Prologue:
He watched and waited, knowing and anticipating her every move. He knew everything about her, her likes, her dislikes, her routines, even her favorite color. "Soon." He said aloud, yet quietly, but partly wishing she could hear him.
She was in her cozy apartment, thinking and believing she was safe. She would not hear him, even if she was standing right in front of him. She was oblivious, to everything except her own little world, too busy going about her day to day life, ever the detective and ever in love with the rich, young heir to the Frayne fortune.
Sometimes, he believed he loved her, at least there were things he loved about her, her desire to right all the wrongs in the world, the way she cared about those she loved and other little things. He loved the vulnerability he saw in her, no one could see it except him, not even those closest to her.
Other times, he hated her and wanted revenge for what she had cost him and for the way she went on in her happy, privileged little life, not caring that her past actions had destroyed someone.
"Which one will it be, Trixie?" He once again spoke to the air. Even he wasn't sure. Would he fall in love with her, or would he come after her with a vengeance, like he had gone after the others? Only time would tell.
He lit a cigarette and walked away, whistling silently as he headed back to where he had hidden his car. He savored the crisp, cool, autumn air and the moonlight shining through the trees, what a beautiful night it was, it was the kind of night that he liked to go on the hunt.
He turned for one last look toward the place where she stayed, the place she thought she was alone. The light was on in her bedroom, he knew it was late and she was probably doing her exercise routine before bedtime, since it was one of the things she did every night.
"Only time will tell." He repeated his mantra. For her fate was in his hands.
Chapter 1 Secrets
Trixie sighed with frustration as she painstakingly typed investigative reports into her computer. "Why did Sergeant Molinson have to make this stupid rule anyway?" She spoke aloud, referring to his rule that the detective's of the Sleepyside Police Department had to have all paperwork for that week in the computer by Friday.
"Talking to yourself again?" Honey Wheeler Belden, Trixie's sister-in-law of exactly one year and four months, asked, from the entrance of Trixie's small cubicle. "Of course" Trixie laughed, "Don't I always do that when I'm frustrated to the max?"
"Yep." Honey smiled at her friend. "I just had to stop before heading home and remind you to call me tonight after your date with Jim!"
"You know I will, but Honey, everything that could go wrong today, has gone wrong." Trixie told her, as she tossed a crumpled piece of paper into the wastebasket. "I had everything all planned, I was going to spend this morning getting these reports in, but I got called to investigate that robbery on Hawthorne and since Dan was out sick, I had to do everything alone and I'm just finishing up. I'm not even going to have enough time to go home and take a shower before meeting Jim at the restaurant."
Tonight was not just any date with Jim. The way things were going between the two of them, along with a few subtle hints from Jim the last few times they had gone out, coupled with the place he was taking her tonight made her feel that a long awaited proposal was in the making.
Jim was taking her to a fancy, romantic restaurant on the outskirts of town, with lots of history, loads of ambiance and very expensive and exclusive. It was called the Butterfly Room and many a marriage proposal had happened there.
"Oh Trixie, I'm sorry." Honey said sympathetically. "But, it'll all work out for the best, you'll see. I wish we had more time to talk, but Brian's probably waiting out front for me." Honey looked at her watch. "I just stopped by to remind you about dinner at our house tomorrow, I have some wonderful news. Actually, two different, exciting things I have to tell you. But, as for tonight, I want to hear every detail of the proposal, I just know he is going to pop the question!"
"I'll call you soon as I get back to my apartment, I hope Jim is going to propose." Trixie said emphatically. "It would be very embarrassing if he didn't."
"I know my brother, he's in love with you, by the end of this evening, you'll have a diamond on your finger." With that, statement, Honey told her goodbye and hurried out, while Trixie turned back to her computer and completed the last bit of paperwork.
Trixie shut her computer down and ran to her locker, located in the back of the building. She kept some spare clothes there, just in case she needed to do something here in town after work, since she lived 20 minutes away.
After looking over her very limited selection, she chose a short black skirt, a pair of black dress shoes with kitten heels and reached for the periwinkle blue thin sweater which had cost her way more than she needed to spend. She'd chosen it on a shopping trip into the city, because she loved the way the color enhanced her best features, causing her eyes to look azure and bringing out the highlights in her reddish blonde hair and made her skin look like porcelain.
