Sisters of the Divine Passion

A Día de los Muertos Challenge

 

Jim looked up from his papers again, wondering when his unusually fidgety wife would tell him what was bothering her. It was a normal weeknight for the two of them. Both home from work, they had eaten a light supper and were relaxing and working in their favorite room. Only this night, Trixie couldn’t seem to settle. Jim was reviewing teacher reports from the school. Trixie was flipping aimlessly through her fourth magazine, after having set aside her own work notes, channel surfed for ten minutes and actually dusted the already clean and tidy library.

Finally, giving a huge sigh, she threw down the magazine and walked to the window to look towards the river, peering into the inky blackness of the autumn evening. There was no moon.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he finally asked as he looked at her. The expression on her face was one of pure frustration.

“Yes and no,” she replied as she looked over her shoulder at the handsome russet haired man. She still thanked God daily for bringing her and Jim together.

“Explain yourself, Beatrix,” he said, teasing her with her formal name, which she had detested as a teenager but now used professionally. “Is it work or something else?”

“It’s nothing to do with work. The only problem at work is we have too much work! I hate interviewing new employees,” she muttered.

A fleeting look of concern flashed across his face, before he asked her carefully; setting down the pen he had held in his hand. “Is it us, or me?”

She bounded across the room in an instant, grasping both of his hands in hers, “No, silly. It’s not us or you. It’s me.”

She smiled at him as she spoke and the smile transformed her face as it always did. Jim felt his heart flip. He still thanked God each and every day for bringing him and Trixie together. “Tell me,” he said as he pulled her down on his lap. He dropped a kiss on the top of her head, leaving his fingers entwined in her silky curls.

“Jim, do you believe in ghosts?” she said seriously as she stared into his eyes.

He studied her face. Her bottom lip was caught between her teeth and he could feel her fingers fiddling with the collar on his shirt. Her china blue eyes were anxious.

“I’m not sure, Trix.” Jim finally admitted to his wife. “Honestly, I’d never discount the possibility. I guess you could say that I’m willing to be convinced.”

“Do you remember my first partner, Ralph Jordan?” Trixie asked slowly.

“Of course! You always teased him about being Michael Jordan’s brother because he was so tall,” Jim replied automatically, as he remembered Trixie’s early days in law enforcement. He squeezed her hand; she had taken Ralph’s death earlier that year very hard. It had been a tough time for her when she learned he had been killed in the line of duty. “I remember all of us teasing the two of you about being the long and short of it all!”

“Jim, I swear to you, I keep seeing Ralph,” Trixie told him, her voice trembling.

“Where?” he said puzzled.

“The first time was October 2^nd, in the city,” she explained. “I ran out to grab a sandwich from the deli, and he was just ahead of me on the corner. By the time I got up to him he had disappeared. Two days later, I was on a stakeout, and I saw him walking down the street, about a block or so away. When I caught up with him, he was gone.”

“Could you be imagining things?” he asked tenderly.

“I thought so at first, but no, not now. I’ve seen him too many times.” Trixie shook her head as she answered with her usual frankness.

“Where else have you seen him?”

“A few more times in the city, then yesterday walking down Glen Road towards the farm; then today he was outside the summerhouse.”

“Did you try and catch up to him?”

“Yes, he disappeared into the game preserve when I caught up to him on the road.”

“And outside the summerhouse?” he prompted.

There was a lengthy silence before Trixie answered, “He spoke to me.”

“Wow!” Jim was astounded; he leaned back in his chair. He didn’t doubt she had seen what she claimed. If nothing else, his wife seemed to have this uncanny ability to sense, see and feel mysteries. “What did he say?”

“He said, Find her.” Trixie peered intently into Jim’s face, wondering if he would make the same interpretation she had.

“You think he meant for you to find his killer?” Jim said quietly.

“Yes.”

“Have you ever talked to anyone from your old job about his case?”

Trixie shook her head, before whispering in a strained voice. “Do you think he’s disappointed in me for not trying to find out who killed him?”

“Oh, Trixie!” Jim exclaimed. Standing, he pulled her up until she was standing as well and enfolded her in his arms. “No, I don’t think he’s disappointed in you. You know Ralph better than that! It seems like I remember him teasing you all the time about being your temporary partner and Honey being your permanent partner.”

