The Hudson River Mystery

you?”
    ”No,” Brian said sharply. ”You’re the one who’s striking me that way. You want to be a detective so much that you leap to conclusions too quickly—conclusions that could hurt people. Loyola would be crushed if she ever heard what you were saying, and I don’t want to hear you ever, ever mentioning this little conversation to her. Promise?”
    Trixie nodded, surprised at Brian’s vehemence but aware that he was right. This isn’t the first time I’ve been accused of speaking before thinking, she scolded herself.
    ”I really appreciate your concern for me the last few days,” Brian went on. ”But now it’s time for me to show my concern for you, Trix. I know I tease you a lot, but I—well, I honestly think you have a great career ahead of you —if you can control that habit of jumping to conclusions.” Trixie blushed to the roots of her sandy curls. It wasn t often that she received such direct praise from her quiet older brother. And she appreciated his advice, too—as contrary as it was to her natural inclinations.
    It was immediately after her talk with Brian that Trixie decided to let the doctors determine the cause of the poisoning. Not that she wasn’t going to keep her eyes and ears open, but there were other problems demanding her attention. The shark, for instance.
    The following day, after her Saturday morning chores were out of the way, Trixie phoned Honey to see what her plans were.
    ”I’m simply too exhausted to even think about the rest of today,” Honey said. ”Regan has me and Jim exercising the horses every spare minute, since you and your brothers are—ahem—too busy to ride these days.”
    ”I know,” Trixie said sorrowfully. ”But, listen —since the horses have already been exercised, how about taking a bike ride with me?”
    ”This sounds like you have something besides a mere ride in mind.”
    ”Sort of,” admitted Trixie. ”I want to go down to Killifish Point again, to hunt up that shark.” To forestall complaints from Honey, she went on, ”Now, let me finish! I’ve decided I just have to report what I saw to someone, but to make people believe me, it would be best if I could report more than one sighting ol it. Otherwise they’ll just call me a crackpot.”
    ”They’ll call you worse things than that.”
    ”You didn’t have to agree so fast,” Trixie said pertly. ”Anyway, does that mean you’ll go with me?”
    ”I suppose so. But I have to be back late this afternoon. Mother and Dad are in a dither over a dinner party they’re having tonight. I have to be here to help welcome the guests.”
    ”Tell them to dither not—you’ll be the hostess with the mostest,” Trixie promised. ”I’ll meet you out on Glen Road in fifteen minutes.”

    An Indian summer weekend was in full swing, and it was a perfect day for a bike ride. The girls chattered back and forth as they rode, enjoying the stunning fall colors and the balmy air.
    The river, as they saw when they parked their bikes at Killifish Point, was as still as a mirror. Trixie scanned it anxiously for fins, which would have shown up clearly in the absence of significant waves. She didn’t see anything out of the ordinary so far. Once again she could feel possessive toward her river—a powerful, glittering presence in her life.
    It wasn’t until Trixie pulled Honey partway down the cliff that the girls came upon anything unexpected. There, almost hidden by bushes, was a motionless, blue-jeaned figure, sitting with legs crossed on a large rock overhanging the water.
    With a cry of recognition, Trixie scrambled toward the rock. Then she gasped in horror as the figure whirled around and staggered backward toward the river, teetering precariously close to the edge of the cliff.

Trapped! ● 7

    THEA VAN LOON recovered her balance almost immediately. Her alarmed expression remained as she turned to face the two girls.
    ”We’re terribly sorry,” said Honey. ”We didn’t mean to frighten you.”
    ”You should have posted signs so we would have known you were here,” Trixie teased.
    Thea got back into her crosslegged position and took a deep breath. ”Ah, but you know us temperamental writers. We don’t like to be disturbed in our research.”
    Trixie failed to notice the implied hint. She plopped down near Thea and asked eagerly, ”Your new book—how’s it coming?”
    ”You certainly have a beautiful day for exploring,” Honey added politely.
    ”Yes, I’ve been down