Summer By Design

She Said

“Finally!” sighed Honey, as the school bus pulled into the stop on the last full day of classes for the school year. “I was beginning to think we’d never get to go home and we’d have to stay here all weekend and, much as I need to study for finals next week, I really need a break from this place.”

“Don’t even think such a thing,” said Di, smiling politely to the driver as she boarded. “I have big plans for this summer and we need to work on them before it begins. We’ve got lots to do,” her voice dropped to a whisper as she leaned towards her two friends, “starting with a certain someone whose father says she’s old enough to date.”

“Oh, no; leave me out of this!” said Trixie, in firm tones. “My dad may, in a weak moment, have once said that I could date when I was sixteen, but that doesn’t mean that anyone wants to date me, or that I want to date them.”

With an exaggerated pout, she slumped into one of the back seats and dumped her belongings onto the seat beside her. The others shared a smile and sat together in the seat in front. A moment later, Mart and Dan boarded the bus and took seats near the front. They had been deep in conversation while they waited and paid the girls no attention as they continued to talk, despite the lingering look that Di cast in their direction.

“But Trixie,” said Honey, with a wide grin and a teasing tone, “we’ll have all seven of us in Sleepyside for the whole summer. Surely, among the Bob-Whites, you can find someone that you’d like to date.”

“Setting aside the fact that fifty percent of the Bob-White males are my brothers and the other fifty percent aren’t interested.”

“That’s where my plan comes in,” said Di, turning her attention back to the other girls. “Once we’re through with you, he won’t know what hit him.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Trixie replied, suppressing a smile. “Or, should I say ‘whom?’”

Di shrugged an elegant shoulder and lapsed into silence. The day was far too hot to spend much energy on arguing. Besides, she knew that Trixie was secretly pleased with the idea. All three of the girls were feeling disgruntled with the lack of attention from the male contingent of their club.

“See you both later, at the lake?” asked Honey, as they neared home. “I really need to get cooled off before I hit the books.”

“Me, too,” said Di, pretending to wipe her brow. “I’ll just go straight to the Manor House, if that’s okay.”

“I guess I’ll be there,” said Trixie, still pretending to be annoyed. “I don’t think I’ve got anything better to do.”

She gathered her belongings with as much dignity as she could muster and they made their way down the aisle. The bus creaked to a stop and she stepped down, with Mart close behind her and the others following.

“You could give me a hand here,” she said, tossing the soft fabric backpack she often used to her brother. “These books are heavy, and I’ve had a long day.”

“This may be blue,” he said, tossing it back, “but it is still a distinctly feminine article.”

“Oh, then you’ll carry these books instead,” she said, with an impish smile. The books were in his arms and she was away before he had time to object. “Thanks, Mart. You’re one of the three best brothers I’ve ever had.”

“Gee, thanks,” he muttered, following her towards the kitchen door of Crabapple Farm.

Once inside, Trixie retrieved her books, which Mart had dumped on the kitchen table, and headed for her room. A quick glance into the living room told her that Bobby was happily engrossed in Cyberchase and, since she could see that Hacker was winning, it was still near the start of the program.

I don’t know if I can really go through with this, she thought, as she pulled out her new two-piece swimsuit and slipped it on. On their shopping trip the previous weekend, Honey and Di had insisted that it looked good. She wasn’t quite sure if she believed them. It’s a nice blue and not too revealing, but I think I’d feel better with a one-piece suit, she thought, taking a look at it in the mirror.

She tugged at the hem of the top half, willing it to cover the bare few inches of midriff. It’ll just have to do, she finally admitted. Last year’s suit had been in such bad condition that she had already thrown it out. She pulled out a cream T-shirt and some navy blue shorts and covered herself up. A few minutes’ digging found the old pair of canvas shoes that she often wore to the lake in summer and she was ready to go.

Six Weeks Later
Late July

She Said

“I don’t believe this,” said Di, as she slumped against the side of Honey’s bed. “Weeks of careful planning and subtle hints and what have we achieved? Absolutely nothing! We try to arrange a date for Dan so that we can have four couples at a BWG outing, only Mart invites some other friends and ruins it. You two arrange for a romantic moonlight ride with Jim and Brian, so they decide to take Regan along, too. Whenever we try to get them alone, they all have an excuse lined up. Weeks of work and we’ve achieved nothing!”

“I wouldn’t say that,” said Trixie, who sat opposite her. “We’ve achieved grouchiness from Mart, exasperation from Brian, avoidance from Jim, and I think Dan is laughing at us. That’s something.”

Di let out an unladylike groan and covered her eyes.

“Don’t exaggerate, Trix,” Honey chided. “Mart isn’t grouchy, he just hasn’t been in a very good mood lately; and Brian hasn’t been exasperated, just kind of bemused and a bit bewildered, when he isn’t totally oblivious, and Jim isn’t avoiding us, he’s been working - and Dan would never laugh at us.”

“You’re not helping,” Di muttered. “Trixie’s right: we’re doing this all wrong. It’s time to bring out the big guns.”

“I think a bazooka would really help right now,” Trixie muttered, with heavy sarcasm. “Shoot them right out of the sky.”

“I meant a barbecue at the lake,” said Di. “You know: swimsuits, splashing around in the water, lots of food, going for walks in the moonlight. It can’t fail.”

“It’ll be fun, anyway,” said Honey, “even if it doesn’t work. Which night do you think would be the best?”

“It can’t be tomorrow night, because Mart’s working,” Di replied. “I’m busy the next night. How about Wednesday?”

“We’ve got Aunt Alicia staying this week,” said Trixie, with a wrinkled nose. “She’ll be arriving tomorrow and she leaves on Friday morning. I doubt that Moms would let all three of us desert her for an evening. It’ll have to wait until she’s gone.”

“Friday night, then?” asked Di. “That gives us plenty of time to make plans.”

He Said

“This is the life,” said Brian, lying back in the shade by the lake. “I really need a rest.”

“Girls be here soon,” Jim replied, lazily leaving out half the sentence. His eyes shut and he slumped onto his towel. “Man, I’m tired.”

“You should spend more time sleeping and less time at parties,” his friend said, heartlessly. “The girls will expect you to stay up late with them. They’ve been planning this barbecue for days.”

“They can expect all they like,” said Jim. “I’m going to bed early. I’m not cut out for the party scene and last night’s was enough to last me for months; years, maybe. Remind me again why I went?”

“You got me,” said Brian, laughing. “I didn’t think you were interested in whatever-her-name-is. Brandi? Baby?”

“Bambi. Both her parents were naturalists. And, no, I’m not. She, on the other hand, is very interested in me. I could hardly keep her off of me.”

“And that’s why you stayed out all night, last night.”

“No,” Jim ground out, “I stayed out all night because-” He looked up to see Dan watching them, a curious look on his face.

“Don’t let me stop you,” said Dan, grinning from ear to ear. “I’d love to hear how the honorable have fallen.”

“Not that I’d tell you,” muttered Jim.

He was saved from having to make an explanation by the arrival of Trixie and Mart. Even in this unusual grumpy state, Jim’s eyes immediately travelled to Trixie. Dan and Brian exchanged a glance, unnoticed. Dan’s face showed nothing but amusement, while Brian’s looked rather sour.

“Who wants to swim?” called Trixie, pulling off her T-shirt to reveal the new two-piece swimsuit. She looked a little embarrassed. Jim took advantage, by letting his glance drift to her bare midriff. In response, it seemed, she tugged on her top a little and he raised his eyes to her cleavage. It was only a few moments before she was in the water.

Oblivious to Brian’s scowl, Jim gazed at her in unconcealed admiration. Once her body was out of sight under the water, he returned his attention to his friend, only to find himself being contemplated with the infamous big brother look.

“What?” he said, with a shrug.

“Just keep your hands and your eyes to yourself,” said Brian, still scowling. “She’s too young.”

Jim knew a losing battle when he saw one. He rose slowly and prepared to enter the water. Within ten minutes, all seven of the Bob-Whites had arrived and were soaking wet. Brian was the first to retire to the shore. He carefully dried himself and found a dry spot to read the novel he had just started, well out of reach of splashes. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something going on between Honey and Di. Against his better judgement, he decided to ignore it. A moment later, he regretted the decision.

“Good book?” asked Honey, standing almost close enough to drip on him. “Is that one of Patricia Cornwell’s? I used to have some of hers, but I lent them to Trixie and they seem to have disappeared.”

“This is probably one of them, then,” he said, hardly looking up. “I don’t get much time for novels and I’m really getting into this one. I’d like to see how it turns out.”

“They’re intriguing, aren’t they?” she asked, oblivious to the fact that he really did not want to talk. “Once you start, you just have to keep reading to find out what happens - even if it is a little gory, sometimes. Over spring break, I think I read one in a day.” A look of dismay crossed her face. “I’m interrupting, aren’t I?”

“No, really, Honey,” he found himself saying. “It’s okay.”

“Good,” she said, sitting next to him. “We hardly ever get the chance to talk.”

As she began to chatter about he knew not what, Brian surreptitiously looked around. A little way away, his brother had been cornered by Diana and, out in the lake, Jim was talking to Trixie on the raft. Dan was lazing at the water’s edge, watching the proceedings with unconcealed amusement. Brian’s frown only made his smile wider.

Later, after the traditional Bob-White lakeside barbecue, Brian took a minute to talk to his brother. He chose his moment carefully, waiting until Honey and Di were occupied with setting out desserts.

“This isn’t what I had in mind for the rest of the summer,” he said, as quietly as he could. “I don’t want to be pursued, and I don’t like being pushed together by Miss Matchmaker over there. I thought I was imagining it at first, but they’re definitely up to something.”

“Well, you think of a way out,” said Mart. “There’s three of them and only one of me. I don’t think I can escape by myself. And if there’s one thing I know, it’s that nothing on Earth will persuade me to date ‘Miss Matchmaker,’ as you call her.”

