Part Four
He Said
Leaving Corbin behind, with the passengers having swapped vehicles once more, Jim’s keen sense of direction set them straight and they were soon headed south-west. The radio began to play an upbeat tune, which was apparently a popular choice with his girlfriend. He smiled as Trixie turned up the volume and bopped in her seat to the song, singing along slightly off-key. In the rear-vision mirror, he saw Brian shake his head in resignation.
“Is it very far to where we’re staying?” Brian asked, raising his voice above his sister’s singing.
In response, Trixie tossed him the map, while Jim answered, “Not far now. About twenty miles, I think.”
As Brian sank back in his seat, Jim shared a smile with Trixie. Even before the mystery had presented itself, he knew that Trixie had been looking forward to this part of the trip. She loved being in the wilderness and she loved being with her friends. The promise of a mystery must have made this trip perfect in her eyes. He glanced at her in affection, before returning his eyes to the road. In spite of her bad singing, this was a very pleasant part of the journey.
Before long, they arrived at Cumberland Falls State Resort Park, checked in and made their way to the cottage they had booked for their stay. The accommodation here had been part of Mr. Wheeler’s graduation present to Honey. He would have gladly paid for two cottages, but the Bob-Whites had been unanimous in wanting to stay together. As Jim looked around the spacious little building, he was glad that his sister had insisted. There was no telling what mischief the girls would get up to in a cottage of their own.
Their belongings stowed in their rooms, the group gathered in the living room to discuss the plan for the rest of the day. To begin with, several of the group thought they would like to walk around and spy out the land.
“I’m starving,” Mart announced, amidst a chorus of groans and giggles. “I vote we get something to eat before we even think of exploring the area.”
Honey gave his arm a pat. “How about we pack a picnic dinner?” she suggested. “There’s a picnic table marked over here on the map. I guess it might have a nice view of the river. Would that satisfy everyone?”
“That sounds great,” Di agreed quickly. “Mart and Honey, could you help me in the kitchen?”
They readily agreed. Honey added, “Let’s pack light and walk there. It doesn’t look that far away and I think we’ve all spent too much time in the cars already.”
Jim saw Brian open his mouth to object, and quickly shook his head to silence him. It might be further than it appeared on the map, but Jim felt sure it would do them all good to go for a long walk.
Half an hour later, they set out. A breeze shifted the branches overhead as they walked, though the day was still hot and rather sticky. It was not long before some of them began to regret their choice to walk. Jim did not mind, however. He was walking with Trixie, holding her hand and enjoying the chance to be outside.
“Have you seen that man following us?” she asked softly, breaking into his pleasant meditations.
With a hint of a frown, he asked her why she thought that he was.
She laughed, and his heart skipped a beat. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s the way he furtively ducks in and out of the bushes? And the fact that I think he’s the same man I saw looking at us in Corbin.”
Casually, Jim glanced in the direction indicated. He quickly saw the man, a thin figure with close-cropped hair showing signs of beginning to go bald, dressed in a stained T-shirt and grubby jeans. As he darted from one half-hidden place to the next, a large green tattoo became visible on his left arm. Trixie was right: there was something terribly suspicious about the way he tried to keep out of sight.
“So, what are you going to do about him?” Jim asked, looking down at her in concern.
To his relief, she shrugged. “I think I’ll let him think I don’t know he’s there,” she decided. “We’ll see if he does anything else.”
She Said
By the time they reached the picnic area, everyone was ready for a cool drink and a rest. They claimed a table and immediately began to set out their provisions. Once refreshed, Trixie decided that she was not ready to eat yet, but would rather take a look around first.
“Who’s coming with me?” she asked, to be met with several groans.
“You and Jim go,” Honey suggested, pushing the hair off her neck. “I’ve had enough walking for one day.”
