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Part Five

 

 

bumpbuttonAuthor’s  note:

In Part Four, Jim had just announced that Amanda’s father was a trustee of Ten Acres Academy and had unlimited access to the school. Will Amanda jump out of the closet and kill him… or will Trixie off him first? Tune in to the conclusion of this story find out!

 

 

Trixie waited for a moment, and then when it became obvious that Jim had finished speaking, asked, “Okay, I give up. Who’s the fifth trustee?”

“Before I tell you,” Jim began slowly, “you’ve got to swear that you won’t overreact.”

Trixie batted her eyes at him in an angelic manner and spoke in an overly sweet tone with a strangely menacing edge to it. “If you don’t tell me who this fifth trustee is soon, I’ll be too old to hear what you’re saying, which won’t matter because you’ll be too dead to tell me. So just spit it out before I’m forced to strangle you.”

“Carlton Woodward,” Jim answered, his voice barely audible.

“Carlton Woodward!” Trixie repeated, albeit with much more volume. “Amanda’s father?!”

Jim automatically braced himself. He knew this wasn’t going to be pretty. He reached over and placed a calming hand on her arm. “Now Trixie, you swore you wouldn’t overreact.”

“No, actually I threatened to strangle you if you didn’t tell me!” Trixie corrected sharply. “And now that you have told me, I’m seriously considering strangling you anyway!”

Al, who had been quiet through most of the exchange, leaned closer to Honey and whispered gruffly, “Hey, who’s this Amanda broad? Seems to me that you mentioned that chick’s name before. All’s I know is this number’s got the bees, an’ that Miss Trixie looks like she’s gonna blow chunks whenever I say ’er name, but I still ain’t figured out ‘xactly who ‘Amanda’ is.”

Before Honey could answer, Trixie jumped in with an explanation far more colorful than the one Honey would’ve provided.

“Amanda Woodward,” she began, her voice full of venom as she spoke the name, “is a spoiled little rich girl who is a self-centered, self-consumed witch with a capital B that deserves to be shaved bald, de-clawed, and forced to shop from a pushcart. She’s a nasty wench who hates my guts and doesn’t make any secret of it!”

“And if you can’t tell by now, the feeling’s mutual,” Honey tacked on, her hazel eyes twinkling with mirth.

“Let the record show that Honey did not correct my description of Amanda!” Trixie pointed out. Loudly.

Jim held up a silencing hand, and then turned his attention to Al. “Before I was engaged to Trixie, I was involved with a woman named Amanda Woodward. I made the mistake of asking her to marry me, and she accepted However, I eventually came to my senses and broke up with her.”

“By the sounds of it, it’s a good thing you told that little tomato to go climb up ‘er thumb,” Al snorted. “This dame sounds like a real pill.”

“She’s not nearly as bad as Trixie makes her out to be,” Jim amended. “You just had to take the time to get to know her.”

Before Trixie could respond, Honey quickly intervened. “Regardless of our personal opinions of Amanda, you have to admit that it is interesting that her father has full access to Ten Acres. She could’ve easily taken his keys and found where he kept the security code.”

“Motive, means, and opportunity.” Trixie crossed her arms, a smug smile on her lips. “I think this has officially become an open and shut case. Let’s call Spider and have him arrest her. Just let me stop by the office first so I can get my video camera. I want to record this happy moment for posterity. It’d make a lovely clip to play at the wedding reception, don’t you think?”

Wavering between bemused and exasperated, Jim rolled his eyes. “Trix, let’s not stick the needle in Amanda’s arm yet,” he chided.

“Actually, I hoped I could convince the DA to reinstate the electric chair,” Trixie stated matter-of-factly. “I’d love to see Amanda’s perfectly-coifed hair all fried.”

Although he didn’t condone Trixie’s behavior, Jim felt an amused grin twitching at the corners of his mouth. “I know you dislike her, Shamus, but everyone is innocent until proven guilty… even my ex-fiancée,” he reminded her gently.

“This has nothing to do with the fact that I hate her stinkin’ guts,” Trixie retorted in a most indignant fashion.

“The term I used was ‘dislike’,” Jim corrected wryly.

“Whatever.” Trixie gave a flippant shrug. “It’s not my fault that all the evidence points in her direction.”