“Get the word to Dan and I’ll tell Jim: the four of us meet back here after the girls have gone home. Mr. Not-So-Honorable Frayne will just have to nurse his hangover a little longer.” He could not help laughing at the shocked look on his brother’s face.

“I think it’s time to call it a night,” said Jim, as soon as dessert was finished. “I’m pretty tired and I’ve got a busy day planned for tomorrow.”

“So soon?” said Di, in dismay. “It’s not even half-past seven. I thought we could stay a little later than this.”

“I’ve really got to be going, too,” said Mart, trying to look regretful. “I have some things I need to get done tonight. Brian, you’re helping me, aren’t you?”

“As soon as the girls are safely home,” he replied.

“You’ll walk me home, won’t you, Brian?” said Honey, seizing her opportunity. “Trixie and Di are staying with me tonight and I have to go and get some things ready.” He nodded his approval and they set off together. When he returned, little more than ten minutes later, the only one at the lake was Dan.

“I’m really enjoying this summer,” he said, leaning back against the weathered wall of the boathouse. “This is the most fun I’ve had in a long while.”

“You would,” muttered Brian, sinking down next to him. From the path came the crunch of approaching footsteps. “On the other hand, I wouldn’t put it past Di to find a girl to match up with you.”

“Those girls sure need putting in their place,” added Mart, as he arrived. “I thought I’d never get away from Di.” He sat down in front of the other two and dropped his voice. “So, what’s with Jim? He was kinda grumpy, but couldn’t really be hung over this long after the party. I seriously doubt that he’d even drink.”

“Fact,” said Brian. Even in the moonlight, he could see the scepticism on his brother’s face and the amusement on Dan’s. “Put it this way: if you were too drunk to know where you lived, let alone find your way there, at seven o’clock this morning, you’d be hung over now, too.”

“I refuse to believe it,” said Mart. “Not the hangover part - I’ll bow to your superior knowledge on that point - but the alleged victim of said hangover. It’s just plain out of character. I find it far more likely that he’s got some rare tropical disease, hitherto unknown in these parts.”

“I’d gladly give it to you,” said Jim. His arrival, unlike Mart’s, had been near-silent. “Brian’s description is the more correct one. Highly exaggerated,” (even in the dark, his frown was clearly apparent), “but correct. I think I’ve learned my lesson, though, so you can now return to your regularly scheduled boring-ness. And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell the girls.”

“They cause us enough trouble, without giving them extra ammunition,” Brian agreed, with a smirk. “Which brings us to the problem. Are we agreed that they’re getting out of hand?”

“Not me,” said Dan. “They’re welcome to keep going, as far as I’m concerned.”

“The rest of us agree,” said Mart. “I don’t see what we can do about it, though. Unless we spend the rest of our vacation somewhere else.”

“Can’t,” said Jim. “I’ve got commitments here - as do the rest of you, I thought. Part-time jobs, remember?”

“How about somewhere that’s still close, but where the girls can’t go?” asked Dan.

“Like the men’s bathroom at Wimpy’s?” said Mart. “Anyway, I thought you wanted to watch the rest of us suffer.”

“Closer,” said Dan, ignoring the jibe, “but not quite so restrictive. Think about it. We’ve got this huge preserve here, and a whole lot of abandoned buildings in it. Why don’t we make ourselves a safe haven, where the girls can’t find us? We won’t tell them that it exists and, if we’re careful, they won’t guess.”

“You think you can keep secrets from Trixie?” asked Brian, highly amused. “Well, I’m willing to try, if everyone else thinks it’s a good idea. Which building were you thinking of using?”

“How about one at Ten Acres?” asked Jim. “You’ve already got the owner’s permission.”

“Not the summerhouse,” said Mart. “You can see it from Crabapple Farm. I might want to get away from her at night and there’s no way I’m sitting around in it in the dark.”

“Actually,” said Jim, “I was thinking of the barn. It’s just had a new roof put on and it’s all cleaned out. We can look at it in the morning.” There was a murmur of agreement. The four set a time to meet and quickly discussed the best path to get there unseen.

“And, now,” said Jim, “if you’ll excuse me, I have something I need to be doing.”

She Said

“I can’t believe that Brian Belden!” said Honey, dropping onto the floor of her room. “He didn’t want to talk when we were at the lake, he wouldn’t sit next to me when we were eating, and I practically had to run to keep up with him when he walked me home. This isn’t working at all!”

“Mart wasn’t very responsive, either,” said Di. A frown creased her pretty face. “None of them were, as far as I could see. I think we’ll have to try harder.”

“And I thought we were trying harder,” Honey groaned. “I don’t think I know how to be more obvious about it.”

“I think this calls for some research,” said Di, grinning. “We’ll just have to watch plenty of romance movies and get some more ideas.”

She and Honey both turned to Trixie, waiting for the inevitable objection to such a suggestion, but it did not come. Their friend was leaning against the bed, absent-mindedly playing with her bracelet. She had such a contented look on her face that the others immediately pounced on her.

“What,” Di demanded, “happened out there tonight?”

“Huh? What do you mean? Nothing happened.”

“Something must have happened,” said Honey. “You look… happy - that’s it: happy and peaceful and so exactly like something happened and you’d better tell us right away, or we’ll never speak to you again.”

Trixie shrugged and continued to trace the letters of Jim’s name with her fingers.

“Did he say something to you?” asked Di. “Look at you? Touch you? Kiss you?”

“No, none of those things. Nothing happened. End of story.” Each of her friends looked so skeptical that she continued: “We talked about school, and college, and the classes he’s planning to take next semester, and his summer job. Nothing special.”

Honey slumped until she was lying flat on the floor. “I just knew this wasn’t going to work. Jim and Brian are just so honorable all over the place that neither of them will ever notice Trix and me and Mart is so tied up with whatever it is that he does all the time that he won’t pay any attention to Di. We’re going to spend the whole summer trying to get their attention and we’ll go back to school with absolutely nothing having happened for the whole summer. We might as well give up right now while we still have a few weeks to enjoy.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” said Trixie, pulling her friend back up again and giving her a hug. “We could always find a mystery to keep us occupied. At least we’d have some fun along the way, even if the guys ignore us the whole time.”

“Trixie!” cried Di. She squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m going to forget you said that. Now, we’d better make some plans for tomorrow. Do we know where any of the guys are going to be?”

“Brian and Mart are spending the day with Dad,” said their sister. “He said last night that there were some things to be taken care of around the farm and that they’d put them off for long enough.”

“And Jim’s going somewhere with Tom,” added Honey. “I heard them talking about it this morning.”

“I guess that we could hang out at Crabapple Farm,” said Di, looking dejected. “We might get a chance to talk with Brian and Mart, at least.”

“No way, no how,” said Trixie, wrinkling her nose. “You didn’t hear the list of jobs that Dad has planned. They’re all of the dirtiest, most disgusting-”

“Okay! I get the picture,” said Di. “They can have the day to themselves and we can go to the other side of the lake to work on our tans. But what about later, after dinner?”

“We could see a movie,” suggested Trixie.

“I’ll go and ask Jim,” said Honey, jumping up. “I’ll be right back.” When she returned, only moments later, she said, “That’s funny. His light isn’t on. He must have gone to bed already. We’ll have to try and catch him in the morning.”

She Said

Mid-morning, the girls met at the boathouse, as they had arranged. Trixie was laden down with odds and ends, anticipating a boring day of watching Di sunbathe.

“Are you sure we couldn’t do something else?” she asked, rather peevishly. “I’ve never had a tan in my life and I doubt I’m going to start now. Besides, my nose has far too many freckles as it is.” She screwed it up, as if to hide them.

“Please, Trixie,” said Di. “I need to get rid of these strap-marks before I can wear my new dress and I need you to help row. Heaven knows I haven’t gotten the hang of it, yet.”

Trixie gave in with good grace, as she had intended all along, and tossed her bag into the boat. She held it steady while the other two boarded, then joined them. Soon, they were moving smoothly over the surface of the lake, heading for a hidden cove on the other side.

In summer, the willows hid the banks, their branches drooping all the way to the water. On the other side of the lake, where the land was steeper, rainwater had carved out gullies and each of them formed a cove. Their destination was hidden by a huge old willow which stood on a narrow stretch of land that protruded into the lake. Its wide branches almost touched those of another willow on the opposite side.

A gentle breeze blew across the water and Di sighed in happiness as they passed between the trees and entered the inlet behind them. Honey shot Trixie a sympathetic look, as the boat drew up to the shore. They all hopped out to pull it the last few feet, then gathered their belongings. Di and Honey spread their towels and began to undress.

“No one can see us here, can they?” Di asked, peering around. The other two shook their heads uncertainly. “You two don’t mind if I take everything off, do you?”

“You’re going to sunbake nude?” squeaked Honey. “I mean, I don’t mind, but I don’t think I’d ever do that, even here, where we know that no one can see us.”

“I’ve done it before. It’s no big deal. But how about you, Trix? Is it okay with you?”

“Sure,” she replied. “I think I’ll have a look around.”

As she walked along the rocky beach, Di was carefully arranging herself, face down on the towel, while Honey averted her eyes. The land around here was quiet and relatively undisturbed. As far as Trixie knew, there were no paths or trails near this section of the lake. When the Wheelers had first arrived, it had been heavily infested with poison ivy. Trixie could only assume that Mr. Wheeler had gotten the area sprayed, because she could see none now.

A few large rocks were embedded in the shore a short distance from her friends and Trixie climbed onto the nearest one to get a better view of the area. There was nothing much of interest. The banks were steep enough that not much was growing on them, just a few hardy trees and plants. Where the ground levelled out there was a grassy area and behind it a stand of pines was visible.