Trixie managed smile as she remembered. Ralph had liked Honey -- in fact, he had liked all of the Bob-Whites -- but he did seem to have a soft spot for Honey. If Ralph hadn’t known that Honey was carrying a torch for Brian, Trixie felt sure he would have asked her out.

“Ralph’s sister still lives in Arizona.” Trixie said absently, thinking where the best place to begin her investigation might be.

“Are you thinking you should go to Arizona,” Jim asked. Jim himself would love to take a trip back to Arizona. He had seriously considered Arizona for his school, not just for the location, but because of the vast poverty that pervaded large sections of the state.

Trixie misunderstood. “No, I should talk to his partner and the police first.”

“I would love to go back to Arizona with you,” Jim murmured into her ear. “Remember our first trip there together? This time I won’t have to worry about you and your math homework!”

Trixie giggled. “Right, professor! I’m thinking an Arizona vacation with a totally different kind of homework would be in order.”

“Really? What kind did you have in mind?” Jim whispered seductively, as his warm, freckled hands caressed her arms and shoulders before cupping her bottom and pulling her even closer to him.

Trixie looked at him and gave him her most flirtatious look, “Use your imagination, but remember that game Mart gave you as a joke before our honeymoon?”

Jim flushed; he was still somewhat embarrassed and shocked that his brother-in-law even had such a book as The Games People Play – In Bed. “I remember.”

“We could do homework from that book!”

“Hmmm, maybe we should go read chapter one together, then?” Jim suggested, bending down to nibble her earlobe.

“Maybe we should,” she responded and forgot anymore about Arizona and the instructions from Ralph’s ghost, at least for the rest of the evening.

~~~~~

Jim convinced Trixie it would be fine to talk to Honey about her mysterious ghost and before the week was out, the two detectives had completed preliminary leg work. Trixie called her old office, and set up meetings with Ralph’s partner at the time of his death as well as the officer assigned to his case. Honey located the address and phone number of Janise Jordan, Ralph’s sister.

“Are you going to tell Janise you’ve seen Ralph’s ghost?” Honey asked curiously, when she handed Trixie the neatly typed paper that summarized all the contact information.

“I—I’m not sure,” Trixie said, leaning back in the chair. Frustrated with not knowing exactly how to handle this latest mystery, she ran her fingers through her tangled curls. “Any advice?”

Honey shook her head, “No, none. I think if you were going to tell her something like that you should go in person. I wouldn’t do it over the phone.”

Trixie nodded as she studied her best friend and now sister-in-law. Trixie had always considered Honey to be beautiful, but now at the beginning of the third trimester of her first pregnancy, she was drop-dead gorgeous. Her skin, hair and eyes positively shimmered. “I wouldn’t want to go alone.”

Honey knew exactly what her partner meant. “I would have to go before the end of the month. After that Dr. Rushing would be totally on Brian’s side.”

Trixie frowned, “What do you mean, on Brian’s side?”

Honey smiled “Brian believes I need to stay home, keep my feet up all day, take long leisurely walks, eat salads and drink water while I plan how the nursery should be decorated.”

Trixie hooted, “He’s not still on that kick, is he?”

Honey nodded vehemently, “Yes! Even Mother and Moms are rolling their eyes at him now. He’s over the top. Fortunately, the doctor is totally on my side. In fact, Sam told Brian to back-off, very tactfully of course!”

Trixie grinned, as she thought of her oldest brother and how he was so uptight about so many things. Honey had done a lot to relax him over the years, but ever since announcing they were expecting their first child, he had descended into a downward spiral of control and over-protective behavior. Brian the boorish, Mart had taken to calling him.

For her part, Honey hated the focus on her pregnancy. She liked things better when everyone didn’t fuss over her health and well-being and would welcome a few days away from the fawning. Besides, she had never gotten over the feeling that her pregnancy bothered Trixie. Jim and Trixie had been married longer than any of them, since the summer before Trixie’s senior year at college. Now, seven years later they were the only Bob-Whites without kids or one on the way. Trixie refused to discuss her childless state with her friends. With a secret sigh, Honey adroitly returned things to the discussion at hand. “So, are you going to Arizona?”

“Only if necessary,” Trixie said honestly. “Let’s see what we find out from our meetings first.”