Fairly soon, it was clear that Honey’s view was shared by most of the others, so Trixie and Jim went for their stroll alone. Stopping a short distance away, and fully masked by a band of greenery, Trixie smiled as Jim pulled her close and began to kiss her.
“I’m kind of glad we took this walk alone,” she admitted a short time later.
“Only kind of?” Jim queried, with pretended offence. Redoubling his efforts, he kissed her again until they were both breathless.
Watching his face, she could almost see the thought processes moving past. “You’re going to say that we should go back,” she guessed, grinning.
He nodded, looking slightly surprised. “I was,” he admitted. “It would be a good idea, I think, before we get too… hungry.”
She smiled as she replied. “Now that you come to mention it, I am feeling rather… hungry.”
His eyes closed and he leaned down to drop a kiss on her forehead. “Don’t tempt me, Trixie,” he whispered. “I’m having enough trouble waiting as it is.”
Nodding, she stepped away and took his hand. “Then, let’s get back and get something to eat.” In the distance, thunder grumbled. “Maybe we’ll get a storm tonight. I guess we’d better eat quickly, before we get drenched.”
She led the way back to the place they had left the others. As they passed a thick clump of bushes only a few feet from their table, something caught Trixie’s eye and she stooped to retrieve it.
“Look at this!” she cried, holding up the scrap of paper. As the others gathered round, she added, “This is some kind of weird coincidence.”
“What do you mean?” Honey asked, screwing up her nose at the dirty, torn sheet. “You think it’s strange that we’re in the same place as a litterbug?”
Trixie giggled. “No, I think it’s strange that when we drove through Corbin looking for a store that met your high standards we stopped outside a strange, old house and then, here, twenty miles away, I find a piece of paper with its address written on it and these weird notations.”
“And you know it’s the same house how?” Brian queried, a sceptical frown on his face.
“Because I made a note of the address while we were there,” she replied, tossing her head. “I told you it was mysterious and this piece of paper proves it.”
“Let me see,” demanded Mart, pushing into the middle of the circle. He leaned over the paper, trying to read the messy writing. “It says, ‘Englefield curse. Keep her away. July 22, give or take a week. Do not fail.’ It’s rubbish, Trix. Throw it away.”
Snatching it from him before he could crumple it up, she pointed to something written on the other side: her own name. “Today’s the twentieth,” she added quietly. “That means, whatever’s happening at that house is happening soon.”
He Said
In the men’s bathroom of the cottage the next morning, Brian wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped out of the shower. He noted, with irritation, that he had not closed the door properly, let alone locked it. A pleasantly cool breeze was blowing through the narrow gap, so he decided not to fix it. Standing in front of the mirror, he started to shave.
“So, how’s the back?” Dan asked, opening the door quietly and catching Brian off guard.
“What? Oh, fine. Just fine. It’s nothing.”
“It doesn’t look nothing.” Dan’s voice was quiet, but Brian could see the speculative look on his face reflected in the mirror. “It looks like something I’ve seen before – from the days before I came to Sleepyside.”
Brian’s tone was dismissive. “Appearances can be deceptive. It’s all healed now; there’s nothing wrong with it.”
“You’re still taking that line.” It was not a question. “You don’t think your family and friends deserve to know.”
“It’s too late for that now,” Brian replied defensively. “And I’m fine. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“If you say so,” Dan muttered, running a hand over his own chin. “Just wait and see what happens when Trixie finds out you kept this from her.”
She Said
Over breakfast, the group debated about what to do for the day. Right from the start, it seemed that there was going to be a big difference of opinion.
“If we’re going to take that big hike in a couple of days,” Jim considered, “I think we should take one of the shorter trails today as a warm up.”
“Oh, no,” Di disagreed, while at the same time Trixie was struggling not to show her frustration at not being able to continue her investigation. “If I’m going on a hike, it’s only on one. There’s no such thing as a warm-up hike!”
Mart shook his head as he swallowed his mouthful. “Jim’s right. We’ve spent too much time just sitting around in the last few days. We need something active to do.”
