I know,Trixie agreed, but I think we ought to give Mrs. Smith her locket right away. She was terribly upset this morning, and that barn isn't going to be easy to find. It must be way down in a hollow and almost covered by the branches of trees. Otherwise we could have seen it from the top of that big hill.
That's true,Honey admitted. And we can't be sure this is the orchard Jeff and his bushy-haired friend were talking about. After all, if there is an abandoned barn near here, it seems to me Mrs. Smith would have known about it.
Not necessarily,Trixie argued. It's funny how you can miss seeing things on your own place. I'll bet you've never seen the old tenant house on your property.
Honey stared at her. No. Is there one?
Trixie grinned. Mart and Brian and I found it one day when we were exploring. It's down in a hollow, too, and almost completely covered with wisteria and honeysuckle vines.
They were nearing the farmhouse now, and Laddie began to bark before he even caught sight of them. His bark was answered defiantly by Reddy and Bud who burst out of the wooded area just north of the orchard.
Oh, golly,Honey gasped, now we're in for a dog fight.
Laddie ignored the black puppy and challenged Reddy with a threatening growl. But the happy-go-lucky Irish setter, unaware that he was trespassing, immediately began to frolic invitingly around the collie. Laddie promptly gave in and the dogs raced off together, the best of friends.
Reddy,Trixie chuckled with relief, hasn't got sense enough to recognize an enemy when he sees one.Bud doesn't even know there is such a thing,
Honey said, laughing. Oh, there's Mrs. Smith at the kitchen window beckoning to us. I'll tie the horses while you take her the locket. I can't bear to keep the darling in suspense another minute.
Neither can I,Trixie called over one shoulder as she raced up the back steps to the farmhouse. She let the screen door slam behind her with a loud bang and dangled the locket in front of Mrs. Smith's startled red face.
Oh, dearie me,Mrs. Smith choked, collapsing into the huge rocker by the stove and hugging her babies' pictures to her wide bosom. Where on earth did you find it, lamb?
In Jimmy Crow's nest,Trixie told her breathlessly. High up in a black walnut tree. And here's the rest of his loot. She had tied the most valuable items in her handkerchief and now she spread them out on the kitchen table.
Rocking with laughter, Mrs. Smith kissed each one of her babies' faces and pinned the locket to the front of her flowered house dress. This is where it stays from now on,she declared, and at night it goes under my pillow. This time I make Jimmy Crow into a pie for sure.She sobered suddenly, her sharp eyes misty with tears. And to think I suspected that poor little Darnell woman who wouldn't so much as borrow a straight pin she found in a crack of the floor without permission.
Trixie bit her lip. Should she tell Mrs. Smith now that the Darnells had borrowed the Robin without permission? Before she could make up her mind, Honey came into the kitchen, and Mrs. Smith immediately began to set the table for a feast.
It's not the best cake I ever baked,she apologized although Trixie and Honey had never tasted anything like it. Somehow my baking reflects my moods. I was so depressed this morning all four layers fell, and I couldn't do a thing with the icing. But this grape juice is the best in the county if I do say so myself.
The girls ate hungrily and drank several tall glasses of the delicious spiced juice. They were so busy eating and listening to Mrs. Smith ramble on and on that they didn't notice how dark it had suddenly become as storm clouds scudded across the sky.
And to think,Mrs. Smith was saying, I might have called in the police. Oh, dearie me, heaven be praised that I didn't. Nat would never have forgiven me. But he'll shoot that crow this very night or my name's not Mary Smith.
Trixie and Honey winked at each other. They knew very well Jimmy Crow would go right on stealing without so much as a scolding.
That trailer,their hostess went on, is the answer to their mysterious disappearance in the night. Poor Mr. Darnell is the nervous type. Afraid something might happen to borrowed property while it was in his possession. Although why anyone would want such a contraption is more than I can imagine. A house on wheels!
