Author’s note:

In Part Three Jim talked to Honey about his love for Trixie. Honey learns that Jim’s scars from his past abuse at the hands of Jonesy go beneath his skin and on into his heart. She encourages him to not let Jonesy win by keeping him away from Trixie. She challenges him to prove to Trixie that he loves her. Desperate for advice, Jim drives to the cemetery where his father is buried. After pouring out his heart, Jim remembers some words of wisdom that his father gave him long ago. Part Three ended with Jim hopping in his Suburban and driving to… Hmmm? Where did he go? Hey, let’s find out….

Friday, October 8

Meanwhile, in California…

Trixie tucked her hand in the crook of Jack’s arm and leaned her head on his broad shoulder. “Thank you for another wonderful evening,” she sighed happily. “I really enjoyed that movie.”

Jack grinned and placed his hand over hers. “I’m glad you liked it.”

“No, no, no,” Trixie corrected quickly. “I didn’t like it. I loved it. I’m a big Ewan McGregor fan.”

He rolled his eyes and made a face. “I should’ve known. My sister’s a Ewan fan.”

“The sister with the daughter named Amanda?” she asked, with a face of her own.

“No, Amanda’s mom is my older sister, Cassie,” Jack explained. “My younger sister is Gail. She’s the one who read the Lucy Radcliffes. Gailie is the Ewan fan. When we were teenagers, she watched that stupid ‘Perplexing Existence’ movie so many times that she had it memorized.”

“Ohmigosh! That was my all-time favorite movie!” she squealed excitedly. “My friends and I watched it all the time.”

“So did Gailie and those airheads she hung around with,” Jack groaned. “I used to dread her little sleepover giggle-fests.”

Trixie laughed. “I’ll have to meet her sometime. I bet we’d be good friends.”

“I’m sure you would be. You have a lot in common,” he commented with a knowing smile. He paused and cast Trixie an impish grin. “Including your lousy taste in actors.”

She giggled and punched him in the arm. “Ha, ha.”

He rubbed his arm and pretended to wince in pain. “Seriously, you realize don’t you, that you’re going to owe me big? That’s the third chick flick in a row that we’ve seen. I’m due for a good blood and guts action movie.”

“One Cade ‘The Dragon’ Pesina movie coming up,” Trixie teased.

Jack waggled his eyebrows. “I’ll hold you to that. I never miss one of The Dragon’s movies.”

“I’ll tell you what,” she drawled, “how about we catch the Cade Pesina triple feature at the drive-in next Saturday? ‘Ignorant Vendetta’ and its sequels, ‘Ignorant Vengeance’ and ‘Ignorant Velocity: Bloodier Vengeance at Warp Speed’.”

A euphoric expression covered Jack’s face, as he leaned his head back and gave a loud caveman grunt. “Me like ‘Ignorant’ movies!”

“I wouldn’t want to deprive you of your monthly testosterone rations,” she said, snorting at his antics.

Jack turned and faced her, an auburn eyebrow quirked in query. “Are you calling me a sissy?”

“Not at all,” Trixie purred, tenderly stroking his chiseled jaw with the palm of her hand. “I just want to do all I can to keep you around, Mr. Palmer. If it means suffering through an ‘Ignorant’ movie, then so be it.”

His heart raced as he wrapped his arms around her waist. “You don’t have to worry about that, Detective,” he murmured huskily. “I’m not going to get rid of my special girl just because she makes me watch chick flicks.”

Immediately, he felt her stiffen. Her blue eyes, which had twinkled with mirth the minute before, suddenly lost their sparkle. Absentmindedly, she looked over his shoulder to the east. Her wistful gaze told him that her heart was thousands of miles away.

Be patient, Jack, he coached himself. She’s worth waiting for. Don’t pressure her. She’s been hurt. Just back off, and give her some space. She’ll eventually forget about him…

He tenderly tipped her chin upward to draw her attention to him. He stared longingly at her face until she at last made visual contact. Her china blue eyes widened in surprise, and he had to catch his breath at the fierce emotions this creature stirred in his heart. When he could speak, he whispered, “Did I say something wrong?”

Trixie’s lip quivered as she forced herself to return to the present. She attempted a bright smile and shook her head. “No, I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

“I don’t know,” he answered with a shrug. “You just seemed a million miles away there for a minute.”

“Sorry,” she replied sheepishly. “Something you said reminded me of… of something.”

He cringed as he once again felt the eerie, invisible presence. Attempting to dismiss it from his mind, he focused his attention on Trixie. “Anything you want to talk about?” he asked gently, releasing her from his embrace.

“Not really.” She reached to Jack’s side and shyly took his hand in hers. “We’d better hurry and get to my apartment. It looks like it’s going to rain.”

“Yeah, it does,” he answered, gazing at the ominous-looking clouds. He thought to himself that they accurately represented his thoughts. He truly cared for Trixie, but lately the invisible presence had been visiting more frequently, preventing them from becoming too serious about one another.

After several dates, he kept a mental list of things that made the “ghost” appear. After visiting the Botanical Gardens in the Los Angeles Zoo, he learned that she didn’t like orchids. While window-shopping in Westwood Village, he discovered that she didn’t care for silver bracelets. When they talked about work during one of their dates, he found out that calling her a “shamus” made her cry.

He studied her out the corner of his eye. His heart ached as he noticed her pensive expression. “I’d better get you home, Pretty Lady, before those showers come,” Jack remarked cheerfully, hoping his words would bring a smile to her face. “I wouldn’t want those sandy curls to get messed up.”

Trixie smiled, trying to solely focus on the handsome man in her presence. “Too late for that. My hair always needs a good combing.” The familiar phrase popped out before she could bite her tongue.

“I like it like that. I think it looks sexy. Makes me want to order one of those stripper-grams,” Jack commented in an off-hand manner. He grinned wickedly and waited for her response. He wasn’t disappointed.

Trixie stopped in her tracks and stomped her foot in fury. She placed one hand on her hip, and she jabbed him in the chest with the index finger of the other. “You listen to me, Jack Palmer: I don’t want to hear another word about that little incident.” She angrily crossed her arms.

Not able to contain his laughter, he chuckled merrily. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. But it was just so funny. Those guys really thought you were a stripper when you showed up at that bachelor party.”

