Even while he was speaking, Trixie had been thinking the same thing. It was strange that, in all these years, no one had been able to solve the old mystery.
She closed her eyes and imagined she was back in that long-ago time. The dining room would have looked newer then. It was almost certain there had been no wall-to-wall carpet on the floor. Had the bare wood echoed to the sound of tramping feet as the soldiers marched in to arrest Captain Trask? If so, that old pirate, seated at his table, would have looked up in anticipation as they came toward him.
But what would he have done next? Trixie opened her eyes and stared at the old floorboards under that selfsame table. She noticed that Mr. Appleton seemed to be furtively testing them with the toes of his shoes.
When he saw her watching him, he blushed furiously, leaned back in his chair, and pretended to be deeply interested in an old ship’s lamp that hung from the ceiling.
Trixie’s thoughts began to race. Everyone believed there was a trapdoor under the table. In fact, when Jim first heard the story, it was the first thing that had leaped to his mind.
But what if everyone was wrong?
If there was a trapdoor, why hadn’t the soldiers seen Captain Trask hastily flip it open and disappear beneath it? And why hadn’t they just as promptly followed him to wherever it led?
Trixie allowed her thoughts to return to her own first guess. She remembered another time and another place, when she had been trying to solve the mystery of some emeralds. There, at the house known as Green Trees, she had searched a wall’s dark paneling—and she had found a secret passage. It was entirely possible that there was one here at Pirate’s Inn, too, just waiting to be discovered.
“Would you mind if Honey and I explored the rest of the dining room?” she asked Mr. Trask.
“Explore wherever you like, Trixie,” he answered, smiling, “We’re not busy now, and I’ve got some things to see to for tonight’s little celebration. I just ask that you stay out of the kitchen.
We’ll undoubtedly have our usual dinner rush this evening, and Cookie gets a mite upset when he’s interrupted.”
When he had gone, Honey asked, “Did you think of something, Trix? Have you figured out how Captain Trask disappeared?”
“Do you remember how I thought there might be a secret passage somewhere in these walls?” Trixie asked. “Well, I still think so. And I know just where we’re going to start looking.”
With Honey close on her heels, Trixie walked quickly to the other side of the large old room. She found herself close to the kitchen, where she could hear a low murmur of voices and the occasional clatter of pots and pans.
She also found something else. A large wooden screen shielded the darkest corner from view. Trixie had noticed it as soon as she had entered the dining room. Now, with a sense of rising excitement, she stepped behind it. She saw at once that the paneling there appeared to be a slightly different color from its neighbors.
“Look at this, Honey!” Trixie exclaimed excitedly, running her fingers lightly over the wood. “I just knew we’d find something. Be patient, now. It’ll probably take a while....”
But it took no time at all. Waist-high from the floor, her searching fingers found a depression in the wood’s smooth surface. She lifted, and the panel slid noiselessly upward.
Trixie stared at what appeared to be a small wooden cupboard.
“I’ve found it!” she cried. “Oh, Honey, don’t you see? This is how the pirate escaped. He must have climbed in here—and then—” She stopped, frowning. “But I wonder where he went next?” Honey peered over Trixie’s shoulder. “Why,” she said, “this is a dumbwaiter. It’s one of those things that work on a pulley, I’m sure. Old houses often had them. The servants used to put hot food inside it. Then they hauled on the rope to lift the whole thing upstairs.”
“Or to send it downstairs to the cellar?” Trixie asked thoughtfully.
Honey nodded. “Where there’s probably another secret way out that leads to a beach.”
The two girls stared at each other.
“In that case,” Trixie said at last, “there’s only one way to find out.”
“You’re not thinking of getting inside this thing and going down there, are you?” asked Honey, sounding worried.
“Mr. Trask said we could explore where we wanted,” Trixie pointed out. Gingerly, she tested the rope. “Anyway, I’m sure it’s quite safe. And just think, Honey, if we find out for sure—”
“Then we’ve solved the mystery!” Honey’s hazel eyes were shining.
