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Part 3

Chapter 15

"Wake up," a voice said as she was slapped across the face.

Trixie’s head fell back and she slowly opened her eyes. She blinked a few times and saw Tad standing in front of her. He reached over and slapped her again.

"Stop it," Brian mumbled.

"I see you haven’t changed a bit," Trixie said.

"You be quiet!" Tad yelled.

Trixie took a breath and looked around. She was tied to a chair. Her hands were behind her, but her feet were loose. She looked at Brian and saw he was tied up again. He didn’t look any worse.

She focused on Tad. He was pacing the small room. He looked upset. She wondered if the drop failed.

"What’s wrong Tad? Having second thoughts about this little plan?"

"Be quiet!" Tad yelled.

"Why should I? You know this is wrong. But you’re still doing it." She wiggled her fingers to get the tingling to go away.

Tad hit her again.

Trixie turned and looked at him again. "You are so dense, Tad. Do you have any idea what the future holds by doing this?"

"What are you talking about?"

Trixie realized Tad was nervous. She reached for the knot of the ropes holding her hands and tried to loosen it. She stared Tad in the eye hoping he didn’t see what she was doing. "First of all, kidnapping is a serious crime. You could end up spending your life in prison."

"That’s only if I get caught."

"Assaulting a federal agent can also get you life in prison."

"I haven’t touched a federal agent."

"I am a federal agent," Trixie said pulling on the rope. It was coming loose.

"Good joke," Tad said. "I could just picture you as an FBI agent. You wouldn’t last a day."

Trixie felt the rope slip away. She grabbed it before it fell to the floor. She knew she had the element of surprise on her side. "Tad, I can tell you there are agents surrounding this building as we speak. You won’t get away with this."

"I already have." Tad smiled. "You see, I have a friend who is picking up the money. As soon as I take care of you two, I’ll be on my way."

"You know you’ll get the death penalty if you kill me, don’t you?"

"I have to get caught first." Tad moved to the table and lit a candle. He lifted the candle and smiled.

"Tad, listen to me. It’s not worth it to hurt us. Let us go and we will talk to the judge when it comes time for the trial," Trixie said. "You’ve never hurt anyone before and I don’t see you starting now."

"You have been so annoying for so many years. I can’t wait to take care of you. Many people will be thrilled their hometown snoop has finally been put in her place."

"What you’re doing is wrong."

"I’m doing what I need to survive." Tad stepped to the door. "So long."

Tad threw the candle at the wall before closing the door behind him. Flames quickly started up the wall.

Trixie shook off the ropes and turned to her brother. She untied him as she glanced to see how the flames were growing. Once Brian was loose, she grabbed the blanket from under his legs and started beating the flames. She hoped she could put it out. She continued beating the flames, but the wood was so old, the flames continued to grow. She knew they had to get out of there.

As she turned away from the flames, she saw Brian sitting on the bed. Wrapping her arm around his waist, they slowly made their way to the door. Brian leaned on her more with each step. She knew she had to get him help and soon.

Pushing the door open, they entered the living room and moved to the other door. Trixie reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out her phone. With one hand, she dialed the emergency number requesting fire trucks and ambulances.

As they started down the hall to exit the building, she saw a fire alarm and pulled it, hoping it still worked. The building filled with the sound of a piercing bell.

"Come on," Trixie said. "We’ll be out of here soon."

People rushed past them heading out of the building. Trixie could feel herself taking on more of Brian’s weight. They were only a few steps away from the door.

As they stepped outside, Trixie saw an ambulance and fire trucks pull up. She led Brian to the ambulance.

"He needs to go to the hospital," Trixie said. "His name is Brian Belden." She pulled out her identification and flashed it at the attendants. "I’ll follow as soon as I take care of some business."

The attendants took Brian’s arms and helped him into the ambulance. She knew he was in good hands. And now that he was safe, she could focus on her job.

Trixie turned away from the ambulance scanning the crowd gathered in the street. She had a feeling Tad would wait around to make sure he finished what he started. She easily spotted Tad standing off to the side. He was staring at the building unaware of the people moving around him.

