Part One
Thursday, December 29, 1994
Night was falling over Sleepyside-on-the-Hudson. Every so often, a car made its way up the steep drive to the Manor House, stopping briefly at the gate to verify the occupants’ identity with security. Overhead, dark clouds blotted out the stars, but inside a party was beginning.
A knock at the door signalled that the last of the Bob-Whites had arrived. Honey rushed to admit her brother and his wife. “It’s about time you’re here!” With a sweeping gesture, she ushered them inside. “You’d think that you’d let someone else be last, considering you had the shortest distance to travel.”
“They’re newlyweds,” Ginnie objected. “They had other things to do.” Honey and Di giggled while Trixie’s brothers tried to ignore the conversation.
Trixie groaned. “It’s been over eight months. When is it that we stop being newlyweds?”
“When someone else gets married, Mrs. Frayne,” Honey teased. “And don’t look at me! I’m quite happy with ‘living in sin.’”
“And when will everyone stop calling me ‘Mrs. Frayne?’” Trixie grumbled.
“I think I’ll take our gear upstairs,” Jim interposed, tactfully. “Which room are we in, Honey?”
Honey blinked innocently. “We?” she asked sweetly. “Surely you don’t think that the Bob-Whites are now allowing members of the opposite gender to share rooms? Last reunion, no one let me share with Dan.”
Carefully keeping a straight face, Jim held up his left hand. “See this?” he asked. “It’s called a wedding ring.” He leaned closer and whispered something that no one else heard. “So, which room are we in?”
His sister giggled helplessly and led the way. “Just you watch out, Jim Frayne,” she warned. “I just might get you back for that.”
Ten minutes later, the whole group had gathered around the fireplace and Honey was serving up hot chocolate. “I’ll turn the floor over to Trixie now,” she informed them, sinking down into a comfortable chair next to Dan. “I think you all know that she arranged this reunion.”
“Is that what she called it?” asked Mart. “I thought she just said, ‘Oh, by the way, you’re expected at the Manor House from December 29th to January 4th,’ and left the rest to you, Honey.”
Dan laughed. “You’d better hope not,” he teased. “Honey’s been so caught up the last few weeks that there’d be no food or anything if it was up to her.”
Mart looked so stricken that Honey rushed to say, “Don’t worry. Miss Trask made all of the arrangements before she left for her vacation, so there’s plenty to eat.” She smiled at her friend. “I’m sure that Trixie has done a great job on everything else.”
“We’re all here, I guess,” Trixie answered, rather doubtfully. “That’s a pretty good start.”
“So, what is on the agenda, Trixie?” Brian asked, speaking up for the first time since his sister had arrived. “I didn’t see any timetables anywhere.”
“There isn’t one,” his sister replied. “Last time was different. A lot of us hadn’t seen each other for a long time and we–” She stopped. “I didn’t think we needed that again.”
Honey quickly agreed. “Trixie’s got heaps of things ready for us to do if it snows too hard, even if the power goes out. And we all know what there is to do if the weather’s fine.”
Trixie added, “But you’d all better start thinking of encouraging things to write to each other, ’cause we’re doing that again.”
At the previous reunion, they had all written anonymous notes of encouragement to each of the other members. Trixie kept hers in a safe place, ready to look at them whenever she felt low. She had decided long ago that if it was in her power they would do that exercise at every reunion.
“So the rest of the evening’s free?” asked Brian. “Mart brought that game he got for Christmas, didn’t you Mart?” His brother nodded. “Does anyone want to play?”
“What sort of game is it?” asked Di, sounding wary.
“Nothing too difficult,” Honey reassured. “It’s a word game. He showed it to me earlier. I’ve played it before and it’s lots of fun.”
That point settled, Mart went to get the game and soon they were all writing furiously, trying to think of their words in the given time. The evening wore on, alternating between periods of laughter and ones of hushed concentration.
“I’ve forgotten whose turn it is,” Honey admitted at the end of one round. “Who’s next?”
“Actually, I’m feeling kind of tired.” Di spoke quietly and gave a little yawn. “I think I might go up to bed.”
Goodnights were exchanged and Di disappeared up the stairs. Trixie turned to Honey and asked softly, “Is she all right? We didn’t hurt her feelings or anything, did we?”
“She’s fine,” Honey replied. “Just let her be. I don’t think she’s been well lately and it’s showing.”
“I’d better go up, too,” decided Ginnie, who was sharing a room with Di. “I don’t want to disturb her, in that case.” She kissed Brian, who looked faintly embarrassed, and went upstairs, calling, “Goodnight, everyone.”
After a rearrangement of seats, the game continued, though a little more quietly than before. Finally, Brian and Mart decided to call it a night as well. “I’m sure you’ll expect us up bright and early tomorrow,” Brian noted quietly, a smile evident in his eyes. “So, I think I’d better get some sleep.”
Mart, looking rather distracted, followed behind him. The two couples who remained moved to some more comfortable chairs and settled down for a quiet chat. Some time later, the topic turned to their fellow Bob-Whites.
“Does anyone know what’s up with Mart?” Jim asked. “He seems a little…”
“Preoccupied?” Honey guessed. “Like he’d rather be somewhere else?”
“You won’t get anything out of him.” Trixie’s face settled into a pout. “At least, I couldn’t. And, believe me, I tried. He’s been like that the whole time he’s been home.”
“I’ll talk to him,” Dan offered. “Whatever it is might not be something to discuss with your sister.”
“There’s another thing I’ve been wondering,” Honey confided, changing the subject. “Is it just my imagination, or is Brian acting kind of funny?”
The other three looked at each other blankly for a moment before turning confused faces back to Honey.
“I did say I might have imagined it,” she acknowledged, in her own defence. “I have been known to imagine things, you know.”
“Really?” Trixie teased. “Who would have known?”
“On that note,” said Jim, suppressing a smile, “I think I might go upstairs now. Coming, Trix?”
As soon as they had left, Dan pulled Honey into a hug. “Do you realise,” he asked softly, “that this is the first time we’ve been really alone together in almost two weeks?”
She nodded against his chest. “I know.” She let out a soft sigh. “Dad does make things difficult, doesn’t he? And with you staying with Regan and me staying here…”
“Uncle Bill’s no less difficult than your father,” he replied, grimly. “He’s ashamed of what we’re doing, that’s for sure.” He paused, holding her tightly. “That’s one of the reasons why I think you should at least consider my offer.”