What will they think of next? I declare I'm glad our radio broke down so Nat can't make the loudmouthed thing screech all during supper. I'd be just as glad if something would happen to the telephone too. It rings all day and when I get to it it's always for somebody else on the party line, or whoever is calling us rings off before I can drag my body down that long hall. Such a nuisance.
Trixie, who was facing the window, saw lightning flicker in the sky and suddenly noticed how overcast it had become. If they wanted to look for traces of Jim, they couldn't afford the time now to go into a long explanation of the Darnells' stolen trailer. She pushed back her chair. We've got to go, Mrs. Smith. It's going to pour any minute. Oh dear,she finished sympathetically, that means your beans will get soaked. You'll never get them picked at this rate.
Now don't you girls worry about me and my problems,she said. Again the Lord has sent us help. Right after you left this morning, Trixie, two boys bicycled up the driveway looking for work. They're down in the garden now with Nat, and such a husky lad the big one is. Knows his way around a farm all right and will eat me out of house and home before the crop's in.She chuckled happily. The younger brother is a puny little thing, but willing, I'll say that for him. Beans or no beans, I'm not going to let them leave this house until I've put a few pounds on Joe, that's all there is to it. If the Darnells come back after they return that trailer, all the better. We have plenty of room for them all, and I could use that little boy around the house, polishing the woodwork and doing up the dishes and such.
Trixie moved toward the door as a loud clap of thunder broke the outside stillness. Well, I'm glad you'll save the beans, after all, she broke in when Mrs. Smith stopped for breath. Thanks a lot for the wonderful tea.
Come again soon,Mrs. Smith called to them from the back steps as Honey and Trixie hurriedly mounted their horses.
They waved good-by and trotted toward the main road.
It's going to rain all the rest of the day,Honey moaned. Now we can't look for Jim or the abandoned barn or anything.
Yes, we can,Trixie said grimly. We've got to, between showers. We'll wait at the riding academy until this storm blows over and start out again. It's the kind of a day when the sun shines half the time. See? It's struggling to come out from behind those clouds now.
Sure enough, it poured for about fifteen minutes after the girls returned their horses, and then the rain stopped as abruptly as it had begun. It's awfully hot and muggy,Honey complained. Let's not walk far. Can't we look for the barn tomorrow?
We can but we won't,Trixie said firmly. I have a feeling that barn is not far from where we saw the bicycle tracks and the blue jeans.
You must be crazy,Honey said wearily. It's in exactly the opposite direction. At least the old orchard is.Trixie shook her head. While Mrs. Smith was going on and on about her new hired help I was trying to get my bearings, and now I've a nice little map in my mind.
Honey sniffed, but Trixie ignored her. In the first place,she began, we know that three big routes converge just north of the Smith farm. It stands to reason that one of them forms the northwest boundary line of the Smith property. It also stands to reason that since they sell their vegetables, there must be a road from the garden to that main highway. It would be silly to drag the stuff all the way out to this road when the garden is such a short distance from the other route.
That makes sense,Honey admitted. But what are you driving at?
It must have been the road from the main highway to the garden that the Darnell family got stuck in during that rain on Sunday. They were probably riding along as carefree as could be
, thinking that the man who owns the Robin was still away from home. Then the news came over the radio that he had returned unexpectedly and reported the theft to the police. What would you do in that case?Trixie demanded.
Get off the main roads as soon as possible,Honey said.
Trixie nodded. That's just what they did, and the next thing they knew they were stuck in the mud on the Smith property.
I follow you closely,Honey agreed, but what's that got to do with the abandoned barn?
Follow me even more closely from now on,Trixie said and grinned. Follow that road the Darnells got stuck on down to the old orchard. After it passes the vegetable garden, you probably wouldn't know it was a road since it may not have been used after those old apple trees stopped bearing six years ago.
Oh,Honey gasped, then that is the old road Jeff and his bushy-haired friend were talking about, and it must go right on down from the orchard to the abandoned barn.
It has to,Trixie said, since they were planning to drive the van along it. It's a wonder the van didn't get stuck in the mud too, but heavy as it is, it must be much easier to manage than a trailer.
