Author’s note: If you need a refresher on what’s happening in this universe, a short description of each previous story may be found on the Reminder Page. As this story falls firmly within Bobby’s story arc, the most relevant previous titles are Responsible and Echoes, however it also touches on Mart’s arc, which follows on from Thunderstruck.
Trixie tapped her fingers on the steering wheel as she drove home from work, her mind still occupied with her day. As she passed along the stretch of Glen Road that lay between Manor House’s driveway and her own, she began lining up in her head all of the things she wanted to share with Jim once she arrived.
Her train of thought skidded to a halt and the car slowed with a jerk as she spied a figure standing by the side of the road where no person would normally be. A bridle trail ran parallel to the road just here and any local would surely use that instead of the narrow shoulder. A moment later, her attention shifted from the peculiarity of the location to the unexpected familiarity of the young man. She eased the car to a stop opposite him and rolled down the window.
“Bobby! What are you doing here?” Trixie stared at him in astonishment. As far as she knew, he should be in Florida.
His voice, when he replied, was laced with sarcasm. “I’m planting daisies and covering everything with sunshine.”
“Great! When they grow, we can all go together to fairy land and live happily ever after in a castle made of marshmallows,” she answered, with saccharine sweetness. Then, she rolled her eyes. “I meant what are you doing in Sleepyside, not what are you doing lurking by the side of the road in a suspicious manner.”
He swore at her viciously, but she did not let his words have any visible effect, in spite of the surge of annoyance she felt.
“I’m waiting for an answer,” she prompted. “Why are you here?”
He frowned for a moment. “I’m looking for that path that leads to the old shack. I couldn’t remember where it was.”
She pointed back the way she had come. “It’s the other side of Manor House.”
His frown deepened. “Are you sure?”
“Yes!” She could see that he didn’t believe her. “And I meant I was waiting for an answer to the question of why you’re in Sleepyside.”
He stared at her for several seconds, with no sign of anything but hostility. Then he sighed.
“We ran out of money, okay? We both lost our jobs and then we lost some other jobs and then we couldn’t pay the rent and Larry’s Dad wouldn’t pay it for us, so he gave us a choice of coming back or living on the streets.” He scowled. “Living on the streets is harder than it sounds. We came back.”
Trixie nodded, keeping her internal reaction to this speech to herself. “Okay, then. So, are you back with Moms and Dad?”
He shrugged. “Until I can find somewhere better.”
“Okay, then. I’ll see you around.”
She was rolling the window back up when he cried, “Wait!”
“What is it?”
He did not speak for a moment, but seemed to be sizing her up. “Can I stay with you?”
Trixie’s first instinct was to yell, ‘No!’ but she pushed that down. Instead, she thought it through for a minute.
“You’re going to say no, aren’t you?” he asked.
Trixie looked at her brother and saw the turmoil beneath his surly exterior. “I was going to say I’d need to talk it over with Jim.”
“Fine. ‘Talk with Jim.’ I know what that means. You need time to think up a good excuse.”
She laughed. “I don’t need time to think of excuses. I can think of lots of reasons without having to try. The thing I need time for is to think of reasons why I should help you, not why I shouldn’t.”
He acknowledged this with a grudging nod and looked away. Trixie took the opportunity to drive the rest of the way home.
Later, when she brought up the subject with Jim his initial reaction was remarkably similar to hers.
“No way!” He shook his head. “That’s a terrible idea.”
“Yes, I think so, too.”
She waited for him to think it through and come up with the other side of the argument, which he did in very little time at all.
“Although, I suppose it might help him if he did come to us.” Jim frowned, weighing up the options. “What was your impression of him? Has anything changed since he left for Florida?”
Trixie hesitated for a long moment, then shook her head. “I don’t think so. He still has that everyone-is-against-me attitude. And he’s still angry and rude and uncooperative.”
Jim considered this. “That doesn’t sound especially promising. I guess he wants to come here to get out of whatever restrictions your parents are putting on him, but would we have any less?”