She made her way toward him trying to stay hidden. She thought, if he sees me, he’ll take off. I can’t let that happen. I have to get him.

Trixie was a couple steps away when Tad looked at her. His face registered surprise. He turned and ran away from her. Trixie took off in pursuit. She watched as he dodged between people trying to gain ground.

Tad looked over his shoulder trying to see how close she was to him. In the process, he didn’t see the police cruiser stop in his path. He ran into the cruiser and fell back onto the sidewalk.

Trixie slid to a stop beside Tad as the driver’s door opened. She looked up and saw it was Chief Molinson.

"What’s going on?" Chief Molinson asked.

"Nothing," Tad mumbled.

"Actually, there is," Trixie said. "He kidnapped Brian and started the fire on Hawthorne Street."

"Trixie Belden? Is that you?" Trixie pulled her hair away from her face and nodded as she looked at the Chief. "I hope you have an explanation for this."

Trixie nodded again. She told him about the calls for ransom money and how she had spotted him in town. She also let the Chief know Tad had missed his meeting with parole officer. When she finished, the Chief pulled Tad to his feet and placed him in handcuffs.

"I’ll have him taken down to the station. But you’ll need to come down and give us a statement."

"No problem. I’ll be there soon."

The Chief put Tad in the back of his cruiser as Trixie turned around. She could see the firefighters working hard to bring the blaze under control which had spread to the second floor. The sound of her phone ringing made her turn her gaze away from the fire.

"Hello?"

"Trixie? It’s Stan."

"Hey, Stan. How did the drop off go?"

"I’ve got a guy in custody. He keeps saying he was only doing a favor for a friend."

"Take him to the police station and let Chief Molinson know he’s an accomplice to the one already in custody."

"There’s one in custody?"

"Yeah. I’ll meet you there. I have to take care of something first."

"You found your brother, didn’t you?"

"I did. I’m about to call Honey now."

"I’ll meet you at the station."

"All right." Trixie ended the call and dialed seven numbers.

"Hello?" a voice asked breathlessly.

"Honey, it’s Trixie."

"Trixie, I haven’t gotten a call about Brian yet. I think something went wrong with the drop off," Honey rambled. "I’m so worried about him. I don’t know what I’ll do if something happened to him."

"Honey, take a breath," Trixie said.

"All right."

"Now, are you there by yourself?"

"No. Jim is sitting right beside me. Why?"

"Put him on the phone."

"Trix? What’s going on?" Jim asked.

"You need to tell Honey that Brian is on his way to the hospital."

"What?"

"It’s true. I’ll explain everything once everyone gets there."

"We’ll see you there."

"Fine."

Trixie ended the call then quickly contacted her parents and told them where Brian was. They said they would call the others before going to the hospital.

As she shut off her phone, she let out a breath.

Brian is all right, she thought as she made her way to her jeep. He and Honey will get married this weekend and start their lives together. Now, if I can get through the questions at the police station without a lot of hassle, then I can maybe make it to the hospital before sunrise. I’m just glad all this is over and everyone can get on with their lives.

Chapter 16

It was close to five in the morning when Trixie finally left the police station. With Stan, the two of them explained to the Chief what had gone on.

The man Stan apprehended started talking as soon as he entered the station hoping to get a deal. The man insisted the idea was Tad’s saying that he wanted to get revenge and knew the perfect people to aim for were Honey and Brian. Tad had started by messing with the items for the wedding. The man said he had snuck into the Manor House and also stole the veil. Then Tad had been the one to run Brian off the road. Tad had seen that as the opportunity he needed to really get even.

He pulled an unconscious Brian from his car and took him to Hawthorne Street. Even though he made the deal, he had no intention of returning Brian to the people he loved.

While talking with the Chief, an officer came in and handed her an ice pack to keep the swelling down from where Tad had hit her.

Now that the questions were over, she had to get to the hospital to see how Brian was doing.

Half an hour later, she pulled into the hospital parking lot and hurried inside. She moved to the nurse’s desk asking what floor her brother was on. She quickly got on the elevator and pushed the button for the third floor. The elevator jerked to a stop and she quickly moved into the hall. She spotted the waiting room and immediately recognized her parents sitting on one of the couches.

