Chapter 12: The Elephant in the Room

Sunday night had been a long one. Trixie had hardly slept a wink. As a result, she was tired, cranky, and terribly glad that Aunt Alicia rarely got up before nine o'clock. At least her aunt would still be in bed when the Bob-White's met Mikey and his Mom.

This morning, Trixie put on her favorite pair of dungarees and the most comfortable sweatshirt she could find. The teen was so angry with Aunt Alicia that she no longer cared what the awful woman thought or said. So, after slipping into her red Bob-White jacket, Trixie looked in the mirror and liked what she saw. "This is me," the teenager thought proudly.

But the silver pendant around her neck was eye-catching, so the fretful girl tucked it under her shirt. Too bad invoking Saint Nicholas couldn't protect her from evil relatives. Aunt Alicia had done the most unthinkable thing! What if Dan had actually kissed her? And Jim had found out? Why Jim might never have talked to her again! And he would have definitely wanted his I.D. bracelet back. Thank goodness her jacket sleeve was long enough to hide that from her aunt's prying eyes.

Then, as the doorbell rang, Trixie ran down the steps and bumped into Brian. "Well, excuse me," she said curtly. "Are you going to let Honey and Jim in? Or let them freeze to death on the porch?"

"Hey, what's with you?" Brian asked as he opened the door. "Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, something?"

Trixie gave him a snotty look and told their friends good morning.

But she didn't stick around. The moody girl knew Dan would be arriving soon, and she felt awkward about seeing him again. So mostly, Trixie hung out in the kitchen, helping her mother get breakfast ready.

Diana, who'd been the first of the Bob-Whites to arrive, was in the living room talking to Mart and Bobby. Di and Mart were in charge of Mikey's first day, and as they finalized their plans, Trixie could hear her little brother cry, "Oh, Cool!" from the other room.

On any other day, Trixie might have smiled, but today it only seemed to aggravate her more.

"Is something wrong, dear?" her mother asked.

The upset girl threw down her dishtowel and said, "Don't call me 'dear'! Aunt Alicia calls me 'dear' and I'm so tired of it!"

Mrs. Belden picked up the rag and ran her hand up and down her daughter's arm. Trixie looked as if she might cry, and her mother knew something was terribly wrong. "What's Alicia done now?" she asked her softly.

"Oh, Moms," Trixie replied, fighting back the tears. "She's only trying to ruin my whole life! I wished she'd go home and never, ever, come back."

"Now it can't be all that bad, can it?" her mother replied, trying not to pry. "You and I need to stick together and tough things through. The good news is, your Aunt Alicia will be out of our hair for most of the afternoon. She's having tea with Mrs. Lynch while Mart and Diana take the children sledding. So chin up. You don't want Mrs. Murphy seeing you this way, do you?"

Trixie sniffed and apologized for snapping. "And Moms," she added. "You can call me 'dear' if you want to."

Mrs. Belden smiled. Being a mother was never easy - but especially now that her little girl was growing up. "I love you," she said. "Apology accepted. Now, why don't you take breakfast into your friends, hmm?"

In the family room, the Belden's Christmas tree was twinkling brightly in the corner. Daddy had stoked the fire before he'd left for work, and Trixie found the room warm and inviting. Her friends, excited about Mikey's arrival, were laughing and having a wonderful time.

Passing around the basket heaping with blueberry muffins, Trixie found it easier to smile. That is until she reached Dan. Avoiding his eyes, she stopped only long enough for him to grab one before moving on down the line.

Then, once Trixie had served everyone, she took the seat next to Honey's and did her best to join in the fun. But she still avoided Mr. Mangan, despite his growing efforts to gain her attention.

Soon, however, car headlights were flashing through the living room window, and the Bob-Whites got up to greet the Murphys. Only on her way out the door, Dan snagged Trixie's arm and pulled her back inside as the others filed on out.

"Please don't be mad at me," he begged her. "Can't we go back to being friends? Honest, I won't say anything about what happened yesterday. My lips are zipped."

As Trixie's eyes burned with anger, the young man winced, regretting his choice of words.

"You'd better not tell anyone, Dan Mangan," she spat venomously. "And I'll mind you to keep those zipped lips of yours away from mine, understand?! Why if you had kissed me..."

"But I didn't," he stopped her. "And I won't tell a soul. Honest, I won't. I got trapped into it as much as you."

"Oh, really?" Trixie raged on, trying to keep her voice down. "I can't believe you even thought about it."

"So I made a mistake?" Dan replied sheepishly. " Mr. Maypenny said you'd have bad luck if I didn't, and, well…"

"It's all so ridiculous," Trixie said as he faded off. "I don't want to talk about it anymore. I'm so angry at Aunt Alicia that I can't see straight."

"Well, I'm pretty angry at myself," the dark-haired boy admitted. "You tried to warn me about her, Trixie. Only I didn't listen, and I let myself get drawn in. I kept thinking I'd been sucked into the twilight zone. I mean, that's some spell your aunt put on Mr. Maypenny."