~~~~~

Trixie had cooked one of Jim’s favorite meals - meatloaf, potatoes, beans and spinach. It was the type of meatloaf he liked best, with the ketchup baked on top into a sweet, thick paste. When he had finished eating, he pushed back and loaded his own dishes into the dishwasher.

“Okay, Trix, what’s the deal?” he asked as he turned to help put the leftover food away. Trixie still cooked like her Moms, with enough food to feed a family instead of a couple.

“What do you mean?”

“You always cook meatloaf when something’s bothering you,” he explained, giving her his lopsided grin.

Trixie frowned, “I do?”

“Yes, you do, it’s the comfort food thing,” he informed her, smiling as he waved his hand toward the containers of hearty, flavorful food. “Now what’s the problem?”

Trixie sighed. “Jim, I don’t know what’s going on with Ralph’s murder. I met with his partner and the officer investigating his case. They said they are certain they know who killed Ralph, they just don’t have the evidence to support a case.”

“What? What do you mean, they don’t have the evidence?” Jim exclaimed in surprise.

“John Harris -- Ralph’s last partner -- told me who he believes killed Ralph. He said he knows for certain whom it is, he just can’t get the evidence to convict him.”

“And the investigating officer feels the same way?” Jim was shocked.

“Yes, both John and Donald have told us the same thing. Ralph was killed by a gang member of the Spanish Sultans. They’re not sure why, but they know it wasn’t part of a gang initiation. Apparently, Ralph had been in contact for years with this particular gang.”

“Isn’t that where Ralph transferred when we left to go to Utah?”

Trixie nodded, “Yep, he got involved then with the task force associated with gangs.”

“Dan told me that gang violence in New York is up more than ever, even while the crime rate in the city is dropping.” Jim told her.

“Yes, that’s true. The Sultans are a large and well known gang, the member that killed him, Diego Garcia, is pretty well-known. Both of them said there isn’t any doubt he did it.”

Jim frowned. The name sounded familiar and he said it several times in his mind before he spoke. “Isn’t that the name of a country?” he finally asked.

Trixie answered with a nod, ‘Yes, it is, a group of islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean. I suspect that’s why Diego chose it as his name. He’s the ruler or next in line to be ruler of the Sultans.”

“So, what’s next?”

“I’m not sure. Both John and Donald said they don’t want me poking around. They said there are too many issues with this particular gang, and unless you really understand the inner workings of the gang, you can easily get hurt.”

“Is that what they think happened to Ralph?” Jim asked curiously.

“Oh, no! Ralph had been working with the gangs for years!” Trixie explained carefully. “Dan could probably explain it better, but Ralph was one of the cops that the gang members would talk to, you know, get down with. They would let him know some things if they thought another gang was breaking their code or if they wanted something busted up.”

“So, if he were a trusted cop, why did Diego kill him?”

“No one knows,” Trixie said shortly. “They don’t even have a motive.”

“So, I can tell what you’re thinking. The “her” will explain the why.” Jim made quote marks with his fingers in the air when he said her.

“Yes, I think you’re right. It’s not his sister, though. I’ve been able to figure out that much. Janise knows nothing and was shocked by Ralph’s death as much as anyone. She believes Ralph was probably also surprised that one of the Sultans would turn on him.”

Jim nodded, “Does Honey have any ideas?”

“No, but if I go to Arizona and she goes with me, she’ll have to go by the end of the month.”

Jim nodded; he knew how much it bothered Trixie to be around Honey these days. “Do you want to go upstairs and do some more homework?” he asked, thinking hopefully that a change in topic might cheer her up.

She shook her head. “No, we won’t be able to do homework for the next few days.”

He studied her face, knowing what she was telling him. “I’m sorry, Trix.” He finally said, somberly. “I know how much you want it.”

She bit her lip to keep the tears from falling. She was so much afraid of letting the baby thing matter too much. “I know how much you want it as well,” she finally whispered, looking up at him, her china blue eyes full of tears.

“Oh, Trixie!” he pulled her into his arms and holding her tightly. “It will happen, for us. I’m convinced of it. Please don’t be upset.”

“Jim, I never expected this. We spent five years being careful as we could not to get pregnant, and now it looks like we’re going to spend the next five doing everything we can to get pregnant.”