Honey frowned. “It’s so silly. I can’t see why they treat us differently from Jim and Trixie.” She sighed once again. “But let’s not waste time talking about that. We have a lot of time to make up for.”
“I’m feeling kind of restless,” Dan declared, suddenly. “If we went up to the lake, do you think anyone would miss us?”
“Great idea,” she replied. “Let me just change into something a little warmer and we’ll go.”
Minutes later the pair were headed for the lake, having stopped at the clubhouse to get their skates. Dan’s flashlight cut through the darkness, making the shadows on either side even deeper.
“Brr,” Honey shivered, as she stopped to lace her skates. “It’s colder out here than I thought it would be. I don’t think we’ll stay long.”
Dan took her hand to help her stand, and they stepped out onto the ice. Honey soon warmed as she exerted herself, trying to keep up with her boyfriend. After a few minutes she gave up and started figure skating instead.
“Dance with me,” she called playfully, holding out her hand.
Her companion shook his head and glided away from her. “I don’t think so. Our legs would get tangled, the ice would crack and we’d end up at the bottom of the lake.”
Honey skated up close to him and grabbed his hand. “Please?” She smiled sweetly as he gave in. “We’ll be fine. You’ll see.”
For several minutes it looked as if Honey had been right. They skated together as if they had practiced for hours, gaining confidence all the time. Then the inevitable happened. Honey turned too quickly, in not quite the right direction, and they fell in a laughing tangle of limbs.
“I told you so.” Dan laughed, as he once again helped Honey to her feet. “Are you okay?”
She seemed to think for a minute. “My nose hurts. Can you kiss it better?” She waited for him to do so. “And my cheek. And my lips. I’ve got a few other sore spots. Can you kiss them too?”
Dan laughed. “I’ll kiss you anywhere you like, but not out here.” A snowflake landed on Honey’s cheek and he gently brushed it away. “Let’s get back inside, before it gets really cold.”
The next morning, Honey came down to breakfast looking rather worried. She was the last to get there and they could all see that she was less than happy.
“Has anyone seen my appointment book?” she asked, sitting in the chair they had left for her. “It’s about so big,” (she indicated a size of about five by six inches) “it’s black and looks like it might burst if you touched it.”
“When did you last see it?” asked Brian.
Honey sighed. “I know I had it just before everyone arrived. I was going through my appointments for next week, making a few calls. I was sure I’d left it in the library, on the table next to the phone, but it’s not there now.”
“I’ll help you look for it after breakfast,” Dan promised, knowing how lost she was without it. “The rest of you can get on with whatever’s on the programme for this morning.”
“We’ll all help, of course,” Trixie added, quickly. “It won’t take long if we all help.”
The meal finished, the table was cleared and Jim suggested, “Why don’t we all check our own rooms first. Someone must have accidentally taken it with them at some point.”
“And if none of us finds it, we can all look around downstairs,” Dan added.
“I’m really sorry to be such a nuisance,” said Honey, as they split up. “I should have been more careful with it.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Trixie replied, as she ran up the stairs. “I’m sure we’ll find it in a few minutes.” At that, she disappeared into her own room and each of the others went to theirs.
Alone in their shared room, Ginnie noticed that Diana was looking very tired, and tried to think of a tactful way of asking her about it. “Did you have a long trip here?” she enquired, as they each searched through their own belongings.
Diana nodded. “We spend every Christmas in Arizona with my uncle,” she explained. “Flying always makes me tired.”
“Me too,” Ginnie replied. “Though, it’s better than having to drive.” After a long silence she tried again. “It’s always hard to sleep in a strange bed, too. I must have woken half a dozen times last night.”
“I slept like a baby,” Di replied, with a self-conscious smile. “I guess I must’ve spent enough nights in the Manor House for it not to be so strange.”
Ginnie only nodded. A few minutes later she said, “Well, I can’t see it in here. Why don’t we go downstairs?”
“Wait!” Di pushed the door closed. “There’s something I want to ask you first. Do you think it might - well, that someone took it deliberately?”
“What makes you think that?” Ginnie asked, slowly.
Di fiddled with the hem of her loose green sweater for a few moments before smoothing it back over her leggings. “Honey and I have both been having some trouble…” She paused, trying to find the right words. “We both have enemies. Someone could have gotten in and taken it.”
“Surely, with all the security…” She paused, suddenly uncertain. “I guess they could have. Maybe we should lock the bedroom door before we go to sleep.”
Di nodded and opened the door.
When they arrived downstairs, the other Bob-Whites were searching every conceivable place for Honey’s missing appointment book. Di and Ginnie joined in, going through room after room until finally Dan called a halt.
“It can’t be in any of the places we’re looking,” he pointed out. “I think someone else should go through our room in case it’s somewhere really obvious and we’re just not seeing it.”
“I could do that,” Trixie offered, “if that’s okay.”
“Please,” Honey replied. “You know how much trouble I’ll be in if I can’t find that book.”
As Trixie climbed the stairs, the rest of the group waited below in uneasy silence. Only a minute passed before she returned, holding out the offending item.
“Oh, Trixie! Where was it?” Honey cried, hugging first her book and then her sister-in-law.
“Under the bed,” Trixie told her. “Right in plain sight, as soon as I bent over to look.”
“But I looked there,” Dan grumbled, frowning.
“So did I,” Honey added. “Twice.”
For a long uneasy moment, no one spoke.
“Well, at least it’s found,” said Brian, finally. “Why don’t we go for a ride? I haven’t been on a horse in months.”
“I think I’ll go for a walk,” Di added, knowing that there were not enough horses to go around. “Anyone want to come with me?”
The tension broken, they all began to discuss their plans for the rest of the morning. Brian, Jim, Trixie, Mart and Dan decided that they would ride. The other three would go for a walk.
The group scattered in a bustle of changing and searching for shoes and coats. A short time later, the three walkers met at the front door.
“So, where will we go?” Di asked, as they started down the front stairs.
“You’d better give me the grand tour,” Ginnie suggested, with a smile. “I’ve never been here in winter before and I don’t think I recognise anything.”
“Grand tour it is, then,” said Honey, leading the way. They made their way through the fresh snow towards the clubhouse. “If you will direct your attention to the bottom of the slope,” she added, affecting a snobbish tone, “you will be interested to see a prime example of the local information distribution infrastructure, otherwise known as a mailbox.”