A little disappointed, she hopped from one rock to the next and continued her exploration. After a few minutes, the rocky shore gave way to sticky mud, under the eaves of the old willow, and Trixie decided that a different direction would be better.

The return trip was completely uneventful until she hopped onto the group of large rocks. As she leapt from one to another, she caught sight of something among the trees, getting the impression that it was something man-made. Frustratingly, whatever it was could not be seen while standing on either rock, no matter how hard she tried, but only while jumping between the two.

“There’s only one thing to do,” she muttered, aloud, “and that’s to actually go and find it.”

That proved easier said than done. At first, she tried to walk towards it, as the crow flies, but the steep slope, hidden rocks and inconvenient trees thwarted her. This is a lot harder than it looks. There has to be an easier way, she thought, with a frown. Even with my lack of sense of direction, I should be able to find it.

Setting her shoulders with determination, she walked right past Honey and Di and tried to approach from a completely different direction. In no time at all, she had scrabbled up a short, steep slope and was standing in front of an old building, set deep into the hillside and so covered in vegetation that it almost blended in to its surroundings.

“Honey!” she cried. “Come quick! I’ve found something!”

“What is it?” she asked, after following Trixie’s shouted instructions. “Have you looked inside?”

Trixie shook her head and stepped up to a window, struggling to push aside the trailing wisteria. The interior was so dim as to blot out all detail, but it appeared to be a single small room. A few fallen leaves were scattered across the floor, having apparently blown under the door, but it seemed otherwise bare. She re-emerged from under the rampant vine to find that Di had joined them, having wrapped herself in a towel.

“What’s in there?” asked Honey, sounding rather breathless.

“Nothing, as far as I can see,” Trixie replied. “I’m going to try the door.”

Once again, she was faced with a lot of vegetation, but it all seemed to be quite flexible and moved aside with relative ease. The door opened with a soft creak. Sunlight streamed in, revealing a single empty room. Ducking under the vines, Trixie stepped inside for a closer look.

“This has some definite possibilities,” said Di. Her eyes were alight with mischief. “Does it look okay in there?”

“It could do with being cleaned,” said Trixie, with obvious distaste at the thought of carrying out that plan, “but otherwise it looks fine. I can’t see any light through the roof.”

“That’s because somebody weatherproofed it at some stage,” said Honey, as she peered up at the roof. “Look: you can see the old shingles underneath and there’s sheets of something over the top.”

“This is perfect,” said Di, almost to herself. “If we clean it up, we can use it for somewhere private to take… people.”

Honey gasped and blushed red. “You don’t mean - We couldn’t really - I mean, I wouldn’t, and I don’t think Trixie would and you wouldn’t do that sort of thing, really, would you, Di?”

“I don’t mean next week,” said Di, barely able to control her laughter. “I meant later, like in a few years, or something. And in the meantime, we can use it to have private conversations, out of the hearing of certain people that we don’t want to hear us. And we could keep things here, too, if we wanted to.”

“It could be useful,” Trixie agreed. She was so excited by her find that she would probably have agreed to any use for it. “We can bring back some flashlights and brooms and things tomorrow and take a better look at it.”

Di nodded and returned to her sunbathing. The other two remained silent, looking at the little building, while the sound of her footsteps receded. The red had faded from Honey’s face, but the embarrassment was lingering. She looked nervously behind her for any sign of Di returning before she spoke.

“Now that we’re alone,” she said, in a soft voice, “you can tell me what really happened last night. And no changing the subject. I just know there was something.”

“Actually, there was something,” Trixie replied, “but it wasn’t what Di thought.”

“You mean a mysterious-something, rather than a romantic-something?”

Trixie nodded. “Jim’s hiding something. I just know it.”

“And you’re going to find out what it is?”

“Of course I am,” she replied, grinning. “He would think less of me if I didn’t.”

He Said

The Bob-White station wagon drew into a parking space only a short distance from The Cameo. Brian, in the driver’s seat threw a glance at Jim, who sat next to him in the front. Occupying the back seat were three rather disgruntled teenaged girls. Mart and Dan, in one of the Belden vehicles, pulled into the space behind them.

“Everyone out,” Brian commanded, pretending that there was nothing wrong. “We don’t want to miss the start of the movie.”

He watched as they all did as requested, then made sure that the vehicle was secure, before following the others inside. Right from the moment he had set eyes on them, he had known that the girls were up to something. If it hadn’t been for Dan, they probably wouldn’t have gotten this far. Brian had almost decided to call the whole evening off.

I can’t believe they’re actually going out looking like that, he thought, eyeing Di’s skimpy clothing. Is that supposed to be a leather skirt, or is it just an extra-large belt? He had to admit, in the privacy of his own mind, that it made her legs look long. Next, his gaze turned towards Honey. At least she’s wearing a decent amount of clothing, he noticed, feeling grateful for small mercies. One size too small, probably, but at least she’s fully clothed.

Then, he looked at his sister, and frowned. Her outfit was modest, when compared to Di’s, but clung to her figure in a way that Brian felt was highly inappropriate. Furthermore, her blue T-shirt had a V neckline, which extended far enough to display a hint of cleavage. The co-ordinating blue patterned skirt almost reached her knees, but the filmy fabric suggested that it might reveal more. The frown deepened into a scowl, as he took in the look of wonder on Jim’s face while he looked at her.

“Are you going to buy a ticket, Brian?” Dan asked, with an impossibly innocent expression. “You’re the only one who hasn’t.”

“Sorry,” he replied. “I was just trying to remember if I locked the car.”

Dan laughed silently, with his back turned to the girls, while Brian made his purchase. By this time, snacks had been bought by Mart and Honey, so the whole group went to find their seats.

As previously arranged, Jim, Mart and Brian managed to get ahead of the group and sat together at the end of one row, with Dan in between them and the girls. It was obvious that their tactic was not appreciated: Di stood and gaped at them, Honey made a study of the seat in front of them, while Trixie simply looked dejected. Eventually, they had to sit down, to avoid attracting attention.

“Brian,” said Di, after a few minutes, “could you change seats with me, please? I can’t see very well from here.”

He shared a look of dismay with Jim, who was next to him. Changing seats was the last thing he wanted to do, but how could he get out of it without seeming rude?

“I’ll change,” said Jim, getting up.

Di looked less than impressed but made the switch anyway, which left her at the very end of the row, next to Brian. Instead of Brian ending up near Honey - as the girls had obviously planned - Honey was then seated between Trixie and Jim. A few minutes later, after making some excuse, she changed seats with Trixie. The house lights went down, and there could be no more alterations.

She Said

The movie was over and the group had, by common agreement, gone on to Wimpy’s. As soon as they had arrived, the three girls had rushed off for a private conversation.

“Well, that was a complete write-off,” moaned Di, as the ladies’ room door closed behind her. “We’re going to have to try much harder if we want to get their attention.” She stepped into the only cubicle and twisted the lock.

“At least Trixie got to sit next to Jim during the movie,” said Honey. She smiled, as the sound of muttering came from behind the closed door. “That’s something, at least.”

In the silence that followed, Trixie drew her friend as far from the cubicle door as possible. “I’ve been thinking,” she whispered in Honey’s ear, “and I need your help. You remember that I said something was up with Jim?”

Honey nodded, throwing a glance over her shoulder in Di’s direction. “A mysterious-something.”

“Well, I’ve narrowed it down a little. Whatever it was, it started only a day or two before I said that. What I need you to do is help me find out all the places Jim went and what he did in those couple of days.”

“But Trixie,” her friend wailed, struggling to keep her voice down, “that could be hundreds of places. I don’t even know where to start.”

“Start with this.” She pulled a rather squashed sheet of paper out of her purse. “This is what I’ve got already.”

“How do you know all this?” Honey asked, as she read. “He didn’t tell you, did he?”

Trixie shrugged. “I just had a little chat with Celia… and Tom… and Regan… and-”

“I get the picture,” Honey giggled. “I’ll see what I can do.”

The tiny space was filled with the sound of rushing water and in a few moments Di emerged. “What are you two talking about?” she asked. “If you’ve got any strategies for attracting Mart’s attention, you’d better let me know.”

“Try walking past him while he’s sitting down,” suggested Honey, with a glance at Di’s legs. “That’s sure to get his attention.”

“Good point,” said Di.

“Leave me out of this conversation,” said Trixie, heading for the empty stall. “You two can discuss my brothers without me.”

He Said

The door to Wimpy’s opened and they were assailed by the appetising smell of fresh hamburgers. True to form, the girls made their excuses and went off to the ladies’ room together in a rush as soon as the orders were made. Brian went to the men’s room, while Mart made small talk with an old school friend, who was sitting at the counter. Dan and Jim sat in the booth that they had chosen, each stretching out on their own side.

“You want to be slowly murdered by Brian?” asked Dan, in an amused whisper. “You’re going the right way about it.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jim muttered, rather unconvincingly. “Why would Brian want to murder me?”

Dan let out a snort. “If I was her brother, I think I might have something to say about your leering.”

“I never leered,” he replied, turning red. “I was - um - appreciative of her outfit.”

“And the way she fills it.” He held up a hand to quell Jim’s protest. “You’ve got no competition from me, but you can’t expect me not to notice that sort of thing. The girl has no idea how hot she is.”

“And it’s killing me. Nine months and one and a half weeks before she’s seventeen, and I hardly trust myself near her before then. Do you have any idea what Brian would do to me if I put a hand out of place while she’s underage?”

“Murder would be too good for you,” his friend said with a nod. “You won’t be safe when she’s seventeen, though, so why worry?”

“I won’t be safe from Brian when she’s thirty,” grumbled Jim. “He’ll still be saying she’s too young.”

“I hear ya,” said Dan, with feeling. “I’m glad she’s your girl and not mine. I wouldn’t want to deal with the Belden brothers.” Without seeming to, he took in their surroundings. “Here comes Brian. We’d better talk about something else. Like, how did the girls think they’d get away with that seat changing thing?”

