The Mysterious Visitor

all, officer, I’m in a hurry, so I’ll-"
    "Wait a minute," Mart interrupted. "This is not a joke, Spider. When I got that man’s confession on this tape, the trailer’s current was connected. To an outlet in the Lynches’ garage."
    "Never mind; never mind," Spider said. "I’ve heard enough of this nonsense." He tinned to the other policeman. "Take ’em all to headquarters, Molinson. Maybe the sergeant can find out what this is all about." He got on his motorcycle and drove off.
    Trixie stared after him hopelessly. And then she realized that Molinson was staring at her curiously. Trixie opened her mouth to explain why she was dressed so peculiarly, but before she could say a word he exclaimed, "Now I know who you are! Trixie Belden! You were one of the kids who helped us catch those big-time pickpockets last August."
    Trixie nodded. "Now I remember you, too, Mr. Molinson. And please, won’t you take us all to headquarters? This man is really a dangerous criminal."
    "Let’s go," Molinson said, taking Monty’s arm. "Come along, kids."

    Half an hour later they were all seated in a private room at the police station. Both the sergeant and the lieutenant were there, too. Trixie tried to tell them the story from the very beginning, but Monty kept interrupting, so nothing she said made much sense.
    "I never saw these kids before," he said for about the fourteenth time.
    "You’re beginning to sound like a broken record," the lieutenant said impatiently. He made a motion with his hand toward the door, and Molinson tapped Monty on the shoulder, motioning him to leave.
    "Come along with me, sir," Molinson said politely. "We’ll wait outside at the desk."
    After they had gone, Trixie began again. For Tom’s sake as well as her own, she left out of the story her visit to Hawthorne Street. When she started to describe how she had sneaked into the trailer when it was parked in the Lynches’ garage and had gone through Monty’s pockets, she began to stammer. "W-Well, th-then," she finished, "I— I t-turned around and th-there he was with a g-gun pointed right at me."
    "A likely tale," the lieutenant said sarcastically and turned to Mart. "Okay, son. Plug your machine in that outlet over there. Let’s hear what that famous tape you keep mumbling about has to say."
    Molinson returned then and stood by the closed door. You could have heard a pin drop in the silence that elapsed while Mart obeyed the lieutenant’s orders. Trixie still had no idea how or when the tape recorder had got into the Robin, so she watched the spool turn without any hope that a sound would come from it.
    And then the stillness was broken by Monty’s voice. Trixie jumped, sure that he must be somewhere in the room, or that she was reliving that nightmare when he had caught her with the pistol permit.
    "Drop it!... Drop it. Can’t you see I’ve got a gun?"
    Another deafening silence, and then Trixie’s voice, so exactly like her own that everyone turned to look at her: "So, Mr. Britten, you are an impostor, after all."
    The tape spun out an evil chuckle, followed by Monty’s threatening voice: "You’re too smart for your own good, little girl. Since I’m going to tie your hands behind your back and gag you in a few minutes, I might as well—"
    "That’s enough," the lieutenant said. "For now, anyway." He gestured to Molinson. "The sergeant and I will cope with Mr. Britten. Will you be so kind as to cope with the Beldens?"
    "Gladly, sir," Molinson said, grinning. "Shall I dump them in the river, sir, take them home, or give them badges?"
    "All three, in that order," the lieutenant said sternly, but his eyes were twinkling.
    "Just leave me in the river," Trixie said mournfully. "When Moms sees me in these clothes at this horn of night—I mean morning—well, frankly, Lieutenant, I’d rather go to jail."
    "That’s just what I thought," he said. "The next time you try to capture an armed criminal single-handed, I hope that you will know enough at least to wear something on your feet."

Rewards for Everybody • 19

    ON SATURDAY MORNING the Bob-Whites met at the clubhouse. The Beldens hadn’t had much sleep, what with Trixie and Mart arriving after midnight in a patrol car, and the long explanations that were necessary. Bobby had slept through it all, but Brian had been awakened by his mother’s cry of surprise when she first caught sight of Trixie. Then, just as they were all going to bed, Mr. Lynch had called and had had a long talk