“Trixie, I already told you. That’s not necessary. Neither of us wants the tests, the drugs, all the experimental procedures. Let’s just give it a couple of years like Dr. Rushing suggested and then decide.”

“I know, Jim. I just feel like I’ve let you down.”

“As if!” he chided her gently. “Trix, we both know it would be fine with me to adopt a houseful of kids. I have a school full of boys available, I just wanted a girl!”

She smiled then. “I don’t have a problem with a houseful of boys.”

“Just say the word,” he whispered. “We can start that process whenever you’re ready.”

“Not yet, okay?” Trixie knew that the two of them would eventually adopt one of the boys from the school; the right one just hadn’t shown up. Specifically for Trixie that meant a red-headed youngster. She had a feeling one was in her future.

“I love you, Trixie. No matter what happens with us and our future family, I have everything I need as long as I have you.”

~~~~~

Trixie moped the next few days. She suffered through a bout of the blues so severe she almost called her doctor about it. She had even managed to snap at Honey, when she asked Trixie what the latest news on Ralph was. Of course she had immediately apologized, but Trixie knew she had hurt her friend and partner. She called John and Donald daily now, and wondered why Ralph had not made another appearance.

She was pretending to work on a file, while in reality her mind was a million miles away. Sensing another presence, she looked up and saw Jim standing in her office.

“Jim! What’s wrong? Why are you here?” She stood as she noticed his pale face. He was clearly agitated about something.

“Trixie, I think you need to know that I believe in ghosts, now.” He said quietly as he crossed her office to take her hands. It had suddenly become the most important thing in his life to see her and touch her. He had dropped everything at the school and driven straight to the city.

“Jim! What happened?” she cried.

He pulled her towards the love seat in one corner of her office and gathered her into his lap as he told the story. It was unbelievable and he needed her to believe he wasn’t crazy.

“Trixie, I was working in my office and I kept looking out the window. The weather is beautiful and I could tell it was the kind of day when the boys needed to be outside on a project instead of in the classroom, but something kept telling me to keep them in longer. Then as I was looking towards the old barn, I saw a little girl walking across the school grounds. I went out to meet her and, Trixie; she can’t be more than six, probably between four and five. But she’s almost as verbose as Mart is! She said she had run away, and heard that this was a school for runaways. Trixie, I didn’t have the heart to tell her it was a boy’s school. So I asked her to come in and talk with me.”

“Did she? Was she real?”

“Oh, absolutely! Trixie, she’s as real as you or me. Her name is Isabella, but she told me her daddy always called her Izzy. I asked her why she ran away from her daddy and she told me that her mother said that she couldn’t stay with her daddy any longer, it wasn’t safe. It made her mad that her mother wanted to take her where she wouldn’t have any father at all, so she ran away.”

“I take it her parents are divorced?” Trixie asked.

Jim shook his head, “I’m not sure, Trix. Izzy seems to understand everything, but some things didn’t make sense.”

“So where is she? What happened?”

“Well, Mrs. Newsome was calling the authorities to let them know we had a new runaway. Of course no one was really concerned; they knew we would take care of her. Then she looked up at me and asked me if my wife was Trixie Belden.”

Now Trixie was surprised. “What did you say?”

“Well I told her the truth, and she nodded and said that she was at the right place then.”

“What does she want with me?” Trixie was shocked.

“She said her Uncle had told her to find the school for runaways that Trixie Belden’s husband ran. He told her that if she could find that school, she would always be safe.”

“Who’s her Uncle?”

Jim shook his head, “She just called him Tio.”

What then?” Trixie was engrossed in the tale Jim was telling.

“Well, she yawned and asked couldn’t she have something to eat, it had been a while since she had eaten. I went to make arrangements to fix her some food, and when I came back in the room…” Jim stopped.

“What! Jim, was she gone?” Trixie cried out. “Jim, tell me, I’ll just die if you don’t tell me what happened.”

“Trixie, Ralph was sitting next to her on the sofa. She was asleep with her head in his lap.”

“Oh!” Trixie’s hand flew to her mouth. This simply wasn’t possible. She digested the story Jim had told her and finally whispered, “Did he say anything to you?”

Jim nodded, “He said ‘Tell Trixie that you’ve found her, Jim.’ Then he just disappeared.”

“Oh! Great gleeping goat gizzards, it can’t be!” she whispered. “It just can’t be. What is this little girl supposed to tell us?” Her arms automatically encircled Jim. Suddenly it was the most important thing in her life to touch him.

By the time they had relayed the tale to Honey, she wasn’t sure if she should call Brian and let him know that Jim and Trixie had lost their minds or not. In the end, she decided to say nothing. Brian would find out about Isabella soon enough, if he hadn’t already been called to the school to give her an exam.

Trixie left with Jim, and Honey remained to close up the office. She was deep in thought when the phone rang. She answered it almost absently, but suddenly sat up straight. “I’m sorry Ms. Frayne isn’t in the office at the moment, may I take a message.”

The caller spoke in a broken mixture of Spanish and English, heavily accented, and Honey was unable to understand most of what was being said. She sighed and wished Trixie had not left. “Perdón, yo no hablo español,” she said haltingly into the phone. She paused and listened. “Si, Senora Frayne hablo español.”

Honey stared at the phone as the caller hung up. Her instincts were equally as sharp as Trixie’s. Somehow that call had something to do with what Trixie was trying to find out about Ralph. Honey automatically punched *69 into the phone. As she suspected, the line was a public phone booth. She decided to call Trixie later that evening and relay the incident.