“You’re beginning to sound like Jack,” Jim commented.

“Sorry, but I happen to agree with Jack on this,” Trixie responded. “It’s obvious to anyone with half a brain that she’s your stalker. This evidence might as well have the word ‘guilty’ written in neon letters, flashing over her head.”

Jim gave a weary shake of his head. “You’ve had this evidence barely an hour. How much can you determine in that short length of time?”

“For one thing, I can determine it was possible for Amanda to get inside the building without setting off the alarm,” Trixie declared.

Jim didn’t look impressed. “Yes, we’ve discussed that. However, we don’t know for certain that she even took her father’s key or found the code. What else do you have?”

“Well, I know that she drives a midsize Mercedes sedan,” Trixie added. “Her tires would probably match up perfectly with the tracks we found pulling onto Glen Road.”

“You aren’t positive that those tire tracks were even left by the stalker,” Jim pointed out.

“What about the footprints outside the gymnasium?” Trixie queried. Like a bloodhound in pursuit of its prey, she had no intentions of allowing her quarry to escape. “By any chance do you know what size shoe Amanda wears?”

Jim sighed loudly. “Trixie, I don’t know your shoe size, and I’ve been chasing after you for over a decade. What makes you think I’d know Amanda’s? I don’t even remember her middle name.”

“I know what size she wears,” Honey said quietly. “Remember that time she borrowed a pair of my riding boots, Jim? They fit her perfectly.”

“Forgive me, Honey, but that doesn’t help. I don’t know your shoe size, either,” Jim snapped.

“It’s an eight,” Trixie supplied, grinning smugly. “And you know what they say: If the shoe fits…”

“I’m sorry, but all this evidence is circumstantial.” Jim shrugged in a noncommittal manner.

Trixie studied him, her eyebrows drawn downward. “If all this ‘circumstantial’ evidence pointed to Jonesy, I doubt you’d be so critical.”

“I’m just not going to jump to any conclusions until we know for sure who left those fingerprints,” Jim amended with a scowl.

Honey resisted the urge to grin at her brother’s diversionary tactics. “I hate to tell you this, Jim, but there’s no guarantee we’ll be able to positively identify those prints. If their owner isn’t in the system, then there won’t be anything to compare them to.”

“What’ll we do then?” Jim asked.

“We’ll just have to find a set of Amanda’s fingerprints,” Trixie replied. “Maybe we could send someone into her interior design office to swipe her coffee mug. Or maybe

Jim’s mouth pinched with irritation. “Maybe you should search for a more likely suspect and quit wasting your time worrying about Amanda.”

“You don’t think there’s even a possibility that she’s the one stalking you?” Trixie queried.

“No, I don’t.” Jim shifted uncomfortably in his seat, and then added, “I hate to bring this up, but I dated her for a year, so I think I know her better than you do. Amanda Woodward may be a lot of things, but she’s not the type to lower herself by writing threatening letters and trespassing on someone’s property.”

“Then maybe you should take a look at this.” Trixie reached into her tote bag and yanked out a magazine. “Jack called as we were leaving the agency and asked me to pick up this month’s copy of Bride and Groom on our way here. He said there was an article in it that we’d find very interesting.”

Jim snorted. “What’s Jack doing, reading bride magazines? I thought he was supposed to be working on this case, not planning the perfect wedding.”

Trixie frowned as she practically tossed him the periodical. “Just turn to page 63 and read.”

“Your wish is my command,” Jim said, chuckling as he flipped to the correct page. However, once his eyes began skimming the words, a grimace slowly replaced the smile. He quietly read the article, his expression worsening with each paragraph. Finally, he shook his head in disbelief. “There has to be an explanation for this.”

“You want an explanation?” Trixie demanded hotly. “All right, I’ll give you an explanation!” She snatched the magazine away from him and began reading the article’s introduction out loud.

