The Mystery at Mead's Mountain

mountains against the sky. She took deep breaths of the cleansing mountain air.
    Gradually she became aware of voices and figures somewhere out in the woods around the lodge. The first voice she recognized immediately as Eric’s.
    “I just wish you had told me sooner, that’s all,” he was saying.
    “Hush, keep your voice down. Someone might hear,” replied a voice Trixie had never heard before.
    “I want to help. I want to do anything I can,” Eric was pleading.
    “Well, the money’s good, no need to worry about that. If you want to search the woods, you can.”
    “Of course I want to!” Eric answered, his voice raised a little.
    “Hush!”
    “Okay, okay!”
    “Just remember—stay away from the police,” the stranger warned. Then he added, “I’ll let you know how things are going.”
    Straining her eyes, Trixie saw one of the figures move out of the clump of woods and disappear around the corner of the lodge. She couldn’t make out what happened to the second figure.
    She’d been too intent on catching what was said to realize she’d been eavesdropping. Now that the conversation was over, she felt a twinge of guilt. Still, she thought excitedly, I’m onto something. And whatever it is, is causing someone to try to scare us away from the lodge. But what does it all mean?
    Long after Trixie returned to bed, the puzzling words of the two moonlit figures tumbled in her brain, until finally she fell into a troubled sleep.

Mr. Moonshine ● 9

    A DISTURBING DREAM jolted Trixie awake the next morning, and she was the first one up. Gently she nudged Honey awake and beckoned her into the living room. The cloudy, damp day prompted them to get a fire going, and soon they were huddling in front of the warmth, Trixie relating the conversation she’d overheard to Honey.
    “Trixie, how strange!” Honey bubbled over. “You’re right—something’s going on. But what?”
    “I’ve been up half the night, and I still don’t have any idea. But you know what? I think Eric’s our ghost.”
    Someone could have told him we’re detectives,” Honey reasoned. “He could be afraid we’ll discover what he’s really doing, so he’s trying to scare us away.”
    “Or maybe he’s playing these practical jokes to keep us occupied chasing a ghost, while he goes merrily on his way stealing watches and quarters and whatever else he can get,” Trixie conjectured.
    “You’ve got it, Trixie! Eric and the guy he was talking with are part of a burglary ring!”
    “ ‘The money’s good’ could mean that they’ll make a lot of money doing it,” said Trixie with growing confidence. But what about the ‘search the woods’ part?”
    “Jeepers, I don’t have any idea. That part’s really mystifying.”
    “Listen,” urged Trixie, “let’s go back and explore that cabin we saw in the woods, I didn’t mention this before, but I’m pretty sure I saw smoke coming out the chimney, and, you know, even Mart said something about the cabin’s being a perfect hiding place.” “But Eric said it was rotten and abandoned,” Honey objected.
    “That’s exactly why I want to explore it! After what I heard last night, I’m not going to trust what Eric says for a minute. Come on, let’s wake up the others. I want to get to that cabin as soon as possible.”
    Much to their surprise and delight, the Bob-Whites found it easier to make the climb through the woods above the chair lift that morning. They showed better control of their skis, and their muscles were getting accustomed to the rigors of mountain sports. The day was turning out to be another perfect sunny one. Trixie waited until they were all resting at the top of the ridge before announcing her intention to go back to the cabin.
    “No way,” said Brian sternly. “Mr. Wheeler hired us to explore all the area around here, not to try to solve some mystery.”
    “Explore the area—that’s just what I want to do, Brian. Only I want to explore over there,” said Trixie, pointing down the hidden trail. Although she felt she just had to investigate that cabin, she knew Brian was right about their responsibility to Mr. Wheeler. They did have a job to do, and they’d given their word to Mr. Wheeler that they would do a good one, too.
    Tactful Honey came up with a solution. “Why don’t we split up, and Trixie and I go back to the cabin, while the rest of you explore in another direction?” she suggested. “We have to make the best use of our week here,