The Mystery at Mead's Mountain

a lot of shady characters,” he continued. “I try to run a good honest business to help people get a little money in times of need, but some of the folks I run into! The stories I could tell you—well, you’re too young to want to know anything about shady characters and crooks. I’m just glad your friend found her watch and that it wasn’t stolen by a Vermonter.”
    Finally he paused, and Trixie asked quickly, “What counterfeit money?”
    “Counterfeit money? Oh, yes... what the police were talking about. Apparently someone passed some pretty good counterfeit twenty-dollar bills in town the other day. The bank caught them later. The police are telling all of us merchants in town to keep an eye out for them. They’re supposed to be regular works of art, but the paper feels a little bit different from normal money. Maybe you’d better mention it to Pat O’Brien—isn’t he the one in charge of the ski lodge out there?”
    “Yes, he is,” answered Trixie. She thanked him, hung up, then told the others about the conversation. “And I already know who the counterfeiter is,” she finished.
    Mart got down on the floor and salaamed Trixie. “You’re clairvoyant!”
    Trixie pretended to kick at him. “Get up, silly. If you had half a brain, you’d have already figured out who the counterfeiter is, too.”
    “First you physically brutalize me,” Mart howled, “then you insult my mentality!”
    “You’re putting us on, Trix,” said Jim. “You must have supernatural powers if you know that already.”
    “Are you sure this isn’t another one of your famous hasty conclusions?” asked Brian.
    Even Honey and Di were looking doubtfully at her. “If I told you who it is, you’d all know I’m right,” Trixie retorted. “But since you’re being so awful, I won’t tell you a thing. All I’ll say is that I’ll have you convinced I’m right before the year’s out!”

Evidence! • 14

    AFTER BREAKFAST, the Bob-Whites asked Katie where Pat was, hoping he’d be outside so they could check his footprints.
    “Pat’s in the apartment working on the account books,” Katie told them. “It’s such a miserable day that he decided to stay inside and get the bookwork done. If you want to talk to him, I’m sure he’d love an interruption.”
    Trixie shook her head. “We, uh, were just wondering if the ski lift was going to be operating today.”
    “Not unless the weather gets better,” said Katie. “Then he might open it this afternoon. Listen, if you want something to do, I need a couple of gallons of ice cream made. We can store it outside until the party. And the decorating can be started anytime.” The boys went to the kitchen to make the ice cream, and the girls began hanging crepe paper streamers from the lobby ceiling. Di was unraveling the last roll of paper as Bert and Jack strolled into the lobby.
    “Hi, girls,” said Bert. “What’s the good word?”
    “Balloons,” Trixie called from the top of the step-ladder. “We were just about to blow some up. Want to help?”
    “Sure,” said Bert. He took a balloon from Honey, and between puffs, he asked, “Have you girls seen Pat? We wanted to ask him about the weather conditions.”
    “He’s doing some paper work,” said Honey.
    “It might clear up this afternoon,” added Trixie. “They’ll start the ski lift if it does. Vermonters sure know how to recover from snowstorms. Katie was expecting the roads to be okay by this afternoon, so she and Miss Trask could go shopping in town.”
    “Oh? Well, they’ve got that four-wheel-drive pickup truck,” Bert said. “It can go anywhere, snow or no snow.”
    “Say, how about singing some sea chanteys in the program tonight?” Trixie asked. “Or telling us about some of your adventures as merchant marines? We’d love to hear them.”
    “I don’t think you’d better count on us,” said Jack. “What Jack means,” said Bert, “is that we aren’t very good singers. But if you want, we could work a little something up. Okay, Jack?”
    “Well, sure, if you say so, Bert.”
    “I’m starved. I could use some lunch,” Bert declared.
    “We’ll see you this evening, girls.”
    By the time the Bob-Whites had eaten lunch, the snow had almost stopped and the wind had completely died down. Miss Trask and Katie left for town, and the Bob-Whites decided to go back to the suite to work on their notes for Mr. Wheeler.
    Trixie and Honey sat together on a couch in front of the