Trixie played the message again. She wanted to make sure she had heard it right. After listening to it, she was more confused than before. She pulled the tape out of the answering machine and put a new one in.

She grabbed the phone and quickly dialed. The call was picked up after the second ring. “Hello?”

“Honey, it’s Trixie.”

“Hey, Trix. What’s going on?”

“I need you to come to the farm. Right now.”

“Are you all right?”

“Please, Honey.”

“I’m on my way.”

“Thanks.”

Trixie set the phone down and sat down at the kitchen table. She couldn’t understand what was going on.

*****

A half hour later, Honey entered the kitchen, out of breath. “I got here as quickly as I could.”

“Thanks for coming.”

Honey stopped quickly and looked at her. “Trixie, what happened to you?”

As Honey sat down, Trixie quickly explained about almost being run over. She filled her in about the message, the reason Honey had been called.

“When I played the message, I thought I recognized the voice, but I can’t remember from where.”

“Let me hear it.”

Trixie played the message and watched Honey’s face. Once she shut the tape off, Honey asked, “Why would anyone threaten you? It doesn’t make sense.”

“I know. That’s what bothers me.”

“Have you been working on a case without my knowledge?”

Trixie shook her head. “Nothing has been going on.”

“We need to figure this out.

Trixie got to her feet and started to pace. “Someone is threatening me for some unknown reason. We know that for a fact because of the message. We also know for a fact that someone almost ran me over.”

“But who could it be?” Honey asked.

“I wish I knew.” Trixie kicked a bag on the floor. She looked at it and realized it held supplies for the Halloween party.

“Was there anything in the voice that sounded familiar to you?”

“Like I said, I think I’ve heard it before, but I just can’t place it.”

“Maybe it will come to you in time,” Honey said. “But you should probably be on your guard until we figure it out.”

“I plan to.”

Honey switched subjects. “I’m glad I got to see you today.”

Trixie looked at her best friend. “Is something going on?”

“I just wanted to make sure you were all right after last night. You left so suddenly.”

“I’m all right.”

“I just can’t believe he invited her over to the house last night.”

Trixie looked at Honey. She asked slowly, “Who did he invite?” Honey was about to respond, but she stopped her “Forget I asked that. I don’t need to know.”

“I’m going to tell you anyway. It was his secretary, Amy Williams.”

“I saw her when I was heading home.”

“I can’t understand what has gotten into Jim. It’s not like him to act this way.”

“It’s too late to do anything now,” Trixie said. “He’s made his choice.”

“I think it’s the wrong choice.”

“Honey, I know you care about Jim and me, but I don’t want you to get in the middle of this. You need to promise not to meddle.”

“As much as I’m going to regret this, I promise I won’t meddle.”

“Thanks.”

“Now, what do we do to find the person threatening you?”

“For now, we keep our eyes open. More than likely, whoever it is will contact me again.”

“Make sure you let me know.”

“I will. I don’t want to deal with this myself.”

*****

The next day, Trixie continued her search for an apartment. She spent most of the day in White Plains checking them out. She found a couple that would fit her price range and promised to call the landlords in a few days with a decision.

Trixie returned to Sleepyside and stopped at Wimpy’s to get a milkshake. She had plenty of time for a break before she had to be at the station for her shift.

She leaned back in the booth she was sitting in and flipped through the newspaper looking for bargains. She knew she would need some more furniture for whichever place she chose.

“Trixie.”

She looked up and saw Jim standing there. But he wasn’t alone. His secretary, Amy Williams was right beside him. Upon closer look, Amy was almost six-feet-tall with long blonde hair. Her eyes were brown, and she didn’t seem to smile much.

Trixie folded the paper. “Hello, Jim.”

“How are you doing?” Jim asked.

“I’m fine.” Trixie watched Amy wrap her arm through Jim’s. “Who is your friend?”

“I think you’ve seen her before, but haven’t been formally introduced. Trixie Belden, this is Amy Williams. Amy, this is Trixie.”