“ ‘Bride and Groom had the privilege of sitting down with socialite Amanda Woodward to discuss her upcoming wedding to James Winthrop Frayne the Second, self-made millionaire and the adopted son of Matthew Wheeler of Wheeler Enterprises. Amanda, a well-known interior designer and heiress to the Woodward fortune, has agreed to give our readers an inside scoop as she plans what is guaranteed to be the wedding of the century. Amanda and her wedding coordinator have been busy taking care of all the important details… Working with Vera Wang to design the dresses for the bridal party, planning the rehearsal and reception menus with Wolfgang Puck, whittling down the guest list to a mere 500 of society’s most elite… This exclusive sneak peek into the Frayne/Woodward wedding proves that even with the best of help, it’s a challenge to make your special day perfect in every way.’ ”

Trixie glared down at Jim. “The explanation is that Amanda Woodward’s out of her freakin’ mind!” Suddenly conscious that her entire body with trembling with rage, she tried to force herself to quit shaking. Unfortunately, that proved an impossible feat.

“Don’t explode just yet, Trix,” he said soothingly. “Magazine articles are usually written at least a couple months in advance. Amanda probably gave them that interview before we broke up.”

“Oh, really?” Trixie scowled as she read the final paragraph of the feature. “ ‘We spoke with Amanda at the time of publication, and she was happy to report that the plans were coming along beautifully. Wanting some privacy from the paparazzi, she’s still being rather tightlipped about the actual date, but she did tell us that the church had been booked. She advised our readers to watch the society pages and Page Six for any additional details that may be leaked to the press. Curiously, she did make the comment that “she thought June was a lovely month for a wedding.” However, until we see the wedding photos on the cover of People, we’ll just have to keep speculating. Bride and Groom will be sure to pass along any gossip we hear regarding what promises to be a very grand occasion.’ ”

Trixie angrily slammed the magazine down on Jim’s desk. “So, what’s your excuse for her this time? Was her phone disconnected? Could she have lost the magazine’s number? No, wait, I’ve got it. She’s friggin’ delusional!”

“Calm down, Tr

“I’ll calm down when I want to calm down!” Trixie blustered. “And right now, I want to be mad!”

Honey nervously cleared her throat. “Maybe Al and I should step out for a minute and give you two a moment alone.”

Eager to escape the uncomfortable situation, Al jumped up from his chair. Before he could take a single step, Trixie stopped him.

“No, you’d better stay right where you are,” she ordered brusquely. “By the time we get this sorted out, Jim might need protection… from me!”

Al immediately sat back down, afraid to even cast a sympathetic glance in his employer’s direction.

However, Jim was just as stubborn as Trixie was temperamental, and he wasn’t about to back down now. He leveled his eyes at Trixie, determined to have a civil discussion. “You want to be mad at me? Fine.” His tone was grave, and it was clear he meant business. “You want to hurt me? That’s fine, too. If you’re still angry after we talk, I’ll let you sock me in the arm as hard as you can. But first, can we please discuss this like two rational adults?”

Ice battled fire as Trixie fastened onto his gaze like a dog would his favorite chew toy. She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin in a defensive manner as she prepared to launch an attack. “Fine,” she agreed tersely. “But just so you know, I’m not going to forget that offer to punch you.”

“Fair enough,” Jim said with a curt nod.

Trixie wasted no time, immediately launching into her attack. “What’s the deal with Amanda?”

“Trixie, I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to be more specific.”

Trixie took a deep breath. “Is it possible that Amanda misunderstood you when you broke up with her?” she asked as calmly as possible. “For some odd reason, could she possibly think that she’s still engaged to you?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Are you positive?”

Jim rolled his eyes. “Of course I’m positive. Breaking someone’s heart is hard to forget. I vividly remember waking her up in the middle of the night to tell her I’d made a mistake by asking her to marry me. And then, I vividly remember getting slapped in the face and being called every nasty name in the dictionary.”

“If that’s true, why would Amanda allow that article to be published, knowing quite well that she wasn’t engaged to you anymore?”

“Without asking Amanda, I can’t say for sure,” he admitted. “But I’m guessing that she was too embarrassed to let the magazine know that the wedding was off.”

Trixie gave a loud snort. “Well, if she was too embarrassed to cancel the article, then think how humiliated she’s going to be when you tell the press that you’re marrying me instead of her.”

“Uh, ‘scuse me. I hate to interrupt, but you’re gonna hafta sing sooner or later, boss,” Al interjected hesitantly. “What’s up with the newshawks? Is your engagement to Miss Trixie on the down-low or somethin’?”