Trixie shook her head. “There would still be rules, just different ones. And anyway, he’d drive me crazy. I think he’s being a brat and he knows it.”
“I don’t suppose he’s going to stay in Sleepyside for long. Just until he scrapes enough money together to go off again.” He sighed. “And I can’t help feeling like there’s a reason he’s acting this way. I don’t think it’s just ordinary teenage rebellion, but I can’t put my finger on what’s behind it.”
“Before he left, I just thought he was being annoying on purpose.” She frowned, glancing out towards the back of the house, where the scar of his previous attempt at getting his own way still showed, if you knew where to look. “But did he learn anything from the last time he tried to deceive us? I don’t really think he did and he’d probably try to do it again.”
Jim looked away. “Yes, he probably would. He’ll probably try to deceive whoever he stays with.”
“He makes me want to shake him until he sees sense. I don’t think that’s a good basis for sharing a house.”
“No, I don’t think so, either,” Jim answered, smiling. “And I don’t think you should be the one to talk to him, if we do decide to make him an offer. You’d probably tell him things he doesn’t want to hear.”
She grinned. “Yeah, I’d enjoy that.”
“He wouldn’t!”
“It serves him right for being so annoying.”
Jim shook his head. “I really don’t think it would work for him to live here. You and he would argue all the time, which would ruin any chances we have of making a difference in his life.”
“Do you want me to tell him no?”
He considered for a moment. “Let’s think it through a little longer before we actually make a decision. Maybe there’s something we can do to help, even if it’s not what he’s asking.”
“I doubt it,” she answered, suddenly gloomy. “We’re stuck with the mouthy, bratty, annoying jerk – until he grows out of this stage, if he ever does, or leaves again.”
Jim smiled. “Let’s put our minds to it and see what we can come up with.”
A few days later, after an extended debate about the conditions and some secret discussions with Trixie’s parents, they invited Bobby to come over. He arrived on the doorstep with a suspicious expression and rather dirty-looking clothes, as if he’d spent the day wandering the Preserve and hadn’t cleaned up afterwards. Jim smiled a greeting, opened the door wide and tried to lead him into the living room.
“Come and sit down. I want to talk to you.”
Bobby glowered at him, not moving from the doorstep. “If you’re going to say no, just say it. I don’t want to hear the reasons.”
“Who says I’m saying no?”
For a few moments, Bobby stood still and stared at his brother-in-law, then entered the room and sat as requested. He raised an enquiring eyebrow, but did not speak.
“We have some concerns,” Jim explained, “and I thought you might like to talk about some of them, before we make a decision.”
At this, Bobby looked confused. “Before you make a decision?”
Jim nodded. “Yes, before. Trixie and I have talked it through, but we want to know what it is that you want out of this arrangement.”
Bobby scowled. “For people to stop telling me what to do!”
A smile teased the corner’s of Jim’s mouth. “If that’s what you want, you might need to find a desert island somewhere. Wherever people live together, there have to be rules of some sort.”
“Well, I’m sick of rules.” The anger seemed to have simmered down for the moment, leaving Bobby sulky, like a child. “And I’m sick of answering stupid questions.”
Jim kept his voice mild. “If you want to come to some kind of arrangement with Trixie and me, you’re going to need to tell us what it is that you want. We’re not going to baby you–”
The teenager jumped to his feet. “Yeah? Then why are you trying to make me explain myself all the time? Why do I have to prove to everyone that I’m capable of making my own decisions? Why can’t you just believe me and let me do my own thing? Why–”
“Why don’t you sit down again?” Jim asked, in the same calm voice. “You don’t need to get upset. I’m just trying to understand where you’re coming from. What I was going to say was that we’re not going to baby you by assuming we know what you want and need. We’re not mind-readers, Bobby. If you don’t tell us what you’re thinking, we don’t know.”
Bobby stared down at him for a short while, chest heaving, then slumped back into the chair.
