Trixie Belden 02 - The Red Trailer Mystery (The Red Caravan Mystery)

by Julie Campbell (v1. 0) (epub)

  ­The way I figure it,­Bill went on, ­is that the big guy there was fixing to double-cross his friend. He knows he could never get out of the state with this stuff, but his pal puts up an argument, so he decides to frame him and gives us the tip about the hideaway.­

  ­That doesn't make sense, Bill,­Dave objected. ­Why was he hanging around here waiting for us?­­Well, then,­Bill demanded impatiently, ­who did telephone headquarters about half an hour ago? Any law-abiding citizen would have given us his name instead of hanging up on us.­His eyes fell on the two girls then and he seemed to see them for the first time. ­Say, what is this anyway, a quilting bee? What are you kids doing around here?

  Trixie thought quickly. If I'm not careful they'll ask me about Jim, she decided. Aloud she explained, ­We came in here to get out of the rain and then that bushy haired man tried to kidnap us.­

  The trooper stared at her suspiciously. ­Was it one of you, by any chance, who reported to headquarters that if we looked in the woods north of the river road we'd find a stolen trailer hitched to a van with a flat tire?­

  Both girls shook their heads vigorously.

  ­And at the same time,­the trooper went on relentlessly, ­did you suggest that a search of the abandoned barn below the orchard on the Smith truck farm might reveal the trailer gang's hideaway?­

  ­No, sir,­Trixie and Honey said together.

  ­Well, I'd like to know who did,­Bill exploded. ­What was that you said about kidnapping?­

  Trixie bit her lip. Now they were in for a lot more questions and sooner or later they would lead to the subject of a redheaded boy.

  While she hesitated, Al innocently came to the rescue. ­She was letting her imagination run away with her,­he said shrewdly. ­I'd rather kidnap a dozen wildcats barehanded than one of those two girls. The short one kicked me in the stomach and knocked me off the ladder.

  Both the troopers howled with laughter, and in a moment Honey and Trixie joined in.

  ­You kids run along home now,­Bill said. ­We'll get to the bottom of this mystery at headquarters. Since we caught these two birds red-handed, we won't need to call you in as witnesses.­

  Trixie and Honey hurried out of the barn, relieved to avoid further questioning. It had stopped raining and as soon as it was safe to talk, Trixie said, ­Why, it's not late at all. It seemed to me that we were hiding up in that loft for hours, but actually it was only a few minutes, I guess.­

  Honey nodded. ­Let's go back to the trailer and see how Miss Trask is. Then we can explore the woods on the other side of the road.­

  As they trudged through the muddy fields, Trixie said, ­I just can't get over those troopers arriving in the nick of time. Jim must have notified them after all.­

  ­I was sure he'd do it, somehow,­Honey said. ­Well, I wasn't,­Trixie said. ­When that awful Al climbed up the ladder, I was scared to death we'd both end up in that oat bin with Jeff.­

  Scared? Honey looked at her incredulously. ­I almost fainted but you acted as though you were having the time of your life.­

  Trixie grinned. ­I was shaking so I had to swing my legs so he couldn't see how my knees were knocking together. Then I thought it would be funny to swing my legs in his direction. It never occurred to me that I could knock him down off the ladder.­

  ­You really should get the credit for catching those thieves,­Honey said admiringly. ­If you hadn't kept Al there talking he might have got away.­

  ­You did all right yourself.­Trixie grinned. ­I thought I would die when you tried to act like a gangster.­­Well, that's one thing off our list.­ Honey sighed.

  ­Thank goodness we don't have to look for a van or an old barn any more. Now if we could just find Jim and Joeanne, and if only the troopers would find the Robin abandoned somewhere in the woods, all our troubles would be over.­

  ­Cheer up,­Trixie said. ­We know Jim's not far away, and I'll bet we find his hiding place this very afternoon.­­Why, what do you mean?­ Honey demanded. ­We found his hiding place. The loft in the old barn.­

  Trixie shook her head. ­He may have hidden there one night, but he won't come back. That barn will be sealed as tight as a drum in a few minutes. All that stolen stuff is important evidence. Anyway, I keep having a feeling Jim is camping out in the woods somewhere.

  Impatient to start searching, she raced ahead of Honey through the trailer park and yanked open the Swan door. Miss Trask was calmly reading a book and did not look as though she had worried about them at all.