Jim sighed wearily, wishing for the millionth time that he’d never proposed to Amanda. “When Mr. and Mrs. Woodward heard that I’d broken my engagement to Amanda, they were worried that the press would harass her.  Those gossip rags can be relentless about this sort of thing, and Amanda’s parents knew she’d be a target. They asked Mother and Dad if I would keep my engagement to Trixie a secret until February. And since I’m an obedient son, I agreed.”

“What makes February rate?” Al asked.

“Amanda has a trip to France planned for that month,” Jim explained. “If I wait until then to make the announcement, she’ll be out of the country and won’t have the paparazzi hassling her.”

“But why do you even hafta make an announcement?” Al shrugged his brawny shoulders. “Can’t you just do what you wanna do without lettin’ those newsies in on it? What’s it to them if you putta hunk o’ ice on Miss Trixie’s ring finger?”

Jim frowned. “Unfortunately, ‘privacy’ is a word I’m not too familiar with, especially after I became engaged to Amanda. Although our family keeps a relatively low profile, the Woodwards love to be in the spotlight. They notified every snooty society page from here to Timbuktu the minute I asked Amanda to marry me.”

“Well, if this rich broad is the one stalkin’ you, do you gotta picture of her or somethin’?” Al asked. “I mean, I oughta know what this dame looks like in case she shows up with a bean-shooter, tryin’ to blip you off. After all, we don’t want this little twist havin’ the bulge.”

Wordlessly, Trixie picked up the magazine and flipped it back open to the correct page. She used her right index finger to repeatedly poke Amanda’s picture. If one didn’t know better, they’d think she enjoyed jabbing the likeness of Jim’s ex-fiancée.

Al nodded as he studied the picture that accompanied the article. “She’s quite a dish.” Instantly realizing his mistake, he hastily added, “But she’s not near as pretty as you, Miss Trixie. Pardon me for sayin’ it, but you’re a real looker.”

Trixie, insecure as ever, blushed. However, knowing Al was sincere, she accepted the compliment as it had been intended. Although she didn’t say anything, she flashed a grateful smile in his direction.

“So, is this deal with the Woodwards why you an’ Miss Trixie don’t go out on the town much?” Al surmised. “You tryin’ to flimflam the press?”

“That’s right,” Jim answered. “We try to keep to ourselves, and when we do go out, our friends are usually with us. If we go out alone, we’re careful to stay under the radar and act like old friends going out for a bite to eat.”

“Well, except for the New Year’s party at the country club,” Trixie contradicted.

 “Yes, except for that.” Jim smiled as he remembered that evening. That night he’d had good intentions of making it look like he and Trixie were just friends. However, the thrill of holding his special girl in his arms proved too strong, and he was sure that anyone who had seen them together on the dance floor knew they were anything but “just friends”. “It’s a good thing that the paparazzi weren’t there that night when you attacked me on the dance floor.”

Trixie started to smile, but then remembered she was still angry. She kept a scowl firmly in place.

“We’re blessed to live in Sleepyside,” Jim continued. “Living here, we forget how curious people are about the rich and famous. Although Sleepyside has more than her fair share of busybodies, our little town’s very protective of her own. It makes it easy for a guy to lose his head when he’s with the one he loves.”

It was a little harder to keep from smiling that time, but somehow Trixie managed it.

“I’ll just be glad when this is over,” Jim murmured. He smiled at her fondly. “Only a couple more weeks, and then I’ll be able to shout my true feelings from the rooftops. Maybe I’ll even hire an airplane to skywrite it over New York City.”

He looked over at Trixie, expecting a reaction of some kind from her. Instead, a stony expression remained on her face. “You aren’t smiling. Are you still mad?”

The stony expression instantly transformed into an angry glare. Trixie arched a single brow in challenge. “What do you think?”

“You’re still mad,” Jim answered glumly.

Trixie exhaled noisily. “Jim, we have a lot to discuss, so yes, I’m still mad, and I’m going to stay mad until we get this worked out. No matter how cute you try to be or how often you flash that adorable lopsided grin of yours.”

Jim flashed the aforementioned crooked smile to test her resistance. Unfortunately for him, she refused to yield to the power of the grin. He knew it was futile to avoid the subject any longer.

 “You’re right,” he agreed, albeit with a measure of reluctance. “Where do you want to begin?”