Jim waited a moment, then tried to pick up where he’d left off. “So, what is it that you actually want from us?”
“Just don’t treat me like a little kid, okay?” Bobby snapped. “I’m sick of it.”
“Yes, I can see that,” Jim answered. “But you don’t like it when you’re treated like an adult, either.” He held up a hand to quell the objection already on his brother-in-law’s lips. “Look. This is what Trixie and I are suggesting: if you want to live here, instead of with your parents, you’re going to need a plan. We’re not going to just support you financially on an indefinite basis. Make a plan of how you’re going to find something that you’d like to do. It doesn’t have to be detailed, or complicated. But you are going to need income of some sort. And we’re willing to help you get established while you’re finding out what it is that you really want to do with your life.”
The teenager looked at him with utter incredulity. “You’re trying to give me homework? No way!”
Jim was unmoved. “Then you have your answer.”
“Wait! I don’t want to have to stay with Moms and Dad. They’re being impossible.”
Jim looked at his wife’s brother for a long moment. “Well, you need to take the initiative. Come up with a plan and we’ll talk. Until then, there’s no deal.”
“I can’t believe this!” Bobby ranted, as he stomped out of the house. “What a waste of time!”
“If you change your mind, let us know and we’ll talk some more,” Jim called after him. He shook his head in resignation. Until Bobby came to the point of wanting to be helped, there was nothing he could do.
A few days later, Trixie dropped by Crabapple Farm on her way home, just to say hello. The situation with Bobby teased at her mind, rearing up at odd moments for no apparent reason. As a result, her already frequent visits were becoming even more common. Some instinct caused her to seek out her mother. On this occasion, however, her father intercepted her before she even reached the house.
“Come and sit on the porch swing,” he offered. “There are some things I want to discuss with you.”
She nodded and did as he suggested. “Bobby?”
He shrugged. “He’s… about usual. He’s just got a job at a supermarket stocking shelves.”
“That’s an improvement, I guess,” she answered. “It’ll keep him out of the house, at least.”
“He’s not often here, anyway,” her father admitted. “We’re not sure where he goes, but he stays away most of his waking hours, except when he’s hungry.”
“That saves on arguments, I guess.”
He let out a laugh, without much humour in it. “That’s a little too close to the truth. He’s very easily angered, these days.”
“Yeah, we’d noticed.” She frowned. “Was there something you wanted us to do?”
He shook his head. “Nothing you’re not doing already. No, I wanted to talk to you about something else. I’m seriously considering a big change to our plans.”
She sat up straighter. “Which plans? You mean the plans to travel to Mart’s wedding?”
“They’re just about the only plans I have at the moment,” he answered, smiling. “I’m thinking of taking your mother out to spend some time with Mart and Daphne before the wedding. I’d like us to have a break from what’s been happening here; a change of scene. We’d be there for a few weeks beforehand, and then come home very shortly afterward.”
Trixie considered this for a moment. “I think that’s a great idea, Dad. And I think Moms would enjoy it.”
He nodded. “Mart offered to show us around a little, too. There should be plenty to see that’s new and different.”
“And she can see for herself that he’s happy there,” she added, eyes narrowing. “You can kill two birds with one stone: give yourselves a break from Bobby and settle Moms’ doubts about Mart.”
“That’s part of the plan,” he agreed. “I’d also like us to see the places he talks about when he writes to us, or calls.”
She nodded. “That’s a good thought, too. And you can both get to know Daphne’s relatives; maybe Moms can even help with the wedding plans a little.”
“Daphne’s mother suggested something very similar.” He sighed. “Actually, I think this was her idea. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it myself.”
“So long as someone thought of it and it actually helps, I don’t care whose idea it was,” Trixie answered. “I hope it helps with both situations.”
“I hope so, too,” he replied. “Now, go and say hello to her. She’s busy cooking, but I know she won’t mind the interruption.”
Trixie smiled. “Good, because she doesn’t get a choice.”