~~~~~

“So, Isabella,” Brian started as he hung his stethoscope around his neck. Both Jim and Trixie were in the room, watching carefully. “Do you know when your birthday is?”

“Yes.” The small dark head nodded. “June third. I’m going to be six on my birthday.” It was hard to believe this tiny five-year-old had found her way to Frayler Academy.

“Okay, then. Do you know your mother’s name?”

“Of course, it’s mama.” She answered knowingly.

“But do you know what other adults call her?” Brian asked patiently.

“Oh, they call her Ginny, but I like to call her Mama.”

“Isabella, do you have another name, a last name?” Brian asked as he made notations on the paper.

“Oh, yes, I have three more names. My full name is Isabella Allegra Sanchez Garcia,” the tiny tot said proudly. “My mama’s full name is Virginia Maria Morales Sanchez and papa’s name is Diego Rico Ortega Garcia.”

Trixie couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped, she knew exactly why little Isabella was seeking her and Jim out.

She looked at Trixie suspiciously, “Do you know my papa?”

Trixie shook her head. “No, I don’t.”

“I didn’t want to leave my papa, but mama said we had too,” Isabella said sadly. “Do you think we could call him and let him know that I’m okay?” she asked.

“I don’t know, Izzy. Do you know your papa’s phone number?”

She shook her head, “No, it changes all the time.”

Brian completed his examination, making notes all the while. When he had finished, he looked at Jim and Trixie questioningly. Jim nodded, and went to get his school nurse. Ms. Williamson would keep the young tot with her until arrangements could be made.

Once they were alone, Brian let out a deep breath. “Okay, there’s obviously quite a bit going on here that I don’t know about. Let me start with what I do know. This young girl is highly intelligent for five years old. She’s also small for her age, making her verbal and logic skills seem even more pronounced. The good news is there is absolutely no sign of abuse. She’s been very well cared for. She’s basically clean, her hair is well taken care of, she has a couple of day’s worth of grime on her, and her clothes are in good condition. Someone has been taking very good care of this child.”

Jim and Trixie exchanged looks. They really didn’t know what to say to Brian.

“Okay? Do you have anything to add? Trixie? Obviously you know something about her parents.” Brian gave her a pointed look.

“Her father, Diego, is the known leader of a New York Latino gang. He’s the number one suspect in the death of one Ralph Lorenzo Jordan.”

“So where’s her mother?” He asked.

“I don’t know. Brian, this is the first I’ve heard that Diego has a daughter. I suspect this is what Ralph has been trying to tell me. He wants me, or he wants Jim and me, to help save this little girl.”

“Ralph? Ralph, who?”

“My former partner, Ralph Jordan,” Trixie spoke softly.

Brian was silent for a moment before he asked in a low voice, “What are you not telling me? Trixie, I went with you and Honey to Ralph’s funeral this past spring.”

“Brian, I know you’re going to have a hard time accepting this, but Ralph’s been appearing to me. A couple of weeks ago, he actually spoke to me. He wants me to do something for him and I’ve been trying to figure out what it is. I think he wants me to take care of Isabella.”