Trixie didn’t waste any time. “For starters, why were the Woodwards so worried about how Amanda would react to the gossip? I know she’s spoiled and used to getting what she wants, but she’s had to deal with bad press before. Remember a few years ago when she was dating that tennis player and they had that huge fight at Wimbledon? She survived all those rumors.”

“What’re you getting at?” Jim prompted.

“I just wonder if the Woodwards know something about Amanda that you don’t,” Trixie suggested. “Maybe she suffers from mental problems, and they were worried that she’d go off the deep end.”

Jim shook his head. “Trixie, I think I would’ve known if my fiancée was mentally unstable.”

“Well, you also would’ve thought that she would’ve known that you were in love with me the whole time you and she were involved,” Trixie pointed out. “But the truth is, when it comes to people we care about, we often believe what we want.”

“You’re right,” Jim murmured begrudgingly.

“It’s possible that Amanda was chemically imbalanced or something and you just didn’t want to see it.”

Jim covered his eyes with his hand. Exhaustion was quickly settling in. “Trixie, I earned a Master’s at Harvard; I had to take several psychology courses to earn that degree. When I’m with you and the other Bob-Whites, I can recognize the various syndromes each person has, myself included. Honest to God, I didn’t see anything in Amanda that would lead me to believe that she was mentally ill. If anything, she was more stable than I am!”

“Didn’t you read this?” Trixie furiously thrust the magazine under his nose. “It’s obvious to any thinking person that something’s not right with this girl. In my opinion, she’s living in La-La Land, and still thinks she’s going to be Mrs. James Winthrop Frayne someday!”

“Trix

“And if she’s so concerned about being publicly humiliated like her parents claim, then she’s crazy to let Bride and Groom publish that article!” Trixie raged. “With all of her dad’s connections, she could’ve easily had it pulled. She’s going to look like a real nutcase for giving that update at the end, especially since you’re making the announcement in a couple of weeks.”

“Then she’s foolish, not crazy.”

“Huh, don’t try to tell me she’s not crazy,” Trixie snorted. “She’s crazy, all right! Crazy enough to convince herself that she’s still engaged to you, and

“Crazy enough to stalk me?” Jim supplied. He released a labored sigh, and then shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I just can’t buy it.”

 Trixie’s entire body stiffened. Her entire countenance changed, and it looked like she was a sailor, frantically battening down the hatches in preparation for a quickly approaching storm. “Why do you always do that?”

“Why do I always do what?”

In a voice barely audible, she reworded her question. “Why do you always stick up for her?”

“I’m not sticking up for her,” Jim argued.

“Yes, you are! You won’t even consider the fact that maybe she is the one who’s been stalking you, and I can’t help but wonder why!” Although Trixie’s tone was angry, her quivering chin hinted that there was a myriad of other emotions bubbling near the surface. After a long pause, she whispered, “Do you still love her?”

“Absolutely not!”

“Are you sure?” Trixie squeaked through a constricted throat. “Because if you do, I wouldn’t blame you. I just… I just need to know now, so please be honest with me.”

Jim’s heart ached as he beheld the raw pain etched on her face. Hoping to put her unfounded fears to rest, he stood up and walked over to Trixie. Making sure to look her squarely in the eye, he spoke to her as earnestly as possible. “I swear on my mother’s grave that I am totally and completely head over heels in love with you and only you. I swear that I don’t love Amanda, and I don’t think I ever did.” He took a deep breath, and then added softly, “And that’s the problem.”

Trixie released a pent-up breath as a tear of relief trickled down her cheek. Renewed hope sprung up in her heart. Regardless of what happened next, she knew things would be okay. She had Jim’s love, so nothing else mattered. “What do you mean?” she whispered.

Before Jim could answer, Honey jumped to her feet. “Since it doesn’t look like Jim’s still in mortal danger, we’ll give you some privacy so you can talk. We’ll be right outside if you need us.” She glanced over at Al, who took that as his cue to hightail it to the door. The pair quickly made their exit, leaving Jim and Trixie to finish their conversation alone.

After the door clicked shut, Jim silently held out his hand to her, his eyes doing all his talking for him. Trixie accepted it and allowed him to lead her over to the loveseat across the room. Once they sat down, Jim wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She nestled close to him, welcoming the shelter he provided. Neither spoke for several minutes.

