The Mystery at Maypenny's

questions,” Trixie said. “How did David—I mean, Lawrence Howard—know about Mr. Maypenny? And where did he get the botulism toxin?”
    “I can answer both of those questions.” The real David Maypenny spoke for the first time, and everyone turned to look at him.
    “I’m a medical technician at a laboratory in New York City. Lawrence Howard worked there until about two months ago. I guess that’s how he kept going between his little schemes.
    “We were friendly for a while when he first started working there. We used to go out to dinner from time to time. He asked me a lot of questions about myself and my family, and I told him about my uncle.
    “We soon drifted apart. There was something about him I didn’t quite trust, and I was glad when he finally quit the lab.
    “I’ve been on vacation for the past couple of weeks. When I got back yesterday evening, I got a call from a friend of mine at the lab, telling me someone had broken in last week and stolen some of our botulism toxin. Then, a few hours later, the sergeant called me to ask if I knew Lawrence Howard. He told me about what had happened, and I put two and two together.”
    “Right,” Sergeant Molinson said. “Lawrence Howard confessed to the break-in at the lab as soon as I asked him about it. I guess he knows he’s in enough trouble already, without being uncooperative.”
    “As soon as I’d finished talking to Sergeant Molinson on the telephone, I got in my car and drove up here,” David Maypenny added. “I’ve been wanting to get in touch with my uncle for a long, long time, but I never dared. Hearing that he’d been willing to meet me—that is, to meet Lawrence Howard posing as me—gave me the courage I needed.”
    Mr. Maypenny smiled at his nephew and patted him on the shoulder. Watching, Trixie felt a lump in her throat. Mr. Maypenny had found his missing nephew after all. She had a feeling that this time he wouldn’t lose him.
    “Oh!” Trixie exclaimed. “John Score!” She turned to the young environmentalist. “Are you still under arrest, too?”
    Score shook his head. “It took some talking, but I finally made the sergeant believe that I was doing exactly what I said I was—looking for evidence against International Pine. He’s agreed to let me go, if I leave Sleepyside—really leave— today.”
    “And you’re going to?” Trixie asked.
    “I am,” Score replied. “I haven’t found anything that the government would accept as ecological damage. I have let Mr. Maypenny know that he doesn’t have to sell his land if he doesn’t want to. That’s about all I can do, I decided at last. The people of Sleepyside will have to make their own decision on the basis of the facts.”
    “No, they won’t,” Jim Frayne said softly. Trixie jumped, startled. She hadn’t heard him come into the office. Turning to look at him, she asked, “What are you talking about? What have you been up to? You look like the cat that swallowed the canary.”
    “I feel like one, too,” Jim told her. “Dad just dropped me off from our meeting with the town council and the president of International Pine.“
    “It’s good news, isn’t it?” Honey guessed. “Oh, Jim, tell us about it!”
    “Well, you know how upset Dad was when we got home last night,” Jim began. “He woke me up early this morning and told me he’d been up all night, thinking about what had happened. He said that the poisoned ducks, along with the Bob-Whites’ midnight escapade, had convinced him that the whole thing had gone too far. He would reach a solution this morning, he said.
    “He called the president of International Pine and the chairman of the town council and demanded that they meet with him. He wanted to work out a compromise.
    “At the meeting, he asked the president of International Pine if there was another piece of land he could use for the expansion—something closer to town, away from the preserve.
    “The president said no. He told Dad that, without the profits from the timber they’d be able to clear off the parcel of land they wanted, they couldn’t possibly afford to pay for land, a new building, and the equipment they needed. They’d have to build somewhere else, he said.“
    “That doesn’t sound like good news to me,” Trixie said glumly.
    “Just let me finish,” Jim said, trying to sound stern, although his green eyes were sparkling. “When Dad heard the president say ‘new building,’ he snapped his fingers and