Disclaimer: As always, I do not own anything. I am just borrowing the Trixie world to add a new little part to it.

"Oh my," Honey gasped, bringing a hand to her mouth as her face paled, "He's-he's here? Now?"

"Well, I might have over played that a bit," Ben said sheepishly, "most of the workers do go home in the evenings, so no, he's not here right now but he will be come morning."

At the news that she wasn't in immanent danger Honey calmed considerably, and although Trixie wouldn't admit it, she felt a lot safer than she had before Ben amended his statement.

"Well that's better," Honey shuttered, "I don't like the idea of a murderer hiding in the dark… though I suppose that's unfair of me; this man might be perfectly innocent."

Trixie didn't think so, and her gleaming blue eyes said so. She was on the cusp of something big, and she knew it.

All the clues she had now – albeit she had very few clues – pointed to Thomas. A lover's quarrel gone wrong; it was almost poetic in its own way – tragic, but poetic.

And if Thomas had been here all along...

Trixie grabbed Ben's arm in sudden excitement, "Do you think Thomas could be the person I saw in the woods?"

It was all fitting together; Thomas had motive – he was anger with her, for what Trixie didn't know yet – and opportunity – if the two had snuck off to the woods once than they could easily have done it again. Who would notice if Jane hadn't come back this time? It was dark and lots of people would have been around.

Now all she needed was proof – evidence or a…

"I need to talk to Thomas – tomorrow," she hissed to the other two, "I have to find him tomorrow."

"Trixie!" Honey gasped, fear jumping into her eyes.

Ben's face didn't look much different.

"Now Trix," he started hesitantly, "I don't know if that's such a good idea; this man might actually be a murderer; it wouldn't be safe for you—"

"Gleeps Ben! I'm not going to wander off in the woods with him and say I think you killed your girlfriend. I just want to ask him a few questions. What is he going to do in broad daylight with tons of people around?"

Ben still looked hesitant, "I guess… but what if—"

"I'm going to talk to him, no matter what anyone says. You know that. I'm not a baby that can be ordered around."

"If Trixie's going, I'm going," Honey said, pushing aside any fears she might have, loyal as ever.

Ben looked between the two girls on either side of him, his look of concerned hesitation morphing into amused resignation.

"I've followed Belden this far, might as well see what she manages to dig up next."

Honey clapped and grabbed his shoulder, "You sound just like a Bob-White!"

They went on to tease each other as family will, but Trixie was no longer listening.

Jim was staring at her – the three of them really – across the fire. She couldn't read his expression but she had a sneaking feeling that they – she – had been caught.

Talking to Thomas tomorrow might not be as easy as she had thought it was going to be.

"Trixie, wait up a sec!" Trixie's heart froze as the voice behind her sent her tumbling through several emotions – excitement, pain, fear, and then finally an irritated disappointment.

There was no way that Jim Frayne would let her talk to Thomas Colter if he knew what she did about him.

So it was important that Jim never found those things out – preferably he would never know about Thomas Colter at all.

"Yes Jim?" she turned to face the man who broke her heart with the most innocent smile she could muster.

In the past Jim's disapproval of some of her sleuthing had left her with mixed feelings. She was irritated that he didn't approve or believe in her dream, but she also had the knowledge that he was only doing it because he cared about her.

And the knowledge that he cared for her left a warm, happy, tingly feeling in her stomach.

At least it use to.

"It's just that I haven't seen much of you," Jim looked across the yard, avoiding her gaze, and Trixie could see his jaw clenching. He had never been that good at lying, "You, Honey and Ben seemed to be having an interesting conversation last night."

Now his concern left a bad taste in her mouth and an ache in her heart. She almost wished that Jim was on of those men who left his problems for someone else to deal with – left his ex's for someone else.

If he stopped caring it would hurt less – at least that's what Trixie told herself.

But if he stopped caring he would stop being Jim – and that thought seemed to break Trixie's heart further than it already had been.

"We were – it's a shame you couldn't have joined us."

Trixie smiled at him – daring Jim to say what he actually meant. He was trying to be polite, but Trixie didn't want polite.

Polite got them into this problem in the first place.

She wanted…

Well, she didn't know what she wanted.

"What were you talking about?"

"Oh you know this and that," Trixie waved her hand airily, "one of those things that seems important at the time, but rather silly in day light."

Although her tone was airy and light, Trixie's expression was anything but.

They had both fibbed now, prancing around what they both knew they were really talking about.

It was a stand off, each staring the other down. The air sizzled with tension.

Trixie did something she hadn't been able to do in a long time.

