Honoring Others

Part III

After getting off work the next day, Trixie hustled over to Tad’s apartment.  As she swung into the parking lot, she saw him getting out of his car.  Giving her horn three shorts beeps, Trixie pulled in next to him, hopped out then planted a quick kiss on his lips.

“Yum,” she whispered as she sniffed his shirt.  “You smell good.  What’s that fragrance?”

Tad returned the kiss then grinned at the blond.  “Eau de pepperoni and onion pizza.”

“You should definitely wear that more often. It’s one of my faves.”

“Go ahead and nibble away,” Tad leaned against his car and pulled Trixie into his arms.  

Trixie ran a string of kisses down Tad’s neck, then stopped and licked her lips.  “Yes, I definitely love that fragrance but if it’s all right with you, I’d rather have the real thing.”

Tad grabbed his chest in mock pain.  “The first cut is the deepest.”

“Sorry about that,” grinned Trixie as she popped open her trunk, “Now I’ll get the pizza while you grab the journals.”

She watched appreciatively as Tad easily lifted the carton out of her trunk and onto one shoulder.  “I’m so glad you’re carrying that and not me.”

“I can’t even imagine how you ever got this into the back of your car.  And why are these journals so heavy anyway?”

“Cause they contain a lot of information,” grinned Trixie.

“Funny!  Real funny!”

The two carried their respective boxes into Tad’s apartment. Trixie set the pizza on the cluttered coffee table while Tad dropped the carton under the front window.  Glancing into the kitchen, Trixie asked,

“Is Spider here?”

Tad shrugged.  “I don’t think so.  But I’m not always sure of his schedule or his plans.  Why?”

“I didn’t want our reading to be interrupted.  Speaking of which, I’m starving so let’s eat so we can get to the journals. I’m dying to find out if there are any clues to the photo.” She winked.  “Maybe we can play later.”

“I’ve always admired the way you think, Belden.”

After getting plates, napkins and iced drinks from the kitchen, the two settled back on the comfortable couch and dug into the delicious pizza. While they dined, they debated the value of cursive writing with Trixie deciding against it and Tad remaining neutral.

“All I know,” said Tad as he took a big bite of his pizza, “is that my Dad always complained that kids weren’t learning how to write properly. And that included penmanship and sentence structure.”  He shrugged.  “So sue me but I’m the product of a parent who was a teacher.”

Trixie patted his thigh.  “It’s okay.  I won’t hold that against you.”

When Trixie was done with her meal, she gathered her utensils and took them into the kitchen, deposited them into the dishwasher, then washed her hands. Returning, she stood directly in front of Tad, her arms folded across her chest and an impatient look on her face.  

Tad stuffed the last bite of his pizza in his mouth.  “I take it we’re through?”

“Yep. Time to get to work!”

Tad tidied the coffee table, then dragged the box of journals over to the couch.  After pulling back the flaps, Trixie peered inside and studied the various books, their once bright covers now faded and worn.

“Look at all these journals.  I can’t imagine sitting down and writing in one of these every day?  My fingers would stage a mutiny if I tried to do that.” She inhaled deeply. “Yum!  But they do have that old musty smell of an attic treasure, which always reminds me of a potential mystery.”

Tad scooted to the edge of the couch and looked into the box.  “What are you thinking, boss?”

Trixie, scratching her head, sat back on her heels. “Hmmm.  Sam didn’t seem to know anything about the picture so I think we should read the journals from her life before she met Sam, if there are any.”

“That sounds about right.  But how do we know when he came into her life?  For all we know, they might have gotten married a few years ago.”

Trixie chewed her bottom lip.  “I doubt that because he mentioned she had collected a lot of junk during their marriage. Let’s start reading and discard any journal that mentions Sam, their marriage, or anything else like that.  We can note the date then ignore any journals that are dated later.”

With Tad’s help, Trixie emptied the box and spread the journals out on the coffee table. She studied the array until she settled on one for herself and another one for Tad. Stretching out next to him on the couch with her feet propped in front of her,  Trixie opened her journal and began to read. A few minutes later, she tossed her it aside.

“Well, this one probably won’t help us because she’s writing about how difficult Sam Walker is when the Yankees lose a game.”

“What’s the date?” asked Tad.

