The Mystery of the Velvet Gown Page 3

  They arrived at Glen Road to find Eileen Darcy bent over Reddy, who was lying in the snow, trembling and whimpering softly.

  Bobby was sobbing hysterically. “I w-w-wanted to c-c-come with you, Trixie! An’—an’ so did R-R-Reddy! An’ now he’s d-d-dead!”

  Trixie knelt down and wrapped her arms around the terrified little boy. “Hush, Bobby. It’s okay. Reddy’s okay,” she crooned, looking questioningly at Brian.

  Brian was examining the Irish setter’s front leg, which was bent and bloody.

  “I think it’s just a broken leg,” he said, “but we’d better get him to the vet right away.”

  Brian removed his coat and gently wrapped it around the shaking dog. “He’s in shock,” Brian explained. “We’ve got to keep him warm. Trixie, you get in the backseat and guide him in. Mart, help me pick him up. Then you and Honey take Bobby home. Trixie will come to the vet’s with me.”

  Quickly, efficiently, everyone did as they were told. Miss Darcy stood there helplessly, wringing her hands and crying, “I didn’t even see him. I’m so sorry. I can’t....”

  “Please, Miss Darcy,” Brian said firmly. “I think he’s going to be all right. Do you think you could drive us? If not, I could drive.”

  Honey, often queasy at the sight of blood, held Bobby, trying to soothe him and quiet his cries: “He’s dead, and it’s my fault!”

  “He’s not dead, Bobby. Brian’s here now, and he’s going to take him to the doctor. Everything will be all right.” But Honey’s voice was shaky and unsure.

  Eileen Darcy handed Brian the car keys. He started the engine, carefully pulled the old car forward onto Glen Road, and headed east toward town and the veterinarian’s.

  In the backseat, Trixie held Reddy’s head gently in her lap, stroking him and softly whispering words of reassurance. But her heart was beating rapidly, and she kept thinking, Please, Reddy, you’ve got to be all right!

  Brian gripped the wheel firmly and drove in silence. Eileen Darcy, who had been frantically apologizing, was now strangely quiet. Finally, Trixie broke the silence.

  “What happened, Miss Darcy?” she asked quietly.

  There was a rush of words, as if the woman had been waiting for someone to confront her with the question. “Oh, Trixie, Brian, I’m so sorry! I—I was driving out to see Miss Trask. My father—”

  “We heard about your father,” Trixie interrupted gently, “and we’re sorry.”

  Eileen Darcy went on, speaking rapidly. “1 felt so helpless being in my rooms alone, and Miss Trask had offered to let me spend the night with her. Then, when I got the letter, I—”

  “What letter?” Trixie asked.

  “From—from a friend in England. She had seen my father recently, and she wrote that he was in good spirits, but that he missed me. And now—oh, I should never have left home!” she cried and buried her face in her hands.

  After several minutes, she cleared her throat and began again. “I suppose I should not have even attempted to drive out here tonight, but the snow had stopped, and the driving was quite all right. I’d just realized that I’d missed the turn for Manor House, when suddenly I hit an icy patch in the road, and your dog ran toward the car. I didn’t see him until it was too late. I tried to swerve and miss him, but.... I’m so sorry.” Her voice was shaking as she turned and spoke to Trixie. “How is he?”

  “He seems to have stopped trembling so much,” Trixie answered, “but his breathing is very heavy. It’ll be okay, Reddy,” she whispered to the Irish setter, stroking his silky fur. “We’re almost there.”

  Brian finally spoke. “I really do think it’s only a broken leg, but we’ll soon know.”

  “It’s a good thing you were there, Brian,” Trixie said. “He plans to be a doctor,” she added to Miss Darcy.

  “Here we are,” Brian said, pulling into Dr. Samet’s driveway.

  The old veterinarian had lived in the same large, white clapboard house for as long as Trixie could remember. He not only tended sick family pets, but also cattle, horses, and other large animals in the area. The first floor of his house was devoted to his practice, and he lived on the second floor. An additional room in the back of the house served as a shelter for stray animals that the doctor was always trying to find homes for.

  As soon as the car had stopped, Eileen Darcy jumped out and ran up the front steps of the doctor’s house to ring the bell. Trixie and Brian slowly and carefully maneuvered Reddy out of the backseat of the car.