When next Trixie visited her parents, she entered the kitchen to find her father seated at the table alone and staring into space. His grave expression caused her heart to beat faster and her palms to feel clammy. Her thoughts leapt to the least-responsible member of the family.
“Dad? What is it? Has Bobby done something else stupid?”
He shook his head. “He and Larry Lynch have got jobs lined up, working on a cruise ship. Larry’s father has some connections, apparently, and a willingness to give them one more chance.”
“Ah.” Trixie sat down next to him with a thump. “I guess that explains it. Moms isn’t taking it well, is she?”
“No. A little distraction from you wouldn’t go astray.”
She smiled. “I’ll see what I can do.” A moment later, a thought occurred to her. “When does he sail?”
“A few weeks after we get back from the wedding.” He grimaced. “Actually, it’s lucky that it’s Larry that he’s going with. He wanted to skip the wedding and leave earlier, but Larry is a little younger than him and won’t be old enough until around the time we get back.”
“That’s a good thing, at least.” She stopped, thinking. “Do you think this might actually be good for him? I don’t imagine it’s going to be all fun and games. He’s going to have to work.”
“That’s what we all said about the job in Florida,” he reminded her. “Don’t get me wrong; I think he has learned a thing or two since he moved there. It’s just not as much as any of us hoped.”
Trixie nodded, a rueful smile on her face. “I’d hoped things would have gotten better by now.”
Her father patted her shoulder. “I think, maybe, he has some of that Belden wanderlust.”
She looked off into the distance. “Moms is so lucky that it seems to have missed me. I mean, I love travelling and seeing new places, but Sleepyside is home.”
“We’re both grateful that you and Jim decided to stay. It has made certain transitions a lot easier.”
She turned to look at him. “Do you think Moms will enjoy the wedding? I know she won’t like leaving after it, but she’s actually happy for Mart, isn’t she? Deep down?”
It took him a long time to answer. “I hope she is. I think she’s finding it hard to tell under the other things she’s feeling.”
“I don’t know how to help her.” She made a helpless gesture. “Nothing I try seems to do any good.”
He smiled. “You’re doing as well as anyone can expect. She just needs to work through these feelings for herself.”
Trixie nodded, looking away. “I think I miss Mart as much as anyone, but I know that this is what he has to do. I’ve known for a long time that this would happen.”
“You told him something to that effect, didn’t you? At the airport when he was leaving.”
She looked up in surprise. “I didn’t know I’d said it loud enough for anyone to hear, except Mart.”
“You didn’t. I saw the looks on your faces; the surprise on his; the way that the surprise faded into something else that I haven’t the words to describe.” He glanced at her, then away again. “You’ve always known what the other was thinking.”
“Not always. Often, though.” She smiled. “I really want to see him again. It’s going to be great to see the place where he lives now, too.”
“Yes, it will. Would you and Jim be willing to take care of the old place while we’re away?”
She nodded. “Of course. And when we’re all away, I guess we can ask Regan or Tom to look in on both of our places every now and then.”
“That was my plan, yes.” He looked up. “Did I hear your mother coming? I thought she would be here by now. She was just going to take Bobby his washing.”
Trixie raised an eyebrow. “She’s doing his washing?”
“It’s that, or have him smell. Your mother couldn’t stand it any longer.”
Her outraged reply was interrupted by the sound of footsteps thundering down the stairs.
“Bobby!” her mother urged.
“I’m not going and you can’t make me!” he yelled in response.
Trixie leapt to her feet, dashed out of the kitchen and found the two facing off with half a flight of stairs between them. Bobby’s chest heaved and their mother’s face was reddened. Trixie made a tiny sign to her mother, telling her to let it go. After a pause, Helen retreated to the top of the flight and left their sight.
“I heard you’re thinking of going overseas by yourself,” Trixie noted, leaning in a casual manner against the wall. “Dad said something about a cruise ship.”
Her younger brother nodded. “Yeah, that’s right. And I’m not going to some stupid wedding,” he added, just to make certain that she understood.
