Chapter: 21
Wishes of Luck
"You can stop right there!" Trixie informed Honey as the pair got in line at the turnstile. "I may have a ticket in my hand, but that doesn't mean I plan to take another ride on the crazy train. I learned my lesson with Cosmo Mc Naught and the Sinister Circle, Honey. Mrs. Connors has a screw loose. So don't give all that kooky prediction stuff another thought."
As a family with three squealing children came up behind the girls, a little boy, Bobby's age, pulled out a translucent plastic ray-gun and shot a series of flashing sparks at the girls. "Gotcha, you Venusian Vixens!" he cried as his mother gave the giggling young ladies an apologetic smile.
If Trixie had been in her shorts and tee, she would have fallen over and given the alien-slaying monster a long, drawn-out death scene. Instead, she nudged her friend ahead as the line moved forward. Getting dressed up just took the fun out of things.
"It's kind of hard not to think about," Honey argued, pushing her hair back behind her ears. "Especially that bit about the fire. It's been so dry lately, Trixie. What if Fabio isn't a figment of Mrs. Connors' imagination?"
Trixie scoffed. "Even if lover-boy-blondie is real, and I'm not suggesting he is, the heavens are supposed to open up save us, don't forget. So there's really nothing to worry about," she finished, refusing to speak any more on the matter.
Now at the gate, the two girls laughed as they were approached by two miniature violets extraterrestrials asking for their tickets. Terry and Larry Lynch, who were all decked out in their Way Beyond costumes, were helping their grinning on-looking father as tonight's volunteer ticket-takers. As Trixie and Honey handed over their stubs, the little purple man-eaters presented each girl with a free flashy bumper sticker.
"Aren't these perfectly perfect?!" Honey exclaimed as she marveled at her advertising give-a-way. The sticker's background was deep purple, with the word "Sleepyside" printed across it in holographic rainbow letters. At the end of "Sleepyside" was a geometric image of the crop circle, and it was very eye-catching.
"Did Nick Roberts design these?" she asked Mr. Lynch, knowing the young art student had helped with the T-shirts.
"No, no," the antsy aliens' papa replied proudly. "My daughter did. The Roberts printed them, of course. But I think they came out quite nice, don't you?"
"Gleeps, yes!" Trixie agreed as she carefully tucked her sticker into her purse. She planned to give the souvenir to Mart for his scrapbook. "Is Di here tonight, Mr. Lynch? I'd like to tell her what a great job she did."
The older man's face fell as he pulled his straying little boys back to the gate. Having grown bored, the twins had engaged the youngster with the space gun in a make-believe battle.
"No, I'm afraid Diana will be missing out on tonight's festivities," Mr. Lynch revealed. "She's grounded until Monday," he added. "But my daughter said to be sure to tell you 'hello' if I saw you."
"She did!" both Honey and Trixie exclaimed excitedly. Mr. Lynch's news was a good sign! It was possible Di was beginning to miss the Bob-Whites as much as they missed her!
"Oh, do tell her we said 'hi', too!" Honey cried happily.
"And that her stickers are really far-out, as Dan would say!" Trixie chimed.
"I certainly will," Mr. Lynch chuckled. "And Trixie," he added, giving her a smirk. "My daughter also sends your brother Martin her luck tonight. Would you be able to pass that along for me?"
Mr. All-Star's bubbly sister grabbed her best friend's arm. "Honey and I will go do it right away, Mr. Lynch!" she promised. Trixie had a hunch Di's wishes would send her secretly heartsick brother over the top! A Comet win was in the bag!
But before the girls had gone too far, Trixie stopped and turned. "Mr. Lynch," she called back as an afterthought. "Did Mr. Maypenny return your watch?"
Throwing his hands above his head, Larry and Terry's good-humored father surrendered to the same child who'd assaulted the girls at ray-gun-point.
"It wasn't mine," he replied with a chuckle. "Or any of the town council members', actually. Last I heard, Charles was going to check with the property surveyors to see if one of them may have lost it."