  Miss Darcy pressed the bell again and again, until finally lights came on inside the house. The door was opened by the doctor, who was dressed in pajamas and a robe. His dark gray hair was rumpled, and he looked as if he had been awakened from a deep sleep.

  “Yes?” he asked, not recognizing the young teacher.

  “We’ve brought a dog. I—I hit him accidentally,” Miss Darcy stammered as Trixie and Brian carefully carried Reddy up the front steps.

  “Trixie! Brian!” Dr. Samet exclaimed. “And Reddy, isn’t it? Bring him in, bring him in.” The doctor opened the door wider and motioned them toward one of the examining rooms.

  Trixie and Brian laid Reddy gently on the clean white table. Dr. Samet spoke soothing words to the frightened dog as he began examining his leg.

  “Hold him still, Brian,” Dr. Samet instructed, “while I clean this leg. Trixie, you pet him and keep talking to him. This is going to hurt him a bit.”

  The doctor worked quietly for a while. Finally he said, “It’s a pretty bad break—two breaks, actually, but they’re confined to this bone. No damage to his rib cage, which is good. He’ll have to be in a cast for several weeks. I’d like to keep him here for a few days to watch him and to make sure that he stays off this leg. I remember he was a pretty frisky pup. I’ll set his leg and then give him something to help him sleep. He’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

  Tears filled Trixie’s eyes, and she bent down and gently hugged Reddy. “Oh, Reddy,” she murmured.

  Eileen Darcy and Brian breathed sighs of relief.

  “Hey, Trix, none of that,” Brian said gently as tears slid down her cheeks. “Everything’s all right.”

  “I know,” Trixie said. “It’s just that I was so worried, and now I’m so happy. If anything ever happened to Reddy, Bobby would....”

  “And so would several other Beldens—me included,” Brian told her. “Now, wipe away those tears, and we’ll let Dr. Samet set Reddy’s leg.”

  Brian assisted the doctor as he wrapped and set the broken leg. Soon they were finished, and Reddy was resting quietly.

  “I have a dog bed in the back room, where he can sleep tonight,” Dr. Samet said. “Brian, help me carry him. Come along,” he added to Trixie and Miss Darcy. “I have some other little visitors I’d like you to meet.”

  “Could I call home first?” Trixie asked. “I’m sure they’re all worried to death.”

  “Of course you can,” Dr. Samet answered. “The phone’s in my office.”

  Trixie dialed the number. The phone was picked up by her mother before it had finished ringing once.

  Mrs. Belden breathed a sigh of relief as Trixie finished giving the doctor’s report. “We haven’t been able to get Bobby to calm down since Honey and Mart brought him home,” she said. “I’ll put him on, and you can tell him that Reddy will be okay.”

  Trixie reassured the still-sobbing Bobby, and then promised him that they would come to visit Reddy in the “hopsital” tomorrow. He had finally stopped crying by the time Trixie hung up.

  Trixie made her way to the back room, where she found Brian, Dr. Samet, and Miss Darcy holding soft little kittens.

  “Oh, they’re adorable!” Trixie exclaimed as Dr. Samet handed her one of the black, fuzzy little balls.

  “Don Morrison found this litter in the basement of his hardware store,” Dr. Samet explained.

  “The mother must have climbed in through one of the cellar windows. Then she either abandoned the kittens or went in search of food and could
n’t get back in. Don looked for her for a while, and even left one of the windows open for a few days, but she never returned. They were too young to survive on their own, so he brought them here, and I’ve been playing nursemaid ever since. They’re old enough to be on their own now, and I’m looking for good homes for them. Do you know of anyone who would like a kitten?” Dr. Samet asked.

  “Brian, do you think—” Trixie began.

  Brian looked doubtful. “I know exactly what you’re thinking, Trixie, and I think you’d better clear it with Moms first. Also, we should wait until Reddy is settled at home again, or I’m afraid he’ll think his spot as Number One Family Pet has been usurped.”

  “I suppose you’re right,” Trixie sighed. “This little guy is so cute, though. His nose is so tiny and pink; it looks like an eraser!”

  “So it does,” Miss Darcy laughed. “Actually, Dr. Samet, I was thinking about getting a pet. I was considering a watchdog, because I live alone, but a watch kitten would be cozier.”