“Have you got your passport renewed yet?”
“What?”
“Your passport,” she repeated. “Have you got it renewed yet?”
“No.”
“Well, I guess there’s still time.” She glanced away. “You know, if you come with us to the wedding, Dad will probably pay for it to be renewed.”
“I’m not going,” Bobby repeated. “Your tactics aren’t going to work, either.”
She shrugged. “I don’t mind. Moms will probably be grateful if you don’t get the passport, because then you won’t be able to go on the cruise ship.”
He looked at her as if she was mad. “I’d just have to stay on the ship.”
“That’s not how it works. How could you ever re-enter the country without a passport?”
“You can’t manipulate me that easily, Trixie! You’re just saying that to make me do what you want.”
She looked at him, long and hard. “Right now, I don’t think I want you with us at all. You’re acting like a spoiled brat and you’re making a difficult situation worse for Moms and Dad, but especially for Moms. I don’t really like you at the moment, Bobby, but I’m doing the best I can for you, for their sake.”
He told her to go away, but in rather less polite terms. She ignored the insult.
“Believe what you want,” she told him. “You’ll find out soon enough that you need the passport.” After a pause, she added, “You’ll also find out that it’s Mart who’s hurt the most by your blowing off his wedding. No matter what disagreement you’re having with Moms, don’t take it out on Mart – especially after he was so understanding about your destroying his camping gear.”
Her brother winced at the last reference, but did not make a verbal reply. Trixie eyed him a moment longer, then left the room, struggling to hold onto her temper.
“That boy!” she ranted to Jim, later that evening. “He’s so ungrateful! And irresponsible! And – and – infuriating!”
“He does seem to have that effect on you at the moment,” he replied, with just a hint of amusement in his eyes. “Maybe you should try not to let him get to you so much.”
“It’s what he’s doing to Moms that is worrying me the most.” She let out a breath. “I’m regretting that I told him he needed a passport. Maybe the whole cruise ship thing would have fallen through if I hadn’t.”
“No. They would have told him long enough before he needed it. He would just miss the wedding, but still leave on the ship.”
Trixie nodded, looking away. “I don’t know what to wish for. For Moms’ sake, I want him with us… but I don’t even want to look at him right now.”
“Give him the benefit of the doubt,” Jim advised. “He might come around to the idea yet. And maybe the trip to the wedding will do him good.”
“Or maybe we’ll accidentally leave him behind and Mart will have to deal with him,” she answered, brightening. “That’s a really happy thought.”
“I wouldn’t wish that on Mart,” Jim answered, smiling.
“No, I suppose not.” She sighed. “Just show me how to make him see sense. I’ll do whatever needs doing, just to make all this stop.”
Jim squeezed her hand. “I don’t think we have that choice.”
“That’s what I was afraid you’d say,” she grumbled.
The following Saturday, Trixie paid her parents an impromptu visit, arriving late in the afternoon. She encountered her brother before anyone else, but he merely scowled and stalked away without a word. Trixie rolled her eyes and set off to find anyone else.
“Ah. This is a pleasant surprise,” her father greeted, as she poked her head into the garage. “Your mother will be back soon. She’s just gone to pick up some groceries, since a lot of our supplies seem to have mysteriously diminished.”
She opened her mouth to ask why, then came to the conclusion that Bobby must have eaten something that Moms particularly wanted. In her own teenage years, this sort of thing had happened occasionally, but she, Brian and Mart tried not to annoy Moms by devouring all of the carrots, for example. Perhaps Bobby was less considerate, or maybe he was just too hungry to think about his actions.
“I was just doing a little tidying up,” her father continued. “But it can wait.”
They chatted as they walked back to the house, then settled on the porch swing. A cooling breeze took some of the heat from the day. Trixie noticed Bobby lingering near the corner of the house once or twice, but he did not come closer to join their conversation.
“That sounds like Helen now,” her father noted, at length.
Almost at once, Bobby popped into view, blurting, “I need to tell you something.”
