"Home, at last," he thought gratefully, smiling at the thought
of his wife and sons waiting for him inside. It didn't take him long to
grab his luggage and briefcase from the seat of his employer's limo. "I'll
see you in the morning, Patrick."
"No, you won't," Patrick Lynch's eyes twinkled as he shook his head.
"Your wife is just like her mother, Mart. Somehow, I don't think either of
us will survive if we go into the office right after being away for a
week."
Mart grinned. "If you're sure, I won't argue."
"I'm sure," the older man smiled. "Robin and I may stop in at some
point this weekend, but if not, I'll see you in the office on Monday
morning."
"Sounds great," Mart replied, waving away Harrison's offers of
assistance as he carried his bags the few feet to his front door. Despite
the warm glow lighting the living room windows, he took great pains to be
quiet as he unlocked the door and went inside.
He wasted no time in setting his bags in the foyer and putting his coat
in the closet, then he snapped off the table lamps Diana had left burning
for him before he went up the stairs. Just as he expected, the three-month
old twins were sound asleep in the nursery. Only barely able to resist
waking them, he silently watched them for a moment, suddenly hating the
job that had taken him away from them for so long.
He then smiled ruefully, thinking of the paradox that thought had
created. As a junior in high school, he had joined with Gordon Halverson
to start a small internet-based business that had succeeded beyond their
wildest dreams. He had been a freshman in college when Lynch Enterprises
had made them a buy-out offer they couldn't refuse, including both
controlling interest in the subsidiary their company would become and
prestigious full-time positions on staff.
It had been a surprisingly easy decision to leave school; the classes
that he had thought would be so fascinating and helpful had instead proven
to be much more basic than what he and Gordon had taught themselves, and
with a job offer already on the table, the lack of degree wouldn't hurt
his career. He gave a contented sigh as he lightly stroked Brent's cheek.
If he hadn't taken that job offer, he would still be in college, probably
wondering where and how he would manage to get a job in the tightening job
market. He certainly wouldn't have gotten up the nerve to propose to Diana
the night of her high school graduation, and they definitely wouldn't
already be parents. He choked back the sudden lump in his throat as he
brushed Trent's cheek with a feather-light kiss. The necessity of the
occasional business trip was definitely worth having them all in his
life.
He left the nursery, reluctant to leave his sons, but eager to find his
wife. Before looking in on the twins, he had noticed that the light in the
study was on, and so he quickly walked the few steps down the hall. He
stopped in the doorway, the lump back in his throat as he marvelled at the
vision before him. The deep purple silky negligee she wore perfectly
accentuated the new curves he found so appealing, and he could smell the
faint scent of her lavender body spray. He smiled, reflecting that only
his Diana could look so beautiful and so uncomfortable at the same time.
Then again, he thought, she was the only woman he knew who could actually
fall sound asleep in a computer chair.
He walked over to wake her, barely glancing at the brightly colored
balls bouncing around the computer screen. She stirred as he touched her
bare shoulder and mere seconds passed before she jumped up and sprang into
his arms.
It was almost dawn when he awoke, slipping gingerly out of bed so as to
not disturb Diana. He was wide awake when he came out of the adjoining
bathroom, and instead of trying to go back to sleep, he silently peeked in
the nursery to check on the twins and then went into the study to check
his e-mail.
With a quick move of the mouse, the screensaver gave way to the browser
window Diana had left open. A silhouette image of a young woman with
shoulder-length red hair served as the backdrop for the title graphic
proudly proclaiming, "Lucy Radcliffe & Friends."
He chuckled, only mildly surprised to find a web page devoted to the
fictional sleuth the Bob-White girls had once, and apparently still,
adored. Curious to find out if the site was anything like the old bulletin
boards devoted to Cosmo McNaught that he had been known to spend hours on
as a teen, he clicked a few of the links, quickly finding both trivia
pages and the message board he had expected. It was the page of
fan-fiction stories that astonished him, and he blinked twice when he saw
the uppermost link in the section for newest additions: Lucy Radcliffe
and the Mystery at Magnolia Manor by PurplePrincess. He quickly
clicked on the link.