“And I’ll have shown Mart that I’m not as peabrained as he thinks I am,” Trixie said smugly.
Five minutes later, Trixie was heartily thankful that her brother wasn’t around to laugh at her. She was positively, definitely, absolutely stuck at the bottom of the shaft!
Curled around in the dumbwaiter’s tiny space, she knew she must look like some enormous chick about to burst out of its shell. She only wished she could!
Up until now, everything had worked perfectly. With Honey’s nervous hands guiding the rope, the little wooden cupboard had descended easily and quietly. Then, with a gentle bump, it had reached its destination.
But there was no panel here to slide open to her touch. All she could see in front of her was a brick wall.
And now Honey couldn’t pull her back up!
“It’s no use, Trix,” Honey’s miserable voice floated down to her. “The rope simply won’t move. I think you’re too heavy. Isn’t there any way you can get out down there?”
With some difficulty, Trixie freed one hand. She ran her fingers over the brick face.
She groaned and tried to fight the feeling of panic that washed over her. “Oh, Honey!” she cried. “There’s nothing here at all. It’s been closed off. I—I think you’re going to have to get someone to help. Oh, please hurry!”
There was a long silence, while Trixie strained her ears to hear what was going on.
At last she heard Honey’s voice cry frantically, “Trix? I can’t find anyone—not even in the kitchen. You’re not going to believe this, but everyone seems to have disappeared, even that funny little man who was sitting at the captain’s table.”
“But—but that’s impossible!” Trixie exclaimed. “Oh, Honey! What are we going to do?”
There was another long silence as Honey rushed away for another search. Trixie tried hard not to think about what would happen if it was unsuccessful. Where could everyone have gone?
The air inside the shaft seemed fresh enough, although Trixie couldn’t be sure. Too, one leg was tucked firmly beneath her, and it was horribly cramped. Trixie tried to move it, but it was wedged in tightly.
Mart was right, Trixie thought miserably. I’m nothing but a pea-brain, after all!
Suddenly, from somewhere far above her, a door banged, and a woman’s voice said, “I don’t know what to believe anymore, Frank. All I know is that you’ve had wild ideas before, and they haven’t worked. I—I almost couldn’t bear to come home this time—”
“But this time it’s different, Marge,” a man insisted. “This idea has worked. And from now on, things are going to be a lot better, you mark my words.”
Trixie felt almost faint with relief as she realized that the two people were Miss Trask and her brother. She guessed they must be standing on the second floor landing. She also guessed they had to be close to the shaft where she was trapped. She opened her mouth to call to them.
Before she could call, however, Miss Trask said sharply, “I’ve marked your words before, Frank. The last time I was here, we quarreled because you had some wild idea of turning the inn into a fast-food outlet. It was going to have jukeboxes and neon signs and heaven knows what else besides. I don’t know what would have happened if the historical society hadn’t stepped in and prevented it.”
Trixie heard Mr. Trask chuckle. “Ah, you’ve got me there. That one was a bad idea. But I tell you, Marge, this time I’ve found the magic formula, and I haven
’t upset the historical society a bit. I’m giving the people what they want, too. And they’re eating it up. All I had to do was to
borrow some money and spruce the old place up a bit—”
“You borrowed money?” Miss Trask sounded shocked.
“Which I am about to pay back this very weekend.” Her brother’s voice was triumphant. “My note’s due tomorrow night at seven o’clock. That’s why I asked you here. I wanted to prove to you that your brother could do it. And I wanted to see the look on your face when I hand over the cash to our old friend, Nicholas Morgan.”
Miss Trask gasped. “You borrowed from Nick?“
“And why not?” her brother answered. “He’s as rich as Croesus, and he owns a lot of the property around here. He was real friendly when I asked him for a loan.”
“I’ll just bet he was.” Miss Trask’s voice sounded bitter. “And if the money isn’t paid back? What happens then?”
“Then the place is his,” Frank Trask said, “lock, stock, and vanishing pirate. I had to put up the inn as collateral, y’see. But it won’t happen, I promise you. I’ve got the money in a safe place, never fear.”