After sharing that information, Trixie grabbed another journal.  “What about you?”

Tad turned the page.  “So far, I haven’t found anything, but my journal is dated a few years before yours so I’ll keep reading.”

Trixie looked up when she heard Tad’s book hit the floor.  “Nothing in here.  Apparently, Sam and his wife decided to try to wallpaper the dining room.  I guess I don’t have to tell you that project didn’t go well for them.”

“I’ve seen the dining room.  Definitely a project that shouldn’t have been done.”

“That bad, huh?”

Trixie nodded.  “Yeah, and I’m reading about the directions for making some kind of cucumber pickles.  I was afraid this was what we’d find.”  Disappointment shadowed her face.

By the end of the evening, Trixie and Tad had gone through several of Amy’s journals without finding any that were written before she married Sam Walker.

“I’m beat,” said Trixie as a big yawn escaped her mouth. “And we learned absolutely nothing tonight.”  She frowned at the discarded journals that were piled on the floor next to the couch.

“It looks like we got through about a quarter of them. Wanna call it a night?”

Trixie sighed.  “I guess we have to.  My eyes are going to close permanently if I make them read one more line of old cursive writing.”  She looked up at Tad with an innocent look on her face.  “What do you wanna do now?”

Tad shoved the journals out of the way and pulled Trixie closer, covering her mouth with his.  “This.”

Trixie snuggled into Tad but before the two could go any further, they heard Spider’s key in the door lock.

“Gleeps!  Why couldn’t he have stayed away a little longer?” pouted Trixie.

Tad kissed Trixie’s nose.  “I promise I’ll change the lock tomorrow,” he whispered.

“Deal,” giggled Trixie, straightening her shirt and sitting up before Spider entered.

“Hey,” said Spider as he closed the door.  “what are you guys up to?”

“Not much,” answered Tad.  “We’ve been going through these old journals that Trixie got.  We’re trying to figure out who the little tyke in the picture is.”

“What are you talking about?” Spider sat down in the worn leather recliner across from the couple.

“Oh, yeah, you don’t know.  Well, let me fill you in.” Trixie quickly recounted the story of the photograph and the investigation that lead to the reading of Amy Walker’s journals.

“I see,” nodded Spider.

“What would you do if you were in my shoes?” asked Trixie, hoping for another option that might help her solve her mystery faster.

“I think I would do exactly what you’re doing right now.”

“Okay.”

Exhaling loudly, Trixie flopped against the back of the couch. “I was hoping you had a more police-ish solution.”

“Police-ish?” Spider puzzled.

“Yeah, police-ish.  You know, forensics, DNA, fingerprints.  Stuff like that.”

“Sometimes, Trixie, you just have to rely on good old-fashioned leg work, or in this case, eye-work, And, like you, I would assign a portion of that task to a rookie.”

“A rookie?”

Spider winked and pointed at Tad.  “Yep, a rookie.”

“Hey!” Tad glared at his brother.  “See if I clean the apartment this week!”

Trixie and Spider laughed and offered each other a high five.

“Don’t worry, Spider.  We both know who’s in charge of this investigation.”  Trixie settled back against Tad.  “So, any big crimes in Sleepyside this week, Officer Webster?”

Spider shook his head.  “Nope.  I just have to figure out who moved around all of Mrs. Slovinski’s tulips.  She swears she had them planted in neat rows but this year they came up all over her front yard. She thinks it’s a bunch of teenagers who didn’t like the candy she gave out last Halloween.”

Trixie, drumming her fingers against her lower lip, sat quietly for a moment, then snapped her fingers. “That’s an easy case to solve.”

“Oh, really?” asked Spider, his brows raised in question. “Do tell.”

“Yeah.  Most likely the squirrels moved them.  They always do that with Moms’ bulbs and it drives her crazy.”

“Squirrels, huh?  I never thought of that.”

Trixie stood and took a bow.  “Glad I could be of help.”

Grinning, Spider got up and went into the kitchen.  “Hey, do you guys mind if I finish off the pizza?” he asked as he opened the lid of the logo covered box.

“Help yourself,” yelled Tad.  He looked at Trixie and winked, “But maybe I should ask Trixie since I’m just her rookie and she’s in charge.”