"Yeah, and she's only just begun," Trixie cautioned him. "Aunt Alicia's still got another little package of love potion in that big old bag of tricks of her's. I wouldn't be surprised if we find it hanging over the stable door one of these days."

Dan grinned as he thought about Trixie's Aunt going after his uncle Regan next. "If we do, I'll avoid it, if you will?" he laughed. "Friends?"

Trixie grinned back. "You've got a deal," she said. "Friends."

But in the pit of her stomach, the teenager still had a sick feeling her troubles weren't over. Her aunt had a mighty big mouth for a lady who didn't kiss and tell.

As the Bob-Whites introduced themselves to Mrs. Murphy, Bobby told Mikey all about the exciting day ahead.

"Whens we go in, my brother Mart's gonna holp you write a letter to Santa sos he'll bring you toys this year," the youngest Belden said. "Marts the one with no hair. He also talks funny. But he's OK. He says the reason Santa brought you nuthin' last year was on accounta you moved. And he didn't know. If you'd been bad, Santa would have gived you coal."

"Oh," Mikey said, deciding the explanation sounded reasonable. "And you said Santa's gonna write me back?"

"That's right," Bob replied. "He's already wrote me back; only the mail lady hasn't brung it yet. So I'll help you with your list too."

"That's good," Mikey admitted. "'Cause I think I'm gonna need some help, and that big kid might not know the kinda stuff kids like."

"Oh, he's good with stuff like that," his friend replied. "He likes kids' stuff too. He also likes that girl with the black hair over there. He thinks she's beautoootiful."

As Mikey giggled, Mart, catching the gist, gave his little brother a lift of his eyebrow as a warning.

In reply, Bobby made a face and said, "Well, you do."

Mart shook his head, knowing it was no use to argue. Besides, Bobby hadn't exactly lied.

"Anyhows," the little boy told Mikey, "she's Larry and Terry's sister Diana. She's rich. And you and me and Mart's going to her house and go sleddin' with them and their other sisters. They're only four. Oh, and Aunt 'Licia's goin' too. But not sleddin'."

Excited, Mikey ran over to tell his mom about their big plans, and the amused woman smiled down at him, knowing that she was leaving her son in good hands.

"That sounds like fun," Mrs. Murphy replied. "But remember what I told you. You mind the big kids and don't give them any lip. Understand?"

"I won't," the stocky little boy promised. "I'll be real good."

Bobby was relieved. "That's good," he told Mikey seriously. "Cause you gotta be good. On accounta we get to be Bob-White Holpers, and you gotta be good to do that."

Mikey looked from teen to teen and appeared to be confused. "You're Bob Belden," he said, trying to reason things out. "So which one of them's Bob White, the guy we'll be helping?"

As the teens and adults laughed, Bobby replied, "They're all Bob-Whites, silly. The Bob-Whites is their secret club. It's also a bird. Kinda like a chicken with a thing on top. But that's not the kind we'll be holpin'."

As the boys finished their conversation, Mrs. Murphy again thanked the teenagers and Mrs. Belden for watching Mikey. She had no idea how she'd ever be able to pay them back, but Jim put her mind at rest.

"Gleeps Mrs. Murphy," he said, "we all have to accept help at some point in our lives. The best way to repay us is just to let us help."

At four o'clock that afternoon, Honey Wheeler returned to Crabapple farm. The little boys, back from the Lynches, were now in the driveway "holpin" Brian. Unfortunately, the frustrated older boy probably would have been doing better without their assistance. For no matter how hard he tried, Brian couldn't get the dented bumper off the Jalopy.

Spying the pretty girl coming his way, Mikey, who'd been instructed by Brian to stand back and hold the socket wrench, ran over to greet her.

"Miss Honey, Miss Honey," he cried. "Look at me! I'm fixin' the jalopy with Mr. Brian. He's going to teach me to drive it."

Honey giggled and took Mikey's hand. "My, I'm very impressed," she told the little boy. "Brian doesn't let just anyone drive the jalopy. You must be very special."

Smitten, the little boy beamed. "You should come help us," he told her earnestly. "On accounta you're special too."

The sweet young lady grinned and allowed Mikey to pull her over to the worksite.

"Can Miss Honey help us, Mr. Brian?" he asked.

Brian laughed and decided to call it a day. "I've got a better idea," he said. "Why don't we take Miss Honey inside and get her a warm cup of cocoa, hmm?"

"That does sound like a better idea," Bobby told Mikey. "Brian makes the bestest cocoa. And I'm gettin' cold."

As Brian began putting away the tools, Mikey said, "You'll sit by me, won't you, Miss Honey?"

Bobby, upset that his best friend was paying so much attention to the older girl, kicked at a snowbank angrily. "Ah, she don't wanna sit with you," he grumbled. "she always sits with Brian."

Honey blushed as the boy's big brother, glanced up with a start. Bobby tended to observe things that, sometimes, the teenagers hoped got overlooked.

"I can sit by you both," she told Mikey gently. "You don't mind, do you, Brian?"

"Suits me," Brian replied, closing up the garage. Then on the way to the house, he added, "I wouldn't dream of coming between two love birds."