Trixie broke the silence first. “I’m sorry for losing my temper.”

“Me too,” Jim murmured as he kissed the top of her head.

“I just couldn’t quit worrying that you’d changed your mind about us,” she admitted quietly. “Hearing you constantly defend Amanda made me think you were having second thoughts about marrying me.”

“Shamus, I promise you that’s something I’ll never do. I’ve loved you from the first moment I saw you, and I’ll love you until the day I die.”

“I know, but…” Trixie inhaled deeply, and then released the breath slowly. “There’s always been something about girls like Amanda that makes me feel insecure. I mean, deep down I know you love me, but it just doesn’t seem possible.”

Jim chuckled. “It’s more than possible. It’s a sure thing.”

“But you deserve better,” she insisted. “Just think, right now you could be engaged to Amanda instead of me.”

“What, are you trying to give me nightmares?”

Trixie giggled and playfully whacked him on the shoulder. “I’m serious, Jim.”

“So am I.”

“Amanda Woodward would be most men’s idea of the perfect woman,” she pointed out. “She’s beautiful, rich, stylish, talented, cultured… all the things I’m not.”

“Says who?”

“Says me,” Trixie answered flatly.

“Trixie, we’ve had this conversation before.” Jim shifted his position, forcing her to look him in the eye. “Amanda very well might be someone’s perfect woman, but she’s not mine. You are.”

“I am?”

“Yes, you are.” Jim kissed the tip of her nose. “God specially designed you so that you’d be perfect for me. Where I’m weak, you’re strong, and vice versa. Somehow, our faults become perfection when they’re melded together. I can’t explain it, but I know it’s true.”

Simultaneously, Jim reached out his left hand as Trixie reached out her right. The tips of their fingers barely touched, yet neither could deny the spark of electricity that resulted. “I suppose we do balance each other out,” Trixie remarked lightly.

“And you don’t ever need to worry,” Jim added. “No matter who I was with, I was always alone because I wasn’t with you. Nobody completes me the way you do.”

“Even Amanda Woodward?”

Especially Amanda Woodward.”

Trixie smiled. “Well, I guess I did take you from her…”

“No.” Jim shook his head. “Amanda never had me to begin with. I’ve always belonged to you and only you, Shamus. Always.” Suddenly, Jim’s expression changed. His guilty gaze shifted to the floor. “And that’s why I’ve been so protective of Amanda. It wasn’t because I loved her; it was because I didn’t.”

“Jim…”

He interrupted before she could offer any hollow platitudes. “It was wrong of me to lead her on when in my heart I knew I’d never love her like I loved you.”

Trixie rubbed his back, wishing her gentle caresses could ease away some of his hurt. “You defended her because you feel guilty?”

“Well, yeah,” Jim replied. “I never should’ve asked her to marry me, knowing how I felt about you. All she did was love me, and I lied to her. I lied to myself. None of this would’ve happened if I had just been honest.”

“Jim, you had issues…”

“And now she may have issues, too.” Jim gave a cynical laugh. “If she is the one stalking me, then I deserve it.”

“Nobody deserves to be harassed,” Trixie corrected. “Jim, if we do find out that Amanda’s the one sending these letters, we’ll get her the help she needs. But we can’t overlook it and pretend it isn’t happening. If we just let it go, who knows how far she’ll take it?”

“You’re right,” Jim agreed reluctantly. “So, not only will I break her heart, I’ll also send her to jail. How chivalrous of me.”

Trixie looked at him sternly. “Jim, this isn’t your fault. You didn’t force her to send those letters or break into the school.”

“But what if I’m the reason she’s mentally ill?”

“Don’t flatter yourself, Jimbo,” she teased affectionately in an attempt to lighten the mood. “Although you’ve driven me crazy a time or two, I seriously doubt that you caused Amanda to go clinically insane.”

“Well, that’s good to know,” Jim snorted.

“Besides, Amanda may not have any psychological problems at all,” Trixie pointed out. “She just might be hateful and vindictive.”

“I hope so,” he murmured, still sounding unconvinced.

Trixie hooked her arm through his. “Don’t worry about that now. We aren’t even positive that it’s her.”

Jim arched a critical ginger brow. “So, now you’re admitting that someone else could be responsible for this?”