Di giggled and pulled Honey along by the arm. “No more dictionaries for you,” she teased. “Mart grew out of that nasty habit. We don’t need a replacement.”
The clubhouse came into view and the three stopped to look at it. A soft smile crossed Honey’s face. “Let’s come back this way and sit in there for a while. The others will spend far more time riding than we will walking.”
With a murmur of agreement, they continued on towards the lake and on into the preserve. They kept up a light conversation as they walked.
“I think I’ve had enough walking,” Ginnie announced, after a while. “Is it far back to the clubhouse?”
“Who knows?” Honey asked. “I haven’t the faintest idea where we actually are at the moment.”
Di let out a groan. “You were supposed to be conducting this tour Ms. Wheeler,” she lectured, sternly. “Now, tour us back out of here before we all die of exposure or something.”
A moment later, Honey let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, it’s okay. I know where we are. Look, you can just see the clubhouse through the trees.”
They increased their pace until they came to the little building. Honey unlocked the door and they went inside, finding it newly cleaned and tidied. Over the years a number of changes had been made. The conference table and benches were now at Rose Cottage, serving as a picnic table in the summer. They had been replaced by some old sofas, which were cosily arranged around the heater.
“It’ll soon warm up,” Honey assured her guests as she turned on the heater. “And we can have a talk.” She turned to Ginnie. “Brian doesn’t talk about us much, does he?”
“Not often,” she confirmed. “But I know this group is important to him. I must admit that I’m a little confused about a few things, though.”
“Ask away,” Di offered, curling up in a corner of the sofa nearest the heater. “We can answer practically any question.”
“Or, at least guess,” added Honey, with a giggle.
Ginnie thought for a moment. “The thing that confuses me most,” she decided, “is the group dynamics. I mean, I don’t know anything of the history and very little of the personalities, but everything seems to turn on Trixie’s reactions.”
The other two looked at each other. “That’s very astute of you,” said Honey. “I’ve always thought that she was the one who kept us all together.”
“She and Jim were co-presidents of the club,” Di added. “All the other roles changed from time to time but they were always kind of in charge. And Trix was always the one to volunteer us all for things, or get us all into trouble.”
Honey laughed. “Is that ever an understatement! Trixie is synonymous with trouble.”
“What did I tell you about dictionaries?” Di warned playfully, before suddenly reverting to the previous topic. “I think Jim was supposed to keep her in line. That all happened before I joined, but I always had that impression. Not that it actually worked.”
“So who formed the club?”
“Jim, Trixie, Brian, Mart and I,” Honey explained. “It was right after my parents got custody of Jim and Trixie’s brothers came home from being summer camp counsellors. A couple of months later Di joined and a few months after that, Dan joined.”
“Dan and I often got left out of things, though,” Di added, softly. “Especially, Dan. Before he arrived, we had all sorted ourselves into pairs for dances and things. Jim and Trixie, Honey and Brian, Mart and me.”
“So, Jim and Trixie were together even then?” Ginnie asked. “Not as a real couple, but always paired?”
“Oh, yes,” Di nodded. “I always knew that they’d get married. And I knew that Trixie wouldn’t want a big fancy wedding. I guess that’s why the engagement was so short.”
Honey looked at her friend. “You think that was why?” she asked. “I know another reason.”
“What?” asked Di, leaning forward. “I thought for a while that she might be pregnant, but that obviously wasn’t it, otherwise we’d know about it by now. What other reason could there be?”
“Think about it, Di,” Honey urged, with a giggle. “What do you know about Jim?”
“Um…that he’s honorable?” Honey’s face showed her that she was right. “Too honorable to live with her if they’re not married?”
“Oh, definitely. You should have heard the lecture he gave me when I told him I was moving in with Dan.” Honey gave a most expressive grimace. “But more than that. Too honorable to ever break a promise, even if the promisee releases him from it.” Di looked confused. “When they first dated, Trixie was kind of reluctant to let things go too far between them because of something that someone told her.”
“Brian,” Ginnie guessed, softly. “It was Brian, wasn’t it? To do with his previous girlfriend and the miscarriage.”
Honey nodded. “She was pretty scared, I think. Brian was always the responsible one, you know. And if that sort of thing could happen to him…. So, anyway, Jim promises her that they’ll wait until they’re married. After a while, she changes her mind but nothing will separate Jim from one of his promises.”
Di groaned loudly. “Is that all? I thought you were going to tell me something earth-shattering involving some rich person leaving him a fabulous fortune only there are strange conditions on it.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Now that that’s done with, there’s another matter that I want to discuss with you. What do you think that you’re doing defaming my character?”
Honey looked at Di’s perfectly straight face for several long moments before bursting into laughter. “It’s not your character that I’m defaming,” she protested, between giggles. Turning to Ginnie, she explained, “There’s a character in my books that Di insists is really her and she did some… well, bad things in my last novel.”
“Bad things?” Di objected. “Is that what you call it? ‘Bad’ doesn’t even begin to cover it.”
“I could do worse,” Honey warned, in mock-threatening tones. Outside the clubhouse, a horse whinnied quite close by. “Sounds like the others are heading back to the stables. I have a score to settle with someone. Who wants to help?”
“What did you have in mind?” asked Di, her complaint apparently forgotten.
“Snowballs. Let’s ambush them outside the stables.”
Minutes later, the three were busy making a supply of snowballs, ready for their attack. Jim was the first out and Honey threw hers hard, hitting him in the middle of his chest. He looked surprised for a fraction of a second, before stooping to form his own. Soon, the others had joined in the fight and snowballs were flying in all directions.
As the battle tapered to an end, Dan noticed that Mart had not participated. Odd, he thought. He’s usually the first to throw snowballs. I wonder what’s up? He made his way over to his friend and dropped down next to him on the bench.
“Really takes it out of you.” He mimed a throw, to illustrate his point.
Mart looked up with a jolt, his face blank. “Sorry. I was miles away. What did you say?”
Dan shook his head to say it didn’t matter. “How are things on the farm?”
“What? Oh, yeah. Good. It’s good.”
“When are you heading back?” Dan thought, There’s definitely something wrong here.
There was a long pause. Something in Mart’s expression shifted. “End of the reunion.”
