Chapter Two

Sam stood in the homey living room of the Belden farmhouse. It reminded him of his childhood home on their old farm back home in Indiana. He was halfway expecting his own parents to be there along with his brother Tom and sister Katie. He went out back to join the other Bob-Whites, who were preparing food on the grill.

Ad-libbing the best he could, Sam tried to make conversation with the others. Figuring it was best to stay out of the way, he let the two Belden boys run the grill while he stirred the potato salad.

�Celia came down with a cake, guys!� Honey called from the back porch.

�Let me guess,� Mart said as he put his index finger to his temple and closed his eyes. �Double layer Devil�s double-chocolate cake with double-double chocolate frosting?�

And double the calories, Sam thought to himself.

�Out of the way, Great Martino,� Brian said as he passed by him with a large plate of hamburger patties. �Come and get it, everyone!�

Dan burst through the back door holding two bags of potato chips and held the door for Diana, who was carrying a basket of burger buns and butter, and Trixie, who was holding a big bowl of watermelon slices.

Catsup, mustard, onions, relish, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise were already set up on the table along with paper plates, plastic ware and napkins.

�Anybody want to help with the punch?� Mart asked as he headed back into the house.

Minutes later, the Bob-Whites were all eating and chatting about the school sign. As usual, Mart piled his hamburger high with globs of mayonnaise and other fixings. Sam watched as Mart made his burger.

�Aren�t you concerned with fat content and cholesterol?� Sam asked Mart as he opened his mouth wide to take a big bite of his hamburger.

�What?� Mart asked.

Sam helped himself to a less than moderate helping of potato salad. �You know that there�s nothing but eggs and oil in that mayonnaise? These burgers are way too greasy, too. They�re not good for your health.� He looked over at Trixie�s plate, which had a large helping of potato salad and potato chips. �There�s way too much starch and carbohydrates in this meal. We need more healthy foods like vegetables and fruits to help make a balance.�

The faces of the six other Bob-Whites froze as they stared at Sam. Mart set his burger down and pushed his plate forward. �I-I guess I�m not hungry anyway,� he said lamely.

Diana dropped her fork-full of potato salad on her plate and made a face. �I�m not sure I�ll ever like potato salad again.�

Brian was irritated. �Since when are you so concerned with eating right? We have the watermelon, you know.�

�Eating right is crucial to this time in your lives, er, our lives�as teenagers. This food has too much fat and calories in it and isn�t good for us. We need foods with more calcium in them, and while protein is good for us�� He stopped as he realized Honey was still eating. �Honey, food like this can make us sick and is really an unhealthy diet.�

Stabbing her potato salad with more force than necessary, she continued eating.

�Jim, what is your problem?� Trixie asked. �Is it a sin to enjoy a nice picnic with your friends?�

�I�m just trying to watch out for you guys. Food like this is really unhealthy.� Sam put a fork-full of potato salad in his mouth. It was actually very good.

�Jim Frayne,� Honey said forcefully. �Mrs. Belden makes prize winning salad. It won�t kill you to eat it! And these burgers are grilled, not pan-fried, so you don�t have to worry about globs of fat. And, Jim, I don�t even want to hear about the chocolate cake!� With a wild look in her hazel eyes, Honey continued eating.

�So, what is our plan of action tomorrow?� Honey asked after a few minutes of silence, in hopes of changing the subject.

Trixie played with her food for a while before answering. �We�re going to meet Mr. Stratton outside the school, and he will let us know what the members of the school board said about the sign. He said right out that if it was all up to him, and if we could raise the money, he would be supportive of us. Now we just need to come up with a plan.�

They chatted about it through the rest of the afternoon. Sam kept quiet about the chocolate cake, but did manage to give a few disapproving looks as Mart went back for seconds.

�Regan needs help with the horses this evening,� Sam said when there was a lull in conversation.

Trixie brightened up. �Just what I need!� Hurriedly, she stood up and began clearing the food and paper plates from the picnic table. �We�ll get this stuff cleaned up and meet you guys up there.�

�We�ll all help clean up, Trix,� Honey argued. �We helped dirty things, we�ll help clean up.�

Trixie gathered up a bunch of paper plates and threw them in the garbage along with the plastic silverware. She held the door for Brian and Mart as they helped bring in the dishes that would need to be washed. Dan started cleaning the grill while Diana folded up the tablecloth.

�Come on, Honey, we�ll get the dishes started,� said Trixie as she rounded into the kitchen.

Standing at the kitchen sink, filling it with soapy warm water, Sam saw Trixie out of the corner of his eye as she and Jim�s sister came bounding into the kitchen and come to a complete halt. The look on her face was one of disbelief.