Making a mental note to speak with Mr. Maypenny, Trixie held out her forefinger and thumb like a weapon. Then, aiming, she fired two pretend shots at the blonde boy holding Mr. Lynch hostage. "Gotcha, you nasty earthling!" she cried with an evil smirk. Then, after blowing on her "weapon's" barrel, the victorious Venusian Vixen told the freed captive they'd see him later.
Mart Belden was practicing his swing when his sister and her pretty friend wandered around the lower edge of the bleachers. The intent boy hadn't seen the pair coming, and Trixie and Honey had to holler to get his attention.
"Hey, Cosmo Mc Belden, Trixie cried out, causing the startled lad to look up. "Gotta message for you! The lovely Delilah Lynch sends you her luck from Ramous V!" The impish girl hadn't planned to come clean about having read her brother's book. But somehow, she just couldn't resist.
Tossing down his bat, the grinning young man removed his hat and ran his fingers through his tell-tale crew cut. The look on Mart's face was worth its weight in gold, and Trixie snapped a couple of quick close-ups of it with the camera.
"You read Cosmo McNaught and the Sinister Circle?!" he yelled out, jogging over to the Jiggly Piggly advertising board mounted on the wall, just below the girls.
"Did she ever!" Honey called down with a revealing giggle.
Trixie nodded. "Afraid so," she confirmed with a laugh. "And surfer boy up there in the bleachers is paying for my error in judgment."
Mart round blue eyes twinkled with amusement. Trixie didn't need to say anything more. He knew where she was coming from. Fact was, the exposed lad had been there himself.
Mart's perceptive sister had been correct. Her brother had been pumping up the music to keep the aliens at bay. Partially because he'd thought E.T.s had been altering his zany sister's brainwaves as of late. Trixie had been acting mighty odd. But at least now, Mart knew some of the reason why. However, the humored boy wasn't about to admit that he'd been affected by the story too.
Desiring to change the subject, the young ballplayer asked, "Did the charming Miss Lynch truly send her good wishes this eve?"
"Really and truly," Trixie replied happily. "And it didn't even take a purple-princess-melting jam session, how about that?
"Your sister and I are hoping Di's starting to come around," Honey revealed. "She's home grounded tonight. So we haven't talked to her. But Mr. Lynch said Di told him to tell us "hi".
"That's right," Trixie said. "And remember those beautiful labels Di did up for our jam jars with that fancy calligraphy stuff, Mart? Well, she designed special crop circle bumper stickers for tonight, too. Larry and Terry are in their violet alien get-ups handing them out at the front gate."
"Which reminds me," she added, glancing about to see if anyone might be listening in. "Paul take the 'bait'?"
Mart grinned and nodded his head. "Hook, line, and sinker," he revealed. "A hundred and fifty clams worth. Tomorrow's paper should be a doozy."
Then, as Honey noted the time on the scoreboard, she exclaimed, "Goodness, Trixie, we'd better be taking out seats. The pregame show is about to begin. We'll talk more later, Mart. Knock 'em dead, tonight!" she finished.
However, before Trixie let her friend drag her off, she dug around in the bottom of her purse until she came up with her lucky golden coin. Flipping it toward the field, the winking girl noted, "Not that I think you're going to need it…."
As her smiling twin snatched up the sought-after pirate treasure, he tucked it in his shoe, and then gave his sister a "thank you" salute goodbye.
Only, as Trixie and Honey started up the bleachers, the girls heard a loud two-toned wolf whistle coming from ball-diamond below. Curiously glancing over her shoulder, Trixie was startled to discover it'd come from Jim. Instantly miffed, she glanced about the stands, wondering who had caught the young man's eye.
Giggling, Honey gave her naive friend a playful shove. "He's whistling at you, silly," she said.
Trixie winced with embarrassment and waved at a laughing Jim. There was no mistaking it. The red-headed boy knew what she'd been thinking.