Disclaimer: These characters are not mine and I'm making no money
from them. Please let me know what you think - my email is purpleprincess@bwgs.org.
Mart stared at the very familiar address in disbelief, wondering why
Diana hadn't told him that she had found the web site, let alone started
writing. A soft cough from the doorway startled him, and he flushed as he
saw her standing there, suddenly realizing that she might think he was
purposely spying on her.
She raised her eyebrows as she looked at him. "Find something
interesting, Martin?"
"Very interesting," he replied honestly. "Di, why didn't you tell me
you're a published author?"
"I was going to tell you, Mart, honest." Her gaze faltered. "I just
wanted to make sure it was good before I showed it to you."
"Of course it's good!" he protested. "You wrote it!"
She smiled and crossed the room to sit on the desk beside him. "Have
you read it?"
"Just the disclaimer," he admitted. "I wasn't really sure it was yours
until I saw your email address."
"Would you read it?" she asked softly. "I know I was never really good
at English when I was in school, but I really tried to get it right."
"I'm sure you did," he told her, wishing yet again that she had more
confidence in herself. "And I'd like to read it, but only if you want me
to."
"I do," she told him, jumping as a wail came over the baby monitor. She
stood to her feet and grinned. "You read while I go become breakfast."
He smirked. "What can I say? My sons have good taste."
She shook her head, swatting at his arm as she passed. "And you
would know, wouldn't you?"
"Of course!" he called out after her, chuckling as he settled down to
read.
It was a day in early June when Tess called me, more excited than
I had seen her in quite a while, to ask if she and Marge could come over
to show me something. I agreed, and after quickly asking the
housekeeper, Ann, if it would be a problem, I extended the invitation to
include lunch.
The cousins arrived within minutes, and once again I marvelled at
how different two cousins could be. Even though they were the same age,
both eighteen like I am, Tess was much more feminine than Marge, and
since she was convinced that she needed to lose five pounds, she was
always deciding that she would go on a diet the next day. Marge is the
exact opposite. Slender and athletic, she's always more interested in
outdoorsy-type things than in traditional feminine pursuits. I suppose
I'm somewhere in between them, since I like both, but all three of us
love to find adventure.
Before we could even sit down to the table, Tess thrust an old,
yellowed envelope into my hands. "Remember that box of old letters and
photographs our Aunt Mathilda sent Mom? This was hidden in the middle of
a stack of old love letters Grandpa sent Grandma when they were
courting."
"This seems to be a lot older than that," I told her, carefully
opening the brittle paper. I quickly skimmed the contents of the faded
spidery writing, exclaiming in surprise, "Why, it
is!"
Mart chuckled inwardly. "Almost reminds me of our trip to Cobbett's
Island, except that letter was in an old book. Any minute now, they're
going to find directions that say, 'Half-way to the golden chain
tree.'"
"Isn't this thrilling, Lucy?" Tess gushed. "My great-aunt Agnes
actually still lives at Magnolia Manor, and she told Mom that she had
heard stories about the necklace, but never found out what happened to
it. Since she can't see very well, once she heard about the letter
turning up, she wants us all to come stay with her and try to find
it."
"It" being an heirloom ruby necklace. According to the letter, it
had been hidden somewhere on the grounds at Magnolia Manor, where a
branch of Tess and Marge's family had lived for several generations,
even since before the beginning of the Civil War.
"Honestly, Lucy," Marge explained in a slightly calmer manner,
lowering her voice as she shared a confidence, "she really
needs us to find it. There's not very much left in the estate
anymore, and even though I know she would hate to sell it, she could
really use the money."
He laughed out loud as he recalled his first trip to Cliveden and the
search for the emeralds hidden in the tunnel between Rosewood Hall and
Green Trees. His interest in the story grew as he remembered other events
from that trip, and he wondered how closely Di's fictional account would
match the true events.