“They have horses we could ride,” Honey pointed out, “and a swimming pool and tennis courts. It says in the information we got that we can check out equipment, so it doesn’t matter that we didn’t bring our own gear. I think I’d like a swim, though; it’s been so hot.”
Di sighed dramatically. “Exactly! All the more reason not to go on a hike. Let’s spend the day by the pool.”
“Maybe we could spend another day in Corbin,” Trixie suggested hopefully. “There’s plenty more to see there and we could walk around and get warmed up for the big hike at the same time.”
The idea was shot down at once. “We were just there,” Mart pointed out. “We’re staying here, so I think it would be better to do something here. I vote for rafting.”
“I think you have to book for that,” Honey replied dubiously. “And I thought we wanted something undemanding for today.”
“But involving at least some exercise,” Jim corrected.
Once more, Di sighed. “If we must. How about if we walk to the falls to make sure we know the way and won’t get lost in the dark tonight, then head for the pool?”
There was a long pause, while they all waited for someone to disagree. Finally, Jim confirmed the plan. “Let’s do that, then.”
He Said
That evening, the group set out for the falls, in the hope of seeing the moon’s light diffracted into a lunar rainbow. Their first night had been a write-off, with far too much cloud, but the intervening day had brought clearer skies. The full moon sailed above them as they made their way along the path and they talked and laughed together as they walked.
“I hope we’ll be able to see it tonight,” Honey mentioned to Mart, as they neared their destination. Overhead, a cloud drifted in front of the moon and cast them into deeper shadow.
“We may have to wait a little while,” he replied, giving her arm a squeeze. “I don’t mind that, though. I have a beautiful girl by my side, it’s a lovely evening; what more could I want?”
As he had hoped, the compliment made her smile. A few minutes later, they arrived at the falls and, true to Honey’s fear, there was no moonbow in sight. Trixie gave an elaborate sigh and turned to go back the way they had come.
“Well, that’s another write-off,” she muttered. “Let’s get going, gang.”
“Patience, sister dear,” Mart advised. “In ten minutes, that cloud will have passed.”
As Trixie grumbled about having to wait, the group began to disperse. Pulling Honey back into the shadows, Mart took the opportunity to get close to her, something which had been very difficult since the beginning of the trip. When the moon did eventually come out from behind the cloud, he was too preoccupied with kissing her to even notice. Finally, his sister’s excited voice intruded into his private world and they pulled apart.
“Look!” Trixie cried. “There it is!”
In a few moments, the group had regathered from their various distractions to watch the bright arc that shimmered in front of the falls. They were still watching when the next band of light cloud sailed over and the moonbow blinked into non-existence.
“Shall we go back now?” Jim asked, and received a consensus that they should.
“We should probably get an early night if we’re going to hike tomorrow,” Brian suggested. “That is, if we still intend to go.”
“Of course we’re going to hike,” Trixie countered. “We came here to hike. If you don’t want to hike, you can stay behind and the rest of us will go.”
“We came here to be together as a group,” her brother contradicted.
Mart groaned inwardly and let go of his girlfriend’s hand. “I don’t see any reason why we couldn’t split up, if some of us don’t want to hike.” As he spoke, he moved closer to his brother. “The trail that Trixie’s been talking about is pretty strenuous. That may not suit everyone.”
“All the more reason to get an early night,” Brian replied. “Or to choose a less challenging trail.”
Mart turned away from him, just in time to see Honey lose her footing in the darkness. She went down with a crash and a cry of pain. From her wince, and the way she rubbed her ankle, it was obvious that she was hurt.
In an instant, Mart was beside her. She gave him a watery smile and squeezed his hand as he leaned over her in concern. The balance shifted as Brian joined the pair. Mart noted with surprise the wary look that crossed Honey’s face and Brian’s hesitation before touching her.
“Where does it hurt?” he asked, in a soft, tentative voice.