Look Jim Frayne in the eye and hold that gaze. Now she was so full of other emotions she hardly gave it a thought.

Until, that is, she registered what she saw there in his honest green eyes.

Of course, there was the red-headed anger that she had expected, but it was covering up much more important emotions – fear, concern, pain – there was a lot of pain – and could it be? No she was imagining it – there couldn't be, shouldn't be-

Trixie's heart gave a painful twist, and she turned away, unable to look at him any longer.

"I'm sorry Jim, but Honey and Ben are—"

"It's dangerous-things could-you could… It's dangerous."

Trixie stopped mid-step, and peaked over her shoulder. His eyes were blazing with emotions Trixie couldn't look at.

"I know," she said quietly turning away from him, "but I can take care of myself."
"I know."

Trixie's head snapped back over her shoulder. Those two words had been spoken so low, and yet filled with so much emotion. They somehow managed to cover so many other words that had been left unsaid.

Jim, with his shoulders sagging and face drawn, looked defeated, yet his eyes told a different story.

A story Trixie didn't want, couldn't hear.

"Jim I- I ca-" Trixie shook her head unable to get any words out of her mouth. "I'm sorry."

With those two words she turned here head, and walked away, completely shaken to the core, but pretended that she had never felt better.

"Is he here? Did I miss anything?" Trixie covered her overflow of unwanted emotions by throwing herself into the investigation with extra enthusiasm.

"Do you think we would dare question him without you?" Ben asked his voice heavy with amused exasperation, "This is you shindig, Sheriff."

Trixie gave him a 'what am I to do with you' sort of smile and stepped up to Honey who immediately wrapped her arm through Trixie's, "Are you alright Trix? You look a little shaky."

Trixie looked from Honey to Ben who instead of making a joke, or at least make some gesture to indicate he didn't know what Honey was talking about, looked at her appraisingly.

"Have you finally realized how dangerous this could be? You know you don't have to do this."

Was her… it wasn't quite an argument, but not a normal discussion either, with Jim that obvious? Trixie had hoped that she had reached a point where he wouldn't affect her so.

Maybe they would never reach that point.

"No I haven't and yes I do," Trixie said rather haughtily to Ben before turning to Honey, "I'm fine, really."

Honey shrugged and smiled, "Well, I'm a little scared."

"As you should be," Ben ruffled her hair exactly the way he knew she hated, "But since there is no talking Belden out of anything, let us not waste anymore time."

Looping her arm through Trixie's free one, he led the two over to the large wooden frame the workers had moved on to after the pool had become a crime scene. Jim said it was going to be a gym type building.

"Colter!" Ben raised his voice to yell at a well built boy with straggly dark hair and an admittedly handsome face, "Front and centre, if you please!"

The boy nodded, signaling one of the other workers to take his end of the long piece of wood he was carrying.
Trixie's heart picked up with each step that brought Thomas Colter closer to her – she could taste the excitement on her tongue; all thoughts of her non-fight with Jim left her head.

Honey's grip tightened on her arm, and Trixie absentmindedly patted her hand.

This was it, so close.

"What's up, sir?"

Up close, Thomas didn't look like a murderer – in face he didn't look that different from Brian, Dan or even Ben standing beside her.

Tall, dark and handsome, he looked like someone who would date someone as beautiful and kind as Jane Waltman was said to be. He looked like a boy on the cusp of manhood, speaking politely to his boss.

But Trixie couldn't let that thought get to her – looks can be deceiving.

"Why don't you take a quick break; these girls wish to have a small chat with you," Ben said looking more serious than Trixie could remember seeing him. It was still surprising her that when she looked at him, she found a mature – if fun loving—man where the childish boy had once stood.

Thomas looked suspiciously at Honey and Trixie, "Me, why?"
"Just walk with us." Ben's tone said that the matter was closed.

Looking like he wanted to do anything but, yet didn't want to get in trouble with his superior, Thomas trailed sullen beside them.

Ben, who had placed himself firmly between Thomas and the girl, kept sending him stern glances.

"Thomas," Trixie started slowly, for once thinking before she acted, or in this case spoke, "What do you know about what happened to Jane Waltman?"

Thomas froze, and looked like he wanted to bold, but Ben but a strong hand on his arm, holding him in place.

"I don't know what you're talking about," his voice was as stiff as his posture. Thomas wasn't any better at lying than Jim.

Trixie sighed, "We know you were her girlfriend, and we know you were both here that night – so tell us what happened."

"It was a party – a lot of things happened. I can't remember anyone specific detail."