Trixie smiled wryly. “Yeah. It was hilarious. So help me, if Brad Richardson doesn’t stay far, far away from me…”

“You don’t have to worry about Brad,” Jack replied. “I told Ralph that Brad asked you to help him with an investigation, and after you graciously agreed, he called his buddy and told him to expect ‘Trixie, PI’ to show up at his bachelor party. Those drunks honestly didn’t know that you were a real detective. And when you showed up in that long trench coat that covered up your dress…”

“They thought I was a stripper. Yeah, yeah,” she mumbled. “So what did Ralph do?”

“He suspended Brad, without pay, so you won’t have to worry about him anymore. I think he’s learned his lesson.”

“That’s good news,” she sighed in relief.

“There’s even more. I talked to Ralph today about a new case,” Jack commented, as they walked down the street that led to her apartment. “We did so well on that last assignment that he’s thinking about pairing us again.”

“How could we not do well on that assignment?” Trixie snorted in disbelief. “All we had to do was watch some guy and activate a beeper.”

“Well, apparently we impressed the government, because they’ve requested our services for another case,” he said. “This one’s guaranteed to be more involved.”

Strangely, the thought of a new exciting case didn’t affect her as it had in the past. Though she was living out her dream, she felt just as empty inside now as she had in Sleepyside. However, for Jack’s sake, she made an effort to appear interested. “Wow, that’s great.”

“The details are still being ironed out,” he explained, “but I’m sure we’ll be asked to help. And if this is as big as I think it is, we might even get to play with some high-tech toys. Hidden cameras in my tie tack, tiny transmitters disguised as your earrings, a writing pen that folds out into a gun…”

“Will you get to drive a cool James Bond car?” Trixie asked with a saucy grin.

“I don’t know,” he replied, scratching his chin thoughtfully. “I’ll have to request one.”

She giggled and snuggled closer to him. “Well, as intriguing as the fancy spy gadgets are, I’m more comfortable with my pistol that looks like a pistol. I don’t have to worry about it shooting like a pen.”

“Hey, that pen’s supposedly accurate,” Jack told her. “And I know that the other stuff works better than what we use. Our radios are fine for what we do, but in the world of espionage, they aren’t much better than two tin cans with a long string connecting them.”

Trixie rolled her eyes and gave a good hardy har har.

Undeterred by her lack of enthusiasm, he continued, “Pretend we’re in a CIA-type situation. We get separated and need to make contact. We’re in the forest, and there’s no cell phone signal. All radio waves are under surveillance, and our position mustn’t be compromised. What do we do?”

“Easy. We whistle.”

Jack chortled in disbelief. “Whistle? That’s not going to carry through the forest.”

“Oh, really?” She raised her brow, determined to meet his challenge. Licking her lips, she gave the club signal that she had used so frequently as a teen-ager. “Bob! Bob-White!” The shrill whistle echoed down the block over the noise of passing cars. She looked up at Jack with a satisfied grin.

Having no choice but to surrender, he threw his arms up with a hearty chuckle. “Okay, you win. That would definitely work. However, there’s one problem: I can’t whistle.”

Trixie stopped at the steps leading into her building’s entrance and gaped up at him in surprise. “You can’t whistle?”

“Aside from the ‘woo-woos’ directed to beautiful women, I’m afraid not,” he admitted with a rueful smile. “Bird calling has always been my downfall. When I was an Eagle Scout, the only badge I didn’t earn was the one for bird whistles.”

“Oh,” she replied as began climbing the steps.

“Does that lower your opinion of me?” he asked in a teasing tone.

“Of course not,” she nervously replied.

“Well, I’m sure I could learn, if I had a good teacher,” he informed her with an impish grin.

“Do you think so?” Trixie inquired, her eyebrows arched in exaggerated interest. “And would I be a good teacher?”

Jack’s copper-colored eyes twinkled merrily. “The best,” he assured her. “I’m sure my inability could be remedied with a little… exercising.”

“And what kind of… exercising would help you the most?” She leaned against the door of her apartment building and cast a sultry look in Jack’s direction.

He stepped closer and took Trixie in his arms. “This kind,” he murmured, lowering his mouth to hers. After their lips met, he ran his hands along her back. Trixie stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

Jack gently stoked her lips with the tip of his tongue, and she opened her mouth to deepen the kiss. He picked Trixie up off the ground and pressed her closer against him, never breaking the rhythm their tongues had created.

A clash of thunder startled them out of their spell. Breathlessly, they looked up in the sky as angry black clouds rolled overhead.

“Guess it’s time for me to go inside,” Trixie whispered as he lowered her feet to the ground.

“I’ll walk you upstairs to your door,” he replied huskily, tracing her cheekbone with his index finger.

“A very good idea,” Trixie replied, tossing her curls and smiling flirtatiously. “As your teacher, I think we should go over your… exercises again.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Jack grinned. At that moment, his attention fell upon a certain wayward ringlet that dangled enticingly upon her forehead. Something about that lone curl beckoned to him, and he reached out a hand to touch it.

“Don’t do that!” she snapped, jumping away from him.

Stunned, Jack pulled his hand away. Pain and confusion filled his eyes. “I’m sorry, Trixie. I just—”

“Please don’t tug my curls,” she interrupted, her voice trembling. “I don’t like it.”

Suddenly, the invisible presence joined them once again. A question nagged at him, and after gulping nervously, he asked it. “Why not?”

“Because someone else used to do it,” Trixie whispered as she stared at the ground, “and I don’t want to be reminded of him ever again.”

Jack nodded silently, deep in thought. Will we ever be rid of this guy? Or will I always be tripping over his shadow? Do I have to share her forever? And if so, can I live like that?

Another loud rumbling of thunder reminded them of the approaching rain. “We’d better go inside before we get caught in a storm,” he replied quietly, not meeting her glance. He expected her to open the door leading to the foyer of her building, but she looked up at him. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she chewed on her bottom lip.

“I’m so sorry, Jack,” she told him earnestly. “I don’t know what came over me… I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that…”

He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “It’s all right, sweetheart. I understand.”

“Do you forgive me?” she pleaded desperately. “Please say you’re not mad.”

Jack smiled sadly. “I’m not mad. I promise.” He leaned down and tenderly kissed her cheek.

Trixie threw her arms around him and buried her head in his shoulder. She frantically clutched his arm, almost like a child clinging to his parent’s neck after a nightmare.