Where does he want to go? Dan wondered. He answered the question as I intended it, but he was thinking of something else. Before he could formulate the next question, Honey dropped down on the bench, with a heavy sigh. “I’m cold and wet and my arm hurts,” she said breathlessly, “but I can’t remember when I had so much fun.”
Soon, Dan thought, eyeing his friend. I’ll get this secret out of you soon.
“I think I’ll go back inside,” Mart announced, abruptly. A moment later he strode away.
“I put my foot in it, didn’t I?” Honey asked regretfully, once he was out of earshot. “Sorry, Dan.”
“It’s okay,” he replied, pulling her closer for a kiss. “I wasn’t sure what I was going to ask next, anyway. I’ll talk to him another time. How was your walk?”
Honey giggled. “Aside from getting lost? It was fine. We went and sat in the clubhouse and had us some girl talk.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “And I found out that Di didn’t know why Trix and Jim were so anxious to get married. Can you believe it?”
“They were pretty secretive about that,” he countered, as they headed towards the house. “And does it matter that much, whether Di knew or not? Di has secrets from Trixie. Why shouldn’t it be the other way ’round, too?”
“Men,” Honey sniffed, running up the front stairs and entering the house. “You don’t understand the first thing about women.”
“Guilty as charged.”
“So, are you interested in finding out?” she teased. She glanced back at him from her position, a few steps up the stairway. “I could give you some pointers.”
“I might be interested in that,” he replied, with a sexy smile. “What did you have in mind for the first lesson?”
She made no reply, other than a smile of encouragement, and he followed her upstairs to their room. The door closed behind them with a sharp click and Honey reached to engage the lock. Her hand froze, mid-motion, and her mouth dropped open.
“Someone’s been here,” she said, in a soft, gasping voice. “Someone’s been in this room while we’ve been out.”
“How can you tell?” Dan asked, looking at their surroundings critically. “I don’t see anything different.”
“Smell,” said Honey. “Can’t you smell it? It’s aftershave, I think, but not one I recognise.”
“Maybe one of the security men has been near here,” he replied. “The smell might have come in when we opened the door.”
His girlfriend was carefully sniffing, looking for the source of the smell. Her brow creased and she said, “No, I’m sure that whoever it was must have been in here. It doesn’t seem to be on anything, it’s just kind of in the air. I’m going to talk to the security officer.”
She threw the door open and set out in search of the man on duty. After a few minutes, she found him wandering along the corridor of the top floor of the house.
“Can I have a word?” she asked, in a voice that denied the question. The man turned, apparently surprised, and nodded. “How many people are on duty inside the house at the moment?”
“Just myself,” the man replied.
“Where have you been since we left the house this morning?”
“Let’s see,” he considered, scratching his chin. “First, I took a look around the ground floor. All quiet there. Then, I walked along the hallways of the second floor and checked the empty rooms. After that, I came up here and had a look around.”
“And have you seen anything out of the ordinary?” she asked. He shook his head. “Did you enter any of the rooms on the second floor?”
“Not any of the occupied ones, ma’am, or any of the locked rooms. Those were our strict orders. I just went into the spare guest rooms at the end of the corridor and tried all of the doors to make sure they were locked.”
“Were they?”
“Yes, all of them. Just as usual.”
Honey thanked the man politely and invited him to return to his duties. She slowly returned to her room, meeting Dan there.
“Well?” he asked, as she closed the door behind her.
“It wasn’t him.” She frowned, deep in thought. “He didn’t smell like that at all. And he said that he’d been all over the house since we left. I don’t understand it. If he’s telling the truth, I can’t see how anyone could have been here.”
“As far as I can tell,” Dan put in, “there’s nothing different here. Everything seems to be just as we’ve left it.”
“Forget it.” She let out a deep sigh, sank onto the bed next to him, and leaned her head against his chest. “There’s nothing we can do now.”
“Let me take your mind off it,” he offered, smiling just as he had earlier. “I know just what you need.”
“I’m sure you do,” she replied.
At lunch time, the group reassembled in the dining room for a simple meal. The staff had been given some time off and would not return until the following day, so the group were fending for themselves in the meantime. Honey and Dan were the last to arrive for the meal, and suffered a certain amount of teasing because of that fact. Neither mentioned the earlier events, though they had made no particular decision on their significance.
“So, what does everyone want to do this afternoon?” Trixie asked, when the meal was in full swing.
“Ice skate?” suggested Honey. “The lake’s good and frozen.”
“That’s a good idea.” Mart nodded. “I haven’t skated for a long time.”
“If you didn’t spend half of last winter in the southern hemisphere, you might have got more skating time,” teased his sister, with a grin. “But, I agree. Skating does sound like fun.”
Both Jim and Dan nodded their approval. Di murmured an assent.
“I think I’ll stay in the house,” Brian announced, quietly. “If no one minds, that is. I could come down to the lake and watch, if you all prefer.”
“Wanting your afternoon nap?” Trixie suggested, grinning widely. “Fine with me.”
“I’ll stay and keep you company,” Ginnie decided. “I’m rather out of practice, anyway.”
“Okay with everyone?” asked Trixie. She received an impression of agreement from the group. “So, who wants to help me clean up?” She looked pointedly at Dan, and he took the hint.
“Me,” he said. “Though, I expect the rest of you characters to help carry everything to the kitchen.”
Mart gave a token grumble about having to work on his vacation, before leading the way in clearing the table. Soon, all of the plates, glasses and cutlery had been gathered.
The kitchen door swung shut, leaving Trixie and Dan alone. He busied himself at the counter, seeming to avoid her eyes. She simply waited.
“So, when are you going to tell me what happened?” she asked when he made no move.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Trixie raised a skeptical eyebrow. “I’m waiting. Are we going to hear wedding bells or not? I thought you would have asked her by now.”
“I did,” he confessed, shortly. “She said no.” After a long silence, he continued, “She says that she’s never going to get married, but I’m not sure that she really means it. I guess she’s just scared. Maybe when she’s had time to think about it…”
“I wish she’d just tell me what this is all about.” Trixie spoke softly. “I’m probably saying the wrong thing to her the whole time – and to you.”
“That’s her call,” Dan replied. “But, I hope she’ll tell you soon.”
While everyone else was at the lake, Brian and Ginnie spent a relaxing afternoon indoors. In his time living away from home, Brian had become used to less physical activity and the morning’s exertions had left him feeling tired. He settled in the library with the intention of doing some reading.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Ginnie asked softly, her hands resting on her hips. “I didn’t stay behind to watch you read, Brian, enlightening as that may be.”