A few minutes later, he had Honey on her feet and she was able to limp back to the cottage, while leaning heavily on Mart. They settled her in a chair, with her foot elevated. It was not until then that Mart noticed how pale she looked. The others hovered around, not quite knowing what to do next.
“Are you going to be able to go hiking tomorrow, Honey?” Trixie asked, in concern.
With a wince, her friend shook her head. “I doubt it.”
“We’ll have to cancel,” Brian decided.
“We will not!” Trixie countered, hotly. “There’s no reason why we can’t split up for just one day.”
“Fine, fine,” he answered with a frown. “I’ll stay behind. I didn’t really want to go anyway.”
There was a moment of confusion, as several of the group wondered how, exactly, they should respond. Di was the first to recover her composure. “I don’t want to hike, either. Honey, how about I stay with you? I’m sure we could find something to do that the others wouldn’t want to do anyway. You haven’t got a souvenir for Kentucky, yet, have you?”
“I’d like to stay,” Mart interjected. “If Honey’s staying, I don’t really want to go.”
“And, if Di’s staying,” Dan added, “I don’t want to, either. Maybe we should postpone the hike until the day after tomorrow.”
Honey looked uncertain. “I don’t know if I’ll want to do it then, either, so maybe it’s better for you all to go tomorrow. I’ll be fine by myself.”
This brought about a fresh round of offers, ending with the decision that Trixie and Jim would go on the hike alone. The problem was not completely solved, however, because now there was a concern over whether this was a wise thing to do.
“Maybe you shouldn’t go,” Brian suggested, a look of worry creasing his face. “If you have some kind of accident–”
“We’ll be fine!” Trixie cried, in exasperation. “Really. It’s a popular track. It’s not like we’ll be completely alone in the wilderness. There’ll probably be dozens of other hikers around.”
“Forget I said anything,” Brian snapped. “You’ll do what you want no matter what I say anyway.”
Mart looked after his brother in concern as he stalked outside into the darkness. Something told him that it would be a long time before things got better with Brian. The thought gave him the shivers.
She Said
Later that night, as the girls readied themselves for bed, the conversation turned to the events of the evening. Honey was sitting up in bed as the other two pottered about, wandering between the bathroom and bedroom. All three were in the bedroom when Di asked a question that brought a blush to Honey’s cheeks.
“So, what’s with you and Brian, now? I saw the way you looked when he touched your foot.”
Honey dropped her gaze. “I don’t know what you mean,” she insisted, unconvincingly. “He was just doing his usual thing, you know, just like he does when anyone gets hurt, and you can always rely on Brian to be there and examine them and see if they’re all right, or if they need a doctor, and of course that’s what he did, because that’s what he always does and why should it be any different if it’s me?”
Di dropped onto the bed next to her with a knowing nod. “See? I told you there’s something. You wouldn’t get so flustered if there wasn’t.”
“There’s not!” Honey cried. “Please don’t say there is! Sometimes I wish there never was in the first place, just so I wouldn’t have this awful situation now, with him still thinking there should be and me thinking there shouldn’t and Mart getting so… so … angry with him, and being in the middle of this awful fight all the time, when we all used to get along so well together. I wish it would all just stop!”
Trixie came by and gave her a hug. “I know,” she told her. “I wish Brian would stop being such a jerk, too. He’s really changed since he went away.”
Honey shook her head. “I don’t think so,” she said, slowly. “He always had those things in his personality – determination, persistence, loyalty – it’s just that they were always positive things before, and now we’re seeing the reverse side.”
“That’s not really what I meant,” Trixie admitted, with a sigh. “I mean, you’re right, and he was all those things before, too, but there’s something else as well. I know he saw things in Africa that he doesn’t want to talk about, but that’s not it, either. It’s like he’s shut himself off from the rest of the Bob-Whites and we can’t reach him any more.”