He held this bit of heaven in his arms, relishing every second with her. He whispered assuring words in her ear, all the while hearing disparaging thoughts in his own mind. Deep in his heart, he knew this angel would never fully belong to him.

She already belonged to someone else.

Suddenly, the clouds opened, and the raindrops began their descent. As a large drop landed upon his cheek, he mused, I wonder if that’s heaven’s way of confirming my morbid thoughts?

Jack gently released her as the rain grew in intensity. “We’d better go upstairs,” he reminded her kindly.

Trixie nodded and opened the door to her apartment building. The trip up to the third story proved to be a quiet one. They attempted some small talk, but neither had much to say. As they neared her floor, Jack was overwhelmed by a sense of foreboding.

He glanced around warily as they finally reached the third level. “The building superintendent really needs to improve the lighting in these hallways,” he told her as they rounded the corner of the dimly lit passage.

“It’s not usually this bad,” she explained. “The supe went on vacation this week. Before he left, he changed a couple of lights in the hallway that had burned out, but he only had 40-watt bulbs. He thought it’d be better than nothing, but after he left, two more burned out, so now it’s really dark. But he’ll be back next week.”

“I worry about you coming home alone late at night,” Jack fretted. “It’s only you and your elderly neighbor on this floor. If someone attacked you, she would—”

He stopped in mid-sentence and put an arm out to hinder her progress. “Wait a second,” he whispered, peering down the corridor. “Who is that?”

Trixie looked up and squinted her eyes to better study the figure huddled in front of her door. It appeared to be a man who had fallen asleep. His legs were drawn in and his arms covered his head.

“I don’t know,” she answered softly. “I guess we’ll have to go find out.”

“Not we. Me. You stay here,” he ordered.

“Don’t you dare pull that Neanderthal bit, Jack Palmer!” Trixie argued. “I don’t need your protection. I’m a big girl, and can take care of myself…” Her words trailed off as she turned to face the stranger. Before she actually saw him, she felt his presence. Suddenly chilled, she hugged her arms close to her chest.

“I know you can defend yourself, but please let me go over there first,” Jack insisted, not noticing the change in her demeanor. “This guy’s probably harmless, but you never know. Judging from those dirty clothes, it’s most likely some bum that wandered in off the street. He might’ve heard a storm was coming, and came inside for shelter. I’ll go ask him to leave.”

Trixie clutched his hand. “Don’t go over there!” she pleaded. “I have a bad feeling about this. Let’s just leave, and maybe when we come back, he’ll be gone.”

The fear on Trixie’s face surprised him. “Are you afraid of this guy?”

“Of course not,” she answered, her confident tone obviously feigned. “It’s just that something about him makes me nervous.”

“Stay here. I’ll be right back.” The determined glint in his eyes told Trixie that this point wasn’t up for discussion.

Normally, she would’ve refused to remain on the sidelines. However, instead of insisting that she go along, she nodded and reluctantly released his hand. As she watched Jack approach the stranger, she rubbed the goose bumps that had risen on her arms.

He confidently strode down the dimly lit hallway until he stood over the sleeping figure. With the toe of his shoe, he gently nudged the man on his side. “Wake up, buddy. There’s a shelter down the road that’ll take you in for the night.”

The sleeping figure bolted awake. The arms that had been covering his head flew down to his side as he sat upright. With one freckled hand, he rubbed his bleary eyes, as he ran the other through his dark red hair. He looked up scornfully at the man who stood over him. As if he expected trouble, he rose to his full height and looked this stranger in the eye. Through narrowed emerald eyes, he snarled, “Who do you think you are?”

Surely, it can’t be… Jack thought as he studied the man standing in front of the door. He cast a glance over his shoulder and saw Trixie’s horrified expression. She appeared frozen in shock. Well, it must be, he admitted to himself grimly. Mr. Invisible Presence, in the flesh.

He gave the visitor a hesitant smile, and then stuck out his hand to declare a truce. As the dumbfounded redhead shook it, he replied, “You must be Jim. I can’t say that I’m surprised to see you.”

Jim Frayne’s green eyes blazed as he quickly withdrew his hand. “How do you know who I am? And why aren’t you surprised to see me? And by the way, who the—”

“I’m Jack Palmer,” he interrupted. “I recognized you from some of Trixie’s pictures. And I had a feeling you’d realize what you lost and come back for it.”

Recognizing the name immediately, Jim’s first instinct was to punch this guy in the nose, but at that moment he noticed Trixie waiting down the hall. Without another word to Jack, he attempted to go to her.

“Just a minute.” Jack placed a firm hand on Jim’s shoulder. “I’ll go and leave you two alone to talk in a moment, but first I need to have a few words with you.”

“We don’t have anything to talk about,” Jim spat angrily. He shook off Jack’s hand, but before he could take a step, Jack’s next words stopped him.

“She loves you,” Jack told him quietly so that Trixie couldn’t hear. Jim turned back around and waited for more details. His ginger brows lowered in curiosity as Jack continued. “You hurt her badly, but she still loves you. She hasn’t forgotten you.”

“What did she tell you?” Jim inquired in a low, threatening tone.

Jack shrugged. “She didn’t tell me anything, but I am a detective. My job is to find the clues and solve the mystery. And this case wasn’t too difficult. It wasn’t that hard to figure out why she got that wistful look in her eyes when she talked about home and the club you had as kids.”

“She talked about me?” Jim questioned, his eyes shining hopefully.

“Actually, she didn’t talk about you. Do you know that I heard about every single person in your club except for you?” Jack gave a wry chuckle. “And when I asked if the redheaded guy in the picture was Honey’s brother, I got that ‘cute little toss of her hair’ and ‘indignant sniff’ combo. You know the one?”

Jim smiled wistfully. Indeed, he knew the toss/sniff combo quite well.

“It didn’t take a professional investigator to figure out that she was in love with you,” Jack continued. “And since I’d fallen under her spell so easily, I figured that it would be only a matter of time until you came for her. And I was right. So I’ve decided to take the gentlemanly way out, and step aside.”

“You don’t owe me anything. Why would you do that for me?” Jim asked, skeptical of the other man’s intentions.

“I’m not doing it for you,” Jack answered solemnly. “I’m doing it for Trixie.”

“You aren’t going to stick around and fight?”

Jack cast a glance over his shoulder at Trixie. He sighed deeply as he studied her anxious face. Though his pride was hurting, he had to do what was best for her. “Nah, I’m a sore loser,” he replied with feigned cheerfulness. “Why fight when I already know you’ll win?