“It is so nice to finally be introduced,” Amy said.

“It’s nice to meet you.”

“Trixie, what happened to your arms?” Jim asked.

Trixie glanced at her arms and realized the bandages were visible. “It’s nothing.”

“If it were nothing, then you wouldn’t have bandages on your arms. What happened?”

She stared at Jim. She was surprised at his concern, especially since he had broken up with her only a few days earlier.

“Thank you for your concern, but there’s no need for it.” Trixie slid out of the booth. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to go get ready for work.”

Trixie left Wimpy’s and headed for her Jeep. She felt she could have lived without running into Jim and his new girlfriend. The thought of that made her stomach turn.

“Trixie, wait.”

She turned as Jim hurried toward her. “Is there something you need?”

“Trix, don’t be this way.”

“What way? Happy that, just a few days after breaking up with me, you are with someone else? That you come over to me with her hanging all over you?”

“Trixie, you know I did this for both of us. We would’ve been miserable if we had stayed together. Our relationship just wasn’t going to work.”

“I see. Since you felt it wasn’t going to work between us, you decided it best if you moved on so quickly.”

“Trixie...”

“Excuse me, but if I don’t leave now, I’ll be late for work. Good night, Jim.”

Trixie got into her Jeep as Jim stared after her. She started the engine and headed for Crabapple Farm.

I can’t believe he wants things to go on as if everything is just fine, she thought. That’s not going to happen because I can’t pretend everything is fine between us. I should have never believed him when he said he loved me. I guess I was just wishing. I’m not going to be wishing that anymore. I know now that thee will never be anything between us.

Trixie arrived at the farm a short while later and hurried inside to change. She went past the answering machine and realized there was a message waiting. She pressed the button.

*****

Trixie sat in her room trying to figure out who was threatening her. She had spent most of the morning listening to both tapes, trying to decipher who was responsible. She didn’t like being threatened and was determined to find the person responsible.

She thought back to the first message. She had received it shortly after her encounter with the car. The second message had come the day before right after apartment hunting.

This is so confusing, she thought. I have two messages and a car that almost hit me. But I don‘t have a lead as to who is behind this. After checking with the Chief last night, there were no leads as to where the car was that came close to hitting me. The other officers have been keeping an eye out, but there haven’t been any leads.

Trixie got to her feet and paced her bedroom. She knew she usually had some clue as to why a person was receiving threats. From there, she was able to narrow down the suspects and find the person responsible. But now, all she had were threats.

She went down to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of iced tea. She wanted a lead of some sort, but had no idea where it would come from. She started toward the stairs and ended up kicking a bag. Trixie grabbed the bag and picked it up.

I might as well take this to the school and drop it off, she thought. These were prizes for the party and Jim should have them. Trixie glanced down at her watch. I have just enough time to stop there before heading to the station. I should get it over with before he comes here.

*****

A short while later, Trixie pulled up to the Academy. She took a deep breath and headed inside, prepared to face Jim. She went down the hall and immediately saw Amy sitting at her desk.

“Can I help you?”

“I would like to see Mr. Frayne, please.”

“Trixie, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“Let me see if he’s available.”

Trixie watched Amy call Jim’s office. As she talked on the phone, Trixie had a feeling there was a reason she disliked Amy more than her being the new woman in Jim’s life.

“Jim, I hate to interrupt, but you have a visitor,” Amy said through the intercom.

“Go ahead and send them in,” Jim replied.

“You can go on in,” Amy said with a big smile on her face.

Trixie moved toward the door and pushed it open. She saw Jim sitting behind his desk, talking on the phone. He motioned her to come in and mouthed, “Close the door.”
 

After closing the door, she moved toward the desk. She sat down, waiting for him to finish his call. She looked down at her hands as she tapped her fingers on her lap.

“Sorry about that,” Jim said, setting the phone down. “It was a call I needed to finish.”

“I understand.”

“So,” Jim said, folding his hands on top of the desk. “Why do I get this visit?”