“You’d think, after all this time, they’d be better at being sneaky,” said Jim, as Brian joined them. “They’ve had enough practice.”

“It’s no wonder they get into trouble solving mysteries if they’re that unsubtle about it,” Brian added. “I’m just glad that we managed to outsmart them.”

“You think they’re finished?” Jim asked, in amusement. “They’re only just beginning.”

The three lapsed into a contemplative silence, each considering what the girls might get up to next. After a moment, Brian absentmindedly slid into the booth, next to Dan. He said, “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I think this is getting a little out of hand. I really don’t think the girls should be going around dressed like that.”

“I didn’t see a problem,” said Dan, with a glance in Jim’s direction. “Sure, Di’s skirt was a little short, but she’s got great legs and, unless she bends over, you can’t see her underwear. I checked.”

“That’s completely beside the point,” said Brian. “It’s our responsibility to protect the girls from the sort of attention that they’ll get if they go around dressed that way. We can’t be expected to condone this sort of thing.”

“Your mother didn’t say anything about Trixie, did she?” Dan persisted. Instantly, he knew that he’d hit a sore point: Brian’s face creased into the familiar scowl.

“She said that she looked very nice.”

“And I’d agree,” said Dan, with a conspiratorial glance at Jim. “V-e-r-y nice.”

A thunderous look descended on Brian’s face and the conversation came to a halt. Jim and Dan, sitting opposite each other, began a silent argument concerning the propriety and tastefulness of Dan’s last statement, not to mention its impact on Jim.

The door to the ladies’ room swung open and Di emerged, with an exaggerated swing of her hips. Dan noted that Mart, who was still standing at the counter, had frozen in mid-action. His shoulders tensed and he waited until the girls had seated themselves, before rejoining the group. Since the only remaining space was next to Di, he pulled up one of the few freestanding chairs and sat on it, keeping as far away from her as possible.

“Why don’t you sit here?” she asked, waving at the tiny piece of bench next to her and leaning into Trixie’s personal space to make it look bigger. “There’s plenty of room.”

“I need more space than that,” he mumbled, feeling uncomfortable. “Maybe we should split into two booths.”

“No, this is fine,” said Honey, smiling shyly at Brian, who was next to her. “I like being able to talk to everyone.”

“I think here’s fine, too,” Trixie quickly agreed. She had managed to get a seat next to Jim and wasn’t about it give it up easily. “And here’s our food, so it’s too late to change anyway.”

The conversation lagged as they ate. Honey shot shy looks at Brian on occasion, but he tried not to notice them. In one corner, Trixie and Jim were involved in a complicated series of retreats and advances. Di seemed determined to engage Mart in conversation. He was even more determined to avoid talking to her at any cost. Brian became more and more uncomfortable as the evening wore on, until he thought he could stand no more.

“Well, I think it’s time to head home,” he said, in cheerful tones that were more than a little forced. “Mart, you’ll drive Trixie and me home, won’t you? Jim can take Honey, Di and Dan in the station wagon.”

“But-” began all three girls, as he slid the keys across the table. None of them seemed to know what to say.

“That’s fine,” said Jim, pointedly ignoring Dan’s smirk. “Let’s go, gang.”

Brian was first out the door, closely followed by his brother. They strode ahead, putting as much distance as possible between themselves and their pursuers.

“Tomorrow,” Brian whispered, as they neared the car, “I’m spending the whole day in the barn. I can’t take this sort of pressure!”

“I’m with you,” Mart agreed, in fervent tones. “And I bet we’ll see the other two there as well!”

She Said

Honey returned Trixie’s paper, now even more squashed, the next morning when they met at Manor House. “That’s all I can get,” she said as she handed it over. “There’s just this one big empty block here - everything else is accounted for.”

“Thanks,” Trixie said, in a rather absent-minded fashion. She studied the list for a few moments before saying, “That’s just got to be it. Where ever he was the night before the barbecue, that’s when it happened.”

“How can you tell?”

“Well, I’d already ruled out most of this other stuff, and I was already pretty sure that it was either the day before, or the same day as the barbecue. There’s nothing else to go on. This just has to be it. Question is, how do I find out where he was?”

Honey shrugged an elegant shoulder. “I don’t have a clue. If that’s really when whatever it was happened, he’s not going to tell you and I think that if Brian knows, he knows enough not to tell you either. If Mart knows, then he’d probably keep it a secret, too, even if you could find him. And I just know that Dan knows something, because of the way he keeps smiling all the time - and he’s not a smile-for-no-particular-reason kind of guy - and how he keeps looking at the other guys like he’s laughing at them, but I’m not sure that that’s what he’s laughing at and, even if it is, I doubt you’d be able to get him to tell you-” “Honey! You’re a genius!” Trixie interrupted. “Dan’s the one I need to talk to and I know just where to find him: I just saw him heading for Regan’s office.”

She jumped up, raced out of the room and down the stairs, taking them two at a time. As she neared the stables, she slowed, to enter at a more dignified pace. From the sound of their voices, Regan and Dan were still in the office. With a spring in her step, she walked up to the open door and called a greeting.

“Hi, Trix,” said Dan, apparently unsuspecting that he was about to be grilled. “What’s up?”

“I just thought I’d look in and see if you were free. I need a little help down at the clubhouse. It’ll only take a minute.”

“Why do I think I’m about to give up a whole lot more than ‘just a minute’?” he muttered to his uncle. “Okay, Trixie, but I’ve haven’t got all day.”

“It won’t be. I promise.” She took his arm, said goodbye to Regan and led him outside.

“So what am I letting myself in for?” he asked, as they walked along. “Reshingling the roof? Installing a hot tub? Constructing a two hundred square foot extension?”

“They’re all good ideas,” she replied, grinning, “and I especially like the hot tub, but I was thinking of something a little less physical.”

“If you want me to design posters for a fundraiser, you’ve got the wrong Bob-White.”

“Less physical than that, even,” she replied. “I’m thinking of an exchange of information. You know something that I want to know. I can find out whatever you want to know, in exchange for it.”

Dan was deep in thought when they reached the small building. Trixie opened the door, carefully checked that no one else was around and locked it behind them before he spoke again.

“What do you want to know?” he asked. “Not that I agree to this scheme,” he quickly added. “I just need to know what it is you’re asking before I make my decision.”

“Where was Jim the night before our barbecue at the lake?”

“Is that it?” he asked, incredulous. “You don’t need to make a deal for that. He was at a birthday party. Patty Easton. Marvin’s older sister - she was a senior the same year as Jim and Brian.”

Trixie frowned, thinking hard. “I didn’t know he knew her that well,” she said, after a long pause.

“I don’t think he does,” Dan replied. “I think he went as a favour to someone, but I’m not sure who.”

She nodded, in a rather absent manner. “What did you think I was going to ask?”

“That I won’t tell you,” he replied, taking a step backwards. “No deals, either.” A sly look crossed his face. “If I tell you something else, will you let me know what you find out?”

“Of course.”

“He was out all night, and I think it had something to do with a girl called Bambi - but he claims not to be interested in her.”

“A girl called Bambi? Are you sure you don’t mean a deer?” she asked. “And I thought I had a bad name.”

“That’s what he said,” Dan shrugged. “As soon as he knew I was there, he clammed up.”

“I’ll have to see what else I can find out,” she said. “Thanks, Dan. I’ll let you know what I come up with.”

She Said

Ever since her conversation with Dan, Trixie had been planning. At the first available opportunity, she started on her first line of enquiry. If Jim had been at a party for Marvin Easton’s older sister, her best chance of getting information would be from his younger sister.

Trixie had never been particularly friendly with Allie Easton, but she knew that Allie worked part time at her family’s electrical goods store. It wouldn’t take much to ‘accidentally’ run into her there - especially since it was right in the middle of town, near plenty of other retailers. So it came to be that Trixie was walking down the main street on Monday morning, doing a little window shopping, when Allie rushed out the door on her morning break.

“Oh, hi, Allie,” she said, pretending to be surprised to see her. “How are things?”

“Fine, thanks,” the other girl said, “but I’ve got to rush. Which way are you going?”

“Nowhere in particular,” she said. “We can talk while we walk. I hear you had a big party at your place the other day.”

“For my sister,” Allie replied, with a nod. “Yeah, it was pretty wild. Mom and Dad weren’t pleased, I can tell you. You should have seen the mess the next day - and all the people who were still lying around in the front yard.”

“My parents would have been furious,” Trixie sympathised, trying very hard not to look shocked. “They’d kill me if I threw that sort of party.”

“Patty was in a lot of trouble,” she agreed. “I’m going in here, if that’s okay.”

Trixie nodded and tried to come up with another question. She chose a drink and snack from the display and took them to the counter, still following the other girl.

“Actually,” Allie continued, in a lowered voice, “I don’t think Patty meant to have that sort of party. I’m only telling you this so that it doesn’t happen to you, but the main reason things got out of hand was because she told people they could bring their friends along. She wanted them to feel comfortable introducing their college friends, but a lot of the people who came brought alcohol - or worse. Patty didn’t know how to tell them to leave, so they kind of took over.”

“That’s terrible,” said Trixie, after paying for her purchases. Her mind was spinning at the thought of something like this happening in Sleepyside - and the fact that Jim had been there. “And now she’s the one who’s in trouble for it.”

Allie nodded and headed for the door, turning to the direction they had come from. “In trouble and very upset. Some people are just so inconsiderate - like Bambi and Tiffany. You know Jim Frayne, don’t you?”

Trixie nodded, trying to keep the enthusiasm off her face. This seemed to be exactly what she was looking for and far more than she had dared hope for.

“He spent practically the whole night trying to keep them out of trouble. They’re supposed to be Patty’s friends, but they were worse than most of the strangers. Jim was so nice to Patty that night; he treated her far better than her so-called friends. She only invited him because Bambi had met him and wanted him to be there, but he wouldn’t accept a second-hand invitation.”