  ­What luck? she asked with a smile. ­I guessed that you got caught in the rain and had to stay at Rushkill Farms until it was over. No word of Jim?­

  ­No,­Trixie said and was surprised to see by the clock on the radio that it was only two-thirty. ­We want to explore the woods some more. Can we do anything for you before we go?­

  ­I'm very comfortable, thanks,­Miss Trask told her. ­And my hand hardly hurts at all. I'm sure I can drive by day after tomorrow. I'm sorry Jim wasn't at any of the camps. Perhaps we ought to put through a long-distance call tonight to Mr. Rainsford. I think he should put private detectives on the case right away.­

  Honey, who had joined Trixie at the Swan entrance, pleaded, ­Oh, no, let's wait one more day. If we haven't found Jim by tomorrow night we can call Mr. Rainsford.­

  Very well,­her governess agreed. ­Run along then and have fun.­

  The girls hurried down the Autoville driveway to the main road.

  ­We saw those blue jeans about half a mile from here,­Trixie said. ­For some reason that trail to Pine Hollow Camp isn't shown on the map. The one we took from the academy wound all around the countryside.­

  ­All bridle trails do that,­Honey replied. ­The idea is to get a lot of riding in, not to travel along the shortest distance between two points.­

  ­It doesn't matter,­Trixie said. ­We've had a lot of fun, but now we can't waste any more time.­

  They trudged along in silence until they came to the spot where the tracks had ended at the macadam road.

  Why this isn't a bridle path at all,­Honey gasped. ­It's a back road leading to Pine Hollow Camp.­

  ­I remember now,­Trixie said thoughtfully. ­We said at the time that nobody could have ridden a bike along the other trail. No wonder this road doesn't show on the map. It's probably only used by trucks bringing supplies to the camp. As a matter of fact, it's a private delivery driveway, I guess.­

  ­That's the answer,­Honey agreed as they started up the rutted road. ­Shall we cut through the woods or try to find a path?

  ­Let's go around the bend and see if-­Trixie stopped as she caught a glimpse of the road beyond the bend. ­Why, there's a car parked up ahead of us. Do you hear the motor running?­

  ­Uh-huh,­Honey panted as she hurried behind Trixie. ­It's gasping and choking as though it's almost out of gas.­

  Trixie rounded the bend first. ­It's a sedan,­she cried. ­And all the windows are tightly shut. Who would close up his car and go off leaving the motor running?­

  ­Oh, Trixie,­Honey gasped. ­There's a man in there, slumped over the wheel!­

  And then Trixie remembered something she had forgotten in the exciting events at the old barn. Something Jeff had said accusingly to Al, ­What about the guy you slugged and left in a closed car with the motor running? When he gets a lungful of carbon monoxide, he ain't going to be too healthy.­

  Trixie was already tugging at one of the sedan's door handles, shouting directions to Honey. ­Quick! Open up the other side. Break the glass with a stone if the door's locked. This is the man who owns the last trailer Jeff and Al stole!

  Chapter 14

  Hair Ribbons and Pigtails

  Trixie yanked open the door of the car and reached in to turn off the ignition. Frantically she tried to remember everything she knew about gas poisoning. If the victim had stopped breathing, she knew artificial respiration must be started at once. But how could she and Honey drag this unconscious man out from behind the wheel?

&nbs
p; How long had he been shut up in that closed car with the motor running? Since noon? No, Al had said he only wanted the man to stay asleep until they could move the van to the barn. So he must have turned on the ignition and closed the car doors after they discovered the flat tire. How much deadly carbon monoxide had seeped up through the floor boards since then?

  Trixie hesitated, and Honey, from the other side of the car, whispered, ­Can you see his face, Trixie? Is it blue? Is he breathing?­

  Just then the man raised his head a little and uttered a faint sigh. He looked pale and ill but in another moment he was sitting upright, staring dizzily around him and rubbing the back of his head. Gradually his color came back as fresh air circulated through the car. He looked at Trixie and then at Honey and managed a weak smile. ­What happened? Where am I.