“I care about Trixie, and I want her to be happy,” he continued, with an almost indiscernible quiver in his chin. “Deep down, I know that I’m not the one she wants. I was only a substitute until the real thing showed up. And Jack Palmer is not the kind of guy who can be satisfied with just being a substitute.” With a polite nod to Jim, he turned to walk away.

A hand on his shoulder made him look back. He turned and saw Jim’s right hand extended. He firmly grasped it, as Jim said earnestly, “Sorry I was such a jerk to you. You’re a good guy, Jack.”

“I would’ve acted the same way, if I had been in your shoes,” he admitted reluctantly.

Jim studied him with begrudging respect. “Thanks for taking care of my special girl until I returned to my senses.”

Jack smiled sadly, recognizing the familiar words that had upset Trixie earlier. After the handshake ended, he leaned a bit closer to Jim and grabbed the lapels of his suit jacket.

“Break her heart again, and I’ll break your neck,” he murmured with a grin. However, the glint in his hazel eyes told Jim he was deadly serious. After straightening Jim’s lapels, he turned and walked down the hall to Trixie.

As he approached, she stared at him expectantly. “He’s still there! Why didn’t you get rid of him?” she hissed when he stood by her side.

“How am I supposed to ‘get rid of him’?” Jack asked with an exasperated roll of his eyes. “To leave the building, he has to walk right past you.”

“To leave through the door, yes,” she carped. “But you could’ve shown him to the alternate exit!”

“What alternate exit?”

“How ‘bout the window?” Trixie suggested with a scowl. “It’s only three floors down. You never know; he might bounce.”

“It’s just your friend, Jim,” Jack said with a chuckle. “I don’t see what the big deal is.”

“The big deal is that I don’t want to see him! Make him leave!” Her eyes blazed in fury, and she shook with anger.

He placed a calming hand on her arm. “You need to see him. He came a long way to talk to you, and from the looks of him, he had quite an ordeal getting here.”

“I don’t care if he crawled on broken glass to get here,” Trixie growled.

“Well, sweetheart, if it’s any consolation, by the looks of him, he did,” Jack commented wryly.

“Good,” she snapped. “I’m still not talking to him.”

“Why not? Are you afraid?”

She sniffed indignantly and stamped her foot. “No! I just don’t want to talk to him!”

“You’re in love with him.”

Trixie gasped at his words, and attempted a response, but was unable to express any intelligible thoughts.

“Do you deny that you love him?” he demanded.

“Why are you making me do this?” she sputtered angrily, ignoring his question. “You should be on my side and make him go away.”

“I am on your side. That’s why I’m leaving.” Jack leaned closer and kissed her cheek. “Good-bye, sweetheart.”

Trixie grabbed his arm. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with confusion. “Where are you going?”

“If I knew you loved me, and that I was your first choice, I’d stay here and fight for you.” With a tender hand, he gently stroked her cheek. “But we both know who holds your heart. No matter what I do, I could never compete with him, and for that matter, I shouldn’t have to. According to the gossip mill, I’m quite a catch. And even though I care about you, I deserve for somebody to love me just as much as you love Jim.”

Trixie’s head lowered, unable to deny his words. No matter how angry Jim had made her, no matter how perfect Jack had been, she could love no other but the most wonderful boy in the world.

“I’m sorry, Jack,” she whispered tearfully. “I never meant to hurt you.”

“I know you didn’t. This is the way that it had to be.” After a final gentle kiss on the lips, he told her softly, “Listen to him, Trixie. Don’t send him away until you’ve talked. And if it doesn’t work out… Well, I’ll be here if you need me.”

She gazed at him silently as he turned and walked down the hallway. She’d wanted to argue with him, but she knew he was right. Watching him leave made her sad, but it didn’t compare to the utter agony she felt when…

Suddenly reminded of that excruciating chapter in her life, Trixie turned and faced Jim. He patiently stood by her door, wringing his hands nervously. Overcome with anger and resentment, she stalked over to him, her hands on her hips and her eyes shooting icy daggers.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded, shaking in fury.

“Nice to see you too, Trix,” Jim teased with an anxious, lopsided grin. “I had to talk to you.”

“And the phone didn’t work?”

“You didn’t return my calls,” he reminded her, reaching for her hand.

Just as his fingers touched hers, Trixie whipped her hand out of his reach. “Well, then obviously I didn’t want to speak to you,” she replied harshly.

“Can’t we talk for just a little bit?” Jim desperately pleaded. “I brought a peace offering.” He picked up a bag that lay in front of the door, pulled out a box of expensive chocolates, and meekly held them out to her.

With a defiant snort, she seized the box of chocolates from his hands and threw it as hard as she could down the hall. “Don’t you know that it’s rude to show up unannounced? I’d think your fiancée would teach you better manners than that.”

Taking advantage of Jim’s speechlessness, she pushed him out of the way and stuck her key in the lock. Because her fingers were shaking so badly, she had difficulty accomplishing her task.

“Let me help,” he offered. He removed the keys from her grasp and inserted her apartment key into the lock.

“I-I-I don’t need your help!” she sputtered, desperately trying to ignore the tingling she felt at his touch.

Jim pretended he didn’t hear her, and calmly unlocked the door. “Now, let’s go inside and talk—”

Trixie furiously snatched her keys out of his hand. “No! I’m going inside, and you can go find a hotel. I’m tired and don’t feel like hearing whatever you have to say!” She pushed him out of the way and opened the door. She quickly darted inside; however, before she could slam it shut, Jim stuck his foot in the opening.

“Move it or lose it, Jim,” she ordered.

“After we talk,” he insisted.

“I’m not kidding,” she warned with a glare.

“And I’m not leaving.”

“Fine! Sleep out here all night, for all I care!” she thundered. She angrily stomped on his foot with her dress shoe, and as he howled in pain and clutched his injured toe, she slammed the door in his face.

She quickly dead-bolted the door and angrily strode around her apartment, flinging her purse across the room in frustration. Noticing the howling had ceased, she snuck up to the door, rose up on her tiptoes, and peeked out the peephole. A magnified green eye looked back at her.

“Stubborn redhead!” she exclaimed, pounding on the door with all her might. “Go away!”

“No!” came the muffled reply from the other side of the door.