“That sounds just like Jim,” she replied, just as they reached the door to the electrical store.

“It’s been nice talking to you, Trixie,” Allie said, smiling. “I’ve got to get back to work, though.”

They quickly said their goodbyes and she was gone. Walking slowly, Trixie headed for the town square and sat for a long time, eating the food she had bought and thinking. The detective in her wanted to plan her next step; the teenage girl in her was too busy trying to get her head around the idea of Jim having willingly stayed at such a wild party.

When she returned home, it was to find a number of messages from Honey and Di, each urging her to meet them at Manor House. After checking with her mother, she headed out the back door and up the hill. They saw her coming, from their position on the verandah, long before she reached them.

“And where have you been, Miss Belden?” Di asked, when she was within hailing distance.

“And what have you done with your brothers,” Honey quietly added, when she was much closer. “We haven’t seen them, or Jim, or Dan all day - though, I think Jim might be at work.”

“I’ve been into Sleepyside to pick up a few things,” she replied, adding in a quiet voice, “and I haven’t done anything with my brothers; they left before I got up this morning. Unless you mean Bobby, in which case, he’s dying for someone to come and amuse him, being apparently unable to do that for himself.”

For her trouble, she was rewarded with a polite smile from Honey and a scowl from Di. Evidently, things were less than rosy around her two friends.

“We might as well go over to the other side of the lake,” said Di, rather crossly. “I haven’t seen Mart all morning, or any of the other guys. I think they’re hiding from us.”

“How does a picnic lunch sound?” asked Honey. “I could go to the kitchen and see if Cook will let us have some food for one.”

The other two agreed, and Honey raced off. In the meantime, Trixie and Di went about the business of gathering their supplies. The three met again at the boathouse, with so many things that they needed two trips across the lake. Finally, they and all of their belongings reached the other side.

“Is it time for lunch, yet?” asked Di, with a deep sigh. “I’m so tired, I could almost go to sleep, if I wasn’t so hungry.”

“I think we’d better get some work done, first,” said Trixie, pretending to be stern. She picked up a flashlight and a broom, watching as the others chose items to bring, then led the way to the building. “Start at the top and work down?”

The three set to work with brushes and brooms and, in a few minutes, had disturbed quite a lot of dust. Outside the windows, the wind rustled the leaves of the vines and bushes, but the air inside remained still.

“We should trim those branches,” said Honey, who had earlier struggled to open the windows. “I’m sure it would be cooler in here, if we could get some breeze.”

“Someone has, not all that long ago,” said Trixie, looking out one of the side windows. “You can see where they were cut.”

They stopped working and shared a look. “I hope that no one else is using this place,” said Di, sounding uneasy. “I wouldn’t like to interrupt someone out here, so far away from everyone else.”

“Whoever they were,” said Trixie, after a long pause, “they haven’t been here for at least a couple of years, but I think I might investigate it, just in case.”

Still feeling uneasy, they returned to their work. Before long, the place was sufficiently clean and they were satisfied.

“I think that’s enough for now,” said Honey, with a sigh of relief. “Me for a quick swim and something to eat!”

“Let’s swim first,” added Di. “I feel all grimy and sticky.”

Using the now-clean cottage as a changing room - in deference to Honey’s sensibilities, if not Di’s - the three got into their swimsuits and went to splash at the edge of the lake. The bottom here was stony, and the water stayed quite shallow before dropping off sharply. After a few minutes, they settled in the shallows and began to talk.

“So, what does it need to be finished?” asked Honey, as she leaned against a large rock. “Other than trimming those branches.”

“I think we should get some waterproof containers,” said Di, “and we can have a throw rug and some pillows to sit on. Candles would be nice, if we’re here in the evening, and we’d need matches to light them. I think the windows need something, too - they look so bare.”

“I’ll make some curtains, if you like,” said Honey. “What sort of fabric do you think I should use?”

Trixie lay down flat, so her ears were underwater. “I’m not going to listen to talk about curtains,” she said, squeezing her eyes shut. “So long as they aren’t purple with yellow stripes, I’ll be happy.”

“Of course they wouldn’t be,” said Honey, splashing her so she sat up again. “They’ll be tasteful, just like everything else about us.”

“Except Di’s leather skirt,” Trixie added.

“There’s nothing wrong with my skirt,” said Di. “I got a number of very appreciative looks, which reminds me: what are we going to do next? Our last plan didn’t get us anywhere. We need to think of something else; something more dramatic, maybe.”

“Can you arrange a blizzard?” asked Trixie, slumping back into the water again. “Like the one I spent in the old school house. Not that it was a romantic occasion, but it could be. Or, a thunderstorm would do. How about some flash flooding?”

“No, not that,” said Honey. “I never want to spend time on top of a barn with you and Jim again. Once was more than enough. Besides, none of us is a supervillain, so we can’t control the weather.”

“Pity,” said Trixie, “I’d like it a few degrees cooler. It’s hard enough dressing up anytime, without making it hot as well.”

“But it’s worth it,” said Di, with a note of panic in her voice. “When we get what we want, it’ll all be worth the effort.”

“I guess I could keep trying for a little longer,” Trixie agreed, “but you have to make it worth my while.”

“What do I have to do?”

“Tell me how to find out something about two girls, when all I know is their first names and who one of their friends is.”

“What are the names?” Di asked, looking interested. “And what do you want to know?”

“Bambi and Tiffany - friends of Patty Easton. I want to know whatever I can find out about them. Where they’re from; how they know Patty; whether they’re still in Sleepyside; where they go to college - that sort of thing.”

“Leave it with me for a day or so,” Di said, with a slow smile. “And be ready for another attempt at getting Jim’s attention. I think I’m getting a new idea.”

He Said

Evening was falling on the following day. In a covert operation that would have made the girls proud, had they known about it, a quantity of furniture had been moved into the loft of the barn. Now, instead of hard wooden benches, there were sofas to sit on. A fan circulated the air, a radio was playing and the dart board had been hung. Unfortunately for Mart, there had been no spare televisions, pool tables or bar fridges.

The day’s exertions had made both Brian and Mart feel much better. Their minds had been kept off their respective troubles. All four men were ready to face another night of Bob-White togetherness, even if the girls had used the last two days to plot.

“I guess we’d better move,” said Mart, over the top of a tattered paperback novel. “It’s getting kind of late and my mother always told me not to read in poor light.”

“It’s your turn to leave first,” Dan taunted as he lazed against the edge of the big window, looking out at the world. “You’d better get moving, buddy, before Di catches you.”

“I’d rather stay here, alone and in the dark, than be caught by her.”

“We could arrange for her to find you here,” said Dan.

“Hiding out here was your idea,” Mart objected. “You can’t ruin it for us right when we’re getting everything comfortable.”

“I’m kidding. Can’t you tell? And it’s still your turn to leave first.”

“Great,” muttered Mart, rising with an exaggerated groan. “I’ll go and offer myself as sacrificial lamb while you just lounge around here. If they eat me alive, it’ll be on your consciences.”

By devious means, the four men managed to arrive separately and from different directions at the gathering arranged for that evening. This time, it was a games night at Manor House. As expected, they were not popular with their fellow Bob-Whites.

“Where have you been all day?” Di demanded, as soon as all seven were there. “I haven’t seen any of you since yesterday.”

“Oh, around,” Jim hedged, trying to look uninterested. “I had a few things to do before my summer job starts next week. We must have just missed each other.”

“I didn’t see you around, either,” said Mart, all serious. “I thought you’d gone somewhere.”

Di smiled at him, just a little too brightly. He turned away, scowling as he noticed Dan silently laughing at him. Honey announced that the games were all ready and ushered the group into the family room.

“What would everyone like to play?” she asked, pointing to the various games piled on a side table. “Does anyone have a preference?”

The girls must have talked about it in advance, because the group quickly split into two. Jim, Dan and Trixie settled at one end of the table with a board game, while the other four sat down to Scrabble.

Between games, Dan took a moment to look at how the others were going. He could barely contain his amusement. Mart was scowling, Brian looked deeply uncomfortable, while the two girls looked impossibly innocent. An examination of the Scrabble board told the rest of the story: random chance could not have produced such a set of romantic words, intermingled with the ones that Brian and Mart had added. Love, kiss, date, cuddle, beau, couple, flame - and there were a few more that might have started out that way, such as dislike.

He watched as Mart formed the word vilify between the ‘v’ in love and the ‘f’ in flame. A peeved expression crossed Di’s face for a moment. Honey simply looked disheartened. Dan turned and looked at the other two Bob-Whites. Jim and Trixie were studiously avoiding each other’s gazes, while still carrying on a rather stilted conversation.

Something up there, he thought to himself as he watched. She looks embarrassed and he looks… wary, I guess. Without appearing to, he studied them a little longer. Nervous, he corrected himself. Jim’s nervous. I wonder if it’s something to do with the other night? He suppressed a chuckle, thinking of his earlier conversation with Trixie and the investigation that he had helped on its way.

“Well, don’t just stand there, Dan,” Jim said, suddenly and with impatience. “Sit down. We’re ready to start again.”

Nodding, Dan joined them. I hope she tells me soon, he thought, all the while watching Jim squirm. I’m getting very interested in what happened that night.

She Said

The game of Scrabble came to an end with Mart as the clear winner. Di wouldn’t have cared so much that she came last, except that the plan had been a total write-off. Far from responding to her not-so-subtle hints, Mart seemed to have gone out of his way to make nasty words. Brian had played as if nothing else was happening.

“Shall we go and get some snacks?” Di asked Honey. “Trixie can help, too.”

“Yes, that’s a good idea,” Honey quickly agreed. “Come on, girls.”

Without another word, the three practically ran to the kitchen and closed the door behind them.