  ­You're on a side road not far from Autoville,­Trixie told him. ­And thank goodness you're still alive. A perfectly awful man hit you on the head and stole your trailer. Then he came back and shut you up in the car with the motor running so you'd stay unconscious.­

  The man stared at her in amazement. ­I remember now,­he said after thinking for a minute. ­I picked up a hitchhiker who said he knew a short cut to the trailer camp. I thought at the time that this road went in the wrong direction, but that's the last thing I remember.

  ­You were lucky,­Honey put in. ­I guess not very much of the exhaust gas leaked into the car. If it had, we might not have discovered you in time.­

  The man grinned, still dazed. ­I don't know exactly what happened yet, but I seem to owe you thanks for saving my life. My name is Currier. I'm a trailer salesman. I was delivering one to a Mr. Whitsun who was to meet me for lunch at Autoville.­He glanced at his wrist watch. ­Good heavens, it's nearly three. He'll be furious, and I may lose my job.­ He turned on the ignition. The motor caught, then sputtered and died.

  I'm afraid you're out of gas,­Trixie said. ­So we really didn't rescue you after all. The motor itself would have saved your life in the end.­

  Mr. Currier sighed. ­I'm terribly confused, and the ringing sensation in my ears isn't making matters any better. Perhaps you'd better begin at the beginning.­

  ­Surely you have heard about the trailer thefts,­Trixie began.

  ­Why, yes.­Mr. Currier nodded. ­We've been warning our customers not to leave the main highways-­He stopped and clasped his forehead in his hands. ­Oh, I see it now. I walked right into a trap. That hitchhiker was one of the gang!­He glanced behind him and saw for the first time that his trailer was gone. ­But this is dreadful! They've taken Mr. Whitsun's trailer. He paid us eight thousand dollars for it, and it was completely equipped; even had a television set.­

  ­Don't worry,­Trixie interrupted hastily. ­The troopers have found it already and captured the gang.­An expression of relief mixed with disbelief spread over Mr. Currier's pale face. ­How do you know all this?

  ­There were two men,­Trixie explained. ­They got jobs at Autoville with forged references. They stripped the stolen trailers of valuable equipment and hid it in an old barn not far from here. We were hiding in the barn when the troopers arrested the men about half an hour ago.

  ­Not so fast,­Mr. Currier begged with a bewildered grin. ­How do you know Mr. Whitsun's custom-built coach is safe? That's what worries me.­

  ­Because,­Honey put in, ­a friend of ours let the air out of a tire on the thieves' van. It's still attached to your trailer and stuck in the woods near here. Unless the troopers have taken it away by now. After our friend fixed the van so it would have a flat, he notified the police where to look for it.

  ­Well, your friend is also my friend and deserves a fat reward which, I assure you, my firm will be very glad to give him.­Mr. Currier started to get out of the car. ­But right now I'd better give Mr. Whitsun an explanation of what happened. Is it a very long hike from here back to the trailer camp?­

  ­Only a stone's throw,­Trixie told him. ­And you can get gas there too, or send somebody from the garage for your car.­

  ­I'll do that,­Mr. Currier said with a smile. ­I hope I see you two again so I can thank you properly.­He waved and hurried down the road toward the main highway.

  They watched him until he disappeared from sight. ­I wouldn't be in Al's shoes,­Trixie said, ­when Mr. Currier tells the police how he shut him up in this car with the motor running.­

  ­Neither would I,­Honey agreed. ­I guess both Al and Jeff will get long prison sentences.­

  ­And it serves them right,­Trixie said. ­What worries me is that they'll tell the troopers about Jim and start them looking for him so he can be a witness. We've just got to find him right away.­

  ­Oh, I don't think either Al or Jeff is going to talk about Jim,­Honey objected. ­Why should they? It'll only make matters worse for them if the troopers produce a witness who heard them planning to steal Mr. Currier's trailer.­

  Trixie shook her head. ­Those troopers are dying to know who tipped them off. They'll make Al and Jeff talk eventually. Don't you see, even though they did catch those men in the barn it won't be easy to prove that they are the trailer thieves without Jim's testimony.­

  ­What about Mr. Currier?­Honey demanded. ­He can identify Al as the hitchhiker he picked up.­

  ­I doubt it,­Trixie argued. ­Al must have worn some sort of disguise. Otherwise, Mr. Currier might have recognized him later when he was on duty at the trailer camp. He knew Mr. Currier was going to deliver the trailer to Mr. Whitsun at Autoville.­She stopped and gave Honey a look of frank admiration. ­You know, Honey, you're awfully smart. You figured out that when people stopped being careless with their trailers, the crooks would start hijacking. And that's just what they did.