“I found some more items for the party that I left at the farm. I must have taken the bag inside with me. I figured you should have the bag.”

“It was nice of you to bring that down here.”

“I didn’t want the kids to miss out.” She set the bag on the desk after she got to her feet.

“Do you have to leave right now?” Jim asked.

“I have to get to work. I only wanted to drop the bag off.”

“Trix, could we set up a time that fits your schedule for us to talk? I think you and I need to discuss a few things.”

“How about tomorrow around lunchtime?” Trixie suggested. “If you want to come to the farm, that’ll be fine.”

“That would be great.”

“I need to go.” Trixie moved to the door and pulled it open. “Bye, Jim.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Trixie closed the door and barely glanced at Amy as she left the building. She was about to get into her jeep when she heard voices yell, “Miss Trixie!”

She turned and saw Matthew and Rick hurrying toward her.

“HI, guys. How are you doing?”

“Pretty good,” Matthew said. “Were you seeing Mr. Jim?”

“I had to talk to him.”

“Will you be coming to the Halloween party?” Rick asked.

“I’ll see what I can do. I don’t know if I have to work that night or not.”

“I hope you can,” Matthew said. “I like seeing you and Mr. Jim together. You make Mr. Jim happy.”

“You have to be there,” Rick said. “The party won’t be as much fun without you there.”

“I’ll do my best. But I can’t promise.”

“All right,” the boys chorused.

“I’ll see you both later.”

“Bye, Miss Trixie.”

“Bye, guys.”

Trixie got into her Jeep and headed for the station, ready for whatever happened during her shift.

*****

It was after midnight when Trixie finally left the station. Her shift had been quiet. With nothing to do, she had become bored and was tired. She couldn’t wait to get home and crawl into her bed.

She had just pulled out of the parking lot when it started to rain hard. She took her time along the way, knowing a few of the roads became slick after it rained. As she drove along, she thought about the boys at the school. She really enjoyed spending time with them. She wanted to spend the time with the boys at the party, but part of her felt that wasn’t right since she and Jim were barely speaking to one another.

She shook her head and focused on the road in front of her. A steep incline and decline had to be taken to get to Glen Road. As she started down the hill, she pressed the brake to slow the Jeep down.

The Jeep slid on a puddle of rain water at the bottom of the hill and Trixie couldn’t control it as it began to slide.

Trixie tightened her hold on the steering wheel, hoping to control the Jeep so she wouldn’t run off the road or hydroplane.

Trixie couldn’t control the Jeep. It went off the road, straight toward a tree. The passenger side of the Jeep hit the tree. She was jolted toward the passenger seat, but her seatbelt held her tightly. She felt it cut against her chest. As she was pulled back into her seat, her head was thrown, and it hit the driver’s side window.

*****

Trixie slowly raised her head. Every part of her body hurt. She couldn’t remember what happened. She slowly forced her eyes open, everything was fuzzy.

She turned her head and thought she saw some lights in the distance. In the rain, someone was walking toward the Jeep. The person came right up to the window. She blinked her eyes several times, trying to focus on the person. She finally realized it was Amy and she was smiling.

Trixie tried to say something, but she blacked out.

*****

Trixie slowly moved her throbbing head. Her neck also hurt. She wondered what had happened. Wanting to know where she was, she slowly opened her eyes. It took a few minutes for her eyes to focus. As she looked around the room, she realized she was in a hospital. The empty IV stand beside her bed gave it away.

She closed her eyes, trying to figure out how she ended up there. She recalled leaving the station after her shift, but her mind was blank from there on out.

What happened? she thought. Why can’t I remember how I ended up here?

Before she could think of any more questions, she heard a door open and close. She listened as footsteps moved toward the bed. She slowly opened her eyes once again and saw Brian standing there. He smiled as she looked at him.

“Hey there. How are you feeling?” Brian asked.

“Sore.”

Brian took her wrist in his hand and checked her pulse. He moved to the end of the bed and looked at her chart. He looked up at her.

“Brian, how long have I been here?”