“Another disaster,” said Di, her head in her hands. “I think things are getting worse instead of better.”

“They are,” said Honey. “I don’t think I can take much more of this. We should never have started this; the guys don’t like it and it’s making us miserable and we’re going to end up hating each other and it’ll be our own fault that we’re alone and miserable, without any friends.”

“It’s not that bad,” Di replied. “We just need to refine our methods a little.”

“Forget our methods,” said Trixie. “For the rest of the night, I’m just going to relax. I’m with Honey: I don’t want them to hate us.”

“At least let’s get the snacks,” said Honey. “They’ll be very suspicious if we come back without them.” She went over to the refrigerator and started taking things out. “And Di can tell us about where she went this afternoon.”

“Oh! Thanks for reminding me, Honey. I almost forgot. I’ve got an answer to your question, Trixie, and it’s like this,” said Di. “Patty Easton goes to CUNY and her room mate plays volleyball on the same team as Tiffany. Now, Tiffany went to high school with a girl called Louise, who goes to Columbia. Louise’s room is down the hall from Bambi, who has a class with Jim - and you didn’t tell me he was involved in this.”

“Who says I knew?” Trixie evaded.

“Anyway, the way I hear it, Bambi went to see a game with Louise and they met Patty there. Then Bambi found out somehow that Patty went to high school with Jim and she got Tiffany to introduce them and she’s stuck like glue to her ever since - at least, until the other day. Patty had a pretty wild party a few nights ago - booze and drugs and loud music and people getting naked in the shrubbery. The next morning, Bambi and Tiffany had a huge argument with Patty, which ended in Bambi shouting that she wouldn’t speak to her - I mean, Patty - again and storming off, taking Tiffany with her.”

“So, they’re not in town anymore? Thanks, Di. That really helps.”

“Oh, but there’s more: just as they were getting into the car to leave, the police arrived and took both of them - I mean, Tiffany and Bambi - in for questioning and they searched the Easton house. I’m not sure what happened after that, but the last thing that Patty said before they were taken away was something like: ‘Some friends you turned out to be. I wish I’d never met either of you.’”

“I bet she does,” said Trixie. “Allie told me that Patty didn’t want that sort of party.”

“There was an article about the arrest in the paper,” Di said, handing over a cutting. “If this is right, they are still in Sleepyside and they’re not going anywhere either.”

“Denied bail?” Trixie said, skimming the article. “Drugs charges? Oh, Di, this is great. How did you find it all out? I mean, the other stuff - not what’s in the paper.”

“Well, my sisters are friends with a girl whose cousins live next door to the Eastons and I knew that their mother loves a gossip, so I took the girls on a visit when I knew their aunt would be there and I - um - encouraged her a little.”

“I won’t ask,” said Trixie, reading something on her friend’s face that she didn’t want to see. “Thanks, Di. You’re a genius.”

“You’d have to be a genius to understand all that,” grumbled Honey good-naturedly. “What with room mate’s team mates and cousins and aunts and sisters, I’m still not sure who’s who. Are you going to help me carry all this, or do I have to do it all myself?”

Before either of them could answer, the outside door opened to admit Tom Delanoy. He seemed rather surprised to see them, but recovered quickly.

“Have any of you seen the keys to the boathouse?” he asked. “I’ve just been down there and can’t get in.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” said Honey, after patting her pockets, finding the keys and handing them over. “I didn’t mean to take them away, but we went for a row earlier, to the other side of the lake, and afterwards I was tired and I must have just slipped them in my pocket.”

“The other side of the lake?” Tom asked, an odd look on his face.

You! thought Trixie. You’re the one who weatherproofed our new hide out. A soft smile crossed her face. At least it wasn’t a dangerous stranger, this time.

“We found a little hut there,” Honey explained. “We’ve been cleaning it up a little - oh! but don’t tell anyone. It’s supposed to be a secret, especially from Jim and Dan and Mart and Brian.”

“Of course not,” said Tom, giving her a smile that looked rather forced. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

She Said

The next afternoon, when the house was quiet, Trixie took the time to do a little investigating on her own. The information that Di had given her had been excellent, but there were still some questions she wanted answered - like, exactly how did Jim fit into the scenario? She had a few ideas, but they weren’t worth anything if she didn’t have evidence to back them.

What I really need is more witnesses, she thought, with a sigh. Finding them would be easier said than done, especially since most of the crowd who’d been there were three or four years older than herself. Half of them have probably left town by now. She cast her mind through her school acquaintances, looking for anyone who had some sort of connection to the Eastons. Coming up empty, she tried for a different kind of connection: did she know anyone who was really into the party scene? Someone who could conceivably have gate-crashed.

A name came to mind: Mariellen Hanrahan, whom she knew from her Volunteen days at the hospital. It had come as a shock to find that the pleasant girl was into such wild parties. Maybe, if she was very lucky, Mariellen might be able to give her something more to go on.

After checking the number, Trixie picked up the phone. It rang so many times that she was about to give up, when finally the call was answered.

“Yeah?” said a slurred voice.

“Mariellen?” asked Trixie, not at all sure to whom she was speaking.

“Yeah?” the voice repeated.

“It’s Trixie Belden. We used to work together at the hospital.”

“Oh, I remember you. Cutesy girl with the curls.”

“That’s me,” Trixie replied, feeling herself turn red. She hated that sort of description of herself; it was so demeaning. “I was wondering if you might have been at a particular party a few days back. One at Patty Easton’s house.”

“I might have been,” Mariellen said, after a particularly long pause. “Yeah, I think I was. Great party.”

“Did you see Jim Frayne there?”

“Jim who?”

“Frayne,” she repeated, wondering what had happened to the intelligent girl she had once known. “Red hair; tall; well-built.”

“Mmm, I remember. He’s pretty hot. He loosened up, too, when he had a few under his belt.”

“A few what?”

“Drinks, silly. He was way too uptight when he was sober. Once we got some liquor into him, he was a lot more fun.”

Trixie’s jaw dropped open. Jim? Drinking? That can’t be right, she thought, in utter shock. It just can’t be right. Jim wouldn’t do that! He’s underage.

“You must mean someone else,” she said.

“There’s not that many hot redheads in this little hick town,” the other girl disagreed, with a giggle. “It was him, honey. He was drinking with those two bimbos the whole night. I tell you, I would’ve made better use of him than they did.”

“What do you mean?” Trixie asked, barely able to draw enough breath to make the words come out.

“There’s a time for drinking and a time for… other things. I’m sure he’d be good at… other things. Anyway,” she continued, while Trixie was still speechless, “it would have been a better party if someone had gotten him out of the way. He was slowing things up with the good stuff.”

“The good stuff?” asked Trixie, beginning to feel numb.

“You should come partying with me,” the other girl laughed. “There’s better than liquor out there - and I’m not talking about sex.”

“Right. Well, I think that’s what I wanted to know. Thanks, Mariellen.”

“See ya, Trixie.”

The receiver slid back into its cradle with a thump and Trixie’s head dropped back. The whole nightmare conversation echoed through her head, as unbelievable as anything she had ever come across in an investigation. It ranked right up there with unicycling poachers who lived in hollow trees in the preserve. She was still contemplating the ceiling a few minutes later, when the phone rang. Shaking her head to clear it, she reached across to answer it.

“Hello?”

“Trix! You’ll never guess what’s happened.” It was Honey. She continued, without waiting for an answer, “I collected the mail just now, seeing as I missed my turn yesterday, and there were a couple of letters for me and I started opening them while I walked back to the house and I kind of made a mistake and opened one of Jim’s and you’ll never guess who it was from.”

“Patty Easton?”

“Trixie!” wailed Honey. “You weren’t supposed to actually get it right.”

“Sorry,” said Trixie, a smile gracing her face for the first time since her conversation with Mariellen started.

“Anyway, I couldn’t help but read just a little of it and it was a thank you note; something to do with the party the other night. Do you think it’s anything to do with what he’s hiding?”

“I’m almost certain,” Trixie replied. “Why, Allie already told me that Jim had been really nice to Patty and that he’d tried to keep her friends out of trouble. And Di found out that those same friends got arrested the next morning. There’s just got to be a connection.” Her forehead creased in thought. “There’s still something missing, though.”

“What we really need is to talk to someone who was there.”

“I already have: I just called Mariellen Hanrahan. She didn’t come right out and say it, but she kind of hinted that Jim did something that slowed things down and I think she was talking about drugs. What I don’t know is whether he meant to, or if it was just because he was there.”

“I don’t like this,” said Honey. “If he did something deliberately and it led to them being caught, he might be in danger. He might not even know that there could be dangerous criminals out there, wanting to get him.”

“You don’t think Patty Easton’s college friends are really big-time drug runners, do you?” said Trixie. “From what I read in the paper, it wasn’t quite as serious as all that and it kind of hinted that the police really wanted them for something else and the drugs were just an excuse to keep them. Anyway, if Jim did something to get the two girls arrested, why would Patty write and thank him?”

“That’s a point,” said Honey. “Maybe we should go and see Mariellen. She might be able to give us something else.”

“You’d come with me?”

“Of course. I’ll give her a quick call and I’ll meet you in a few minutes - hopefully with someone who can drive us.”

Luck was with them. Only ten minutes later, one of the Wheeler vehicles pulled into the drive with Tom at the wheel. Trixie raced out to it and hopped in.

“Thanks for taking us, Tom,” she said, sharing a look with Honey. “I can’t tell you how glad I am not to have to ride my bike in this weather.”

“Not a problem, Trixie,” he replied, smiling.

The rest of the short drive passed in a tense silence. Neither girl wanted to give away the purpose of their journey, but both were so focused on what they were going to do that they could think of nothing else to say. The car pulled up in front of a neat white house and they piled out.

“Thanks, Tom,” they both called, Honey adding, “We won’t be too long - about half an hour will do.”

