The Pet Show Mystery

by Campbell, Julie

  “I hope so,” Trixie said. “I have to get to class,” she added. “Meet me at my locker after school.”

  The afternoon passed slowly for Trixie. At last the bell rang, and she hurried to her locker. By the time she had put away her books and put on her coat, Honey was at her side.

  “What are we going to do?” Honey asked eagerly.

  “In detective terms, we’re going to tail a suspect.”

  “Then you’d better start by telling me who the suspect is.”

  Trixie hesitated. Of course, she’d have to tell Honey whom she suspected. But once she did, her suspicions would be impossible to retract. She was letting herself wide open to look like a fool. Worse, she was opening the possibility of calling attention to an innocent person.

  Finally, Trixie took a deep breath and spoke the name: “Norma Nelson.”

  “Norma!” Honey’s voice somehow managed to combine a shout and a whisper. “You think she’s been sabotaging the pet show?”

  Trixie answered in a quick, hushed tone. “Before you tell me I’m crazy, just think about it for a minute. Norma has exactly the same reasons for sabotaging the pet show that Gordon had for sabotaging Mart’s program. That’s what made me think of her.”

  “She was the exclusive game-bird feeder until we came along, just as Gordon was the sole computer expert,” Honey said.

  “Exactly,” Trixie said. “There are other similarities, too. She’s been hovering around the pet show sign-up table just the way Gordon has been hovering around Mart during computer class. She hasn’t been giving us advice, of course. But she’s been keeping an eye on us just the same.”

  “So you think she started the rumor, called the radio station, and took Reddy—all to sabotage the show?” Honey asked. She sounded less than enthusiastic. “It sounds logical when you explain it, but I can’t believe that quiet little Norma Nelson would do those things.”

  “Mart didn’t suspect that Gordon Halvorson would sabotage his computer program, either, and look where it got him,” Trixie said, no longer trying to keep the urgency out of her voice. “If Norma is the saboteur, and we don’t do anything about it, we could wind up with a program and no pet show.”

  “I know,” Honey said miserably. “But if we accuse her, and it turns out that she’s innocent—Oh, Trixie, she’s so shy. I don’t know if she could stand something like that.”

  “If you’d rather not come along, I’ll understand,” Trixie said. “But I have to go now. I can’t wait another day to find out if I’m right about Norma.”

  “Then let’s go,” Honey said decisively.

  “All right! You take the side door, I’ll take the front.”

  Trixie took off for the front door of the school. Once there, she waited on the steps outside.

  Soon Norma came out and walked right past her. As quickly as she could, Trixie acted out a “remembering something” routine, raising her hand to her mouth and then sorting busily through her book bag before turning and walking swiftly back toward the side door. “Let’s go,” she said to Honey.

  The two girls walked quickly around to the front. Norma was still within easy view just ahead of them.

  “You’ll be gentle, won’t you?” Honey asked. “I feel sorry for Norma.”

  “What about Bobby?” Trixie asked back. “Don’t you feel a little sorry for him?”

  “You know I do,” Honey replied. “But even though I know he misses Reddy horribly, I still don’t think he’s as lonely right now as Norma is every day of her life.”

  The girls followed Norma for several blocks. When Norma finally headed up the front walk of a pleasant, red-brick house, Trixie and Honey hurried to catch her.

  “Norma!” Trixie shouted.

  Norma turned and looked at the two approaching figures. She didn’t speak, didn’t move.

  Very quickly, Trixie and Honey reached the spot where Norma stood waiting for them.

  “I-I was just wondering if you’ve seen my dog,” Trixie said. “He disappeared a couple of days ago. I know you spend a lot of time on Glen Road, and I thought you might have seen him.”

  Norma continued to stand and stare. For a moment Trixie thought she might not respond at all.

  Finally Norma said, “I don’t know anything about your dog. I don’t even like dogs. I’m allergic to them.”

  At exactly that moment, a loud, deep bark resounded from inside the red-brick house.

  Trixie and Honey turned toward the sound, their attention momentarily diverted from Norma Nelson. When they turned back, a remarkable change had taken place in the girl. Her expressionless face had crumpled into a look of deep sadness.