“What is it, Bobby?” his father asked, as the family car pulled up in the garage.
“I’ve made up my mind. I’m going with you to the wedding.”
Peter remained silent for a long moment, contemplating his youngest son. “Is that so? May I ask what prompted this decision?”
For some time, Bobby did not answer. In the distance, a car door closed. “I want to see Mart, okay? That’s it.”
Peter nodded. “Thank you. I’ll begin making the arrangements.”
Bobby nodded and left as quickly as he had arrived.
Trixie stared after him until he was well out of earshot. “That’s an interesting development. I didn’t think that was going to happen.”
“You had something to do with that, didn’t you?” her father asked.
She shrugged. “I did say something to him. I didn’t think he actually listened to it.”
At that moment, her mother joined them, greeting her with a weary smile.
“You look tired, Moms. Is there something I can help with?” Trixie offered, vacating the seat next to her father and waving her mother into it.
Helen shook her head. “No, I’ll be fine in a minute. And then I’ll have to make a start on dinner. Are you staying, Trixie? And is Jim here, too?”
She shook her head. “I’m meeting him at home in half an hour or so. But thanks for asking.”
“I don’t know if she was a help or a hindrance, but Bobby has just admitted to us that he’s had a change of heart,” Peter explained. “He’s going to the wedding.”
“I’m never a hindrance!” Trixie grinned. “Or, at least, hardly ever. And I don’t think I hindered anything this time.”
“I’m sure you didn’t,” her mother assured her. “Well, that’s a weight off my mind. I was wondering what would happen to him while we were gone.”
“It’s part of the problem solved,” Peter agreed. “And I hope that the rest of the details will follow along.”
“I’m sure they will,” Trixie answered. “And in the meantime, let me know of anything I can do to help.”
“You’re already doing more than you know,” her mother replied.
A few days later, Trixie was summoned to Crabapple Farm in the evening for a conference on the travel plans.
“I need to talk to you about something,” her father explained. “Your mother and I have talked about it and now that we’re leaving early, we’re not going to take Bobby with us – if you’re willing, we’d like him to travel with you and Jim.”
“Sure,” she answered. “That’s fine, provided he behaves himself. If he gets himself thrown off any planes, I’ve never seen him before in my life.”
“Considering your resemblance, that’s likely to work well,” he commented, drily.
Trixie grinned. “I think I can pull it off.”
“The other thing I need to talk to you about is his living arrangements between when we leave and when you leave. Your mother and I have decided not to allow him to stay at the Farm by himself.” He sighed. “Are you and Jim still willing to check in here every so often?”
“Of course; that’s no problem. But what are you going to do with Bobby?”
“You ended up refusing him, didn’t you? When he asked to stay with you, I mean, right after he got back from Florida.”
She shrugged. “It was my first instinct. Jim’s too. But Jim offered him a chance to stay with us – with conditions. He’s the one who said no.”
“Ah. That changes things a little.”
Her brow creased. “Do you want us to take him? Because I guess we could. Not that I really want to – he’s driving me crazy as it is and I hardly see him.”
He nodded. “It’s just that Larry has invited him to stay with him and I’m not sure it’s the best idea.”
Trixie closed her eyes for a moment. “In that case, you’ll never convince him to stay with Jim and me. Not when there’s a better option. He thinks we should treat him like an adult, while he still gets to act like a child.”
“An apt description of the problem,” her father commented, half to himself.
“Offer him the chance to stay with Jim and me,” Trixie decided. “He’ll probably say no, but you’ll have done your best.”
“Thank you,” he answered. “And I’ll talk to the Lynches as well. Maybe they’ll have some influence to bear on the situation.”
Trixie alone saw her parents off at the airport on the day of their departure for the pre-wedding trip. Plenty of family and friends had been willing to go to the airport, but Helen in particular hadn’t wanted a fuss. True to Trixie’s prediction, Bobby had knocked back the offer for him to stay with her and was at that moment installing himself at the Lynch Estate. Trixie knew that her mother worried about that situation, but there was nothing to be done about it.