Mariellen must have been waiting for them because the door opened before they reached it. With a gesture and a brief hello, she invited them inside and led them upstairs to her room. From what they could see, the rest of the house was immaculately clean and tidy. The girl’s bedroom was messy in the extreme.

“So, what do you want to know,” she asked, after telling them to sit on the unmade bed. “Something about the party?”

“Yes,” said Honey, gingerly taking a seat. “Can you tell us anything else about Jim and Bambi and Tiffany? Anything else they were doing?”

“You mean, about the joke?”

Trixie and Honey shared a look. “Yes,” said Trixie.

“Why didn’t you ask me that before?” Mariellen asked rhetorically. “It was like this: Bambi only wanted to know Patty to help her get near - what did you say his name was? Jim? Anyway, she had him right where she wanted him and she was finished with Patty, so she decided to finish things up with a bang.

“She had a whole lot of stuff ready - something to put in the pool to turn it a different colour; dead rodents to leave places; that sort of thing - only Jim kept her so busy that she didn’t have time to do any of it. Then, he challenged her to a drinking contest and they drank until she passed out. I heard that in the morning, someone told Patty what was going to happen and she threw Bambi and the other bimbo out, but I didn’t see that part ’cause I’d passed out by then, too.”

“You’re sure?” asked Honey, seeing that Trixie was too stunned to speak.

“Course I’m sure,” said the other girl. “Everyone’s talking about it. It would’ve been a great laugh.”

There was nothing left to say. Over the course of the conversation, a huge gulf had opened between the girls and Mariellen. Clearly, they now had very little in common. Thanking her politely, Honey and Trixie made their way outside, glad to see that Tom was waiting for them. They both sank, with relief, into the back seat.

“That didn’t take long,” he said, putting down his newspaper. “You sure you don’t want to spend some more time with your friend?”

“I think I’d rather go home,” said Honey, only just managing to keep her voice steady. “Trix, do you think you can have dinner at my place tonight?”

“I guess so,” her friend replied, her gaze fixed on the back of Tom’s seat. “Yeah, I’m sure it’ll be all right, but I’ll have to check with Moms.”

“I’ll invite Di, too,” Honey added. “Seeing as we’re not doing anything with the guys tonight, she’ll probably want to spend some time with us.”

Half an hour later, it was all settled. Di had joined them before they had a chance to do more than share their shock at the revelations they had heard and decide that Jim had certainly had a hand in preventing that terrible scheme being carried out. The disturbing conversation with Mariellen was pushed out of their minds.

After dinner, the three girls went up to Honey’s room to talk. By unspoken agreement, neither Trixie or Honey mentioned their findings of the day. This was one mystery whose solution didn’t need to be broadcast.

“So, what are we going to do next, to get the guys’ attention?” asked Di, settling on the floor against the bed. “Any ideas?”

“I’m getting kind of sick of running after them,” said Trixie, running her fingers over her bracelet. “Can’t we take a break for a week or two?”

“No!” cried Di. “We really need to keep this up. If we leave that long, summer will be almost over and we’ll be back where we started. You agree, don’t you, Honey?”

“What’s that?” she said, frowning at her wrist. “And, has either of you seen my watch, lately?”

“Stick to the subject, please, Honey,” said Di. “The guys. Worry about your watch later.”

“But it’s my good one,” she said, standing up. “I was wearing it this morning, I remember. I went down to the clubhouse to tidy up. I must have left it there. I’ll just quickly run down and get it.”

Without waiting for a reply, she was off. She tore down the stairs, through the house and down the front stairs. Without the slightest hesitation, she ran down the path to the clubhouse. She was nearly there when the accident occurred. Rounding the last corner, she ran smack into Brian, as he walked sedately in the other direction.

“Oh!” she cried. “Oh, it’s you. You gave me such a fright!”

She looked up into his face and was surprised to see how stunned he looked. It was as if an idea had hit him, rather than a rapidly moving body. Her confusion must have shown on her face.

“It’s okay,” he soothed, gently touching her arm. “You’re okay, aren’t you?”

“Fine,” she said, catching her breath. “I’m fine.”

He gently smoothed her hair away from her face. Honey looked up in surprise; she could not remember him ever having done that before. The moon gave plenty of light to see the serious expression on his face.

“Sorry,” he said, in a soft voice.

“Don’t be,” she replied. She dropped her gaze, unable to think of anything else to say.

“So, when are you allowed to date?”

“What?” she asked, utterly confused. “Brian, you’ve been avoiding me the entire time you’ve been home. You’ve resisted every time I’ve tried to strike up a conversation with you. You’ve even tried to avoid seeing me at all. Why do you want to know when I’m allowed to date?”

“So your father doesn’t come after me?”

“Why would - Do you mean - Are you going to -” She waved her hands helplessly, too overcome to form a coherent sentence.

“Are you going to answer my question?”

“Oh! Yes, I should, I guess. Um… since your father said that Trixie could date at sixteen, my parents said that I could, too, on the condition that it’s only double dates.”

“And you’ll be sixteen in - what? - a little less than a month?”

She nodded.

“Hmm,” he said. “In the meantime, we might have to make do with just kissing. If that’s all right with you, I mean.”

“Of course, it’s all right,” she cried, hoping that there wasn’t enough light for him to see that she was turning red. A moment later, she added: “But it will have to be our secret. I don’t want my father coming after you.”

“And I don’t want Di to think she’s won.”

He smiled softly and bent towards her until their lips met.

When Honey returned to her room, having fortunately remembered to collect her watch, she was met with two curious looks and a pointed look at the clock.

“Someone must have put it away in the storeroom where it couldn’t be seen from outside,” she said, avoiding either of their faces. “It took me ages to find it.”

He Said

The following morning, Honey hosted a small party for her cousin Ben, who was visiting, along with his girlfriend. To Mart’s disgust, all of the Bob-Whites were expected to attend. Never one of Ben’s admirers, he was even less inclined to like Caprice. She was showily rich, inclined to be snobbish and, as heiresses go, the complete opposite of Honey.

For the sake of his hostess, Mart was willing to endure the antics of her guests of honour. He had no intention of tolerating any nonsense from Diana. From the instant he arrived, he felt hunted by her. She had dressed with the obvious intention to attract - a point which was sneered at by Caprice - and seemed intent on following his every move.

“How soon can I leave, without seeming rude?” Mart asked his brother, in a low voice. Across the room, Di was fluttering her eyelashes at him. He suppressed a shudder. “I think I’m going to take Jim up on his offer of Alaska. I can’t stand much more of this.”

“We only just got here,” said Brian. “Get yourself something to eat and make the most of it - you’ll be here for quite a while, yet.”

Trying not to frown, he took the advice and started sampling the food on offer. He could see that Ben’s girlfriend was not impressed, but since his opinion of her couldn’t get much lower, he ignored her.

“Please, help yourselves to something to eat,” Honey said, though Mart wasn’t sure to whom it was addressed.

“Before it all gets eaten,” added his sister.

The next thing he knew, Di was standing between him and the refreshment table, invading his personal space and making him feel irrationally angry. He hadn’t noticed her approach and there had been no time to move away from her.

“We’ll keep it safe from Mart,” she giggled, patting his arm in a possessive manner. It took all of Mart’s self-control to keep him from doing something he would regret. Instead, he turned towards Diana, being careful not to touch her.

“That’s it,” he hissed, his anger bubbling up over the surface. “We need to talk. Right now.”

She followed him outside without a word, seeming quite calm. Either she had not sensed the fury which was ready to overtake him, or it didn’t scare her. A part of Mart wanted her to be afraid.

“You need to stop doing these things,” he said, trying to keep his cool. “There’s never going to be anything between us but friendship, Di. It’s time you realised that and acted accordingly.”

“But, Mart,” she pleaded, “I know that we could have something special if you’d only -”

“I’m not attracted to you,” he lied. “I’ve never been attracted to you. I always thought you were a nice girl, but you’re not my type. If you stop pursuing me, we can probably still be friends, but that’s it. There’s nothing else.”

“You don’t mean that,” she said, eyes filling with tears. “Please, Mart, don’t do this.”

“Why not? You’re bothering me. I don’t want a relationship with you. I don’t even really want to be friends with you right now. The last few weeks, I’ve found it hard to see anything about you that I like.”

“That’s not fair!” she cried. “You’ve been avoiding me. All I want is to spend time with you.”

“Why should I want that?” he asked, really angry now. “You’re vain. You’re shallow. You don’t use the brains you’ve got. You don’t ever have an idea of your own. You can’t understand what I’m talking about, half the time. Why would I want to date someone like that?”

With a sob, Di turned and fled towards the preserve. She stumbled a little, righted herself and disappeared from sight. Good riddance, thought Mart, still in the throes of his temper tantrum. I hope she doesn’t come back. He stalked back to the group, scowling at anyone who dared meet his eyes. The others gave him a wide berth, except for Dan.

“What did you do?” he asked, in a hard voice that made Mart feel small and inadequate. “Where is she?”

“She took off.”

“Why?”

Squaring his shoulders, Mart met that steely glare and tried to beat it. Deep inside, he knew that he probably looked ridiculous. His face was probably a blotchy red and the scowl, which fitted Dan so perfectly, would look out of place on him.

“All I told her was what I thought of her. It’s not my problem if it upset her.”

There was a silence. Dan was waiting for the rest.

“Okay,” said Mart, “I might have overdone it a little. I said she was vain and shallow and I made fun of her lack of intellectual development.”

Dan let out a curse. He gave Mart one last dirty look before striding away.

“Hey! Where are you going?”

“To find her, you idiot,” said Dan.

She Said

The party was in full swing. Trixie looked down at her clothes with a silent sigh. She felt like she might scream if she had to dress up again this week. It was such a strain to remember to sit with her knees together, not spill anything on herself and not bend forwards while facing any members of the opposite sex.