“I wonder if this will be the very last trip.” Di’s voice was quiet and thoughtful. “Maybe we won’t have another chance like this to be together.”
“Please don’t say that!” Honey cried. “I don’t want to even consider that we might not do this again. The Bob-Whites are the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I really don’t want it to be over!”
Both of her friends leaned over to give her a hug. “The Bob-Whites aren’t over,” Trixie promised. “Even if we don’t have another trip, we’ll always be best friends.”
“I hope so,” Honey agreed, with a watery smile. “I really hope you’re right.”
He Said
The next morning, the discussion on whether Jim and Trixie would be safe to hike alone was reopened, with another expression of concern from Brian.
“Are you sure you don’t want to put it off until tomorrow?” he asked, as the others were readying themselves for various other outings. “You could join one of the other groups and do something else today.”
Trixie rolled her eyes, but Jim replied civilly, “We both really want to do this hike. I don’t think it’s wise to put it off any longer. We don’t want to be tired when we have to drive long distances. Today is the best day for the hike and I think we’ll take the opportunity.”
“We’ll be just fine,” Trixie assured them. “Go. Have fun. We’ll meet up tonight for dinner, okay?”
“So long as you’re sure,” Brian queried, a worried frown on his face.
“Really,” Jim repeated, “we’ll be fine.” A few minutes later, he and Trixie were alone. “I thought they’d never leave,” Jim muttered, almost to himself.
Trixie laughed. “Trust big brother Brian to go all overprotective.” She pulled tight the laces of her right boot and tied a double bow. “Okay, I’m ready now. Let’s get moving.”
By following the path outside the cabin’s door, and using Jim’s good sense of direction, they soon connected with one of the main trails. Within minutes, they had left civilisation behind and found themselves in the midst of the wilderness. A little further on, they paused looking out over the river, and both breathed in deeply, revelling in the scent of the wild area.
“We should have brought a camera,” Trixie noted, with regret. “The others would have liked to see this, and it would have been a good contribution to the photo montage of the trip that Honey and Di are going to do.”
Jim smiled at her. “You think you could do it justice?” he asked. “And you wanted the extra weight on what’s going to be a long hike?”
She shook her head. “It’s their loss, I guess.” Meditative mood over, she turned back to the trail. “Let’s get moving.”
They walked in silence for some time, each enjoying their surroundings in their own way. After a while, the track emerged onto the edge of a sharp drop. Trixie stopped, staring out over treetops at the vast swathe of green below. Jim watched her admire the view, noting the way her chest moved with each breath and the shine of excitement in her eyes.
“The track must have been steeper than I thought,” she admitted, her breath coming in slightly uneven puffs. “I didn’t realise how high we’d climbed.”
All of a sudden, Trixie’s knees collapsed under her and she tumbled to the ground. Jim sprung forward, catching hold of her arms as she dangled over the edge of a long, steep incline that was studded with rocks.
“Trixie?” he called. He gripped her tightly but was unable to get enough purchase on the loose surface to pull her up. “Trix? Can you hear me?”
He was answered by an indistinct groan. Slowly, she seemed to return to herself. Her feet scrabbled ineffectually at the slope beneath them, before gaining a foothold. The reduction in pull gave Jim the chance to take a better position and he had soon pulled her back to the path.
His heart pounding so hard he could barely hear himself, he asked, “What just happened?”
Trixie was slow to respond. “I don’t really know. One minute I was fine, the next, I felt kind of dizzy and breathless, and my chest felt tight, like I couldn’t breathe properly – then everything went black. I guess I fainted.”
“Are you okay now?” he asked, gazing into her eyes with concern.
Nodding, she rose to her feet. “I feel just fine… but maybe we shouldn’t take this walk today.”
“I don’t think we should,” he agreed, taking her arm and turning her towards their starting-point. “I want to make sure–” He broke off as she clutched at her chest and swooned once more.
Continue to part 5