  “That’s him,” she wailed. “That’s your dog. I’m sorry I took him. I’m really, really sorry.”

  “Could we go inside?” Honey asked softly. “We need to talk, and it’s too cold to stand out here.”

  Norma nodded and took in a deep, shuddering breath. She led the way to the back door and opened it. “Mother!” she shouted. “Reddy’s owner is here for him.”

  “At last!” Mrs. Nelson’s voice sounded pleasant enough, but there was a lot of relief in her tone. “He’s in the basement. You go right on down.”

  Reddy’s barking increased as the girls walked down the stairs. When they entered the room, Reddy ran to Trixie, jumped up, and put his paws on her shoulders.

  “Down!” Trixie shouted. She grasped his paws and pulled him free.

  Reddy immediately went to Honey and jumped up to her. When Honey, too, forced him down, he simply ran through the basement in an aimless expression of joy.

  Only Reddy could make me so irritated at the same time that I’m so thrilled to see him, Trixie thought with amusement.

  “I’ve taken good care of him,” Norma said. “But I can tell he belongs with you.”

  “Well, of course,” Trixie said. “He’s my dog!”

  “I’m sorry I took him.”

  “What about the other things?” Trixie asked.

  “I’m sorry about those, too.”

  “When did you decide to sabotage the pet show?” Honey asked.

  “I didn’t decide to wreck the pet show,” Norma began. “One day in the lunch line, two girls ahead of me were talking about it. They were saying what a neat idea it was to save the game birds and how they were going to enter. It made me mad, because I’d been spending all my spare time feeding the game birds, and they were talking as if you guys had invented the idea. So I said, ‘Are you sure that’s how the Bob-Whites are going to spend the money?’ They asked me what I meant. I said, ‘They dress awfully well, in those fancy matching jackets. And they have two cars. I wonder where they got the money for all those things.’ “The girls looked surprised. One of them said, ‘The Wheelers are rich. I heard Jim Frayne inherited money, too. They wouldn’t need the money from the pet show.’

  “That was that. I didn’t say another word. But a couple of days later, I heard some other kids saying that the pet show is a big rip-off, and that the Bob-Whites are going to use the money they raise for clothes and cars.

  “I was amazed,” Norma continued. “I never wanted to start such a rumor. I just wanted to say something mean, I guess. But there it was, spreading all over the school. I felt like it was the first time anybody had ever listened to me.”

  “But we squelched the rumor by opening the bank account,” Honey said softly. She was prompting Norma to continue talking.

  “That’s right,” Norma said. “It was so easy for you to get everybody back on your side. I almost gave up. One day I didn’t even go out to feed the birds. Let Trixie and her friends do it, I thought. But I missed the bird-feeding so much. I couldn’t let you take it away from me.

  “That—that’s when I called the radio station.” Norma swallowed hard. “It was scary to do that, but I had to because I was so angry.”

  “I still don’t see why you were mad at us for trying to save the game birds,” Trixie said. “You knew how badly they needed help.” Trixi
e and Honey were discovering the full range of emotions that lay buried under Norma Nelson’s stoic exterior. They’d seen sadness, bitterness, and fear. Now they saw anger. “That just shows what you know, Trixie Belden!” she shouted. “You’re so used to having everybody admire you and look up to you. What do you know about wanting to feel special and not ever being able to? What do you know about finding one thing that you think is important, and then having somebody else come along and do it so much bigger and better that you feel like a fool for doing it in your own silly little way?”

  Trixie drew a deep breath. She knew she had to stay calm, but she also knew that she couldn’t let Norma’s statement go unchallenged. “We didn’t make you feel like a fool, Norma. We only did what you yourself were trying to do—saving the birds. We even tried to get you involved, but you wouldn’t listen to us. Maybe you were angry because you realized you were more concerned about yourself than about the birds.

  “You know, Norma,” Trixie said, pressing on before her courage deserted her completely, “you said a few minutes ago that one of the things you don’t like about the Bob-Whites is that we don’t ask for help. But I’d say you’re the one who’s guilty of that.”

