The Birthday Mystery
Disclaimer: Still do not own anything.
Note: I always put too much dialogue in my stories, so I tried to put some non-talking parts in here. Unfortunately, all that did was make it really hard to write this chapter. Also, I'm sorry that I haven't replied to any reviews for the last chapter, and that this is another short one. In spite of everything, here is:
Chapter Twelve
Trixie Belden wasn't sure whether or not she was having a good time. She had a mystery, which was good. She had to rely on her brother to investigate, which was bad. But this led to covert spy-like operations with her cell phone, which was good. She kept getting interrupted, which was bad.
After Bobby charged into her room and refused to leave, she went downstairs. Bobby followed her. She then went outside. Bobby followed her. She walked to the clubhouse to get some privacy. Bobby—yes—followed her.
Luckily, Jim had been heading down to Crabapple Farm to see Brian, and on his way he crossed paths with Trixie and her companion/personal barnacle. Knowing that she was working on the mystery and noting that she did not seem in the mood for company, he distracted Bobby, leading him back to the farm.
Trixie, finally free of unwanted companionship, settled down at the table in the clubhouse and suddenly felt in a much better mood. Mart, tromping down the somewhat muddy path through the woods to Mr. Maypenny's house, noticed this.
"Pray tell what transpired to modify your disposition in such a positive manner."
"The whole time you were talking with Di," said Trixie, "Bobby kept trying to talk with me. And play with me. And make faces at me. Gleeps, you'd think he'd get the hint!"
"What hint?"
"The one where I told him to go away."
Mart laughed. "That's not a hint, sister dear. It's a command. And not a very nice one."
"Well, it's not very nice to bug someone who's trying to talk on the phone, either," Trixie retorted.
"Too true, too true," he sighed. He sidestepped a particularly muddy patch on the path, kicked a small branch out of the way, and asked, "Say, do you think Danny-boy will be at home? Mr. Maypenny might have sent him out to clear some debris from that downpour yesterday."
Trixie hesitated. "You could always hang up on me, call him, ask where he is, and then call me again."
"Ooh, I like the first part of that plan. The part where I hang up on you."
"I like the new part of my plan. The part where I trash your half of the bedroom while you're gone."
Mart sighed again and was about to mourn the cruelty of his sweet little sister when he saw a familiar somebody clearing some debris from that downpour yesterday.
"We shall discuss the state of my room later. Suspect Number Two, dead ahead." He slowed his pace a bit and called, "Greetings and salutations!"
Dan looked up just long enough to say, "Hey," and then went back to cutting a large branch into pieces that were small enough to move easily. He glanced up again as Mart approached and put down his axe, tilting his chin inquisitively toward the blonde's new headset.
"This?" Mart pointed at the headset and mouthed 'Trixie' before saying, "Cool, huh? It helps to project my image as a busy, important—"
"Dweeb." He smirked. "No offense, man—it's doin' nothing for you."
Mart took on a hurt look. "Offense taken. But… I'll forgive you if you help me find a certain shamus's missing present."
"Well, I don't really care about being forgiven, y'know? 'Cause you do look like a major dweeb. But I'll help, anyway." He smiled. "Because I'm a nice guy."
The birthday girl's almost-twin expressed disbelief that one who called one's friend a dweeb could be a nice guy, and objected again a few moments later when Dan joyfully praised Diana's moving the gift.
"Anyway," Mart said over his alleged friend's chuckles, "the main thing is that it's still missing. Have you any vague notion of the present's present location?"
"No, but, now that I think about it, maybe I wouldn't tell you about it if I did. I mean…." He held up one hand as if picturing large words on a billboard: "Mart Belden, Totally Clueless." A grin as he lowered his arm. "Yeah. Sorry, man, but I think I'm with Di on this one."
"Gee, you're popular," Trixie's voice snickered in her brother's ear. "Remind him that it's my present. He still likes me."
"Then, if you're with Di," Mart began, "you also want Trixie to get a birthday gift on her birthday. So if you thought about it again, maybe you'd decide to tell me whatever you know about it."
Dan shrugged. "Okay, I'll tell you what I know." He crouched down next to the half-chopped branch.
Mart waited for him to speak, realized that he didn't seem to have any plans to do so, and said slowly, "You… know… squat."
"Bingo. Now, much as I'd like to yak the day away with you," he said, standing up, "I can't, y'know? So if there's anything I can do to help, tell me. If not, beat it."
"I will call you should I have need of your assistance. And my mind shall retain the memory of your unkindness when the date of your birth draws near."
"Well, the joke's on you, 'cause you don't know when my birthday is." He gave a 'so there' sort of a smirk and, evidently wanting to end the conversation on a high note, picked up his axe and started preparing for his next cut.
"Well, then, I'll just remember it for the next twelve months. Your birthday must be in there somewhere." He made a jaunty salute. "Jaa, mata."
Dan put down his axe, exhaling, "Da-a-amn! You just gotta win every time we talk, don'tcha? Okay, I'll bite: what does this one mean?"
Mart smiled triumphantly. "'See you later'. It's Japanese."
"Huh. Wanna know NYC-ese for 'see you later'?"
"I… have a feeling I don't."
"And you'd be right on that one. See ya."
Once he'd gotten several yards away and could hear the sound of wood-chopping, Mart said, "Well, sister mine, it would seem that we have gotten nowhere in our mystery-solving endeavors."
"Not exactly nowhere," Trixie protested. "I mean, we haven't really gotten anywhere, but we haven't gotten nowhere, either."
"You make no sense."
"Look who's talking!"
"At least when I allegedly don't make sense, you can look up what I mean in a simple dictionary or thesaurus. When you don't make sense, it takes the scholars of the world to unravel your statements."
"Thank you for saying I'm as smart as all the scholars of the world."
Her brother paused. "You have a twisted mind."
"All the better for untwisting mysteries," she declared loftily. "Now, go find Honey or Jim."
"Either one?"
"Yes, but try to find Honey first, if you can. Bobby said that she definitely went into your and Brian's room."
"Alright. Any idea where she is?"
"She—"
Mart continued walking but slowed his pace when Trixie suddenly broke off. "Trix? Are you still there?"
"She's coming to the clubhouse. I'll call you back ASAP."
"O—"
Click.
"—kay…." Mart smiled and shook his head. It seemed that his sister was taking this whole cloak-and-dagger business quite seriously.
Thanks for reading!