While Spider filled a plate in the kitchen, Trixie settled herself against Tad and laid her head on his shoulder.  “Thanks for helping me with the journals tonight,” she said softly.

Tad gathered her in his arms.  “Like I said, Bert and Nan or Ned and Nancy or…”

“Stop! Just stop!” Closing Tad’s lips with her fingers, Trixie gave him a long kiss.  

“Okay, guys, I’m back,” announced Spider, sitting down in the chair with a plate of the remaining few pieces of pizza.  “So cut it out!”

“I’m not trying to be rude, Spider, but I guess I better go,” sighed Trixie. “I just remembered I’ve got two chapters to read before class tomorrow.  Thanks for letting me solve your mysterious tulips case. Can I consider myself a specialized consultant for the Sleepyside PD?”

Spider raised his brows at the young woman but said nothing.

“Is that a ‘yes?’”

Spider took a bite of the pizza.  ‘What do you think?”

Trixie pretended to sulk.  “It’s probably not.”

“Right you are.”

Trixie stood up and shook the kinks out of her legs.  “It never hurts to ask.”

“No, it doesn’t,” answered Spider, shifting in his chair so Trixie and Tad could get by. “See you later, Trixie.”

“Bye, Spider.”

Tad walked Trixie to her car.  “We’ll work through a few more journals tomorrow,” he said.

“Thanks for your help,” responded Trixie as she leaned into Tad’s embrace.

The two huddled in the dark parking lot talking softly to each other.  When a car pulled in, they found themselves caught in the glare of its headlights. Pulling apart, Trixie got into her car and drove off with Tad watching her rear lights until they disappeared into the night.

 

The next morning, Trixie fought to keep her mind focused on the lecture in her Astronomy class. “At least I took a science that doesn’t require any additional lab time,” she reminded herself. “I have far better things to do than mix up chemicals or dissect frogs.”  Relieved when the professor finished his lecture and dismissed the class, Trixie gathered her notes and hurried to her car, then sped back to Sleepyside. She parked in her reserved spot in the alley behind the antique shop then hopped out.

“Imogene, I’m here,” Trixie called as she slammed the back door of the shop behind her.  

“Goodness, Trixie,” admonished Imogene.  “I think they heard you all the way to White Plains. You seem to be hyped up today, at least a bit more than usual,” smiled Imogene.

“Sorry, Imogene. I guess I’m always happy to be out of class.  Although, I actually do find this class interesting.”

“That’s right,  You’re taking astrology.  Are you able to read people’s horoscopes yet?”

Trixie shook her head.  “Not astrology, astronomy.  And no, I’m only learning about the stars, not reading them.”

“Whatever, dear.  How’s your little mystery coming regarding the photograph?”

Trixie tied on her apron and followed Imogene to the front of the store.  “It’s not really going all that well. Tad and I started reading the journals I got from Sam Walker, but so far, we haven’t learned anything that might help with the identity of the child.”

Imogene paused.  “I think that was a good idea to contact Sam Walker.  I hope he didn’t mind.”

Trixie shook her head. “No. In fact, I think he was really happy to get those journals out of his house.  I believe I did him a huge favor.”

Sighing, Imogene rubbed her chin.  “Yes, I suppose you did.  Let’s just hope those journals give you the information you want.”

“Agreed!”  

After updating Trixie on what had transpired in the shop that morning, Imogene left for the day.  Trixie skipped over to the restaurant connected to the antique store and ordered a sandwich then returned to the front counter and balanced the cash drawer.  A short time later, a server delivered Trixie’s lunch that she quickly devoured. After that, the busy shop kept her occupied, leaving little time to ponder her current mystery.

At the end of the day, Trixie took care of the closing tasks and shut down the computer.  As she was turning out the lights, she felt her cell phone vibrate.  Hoping the caller was Tad, she eagerly pulled it out of her pocket but then frowned slightly in disappointment when she saw her mother’s name on the caller ID.

“Hi, Moms. What’s up?”

“I was just wondering how your mystery was going,” answered Moms.

Groaning softly, Trixie recounted the unsuccessful research she and Tad had done the night before. “We’re going to tackle some more tonight.”

“Well, I hope you find something useful in those journals.  And I’ll be sure to let you know if I hear anything from your Aunt.”

“Thanks, Moms.  And I’ll let you know if I learn anything.”