“Well, you’re finally admitting that it could be her,” she countered. A hint of a smile wiggled at the corners of her lips. “What can I say? I like to be a pain in the butt.”

“You’re good at it.”

“Why, thank you,” Trixie gushed, looking quite pleased with herself.

“For the record,” Jim began, “I still think Jonesy’s the one stalking me. He has small feet for a man, and

“It’s not Jonesy,” Trixie interjected. “He’s locked up, Jim. He couldn’t have broken into the school. They don’t let prisoners go on vacation, you know.”

“But he could’ve met someone in prison who’s doing his dirty work for him.”

Trixie sighed. “According to our sources, nobody at the prison likes Jonesy any more than you do, so nobody’s going to be doing him any favors. Face it, Jim. He’s not your stalker.”

“How can you be sure?” Jim demanded, his green eyes flashing.

“Because Jonesy was in love with your mother, not you,” Trixie snapped. “People usually commit crimes for one of two reasons: love or money. And in this case, it’s love.”

Jim’s eyes widened slightly. “What’re you talking about?”

Trixie groaned inwardly. She’d been dreading this all morning. She took a deep breath, and then plunged forward. “As you know, the tone of the letters has changed throughout this correspondence. At first, the stalker didn’t sound menacing. The first letters could’ve been written by someone who’d seen you in the society pages and took an interest in you. But slowly the stalker’s attitude changed. The vague chit-chat ceased, and the letters took on a more threatening tone. The stalker kept talking about betrayal, hinting that you were the traitor. Of course, considering how honorable you are, that particular comment still has me confused…”

Jim nodded, but didn’t say anything.

“Well, the tone has changed again, and this time, your pen pal sounds jealous.”

His heart stopped in his chest as he recalled phrases from his most recent letters: I know about your fiancée. Did you think you could keep her a secret?… Are you going to betray your fiancée like you betrayed me?… Does your know fiancée know what kind of a man you really are? Maybe I should tell her…

“Did the letter mention you again?” he asked fearfully. “Maybe Al should be guarding you instead of me

Trixie shook her head. “No, like the other letters, the stalker’s anger is directed at you, not me.”

“Trixie, I still think you need protection!”

“Like I told you before, I can take care of myself,” she insisted. “I don’t need to have a babysitter like—”

“Like I do?” Jim supplied wryly.

“No,” Trixie snapped, her blue eyes flashing fire. “What I was going to say was that I don’t need to have a babysitter like some helpless, little female. I’ve taken down grown men; I don’t need to be protected from some hoity-toity hussy.”

“Well, pardon me for defending my manhood,” Jim retorted, “but neither do I. Why don’t I just send Al back to California or assign him to janitorial duty?”

“Because you’re the one who’s in danger, not me!”

“How do you know that?” Jim demanded.

“I just feel it in my gut!” Trixie sighed heavily after her outburst. She felt physically encumbered by the burden on her shoulders. “I can’t explain it, but I just know. This letter… It was different.”

“How?”

“Before,” Trixie began somewhat hesitantly, “we weren’t sure why the person writing these letters was upset. The stalker was obviously mad at you about something, but we weren’t sure if it was a result of a business deal gone wrong or if it was more personal. However, after reading the latest letter, it’s fairly obvious. This time, we don’t have to speculate; we have it in writing.”

She walked over to the chair in which she’d been sitting and got the missive out of her bag. She carried it back over to Jim. “It’s definitely personal, Jim,” she said quietly. “If Amanda is innocent, we’ll have to investigate all your ex-girlfriends.”

Jim’s brows gathered at the bridge of his nose as he struggled to compute what Trixie had said. He numbly accepted the evidence bag that she held out to him, and immediately noticed that the newest bit of correspondence from his stalker was inside. He winced painfully as he studied it, almost as if the poison pen letter was literally poison.

The edges of the paper had been charred like they had been burned with a lighter. The careful manner in which it had been done hinted that it had been intentional. The blackened outline formed a frame for the message which had been written in red flame-like letters.

“ ‘Hell hath no fury…’ ” he read out loud. “ ‘Just wait and see.’ ”

“Hell hath no fury,” Trixie repeated. “I think you know the rest of that saying.”

Mouth agape, Jim bobbed his head up and down as his eyes studied the letter.