“Don’t worry about a thing,” she urged, at the moment her parents were about to leave her. “Jim and I will take care of everything while you’re gone.”
“Thank you, Trixie.” Helen gave her daughter a tight hug. “We’ll miss you. See you when you get there.”
Her father added his thanks as she hugged him, too.
“Have a good trip,” she called after them.
Helen waved and smiled, then they were lost from view. Trixie sighed and headed for home.
On her way, she stopped in at Crabapple Farm, just to make sure that everything was as it should be. She stopped her car near the front corner of the house, rather than driving around back as usual, and got out. From here, the old house had a strangely closed look. Trixie walked around the side, following the drive, frowning as she saw one of the garage doors standing open. Treading softly and keeping close to the house, she circled around and discovered her younger brother in the act of trying to open an upstairs window.
“Bobby! What are you doing?” she demanded, heedless of his precarious position on top of a too-short ladder and the fact that he probably hadn’t noticed her approach.
He jerked at the sound of her voice, and wobbled for a moment before regaining his balance. “Don’t do that!”
“Sorry. Come down here, okay?”
He eyed the window, then his sister. After several seconds, he sighed and began to climb down. Trixie held her breath as he began to lose his balance once more, then righted himself. He jumped the last few steps to the ground and leaned a hand against the ladder.
“What are you doing?” she repeated.
“I need some stuff.”
“You didn’t consider asking?”
He rolled his eyes and Trixie felt her grip on her temper loosening.
“I just need some stuff. Let me in the house.”
“What stuff?”
“None of your business,” he retorted, adding an obscene adjective to the sentence.
Trixie stalked forward and grabbed the ladder. Without waiting for him to stop leaning on it, she pulled it down to the ground.
“Hey!”
She ignored him. Bracing herself, she lifted it off the ground and began to carry it back to the garage.
“What are you doing?” Bobby asked, following her.
“Putting this away. You can help, if you want.”
He laughed and told her where to go. She kept walking, feeling the cold anger filling her up. Whatever he came to get, he wasn’t going to get it. She stowed the ladder in its place and searched around until she found a length of sturdy chain and a padlock. They might not stop Bobby getting into the garage, but they would stop him getting the ladder out. She and Jim could find a better way to secure the building later.
“Hey! What are you doing now?” he asked, as she threaded the chain through the door handles.
“What does it look like?”
“This is nothing to do with you, Trixie. You don’t even live here.”
She clicked the padlock closed and pocketed the key before turning to face him.
“You don’t have any right to be here, Bobby, and you have no right to enter the house. Moms and Dad left Jim and me in charge of the place while they’re away. They’ve delegated their authority to me. And if I find that the house has been broken into, I will call the police. Do you understand?”
Again, he swore at her.
“I asked, do you understand?”
He sighed and looked away. “Fine. I understand.”
“Good. Now get going.”
“But what about my stuff?”
She shook her head. “Live without it. Moms told you to pack carefully. It’s no one’s fault but your own if you don’t have what you want.”
For a moment, he looked like he might start abusing her some more, but then a different expression settled on his face. He nodded and stalked away without another word. Trixie shivered, in spite of the warmth of the day, and wondered why he’d really been there. Because now she felt sure that he had lied.
Life returned to near-normal and a week passed. Jim found a box of old fastenings and locked Crabapple Farm’s garage up tight. He and Trixie also checked the house thoroughly and made sure there was no easy way to get in. They also searched the house for anything her brother might have hidden there, to no effect. Bobby seemed to disappear altogether.
The rest of the travellers kept up an excited correspondence as they prepared for their own trip. One evening over dinner Trixie and Jim chatted about their plans, which reminded Trixie of something she’d seen that morning.
“I’ve had an email from Moms and Dad. They’re changing their plans again.”
He raised an eyebrow. “How so?”