  “I see what you mean,” Norma said quietly. “Maybe I haven’t been putting the welfare of the birds first. Maybe I have been selfish.”

  “Stealing my dog was the worst of all,” Trixie said softly.

  Without warning, Norma’s eyes brimmed with tears. “I didn’t steal him—not really.” Trixie thought of a sarcastic response, but she bit it back before she spoke aloud. “What happened, then?” she asked.

  “I was out feeding the birds along Glen Road when Reddy came running up to me. He was loose, and there was nobody around. I knew he was yours. His name was on his collar, and besides, I’d seen you with him.

  “I grabbed him by the collar and started for your house, but then I got angry again. I thought about how much I want a dog, but my parents won’t let me have one. And you have a beautiful dog that you don’t even take care of. So I took him home.”

  “We do take care of him,” Trixie said.

  “There was somebody around that day—my six-year-old brother. That’s really his dog you took home, and Bobby’s been heartbroken ever since.’’

  “I didn’t know that,” Norma said. Then she quickly held up a hand to stop the response that she knew would be coming from Trixie. “That’s no excuse. I shouldn’t have taken the dog. I wasn’t going to keep him, though. I told my parents I’d put a notice up at school. I was going to tell them I’d heard from the owner right after—”

  Norma stopped, but Honey intuitively finished the sentence. “Right after the pet show.”

  “That’s right. I couldn’t stop the show, but I could keep Trixie from winning it,” Norma said. “I’m sorry. I’m glad none of the things I tried worked out. I didn’t really do any damage, did I?”

  “Of course not,” Honey said, trying to make Norma feel better. “It would have been another story, though, if we’d pushed Paul Gale any harder when we thought he was—” Honey broke off suddenly and clapped her hand over her mouth.

  Trixie pressed her own lips together, as if she could somehow block Honey’s words. Norma looked confusedly from one girl to the other. “Paul Gale?” she repeated. “Isn’t he the man who gives all the food to poor people? What did you think he was?”

  Honey looked at Trixie, and Trixie looked back at Honey. It’s a secret, Trixie thought. We aren’t supposed to tell anyone, except that we already let on that there is a secret and— “Oh, woe,” she groaned. “We might as well tell you—but you have to promise not to tell anyone else.”

  Norma smiled a wry smile. “Who would I tell?” she asked.

  Well, what do you know? She even has a sense of humor, Trixie thought. Briefly, she filled Norma in on her suspicions about Paul Gale and about the case that David Llewelyn was trying to build against him.

  Norma sat listening as raptly as a youngster hearing a fairy tale. When Trixie had finished, Norma said in a husky whisper, “I think I overheard some evidence against Paul Gale.” Trixie and Honey stared at Norma in amazement. Then Trixie said, “Evidence? Against Paul Gale? He didn’t sabotage the pet show; you did.”

  “The evidence isn’t about the pet show,” Norma said impatiently. “It’s about the jewel smuggling and the foundation money and all that other stuff.”

  “Where did you hear it?” Honey asked.

  “At the World Anti-Hunger Foundation,” Norma said. “I went there one afternoon to talk to Paul Gale. I was angry about the pet show, but I didn’t want him to make people stop feeding the birds, either. I went there to ask him not to make any more remarks about throwing money to the birds.”

  Trixie had begun to bounce up and down excitedly in her chair as Norma spoke. “I saw you!” she exclaimed. “You were coming out of the foundation office just as we were going in.” Seeing Honey’s surprised look, Trixie added, “I was going to point her out, but she turned the corner before I could.”

  “I was in a hurry,” Norma said, “because I wanted to get home in time to feed the birds.”

  “You obviously didn’t get to talk to Paul Gale, because if you were there the same day we were, Paul Gale wasn’t around,” Honey said. “His assistant was there alone.”

  “He was around,” Norma said. “He was in the back room. His assistant was, too. When I walked into the office, there was nobody in the main room. The door to the back room was open, so I went over to it, thinking I’d just clear my throat to get someone’s attention. I heard two people talking, though, so I decided to wait until they were finished with their conversation.