But then, Trixie noticed that another Comet seemed to be admiring someone. Miles Murdock, who was leaning up against the back fence, was looking pretty cozy with none other than Susie Swanson. And it made Miss Belden's stomach turn.
"I wonder if Di knows Mr. Dreamy's been two-timing her with her so-called friend?" she asked Honey.
The saddened girl shook her head. Honey was sure Diana didn't know. She'd heard through Jim that Miles had been boasting about his many lady admirers.
Raising Mart's camera, Trixie was preparing to document the deceitful pair when Coach Jackson called his players to the dug-outs. As Miles prepared to go, Susie blew the grinning boy a kiss, and Trixie snapped her shot. Mart was going to love this. Too bad Di wouldn't get to see it.
Trixie and Honey soon spotted Dan and Brian, seated a few rows away from their parents, Mr. Brandio, Mrs. Lynch, and Bobby. Candy and Mandy Lynch weren't with their mother, so the girls assumed that Di was likely babysitting the pair. The adults were holding spots for Mr. Lynch and his violet twin boys, though. And the two young ladies stopped briefly to say hello to everyone before joining the boys.
Once the girls had finally settled into their seats, Dan gave Trixie a nudge and pointed to the honor box at the edge of the field. There, Mayor Murdock sat with his wife and Officer Wilcox. Back to acting as the mayor's bodyguard, the beefy security guard, who had changed into inconspicuous street clothes, had been replaced at Manor House by another officer.
The Murdocks rarely attended their son's games, and Trixie wondered what the special occasion was. But she wasn't given long to think about it. For the Sleepyside Jr./Senior High Marching Band had taken center stage, and the crowd was going wild. The young musicians were belting out a lively brass rendition of Mr. Donahue's Violet Alien Rock and Roll tune, and everyone was eating it up!
"I bet Mr. Lynch is behind this," Brian yelled above the happy noise.
Then, as the piece drew to a close, with the crowd crying out "Tequila", an announcer came over the loudspeaker asking people to take to their feet for the national anthem. The high school band played this piece too, and as they finished and people were retaking their seats, the bleachers started to quake!
Overhead, a triangular formation of three supersonic jet fighters came roaring the stadium's way! They had great plums of white exhaust, trailing in their wake. And it looked as if the aircraft come out of nowhere!
As young and old watched on in awe, some speechless, others clapping and cheering, the tight squadron of the Navy's Red Guardians preformed a hair-raising air show for the town of Sleepyside.
"Gleeps!" Trixie cried, wrapped up in the excitement. "I can hardly believe my eyes!"
Honey was giggling, though no one could hear her. "Mr. Brandio arranged it as a surprise!" she cried. "This is the Guardian's reserve flight team," she explained, "But aren't they spectacular?!"
"Gleeps, yes!" Trixie agreed, her ears still ringing as the triad squadron disappeared off into the distance.
"Absolutely, far-out!" Dan exclaimed as Brian wholeheartedly agreed.
Only the excitement wasn't quite over. For Mart, Jim, and Miles Murdock, had just stormed the field, armed with rented T-shirt cannons. Aiming the large black and white launchers at both the home and visitors' sides of the stadium, the boys prepared to shoot purple Sleepyside U.F.O. tees into the stands.
Spotting where his sister and her fellow Bob-Whites had taken up roost, Cosmo Mc Belden fired a round straight up at Dan. As the young man in the Hawaiian shirt made a lunge to catch the sought-after missile, Trixie smiled. Mart had done that on purpose, and she realized that her brother wasn't such a bad guy after all.
Slipping out of his borrowed shirt and into his new one, Dan was all smiles. He felt like himself again. And the once uptight boy began to relax.
"Must be my lucky day!" he remarked as he folded up Mart's flashy albatross to let Trixie use it as a seat cushion.
"I'll have you know I had to fess up about reading The Sinister Circle to get you out of that dare," she said. "So you owe me a big one, bestie."
