Chapter 11: Sneaking Around
The next morning everyone sat down at the kitchen table dressed for the day as they ate their breakfast without making any conversation at all. Because of Speed and Pop's argument from the night before, there was still some tension lingering in the air, but breaking the silence was a knock at the door.
Pops voluntarily got up to answer the door to get away from the tension in the room, and he didn't announce who it was but rather stepped outside and then closed the door.
Being the first one to speak, Mom Racer said, "Spritle. Don't leave your bat in the den anymore. I've told you about putting your things away over and over."
"My bat?" the young boy asked confused. He then just looked at Chim Chim figuring that he had dragged it out of his room at some point.
Changing the subject, Speed said, "It's been obvious since way early this morning that Pops will probably stay mad." Earlier that morning, Speed had tried to give Trixie a kiss good morning but didn't when he caught Pop's hard stare on them.
"Your Father won't stay mad," Mom Racer said always sounding so positive about things. "I just wish you wouldn't have made it sound like Pops had made Rex want to leave home."
Feeling a bit sorry for what he had said, Speed said, "I was just upset." Then remembering that Pops was the main reason he had gotten so upset, Speed leaned to Trixie and whispered in her ear, "Pops would really flip if he knew Racer X is Rex."
After hearing this, Trixie began to choke on a piece of toast since Rex being Racer X was a major secret that Speed and she had promised to keep.
"I'm sorry," Speed said realizing that he had to be more careful with that important secret. "Are you okay?" he asked gently patting Trixie on her back.
Taking a sip of her juice, she said, "I'm alright." Now it was her turn to change the subject and she did by saying, "I wonder who Pops is talking to outside."
Spritle and Chim Chim didn't care as they got up, ran out of the kitchen and into the den. They began running around as if they were on a playground.
Mom Racer stood up and began to clean off the table as Trixie followed behind helping her.
"Speed," Mom said. "Go tell Spritle to calm down. I'm sure Pops is in no mood for him and Chim Chim to be acting up."
Obeying his Mother, Speed walked into the den to tell Spritle to behave.
The back door suddenly opened and Pops stuck his head in. "Honey. Can you come here for a second?"
Mom Racer shook her head yes and then walked outside. "What's wrong?" she asked after seeing Pop's face. She almost thought that he looked scared.
He wore a look of disbelief as he said, "The policeman wasn't watching the house last night."
"What? What do you mean?" Mom asked confused. "We all saw him outside in the police car."
"The policeman was in it but...dead."
"What!" Mom exclaimed as her hand lifted and covered her mouth.
"He was murdered sometime last night," Pops said looking around as if he suddenly felt like they were being watched. "Let's go inside."
After stepping into the house, Pops peeked into the den to see Speed and Trixie busy trying to calm both Spritle and Chim Chim down. Pops then closed the door between the kitchen and the den so that he could talk to his wife in private. "I feel horrible for acting like Speed was crazy for being scared last night."
"Do they think the look alike is the one who murdered the policeman?" Mom asked with fear in her eyes.
"He's the only suspect," Pops said grimly. "But...something does confuse me. If the look alike murdered the policeman. Why didn't he attempt to come into the house to go after Speed next?"
Suddenly walking into the kitchen, Spritle brought the bat to his Mom and said, "This isn't my bat."
Mom Racer took the bat from her youngest son as he then dashed out of the room. As she looked closer at it, she realized that it really wasn't Spritle's. Almost feeling faint, she started to lean a little till Pops put his arm securely around her to keep her from falling.
"Speed was right," she said looking at her husband as she began to panic. "The look alike was in the house last night! This was his weapon to use on Speed"
"No. You're just jumping to conclusions because you're nervous," Pops said hoping he was right.
With her eyes wide, Mom Racer asked, "How was the policeman murdered?"
Looking at the bat, Pops said slowly, "He was hit in the back of the head with a blunt object."
Mom Racer handed the bat to Pops, not wanting to hold it any longer.
Taking it, Pops said, "You don't think this is what killed the cop. Do you?"
"Whose bat is it then? And how did it get into our house?" she asked very scared.
"But how would he have gotten into the house?" Pops asked so sure that the house was secure.
"I bet there's something unlocked around here," Mom Racer said trying awfully hard to keep her voice down.
"I'll check everything but we must stay calm for Speed. I already told Inspector Detector that I didn't want Speed to know about the murder."
"Good," Mom said glad that Pops seemed much more understanding to why Speed felt the way he did. "I don't want Speed scared to death again right now. Trixie doesn't need to know either."
About twenty minutes later, Mom and Pops were ready to act like nothing was wrong. They walked into the den to see Spritle and Chim Chim watching some crazy cartoon on TV and Speed and Trixie standing by the unlit fireplace talking.