“Well great, just great,” she muttered under her breath, pacing around her living room. Angrily, she stormed into her bedroom and began throwing clothes out of her dresser. Literally burning up from anger, she unlocked the window by her bed, and opened it to allow some air in the room. The rain had slacked off to a gentle patter, and a cool breeze blew through her bedroom.

After ripping off the blouse and jeans she’d been wearing, she began flinging them around her bedroom. In her distress she didn’t notice that her shirt landed in the large potted plant by the window.

After changing into a comfortable T-shirt and a pair of pajama pants, she went back into the living room. She grabbed a feather duster from the hall closet, and attacked her knickknacks with a vengeance.

Ignoring the noises she heard in the hallway, she dusted every square inch of her living room. Her thoughts engaged in a tennis match, as she debated letting Jim inside her apartment.

I still love him, her heart whispered. I’ll always love him.

He’s an idiot! her pride screamed. Don’t let him hurt you again!

Tomorrow, her brain suggested, attempting to placate both her heart and her pride. I’ll talk to him tomorrow,

Finally, only the small desk by the outside door remained. She marched over to it and practically beat the piece of furniture to a pulp with the hapless feather duster. As she stopped to catch her breath, something caused her to strain her ears and listen.

Trixie tiptoed to the door, and leaned her ear against it.

“…pass it around! Ninety-three bottles of beer on the wall! Ninety-two bottles of beer on the wall, ninety-two bottles of beer! Take one down, and pass it around! Ninety-one bottles of beer on the wall!”

She gasped in surprise and looked out of the peephole. She could barely see Jim, sitting with his back against her door, waving his arms as he enthusiastically began the next verse. With each bottle, his volume increased, and if she wasn’t mistaken, he got a little more off-key.

Refusing to be bullied, Trixie kicked the door loudly. “Shut up!” she screamed.

The singing halted. “Are you going to let me in?”

“Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin!” she bellowed.

“Eighty-five bottles of beer on the wall! Eighty-five bottles of beer!” Jim continued loudly, without missing a beat.

Trixie jumped up and down in frustration. She noisily tramped into the kitchen, pulled out some perfectly-fine potatoes from the vegetable bin, and began cramming them into the garbage disposal to relieve her frustration. Still filled with adrenaline, she spared the remaining potatoes and stalked into the bathroom. Armed with Lysol and a sponge, she fiercely attacked the already clean bathtub. Of course, scrubbing the bathtub didn’t drown out Jim’s singing nearly as well as the garbage disposal had…

The ringing of the telephone startled her. Probably the downstairs neighbors complaining about all the stomping, she mused. She jumped to her feet and picked up the receiver. “Hello?”

“Is this Beatrix?” a kindly voice asked.

“Yes, ma’am. Who’s this?”

“I’m sorry to call so late dear, but this is Mrs. Simmons from down the hall. Do you remember me? You help me carry my groceries in sometimes.”

“Yes, Mrs. Simmons. I remember you.” Trixie smiled, thinking of the sweet elderly lady that lived on her floor.

“Aren’t you a policewoman, Beatrix?”

“No, ma’am. Actually, I’m a private investigator. Is something wrong? Do you need me to call 911 for you?”

“Well, I was hoping you could help me,” Mrs. Simmons explained in a frightened voice. “Can you hear that singing outside your door?”

Trixie sighed and rolled her eyes. “Yes, I can. Is it bothering you?”

“Oh yes!” her neighbor exclaimed. “I’m extremely nervous. I looked out my peephole and saw it was a man with dirty clothes, waving his hands like a lunatic, singing. I’m afraid he’s going to break into my apartment and attack me.”

Trixie bit her lip to stifle a chuckle. “I don’t think he means any harm, Mrs. Simmons.”

“You never know,” the elderly lady replied, her voice wavering in fright. “I think he’s drunk. He’s singing about beer.”

“I don’t think he’s intoxicated,” Trixie answered, grinning. “I think he’s just trying to be annoying.”

“Oh, I’ll never be able to go to sleep with him there,” Mrs. Simmons moaned. “I suppose I need to call the police.”

As much as Trixie wanted to see Jim hauled off in the paddy wagon, she knew she couldn’t allow that to happen. “Don’t do that, Mrs. Simmons. I’ll take care of it for you.”

“Oh, Beatrix! Be careful! He could be dangerous!”

Not physically, she thought. “I’ll be all right,” she promised. “Don’t worry about me.”

“Thank you, dear. Bye-bye now.”

“Good-bye, Mrs. Simmons.”

Trixie hung up the phone and groaned. She trudged to the door in the living room. Clear as bell she could hear, “… around! Thirteen bottles of beer on the wall! Twelve bottles of beer on the…”

He wants to come in, does he? With a wicked grin on her face, she swung open the door swiftly. Jim landed on his back in the floor of her doorway.

“…bottles of beer on the wall,” he finished weakly as he stared up at her. He held out his hand for her to help him up, but she merely sniffed and turned her back to him.

He grumbled under his breath as he stood to his feet. After shutting the door, he cleared his throat. “Thanks for letting me come inside.”

Trixie faced him, no friendliness at all in her expression. “You were bothering my neighbor. If it weren’t for Mrs. Simmons, you’d still be out there finishing your song. She was going to call the police and have you arrested, but I experienced a wave of sympathy for you.”

“Is it still there?” Jim asked meekly.

“No, it left the minute you came inside,” she retorted, crossing her arms defensively. She studied him critically in the well-lit apartment. “You look awful.”

“You look beautiful,” he replied earnestly.

“What would your fiancée say if she knew you said that?”

“I don’t have a fiancée,” Jim told her.

“Oh, so she dumped you, and that’s why you’re here?” she snorted.

“For the record, I dumped her,” he amended. “Right before I headed to the airport, I stopped at her house and broke our engagement. Now, can we sit down and talk?”

“You won’t be staying long, so there’s no need to get comfortable,” Trixie insisted icily. “You have fifteen minutes.”

“Fifteen minutes!” Jim shouted, clutching his red hair. “Do you know what I went through to get here?”

“What? Was there no caviar on the Wheeler jet?” she asked sarcastically.

“I didn’t take the jet,” he explained, trying to regain his calm demeanor. “Dad and Mother took the jet on a trip. I drove to JFK and found out that I just barely missed the last flight to LAX. The next one was scheduled to leave in an hour, but because of the weather, there would be delays.