"Is that so?" the entertained boy said with a laugh. "I guess after the game; I'll have to see if I can find some sprinklers. That should get you out of your dare, shouldn't it, Tink? You did remember to wear your lacy bloomers under that dress, didn't you?"
As Tinkerbelle let teasing young man have it with her purse, she decided that pocketbooks did come in handy, after all. She was also mighty glad the town was under a water ban. Or else her grinning buddy might just try to make good on his dirty scheme.
Once the Comets' star players had shot away their box of freebees, officer Wilcox escorted Mayor Murdock to the field. After giving the crowd a somewhat pompous welcoming speech, the glorified public official then more humbly thanked Mr. Brandio and Mr. Lynch for their part in sponsoring the pregame show.
Trixie hadn't felt like clapping for the mayor. But she did bring her hands together for the real heroes who'd worked to make tonight come together. People like Mr. Lynch and Mr. Brandio, not to mention Connie, Mrs. Connors, and the Roberts family.
Then, once the applause had subsided, Mayor Murdock stepped forward and threw out the opening pitch.
The Waterloo Wombats were "the" team to beat. They had the best record in the league. And as Trixie gazed down upon them, she thought the away teams' players looked more like college-age professionals than they did lowly high school kids.
But tonight, the resolute girl was certain the odds of a win were in the Comets favor. All of the team members were back in top form. Plus, with their parents in the stands, the players had come to impress. And so far, the young men hadn't been letting their families down.
To her surprise, Jack Turner and Miles Murdock had been on their best behavior, too. And the pair of boys were performing almost as well as Jim and Mart. The healthy competition between the four young men was also proving to be an asset to their team rather than a hindrance.
As a result, by the time the game moved into its last inning, Sleepyside was up by one run. But the Wombats had just landed a player on second. And the tension in the stadium was teeth-clenching. Crossing both her fingers and her toes, Trixie said a silent prayer.
Jim was currently on the mound, and his red hair was flashing in the setting sun. If she'd been more like Susie Swanson, the enamored young lady would have blown the handsome boy a kiss. But that would have embarrassed them both. Besides, that wasn't her style.
Instead, Trixie let out a shrill whistle and cried at the top of her lungs, "You've got this, Jim!"
With his sneering lips curling into a smile, Jim glanced over his shoulder and winked up at his favorite girl. In his book, Trixie's vote of confidence was better than any kiss, and the skilled player quickly snapped around and slipped a curve-ball past the Wombats' mighty Home-Run Hanson!
As the umpire clenched his right fist and called the final out, the beet-faced hitter laid down his bat and went to thank his opponent for the awesome game!
On the way to Whimpey's for the victory party, the Jalopy was stopped at a red light, preparing to take a left into town, when a mid-sized white sedan pulled up in the right lane next to it.
The child, sitting in the car's back seat, menacingly grinned as he took sight of the girls in the Jalopy. Leaning out his open window, the blonde boy from the ticket line raised his flashing ray-gun yet again. "Take that, you icky vixens!" he threatened as he squeezed the trigger. "You thought I was dead, didn't ya? But I was just fakin'!"
As the car drove off in the opposite direction, with sparks still flying out the window, Bobby chimed out, "Awe, I wants one of those!" meaning the Venusian slaying space gun.
"You don't have money for one of those," Trixie reminded her little brother as she settled him back down between her and Dan in the rear seat.
"Oh yeah? I mades two hundreds dollars this mornin' shootin' that 'mercial!" he revealed. "And Moms lets me have tens of its to buys sumthin' withs." Bobby pulled the wadded-up bill from his pocket and showed it to his skeptical sister.
"Sees?" the little boy went on with a giggle. "Mart says this T.V. stuff is awe-spits-sumthin'. I gots to saves the rest of its for college, but Moms and Daddy says I can spends this much. And I wants one of those guns!"
Brian let out a sigh in the front seat. "You should have thought about before we left the ballpark," he told Bob, sending the child into a pout.