“You haven’t got it in cash!”
“Of course it’s in cash,” her brother answered. “You know how I feel about banks, Marge. Don’t approve of ’em—never have—never will.”
Trixie put her hands over her ears and tried to stop listening. She didn’t quite know what to do. Should she clear her throat loudly to let them know that someone was listening, however reluctantly, to their private conversation? Should she yell for help at the top of her lungs?
At that moment, a sudden jerk on the rope beside her solved her problem.
Slowly but surely, Trixie felt herself being pulled up and up. Gradually, the bricked-up hatchway slid downward. She saw floor joists and wooden beams. Then the dining room’s dark paneling appeared once more.
Now that she was on the point of being rescued, she could feel the hot tears gathering behind her eyelids, and she realized how frightened she had been.
She twisted her head upward to catch the first sight of her gallant rescuer—and she found herself gazing into the villainous-looking face of Weasel Willis.
Fire! ● 6
TO TRIXIE’S IMMENSE RELIEF, Honey’s worried face appeared almost immediately at Weasel’s shoulder.
“Are you all right?” she cried, helping her friend to uncurl herself. “Oh, Trix, you have no idea how scared I was. I thought we’d never get you out of there!”
“It’s a good thing I wasn’t too far away,” Weasel remarked mournfully. “Otherwise, I can’t think what would have happened.” He watched Trixie trying to restore the circulation to her cramped limbs. “Of course, I’m not surprised,” he added. “Heaven only knows we’ve had our share of bad luck around here lately. We’ve had termites in the woodwork. There’ve been odd accidents in the kitchen. We’ve had our help quitting for no reason at all. And now you get stuck in that shaft. I suppose, before we know it, the Sea Fox will come sailing up the Hudson River as a warning to us all.”
Trixie had only been half listening to him. She was still trembling from her frightening experience, and his mournful recital wasn’t making her feel any better.
All the same, she couldn’t resist asking, “What’s a sea fox?”
“It’s a ship,” Weasel said slowly, “a galleon, actually. Once it was home to a gang of pirates. Many’s the time it sailed these waters when old Captain Trask was alive.” He sighed heavily. “Now all that’s left is a legend.”
“What sort of legend?” Honey asked.
“People around here say that the old captain swore he would protect his family forever,” Weasel answered. “And so, whenever something awful is about to hit one of the Trasks, his phantom galleon shows up again.”
Honey peered fearfully over her shoulder at the darkening windows behind her. “A g-ghostly galleon? Are you joking?”
Weasel shook his head sadly and hurried away.
“Of course he was joking,” Trixie told Honey later, as they stood, shaken, outside the entrance to the dining room. “It’s the silliest story I ever heard. He probably made it up.” She drew a deep breath. “I don’t trust that man, Honey. I don’t know why Mr. Trask keeps him on here. I know he can’t help having only one eye, but at least he could shave.”
Honey smiled. “He does look scary, doesn’t he? All the same, he did come right away when I told him what happened.”
“Why did it take so long to find somebody?” Trixie asked.
Honey frowned. “It was really strange, Trix. When I ran for help, I found most of the staff just standing around talking outside. It was as if they were waiting for something to happen.” She paused. “I’m afraid there’s other news, too. One of the waiters told me definitely that our dumbwaiter idea is no good. It wasn’t part of the original inn. So when Captain Trask disappeared, that shaft wasn’t even here. One of the later Trasks built it. Later, they bricked up the part that opened into the wine cellar, because they never used it.” She stared at Trixie’s face. “Hey, are you really okay? You look terrible!”
All at once, Trixie did feel terrible. After what had just happened, Honey’s news was almost more than she could bear. Her knees wouldn’t stop shaking, and she felt as if she didn’t care anymore about vanishing pirates or ghostly galleons. Every bone in her body ached as if she had run a ten-mile race—all of it uphill.
When she and Honey reached the upstairs landing, it didn’t help at all when she discovered that the other Bob-Whites had returned from their brief walk. Their cheeks were rosy, and it was obvious that they’d had a wonderful time.