“After waiting four hours in the terminal, I spent the trip in coach, squeezed between a toddler with an unhealthy obsession with the Wiggles and a senior citizen who had a serious flatulent-expelling problem! I waited two hours for a cab to bring me here. I’ve been waiting outside of your apartment for most of today, and the least you could do is talk to me!”

“Thirteen minutes remaining,” Trixie responded dryly. “Use them wisely.”

Realizing she wasn’t going to change her mind, Jim took a deep breath and poured out his heart. “As I said earlier, before I came here, I went to Amanda’s house and told her that I couldn’t marry her. I apologized for hurting her, and assured her that it wasn’t her fault. I told her honestly that I didn’t love her, and that it was stupid of me to propose to her in the first place.

“I probably could’ve worded that last part a little more tactfully. After she gave me a well-deserved slap in the face, I left for the airport. Honestly, I’m not sure if she was angrier about not getting married, or me waking her up at one o’clock in the morning to call off the wedding, but for what it’s worth, our engagement is broken.”

She stared at him, her lips fixed in a straight line. “Well, if that’s all, you can leave—”

“Trixie, I’m an idiot,” he interrupted hastily. “I’m the stupidest man who ever walked the planet. I never should’ve asked Amanda to marry me, and I never should’ve let you walk away from me at the airport. I’m ‘Lord of the Morons’, and I grovel at your feet.”

He looked at her tenderly. “But this moron loves you with all his heart. I love you so much, Trixie. I’ve loved you since the very first day we met. As long as there’s breath in my body, I’ll never love anyone else.”

She gasped and stepped backward. Her heart raced, and she struggled to control her breathing. “Why are you telling me this now?” she choked. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“I wanted to. God as my witness, I wanted to.” His green eyes implored her to believe him. “I tried so many times, but I just couldn’t. I was too afraid that you’d tell me you only cared for me as a friend. If you didn’t love me in return, I didn’t think I could deal with it.

“You probably won’t believe me, but I honestly didn’t know that I hurt you. If I had known you cared about me, I never would’ve proposed to Amanda. The thing I regret most about what I’ve done is that I’ve caused you pain.

“I know I’m not worthy of your love,” he admitted, his normally confident voice wavering from emotion. “You’re so beautiful, talented, intelligent and wonderful that I don’t deserve you. It’s hard loving someone so perfect, when you feel like such a failure.”

“I’m not perfect.” Trixie hurriedly wiped a tear, hoping that he hadn’t seen it.

“You are to me,” Jim declared. “To quote Honey, ‘You’re perfectly perfect.’ And any time I tried to tell you how much I love you, I heard Jonesy’s voice in my head. I heard him say that nobody would ever love me again, and I started believing him.”

Tears filled his eyes as he continued. “I decided you’d never be able to love a dumb redheaded stepkid. I thought if I married Amanda, I might be able to forget about you. But I was wrong. As long as I live, I’ll never be able to give my heart to anyone else. My last thought before I die and my body is placed in a cold grave will be that I love Trixie Belden.”

Her mind reeled as she listened to Jim’s words. Part of her wanted to run and jump in his arms, but part of her refused to back down.

“I wanted to tell you before you left for Los Angeles,” he continued, choking on tears, “but I lost my courage. When you told me in the airport that you had been replaced, I wanted to run after you. But I was too afraid.”

“Afraid of what?” Trixie asked softly, desperately trying to ignore his pleading eyes.

“Afraid of losing someone else I loved,” he cried, tears flowing freely down his stubbled cheeks. “I thought it would be easier to let you go, than to hear that you don’t love me and that Jonesy was right.

“After you left, I thought I’d die. I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep, and I wished I couldn’t breathe. Death would’ve been a relief compared to the torture of not having you near.

“Finally, I talked to someone who I love almost as much as I love you,” Jim said quietly.

Trixie raised an eyebrow in silent query, but didn’t interrupt.

“I went to the graveyard and talked to my father,” he continued. “I remembered some advice he gave me when I was a little boy.

“He told me if I ever found someone I loved as much as he loved Mom, I should hold onto her forever.” He stepped closer to Trixie, and his hopes soared as she didn’t resist when he reached for her hand. Clutching it tenderly, he added, “Dad said to do anything to win your love. Any sacrifice I made would be worth it when I hold you in my arms.”

Jim held his breath and waited for her reply.

“So, you come to California, after I get settled into an exciting new job, and find a wonderful boyfriend, to tell me that you love me,” Trixie summed up, hating the tears that pooled in her eyes. “Now that you’ve admitted your feelings to me, you expect me to forget all the pain you’ve caused, drop everything, and follow you back to Sleepyside? Is that correct?”

“No,” he answered, “I’m going to drop everything and come to you.” He paused momentarily and gazed into Trixie’s tear-filled eyes. “If you want to stay here, I’ll move to California. Mart can run the school. Nothing is more important than you. Nothing!”

She wiggled her hand out of his grasp and turned her back to him. She buried her face in her hands as sobs wracked her body.

Jim placed a trembling freckled hand upon her shoulder. “Trixie?”

“I can’t do this, Jim,” she cried. “I can’t deal with this now...”

“It’s late. I’ll leave now and come back tomorrow…”

“Please!” she interrupted, choking on her sobs. “Go home, Jim. We’ll talk when I come back to Sleepyside to visit.”

He shook his head in disbelief. Her words pierced his heart like a dull, rusty dagger. “Do you love me?”

“Yes, I love you! I’ve always loved you,” Trixie gasped, “but I need time to think! You can’t just burst in here like this and turn my world upside-down!” She wiped her tears with the back of her hand and walked to the small desk by the door. Silently, she opened a drawer and pulled out a freshly laundered handkerchief. On its outer fold, an embroidered “F” stood out. She took the handkerchief and held it out to Jim.

“Please go home,” she whispered, her eyes filled with pain. “Your fifteen minutes are up.”

Jim took the handkerchief and wiped his face with it. “I know I deserve this,” he murmured. He looked up at her, and as earnestly as possible, he promised, “I’ll be waiting for you, no matter how long it takes.”

Without another word, he left.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Trixie collapsed into a heap on the floor. She sobbed until she had no tears left. She wept for the emptiness she felt in her heart. She cried about inadvertently hurting Jack. She even shed a few generous tears for Amanda. But most of all, she lamented the little boy whose scars had caused so much suffering.