As Honey swatted at the teasing young man with her gloves, he darted off ahead of her.

Inside, the newly arrived group found Trixie coming out of the den. She'd been working on a list of questions to ask Mrs. Murphy about her husband's arrest. And the teenager was ready for a break.

"Why don't you join us for a cup of hot chocolate?" Honey suggested.

"Only you can't sit next to her," Brian added mischievously. "Honey's sitting between Mikey and me. Right, Mike?"

"That's right, Mr. Brian," Mikey said. "Trixie, you can sit next to Bobby."

As Bobby took his pal on into the kitchen, Trixie asked, "What's with the seating arrangements? And why is everyone else 'Mr. This' or 'Miss That', and I'm just plain ole 'Trixie'?"

Brian, rehanging the little boys' coats so they weren't half on the floor, was the first to reply. "Miss Honey's got a new beau," he informed his sister with a chuckle. He didn't attempt to answer to her other question. And neither did Trixie's best friend.

"Well, I think Mikey's very sweet," Honey sniffed. "It's not every day a boy has enough courage to tell a girl she's special," she added pointedly.

Then to Trixie, she said, "Are you ready to talk to Mrs. Murphy?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Trixie admitted. "I just hope we don't upset her. There's no easy way to go about this, I'm afraid."

As the teenagers joined the little boys in the kitchen, Brian filled the tea kettle with water and then heated it to just below boiling. "Where's the rest of the family?" he asked Trixie as he pulled down mugs from the cupboard.

"Moms' in the attic, putting together a box of old novels for Mrs. Murphy," his sister replied, taking a seat at the table. "And Mart's in his room with his nose in one of those Cosmo McNaught books of his. I think he's had his fill of Aunt Alicia for one day."

"Is your aunt here?" Honey inquired, perking up hopefully. "I'd simply love to meet her."

"She's in the guestroom resting," Trixie was happy to inform her friend. "As Mart tells it, our spirited aunt convinced Mrs. Lynch to go sledding with the children. I guess they all had a ball. Aunt Alicia even tried to get Di's stuffy butler Harrison to join in."

"Yeah," Bobby giggled. "Only he didn't wanna do it."

"And Aunt 'Licia called him a party pooper," Mikey gurgled, blowing bubbles in his cup of instant cocoa.

Honey laughed, sympathetic to the stiff man's plight. "I wish I could have been there," she admitted.

"I wish you could have been there too, Miss Honey," Mikey said, beaming up at her. " But we're gonna go again next week. Mr. Mart promised us. You can go then."

Now Trixie understood why Honey was sitting with Mikey, and it was all too funny.

It was then, that the girls heard the sound of tires on the gravel drive and excused themselves from the table.

Inviting Mrs. Murphy in, Trixie and Honey led the work-weary woman into the family room and asked her if she'd like to have a seat.

"Mikey's getting his things together," Trixie explained, "and Moms will be down in a minute. She's got a box of books for you."

Mrs. Murphy smiled. "Your mother's the most thoughtful person," she said, her spirit brightening. "Did Mikey behave himself today?"

"He was a complete angel," Trixie replied. "My brother Mart said he didn't give anyone an ounce of trouble."

"I'm so glad," Mikey's mom said with relief. "I thought from the looks on your faces maybe something had gone wrong."

Honey glanced at Trixie, and her curly-haired friend nodded her head.

"We're sorry, Mrs. Murphy," she replied. "Trixie and I didn't mean to give you the wrong impression. But there is something we'd like to ask you. And I'm afraid we both agree there's no easy way to go about it."

Mrs. Murphy was not someone you beat around the bush with. She was a direct woman who spoke her mind and expected others to do the same. The young woman had taken some tough knocks in her life, but she'd always come up fighting. So Trixie decided to respect this, and she let the elephant out of the room.

"Mrs. Murphy," she said. "Honey and I would like to ask you about your husband's arrest. We know he's serving time for robbery and that you believe he's innocent. Given this, Honey and I would like to do some investigating and see if we can prove it."

Melinda Murphy's rounded face was difficult to read. Trixie wasn't sure if she'd upset the woman or simply angered her. But Mrs. Murphy's eyes grew discerning and very pointed. She was also unusually silent.

So Honey took a deep breath and continued, "You see, Mrs. Murphy, Trixie and I plan to open a detective agency, when we're older. We've solved some pretty tough cases, and we'd like to help you and Mikey if we can. We think it's unfair that no one's willing to listen to you. But Trixie and I will."

As Honey finished, Mikey's mother admitted that Mrs. Belden had mentioned the girls' sleuthing. "I also saw Bobby's picture at parent-teacher night," she reminded Trixie, causing the young lady to wince. "And while I find it hard to believe there's anything the two of you can do, I think it's sweet you'd like to try. Sometimes, when you're young, people refuse to take you seriously. I've fought this myself. And it would be unfair of me to treat you girls, in this way. So what is it you'd like to know?"

Trixie and Honey suddenly had a new respect for Mrs. Murphy. "No wonder Moms likes her so much," Trixie thought.

Aloud she said, "Why don't you just tell us what happened, Mrs. Murphy?"