Trixie took off her apron and hung it on the hook then set the security alarm. As she went out the back door, she pulled at it twice, satisfied it was firmly locked. A few minutes later, she arrived at the Community Center where she saw Tad walking through the parking lot.  She honked her horn and waved then rolled down her window and called out to her handsome boyfriend.  

“Hey, want a ride?”

Grinning, Tad sauntered up to the little car. Leaning in the window, he smiled and winked.  “Maybe.  What’s in it for me?”

“Well, besides a ride, you get to spend time in the company of a detective determined to solve the mystery of the photograph.”

“Aha!  So you’ve named this mystery now?” laughed Tad.

“Yep.  That’s how I keep them straight.”

Tad stood up.  “I already ordered our burgers and paid for them.  Why don’t you grab the food and I’ll go ahead and get things set up at the apartment.”

“That’s sounds extremely efficient to me, Webster. See you in a bit.”  With the splattering of gravel, Trixie zipped out of the parking lot, eager to get the food and then settle down with for more reading.

*****

“Ugh!” Trixie clutched at her stomach an hour later.  “Did Mike make those burgers super big?  I’m stuffed.”

“They were definitely large,” answered Tad, who was seated beside Trixie on the couch.  “I’m not sure I can finish all the fries.”

Trixie licked her salty lips.  “I’m glad you got me onion rings.  Those were awesome.” She wadded up her napkin, shoved it into the bag, then tossed it onto the coffee table. “Time to get to work,” she announced.

Trixie selected a journal from the box, then, with fingers crossed, opened it and began reading. With great effort, she worked her way through the cursive entries, frowning when she had to slow down in order to decipher the squiggly writing.  Tad gathered the dinner wrappings and put them into the trash, then joined Trixie on the couch with his own journal.  The room fell silent as the two read.   Suddenly, Trixie sat upright.

“Hey, listen to this!”

Tad lowered his journal as Trixie read aloud.

 

Today is a lovely day with the roses blooming in the garden.  The yard will be a perfect setting for the family reunion.  I know Johnny still feels funny about attending, but I think it will be just fine.  I’m certain I’m going to be his wife someday, so he might as well start meeting the family.  I wish I could stay outside and enjoy the beautiful flowers, but there is a large pile of ironing that’s calling my name.  I promise that someday I’m going to hire out my laundry because I really hate to iron.

 

“Soooo,” said Tad slowly.  “It sounds like Sam’s wife was going to marry this Johnny.”

Trixie’s eyes sparkled as she quickly flipped to the front of the journal.

“This is the first time I’ve seen Johnny mentioned and this journal is dated June 1, 1942.”

Tad checked the date in the front of his journal.  “Mine is dated October 1, 1942.  We need to find more from the summer of 1942.”

The two dug through the box of books, checking the dates written in the front of each one.  

“Here’s July, 1942,” exclaimed Trixie.  She handed the book to Tad, then went back to reading her own journal.  “Gleeps!  Listen to this.”

 

I’m so mad at my Mother.  She doesn’t want me to continue seeing Johnny.  She thinks we’re too young to be so serious. But I know he loves me and I love him. Besides, he has to go serve his country and I have to finish high school.  She needn’t worry about us getting married anytime soon. But I do love him so much and am in a panic over the thought of Johnny going off to war.  I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to him.  My heart would be broken forever.

 

Trixie looked at Tad soberly.  “It sounds like Johnny went to war.  I wonder what happened.  Do you think he was killed?”

“I don’t know.  We’ll just have to keep reading to find out.”

A few minutes later, Trixie again called out excitedly.  “Here's something...

 

Mother is getting anxious about the family reunion.  She thinks she’s going to have too much work to do.  I offered to make a photograph display of all the family members.  I wish I hadn’t done that because now I have to go through all the old albums and find the right pictures.  At least it will give me something to do while Johnny is away at training camp.  I miss him so much.  I can’t wait till I hear his voice at my front door.

 

“Gleeps! The first mention of photographs,” said Trixie.

“But she was collecting photographs from her own family. I’m pretty sure Johnny was no relation to Amy Walker,” reasoned Tad.

Trixie rolled her eyes.  “Obviously not. But even the mention of a photograph gives me hope.”

