The Mystery of the Castaway Children

impulse, while Honey was more apt to reason. With Sergeant Molinson actually allowing them to work with him, even just for the evening, they really ought to make the best impression. “You go first,” urged Trixie.
    Honey’s pretty face flushed with earnestness. “I think, for the safety of both children, we can’t ignore the possibility that the note is genuine. I—I don’t know why a ransom note would be sent after Davy had run away, but it does tell me that someone is watching this house. Somebody knows the boys are missing and—”
    “—and that person wants to take advantage of it. Is that what you’re saying?” the sergeant asked sharply.
    Honey’s skin was not as thick as Trixie’s. It obviously rattled her to be spoken to in that tone of voice, but she stood her ground bravely. “Yes, sir. I’m wondering what will happen to Davy when they discover that the baby has been found and returned home.”
    “And,” Trixie added quickly, “what if they decide to snatch Dodgy when they see he’s back here?”
    “What’ll we do?” Eileen Dodge gasped. Frantically her eyes darted from the baby to her husband, then to the sergeant, Trixie, and Honey.
    Again the sergeant paced, and again Trixie could hear the clock, as well as the hum of the refrigerator and a sound that might have been an electric fan in a bedroom. Trixie had the kind of mind that was receptive to what her five senses told her, and she had the ability to place bits and pieces of information into mental pigeonholes for further reference. Mart said she would never be a poet, but who cared? She was going to be a full-fledged detective one day! Now that she was technically doing police work, that day seemed to move into some middle ground between the future and the present.
    “We could take the baby back home with us,” Trixie suggested finally.
    The sergeant looked skeptical, then glanced at his wristwatch. The strain of his long day was beginning to show on his face. “I can’t think of a better solution at the moment. I think we’ve done all we can do tonight. Is that plan all right with you, Mr. and Mrs. Dodge?”
    “I won’t let him go!” Eileen Dodge declared. Tears seemed imminent.
    Hesitantly Honey spoke up. “Sergeant, would it be all right if Mrs. Dodge came with us, to help take care of Dodgy until the case is solved?” Eileen brightened. “I like that idea,” she admitted shyly.
    “The kidnappers, if they’re watching the house, won’t notice she and the baby are gone,” Honey said, “if they leave with us tonight, in the dark.”
    “Well,” Sergeant Molinson put in, “we’ll just have to take that chance, anyway. They may not be watching the house all that closely.”
    “And,” Trixie chimed in, “she would be right on the spot to help Honey and me with any clues we turn up in searching for Davy.”
    “You’re going to search for clues.” The sergeant did not ask a question; he made a statement of fact.
    “You asked Honey and me to work on this case, remember?” Trixie said hopefully.
    “I meant help me deliver the baby to his parents tonight,” the man said stiffly.
    Unexpectedly, David Dodge came to the girls' rescue. “Sergeant, it seems to me that Trixie and Honey could be very helpful. They’ve done so much for us already, and they’re obviously alert and intelligent. Besides, it’ll throw these kidnappers off the trail. It won’t occur to them that a couple of teen-agers are actually working hand in hand with the police department.”
    “You have a point,” decided the sergeant. “All right—Trixie and Honey, you may keep your eyes peeled for clues as to the whereabouts of Davy. However, under no circumstances are you allowed to search for the kidnappers, and we must assume that some type of kidnappers are involved here. Leave them to the police, you understand?”
    Trixie’s head was spinning from David’s compliments and the sergeant’s agreement, but Honey managed to stammer, “Y-Yes, sir!”
    David looked relieved and turned to his wife. “You keep in touch, now, dear, okay?”
    She bobbed her head up and down. “Just a minute, I’ll get changed and pack some clothes!” This time Eileen Dodge did not miss a step when she used the stairway.

The Missing Horseshoe • 7

    ONLY BOBBY HAD GONE to bed by the time the group reached Crabapple Farm. Di, Mart, Jim, Dan, and Brian were arguing amiably over a Monopoly game, while the senior Beldens were watching the news on