"Oh, please say you'll come, Lucy!" Tess flushed slightly as she
added, "The boys have already started their jobs for the summer, but
maybe they'll be able to make it down for a weekend while we're
there."
"That would be nice," I admitted. Ted, Curt, and Dale were all
college students, currently working during their summer vacations.
Between Ted's classes and job, and my duties for the country, it wasn't
often that we had much time to spend together. This trip to Virginia
would already be like a vacation, although it wasn't unusual for Tess
and Marge to join me on unofficial investigations like this one in
between my official duties, and the possibility of a weekend in Ted's
company was a pleasant prospect. I knew that Tess and Marge were just as
eager to see Dale and Curt, too.
"Then you'll do it?" Marge asked, and I detected a glimmer of
eagerness in her eyes.
My mind was made up. "I will."
The trip to Virginia was uneventful, and it wasn't long before we
found ourselves situated in spacious rooms in the antebellum mansion.
Aunt Agnes, as she asked me to call her, proved to be a very gracious
host, even though her vision had grown worse than Tess and Marge had
imagined it to be. One of her neighbors, Miss Kate, had gotten into the
habit of checking on her every day, and confided to Marge that the
doctors had said an operation could possibly let Aunt Agnes see again,
but that insurance had refused to cover it. Knowing this, we grew even
more determined to find the lost rubies.
Mart smiled as he remembered the operation Mr. Carver had
needed and his elation at being able to walk for the first time since he
was a small child. He made a mental note to call the older man; it had
been far too long since he had last talked with him.
As helpful and courteous as Miss Kate seemed to be,
another of Aunt Agnes's neighbors proved to be the exact opposite. Neil
Jackson had recently bought Stately Oaks, which Aunt Agnes told us had
been built by the brother of the ancestor that had built Magnolia Manor,
and was trying to convince her to sell her estate as well.
There was something in his eagerness that worried me,
and Tess and Marge agreed. As soon as we could, we hurried out to the
cemetery that had been mentioned in the letter, since we had decided
that it would be a good place to start.
We had almost decided that we were on the wrong track
when Tess gave a sudden cry. Marge and I rushed into the mausoleum she
had been searching. We found her holding what looked like a small
trinket box.
"Hypers, Tess!" Marge exclaimed. "We thought you were
hurt!"
"I almost was," Tess admitted shakily. "I had to stand
on that bench to look up on that ledge, and my foot slid when I reached
farther than I should have. I almost fell, but look what I found!" She
handed the box to me. "Will you open this, Lucy? I can't seem to manage
it."
After a few minutes, I discovered the secret of the
lock. Remembering that it had belonged to their ancestors, I handed the
box to Marge so that she could be the first to look inside. She removed
first a silver locket that she asked Tess to open and a folded note that
she only glanced at before passing it to me.
Inwardly, I groaned when I looked closely at the note
and realized that it had been written in Latin, but it didn't take me
too long to translate the instructions to look behind a certain brick in
the secret passageway.
He grinned over the Latin note. Even though the only Latin
he could remember from the case was the phrase "Lux et Pax," he knew Diana
had always been impressed by the three years he had taken in high school.
He shook his head, remembering that she was the only reason he had taken
that third year.
Suddenly, though, his grin became a frown as he thought
about the locket Mr. Carver had given to Trixie. She had kept a picture of
Jim Frayne in it until they had broken up, at which point he assumed it
had gone into the same keepsake box as the identification bracelet he had
taken such pleasure in teasing her about. It had been several years,
though, since their break-up, and while Jim was happily dating Joeanne
Darnell, he couldn't remember the last time Trixie had actually gone out
on a date. It was true that she stayed busy with her classes and job, but
he knew that she couldn't be happy just going to school and baby-sitting.