  “You’d never have to worry about mice,” Dr. Samet said, “but that’s about as ferocious as any of these little rascals will ever get. Which one would you like?”

  “I’d like the one I’m holding,” Eileen Darcy answered, burying her face in the kitten’s soft fur. Then she smiled at Dr. Samet. “And I think I’ll name him after his ‘nanny’ and call him Sam.”

  “Sam it is, then, Miss...?” The doctor ended on a questioning note.

  “My goodness!” Trixie exclaimed. “We never even introduced you!”

  “There were more important things to worry about when we first arrived, Trixie,” Miss Darcy said kindly. Then she turned to the doctor and introduced herself.

  “So you’re the new drama teacher. I’ve heard about you,” Dr. Samet said. “My niece, Jane Morgan, stops by every day and helps me feed the strays I pick up, and she was telling me about the production you’re putting on.”

  “Jane Morgan is your niece?” Trixie exclaimed. “Why, yes,” Dr. Samet chuckled. “Is that so strange, Trixie, or aren’t veterinarians supposed to have relatives? I’m not related to horses, you know,” he teased. “My younger sister, Mary, is Jane’s mother.”

  “I’m sorry, Dr. Samet,” Trixie stammered. “I just never knew—”

  “You’ll have to excuse Trixie, Dr. Samet,” Brian interrupted. “If she hasn’t heard about something, then it must be something surprising or totally unimportant or mysterious.” He nudged Trixie teasingly.

  “Ah, yes, Trixie. I’ve heard that you seem to have a nose for mystery,” the doctor said, not without admiration.

  “Stronger than the best bloodhound you’ve ever seen,” Brian chuckled.

  “It’s reassuring to know that Sleepyside has its own resident sleuth,” Dr. Samet said.

  Trixie blushed as she handed the little kitten back to Dr. Samet.

  “Would you like to take your kitten with you now, Miss Darcy?” Dr. Samet tactfully turned the attention away from Trixie, sensing that she was embarrassed.

  “I’d rather pick him up tomorrow,” Eileen Darcy answered, “if that would be all right with you, Doctor. Then I could check up on how Reddy is doing, too.”

  “No problem. Just stop by anytime tomorrow afternoon.”

  Trixie and Brian tiptoed into the next room to check on Reddy and found him sleeping peacefully. Then Dr. Samet walked the trio to the door. They all thanked him repeatedly for his help as they bid the doctor good-night.

  “He’s a great guy—and a great veterinarian,” Brian said as they headed toward the car.

  “He certainly is,” Miss Darcy agreed, taking the car keys that Brian handed her. “Thank you so much for driving, Brian.” She smiled at him gratefully. “I’m quite recovered now, I think.” The trio climbed into the car. “I can’t tell you how bad I feel about Reddy,” Eileen Darcy said, starting the engine. “I’d like to apologize to your parents and to your little brother. I hope he isn’t still so awfully upset. I’m sure the whole incident has given him quite a fright.”

  “I talked to him on the phone,” Trixie said, “and he calmed down after hearing that Reddy was going to be all right.”

  They drove the rest of the way to Crabapple Farm in silence. Miss Darcy drove slowly, overly attentive to her driving.

  Trixie, in the backseat again, was dying to ask about the young teacher’s father and the kidnapping, now that her mind was more at ease about Reddy. But she restrained herself, not wanting to upset Miss Darcy any more that evening.

  When they finally reached Crabapple Farm, Mr. and Mrs. Belden, Mart, Honey, and Bobby were all anxiously waiting for them.

  Brian introduced Miss Darcy, who immediately began apologizing for the accident. She insisted upon paying all the veterinarian bills.

  “You’re a bad lady!” Bobby cried, glaring at Eileen Darcy.

  “Bobby!” Peter Belden said sharply. “We talked about this earlier, remember? It was an accident. ” He continued more gently. “You know that you should have gone to bed when you were told to, and you should not have taken Reddy out the way you did. I think you’ve learned your lesson tonight—the hard way. Now, young man, you owe Miss Darcy an apology.”

  Bobby’s lower lip trembled as Miss Darcy stooped down to meet him at eye level. “Bobby,” she explained slowly, “it was an accident, and I’m sorry—very, very sorry. But sometimes things happen that we can’t possibly know will happen. Dr. Samet says that Reddy will be all right and that he can come home in a couple of days. I hope we can still be friends,” she said, extending her right hand.