They had walked about half a mile through the fields by this time, and Honey interrupted suddenly with, Where are you taking me? Trixie Belden, if we get lost again, I'll lie right down and die!
We should be almost there,Trixie said, laughing. But first I want to ask you a question. If that old barn is so well hidden Mrs. Smith doesn't even know about it, how on earth did Jeff's foxy friend discover it?
Honey looked at her blankly. I give up without even trying,she admitted.
Simple,Trixie said with a grin. He must have seen it from the clearing where they hid the van before we happened upon it. The driver's seat is so high he could look right over the trees and down into the hollow.
Then why,Honey demanded, did they have to drive that van miles out of the way and through the Smith property to get to the barn?
Because,Trixie explained smugly, there is no other way of getting to it except on foot. You couldn't drive even a light truck through these fields without getting stuck, and between the barn and the main highway are thick woods.She stopped and pointed straight ahead of her. The way I figure it, the barn must be on the other side of that clump of trees.
They walked downhill for a few more minutes and then Honey sucked in her breath and let it out again in a long whistle. For only a short distance ahead of them, almost completely covered with heavy vines, was a high, dilapidated structure that looked as though a puff of wind would blow it down.
Trixie could hardly control her own excitement, but she quickly silenced Honey with a warning finger. Sh-h, they might be in there now. Let's sneak up to it and peek through a window.
And then the rain began to come down again in torrents. Honey clutched Trixie's arm. I'm scared,she whispered. We'll get soaked if we stand here, but I wouldn't go inside that old barn for anything!
Wait a minute,Trixie whispered back. I'll bet that old thing hasn't even got a door. I'll creep around and see if I can get a view of the front.
She crawled off through the trees, slipping and sloshing in the mud and in a couple of minutes she caught a glimpse of the entrance to the barn. One door had fallen off completely and the other hung precariously from a rusty hinge. There was no sign of the van or the men, but from this spot Trixie could plainly see heavy tire marks in the old road that led up from the hollow to the sloping orchard.
Come on,she shouted to Honey. The coast's clear,and raced for shelter.
Once inside, the girls stared around them in amazement. It was as though they had walked from the rainy outdoors into a storage warehouse. There were three almost new refrigerators with matching electric stoves, two radios, a portable Victrola, vacuum cleaners, lamps, mattresses and springs, pressure cookers, and all sorts of expensive-looking electrical appliances.
Whew!Trixie shouted. There must be thousands of dollars' worth of stuff stacked around here.
Honey clapped her hand over Trixie's mouth.
Hush,she whispered. Someone's coming! Can't you hear footsteps sloshing through the mud?
Trixie listened and then grabbed Honey's arm. Quick! Up in the loft.She started for the rickety ladder but Honey hung back.
It'll never hold our weight,she gasped. It'll collapse and we'll both be killed.
Desperate, Trixie gave her a little shake. Whoever is coming is bound to be either Jeff or his foxy pal,she whispered hoarsely. I'd rather risk the loft than be caught by either one of them.
Numb with fright, Honey began to climb with Trixie right behind her. They reached the top and crawled under the eaves just as the sound of men's voices came to them through the drumming of the rain on the ancient roof but what about that redheaded kid? someone was asking. Suppose he rats on us, Al?
Cautiously Trixie bent forward and peered through a crack in the wide floor boards. Jeff and his bushy haired friend were standing just inside the entrance.
The man called Al shrugged. That kid doesn't worry me one little bit.
I don't get it,Jeff whined. Two dumb little girls scare you away from a swell hiding place right off the road, but you let that redheaded punk-Oh, shut up,Al interrupted gruffly. That kid isn't going to rat on anybody, see? Now, get the jack you so cleverly left in here. The van's not doing us any good sitting on the side of the road with a flat tire.
I'm going to take a look up in that loft first,Jeff argued. If he's hiding there, I'd like to have a few words with him.