“Well, now it seems that Moms wants to go some places after the wedding, just her and Dad, and so they’re extending their trip for a couple of weeks.” Trixie shrugged. “I’m not really sure why. I thought she was worried about the boys all heading in different directions and now she’s going in another direction for herself.”
He considered for a moment. “I guess it means she’s enjoying her trip. That’s good, isn’t it?”
She nodded. “Of course. But what she didn’t say was what was going to happen with Bobby. I don’t know if they’ll even be back when it’s time for him to leave, and he can’t just stay at the Lynches all that time, can he?”
“That will be up to them. They know that we’ve offered,” he reminded her. “I’m sure we’ll hear from them if there’s a problem – and I’ll give Mr. Lynch a call to remind him, if you like.”
“That’s probably a good idea.” She sighed. “I just can’t help wondering what he’s up to. I know there was something strange about that day when I found him trying to break into the house. I just don’t know what it was.”
“Could it be that he just wanted to get into the house for its own sake?” Jim wondered. “If he could get in there, he wouldn’t have to stay with anyone, or stick with any rules.”
“I guess so.” Trixie screwed up her nose. “I don’t want to be the one cleaning up the mess if he does that! And I’d never leave it to Moms if I could help it.”
“Well, I haven’t seen any sign of his having tried again, so maybe he’s given up the idea,” Jim answered.
She nodded, still deep in thought. “Maybe. But I’m going to follow up on that. The last thing I need right before we go is to have to clean two houses. It’s bad enough that I have to clean one.”
Jim only smiled.
“I think I’ve solved the mystery of why Bobby wanted to get into the house,” Trixie announced to Jim, as he arrived home from work one day that week.
“Hello to you, too,” he answered, giving her a kiss. A moment later, he relented. “What did you find out?”
“You were right. The living conditions at the Lynch Estate aren’t quite to the boys’ taste.” Trixie grinned. “Turns out, Mr. Lynch told them there’d be a strict no guests in the bedrooms policy, but they thought they could get around that. Only, the corridor outside their rooms is under constant surveillance and the windows are alarmed.”
Jim nodded in appreciation. “That’s nicely thought out.”
“I don’t think either of them knew about that when they decided to stay there,” she continued. “It wasn’t until they got caught – on the very first day and only half an hour or so before we saw him – that they knew he was keeping an eye on them.”
“What happened?”
“The way I heard it, they tried smuggling some girls in through the back stairs. Once they got into the bedroom corridor, the movement sensors activated a camera. The monitoring company called Harrison, who knocked very loudly on the door until Larry opened it. The whole thing took less than ten minutes!”
“That’s pretty impressive,” Jim answered. “I think Dad has some of that same technology for his offices, but he hasn’t tried it at home. Not that he really needs it at this stage. It might have been handy when we were younger.”
Trixie wrinkled her nose, remembering some incidents of her teens. “I’m kind of glad that sort of thing wasn’t around back then.”
He smiled. “It certainly would have put a kink in your detective-ing plans a few times.”
“I guess it would. But I was thinking about all the embarrassing things I did that someone might have seen. You know, like tripping down the stairs and landing flat on my face.” She sighed. “I bet Honey’s glad it didn’t exist then, too. The last thing she’d want would be for there to be video of some of the things she did back then.” She shivered. “But getting back to Bobby, there’s a reason why he hasn’t tried again at the farm and it’s because as of yesterday, they’re not staying with the Lynches any more. They’ve moved into a share house somewhere – and I get the idea they’ve been spending time there before that, too.”
Jim nodded. “I can’t say I’m surprised. In fact, I’m only surprised it’s taken this long.”
She looked away, frowning. “It kind of worries me. Because I think I know why Moms was so insistent that Bobby come to the wedding – it’ll be the last chance for a long time to have the whole family together. And if he decides now that he’s not coming… well, it will really hurt her.”
“You think he might do that?”
She thought about it for a moment. “I’m afraid he might.” She shook her head. “But, no, not really. I think it’s going to be okay.”
Continued in part two