He smiled. “Then what do you suggest?”
“A challenge. Chess.”
Brian’s eyes strayed to the chess set and back to his girlfriend. “What do I get if I win?”
“You think you’re going to win?” she replied, with a smug smile. “Maybe you should be asking what happens when you lose.”
“State your terms,” he demanded, “and I’ll decide whether I want to take your challenge.”
“The winner,” she decided, after a moment’s thought, “chooses which route we take on the return trip to Buffalo – and where we stop.”
Brian frowned for a moment, trying to figure out why she had chosen this particular incentive. A little thought gave him a satisfactory answer and he nodded.
“I’ll take that challenge.” He walked over and took a seat at the table. “And I’ll be sure to win. I don’t want to go too far out of our way.”
She smiled an answer and the game began. For the first few minutes, there was no talk unrelated to the moves they were making. Finally, Ginnie broke the silence. “I was wondering, Brian,” she mused, as she made a move, “what the situation is between you and Honey.”
Her boyfriend’s eyebrow rose slightly, but he did not hesitate in making his own move. “We’re friends,” he said. “Nothing more. What makes you think different?”
She was silent as she studied the board with narrowed eyes. With precision, she moved a piece, smiling gently. “You seem a little wary of each other,” she observed. “You’re sure there’s nothing else?”
“She did have a teenage crush on me,” he admitted. “Something might have come of it, if she hadn’t been so much younger. I started college, and left her behind.”
“I see.”
The next few moves passed in renewed silence.
“I suppose the implication is that there are no tales of unrequited love in your past,” Brian teased, as he made what he considered a particularly clever move. “No teenage boys who lusted after you at high school?”
Ginnie laughed, and made a counter-move that caused Brian to suppress a flinch. “Of course, I’m not. I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to make a fool of myself. You’ve known these people for so long, and you share so many secrets with them. I just don’t know what to say, sometimes.”
“I’m sorry,” he admitted. “I never meant to exclude you from that part of my life. I just don’t think too much about it anymore.”
“I know.” She smiled and moved a piece. “Check.”
Brian fell into silence once again, concentrating on the game. He manoeuvred himself out of one trap and into another.
“Check mate,” said Ginnie, with a satisfied smile. “Antique carousels here we come!”
When the group met again around the dinner table, it was clear that the afternoon’s outdoor activities had been strenuous. Trixie’s cheeks were pink from the cool air and several people expressed just how hungry they felt.
“You’re just lucky you’re here on time,” Honey commented to Ginnie, as they gathered around the table. “Certain people here would have eaten everything in sight if left to their own devices.”
“I resemble that remark,” Mart huffed, in affronted tones. Moments later, he closed his eyes in appreciation of the delicious smells coming from the kitchen. “I definitely resemble that remark. What is that wonderful smell?”
“My stroganoff,” said Trixie, smiling at him. “Jim and I have been slaving over a hot stove for all of you. I hope you appreciate it.”
“Ah,” Mart sighed, appreciatively. “Moms has trained you well. Jim, you are a very lucky man.”
“I certainly am.” Jim threw an amused glance at his wife, who looked less than impressed. “She’ll be the perfect housewife, one day; cooking and cleaning and making everything perfect for her family.”
“Just like Moms.” Mart gave a nod. “I hope that I’m as fortunate, when someday I find a wife.”
“Quit clowning, you fools,” Trixie ordered. “The food will get cold.”
Laughter bubbled around the table, and they settled down to their meal, chattering merrily. The food quickly disappeared, followed by a luscious hot chocolate pudding that Trixie had prepared. The compliments at the end of the meal made her cheeks redden with pride. Everyone helped to clean up and the work was quickly done.
Tired and fully sated, they moved to a group of comfortable chairs around the fire in the family room and settled down to talk in the semi-darkness. Outside the window, the wind whistled through the trees. A log dropped in the fireplace with a thump, sending up a shower of sparks and making Diana jump.
“Kind of spooky, isn’t it?” Trixie asked, a shiver of anticipation running up her spine. “Almost enough to make you believe there could be ghosts.”
“It’s Thomas Mead, coming to get you,” Honey joked. “Leave my mountain!” Trixie giggled, but shivered again as another strong gust of wind blew past outside.
“Is someone going to fill me in?” Ginnie asked, curious.
“Shame on you, Brian!” Honey cried. “You’ve had plenty of time to fill Ginnie in on our adventures.”
Brian looked so uncomfortable that Di started giggling. “That’ll teach you to try to keep secrets,” she taunted. “They’ll all come out eventually.”
The whole group then launched into a spirited account of their trip to Mead’s Mountain. Dan sat back and listened. He had, of course, heard the story more than once before, but it was not particularly familiar. He watched Ginnie’s reactions as she heard it for the first time.
“That explains quite a few things,” she said, when they had finished. “And I’ll have to hear the rest of the adventures sometime, but maybe for now we should stick with ghost stories.”
“There was a time when I thought the Manor House was haunted,” Honey put in, suddenly.
At once, there was a confusion of outraged cries of “What’s that?” and “You never told me!”
“Of course I never told anyone,” Honey laughed, when the noise finally died down. “You would have thought I was nuts.”
“Please, Honey,” Trixie begged. “We know you’re not nuts. Tell us about it now.” Several other people backed her up and, with great reluctance, Honey began her tale.
“It all happened not long after we moved here. Mother and Dad were away and Jim hadn’t come to live with us yet. It was a warm night, so my bedroom window was wide open. There was hardly enough breeze to shift the curtains. I was tired, so I went to bed early. I woke a few hours later to hear a strange sound. Ssssh-crk. Ssssh-crk.
“At first, I thought it was just something being blown by the wind. Then, as I woke more fully, I noticed that the air was completely still. I got out of bed and took a couple of steps. The noise changed. Ssssh-sssh-grrmp. I stopped. Then, I looked up and saw a figure, all in white.
“She was looking right at me. I thought I could see her lips moving, but all I could hear was the soft sssh-sssh. Then, slowly, slowly, she raised her hand, as if in warning. I stepped back and it was like the air exploded. AAAAARRRGH!”
Di squealed.
“What happened next?” Trixie asked, breathlessly.