Pops couldn't help but notice that the new, young couple moved a foot or so away from each other when they heard Mom and him come in.
Through out the day, Speed's parents played it cool as they checked all of the windows and doors to make sure that all of the locks were in working order. They found that they all were.
Their acts of securing the house didn't go unnoticed by Speed, and he was glad that Pops seemed to accept that he had every right to be worried.
Late that afternoon, Speed was sitting on the sofa with Trixie. Again they kept space between them so Pops wouldn't preach to them about how they should act in front of Spritle. "I hope Rex is finding some clues," Speed said hopeful.
"If he hasn't yet, he will," Trixie said confidently. "He always does no matter how long it takes."
Speed knew she was right and smiled at her. "You know... I'm glad you're stuck in this house with me."
"Just don't come any closer," she joked. "I don't want Pops to evict me."
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That night when everyone was supposed to be asleep, Speed snuck up the stairs as quietly as he could. The look alike was completely out of his mind for the moment. It was a certain female who seemed to have total control over him, and he liked it.
He tiptoed passed Spritle's room and then his parent's. He cringed at the thought of Pops catching him, but Speed's need to be near this certain female forced him to keep heading to his destination.
Once reaching there, he walked into his room to see Trixie asleep in his bed. He smiled and thought to him self, I just want a good-night kiss. Careful not to make a sound, he closed the door to his room. Moving closer to his bed, he began to study Trixie who was lying on her back; her arms in a relaxed position on each side of her. The sheets were down to her waist and the thick robe she had been wearing at night was gone. She was wearing a light colored t-shirt but it was hard to see just what color it was with only the moonlight coming in through the window.
Without waking her up, Speed slowly sat down on the bed as his eyes continued to admire her as she breathed softly. If he had ever been confused about what love was with other girls, he knew now that he wasn't when it came to how he felt for Trixie. He smiled thinking that she was so much better than the rest. To him, she was beautiful even when she was a Tom Boy. Her devotion to doing the right things made her beautiful and how could he not love the devotion she showed him.
Slowly he lifted his hand to touch her shoulder and then he found himself letting one of his fingers begin to slowly move down her slender arm all the way pass her elbow. The feel of her soft skin reminded him all too well of how much they had held hands in the hospital, and now he thought what a shame it was that people didn't make more over just handholding. It was a special thing when you cared for someone and weren't just thinking about making it to first, second or even third base.
Once Speed's finger reached Trixie's hand, he lifted and moved that finger to her other hand and continued its voyage up that arm. When his eyes moved to her face, he was surprised to see that hers were now open and watching him.
The sensation of his finger tracing her arms had brought her out of her sleep. When she had opened her eyes, she just watched as Speed continued what he was doing - causing chills to run up and down her spine. When his eyes had found hers open, he only smiled.
Not many seconds passed when she slowly sat up.
In a whisper, he said very seriously, "I just wanted to kiss you good night."
The moon was glistening in his eyes as she began to stare deep into them. For the first time she wondered if she could trust herself alone with him. That thought tripled when he leaned and kissed her lips. Their few kisses in the past had always made her feel that just one seemed not to be enough, and now this simple good-night kiss was turning into a very passionate one.
In all honesty all he had intended to do was kiss her, but now he wanted to drown in her. Uncontrollably it seemed he moved his hands under the back of her shirt to feel the soft skin on her back.
Feeling his hands on her bare back, she melted even more into his kiss.
Thinking that his shirt was in the way, Speed released her from his arms but still held their kiss as he quickly unbuttoned his PJ shirt and then pulled it off. He then pulled her dangerously close to him with only her t-shirt between them.
His skin felt so good to her beneath her hands that she never wanted to let him go.
Even though their relationship had just changed, they had been mentally close for years. And through this kiss they were letting each other know just how deep their feelings for each other were.
They were breathless when they finally broke apart and then stared into each other eyes while their hearts beat fast; both taken aback at just how strong their passion for each other was.
Trixie reminded herself that she hadn't saved herself to throw it away without thinking long and hard about it first; no matter how much she loved Speed. Plus, though she felt Speed did, she wasn't absolutely, positively sure he loved her since he had never said it.
Speed was grateful to finally realize that there was a difference between making love and just having sex. Now looking at Trixie, he knew he had never wanted someone so much. However, seeing the innocence in her very trusting eyes made it clear to him that he cared too much for her, to rush her. Though he had experience, he'd just have to wait for his first time to make love to her.
Suddenly the light from the hall poured into the room since the bedroom door had been swung open. Speed turned and saw his Mother!
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I wonder what Mom will do to Speed and Trixie, and if she will tell Pops. I also wonder if the look alike got to see that steamy kiss.