He almost smiled remembering how proud of her he had been
when she had insisted on helping Sergeant Molinson with six-month old
Erica after Heather's death, but it had been over three years, and she was
still the one taking care of the child while the policeman worked. A brief
glimmer of a thought crossed his mind, but he dismissed it as quickly as
it came. He would admit that Trixie had done some foolish things in her
time, but there was absolutely no way that she would ever be
that foolish!
The three of us went back inside to ask Aunt Agnes
about the secret passage. To our surprise, she had never heard of a
secret passage at Magnolia Manor. Tess, on the verge of despair, quickly
left the room. Marge recognized the signs and followed her cousin up the
stairs. I spoke a few words of hope to Aunt Agnes, and then headed
outside to take a walk.
While it wasn't likely that she would have never heard
of such a passage if one existed, there was the possibility that no one
had wanted to risk having a visually impaired child find the passage and
possibly be injured.
Unless someone was looking for it, no one would have
ever noticed the significance of the fact that the windows on one side
of the house didn't quite line up with the windows on the other end. I
had a hunch that I was on to something, and so I quickly hurried back
inside.
Once I knew where to look, it wasn't very difficult to
find a panel that slightly stood out from the others on that wall. Years
had passed since it was last opened, and the opening mechanism was
rather rusty. Still, I managed to slide the panel open, and soon I had
an opening that I could easily fit through, and I hurried upstairs to
find Tess and Marge.
As tempting as it was to rush into the passage, none
of us wanted to risk being exposed to the dead air we were almost
certain to encounter. We quickly set up an electric fan to help the air
circulate, and by the time we felt confident enough to try it, we heard
a car pull into the driveway.
Taking care so that no one else would realize we found
the passage, Marge agreed to close the panel while Tess went to answer
the door. I waited only long enough to make sure that Marge would have
no problems getting the panel closed, then I rushed to the front porch.
I was just in time to see Tess fly down the steps into Dale's waiting
arms.
I shared a warm smile with Ted while he and Curt took
their duffel bags from the trunk. I waited patiently while they came up
onto the porch. To my own surprise, I soon found myself in Ted's strong
embrace, and I realized that the time was coming when I would have to
make my decision. That day would be soon, but it wasn't quite here yet,
and I discreetly held to his hand as Tess and I led them to the panel
Marge had only just managed to close.
While Marge and Curt shared a greeting only somewhat
less effusive than Tess and Dale's had been, I took the opportunity to
let Aunt Agnes know that our friends had arrived. Once the introductions
had all been made, Tess happened to glance at the clock, and realized
that it was well past time to start preparing dinner.
With all three of us girls helping, it wasn't long
before the seven of us sat down to eat. As we ate, we took the time to
tell the guys about everything that we had so far discovered. Once
dinner was over, Aunt Agnes insisted that she was capable of washing up
while we explored the secret passage.
It did us absolutely no good to argue with her, and so
we did as she wished. Marge and Curt were the first of us to go into the
passage, and it was a matter of some minutes before they returned with
the news of a long tunnel that could certainly be the one described in
the note.
Tess and Dale went next, and to our surprise, we soon
heard Tess scream. Before anyone could go after them, we heard their
rapid approach back through the tunnel. Tess was shaking when she
stepped back through the entryway. "There's a ghost down there!" she
exclaimed.
"The tunnel," Mart thought with a grin. He knew he
would never forget his and Diana's panic when it had seemed like
poltergeists were after them, and he would especially never forget the
stolen moments in that same tunnel before they had returned home.
Leaving Marge to comfort Tess, Ted and I hurried into
the tunnel. A faint tapping sound steadily grew louder as we went deeper
into the passage, and we eventually found ourselves at a dead end. At
some point in time, a portion of the tunnel had collapsed, and a pile of
rock and bricks formed a wall that effectively sealed off the rest of
the tunnel. It was from the other side of the barrier that we could hear
what seemed to be someone trying to break through the wall.