“I tripped over something and fell backwards onto the floor. I couldn’t see the ghostly figure any more and the sound had stopped. Buddy - my puppy - was whining softly. I turned on the light. Buddy was right next to me and I picked him up. I was going to take him with me to see Miss Trask. Then, I stood up and I saw her again.”
“What?” Di squeaked.
“Just like before. All in white and staring right at me – from the mirror.”
“Honey!” cried Trixie. “Is that it? You could have told us that in one sentence.”
“You wanted a ghost story,” Honey replied, with a grin. “That was the best I could do at short notice.”
“But what made the noises?” Di asked.
“Buddy. I heard Buddy making his little doggy noises. Got up, saw my reflection in the mirror and scared myself. Then, I stepped back on poor Buddy’s tail and tripped over him. Happy now, Trixie?”
“Perfectly.”
After that, it was a foregone conclusion that someone would try to better that story. It was late in the night before the supply of ghost stories was exhausted and the former Bob-Whites made a hasty and nervous retreat to the safety of their beds.
The next morning, Honey met Di on the stairs on the way down to breakfast. Noticing that Di looked tired, she tactfully asked her whether she had slept well.
“I swear I heard your Ssssh-crk noises all night,” Di complained, good-naturedly. “Every time I thought I was getting to sleep, it started up again and I got all shivery.”
“Well, I thought I heard Creeee-creee-thumps,” said Trixie, joining them. “Next time someone has the bright idea of telling ghost stories before bedtime, remind me to thump them one, okay?”
“You started it,” Di giggled. “Are you going to thump yourself, or do we need to call for volunteers?”
Reaching the entrance to the dining room, the three stopped short. It was clear from the stances of the three men who were already there that something else had gone wrong. Brian, Mart and Jim stood close together, looking tense and worried. Ginnie was waiting a little way from them, her face averted.
“What’s happened?” Trixie demanded, striding across to her husband. “What are you talking about?”
Her eldest brother spoke. “My keys are missing. And yes,” he forestalled the question forming on Trixie’s lips, “we’ve looked. They were beside my bed when I went to sleep last night and gone when I woke this morning.”
Trixie looked from one brother to the other. “The door was locked?” They both nodded. “And neither of you went out anywhere during the night?” They both shook their heads. “So how did they get in?”
“That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Jim replied. “And short of someone picking the lock, we can’t say.”
The three women looked at each other. “You don’t think those noises could have anything to do with it?” Di asked, suddenly looking alarmed. “Really, I thought I was just imagining things… too many ghost stories…”
“Well, let’s have some breakfast,” Brian suggested, breaking the uneasy silence. “I don’t need my keys until I leave. I’m sure they’ll turn up before then.”
By the time that everyone was downstairs and the food was ready, the conversation was flowing again. Trixie and Honey had spent the intervening time developing theories, each less credible than the one before.
“I’m sure it’s secret passages,” Honey insisted, just as the meal began. “That’s how it always is in books. There’s a network of secret passages right through the house and secret rooms that the k-” - she stopped, suddenly - “the bad guy hides in.”
Trixie pretended not to hear the slip. “I don’t think so,” she contradicted quickly, before anyone else could comment. “I think he’s got a lock-pick set. Or one of those ones you see on TV. He just goes up to the door, puts it in the lock and, voila, the door is open.”
“Yes, but we can’t really investigate lock-pick sets,” Honey objected, reasonably. “It’s not like he’d leave it lying around. At least we can find out whether there could be secret passages.”
“You mean by making measurements?”
Honey nodded. “Dan, you’ll help me do that after breakfast, won’t you?”
Her boyfriend put on a long-suffering look. “If I have to.”
“That’s settled, then,” she said to Trixie. “So, do you have a line of investigation for this morning?”
“I’ve got one or two things in mind,” Trixie replied. “So, is that okay with everyone? Free time until, say, half past ten?” Around her, several people nodded. “Okay, meet here then for coffee.”
The meal ended and they went their separate ways. Trixie’s first stop was her room to pick up a few things that she needed. She bounded up the stairs and threw open the door. Just as she was about to start rummaging through her belongings, she stopped short. Something was different.
“My diary,” she said, aloud. “It was right here.”
“Did you say something, Trixie?” Honey asked, from just outside the door.
“My diary’s gone,” her friend replied indignantly. “Of all the nerve!” Her investigative ideas forgotten, she stomped down the stairs to enlist Jim’s help in a search of the room. “And this time,” she told him, “we’ll search the room carefully for any clues, not just the missing item.”
Jim looked dubious, but let himself be led by the arm back up the stairs and into their room. Everything seemed exactly as they had left it, with the exception that Trixie’s diary was no longer sitting on the desk.
“What exactly are we looking for?” he asked, as she began crawling over the floor. “I think I forgot to bring my fingerprint kit.”
She looked up, confused. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m supposed to be the sidekick, right?” he asked, pretending to be serious. “And you’re the Great Detective. So I should have the fingerprint kit. Don’t you read detective fiction?”
“Just look for things that are out of place, okay?” she directed, trying not to smile. “I don’t feel exactly like a Great Detective. It’s all happening right under my nose and I can’t figure out who’s behind it.” She sat up suddenly. “Do you think it’s just some kind of sick joke? Or a series of accidents?”
He thought for a moment. “I can’t see any of the people here playing that sort of joke,” he decided, finally. “Now, if it was ten years ago and Ben Riker was around, that would be another story. But this group? I doubt it.”
“And accidents?”
“It could be,” he conceded, frowning. “But I don’t think so. Honey’s obsessive about her appointment book, and Brian’s pretty careful. And I know I saw your diary right before breakfast because you were secretly writing in it.”
“I was not,” she countered, returning the frown with interest. “I was making an entry. I wasn’t ‘secretly writing’ at all.” She let out a sigh. “I didn’t take it with me or anything?”
“No,” he replied. “I’m sure you left it right there.”
“Well, there are no more clues here. I think I’ll go and talk to one of the security guards. Maybe they can tell me something new.”
Without another word, she turned and left. A few minutes’ search brought her to the kitchen, where the security guard on duty was making himself a cup of coffee.
“Excuse me,” she said, politely. “Are you on your break?”
“No, ma’am,” he replied. “I’m on duty inside the house. My instructions are to keep out of sight as much as possible.”
“Can I ask you about something?” He nodded. “Have you been upstairs at all this morning?”