�Jim, wouldn�t you rather be out helping the guys?� Trixie asked.

�And leave you two to do the dishes by yourself?� Sam asked. �It looks as if the boys�the guys have things under control out there. Here.� Sam handed Trixie a towel. �I�ll wash, you dry.�

Trixie looked from Sam back to Honey and shrugged.

Honey shook her head. �Don�t worry,� Sam heard her say to Trixie. �He really hasn�t been himself all day.�

Later that evening after exercising the horses�

�I got it, Al,� Sam said to his holographic friend while in his bedroom that night. �I�m here to prevent these kids from dying of heart attacks. You should�ve seen the food they were eating!�

�Ziggy doesn�t say anything about heart attacks, but it�s just as well. She�s not talking to me today.� Al opened up his bright blue blazer and put the com-link in his breast pocket. �I made a big mistake and told her that she wasn�t giving me the information I needed on Trixie�s future. She said that I was inconsiderate of her because she�s having a bad hair day and if I wanted anything out of her, I�d give her some chocolate.�

Sam rolled his eyes. �I need something on Trixie and Honey. Why didn�t they ever open their detective agency?� Sam asked. He paced back and forth in his room. �Did I talk them out of it?�

�I was able to finagle at least that out of Ziggy.� Al cleared his throat. �Trixie and Honey never make it far enough for training. According to Ziggy, this is their last mystery.�

�How does the mystery end?�

�I don�t know,� Al shrugged. �This was the point at which I told Ziggy that she wasn�t being very helpful. I wanted to know about their future, but all she kept saying was that they never finished this mystery. That was it. End of story. No word on what their future lives are like, or anything.�

�What about Gooshie?� Sam asked. �Doesn�t he have anything on Trixie?�

�Gooshie just said that I should probably go away and not ask Ziggy any more questions until next week sometime.� Al chuckled. �He seems to think that it�s a woman problem.�

�Woman problem? Al, Ziggy is a computer!� Sam sat down on Jim�s bed. �She isn�t human, you know.�

�Tell that to her!� Al yelled. �Fair warning, Sam; there�s only room enough in the doghouse for one, you know. And I don�t share my bunk with anyone�unless it�s Tina.�

Sam chuckled. �You and Tina. Someday, I�d like to meet her and put a face with the personality.�

�Well, you know what Ziggy is like right now? That�s Tina on a bad day. Except, she�s sexier when she�s angry.� Al waggled his eyebrows at Sam.

Sam sighed and shook his head.

The next morning�

�I can�t believe anyone would want to do this,� Diana said to her friends after looking at the sign out front of the school.

The wooden posts that held up the sign were broken and the sign itself was lying on the grass, with tread marks across it.

�We might be able to get an idea of who did this if we can trace those treads,� Trixie said as she knelt down next to the mutilated school sign. She stood up to face Mr. Stratton. �You said this was done Friday night?�

His face was solemn. �Yes. The groundskeeper was here and said he saw a big blue pick-up truck plow the sign over. You can see the blue paint on the sign right here.� Mr. Stratton pointed to a few dark blue marks. �He should be here any minute with Sgt. Molinson.�

Sam noticed the frustrated look on Trixie�s face at the mention of the sergeant. �Did he say whether or not he recognized the driver?� she asked the principal.

�He said he�s seen the driver before, but doesn�t know who it is.�

�What did he look like?� Trixie asked.

�He didn�t say.� Mr. Stratton turned his head upon hearing a car pull up at the school front lawn. �Here�s Sgt. Molinson now, Trixie.�

�He doesn�t look at all happy that you�re here, either,� said Mart with a grin.

Sgt. Molinson climbed out of his car and headed towards the group. A tall, thin man with short brown hair and cool blue eyes followed him.

Mart counted down on his fingers as the group watched the Sergeant walk across the lawn. �Five�four�three�two��

�Well, look who�s here?� Sgt. Molinson said with a grin. �You can head on home now, Trixie. We have our witness, so I�ll take things from here.�

Trixie ignored him. �Hi, I�m Trixie Belden,� she said to the groundskeeper. �My friends and I are here because we�re going to help fund a replacement for the sign.�

The groundskeeper smiled. �I�m Vic. I�ve seen you and your friends around the school. That�s great of you to want to repair the sign.�

He shook hands with Trixie and some of the guys. Sam wasn�t sure what to make of the groundskeeper. Vic�s hands were not calloused and tough, but soft as if he really hadn�t worked very much. His arms and neck didn�t show much of a tan at all and he didn�t really look like someone who knew anything about keeping up big lawns and shrubbery. He chuckled as he reminded himself that it�s silly to jump to conclusions, but couldn�t help the smile on his face as he saw Trixie sizing Vic up and coming up with her first impression of him.