“About 12 hours,” He moved back up and sat down beside her.

She stared at him. She didn’t think that much time had passed. He took her hand and squeezed it.

“I can tell you have a lot of questions, so let me explain what I know.” He took a breath and brushed a curl back from her forehead. “From what the police have said, you lost control of the Jeep on the wet pavement and ran off the road. The Jeep hit a tree. The police believe you had been there several hours before anyone noticed the Jeep. The paramedics then brought you in.”

“Am I seriously injured?”

“You have a concussion from hitting your head on the window. You also have a few bruised ribs from your seatbelt. We think you were thrown in the seat and your seatbelt kept you from going through the windshield.”

“But, I’m going to be okay, right?”

“In a few days.” He squeezed her hand. “Can you tell me what happened? I know you are a careful driver, and even in the rain, it’s not like you to drive off the road.”

“I don’t remember much,” Trixie admitted. “I know I left the station as it started to rain, but after that, my mind is blank.”

“That’s all right. Whatever happened will more than likely come back when something jogs your memory.” He squeezed her hand again. “Now, are you up for some visitors?”

“Visitors?”

“The waiting room is full of people who want to see you.”

“Really? Who?”

“Moms and Dad. Bobby. Honey. Jim and Dan. Mart and Di.”

“They’re all here?” As Brian nodded, Trixie gestured firmly. “Go get them.”

Brian laughed. “All right, but you need to promise to take it easy.”

“I will.”

Brian got to his feet. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“Okay.”

Brian left the room and she closed her eyes. She was glad she was going to see her family, but she only wanted one thing: to get out of the hospital.

Trixie realized something was in the back of her mind trying to come forward, but it seemed to have been stopped by a brick wall. She wanted to know what it was.

The door opening interrupted her thoughts. She opened her eyes and saw her parents come in. Helen hurried toward the bed and quickly pulled her into her arms. “Oh, sweetie,” Helen said. “Thank goodness you’re all right.”

Trixie hugged her mother back. It felt good to have her family there. When Moms let go, Dad reached over and gave her a hug.

“We’re so glad you’re going to be all right,” Peter said and gave her a kiss.

When her dad pulled back, she looked at the others who were standing at the foot of her bed.

“The other patients will think we’re having a party,” Trixie said, trying to lighten the mood.

“Just keep the noise level down,” Brian said.

“When will Trixie be released, Brian?” Moms asked.

“Barring any changes, she could be out of here tomorrow.”

“That’s great,” Helen said.

“I’ll be back later,” Brian said. “Don’t exert yourself.”

“I won’t,” Trixie said.

After giving Honey a quick kiss, Brian left the room.

“So,” Honey said, breaking the silence. “How are you feeling?”

“I‘m all right.”

“Do you remember what happened?” Peter asked.

Trixie shook her head. “I have no recollection of the accident.”

“That shouldn’t matter,” Dan said. “The only that does matter is that you are going to be all right.”

“I agree.” She looked at her friends. Her gaze landed on Mart’s pale face as he stared at her. “I’m surprised all of you are here.”

“Do you really think we would be anywhere else?” Di asked.

“No matter how old we get, we’re still Bob-Whites,” Honey said.

Trixie smiled. She knew she could always count on her friends. She reached her hand up to cover her mouth as she yawned. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right,” Helen said, brushing the hair away from her face. “We should probably let you rest so the doctor will release you tomorrow.”

“I am a little tired,” Trixie admitted.

“We’ll be back later,” Peter said.

“I’ll be here.”

As the others said good-bye, Trixie asked Mart to stick around for a moment. Once the others left the room, he moved to the bed and sat beside her.

“What’s up?” Mart asked.

“I was going to ask you that.”

“I’m fine, but I wasn’t the one who crashed my Jeep into a tree.”

“I didn’t do that on purpose.” She could see he was still staring at her. She took his hand in hers. “Come on. What is it?”

Mart squeezed her hand, but didn’t say anything for a moment. He cleared his throat before speaking.