"Your girlfriend disappeared that night; I think you'd remember that. You had a fight with her before that happened; I'd think you'd remember that too."

Thomas's shoulders bristled, "You seem to know a lot already; what do you need me for?"

"We want to hear your story," Honey smiled kindly at him.

He stared at her kind open face for a long moment, and something flickered across his face. Trixie wondered if, at least for a moment, he was realizing how similar she looked to Jane.

Finally his shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Yeah, we were here, and yes we had a fight," Thomas grumpily pulled his arm out of Ben's grip and pulled a box of cigarettes out of his pocket, "what of it?"

Trixie wrinkled her nose as he lit up a smoke, but didn't say anything on it. She didn't want to get off the topic at hand.

"What were you fighting about? Word is you were pretty angry."

"Is it now?" Thomas slowly took a drag from the light, and then blew the smoke out just as slowly, "And what does it mater to you? What difference will it make?"

"Why don't you humor her?" Ben gave him a hard start, and pulled the cigarette out of his hand, grounding it out under his foot.

Thomas returned the glare for a long moment before speaking.

"That airhead friend of hers, Alice, no Angel-something came up to me with some nosy story about seeing Jane with some guy that wasn't me."

Trixie nodded, for a moment an image of Jim and that girl flashed into her head. She could see how someone would react to that.

"That must have made you pretty mad."

"Would if it was true," Thomas shrugged, "Angela was always coming up with stories like that."
"So it wasn't true?"

"Oh, it was – I took Jane into the woods to have a little talk about it. Broad didn't even bother denying it."

"So you got upset then?"

"You bet I did."
"Didn't you want to do something about that?" Trixie asked slowly, excitement jumping through her limbs. This was it, "Make her feel how you felt?"

Thomas stopped; his gaze hardening as he looked at her.

"What exactly are you saying?"

"I'm not saying anything."

"You're implying it."

"Am I?" Trixie blinked at him innocently.

Thomas's face contorted, his eyes sparking and face turning red.

"Trixie," Ben's voice was low, a warning.

"I may have been mad at her, but I would never, never do something like that; I cared about her; I'm an innocent man."

Thomas glowered at Trixie, his voice low, calm, dangerous.

Ben repeated his warning and Honey added hers to it. Their pleas were reasonable and at any other time Trixie may have listened to them, but this wasn't any other time.

She was still out of whack from Jim, and more than anything she had this deep burning desire to prove herself.

She wasn't a foolish girl. She was a detective and she could handle herself.

"An innocent man doesn't hide in the woods when a body is being found." She was bluffing of course. She had no proof that Thomas had been the one in the woods.

His face paled and shoulders sank, "You saw me?"

He didn't have to know that though.

Trixie nodded, "So explain to me why an innocent man would feel compelled to hide?"

"How would you feel if you found a body in the exact place you last saw your girlfriend before she disappeared for more than a year?" He was no longer being defensive; he was just a broken person telling his sad tale, "I couldn't take it – images just kept flashing before my eyes. I thought it best to just get away rather than-than…"

Trixie was quiet. She had been so sure… she didn't know how to handle this twist. Was he lying? He didn't seem like it. It would be heartless to treat such a confession as if it were false, but Trixie, so set in her desire to get proof, didn't know how else to treat it. So she didn't say anything.

"Of course," Honey, however, was always ready to be sympathetic. She was always ready to see the good in people. She laid a comforting hand on his arm, "No one could expect you to do anything more."
Her sympathy made him cave further.

"Yes, at first, when she told me, I was mad, but that was just my pride more than anything else. We had been running in that direction for months – I just didn't want to admit it, and then to hear it from Angela," Thomas shook his head, "I always thought, more like hoped, that she'd just left town – that's what I always told myself is what happened… but then this…"

Thomas's voice died as his eye began to swim. Trixie no longer had the heart to interrogate him but she had one more question.

"Do you know Angela saw her with? Who did she say?"

Thomas's face darkened for a moment, "Dylan Marks, the black sheep of our graduating class; you'll find him at his dad's hardware store if your looking to ambush him too." Thomas gave a snort, "For all his rebellion he ended up exactly where he said he didn't want to be, where the rest of us are. Right where we started."

A/N: As always, that was the new chapter, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. You also know the drill from here on out, please review! I love to hear from you, really and truely. I want to hear everything you think, what you liked, what you didn't, favourite parts or least favourite, thoughts, hunches, guess on what's going to happen to next, and of course, anything you think I need to improve on. Constructive Critisism is the only way I'm going to get better! Thank you again.