Honey laid a hand on Brian's arm. "I don't think I saw them for sale there," she said in the youngster's defense. "But it looks like that stand in front of City Park might have the guns? At least I see other children playing similar ones there."
Then twisting around, she giggled, "Maybe if Bobby gets a ray-gun, Mr. Maypenny will show him how to make crop circles with it, Trixie?"
"Dos the guns really makes crops circles?!" Bobby cried excitedly, now wanting one of the toys more than ever.
"Only make-believe ones," Brian told his brother with a chuckle. Then, glancing in his review mirror added, "Something tells me this nonsense has something to do with a theory of yours?" he said to his curly-haired sister.
Trixie didn't want to reply. Her older brother wasn't about to believe that gamekeeper had carved out the pattern in the cornfield. Especially using a device he'd made from discarded microwave parts. "It's not nonsense," the peeved girl told him, just the same. "Honey and I saw this video on OurVision where some college students made a gizmo which they called a magnetron. They created a crop circle with it. And since Mr. Maypenny likes to tinker, we thought…."
Dan started to laugh. "You thought Mr. Maypenny made a ray-gun?" he finished. "Now that's a riot."
"It's not as funny as you think," Honey said with a sniff from upfront. "We saw an old microwave sitting in Mr. Maypenny's shed, Dan Mangan. Plus, he had both motive and opportunity to make the circle. Can you say that about anyone else?"
"I can see opportunity," Brian replied, reasonably. "But what motive would Mr. Maypenny have? And come on? A magnetron? He might use a board and a rope, but…."
Trixie had been chewing on her lower lip. "Have people made crop circles using boards and ropes?" she interrupted.
"I think you'd better go back to the internet and do a little more research," Dan chuckled. "But this time, skip the OurVison videos, Sherlock."
Trixie folded her arms across her chest and glared at the young man angrily. "Maybe Honey and I just will," she said curtly.
Dan was sorry he'd opened his mouth. He knew if he didn't make amends, chances were good the ticked off girl wouldn't open hers again all night.
"You know Doc," he said, leaning forward against the front-seat. "Now that I think about it. Mr. Maypenny was out pretty late the night before I stumbled across the circle…." It wasn't a lie. And it should do the trick.
When his older brother didn't immediately respond, Bobby explained, "He's tryin' to say Mr. Maypennys coulda duns it, Brians."
Trixie let out an entertained snort.
"Sos whys won't you stop and lets me gets a ray-gun so he can shows us hows?" the determined child finished.
Honey raised her chin in the air. "Yes, Brian," she repeated. "Why won't you stop and let Bobby pick out his toy?"
The cornered young man's bone-shaking clunker was now stuck idling in traffic. Having the fair maiden Wheeler displeased with him disrupted the good cap'n's plans. He'd have to patch things up. But taking a detour through town wasn't part of the ole pirate's course.
As far as his eye could see, there wasn't an open parking space anywhere. And the line around the popular City Park tourist stop seemed to have no end. Besides, people would be waiting for the young people at the diner.
"Bob will have plenty of other occasions to spend his money," the sensible young man told his waiting friend. "And I don't want to worry your father by showing up late."
Then grinning, Brian added, "You don't want to miss out on our chance to split an ice-cream soda, do you?"
When Honey smiled bashfully and caved in, Bobby slumped down in his seat and kicked the back of his brother's seat. "Mushy traitors," he mumbled, drawing a smirk from the older boy next to him.
Then Dan had an idea. "Tell you what," he said to his captain and crew-mates. "If you want to drop us off at the next corner, Trixie and I can run Bob to the stand while you and Honey go on to Whimpey's, Brian. It's only a short walk to the diner from here. And with this traffic, we might even beat you there."
As much as Trixie was anxious to see Jim, she didn't want to disappoint her excited little brother. He had taken her side, after all. So when her older one didn't voice any objections, Trixie agreed to the plan as well.
