Disclaimer: I don't own Trixie or the Bob-Whites. No profit is being made from their use.
Chapter Ten
Now what do I do? Trixie sat in the SUV tumbling all the possible options through her mind. I could follow him myself, she thought. Trixie didn't want to call Quinn, at least, not yet. Trixie was still mulling the possibilities when she noticed Mathew Wheeler walking briskly toward the visitor's door. Biting her bottom lip, she thought about telling Mr. Wheeler what she had discovered.
As Trixie sat alone in the parking lot, she didn't notice the pair seated on the black Harley a few rows over. Keeping their helmets on, the duo observed Trixie closely.
"What do you think she's up to?" questioned one of the riders.
"It's got to be something," her partner answered. "She wouldn't be sitting here like this if she wasn't scheming something."
"Do you think she'll notice us?"
"Not if she's off on the trail of a clue," came his reply. "You know how she is."
The duo surreptitiously kept an eye on the SUV waiting for Trixie's next move.
Trixie, for her part, wasn't sure what her next move was going to be. She knew she should call Quinn, but Trixie's stubbornness made her want to check out the spiderman on her own. Jim would be furious, she realized, if she waited too long before contacting Quinn. Fortunately, that decision was made for Trixie when she saw the spiderman leave the prison.
Careful to remain inconspicuous, Trixie watched as the guard entered the employee parking area. She watched as he left the lot toward the exit gates. Darn, Trixie thought, I forgot about the security check at the exit gate. When the white pickup was waved through Trixie groaned. She grit her teeth with impatience as she waited for clearance to depart the prison. Trixie watched as the white truck sped by the outer fence and was grateful when she was allowed to leave. Taking off in the same direction, Trixie went as fast as she dared in hopes of catching up with the spiderman.
Great, grimaced Trixie, now I'll have to call Quinn. But luck was on her side. At the second stop light from her, Trixie spied the white truck. She was even luckier when she saw him pull into a parking garage at the next intersection. Almost unable to contain her excitement, Trixie slowed her vehicle down and stopped on the first level. She glanced around at her surroundings, trying to get her bearings. Trixie veered to the left, away from the entrance and away from a direct line of sight. She parked near the stairway and began to creep up the cement steps cautiously.
She was just in time to see the guard walk through a tunnel to a nearby office building. Walking softly, so she didn't make a noise with her steps, Trixie followed him through the curved tunnel. The guard casually walked to the elevator and when the doors closed Trixie entered the building. She watched as the numbers lit up, stopping on the sixth floor.
Hesitant, Trixie stood for a moment. Not knowing what was on the sixth floor, she decided to explore it another day so the guard wouldn't see her. Deciding to wait for his departure, Trixie took a seat in a nearby lounge and pulled a newspaper from the table in front of her. Nervously, she kept glancing at the elevator doors, hoping for more, or for anything to happen.
Trixie was unsure how long she sat there waiting, watching several people walk by, when something did begin to happen. Mathew Wheeler walked up the hallway behind her. Hiding her face behind the newspaper, she surmised, He must have came though another entrance.
An uneasy feeling came over Trixie when she saw Mr. Wheeler step into the elevator. It stopped on the sixth floor. He couldn't be part of this, she thought. There's no way he would be part of a bribery scheme.
Miserably, Trixie sat there stunned. Mathew Wheeler was a successful business man. Trixie had always considered him an honest businessman as well. Could it be he was using bribery to get an unfair advantage over his competitors? If the courts could be swayed to make legal judgments in his favor, would he be willing to pay for it?
Trixie sat there hidden behind the paper as Mr. Wheeler, and then the tattooed guard left the building. She was grateful that the small alcove had kept her hidden from view. After giving both men time to leave, Trixie walked out toward the tunnel.
Still mulling over just what she had witnessed, if anything, Trixie put her key into the lock of her SUV. A strong arm grabbed hers, and turned her around.
"What gives, Freckles?" demanded Dan Mangan in a low voice.
Gasping, Trixie watched as his partner removed the helmet from her head. "Honey!"
"Yeah, Trix, it's me," Honey smiled and pulled her hair back from her face.
"Okay, guys," Trixie confronted them, "why are you two following me?"
"Why are you keeping secrets?" Dan countered.
"Listen, Trix," Honey pleaded, "Jim's my brother. You're my best friend. I can't stand back and do nothing."
Acknowledging the concern in their eyes, Trixie gave in to their demands. "I can't talk here," she told them, "maybe we could meet back at the apartment. I need to call Quinn, anyway."
"Do you want me to ride with you, Trixie?" Honey offered.
"I need to think, Honey," Trixie shook her head. "I need to get everything straight in my head first. You do understand, don't you?"
"Go straight to the apartment, Trix," Dan said with concern. "I'll follow you. I told Jim I'd watch out for you."
"Don't you think I'm a little too old for that?" Trixie asked, amused.
"Freckles, I have a feeling we'll be watching over you even when you're ninety," Dan snorted.
"Only if you can keep up with me," Trixie grinned and climbed into the SUV.
"Was that a challenge?" Dan joked to Honey.