"Look!" I whispered to Ted. I pointed out a brick that
was missing the grime and dirt of a hundred years that covered the rest
of the wall. He instantly reached for his pocket-knife and pried the
brick loose.
My eyes widened as I saw a metal box set back in the
opening: a modern-day fire-proof lock box. Like lightening, I reached
for it, and grabbed Ted's hand as I pulled him towards the opening. We
would return to look for the hidden necklace, but I had a hunch that the
contents of the locked box would prove to be even more
valuable.
Once we were safely back in the house, Ted quickly
shut the panel, and I motioned for everyone to follow me into a room in
the middle of the house, a room that had no windows. Until I knew just
what was in the box, I would take no chances.
I took the time to retrieve my lock-pit kit from my
purse, but I wasted no time in unlocking the supposedly unbreakable
lock. My eyes widened when I saw what was inside. Somehow, I was holding
the top-secret classified plans that had been stolen from the Pentagon
the previous month. I automatically closed the lid, and quietly asked
Aunt Agnes if I could use the telephone.
Since the line was insecure, I spoke in code to my
superior at the U.G.A. He promised me he would send back-up immediately,
but informed me that it would be at least an hour before anyone could
possibly arrive.
The sound of a sudden crash from the direction of the
tunnel startled me, and I realized that not only was the thief actually
in the tunnel, but that he had also broken through the barrier that kept
him from his cache. Desperate for immediate back-up, I called
the local sheriff's office for assistance.
It was with misgivings that I left Tess, Marge, and
Aunt Agnes to guard the plans, but I hoped that Dale and Curt would be
able to protect them if the thief somehow found the entrance that led
into Magnolia Manor while Ted and I ran to meet the sheriff.
Until my superior arrived from the U.G.A.
headquarters, I had no authority to reveal my status as a secret agent,
and so I was thankful that Sheriff Barnes believed me when I told him
that the house at Stately Oaks needed to be surrounded immediately.
A team from the U.G.A. somehow managed to appear
within minutes, just in time to hear Dale and Curt yelling from inside
the house. We all ran inside, where we found them fighting off Aunt
Agnes's furious neighbor, Neil Jackson.
Agents quickly subdued the snarling man, and I gasped
when I realized just who he really was. His hair had been both cut into
a different style and dyed, and the beard and mustache were gone, but
there could be no doubt of his true identity. Wendell Webster, traitor
and Russian spy, was right there in the hallway of Magnolia
Manor.
My superior agent agreed, and astounded the sheriff
and his deputies by arresting the so-called upstanding citizen on behalf
of the United States Government. Once he was safely in custody, I
whispered to Aunt Agnes to hand over the box of papers to the
agent.
He slightly raised his eyebrows, but then smiled when
he realized what I was doing. Since I was technically off-duty and not
assigned to this case, if she was the one to actually turn in the
evidence, she would be eligible for the rather substantial reward
offered for information leading to Webster's arrest.
At the time, I didn't let her know that she would be
getting the money, but I knew that the U.G.A. would make sure that she
did get it. In the meantime, though, my own case was unsolved, and I was
anxious to head back into the tunnel.
We waited until all of the policemen and the rest of
the U.G.A. agents had gone, then Tess and Marge urged me to finish the
search for the rubies. My conscience stopped me, though, and I realized
that Tess and Marge should be the ones to actually make the discovery. I
translated the note once again, and made sure that the cousins knew
exactly where to find it.
Once again, I found myself waiting, but it was well
worth it when they reemerged from the tunnel smiling triumphantly. In
Tess's arms was an old metal box that was different only in size to the
one she had found in the mausoleum.
I showed her the secret of unlocking it, and we all
held our breath in anticipation as she finally lifted the lid. She
shared a glance with Tess and together they lifted out a beautiful ruby
necklace and pressed it into Aunt Agnes's trembling hands.
Ted took my hand, and we slipped outside, leaving the
family alone in their joy. He gently tilted my face up to look at him.
"I just wanted to tell you how proud I am of you, Lucy. You've done a
lot of good today."