It was such a perfect night, anyway! The stars were just beginning to twinkle overhead. And the air outside was much fresher than it was aboard the stuffy ole pirate's cramped ship. Yes, indeed. The outing would suit the contented girl just fine.
A short time later, however, Bobby's hopes were dashed when he learned that the flashing Majestic 12 Vaporizers were all sold out.
"We're supposed to get in another shipment on Monday," the frazzled clerk who was staffing the booth explained. "The guns have been selling like hotcakes. From what I hear, the other stores in town have been cleaned out too. Mr. Lynch didn't want to over-order, not knowing how popular they'd be."
Trixie and Dan were both old enough to understand the soundness of Mr. Lynch's business decision - only Bobby, not so much so. "Mr. Lynch shoulds have talked to mes and Larry and Terry, 'bout it," the grumpy boy said. "We'd uv told him to gets lots and lots of 'em."
"Well, we'll have to try again next week," Trixie told her brother as the busy man excused himself to help another customer. "Until then, hold on to your money. And don't go blowing it on something you don't really want."
Bobby had no choice but to agree. But he also made it clear he wasn't happy about it. In fact, he wouldn't stop complaining. So much for Trixie's pleasant stroll.
"It's just nots fair," the youngster kept repeating. "I knows the ray-guns will sells out again before I gets back. I don't gets to town much. So I'ms gonna talks to Mr. Lynch 'bouts it. Maybe he'll saves me one."
Trixie grabbed Bob's hand and tried to hurry him along. "You do that," she told the persistent child. "Mr. Lynch is supposed to be at the party tonight. But if you don't stop dragging your feet, he might just leave before we get there."
Rounding the block with Whimpey's in sight, Trixie craned her neck, trying to see if she saw Brian's Jalopy in the crowded parking lot. Instead, she noticed a group of familiarly suspicious men loitering in the shadows alongside the lit-up dinner. The miss-matched group definitely looked to be up to no good. And the unnerved girl covertly pointed them out to Dan.
"Baked-Potato-Head Alert," she said softly so as not to alarm her distracted still-bemoaning brother.
Dan's face reflected his friend's concern. "I wonder what they're up to?" he breathed.
The unsavory group, all sporting conspicuous hats, consisted of not only Mr. Lytell, Stanley Gruber, and Ted. But also the Lynch's prim butler, Harrison, and Alex West, who served as the chief mechanic down at Ansley's Service Station.
Seeing Harrison in the mix was probably the most disconcerting to Trixie. She'd never pictured him as the conspiracy theory type before. But there the proper gentleman was, towering over the others, wearing his English wool bowler.
There was a lesson in it, she supposed. You couldn't always tell what went on in the minds of others from outward appearances. However, some things were clear.
The distant grumbles coming from the fishy group were unmistakably grim. And the young detective was sure that the men were anxious to know what was going on inside the dinner. For every now and then, one of them would slink up and peep through a window.
Holding out his arm to stop his companions from advancing further, Dan appeared to be sizing up the mounting situation. Trixie knew the hardened boy was able to smell when there was trouble in the air. And the stench coming out of the shadows was growing stronger.
This was partly because Coach Jackson had just slipped out Whimpey's front door to join his tin-foiled brothers. The short-fused man kept glancing back over his shoulder as if he didn't wish to be seen. And his hand gestures were wild as he pushed his cohorts deeper into the darkness behind the restaurant's trash bins.
Trixie was now sorry that she hadn't put her foot down by refusing to watch her baby brother. If Bobby hadn't been with her, she and Dan could have circled in back of the eatery to do a little eavesdropping. As it was, the desperate girl could only think to do one thing. And that was to use Mart's camera to zero in more closely on the ill-plotting bunch.
Only under the waning light, instead of engaging the camera's zoom, the inexperienced girl's finger accidentally came down on the camera's shutter button. This, in turn, triggered the flash. She may have just gotten the picture of a lifetime – but Trixie had given herself away…