Trixie carried the clothes into the small ladies restroom and laid them on the vanity. After changing out of her pantsuit and taking her shoulder length blonde hair out of the severe pulled back style she chose for work, she pulled her skirt on. Picking up the lovely blouse, she noticed something that had not been apparent when she pulled it out of the locker moments ago. Holding it up for closer inspection, she saw that the whole front of it had been splattered with something red. She figured this had been done earlier in the week, or maybe earlier that day, because the red paint, ink, catsup or whatever was dry to the touch.
"Son of a ..." She didn't bother finishing the sentence.
This was one of a couple of incidents that had happened since she had become a detective in August, just two months ago.
Trixie was not afraid, she believed the harassment was coming from within the department. In Sleepyside, for many reason's, a detective's position was coveted and most people worked at least five years as a rookie before they could even think to attain it. But Trixie had been given a major break when she had only been on the force for a year and Sergeant Molinson offered her the position, partly because of her solving a major crime last Summer, when she was just a rookie police officer and partly because the powers that be were on the department's case because there were no female detective's.
Trixie had taken all the other nonsense in stride. It all had begun in June when she had been made detective. She had overlooked the silly pranks, but now, she was angry. The other incidents which had occurred were just goofy, like one night last month she and Jim had gone to a movie together and walked down to Wimpy's for coffee, then just walked around town enjoying the evening. The following morning, when she came out of her apartment to get in her car and go to work, there had been a blonde haired Barbie doll wearing an outfit similar to the one she had been wearing the night before, with a knife stuck in it's chest, on her car windshield.
Then, there had been a few nights over the last couple of months, when she was driving through the remote, wooded area that led to her apartment, a dark colored 70's muscle car had followed her down the road and turned around and left as she turned into the short driveway leading to her apartment. Of course, that only confirmed that it was just a couple of the guys in the department, who had made it known that they resented her presence in the detective squad.
It was a hobby with many of the guys in the police department to restore old cars and each of the guys owned at least one, even the sergeant and the lieutenant. Dan Mangan was her partner and even he was restoring a 68 Ford Mustang. Of course, she knew it was not Dan, or anyone in upper management. The car, from what she could tell from her encounter with it on a dark road, was possibly a seventies camaro or firebird.
"I have to put this out of my mind." Trixie said determinedly, even though she was literally seething with anger. She stepped out to the locker room and grabbed another blouse and headed back to the bathroom. Finally, after combing her hair till it shone and adding a little bit of powder to cover the freckles and a touch of very light pink lipstick, she was presentable.
She stopped back by her desk, grabbed a black blazer and her purse and headed out, already at least ten minutes late. As soon as she stepped out the door into the parking lot, her personal cell phone rang. Grabbing it out of her purse, she saw it was Jim, whom she figured was probably standing outside the restaurant waiting for her.
"Hey!" She said breathlessly, while hoping she could put the incident with her blouse and the stressful day behind her
. "Hi baby." He answered, sounding tired. "I'm really sorry, Trixie, but I have to postpone our date tonight, I hope you aren't going to be too mad at me."
At that moment, Trixie experienced a brief roller coaster ride of emotions that went from terrible disappointment, yet tremendous relief at the very same time. The relief of course, because of the little incident with the blouse, which would be on her mind for awhile, despite her best intentions to forget about it. That, along with the hectic day she had had, caused the timing for such a special occasion to be way off.
"Oh Jim, of course I'm not mad, but what's going on?"
"I have to meet one of Dad's friend's in the city, Dad set up this one time meeting, the guy is going out of the country and this evening is the only opportunity. Dad is certain he will invest in the school. I'll be back sometime tomorrow afternoon and I'll see you at Honey and Brian's for dinner."
After light small talk, they hung up and Trixie headed out into the now dark parking lot, located behind the building that belong exclusively to the detective squad.
She was very watchful these days. Of course, part of it was about what happened last Summer, when she discovered the brutal murder of a very dear friend. The other part, even though she was not afraid, the little incidents and occurrences, like the one earlier with her blouse, were unnerving, to say the least.
She climbed into her white 90's model Subaru and prepared for the 20 minute drive home. Trixie felt bone tired and even though it was only mildly chilly on this Indian Summer October evening, she felt cold.