  Bobby stared at her for several moments and then finally nodded and shook her hand. “I’m sorry, too,” he said in a small voice.

  “Thank you, Bobby,” Eileen Darcy said sincerely.

  “Trixie, will you please take Bobby up to bed now?” Helen Belden asked.

  “I should be going,” Miss Darcy said. “I’ll take Honey home and spend the night there.”

  “Miss Trask is waiting for us,” Honey said. “I called her and told her what happened.”

  The Beldens bid Honey and Miss Darcy goodnight and watched as they drove away.

  “Whew! This certainly has been an eventful evening,” Mart said, sighing.

  “Yes, and it’s time for everyone to get to bed,” Mr. Belden added.

  Upstairs, Trixie tucked Bobby into bed, assuring him that Reddy was sound asleep and that his leg wasn’t “hurting awfully.” She was exhausted, but she sat with him until he went to sleep, which didn’t take the overtired little boy very long. Poor kid, Trixie thought, kissing his cheek. This must have been one of the roughest nights of his life. Maybe of mine, too. She sighed and headed for her own room.

  Tired as she was, she couldn’t help going over the evening’s events while she was undressing. She frowned, wondering why Miss Darcy had decided to drive all the way out there on such a snowy night, especially when she had already told Miss Trask she wasn’t coming. And that letter, Trixie thought. Who gets mail that late in the evening?

  Then she sighed wearily and climbed into bed. Stop asking yourself all those questions, Trixie reprimanded herself, or you’ll never get to sleep. And maybe you’re just being nosy, she thought, cringing at the memory of Jane Morgan’s words. But still....

  First Rehearsal ● 4

  ALL THE BELDENS had a difficult time believing that morning had come so soon when their alarms sounded at 7:00 A.M.—all, that is, except Bobby. Mr. Belden, who woke up early to start the morning coffee, found Bobby in the kitchen packing Reddy’s toys and dog food in a small suitcase.

  “What are you doing?” Peter Belden asked sleepily.

  “I’m getting ready to visit Reddy in the hopsital. He needs his food and his ball and his....”

  “Hold on there, young man!” Mr. Belden laughed. “Reddy’s in the hospital to rest, and Dr. Samet has food there for him. Besides, you have to go to school first. Then your mother will take you to visit Reddy.”

  “But, Daddy…”


  “No buts, ands, or anything. Now go get ready for school,” Mr. Belden said, smiling at his youngest son.

  “Aw, shucks,” Bobby mumbled to himself and slowly started up the stairs. “What if Reddy forgets all about me?” he called over his shoulder.

  “Who could forget you, half-pint?” Mart called down the stairs. “Especially when you’re making such a racket so early in the morning!” Soon all the Beldens were up and seated at the breakfast table. “I’m going to call Dr. Samet before we leave for school, to check on Reddy,” Trixie said.

  “Can I talk to Reddy,” Bobby asked, “so I can tell him I’m coming to visit?”

  “I don’t think Reddy will be able to come to the phone,” Trixie chuckled, “but I’ll ask Dr. Samet to tell him.”

  “You’d better hurry up. You’re running behind this morning, and the bus will be here soon,” Mrs. Belden told her three eldest children. “In fact, soon is the wrong word—now is more appropriate,” she said, glancing out the window.

  Trixie, Brian, and Mart raced for their hats, coats, and gloves.

  “All these arctic accoutrements are so burdensome,” Mart complained, pulling on his boots.

  “Phone the vet from school, if you want to,” Mrs. Belden called after the trio as they raced to meet their bus. “And have a nice day!”

  Trixie collapsed on the seat across from Honey and Di, who both immediately asked about Reddy.

  “I told Di the whole story, of course,” Honey said.

  “I didn’t have time to call Dr. Samet this morning, but I’ll call him from school.” Trixie sat up straight suddenly. “Honey, I thought you and Jim would be riding to school with Miss Darcy. Didn’t she stay over last night?”

  “She got up very early this morning and drove back into town,” Honey answered. “Maybe she had to get some things ready for our first rehearsal.”

  “Don’t remind me,” Di groaned. “After I talked to you last night, Trixie, all I did was practice, practice, practice! I think I’m going to be saying ‘O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?’ in my sleep!”