Trixie stood in the doorway and watched everyone for a moment. Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler were sitting across from her parents talking softly. Mart was seated beside Diana with Dan on the other side. Jim was standing at the window looking out.

She realized one person was missing from the group. Honey. She watched Jim turn around and look at her.

"Trixie."

Everyone looked up. Moms and Dad hurried over to her as she stepped into the room. Moms immediately gave her a hug.

"I’m all right," Trixie said. "How’s Brian?"

"Sit down," Peter said. She moved to the couch her parents had vacated and sat down. "Now, your brother is going to be all right. He’s weak and dehydrated. He also has a concussion from the accident."

"At least he’s okay," Trixie said.

"He is, thanks to you," Moms said.

"Trix, can you tell us what went on?" Mart asked. "We haven’t a clue."

Trixie took a breath and told them how she had seen Tad in town while trying to see who was making the ransom calls to Honey. She explained how everything came together. "I had a feeling after the last call that Brian was somewhere on Hawthorne Street since that’s where I saw Tad. So, I had Stan go to the drop off. He did catch the guy and got the money back."

"At least he was caught," Jim said.

Trixie nodded and continued. "I went to the building I saw Tad near and went inside. I saw which room he exited and went in. At first I didn’t see anything in the front room. I went to a closed door and opened it. I heard a moan and found Brian."

"It’s a good thing you found Brian," Peter said.

"Then what happened?" Mart asked.

"I got Brian untied and wanted to get him here, but I was hit from behind."

"Oh, Trixie," Moms said wrapping her arm around her daughter’s shoulder.

"Tad woke me up by hitting me in the face."

"Is that where the bruises are from?" Dan asked.

Trixie nodded. "Tad kept saying things would work out once he took care of the two of us. As he rambled, I worked the knots on the ropes he tied me with. He lit candle and the room started on fire. I got Brian and we got outside. As he was being taken care of at the ambulance, I spotted Tad in the crowd. I went after him."

"Did you catch him?" Di asked.

Trixie shook her head. "He literally ran into Chief Molinson’s police cruiser. The Chief handcuffed him and took him to the station."

"It’s good that he can’t harm any of you anymore."

"Absolutely," Matthew Wheeler said.

"Where’s Honey?" Trixie asked. "I haven’t seen her."

"She’s sitting with Brian," Madeleine Wheeler said. "She’s been by his bedside since they moved him to his room."

"How long will he be here?" Trixie asked looking at her parents.

"A couple days," Peter said. "They plan to release him on Thursday."

"Just in time for the wedding," Madeleine said.

"Which room is Brian in?" Trixie asked.

"There’s no visitors allowed," Mart said. "That’s why we are all waiting here."

"I know. I just want to look in on him."

Trixie went to her brother’s room and stopped at the open door. She saw Honey sitting on the edge of the bed holding Brian’s hand. He had a bandage on his forehead covering the gash. He looked happy as he slept.

Honey looked away from Brian at the door. She gently set his hand on the bed before moving to the door. She stepped into the hall beside Trixie.

"Trixie, thank you for getting him back."

"I don’t need thanks. I’m just glad he’s back with all of us."

"So am I." Honey looked back in at him. "I don’t want him to wake up with no one there."

"That’s understandable. We’ll talk later."

Honey squeezed Trixie’s hand and went back into the room. Trixie was glad everything seemed to be working out.

Epilogue

The day for the wedding quickly arrived. On the day of the wedding rehearsal, Trixie got up early and headed into White Plains. She left a note for her parents letting them know where she was and that she wouldn’t be at the rehearsal. She parked her Jeep at the hotel where she was going to stay and made her way down the main street looking at the different shop windows.

This is one way for me to stay out of the way with the wedding preparations, she thought brushing a stray strand of her hair out of her face. After all that has happened from when I returned home, I don’t feel right about being in the wedding party.

Trixie thought back to Brian coming home to Crabapple Farm. He looked tired, but was smiling. He walked over to her as soon as he saw her and pulled her into a tight hug. He thanked her several times for coming to find him.