Several minutes later, she rose to her feet and staggered into her bedroom. She paced in circles, her mind a discombobulated maelstrom of emotions.

What do I do? I still love him. Will I ever get over him? Should I go to him tonight? Should I try and forget about him? Should I follow him back to Sleepyside? Should I call Jack? What do I do?

I wish I had that box of candy right about now, she thought with a wry smile. Nothing like chocolate to make a girl feel better. Come to think of it, I do recall saying that he’d have to bring me chocolates before I’d forgive him, and he did bring some.

She absentmindedly picked up the framed picture of the Bob-Whites that she kept on her nightstand. She traced Jim’s face with her index finger as she remembered happier times. It had been obvious by her expression in the picture that she adored Jim. And what was that look on his face, as he looked at her…? Could it be…?

I must admit, he took groveling to a whole new level. If I ever hear “Ninety-nine Bottles of Beer on the Wall” again, it’ll be too soon, she thought with a smirk. Licking my sneakers… well, that might’ve been asking for too much, but a little begging would've been nice. A girl likes a little begging…

Trixie sighed as she remembered how her hands had tingled at his touch. Scraggily, dirty, and stubbly, Jim still had the same effect on her as he did when they were teenagers. And after all that’s happened, I love him even more now than ever. I still think he’s the most wonderful boy in the world…

If I just had a sign… Lord, if he comes back and begs, without a doubt, I’ll know that we’re meant to be together, she prayed.

Just as she finished her prayer, a noise from outside caught her attention. Furrowing her brow in confusion, she walked over to her window and gazed down at the street below. Her heart stopped at what she saw.

Immediately, Trixie opened her closet door, found some sneakers, and crammed her feet inside. She ran out of her bedroom and out of the apartment, barely having the presence of mind to remember her keys.

She raced down the three flights of stairs and wildly flung open the door to the main entrance of the building. Out of breath, she pushed her way through the gathering crowd until only a couple of people separated her from her beloved redhead.

Unaware of her presence, Jim continued his vigil. He stood straight, seemingly unconcerned about the raindrops falling upon his head. His hands formed a bullhorn as he directed his slightly off-key song in the direction of Trixie’s bedroom window.

“…leave me girl, don’t you go.

Ain’t too proud to ple-ead, baby, baby

Please don’t leave me girl, don’t you go.”

She tearfully pushed through the remaining crowd until she was only a couple yards away from Jim. As if sensing her presence, he paused his singing and turned to face her. Before she could come to him, he quickly spanned the distance between them. When he was almost at her side, he dropped to his knees, and tearfully continued his serenade.

“Now I’ve heard a crying man is half a man

With no sense of pride

But if I have to cry to keep you

I don’t mind weeping

If it’ll keep you by my side”

Trixie’s tears fell on his face as he sang the chorus. He tenderly took her small hands in his strong, freckled ones and continued singing.

“If I have to sleep on your doorstep all night and day

Just to keep you from walking away

Let your friends laugh, even this I can stand

‘Cause I wanna keep you any way I can”

As he finished the song, she pulled Jim to his feet and looked lovingly into his eyes. With a trembling hand, she wiped away the tears from his cheeks. When the final note had been sung, she jumped into his waiting arms, knowing that he would be there to catch her.

Oblivious of the crowd surrounding them, he clung to her as if his very life depended upon it. And as he felt strength and energy returning to his body, he knew without a doubt that his very life had depended upon her.

Jim held her close, reveling in how she filled the empty void in his heart. As he rested his weary cheek on her sandy curls, he sighed in contentment. “He was right,” he murmured, savoring the pure heaven of holding her.

“Who was right?”

“Dad,” he explained, through happy tears. “He said it’d be worth it when I held you in my arms. And it is.”

When he finally set her feet on the pavement below, he lowered his mouth and desperately sought hers. Trixie wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. With a happy moan, she eagerly parted her lips and their kiss deepened. Their tongues danced as happy tears fell down their cheeks.

Jim’s hands traveled from her waist to her hair. He buried his hands in the mass of curls, like he’d done during their first kiss several years ago. He gently clenched those sandy ringlets in his fist, once again relishing their softness, just as he had that New Year’s Eve. He kept his eyes closed tightly, almost afraid if he opened them, this perfect dream would end.

As the kiss subsided, Trixie lazily traced his lips with the tip of her tongue. Breathlessly, they pulled away. His hand moved to her cheek, and with his thumb, he caressed her swollen lips. With each kiss, each touch, each caress another secret of the universe unlocked, and slowly all the pain of the past melted away.

The spell finally ended as the gawking crowd began clapping. Trixie giggled as she listened to the applause. “I guess they approve,” she whispered.

“I think they’re just glad that I stopped singing,” His sheepish grin soon became a tender smile as he gazed at the ray of sunshine he held in his arms.

Even though the night was dark, the sun shone brightly in Jim Frayne’s world.

After a drawn out tug of his favorite curl, he whispered, “I love you, Trixie Belden. I love you with all my heart and I plan on proving it to you for the rest of our lives.”

“I love you, too, James Winthrop Frayne the Second,” she murmured huskily. “And I’ll hold you to that promise.”

“I’ll call Dad when he returns from his trip and ask him to make the arrangements necessary for Mart to run the school.”

Trixie shook her head. “No, I’m ready to go home. All my dreams are in Sleepyside, now that we’re together.”

“You know I’d be willing to give up everything and move here to be with you, don’t you?”

“I know. And that’s enough.” She ran her hand lovingly through his disheveled red hair. “Any more questions, Mr. Frayne?”

“Just one.” He nervously dropped to one knee and pulled a little package from his pocket. With tear-filled eyes, he said, “It’s for you, Trixie. And before you ask, I didn’t get it at the airport yesterday. I’ve been carrying this around with me for months.

“I had it reset a long time ago,” he explained, his voice quavering with emotion. “This is the only ring I ever really wanted to give. I’ve been carrying it around in my jacket pocket, knowing that it belonged on your finger.”

Her hands shaking from excitement, Trixie opened the jeweler’s case. She stared at the lovely antique engagement ring that nestled there. With a gasp, she picked it up and studied it under the light provided by the streetlamp. Inside the delicate band, James Winthrop Frayne II had been engraved in tiny letters. She tearfully placed it back inside the case.

“It has your name on it, Jim,” she said and smiled shyly at him. “Put it on for me, will you?”