“Apparently,” Trixie remarked gently, “we need to find out which woman from your past feels scorned and stop her before she unleashes her fury.”

Jim’s palms prickled as the names and faces of his previous girlfriends flitted through his mind. Since, by some strange coincidence, the first names of the first few girls had been alphabetized, his friends had teased him about his “ABC parade” of girlfriends. Amanda had been the only one who had lasted any significant length of time. Though each of his romantic interests was all friendly, relatively intelligent, and beautiful, every one paled in comparison to his true love. He’d only dated them in an attempt to forget about Trixie, and once he’d learned that they couldn’t measure up to her, he had always ended the relationship. Since he’d asked Trixie to marry him, none of those girls had even crossed his mind. Unfortunately, it seemed one of these past sweethearts hadn’t been able to forget him so easily.

And if Trixie was correct, the flames of hell would soon be licking at Jim’s toes…

 

 

The End

 

For now…

 

 

 

 

bumpbutton Credits:

What? You were expecting to find out who the stalker was? Oops! Since I’m kind of new at writing dramas, I figured I needed a bit more practice before I tackled that tiny little detail. Now aren’t you glad that Tom frisked you for tomatoes? I know I am… *ducking*

 

Thanks again to my fabulous editors, Steph H, Trish B, and Kaye! I couldn’t do this without you wonderful ladies!

 

The lovely Kathy Wear (if you’re out there, I miss you, Kathy!) was the one who not only gave Amanda her goose laugh, and who also coined the description “witch with a capital B” in the story “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?”. That was Trixie’s clever way of calling Amanda a not-very-nice name without actually cursing. Since I’m not a curser myself, I appreciated her terminology. *veg*

 

For those who may not know, a “pushcart” is simply a cart pushed by hand this is used by street vendors that are mostly selling knockoffs, or at the very least, inferior goods.

 

If Amanda is the stalker, would Trixie actually play a tape of her arrest at the wedding? Umm… I’ll let her answer that at a later time. Just give her personal assistant enough time to come up with a politely worded response… ;-)

 

The word “guilty” can’t actually flash in neon lights over the head of someone who has committed a vicious crime. But wouldn’t it be cool if it did? J

 

As far as I know, Bride and Groom isn’t a real magazine. However, Vera Wang is a real clothing designer, Wolfgang Puck is a real chef, and People is a real magazine. Or are they? *gasp*

 

“Page Six” is a popular gossip column in the New York Post.

 

I hadn’t planned for Trixie to have such a meltdown in this chapter. However, she insisted that she was mighty angry. Al might even say that she was “strictly section eight”. ;-)

 

Yes, Jim was as corny as Iowa when he was trying to make Trixie forget that she was mad. He’s not perfect, you know. And hey, I think corny’s cute... J

 

Right now you may be asking, “What happened with Amanda and the tennis pro at Wimbledon?” Well, I’m not sure, and since Amanda isn’t speaking to me, I don’t suppose we’ll ever find out. *g*

 

Honorable-all-over-the-place Jim Frayne should’ve known that he wouldn’t be able to break an engagement so easily. You didn’t think I’d let our chivalrous redhead off the hook, did you? I’m afraid poor Jim will regret his actions for a very, very long time.

 

I’m sure there are many questions lingering in your minds. Such as, “Why won’t Jim go to Dan?”, “Why doesn’t Jim report this to the police?”, and “Why is Jim continuing this ruse?”. Well, all these questions will be answered. Eventually. *very, very, very evil grin*

 

The ABC parade of Jim’s former girlfriends was coined in “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?”. Of course, when I used that term, I never expected any of them to appear in a police lineup…

 

Gee, did that last line sound ominous? I truly hope so. I hadn’t even tried it out on my editors, so I hope it had the effect for which I was going. 

 

 

 

Al’s glossary:

Got the bees- is wealthy

Tomato- a pretty lady (not the fruit/vegetable that everyone wants to throw at me right now)

Climb up her thumb- a command telling someone to get lost

Sing- to tell the truth

Newshawks- news reporters

On the down-low- a secret

To rate- to be special

Hunk of ice- a large diamond

Bean-shooter- a gun

To blip off- to kill

Twist- a woman, often used in a derogatory manner

Having the bulge- having an advantage

A dish- an attractive woman

Flimflam- to fool

 

 

 

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