“Okay, I’ll tell you. Early this morning, I woke up with a sick feeling in my stomach. I had a feeling something was wrong at the farm. I figured if I called and talked to you, you would set my mind at ease. I called the house and I guess it was right after Moms had taken the call from the hospital. She told me what had happened and I knew that’s what I was feeling.”

“I can’t believe you felt something was wrong.”

“It hasn’t been the first time. But I think because we are so close in age that we have some kind of connection. I honestly can’t explain it.”

“It’s possibly the same connection that twins have.”

“It probably is,” Mart said.

Trixie smiled at Mart. “I’m glad you came.”

“Well, I had to see for myself that you were all right.”

“I will be.” Trixie yawned again.

“You should get some rest,” Mart said. “You look tired.”

“I think I will.” Trixie felt her eyes drooping.

“I’ll be back.”

“Okay.”

Trixie closed her eyes as Mart left the room. She was glad she had her friends and family around her. With that thought, she drifted back to sleep

*****

Two days later, Trixie was back at Crabapple Farm. She had been released the day before and was under direct orders from the doctor to take it easy for a couple days. And she was doing just that. She was sitting on the porch drinking a cup of tea, enjoying the quiet.

She thought back to the previous day when she had finally been released. She had called the station to find out when her next shift would be, and the chief told her to report the day after Halloween. She had been surprised, but didn’t argue with the chief. She was willing to take a few days off.

Closing her eyes, soaking in the silence, Trixie thought about the accident. She had tried for two days to remember crashing her Jeep, but she couldn’t.

Why can’t I remember? she thought. I should know. This is so frustrating. A part of my life is missing and I want to know what it is. There is a positive spin to this, at least I know who I am, unlike Jim’s cousin, Juliana.

Juliana, who was Jim’s only living relative, had lost her memory. It had only returned when her husband-to-be arrived in town.

Now I know how Juliana felt, she thought. I know there is something that happened that I’m missing. But what could it be? What is my mind blocking out? Could the accident have something to do with the phone call I received yesterday when I got home?

She thought about the call. She had been home resting when the call came.

She had listened to the dial tone for a moment, trying to figure out who was threatening her. Trixie had a feeling whoever it was knew her, but she couldn’t place the voice.

The sound of an engine and wheels crunching on the driveway got her attention. She looked down the driveway and saw a black Jeep coming toward the house. A moment later, Jim climbed out of the Jeep and made his way toward her.

“Hey,” Trixie said.

“Hey, yourself. How are you feeling?”

“Pretty good. To what do I owe this visit?”

“I was hoping we could talk, but I could come back another time if you want,” Jim said.

“This is fine. Come have a seat.”

Jim stepped onto the porch and sat down on the swing beside her.

“So, what’s up?” Trixie asked, breaking the silence.

“The boys have been asking about you.”

“Really?” Trixie was surprised.

“The boys have been doing all they can to convince me to convince you to come to the party this weekend.”

“I don’t know,” Trixie said.

Jim turned to face her. “Trix, I know we aren’t seeing each other anymore and have been barely talking, but I’m not asking for me. It would be for the boys. They like having you around and this would make the party perfect for them.”

“I’m really not sure,” Trixie said, getting to her feet. “I would feel really uncomfortable there.”

“Would you at least think about it? For the boys?”

Trixie remained quiet. Part of her wanted to go to the party for the students, but she knew she couldn’t stand to see Jim with someone else. It hurt too much.

Before she could say anything, the phone rang. Trixie stepped into the kitchen, figuring it was Moms calling to check up on her. She grabbed the phone. “Hello?”

“I told you to stay away. It’s a shame the accident didn’t do its job. I guess I’ll have to take of this myself.”

“Who are you? Why do you keep threatening me?”

“You don’t take any hints. I guess I’ll have to do something to make sure you get the point.”

“What do you want?” Trixie asked.

“I want you to stay away or I will kill you.”

Click.

The mug fell from Trixie’s hand, shattering as it hit the floor.

Continue to Part 3