“You know what it means, don’t you?”

“Tell me,” Trixie answered breathlessly as she gazed at him tenderly.

“It means that you’re my special girl, Trixie,” he replied earnestly, his green eyes pleading. “And I’m sorry that I didn’t let you know that sooner. But will you, Trix? Will you be my special girl for as long as we both shall live?”

“I always have been!” she cried as Jim slipped the engagement ring onto her finger. She looked happily at the ring, then reached over and put her small, sturdy hand into Jim’s. He closed his long fingers tightly around it, allowing her to assist him to his feet. When they were both standing, he drew her close. With a sigh of complete happiness, Trixie leaned contentedly against Jim’s supple chest and raised her lips to his.

Finally, her record was flawless. After twelve years on the case, she’d solved the greatest mystery of all. No longer would she be haunted by the only one who ever got away. Because even though he ran, he couldn’t hide.

Trixie Belden got her man

Credits:

Thank you to my beautiful editors, Kaye and Kathy. Several months ago, I was looking for guinea pigs willing to edit for a totally inexperienced writer. Instead, I found two very sweet friends who are dear to my heart! I love you both! Thank you for all your help with editing. Without your suggestions, corrections and encouragement, I would have given up long ago. But most of all, thank you for the close bond that we share. That is what Jixemitri is all about.

Stay tuned for upcoming attractions! “Wasted Away in Strawberry Pop-ville” is now showing at a computer screen near you!

As an added bonus, be sure to catch a teaser of the sequel of the sequel, which will be shown in an upcoming Jixemitri group project.

In my universes, Trixie has a crush on the real life actor, Ewan McGregor, who is mentioned here. The movie I mentioned that he starred in, “Perplexing Existence”, only exists in the imagination of this writer. It is first mentioned in “Boys Will Be Boys” found in my “Here and Now” universe.

Lucy Radcliffe is Trixie’s favorite book series, which so many fanfic writers compare to Trixies. J

Cade “The Dragon” Pesina is an actor of my own creation. I was looking on the MB for suggestions on which actor I should talk about, and there were several wonderful ideas. However, my friend Terry (AKA Chromasnake) mentioned creating my own actor! And you know I had to do that! As far as I know, there aren’t any actors by that name, so if you’re a guy and want to use it as your screen name, knock yourself out! *wink*

“Ignorant Vendetta”, “Ignorant Vengeance” and “Ignorant Velocity: Bloodier Vengeance at Warp Speed” are my own creations as well. *G* Can you tell what I think about those kinds of movies? I had so much fun with the play on words…

After doing a whole bunch of research, I learned that the Los Angeles Zoo does in fact have Botanical Gardens. I don’t know for sure if they have orchids, but if they don’t, please overlook my mistake! Westwood Village is also a real shopping district. I researched it also on the web, and I thought it sounded like one Trixie would go to, rather than Rodeo Drive.

Brad Richardson was mentioned in part one of this story. And uh… gee… it’s a total coincidence that I couldn’t stand a guy named Brad that I went to high school with…

My dear friend and editor, Kathy, requested more details about the stripper-gram incident. I couldn’t include that account in this story, but you can read all the juicy tidbits in the upcoming, “Wasted Away Again in Strawberry Pop-Ville.”

James Bond is once again a reference to the famous movie character. And all the little spy trinkets that Trixie and Jack talked about are my own creation and were based on absolutely nothing real.

And I thought about doing a big fight scene. I know several people were expecting it. However, I wanted for Jack to go out honorably and with dignity. I felt the best way for him to do that was for him to step aside in a gentlemanly manner. Of course, if you’re looking for a fight, go to the Blooper Reel… *VEG*

Be sure to watch for Jack Palmer to return. And before you ask, I’m NOT going the ‘love triangle’ route. But I’ve grown rather fond of the detective, so I have some plans for him…

Initially, Trixie’s blouse was supposed to fly out the open window. However, that wouldn’t work because I’m sure her windows would have a screen. Then it landed on a lamp, but Kaye was worried the building would catch on fire. So, in this final version, her blouse landed in the potted plant. What kind was it? I dunno… Some kind of big one…

I considered several annoying songs before using “Ninety-nine Bottles of Beer on the Wall.” It won based upon its length. Jim had to sing for a REALLY long time, so it narrowly beat out “John Jacob Jingleheimer Smith”.

“Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin” is a reference to the children’s story, “The Three Little Pigs.”

Lysol is a popular product used for cleaning. And if you don’t know about Lysol, you really ought to, so you can kill germs.

I’m not saying a word about who that downstairs neighbor is! J

The Wiggles is a popular television show for children. My nephew loves it. However, there is NOTHING worse than getting the “Where’s Jeff?” song stuck in your head.

The handkerchief was mentioned in honor of Teresa from Arkansas. She noticed that Trixie didn’t give it back to Jim in the final part of Fools, and asked what happened to it. I was so impressed that she noticed that, that I added this part just for her. Hugs, Teresa!

The chocolate, of course, is a reference to Trixie’s statement in “Why Do Fools Fall in Love? Part Six” where she tells Honey that if Jim wants a relationship with her, he’ll have to bring her chocolates, beg for forgiveness, grovel at her feet and lick the bottom of her loafers.

“Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” is written by Holland/Whitfield. The particular version I had in mind was the one done by Rick Astley. And if my DH is reading this (which he usually does to make sure I’m not sighing over Viggo *G* ) instead of bugging me with your butchered-make-fun-of-Rick Astley-version of “Never Gonna Give You Up” please learn this song instead. *smoochies!*

Jim and Trixie’s first kiss, which occurred on New Year’s Eve, can be found in “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” in my “Here and Now” universe.

And as if you already didn’t know, the ring scene was a deliberate copy of the silver ID bracelet scene found in “Happy Valley Mystery.” Several of Jim’s boo-boos were addressed in “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?” and “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” so I thought it would be an appropriate ending.

And the ultra-cheesy line about solving the greatest mystery of all was a reference to something Trixie said in Part One of “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?”

At long last, The Cameo is proud to present the never before seen outtakes from this film! Hope you enjoy them! And since I enjoy having fun with my Blooper Reel, be sure you watch for the names of some Jix authors! I like to mention them in the bloopers. It is done with great affection, and I sincerely hope they don’t mind me using their names.

Oh, and Random House didn’t give me permission to borrow their characters. I rarely mention that, so I thought I would. J