�Okay, okay,� interrupted Sgt. Molinson. �Trixie, scoot. This is official police business, and I have everything under control.�

�I think Sgt. Molinson�s right,� Sam said. �Come on, Trix. Why don�t we go do something else?�

Trixie whirled around and glared at Sam. Before she had time to respond, she was being shoed away by the policeman and Sam was leading her away. Her temper flaring, she yanked herself away from Sam and headed back to investigate some more, but Brian and Dan grabbed a hold of her.

�Let�s just get out of here,� Brian said. �It looks like Sgt. Molinson isn�t in a good mood and you probably shouldn�t push it.�

Trixie reluctantly followed her brother�s advice and turned back to the big station wagon. Sam jumped in and started the engine.

�Where to now?� he asked them.

�Oh, I don�t care,� Trixie said harshly. �Let�s go get a burger at Wimpy�s. I�m starved. And when I�m starved, I can�t think.�

�Sounds good to me, Trix,� Mart said rubbing his stomach. �It�s nearly lunch time now.�

A few minutes later, Sam was studying the lunch menu at Wimpy�s, a small diner made out of an old train car.

�What do you think? Burgers, fries, and shakes all around?� Honey asked her friends.

Sam felt an artery clogging. �No thanks, Honey,� he said. I�ll just have a salad and water.�

Honey�s eyes were like piercing daggers as she glared at him.

Sam cleared his throat. �A burger sounds fine.�

A few times during lunch, Sam tried to preach to them about their health, but Honey spoke above him.

Trixie decided it was time for a change of subject. �I don�t know what is up with Vic, the grounds keeper, but there�s something mysterious about him.�

Mart rolled his eyes. �Give it up, Trix,� he said. �It was mysterious when Dick was mean to you, now it�s mysterious that Vic is being nice to you.�

�Maybe Vic is Dick�s alter-ego,� Brian suggested with a twinkle in his brown eyes. �Only this time he�s not the evil twin.�

Trixie chuckled. �I�m real sure. No, there�s just something about him. Mart, we tend to Moms�s garden nearly every day and have grown up doing that stuff. This guy doesn�t really look like he spends much time doing any of that.�

�So what you�re saying is he�s an imposter?� Diana teased.

Trixie playfully scowled at her. �Imposter groundskeeper, that is. That man�s never touched a rake in his life. Didn�t you see his fingernails? When Moms works in the garden without her gloves, she gets dirt under her nails which usually takes lots of scrubbing to clean out.�

Dan slurped up the rest of his soda. �But there was mud caked on his shoes. I�d say he did plenty of working in the garden.�

Trixie frowned. �Oh, I suppose. But that doesn�t mean that I have to trust him.�

Sam cleared his throat. �But Mr. Stratton seems to trust him.�

�I�ll talk with Mr. Stratton later on,� Trixie said. �One thing that puzzles me is why was he gardening at night? And if it was at night, how could he tell dark blue from any other dark color?�

�Trixie�s right,� Honey said. �How would he know?�

�He might�ve spotted the truck under a street lamp or shined a flashlight at them,� Brian said. �There might be a number of reasons why he knew the truck was blue.�

�Yeah,� Trixie said. �One of those reasons is probably because that truck is his.�

�Oh come on, Trixie,� Mart said. �You don�t even know the guy and already you�re making accusations.�

�Vic didn�t even have a tan!� Trixie exclaimed. �You can�t tell me he�s a gardener when his skin is bright white!�

Mart wasn�t able to hold back a chuckle. �Maybe he�s a vampire gardener and only works at night.�

Trixie rolled her eyes at her brother. �Well, I plan on pursuing this. The Belden-Wheeler detective agency has never given up on a case and they don�t aim to start!� With a proud, triumphant smile, she bit into her juicy hamburger.

That afternoon at the Wheelers� lake

�I was able to get more information,� Al said to Sam. �Ziggy isn�t sure yet why Trixie and Honey don�t make it through this case, but with a little coaxing, and admitting that I�m the biggest jerk of all time, I was able to find out who was involved with this.�

�Do Trixie and Honey come up at all?� Sam asked.