To make matters worse, Ben Riker was one of the guests of honour. Ever since her pretended ‘yen for Ben,’ Trixie had felt uncomfortable around him. His hostile attitude towards her did nothing to help.

“And so I said, Darling, it’s just too bad. You’ll just have to buy a whole new set,” Ben’s girlfriend was saying. Trixie repressed the urge to roll her eyes in disgust. “It’s not my problem if they cost over three thousand dollars. She should have thought about that before she ruined one.”

She turned towards the refreshments table, seeking to escape the dreadful conversation, only to collide heavily with Ben. The two drinks he had held seemed to have poured exclusively onto her, supplemented by the small plate of food he had balanced on his arm. Canapés and punch slowly dropped from her clothes onto the thick carpet.

“Look what you’ve done,” said Ben, indicating a tiny damp spot on one of his sleeves and a nearby fleck of pate. “You’d better hope this comes out. This shirt’s a designer label, you know.”

For a long moment, Trixie gazed at him in wonder, unable to believe that he could be so abominably rude about an incident which was his own fault. Her right hand brushed absently at the mess on her own clothes, before an evil idea took hold.

“I’m sure it will,” she said, grasping the sleeve firmly with her dirty hand and rubbing. “It hasn’t become ingrained in the fabric.” She smiled sweetly at his rising fury and said, “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to get changed.”

Before anyone could say a word, she had walked away. Soon she was running down the path towards Crabapple Farm. Alone in her room, she stripped off the dirty clothes and slumped against the door, letting some angry tears fall. The days since the close of school had been rather trying for her, to say the least. What she wanted right now was to do something that didn’t require dressing up.

“I’ll go for a ride,” she decided.

She threw on her oldest pair of jeans and a faded blue T-shirt, before heading for the stables. The familiar routine soothed her and, by the time that she swung onto Susie’s back, she felt a lot better. As they disappeared into the woods, Trixie saw Jim watching her, with such an intense look on his face that she could hardly keep from shivering.

“What was he looking at, Susie-girl?” she asked the mare. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it was me!”

He Said

Jim was waiting when Trixie returned to the stables. Having checked that Susie was the only horse out at the time, he had waited patiently in Regan’s office until he heard the sound of approaching hooves. He smoothed his hair and straightened his shirt front, then took a few deep breaths, giving her time to unsaddle the horse, before stepping out where she could see him.

“Nice day for a ride,” he said.

“Oh!” she cried, jumping. “I didn’t see you there.”

Through the dimness of the stables, he thought he could make out the beginnings of a blush and he was heartened by it. She bent her head, apparently intent on grooming the horse. While she wasn’t looking, he took a minute to admire her form. The clothes she wore had the soft and comfortable look that comes from long wear. The T-shirt clung in all the right places while the jeans accentuated the curve of her hips. He moved closer, until he was near enough to pat Susie’s nose.

“It’s good to see things going back to normal,” he said, suppressing a smile at her look of confusion. “I meant your clothes,” he clarified. “Not that I didn’t think you looked good when you dressed up. This is more… you.”

“Once a tomboy, always a tomboy?” There was more than a hint of anger in her voice.

“Not what I meant,” he hastily added. “Adventurous; ready for action. I like that about you.”

“You do?” She looked thoughtful. “And I like that you’re honorable.” She stopped grooming and looked him in the eye. “Not that I’d normally describe underage drinking as ‘honorable.’”

“Ah,” he said, beginning to blush. “I was hoping you wouldn’t find out about that.”

“Your reasons,” she continued, as if he had not spoken, “were unusual, to say the least, but honorable - in a warped kind of way. Protecting damsels in distress; foiling evil plans.” Her face creased into the impish grin that always set his heart beating faster. “And I’d like to think that you might be willing to sacrifice your principles to protect me, one day, too.”

“I would,” he whispered. “Of course, I would. Patty’s just a casual acquaintance. I’d do much more to protect you, because you’re worth so much more to me.” Her eyes opened wider, and he returned her grin. “And, tempted as I am to ask you on a date, I’m not going to, just yet.”

“Why not?” she asked, turning back to Susie and giving him glances out of the corner of her eye.

He let his eyes trail over her body, knowing that she was watching him. At this distance, the blush was easily seen. He smiled, and said, “I was thinking I’d wait until next year - much closer to when you turn seventeen.”

“Oh.” Her face changed from a delicate pink to a bright red. “Is there a particular reason for that?”

“You said you liked ‘honorable,’” he said, with a grin. “I always try to play by the rules - you know that - but sometimes you just have to keep yourself out of the way of temptation.”

He watched her face, and the change in her posture, as she digested his last statement and felt satisfied with the result. Somehow, it seemed far less likely now that she would make any more efforts to pursue him. His comfort was short-lived, however. A moment later, her posture changed, again.

“There’s just one more thing I want to know,” she said, fixing him with a challenging glare. “Why did you choose to stop her by drinking her under the table? Wasn’t there another way?”

“Well, you see, with one thing and another…” His voice trailed off. How could he explain it to her? The only things those girls had been interested in were drinking, drugs and sex; the thought of touching either girl was repellent and there was no way he would sit by while they took illicit drugs. Instead, he said: “Um, I didn’t have that many options and it seemed the lesser evil.”

She frowned, apparently considering the matter. A moment later, she asked, “What was the greater evil?”

“Damnit, Trixie, I’m not going to tell you that,” he said, feeling his face redden. “Just take it from me that it was the best option I had. I couldn’t let them play that prank, but the only way I could stop them was by keeping them busy doing something else.”

His heart sank as a new and enlightened look dawned on her face. She said: “You weren’t interested in… other things which might have stopped them?”

“No, I wasn’t,” he said, probably with more force than was necessary. “Can we leave it at that, please?”

“Sure,” she said easily, continuing to groom Susie as if nothing had happened.

“Thanks,” he said as he turned to leave. She knows, he thought as he crossed the yard towards the house. No matter what I do, she’ll always find me out. For some reason, the thought didn’t bother him as much as he felt it should.

She Said

Later that afternoon, Trixie met the other two girls at the lake and they crossed to their secret headquarters in near-silence. When they arrived, Honey spread out the throw rug and tossed down some pillows, while Di opened the curtains and Trixie unpacked their afternoon snack.

“Before either of you say anything,” said Trixie, laying plastic plates onto the rug, “I’m not going to do any more scheming. If anyone wants to date me, he can do the chasing.”

“I agree,” said Honey, before Di could voice her objection. “This whole thing has been so stressful and I’ve hated that the guys won’t come near us, except when we do something to make them, and I don’t think it’s helping at all, really, except that maybe it’ll make them miss us, but I’m not really sure it will do that, even.”

“And you’re both just giving up?” asked Di in dismay. “You’re not even going to help me get Mart?”

The other two looked at each other for a long moment. Neither seemed to want to share her feelings on the matter, but Di got the impression that they had talked it over and agreed.

“I don’t think Mart wants to be ‘got,’” said Trixie, looking reluctant. “He told me the other day that he’d rather you left him alone.”

“I see,” said Di, dropping her eyes. Her voice dropped as well when she continued: “He said that to me, too, but I was hoping he didn’t mean it.”

“I think, maybe, we should leave it for the moment,” said Honey, as delicately as she could. “Give him some space.”

A lone tear ran down Di’s face, and she made no effort to brush it away. No one spoke for several minutes, though Honey gave Di’s shoulders a comforting squeeze.

“Do you think he saw me that day at school?” Di asked, in a small voice. “Is that what this is about?”

“What day?” asked Trixie, curious as ever.

“The day I got mauled by that octopus of a football player,” said Di, looking at her in wonder. “Didn’t you know, Trixie? Somebody dared Kyle Burgess to kiss me and he kind of took it too far. I thought it was all over the school.”

“It was,” said Honey, also looking at Trixie in wonder. “Everyone was talking about it - but everyone that I heard thought that you wanted him to kiss you and I never heard anything about mauling - only kissing. I can’t believe you didn’t know that, Trixie.”

“Well, I can’t help it if nobody gossips to me,” she replied. “And one of you could have clued me in. So, does this mean the whole thing’s a big misunderstanding?”

“I guess so,” said Honey. “It was about the same time that Mart stopped hanging around you so much, wasn’t it, Di?”

“The same day,” she said. “But I thought it was something that happened before that, because I met up with him a couple of minutes after it happened and I said something about not believing every rumour you hear and he said that he didn’t listen to rumours.”

“Then you think he actually saw it?” squeaked Honey. “Oh, Di, I bet that’s why he’s been so stand-offish. If we explain to him what actually happened-”

“I’ve got to go,” said Di, jumping up. “I’ll bring the boat back later.”

The other two watched in surprise as Di swiftly rowed across the lake. Trixie’s face creased into a scowl. She turned to Honey and said, “And she told us that she didn’t know how to row.”

CWP Anniversary 2 elements …	… and where to find them
A Backpack	Trixie’s blue soft fabric backpack.
A Cartoon Character	Hacker in Cyberchase, which Bobby watches.
Lost Stories	Honey’s Patricia Cornwell books lent to Trixie.
A Tribute	Dr. Bambi Berenbaum is a character in the season three X-Files episode War of the Coprophages. Scully is sceptical about her first name and Mulder explains it by saying the line that Jim used. It’s one of my favourite episodes.
Broken Communication	Brian, Mart, Jim and Dan isolating themselves in the barn so the girls can’t get them. Poor babies.
Freckles, placement TBD by writer g	On Trixie’s nose (where else would they be? g)
Leather clothing	Di’s skirt - or, is it a very big belt?
Someone driving a bus	The school bus driver.
Someone sitting without pants	Dan.
A song from that year’s anniversary list	I Got You Babe by Sonny and Cher - on the radio and sung (badly) by Dan, while he is sitting without pants.