Trixie didn't dare look at Honey. She held her breath and closed her eyes, listening with horror to the heavy footsteps on the floor below.
Chapter 12
A Fateful Sneeze
Trixie's fists were clenched into tight little white knuckled knots as she waited tensely for Jeff to climb up the ladder to the loft.
And then Al's voice snarled. You thickheaded numb-skull! That kid's not in the loft. And if he is, so what? He's no more friendly with the troopers than we are. Pick up that jack and get going. Do you want someone to take a look inside of that van while you play hide-and-seek with a boy who's a fugitive from reform school?
The heavy footsteps stopped, and Trixie opened her eyes. She peered down through the crack again. The two men were glowering at each other. Jeff was not whining and cringing now although Al, a big, heavy shouldered man, looked as though he were going to knock him down any minute. You'd better watch who you call a numbskull around here,Jeff said evenly. 'And in case you're interested, I'm getting fed up with your giving all the orders. This is a fifty-fifty racket, see?
A sneer twisted Al's sharp features. Fifty-fifty! That's what you think! I'm the brains of this outfit and I thought up the idea. I've also taken most of the risk. You're lucky I'm going to give you a third just to keep that big mouth of yours shut.
Dull red spots mottled Jeff's high cheekbones. Why, you-he sputtered. You double-crossing rat! I've taken the big risk all along. Who forged those references so we could get jobs at the trailer camp? Do you think they'd have given you that classy uniform without those big-shot signatures I copied on the letters of recommendation?
That's just the point,Al said coolly. You have a prison record; I haven't. All I have to do to get rid of you is to drop a small hint to the Autoville manager that it might be a good idea to have your fingerprints checked.
Jeff laughed. You wouldn't dare. I'd sing a little song that would land you in stir so quick you'd never know what hit you.His expression slowly changed to one of deep suspicion. So, you've been double-crossing me all along, huh? It was you who nabbed that red trailer all the radio ballyhoo is about. Got it hidden somewhere so you can make a quick getaway with all the loot sometime when I'm back there sweating in the kitchen. He took a threatening step toward the bushy-haired man. Painted it a nice shiny b
lue by now, eh, with new license plates? All set to go, leaving me to take the rap when the cops close in and things get too hot, huh?
Don't be a complete fool,Al hissed. Whoever stole the Robin ruined us and you know it! Since that happened there are more state troopers on the road than there are cars. As long as the other trailers were found right away, nobody kicked too much. Their owners were all heavily insured, so as long as they got their little traveling homes back, they were satisfied. But the amateur who made off with the Robin hasn't got brains enough to abandon the thing and give the troopers a rest.He whistled through his teeth in exasperation. The sooner they catch that guy the better.
Trixie could tell from the frown on Jeff 's ugly face that he still suspected Al. No amateur swiped that red trailer,he growled. Only a smart guy like you could pull one like that without being picked up before he changed into high gear.
Al reached into his pocket and produced a cigarette. He tapped it on his thumbnail and stuck it in one corner of his mouth without lighting it. Then he said, hardly moving his lips, I've stood enough of your yap. As soon as you've changed that tire, we'll load up the van and I'll get going for the coast. I'll send you your share when I've sold the stuff. Or if you don't trust me, I'll give you a grand now and call it quits.
A grand!Jeff chuckled evilly. Big boy, it'll cost you exactly five thousand dollars to get that tire changed.
For the first time since they had scrambled in fright to the old hayloft, Trixie stole a quick look at Honey. She was lying flat on the floor, peering intently through another crack. She didn't look the least bit frightened now; in fact it was obvious that she was thoroughly enjoying herself, as though she were safe in a theater watching an exciting moving picture.
Trixie smiled inwardly. Slowly but surely Honey was conquering her fear and timidity. When the girls had first met, Trixie had thought Honey was a sissy, but during the adventures connected with the old mansion, Honey had proved over and over again that she was anything but that.
Trixie Belden 02 - The Red Trailer Mystery (The Red Caravan Mystery) Page 10