�Yes. But midway through the case, they are no longer mentioned. Sgt. Molinson again has free reign with the case, but it�s never solved.�

Sam leaned on the picnic table. �Well, maybe the girls get some sense and stay out of police work.�

Al shrugged. �We�re still working on it. How are things going today?�

Before speaking, Sam watched Jim�s friends having fun swimming. They all looked so innocent and unknowing. Were Trixie and Honey ready for what detectives do? �We went to visit Mr. Stratton, at the school and Trixie had to dive right in and investigate. Over at the hamburger place, she was incredible. She managed to nearly convict him before digesting her first bite. She has no evidence to work off of. Her line of reasoning was that he looked suspicious.�

�Well, her history shows that her first hunch is usually the right one,� Al said with a slight chuckle. �She�s helped convict over thirty criminals. I�d say that�s pretty good for a fifteen-year-old.�

Sam watched Honey, Trixie and Diana race each other from one end of the lake to the other. �You should see those kids eat sometime. They�re going to die of heart attacks before they get themselves killed in a mystery.�

Al drew in a deep breath. �Sam, remember this is 1962. People�s ideas of eating right were different then.� He pondered over whether or not he should tell him about some of his past blunders. After a few more seconds, he decided to go on.

�You may not remember any of this, Sam, because with every leap, your mind is scrambled. When you leaped back to your childhood home, into your own body back in 1969, you tried to get your father to quit smoking by preaching to him about the effects of cigarettes. You also preached to your mother about how unhealthy her own cooking was. Here�s the blunder of all blunders: you nearly told your sister what happened to John Lennon. Sam, I know you were only trying to do what was best for your family, but sometimes you just have to let people do their thing. Hamburgers, fries and shakes aren�t going to kill these kids. They�ll learn when they�re older what is healthy.�

Sam didn�t answer right away. His own father died of cancer because of those cigarettes, leaving his mother to run the farm for herself. She wasn�t able to, so after selling the farm and home, she took Katy and moved to a bigger city where she had to learn to work to support her family. His brother, Tom, was even killed in Vietnam after Sam tried to talk him into not enlisting and staying home. It�s hard when you know the future, and what�ll happen to those you love.

�Leaping is like getting a second chance, or giving people a second chance,� Sam answered. �Trixie and Honey were probably not lucky enough to get that chance and that�s why I�m here��

Meanwhile, 20 feet away, the Bob-Whites are swimming at the lake

Mart strolled over to Dan and Brian. �What�s going on?� he asked. Trixie, Honey and Diana were sitting up on the dock staring at Jim, who was sitting at the picnic table and appeared to be talking to an imaginary friend.

�I�m not quite sure what to make of it, Mart,� Brian answered.

�Maybe someone should talk to him,� Dan suggested. �Brian, since you�re the aspiring doctor, you should do it.�

�Oh sure,� he laughed. �That�s aspiring physician, by the way. Not behavioral health. Besides, I think it was just that fight with Trixie yesterday at the clubhouse that did it. He�s been acting weird since the beginning of summer, but hasn�t done any talking to imaginary friends that I know of.�

Early the next morning at the clubhouse

�I just got word of some more vandalism at the school,� Trixie started after the group of teens settled down. �Mr. Stratton called and told us that for right now, we should consider canceling any benefit we come up with. He said it�s all covered under insurance so there won�t be any loss for the school.�

�That�s a relief,� Brian said as he let out a deep breath. �He must not want us involved in anything else.�

�He said he talked to Sgt. Molinson and they are on the trail of the vandal,� Trixie reported.

�Well, I suppose this time we were outwitted, Trix,� Honey said with an understanding grin. �Does he know who it is?�

�Apparently, Molinson won�t release that kind of information. But, I�m not just going to drop this case, Honey,� Trixie said. �I intend to follow through just the same.�

Sam leaned forward in his chair. �Trixie, would you consider following this case if I were involved, too?�

Trixie�s blue eyes brightened. �W-why, of course, Jim,� she said with an element of excitement in her voice. �I-I would love that!�

Sam glanced over to Honey to see her mouth hanging wide open. Brian, Mart, Dan and Diana had similar expressions. Sam guessed that Jim didn�t say this very often, or if he did offer to help, it was on a rare occasion.

�What other kind of vandalism was there?� Sam asked, to break the silence.

Trixie thought for a minute. Sam could tell that her head was in the clouds and needed a minute to get back down to earth. Did she really think this much of Jim?

�The vandal threw a brick through one of the first floor windows. He also said that the Horseman mascot that hangs above the main doors has been damaged. He didn�t say how.�

�Do you want to go check things out?� Honey asked.