"Not with me bringing up the rear, Dan Mangan," Honey warned. "Don't you dare."
Trixie glanced in the rearview mirror, as she pulled from the parking garage. She frowned when her thoughts went to Mr. Wheeler and Honey. Trixie wasn't sure she should tell Honey about seeing her dad. If she was mistaken, Trixie would feel bad about upsetting Honey and if she wasn't, Trixie didn't want to be the one to get him in trouble. All during the hour long drive back to the city, Trixie argued with herself, never reaching a satisfactory conclusion. When she pulled into the parking space rented by Jim, Trixie was as confused and apprehensive as ever. She waited until Dan parked his bike near the SUV before opening her door.
Smiling hesitantly at Dan and Honey, she motioned for the two to go ahead of her. "I'll follow you. It feels weird knowing you were watching my every move."
Dan narrowed his eyes, giving Trixie a suspicious look. "Whatever you say, Freckles."
"Come on, Dan," Honey said as she grabbed his arm, "this is not the place to have this discussion."
Trixie walked silently behind them, wishing she had left and had never seen Mr. Wheeler. She knew she couldn't tell Honey just yet. Perhaps, Trixie decided, I could tell Dan. He would know what to do.
When they reached the apartment, Honey went into the kitchen and brought back snacks.
"I think we could use a little break," Honey grinned. "All this tension works up an appetite."
"More like all the nervous fear from riding on the freeway," Dan snorted.
"Okay, that, too," Honey admitted with a laugh.
"No wonder you wanted to ride back with me," Trixie laughed with them. "I don't know how Dan talked you in to getting on the back of that thing."
"Not a thing, Trixie," Dan corrected her loftily, "a Harley, if you please."
"Well, excuse me," Trixie mockingly apologized, "my mistake."
Silence settled over the small group of Bob-Whites.
Finally, Dan moved closer to Trixie, asking, "Just what are we dealing with, Trix?"
Biting her bottom lip, Trixie looked into his concerned eyes. Sighing, she began to tell them about Quinn and the investigation Quinn had asked Jim to be a part of.
"Jim insisted that I be told everything," Trixie added when she had finished. She didn't add that she had seen Mr. Wheeler in the office building.
"I think you need to call, Quinn," Honey urged her. "With this information, she should be able to get Jim out of there."
"I'd feel better about that, too, Freckles," Dan agreed. "He's done what Quinn asked him to."
"You're right," Trixie conceded, "I'll call her right now."
As Trixie left the room, Honey looked skeptically at Dan. "Do you think she's telling us everything?"
"Maybe," Dan muttered thoughtfully, "but I doubt it. Our little detective has a troubled look in her eye."
"Something's bothering her, that's for sure," Honey nodded in agreement. "You know she won't tell us until she's ready to, don't you?"
"Let me have some time alone with her," suggested Dan. "If I can't crack her, maybe you can."
"Shhh, here she comes," cautioned Honey. Standing up, Honey dusted at her clothes. "If you two don't mind, I'm going to take a shower. I feel all grimy."
"I expect my brother wouldn't like that from his fiancé," Trixie teased as she sat across from Dan. "Is he planning on dropping by?"
"When I call him," Honey laughed.
"Maybe we should call Mart and Di, too," Dan proposed. "I think they need to be in on this."
"Mart was going to Crabapple Farm," Trixie informed them, "and Di's with him. We can call to see what time they'll be back."
"So it's agreed," Dan inquired, "all the Bob-Whites will know?"
"Trix," Honey asked softly as she sensed Trixie's hesitation, "we're a team, remember?"
"Okay," Trixie relented, trying to fight the guilty flush that threatened to creep up her cheeks. She just couldn't tell Honey the entire story, not yet.
When Honey had left the room, Dan leaned toward Trixie. "What gives, Trix? You're hiding something, I know it."
Trixie glance furtively toward Honey's bedroom door. "I think we may have a problem."
Relaxing a little, Dan began to pry a little deeper. "Tell me, Trix, unless you'd rather tell Quinn."
Just as Dan had assumed, the mention of Quinn's name made Trixie bristle just a bit.
"Listen, Dan, you've got to promise me," Trixie whispered fiercely, "Honey cannot find out about this."
"I promise," Dan declared, "just tell me already."
"It's Mr. Wheeler," Trixie told him, "I saw him go to the same floor as the guard."
"That's it," Dan said feeling a little deflated. "Trixie, Mr. Wheeler isn't going to be meeting secretly with someone like that."
"He left only a few minutes before the guard came back down," Trixie added in defense.
"Trixie," Dan said skeptically, "you've got to give me something more to go on."
Feeling like she was fourteen again, Trixie crossed her arms and slumped back on the couch.
"Let's call the others," Dan suggested. "Maybe we can get the rest of the Bob-Whites here tonight."
All except Jim, Trixie thought angrily, but don't worry, Dan, I intend to find out the truth. Then Trixie's thoughts took a decidedly worried track, What if I don't want the truth to be told?
Note: Harley-Davidson Motor Company is the makers of the Harley-Davidson brand motorcycle that Dan and Honey were riding.