“Yes,” he replied. “While you were all at breakfast I took a look around the upper floors. All quiet.”
“You didn’t see anyone?”
“No, ma’am. Nothing out of the ordinary at all.”
“It’s just that I’m missing something,” she explained casually. “It’s a small book; a diary. It’s got a blue cover. I wondered if someone had been in my room, but maybe I’ve just misplaced it. Have you seen it, Mr.… Parker?” she asked, reading off his name tag.
“I don’t think so, ma’am,” he replied, politely. “I’ll keep an eye out, though.”
She thanked him and went out to find Jim.
“Let’s go out for a walk,” she suggested, when they met. “I can’t stand to be in here anymore. I want to get out and escape the atmosphere for a little while. I need to stop thinking about all this.”
Jim nodded and led the way outside. The air was sharp as they headed out past the stables. Without making any conscious decision on which way to go, they soon found themselves on their own property. The house was securely locked, and neither had brought their keys, so they wandered in the opposite direction and came to the bench in the old orchard. Trixie brushed away the snow and sat down in the dappled sunlight.
“I love this spot.” She sighed with contentment. “It’s so peaceful.”
Her husband sat down next to her and pulled her close for a kiss. “Mmm,” he murmured, looking into her eyes. “And lonely.” He kissed her again. “And just perfect in about six months’ time when the weather’s fine.” He pulled away with a groan.
Trixie laughed softly. “Just you wait, Jim Frayne,” she promised. “I have plans for you.”
“Oh, yes?” he asked. “And what would they be, Mrs. Frayne?”
She shivered. “Could I have this dance for the rest of my life?” she sang softly. “Would you be my partner every night?”
“It does ‘feel so right,’” he agreed, pulling her close once again. He remembered a night, not so many months ago, when they had heard this song on the radio as they were on the way out to see a show. Something in it had clicked and, if their arrival had been a little late and their appearance a little dishevelled, their friends had just put it down to their newlywed status. “And if you’re going to put it that way…” He trailed off, telling her with kisses what he couldn’t find words to say.
Slowly, deliberately, Trixie pulled away. With a teasing look, she checked her watch. “Time to go,” she announced. “We don’t want to be late getting back.”
“You’re evil, Mrs. Frayne.” Jim shook his head, trying to reign in the passion which was threatening to overcome him. “You’ll pay for this later.”
“I certainly hope so,” she replied, with a smile.
The dining room at the Manor House was already occupied by the other six members of the household when they returned. As soon as they entered, Trixie knew that not all was well.
“It’s no go,” Honey announced, almost immediately. “There’s no space anywhere that could have a secret passage or a secret room. And now Ginnie’s watch is missing.”
“And my diary,” Trixie added. “Gone from my room. Where was the watch?”
“In my room,” Ginnie replied. “Behind a locked door.”
“You must be right about the lock-pick set,” Honey conceded. “Otherwise, how are things disappearing from locked rooms?”
Trixie frowned. “It doesn’t help us, though. Whoever it is won’t be leaving it around for us to find.” She thought carefully for a few moments. “Do we really need the security people?”
“Do you want the paparazzi, people calling themselves journalists and stray mental patients who call themselves fans getting in here?” Dan asked sharply. “They’ve intercepted four people this morning alone. And your mother had to call the police about someone climbing on her roof.”
“I guess we need them, then,” she conceded. “I don’t know what else we can do, then. Whoever it is, they’re in here with us and, if we can’t do without security staff, they’ll stay here, too.”
“That’s only if they’re connected with the security staff,” Honey corrected, frowning. “What if they’re just hiding somewhere in the house? They could be moving around, without anyone knowing; taking things, or…” She trailed off, suddenly unwilling to take the idea any further.
“Well, let’s all keep our eyes and ears open for anything unusual,” Jim suggested, trying to sound calm. “If we can’t do anything about it, we’ll just have to live with it.”
The discussion apparently over, they helped themselves to hot drinks and cake, and moved into smaller groups to talk. Trixie cornered her eldest brother and drew him a little way from the rest of the group.
“So, what do you know about Ginnie’s watch?” she asked, in a lowered voice.
“She last saw it this morning, just before breakfast,” he explained, in slow, deliberate tones. “She was about to put it on, when I knocked on the door and interrupted. She put it down – and I saw her do it – on the bedside table. She left with me then, and when she returned to get it later, it was gone, but the door to the room was locked, just as she and Di had left it. We checked with Di, but she hadn’t been back to the room.”
“Ah, so it’s your fault. If you’d just shared with her this wouldn’t have happened,” Trixie told her brother with a teasing note in her voice. She stopped short when she saw the look on his face. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he said, a little too quickly. “Just don’t make that sort of suggestion again, okay?”
“I was joking!” She frowned in confusion. “I didn’t mean anything by it, really.”
“Sorry,” he replied. “Kind of a touchy subject, I guess.”
His sister sighed, deeply. “You’re telling me. I can’t count the number of times I’ve burst in on one of Honey’s arguments about sharing with Dan. She’s kind of militant about it, and so many people disagree with her.”
“Not what I meant,” Brian clarified. “I meant it was a touchy subject for Ginnie and myself.” She looked so curious that he continued, “I might as well explain it to you, mightn’t I?”
“I’d only jump to conclusions, otherwise,” she said, grinning. “You know me and jumping to conclusions.”
He smiled at her fondly. “Champion conclusion jumper.”
“So, are you going to tell me, or do I have to give some examples?”
“I’ll tell. There are a couple of very good reasons why we won’t share. Firstly, because Ginnie comes from a really conservative family and I don’t want to offend her parents. Secondly, because we both have careers ahead of us that require us to be upstanding members of the community.”
“But no one will know what goes on here. The rest of us would never tell.”
“There’s the security guards and the staff,” he pointed out. “Besides, we don’t want to start something we can’t continue with. We’ve both got a long way to go before we can seriously think about settling down, and I don’t know that our relationship is at a point where we can consider that sort of thing, anyway.”
Trixie nodded, thinking about what her brother had said. She mused: “That explains the reason, but it doesn’t explain why it’s a touchy subject.”
“Believe it or not,” said Brian, rather dryly, “but even Ginnie and I have conflicts between what we know to be true and what we feel. We don’t always agree on how to deal with that.”
“Who’d have thought it,” she replied, with a grin.
The smile that her brother returned did not quite reach his eyes. He said, “My apparent humanity aside, do you think that we should really be staying here? I’m started to feel very apprehensive about this.”