  “First I heard a man’s voice say, ‘There sure are a lot of pigeons here in Sleepyside.’ At the time, I thought he was talking about real pigeons. I was surprised at the remark— why would a stranger notice something like that about a town? Now, though, I think he meant—”

  “Pigeons!” Trixie exclaimed. “Of course! That’s what swindlers call their victims. He meant lots of people in Sleepyside are giving money to his phony foundation!”

  Norma continued, ignoring the outburst. “Next, a woman’s voice said, ‘Well, it isn’t pigeon feed that you’ll be taking to Thailand next month.’ I assumed she meant they were feeding people—not birds—because on TV he’d criticized feeding the birds. But—”

  “But really that’s the term swindlers use for a lot of cash,” Trixie said. Realizing she’d interrupted again, she clapped her hand over her mouth.

  Norma went right on. “Then, the man’s voice said, ‘Yeah, but it’s a lot of ice I’ll be bringing back.’ Now that really confused me, because I always thought it was hot in Thailand, so you wouldn’t think they’d be exporting ice. Besides, ice is so easy to make, I couldn’t imagine anyone importing it, and—” Trixie had to speak up or burst. “Ice! Gems! He was admitting he buys gems with the money!”

  13 * The Evidence on Ice

  “WE HAVE TO TELL David Llewelyn about this,” Trixie told Norma. “Is there a phone down here?”

  As soon as Norma pointed out the phone, Trixie bounded to her feet. Reddy, who had been waiting patiently, bounded up right with her.

  In seconds, Trixie was back. “David Llewelyn isn’t around,” she said, “so I left a message. I can’t wait to tell him about this!”

  “Then let’s not wait,” Honey said. “I bet we can find him down by the foundation office.”

  “Good idea,” Trixie said. “Except for one thing.” She cast a pointed look at Reddy. “We can’t take him downtown with us. He’d call attention to us and to David Llewelyn.

  “Okay, here’s what we’ll do,” Trixie continued. “You and Norma head downtown. Brian and Jim are at the sign-up table at school, so I’ll drop Reddy off there. I’ll tell the boys I have to meet you, so I can’t stay.”

  “Will they buy that?” Honey asked.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Trixie said. “Even if they take me home, you
and Norma will still be able to get to David Llewelyn with the evidence against Paul Gale. Let’s go.”

  The three girls split up a couple of blocks before the school, with Honey and Norma heading downtown. Trixie hurried on, with Reddy bounding along at her side. “Bobby will be so happy to see you,” she told the Irish setter. She felt a slight twinge as she realized that she’d miss the reunion. But I’ll be there to give the good news to David Llewelyn, she thought. That will be just as exciting.

  At school, she tied Reddy’s leash to the door handle of the Bob-Whites’ station wagon, then ran into the building to find the boys.

  She found Brian and Jim just finishing up at the sign-up table. “You’ve got to come with me,” she said. “Right now. One of you, at least.”

  Brian and Jim looked at her, then at one another. Then Jim put the money they’d just collected into his shirt pocket, while Brian grabbed the coats that were lying on the floor.

  Seeing that they were about to follow, Trixie headed back to the parking lot. Reddy was still tied to the station wagon, but when he saw Trixie, he broke loose and ran toward her. Then, seeing Jim and Brian come out of the building, he ran past her to give the boys an enthusiastic greeting.

  “Where’d you find him?” Brian asked. It was clear that he was too happy to really care about the answer. Jim, however, gave Trixie another close look.

  “He just kind of—uh—turned up,” she said lamely.

  “So,” Brian said, “your suspicion turned out to be without foundation.”

  “Foundation?” Trixie started guiltily, thinking for a moment that Brian had somehow guessed at her suspicions of Paul Gale and his phony foundation. Then she realized she’d misunderstood. “Oh. No. The foundation wasn’t—I mean, there was no foundation behind the sabotage. None at all.”

  Jim’s gaze had become more and more suspicious. Trixie felt that she had to get away immediately or risk being trapped. I can’t take the time to explain everything that’s happened, she thought. It would take too long, and then I’d never catch up to Honey and Norma.