Brian gave her a questioning look. �I think it would be for the better if we all stayed out of this case. Whoever it is has a strong vendetta against Sleepyside High.�

�All the more reason why this guy should be caught!� Dan spoke up. �School starts next week. This guy is making school a hazard area and he needs to be stopped. If I have my guess right, and if Molinson can solve this case, he will probably solve it thirty years down the road.�

�If Trixie can expose the Midnight Marauder, she can find this guy!� Mart crowed. �All for one and one for all!�

Trixie�s eyes beamed at the praise she was receiving. �Well, Honey, looks like we�ve got a job to do!�

�Aren�t you forgetting someone?� Sam asked.

�Oh yeah,� Trixie said with a slight blush. �Honey and Jim.�

Lunchtime at Wimpy�s

�Okay, here�s the plan,� Trixie said with her voice low. �We should be safe if we go over to the school, but I don�t want the whole bunch of us to get caught by Sgt. Molinson if we�re making too much racket, or if we�re disturbing evidence. So, I think that only a few of us should go.�

Brian shrugged. �As long as Jim will accompany you two, I see no problem with it. You know, Trix, if you get caught snooping, you will have the wrath of Moms to deal with if she has to come down to the station to get you.�

�We�re not going to snoop,� Trixie replied. �We�re only going to idly walk by.�

�Yeah, right,� Mart snorted. �If only it were plausible that our shamus was capable of being so nonchalant while standing amidst the scene of the crime.�

Trixie ignored him. �Jim, will you take Honey and I down there?�

Sam nodded. After slurping down his cherry coke, he excused himself and headed for the bathroom.

�That was a bright bit of thinking you did, Sam� Al said as he appeared through the white gateway.

Before Sam could answer, he stared at Al with disbelief. �Al, I know that fashion is probably different in 2002 than it is now, and in the future it�s more acceptable for men to, um, live different life-styles, but do you mind not wearing that? It distracts me.�

Al took the cigar out of his mouth and looked down at himself. He was wearing a brightly colored flowered party dress with red dress shoes and a pink bow in his hair. �Aw, for cryin� out loud!� he yelled. �Ziggy! You�re gonna pay for this!� He punched a few keys on his com-link and opened the gateway. �I�ll be right back, Sam. Don�t go anywhere!�

Sam leaned up against the wall of the bathroom and began laughing as quietly as he could. Within a few minutes, the gateway appeared again.

�That�s better, Al,� Sam said with a slight snicker.

�I tell you, Ziggy gets her sweet revenge. I suppose she�s in a better mood now! Anyway, what I was coming back to tell you was that what you said at the clubhouse earlier had a drastic effect in Trixie and Honey�s lives. For some reason, a future has been written out for them, whereas before, Ziggy couldn�t find anything. Although, this could just be Ziggy�s way of getting back at me for telling her she wasn�t being useful.�

�Why did Trixie look at me as if I were an alien when I suggested that she include me in her adventure?�

�Because lately, Jim has been a butthead about her mysteries. He really made her made during her last adventure because he wouldn�t take her seriously about anything.� Al tapped a few keys on his com-link. �Anyway, Ziggy has given me a list of suspects and who was found guilty in this case. Has the name Lester Mundy come up?�

�No, I don�t think it has.�

�You might want to bring up his name. He was a suspect in a case she solved during the last school year about a vandal called��

�The Midnight Marauder,� Sam finished for him.

�Yeah, that�s it. Anyway, he was a suspect along with a few others: Ruthie Kettner, Shrimpy Davis, Marvin Easton and Mart Belden. All those names were cleared, though. The real criminal in that case was Margo Birch, but she is currently locked up. She didn�t get out on parole until 1965, which is three years from now. Lester Mundy, though, is a well known school prankster.�

�This doesn�t look like the work of a school prankster,� Sam answered. �As Brian mentioned earlier, someone has it out for this school. Does the first name Vic come up anywhere?�

Al stuck his cigar back in his mouth and punched a few more keys. �Well, a Vic, or a Victor, was involved, but he was never convicted. Apparently, it was never found out who the real culprit was.�

Author's notes:

A big Quantum Bob-White thank-you heads out to Maryland and down under to Mary and Cassie for proof reading. I wonder how much hair they have left after all my errors...The both of you are gorgeous fanfic queens!

All characters affiliated with Trixie Belden are owned by the Golden Press Goblins (or whatever company owns them now...Randomhouse???)

The characters "Dr. Samuel Beckett", "Al", "Ziggy" and "Gooshie" are creations of Donald P. Bellsario in association with NBC for the popular sci-fi/drama show "Quantum Leap"and were used without his permission.

This is part of my submission to Kathy K's Trixie Belden Challenge. Details are on the Circle Writing Project page.