“So we know that in the summer of 1942, Amy was in love with Johnny but her mother was against them having a relationship.  Then she began helping her mother with a family reunion that involved collecting photographs,” stated Tad.

Trixie nodded.  “That’s what we know so far.”

“Let’s keep reading.”  

Tad and Trixie continued to read the journals.  

“Gleeps!” exclaimed Trixie. “I found it!.”

 

I really had to pester Johnny for a picture of himself so I can add it with the others. Mother is totally against it, but I don’t care.  Well, Johnny is never one to miss out on an opportunity for a joke.  He sent me a picture, but it’s one of him as a small child, out in his yard.  He was an adorable little boy.  But I can’t use that picture in my display, which pleased Mother to no end.  I love this picture and plan to keep it next to my bed.  In the meantime, I’ll make the display without Johnny’s picture but I was so hoping for one with him in his army uniform. He looks so handsome.  Mother wants to take me downtown tomorrow to buy some new saddle shoes for school.  I’d much rather stay here and write Johnny a long letter.  I wish she’d just let us be. 

 

Trixie stopped reading and stared at Tad.  “At least we know how Amy got this picture.  But it doesn’t tell us any more about Johnny.”

“Hmm. It’s too bad her mother didn’t approve of the relationship. She really seemed to be into him.”

“We’ll just have to keep on reading.  Let me think about this.”  Trixie closed her journal and sat silent for a minute, her face reflecting her deep concentration.  “In the summer of 1942,  Amy was getting ready for a family reunion and gathering pictures while Johnny was off at training camp.  We know the party was supposed to be sometime later that summer.  Let’s try to find that journal and see if Johnny came to the family reunion.”

Tad pulled the box of books over and he and Trixie dug through them, checking the dates in the front of each journal.  

“Here,” Tad thrust a book at Trixie.  “That date matches the time frame.  You read and I’ll keep looking.”

Trixie opened the journal and settled back on the couch, nibbling on her thumbnail while she read.  

“Oh, no,” she wailed then began to read.

 

Johnny received his orders today.  He has to leave for the front in one week.  Why, oh, why can’t he stay nearby.  It was bad enough he missed the family party, but now he won’t even be able to take me to homecoming or the fall festival.  I can’t believe he’ll be so far away.  I miss him already.”

 

“That sounds pretty rough,” commented Tad.  “But I think a lot of young couples went through the same thing during the war.”

“Yeah.”  Trixie, lost in thought, stared at a blank television screen in front of her.

“What?” demanded Tad.

“We still don’t know Johnny’s name or anything else about him.  Was he from Sleepyside?  How did he meet Amy?  Did she ever meet his family?”

“So we need to look for journals that are dated even before the summer.”

Trixie nodded slowly.  “I think so.  If I were writing a journal and I met a young man who I fell madly in love with, I think I would have written everything down about that meeting."

“Okay, so I’ll look for journals from the spring or early summer.”  Tad dug through the box, discarding journals that didn’t fit his criteria.  “Nope, there are no journals in here that match that date.  In fact, there’s nothing from the first half of 1942.”

“There’s got to be more,” protested Trixie. “Are you sure?”

Tad rechecked all the journals, then shook his head.  “Nope, nothing from earlier that year.”

"Then I guess I’ll have to go back to Sam Walker’s house and see if he has any more of her journals.” She winced. “That ought to be a lot of fun.”

“Want me to go with you?”

“You’d do that?”

Tad shrugged.  “Sure.  I want to solve this mystery as much as you do.”

“Gleeps, Tad.  That’d be great.”  She checked the time on her phone.  “It’s kinda late so maybe I should give him a call in the morning.”

“Sounds good. Let’s get the rest of these journals in the box, but keep out the ones that mentioned Johnny.  In the meantime, maybe you’ll hear something from your Aunt.”

“Maybe.  But she’s in a creative phase right now and making that quilt, so she won’t be thinking about anything else.”

“Come on, Belden,” Tad pulled Trixie close.  “You gotta stay positive.”

“I’ll try but I just want to figure this out now. Today.”

“Imagine...an impatient Trixie Belden,” murmured Tad as he pulled his girlfriend close.

********************

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Author's notes: A very special thank you to my sister, Judith, who edited this story for me.  Her encouragement kept me going.  Also, thank you to Vivian for her patience. Picture by me!