“I’m a little worried, too,” she admitted, “but I don’t think we should leave. Who’s to say whether that’s what the person doing this wants, or if they’d follow us, or if it would just make things worse. I think we should stay here and investigate. If we don’t, it might come back to haunt us.”
“How did I know you’d say that?” Brian muttered. “Okay, Shamus, I won’t say anything more – for now – but I think we’d best make another search of the house, to say the very least.”
“I know.” Trixie sighed. “I feel like we’ve spent the whole time here searching, though, and there are so many potential hiding places. It’s going to be a big job.”
Jim joined them at that point, in time to hear her response. “What are we searching for this time?” he asked, in a tone of resignation.
“Not what,” corrected his wife. “Who. We’re going to look for the person responsible.”
He covered his eyes with one hand and groaned, thinking of countless rooms, staircases, corridors and attics. Then, with a gesture, he gathered the rest of the group to them.
“My darling wife,” he told them, “has decided to search the place all over again, only, this time, we’re looking for the person who might be causing the mischief.”
“And how, exactly, are we going to do that?” asked Honey. “There must be hundreds of places to hide, and only eight of us, not to mention all of the ways that someone could avoid us if we were searching for them.”
“I know,” Trixie agreed, “but I’ve got a plan. First, we’ll station someone at the bottom of each flight of stairs, then we’ll search the ground floor. The people who are guarding the stairs will come with us to the second floor, and we’ll search it. They’ll stay where they are and we’ll go up to the third floor. Any closets or attics will get searched when we do the rooms or corridors they’re attached to.”
With a certain amount of grumbling, the plan was agreed to and carried out. The ground floor yielded nothing of interest – everything was as it should be. The second floor was devoid of people, but they did notice something out of place.
“Has this room been occupied lately?” Trixie asked, as she opened a spare guestroom door. “It’s kind of untidy, considering.”
Honey stepped forward and peered inside. The bedspread was rather crooked and there were dirty smudges on the carpet. Neither Celia or Isabella would ever have left a room in this condition. Honey strode across and opened the closet. It was quite bare. She leant over to look under the bed but, aside from a few traces of mud, there was nothing to be seen.
“It’s strange,” she mused, with a frown. “If the room had been used, someone should have cleaned it. I know that Celia and Isabella are very careful about those sorts of things. They don’t want anything to be missed because they each thought the other did it.”
The two women had started job-sharing after Celia had returned from maternity leave. The arrangement had been particularly helpful after the Regans’ first child was born. Now, they also shared the care of the five Regan and Delanoy children.
“Well, there’s nothing else here now,” Jim pointed out. “We’ll have to keep an eye on this room, though.”
They moved on with their search. Nothing else on the second floor was out of place. The top floor took much less time to cover, since most of the rooms there belonged to the staff and, as a result, were locked. Tired and dejected, they made their way back downstairs.
“I’ll get Dan,” Honey offered, and headed towards the back stairs, which Dan had been watching.
The rest of the group went down the main stairway, meeting up with Brian on the second floor. Trixie was ahead of the others, almost halfway down while they lingered near the top, when she cried out:
“Hey! Whose watch is this?”
“Mine,” said Ginnie, racing down to her. “But how did it get here?”
They eyed each other uneasily for a moment, before Honey and Dan appeared at the bottom of the stairs.
“What’s happened?” asked Dan. “Why are you all just standing there?”
“It’s my watch,” Ginnie explained. “We just found it here on the stairs, but it can’t have been here before – we all walked up here on our way upstairs. Either someone should have seen it, or it would have gotten trampled into the carpet. And Brian’s been standing at the top the whole time since we went up – haven’t you?” He nodded his assent. “So, how did it get here?”
“Whoever they are, they’re laughing at us,” Trixie whispered.
“Well, there’s nothing much we can do about it, now,” Brian decided, still looking uneasy. “How about if we get cleaned up and have some lunch? I, for one, am hungry.”
The others nodded and murmured agreement, then went their separate ways. They met, a short time later, in the dining room and spent an awkward half hour. The only ones who had much to talk about were Trixie and Honey, who were in full detective mode. By consensus, they decided not to arrange any activities for the afternoon, partly so that the two women could do some investigating, but mostly because a lot of people wanted private time to think.
When the meal finished, Dan saw his chance to corner Mart and make an attempt to find out what the other man was hiding. He watched as Mart wandered into the library and followed him, firmly shutting the door.
“Oh, it’s you,” said Mart, looking up in surprise. “I didn’t see you there.”
“Sorry,” Dan replied, with a grin. “I’ve had about enough of the girls and their sleuthing. I came in here to escape.”
“Yeah,” Mart replied absently, and said no more.
Dan frowned. This was going to be harder than he had thought. “Listen,” he said, “I know something’s up, and if you ever need to talk about it, I’m here, okay?”
His friend nodded, seeming uncertain, then turned away. “I don’t want to talk about it,” Mart told him, “but I know that’s not going to satisfy you. So, if I tell you the gist of it, will you leave me alone?”
“Deal.”
“I am such an idiot.” He turned a frowning face on Dan, warning him not to interrupt. “My whole life I’ve gone from one mess to the next… and now…” He ran a hand through his hair. “Just when I thought I was getting over it all, I’ve gotten in deeper than ever.”
Dan waited, certain that there was more. A few minutes later he was rewarded for his patience.
“I’m making a fool of myself,” Mart admitted, a certain sadness evident in his voice. “I just can’t help it, though. And I can’t see any way to stop it – hell, I don’t even want to stop it.”
“If this is about Di–”
“It’s got nothing to do with Di,” Mart interrupted, in a fierce voice. “Well, it might just have a little to do with her – breaking up with her was one of the messes – but I’m over her, now, and she’s over me. We’ve both moved on. This is completely different.”
“What sort of ‘completely different’ are we talking?”
The other man sighed. “This is me behaving like a love-sick schoolboy, while the object of my affection is totally oblivious.”
Dan’s eyes narrowed. “Are you sure she’s oblivious?”
“Of course, I’m sure,” Mart exploded. “And I really don’t want to talk about it, okay? Just drop it.”
“Fine.” His friend held up his hands in a conciliatory manner. “You don’t have to say anything. You know where to find me, though.”
“Yeah,” said Mart, in a softer voice. “I know.”