The Mystery off Old Telegraph Road

left.
    Trixie had expected to see Mr. Wheeler or Sergeant Molinson in the library, but the only people there besides Jim and Honey were Dan, Di—and Ben Riker.
    Jim greeted Trixie, Mart, and Brian and asked them to sit down. Trying to read his expression, Trixie saw that it was solemn but not grim. She relaxed a little bit.
    When everyone else was seated, it was Ben Riker, still standing, who spoke. “I asked Jim to call you and tell you to come over,” he began.
    “Today after school, Sergeant Molinson ordered me to come down to police headquarters for questioning. He told me that there had been some threats and some acts of vandalism that were apparently connected with the bikeathon, and that I was a suspect because of my actions at the art fair and the sign-up.”
    Ben paused for a moment, and the room was so quiet that Trixie could hear her own heart beat.
    Ben looked around the room at the Bob-Whites, then continued. “Being questioned by the police really shook me up. I think—I hope—it knocked some sense into me. I’ve always liked practical jokes —I still do. But if my pranks, and the people I hang around with, are going to get me into trouble with the law, they just aren’t worth it.
    “I spent a lot of time thinking, after I left the police station. At first, I was angry with all of you for reporting me to the police. It seemed ridiculous that you’d suspect me.
    “After I thought about it for a while, I realized that you were probably justified. I haven’t been a very good guest since I’ve been staying here. In fact, I haven’t been a very good person. I’m going to try to change that now. And, while I don’t expect you to forgive and forget right away, I hope you’ll give me a chance to prove myself to you. In time, I hope we can all be good friends.”
    As Ben paused again, Trixie found herself feeling confused. Ben was definitely apologizing to them. But was he confessing that he’d been behind the threats and vandalism? n
    As if he were reading her thoughts, Ben spoke again. “I do want you to know that I wasn’t in on any of the things that Sergeant Molinson told me about today. I don’t think any of my so-called pals were, either.
    “There’s one thing he didn’t mention that I was responsible for, and that’s the mess in the clubhouse the other day.”
    Trixie and Honey looked at Ben in surprise, and he grinned sheepishly. “After we got back from the baseball game that Sunday, I was feeling restless, so I wandered over to your clubhouse. I saw the arrows that Trixie had made, and I decided to do a few myself, just to kill some time.
    “After I’d been working awhile, I heard someone coming up to the clubhouse. I was afraid you’d be angry with me, and all I could think of was getting out of there without getting caught. I jumped up from the table, spilling the jar of paint, and got out through the window. I understand that Trixie took the blame for that, and I’m really sorry,” he finished contritely.
    Another silence followed as Ben looked at the faces of his cousin and her friends, his expression strained and anxious.
    Honey’s voice broke the silence. “You re still not telling the truth, Ben Riker,” she said sternly. Everyone looked at Honey in surprise. “I think you painted those arrows because you wanted to help out, not because you wanted to kill time.’ I think you’re a very nice person. Why don’t you confess’ to that?”
    Everyone laughed at Honey’s outburst, and Ben joined in the laughter, his face flushed with happy embarrassment. “I haven’t been a very nice person lately, Honey,” he told his cousin. “But I want to be one if you’ll give me a chance.”
    Mart rose and walked over to where Ben was standing. “We’ll give you all the chance you need,”, he promised. “After all, that’s what friends are for.” He extended his hand to Ben, who shook it gratefully.
    Brian walked over to Ben and slapped him on the back. “It took a lot of courage to tell us what you just did, face-to-face. We all respect that, Ben.”
    Trixie saw Honey staring at her nervously. She, too, stood up and extended her hand to Ben. “I’m sorry I haven’t been very friendly to you. No hard feelings?”
    “No hard feelings,” Ben agreed, taking her hand.
    Out of the comer of her eye, Trixie saw Honey smile as her best friend and her cousin took the first step toward friendship.
    There was a knock on the door, and Miss Trask reappeared, carrying