She tried to brush it of, but knew he wasn’t going to make light of it. Honey had also thanked her and gave her a hug. Their gratitude made her feel worse for the way she had been behaving. She felt guilty. She knew how much she had hurt them because of her fighting with Jim. She felt that by staying out of the way, she wasn’t causing them anymore pain. She felt she didn’t deserve to be in the wedding party for what she had done. She planned to arrive at the church after the processional and watch them say their vows.

Now, it was just hours before the wedding and she was wandering down the street again. The drive was short and she knew she would get there just in time.

She was staring in a window when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning quickly, she saw Jim standing there. She looked at him. His hair moved slightly in the breeze. She saw he was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt.

"What are you doing here?" Trixie asked.

"Probably the same thing as you."

"Well, enjoy yourself." Trixie turned back to the window.

"Trixie, we need to stop this."

She turned and looked at him letting out a breath. "Jim, I don’t want to get into this with you."

"I love you Trixie."

"We need to..." Trixie stopped. She wasn’t sure she heard him right. "What did you say?"

Jim stepped closer taking her hands in his. He touched her face with his right hand. "Trixie, I love you."

Trixie was stunned. She never expected Jim to have feelings for her after all these years. She knew her feelings for Jim were just as strong as the first day they met.

"Jim, I..."

"Shh," Jim said putting his fingers to her lips. "I don’t want you to say anything just yet." He moved his finger from his lips. "Over these past few days, I have done a lot of thinking. Most of it about you and me." He took a breath. "When you left for college, I was torn you weren’t going to join the rest of us. I expected you to do what Honey and Di did. It took me a long time to realize you could take care of yourself."

Jim squeezed her hand. "And you can. I’ve seen it first hand since the day we met. I’m sorry for the way I acted when you left for college. My fear of losing you got in the way and I did lose you. I thought it would be better if I pushed you away because I didn’t want to lose you."

"Jim."

"Let me finish."

Trixie nodded her head.

"I know there’s a lot of distance between us right now, but I’d like to start rebuilding what bridge." He lowered his voice. "Trixie, you are the morning, afternoon and night of my life. You made me start trusting again. I can’t picture my life without you in it. I love you Trixie."

She stared at him. She never expected Jim to say those words to her again. Trixie took a breath. "Thank you for saying that." She looked him in the eye. "I love you too."

He leaned in and gave her a kiss. She pulled back a little. He asked, "What is it?"

"Jim, I’m glad we said this to each other, but we’re going too fast."

"Trixie, we’ve known each other for almost 10 years."

"I know that. But if we want this relationship to last, we need to go slowly."

"Like going out on dates and spending time together?"

"Exactly. We need to find out if there is still a relationship for us."

"I’m willing to try if you are," Jim said. "We have to try. I have missed seeing and talking with you these past five years."

"I’ve missed that too."

"So, what do we do now?"

"Why don’t we just walk and talk."

"May I hold your hand, Miss Belden?"

"Sure, Mr. Frayne."

They made their way down the street in silence, with a feeling of comfort washing over both of them. Trixie said, "I bet Moms and Dad had a fit yesterday when I didn’t show up at the rehearsal."

"They were probably just as livid as Mother and Dad."

Trixie looked quickly at Jim. "You didn’t go?"

"Why should I? Honey booted me from being the wedding. Besides, after everything that’s gone on this week, especially the way we were acting, I didn’t think it was right. We were unfair to them with our behavior and I thought it was best if I stayed out of it."

"I thought the same thing. It wouldn’t be right after all our fighting."

"Were you planning to go to the ceremony at all?" Jim asked.

"I was planning to slip in the church once the ceremony began. I can’t miss my brother’s wedding. I already missed one."

"I can’t miss my sister’s either," Jim said. "Well, since we are both going, would you care to sit with me?"

Trixie looked at Jim. She could see he was serious and willing to take their relationship slow.

"I would like that."

Jim looked at his watch. "We should probably get changed and get going if we intend to make it on time."

"Good idea."

Trixie and Jim slid into the last row of the church as the minister started the ceremony. They both felt it was the start of something wonderful, not only for their siblings, but for themselves as well.

The End

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