The Mystery of the Midnight Marauder

as if she were walking in her sleep. Afterward, she discovered that she couldn’t remember much.
    She did remember hurrying with the rest of the Bob-Whites to the Manor House to awaken Celia. She remembered Jim gently breaking the news about the trailer, and she remembered Celia’s tears as she stood inside the Robin and saw the damage.
    Chairs had been overturned. Two lamps had been deliberately smashed, and cupboard doors stood wide open. In the little bedroom, drawers had been ransacked and their contents dumped on the floor.
    “It doesn’t make sense,” Trixie remembered Celia saying over and over again. “Why would anyone do such a thing?”
    Eventually it was found that the only things missing were three pieces of inexpensive costume jewelry, and ten dollars in cash that the Delanoys kept in a cookie jar.
    Trixie also remembered that Celia had insisted on wiping away the Midnight Marauder’s impudent message painted on the Robin’s side.
    Both Brian and Jim told the Wheelers’ maid that it was evidence. They said she shouldn’t touch anything until the police arrived in the morning.
    But Celia wouldn’t listen. She didn’t mind leaving the interior of the trailer for Sergeant Molinson to see, but the outside? Never!
    “If I leave it,” she said indignantly, “the black paint will dry, and then we’ll never get it off!”
    In the end, the Bob-Whites had run to fetch rags and turpentine. By the time they had finished, not a trace of black paint remained.
    When Brian had covered the broken window with a stout piece of board, the Robin’s exterior looked almost as good as new.
    Later, Trixie had a vague memory of wishing her brothers good-night and plodding back across the wet grass to Manor House. She vaguely remembered undressing and falling into bed in Honey’s room. She remembered nothing more for hours.
    When next she opened her eyes, a thin stream of sunshine was shining through the ruffled organdy curtains and a bird was singing outside the window.
    “My!” a brisk voice exclaimed. “So you’re awake at last! We were beginning to think you were going to sleep the whole day away.”
    Trixie turned her head and saw Miss Trask smiling down at her.
    Trixie sat bolt upright in bed. “Jeepers! Is it late? What time is it, anyway?” She turned her head and saw that the pillow beside her was empty. “Where’s Honey?”
    Miss Trask chuckled softly. “So many questions as soon as you’ve opened your eyes, Trixie? Yes, it’s late. It’s eleven o’clock. And Honey is downstairs waiting for you. Here.” She held out a tall, frosty glass of orange juice. “We thought you might like something to wake up by.”
    While Trixie sipped, Miss Trask explained that she and Regan had arrived home two hours ago. “The work crews have managed to fix the telephones,” she said, “and the roads leading into Sleepyside are now open.” In answer to Trixie’s questioning look, she added, “A couple of big trees were toppled in last night’s storm. They blocked the way, which is why Regan and I couldn’t get home last night. And when we tried to call—”
    Trixie nodded. “We guessed what had happened.” Miss Trask sighed. “We didn’t buy the horses we went to look at, either. It was a wasted trip. And we would have been even more worried than we were if we’d known about the damage to the Delanoys’ trailer. Honey and Jim have told us all * about this dreadful person calling himself the Midnight Marauder.”
    Trixie almost didn’t want to ask the next question, but she had to know the answer. “Have you called the police?”
    “Yes.” Miss Trask moved briskly to the door, where she paused with her hand on the knob. “Sergeant Molinson has already been here. He asked us all quite a few questions.”
    “And Mart?” Trixie asked. “Did he question Mart, too?”
    Miss Trask nodded. “He questioned everyone, Trixie. I expect he’ll want to see you later, too.“
    “Has he gone?” Trixie asked.
    “I believe so,” Miss Trask answered. “I believe also that the boys have taken him to a certain shed in the woods.” She frowned. “I’m not sure what they expect to find inside it.”
    “Meat,” Trixie said and explained about the hidden hamburger.
    “I see,” Miss Trask said thoughtfully.
    After she’d gone, Trixie sat thinking about all that had happened the previous day. So much of it simply didn’t make sense. Who had vandalized the school and Wimpy’s—and why? Who had