Laughing and talking, they were visiting back and forth between one another’s rooms.
“Tomorrow I want to explore the cliffs,” Di was saying. “Tonight we walked in the other direction, but I’m simply dying to see what’s beneath them. Do you suppose there’s a beach?”
Mart was standing in the doorway of his “cabin.” He was about to answer her when he caught sight of Trixie and Honey.
“Why the long faces, O squaws?” he sang out. “Were your exploratory perambulations unavailing?”
Trixie had been hoping to limp along the passage without causing any comment from anyone. But before Trixie could stop her, Honey had told the whole sad story of the narrow escape to five frowning Bob-Whites.
Brian, immediately concerned, pulled Trixie inside his room. He insisted that she should stretch out full length on his bed. In an instant, she was surrounded by her worried friends.
“Are you really all right, Trix?” Jim asked, running a hand through his red hair.
“Of course she’s not all right,” Di said. “Look at her face. She’s as white as a ghost.”
“Of all the dumb things to do,” Brian told Trixie sternly. “The air in that shaft could’ve been bad, the way it was that time when we were looking for the emerald necklace. Didn’t you remember that?”
“And did you stop to think what would have happened if Honey hadn’t been there to help you?” Dan added, scowling.
Wordlessly, Trixie nodded and lay stiff and quiet. Her hands, their knuckles white, were clenched at her sides.
She knew they meant well and were only concerned for her safety. All the same, the reaction from what had just happened was beginning to take effect. To her dismay, she knew that one more remark would make her burst into tears.
Strangely enough, it was Mart who came to her rescue. “Oh,” he said gruffly, “leave her alone. She won’t do anything like that again, will you, Trix? Besides, I’ve just heard a great joke I want you all to hear.”
And with a graceful tact she hadn’t known her brother to possess, he turned the conversation away from scoldings, and lectures, and what-might-have-beens, and instead talked firmly of other things.
Unnoticed by the others, Brian walked quietly across the room. He pulled a spare blanket from a shelf in the closet and gently placed it over her.
<
br /> Trixie smiled at him gratefully and began to relax. By now, it was dark and a little foggy outside the blue-curtained windows. The golden glow from the brass lamps that hung above the two neat beds, one on each side of the room, was oddly comforting.
She could hear the leaves of the maple trees whispering softly to each other. She felt a welcome warmth from the blanket. The combination was beginning to make her drowsy.
She thought that after dinner she would read just a few chapters of her new Lucy book. Then she’d go to sleep early.
I wonder what’s for dinner, anyway? she thought.
Sleepily, with her eyes half-closed, she sniffed the air to find out.
Suddenly she frowned. Her eyes flew open. All she could smell was smoke. Something was burning—and it wasn’t in the kitchen!
The Bob-Whites turned to stare at her sharply as she leaped to her feet and ran to the door.
“Trixie?” she heard Di call. “What is it? Is something wrong?”
“Brian, Jim, Di, everyone! Hurry up!” Trixie cried. “The inn is on fire!”
It wasn’t difficult to trace the source of the smoke. It billowed from beneath a closed door halfway down the hall.
Without hesitation, Dan darted ahead of the others. They heard him mutter, “The door’s probably locked. We may have to break it down.”
But they didn’t. To their surprise, it opened to his touch. Then, with his bent arm covering his nose and mouth, he rushed inside the dark, smoke-filled room.
“One of the mattresses is smoldering!” he shouted. “Quick, Brian, Jim, Mart! Help me get it off the bed. Di, Honey! Open the windows! Trixie, we need towels to cover our faces to keep out the smoke. Hurry!”
Moments later, as Trixie raced back with as many towels as she could carry, she was just in time to see the boys stamp out the last dying embers from the mattress on the floor.
“It’s all right,” Dan called to her, grinning with relief. “The fire’s out.”
“I wonder how it got started in the first place?” Mart said, his nose smudged with soot. “It almost looks as if someone built a bonfire in the middle of the bed.”
The Mystery of the Ghostly Galeon Page 4