I smiled, and deep inside I felt that feeling of
excitement I always feel when I finish a case. I wasn't ready to make my
decision yet, but I knew that whatever the future held in store, it
would definitely be an adventure.
"So? What do you think?" Diana asked, returning just as Mart
finished reading the story. "Did you like it?"
"Of course I did!" he assured her, pulling her down into his
lap. "But now I'm curious. What is this decision that she keeps talking
about?"
Diana smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "In
the last book of the series, Ted asked her to marry him when he finishes
college. If she does, she'll have to give up her secret agent status. We
all know that Ted will never ask her to give up her detective work,
because he's always so supportive. But Mr. Appleton always set the books
in a time when women didn't have careers after they were married, and so
the U.G.A. won't let her keep her secret agent status if she does."
"So what did she decide?" he asked.
She laughed. "Mr. Appleton never said. You should see all
the debates on the boards about what she should do! There are even some
people who do modernize her in their stories and let her do both."
"So what do you think she should do?"
"I have no idea," she confessed. "I do like the modern
fan-fiction, especially since I kind of compare Lucy to Trixie and
Honey."
"Speaking of comparisons," he said, his eyes twinkling.
"When did Sleepyside's most famous policemen become an infamous
traitor?"
"When I needed a name and couldn't think of another one,"
she giggled. "You have to admit that Wendell Webster makes a good name for
a spy." She suddenly sat up straight. "Oh!"
"Di? What's wrong?"
"Nothing...." She paused. "I hope. That just reminded me
that your Moms called before you got home last night. It seems she's
worried about Trixie, and wanted to know if I knew anything that was
bothering her."
"Do you?" Mart asked.
She shook her head. "No. It's just that she's quit her job
with Lieutenant Molinson, and no one knows why."
Even though it had only been just a few minutes since he had
told himself that she needed to, he found himself worried by the fact that
she actually had. "Have you talked to her?"
"Not yet," she admitted. "But I had an idea. I thought maybe
we could call and ask her to have dinner with us tonight. If something's
really wrong, I know you'll be able to find out."
He nodded. "Sounds good, baby." He held her tight for a
moment, then broke away. "There's just one more thing I need to do on the
computer, and then we'll decide what we want to do today."
With a swift kiss on his cheek, she stood up. "I'm going
take a shower while you finish up, and then I'm inviting you to take me
out for breakfast."
"An invitation I can't refuse," he grinned. He waited until
she had left the room, then clicked the back button on her browser. He
soon found the link that led to the message board and was pleased to see
that someone had already started a thread commending Diana on her story.
He quickly clicked the reply button, then began to type.
Wonderful story, PurplePrincess. I'm so proud of
you.
He flinched, realizing that while no one would recognize his
own handle, Diana would be thrilled if he signed his post with the alias
she had tried so hard to get him to choose. It wasn't easy, but he forced
himself to type the letters he devoutly hoped no one he knew would ever
see.
I've also infringed copyrights fourteen ways from Sunday.
I've broken with tradition and based Lucy Radcliffe on another
eighteen-year old detective with red hair (er, titian hair, anyway), so I
suppose I need to credit the Stratemeyer Syndicate for my thinly disguised
usage of Nancy Drew. Diana decided to send them on one of the mysteries
she helped solve, so I also need to credit The Mystery of the
Emeralds for supplying the basic plot of the Lucy story. I'm also
going to give homage to The Pet Show Mystery for inspiring Mart's
career path in this universe.
In keeping with the fact that Trixie mentions Lucy is a
secret agent, I decided that she works for the U.G.A. and then solves
mysteries with Tess and Marge in her time away from her duties as an
agent. Credit for the creation of the U.G.A. (which stands for Undisclosed
Government Agency) goes to Jeff Darlington and his comic, General Protection Fault.
And as always, thanks to Cyndi, not only for her usual
editing duties, but also for the background she graciously let me steal
from her. *g*