  Honey giggled. ­I never thought they'd have the nerve to do it in broad daylight with the roads filled with troopers, and such a short distance from Autoville.­

  ­They did have a lot of nerve,­Trixie agreed, ­and they would have got away with it, if it hadn't been for Jim. Oh, I wish he'd just loosened that tire valve and let it go at that. I'm sure the troopers will start combing the woods for him tomorrow, and if he gets the least bit suspicious that they're on his trail, he'll disappear for good .

  They had strolled along the road until they reached a spot where the underbrush was less dense than it was near the highway. ­Let's cut through here.­ Trixie led the way through the wet vines, still worrying. ­Jim is so honest he can't bear anything underhanded. I suppose he had to risk setting the troopers on his own tracks to make sure those crooks didn't get away.­

  ­That's what I thought all along.­Honey sighed.

  And now I'm scared to death he may have already left this part of the state for good.­

  As they picked their way along, the thicket thinned out and became quite a respectable path. ­Looks as though someone has been dragging something heavy through here,­ Honey said thoughtfully. ­Whatever it was has laid the underbrush almost flat.­

  ­How about a bike?­Trixie said over her shoulder.

  'Jim's smart. He'd be careful not to leave any signs close to the road, but this far away he'd feel it was safe to make a path to his hide-out.­

  ­Oh, oh,­Honey interrupted with an excited scream. ­Look down there where the woods are thick.

  There's something stuck to a branch of one of those white birches. Something blue!­

  Almost tumbling over each other in their haste, the girls raced downhill. And sure enough, caught on a twig not three yards from where they had seen blue-jean clad legs disappear into the woods on Sunday, was a dilapidated bit of frayed blue sateen. Faded and water-soaked as it was, both girls recognized it at once.

  'Joeanne!­they cried in unison. ­It's one of her hair ribbons.­

  ­Then,­Trixie finished breathlessly, ­it was she we saw, not Jim. I'm almost disappointed.­

  Well, I'm not,­kindhearted Honey exploded. ­I've worried myself sick over Joeanne. She's nothing but a little girl, and after all, Jim's perfectly able to take care of himself whe
rever he goes.­

  Trixie looked embarrassed. ­I know,­she said shamefacedly, ­and I've worried about Joeanne too. But I did so hope we'd find Jim's hideaway before it was too late.­

  Maybe we will,­Honey said cheerfully. ­The bicycle tracks ended near here. We have no reason to think

  Joeanne has a bike, but we know Jim has one.­

  ­Come on,­Trixie yelled, starting up the hill again. ­Let's follow that little path and see where it leads.­

  It was hard work walking up the slippery, sloping ground, and they almost missed the path. And they might have missed it if Trixie's sharp eyes hadn't suddenly seen in the mud between the trodden-down vines and thick grass, distinct marks of bicycle tire treads.

  ­Now we really are on Jim's trail at last,­she gasped, hurrying ahead of Honey.

  The trail went on through the underbrush and into the woods where a heavy carpet of old pine needles hid all traces of bicycle tires.

  At that moment Reddy and Bud, their coats muddy and matted with burrs, joined them.

  You tramps!­Trixie scolded. ­They've gone completely wild in the last few days, Honey. We really shouldn't let them roam the countryside like this. They're sure to get into trouble sooner or later.­

  After joyful greetings, the dogs trotted off through the trees and then waited, as though they wanted the girls to follow them.

  ­Maybe they've discovered something,­Honey suggested.

  ­We might as well go that way as any other,­Trixie agreed.

  They trudged along the pine needle carpet under the thick canopy of evergreens and suddenly came out upon a clearing.

  ­We've found it!­Trixie shouted at the top of her lungs. ­It's Jim's camp.­

  There could be no doubt that somebody had been, or still was, camping out on the spot, for a crude canvas tent had been stretched between two trees on the edge of the clearing. Nearby were the ashes of a small fire between two upright forked sticks.

  ­That's just like the outdoor spit Jim built up at the mansion,­Honey said. ­He ran a pointed stick through a piece of meat then hung it over the fire between two forked sticks and kept turning it until it was done.­