asked. “Mine. It went off when fell because it was in my hand when I took her down. Not the brightest move,” Trixie admitted, “but I didn’t know until we were already going down into the ravine.” “Trixie, you could have been killed!” her mother was aghast. “Moms, I’ve taken on a lot worse than a jealous bitch before,” Trixie sighed. If they only knew! “And anyway, half the credit goes to Dan. He figured it out with me, and it was his contacts that came through first.” Trixie smiled at her old friend and he grinned back. It would be a happy Christmas after all.
***
Author’s Notes
- Yet again, a huge thank you to Dana for editing!
- word count, 4,467
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