Brian looked at Jim, surprised that his sister’s husband and his best friend seemed to accept that Trixie had spoken to her dead partner.

“Jim?” he finally asked quietly. “What’s your take on this?”

“Trixie is absolutely right,” Jim declared.

“You’ve both lost it,” Brian muttered as he put away his stethoscope. “Must be stress of having been married so long.”

“No, we are both fine,” Jim insisted. “Listen Brian, I know it’s a tough thing to ask you to swallow, but Ralph has spoken to Trixie. Earlier today he spoke with me as well. He was in my office, with Isabella.”

Brian shook his head, “I’ll do my best to understand, okay? But, honestly, I think you are both having hallucinations.”

Trixie studied her fingernails. “Brian, it’s a tough thing to believe. I had to see Ralph several times myself before I believed it was happening. It was spooky and scary and – well, I thought I was going crazy. Please, all I ask is that you, you and Honey, both of you keep an open mind. This is happening for a reason, and well, could you just accept that maybe sometimes things happen that we don’t understand?”

Jim nodded in agreement. Trixie had summed up the feeling of both of them with that speech.

“Fair enough, Trix,” Brian answered, leaning forward to give her hand a squeeze. “I’m not going to fill out the commitment papers or anything. I’m enough of a scientist to keep an open mind.”

“Thanks, Brian.” Jim shook his friend’s hand. “We do appreciate it. So what’s the best next thing for Isabella?”

“Well, she seems to want to stay here,” Brian said puzzled. “She obviously misses her father. It seems strange she’s made no mention of being worried about her mother. What do the authorities say?”

“They’re more than happy to leave her here with us while we figure things out. Trixie and I will take her home with us at night. Heaven knows we have the room.”

Brian bit back a retort. None of them could figure out why Jim and Trixie had rebuilt the mansion with all its many rooms, and had not had any kids to fill it up. Neither of them cared for the trappings they could afford as the result of Jim’s wealth, not to mention what Mr. Wheeler would have provided, if they had but asked.

“Very well, call me if you have any questions. Do you have clothes?”

“Di’s already taken care of that,” Jim said immediately. She’s sent some things over that Caroline has outgrown and they look like they will suit Izzy well.”

It seemed to Brian that Jim and Trixie were already bonding to this little girl. He hoped they were not setting themselves up for an eventual heartbreak.

Once Brian had left, Jim and Trixie went up to the infirmary to retrieve Isabella. The three of them left for Ten Acres, walking hand in hand and chatting a mile a minute.

~~~~~

Jim and Trixie smiled together, arm in arm as they watched Isabella Allegra Sanchez Garcia sleep in the spare room at their home. This was something they had always wanted, to watch together while their child slept. They slipped quietly down to their room and without the need of words or talking, fell asleep in each other’s arms.

Unfortunately, tiny Isabella would not let them sleep through the night.

Both of them were deep in sleep, when Trixie awoke with a start. The tiny girl was pulling on the sleeve of her night shirt.

“Miss Trixie, I’m scared,” she whispered.

The whisper was enough to awaken Jim.

“What’s the matter, Izzy?” he asked sleepily as he sat up in bed, grateful that he had thought to wear boxers to sleep in that night.

“The bad guys are looking for me,” she whispered. “I heard them.”

Jim and Trixie moved as one. Both of them were fully awake now. Trixie moved to the bathroom and returned wearing shoes. Jim had pulled on his sneakers, left by the side of the bed.

“Okay, Izzy. What exactly did you hear?” Trixie asked softly. She desperately wanted to retrieve her gun but she didn’t want Izzy to see where she kept it.

“I’m not sure; I just heard the voices again. Tio told me that he would make sure they didn’t hurt me, but he’s gone now and I’m scared.”

Jim quietly left the room without turning on a single light. The mansion and the school both had full security, some of the best available thanks to his wife, his sister and his friend Dan Mangan. If anyone had been lurking outside the mansion or the school, the security guards would have already notified him. However, he checked in with them all the same.

Trixie and Izzy spoke softly together while waiting for Jim to return. It was during this conversation that Trixie discovered Izzy had lived with both her parents until very recently. Her mother told her she had to leave and they couldn’t stay together.

Jim returned and shook his head silently at Trixie; there was no sign of an intruder. Nothing had been detected on any of the security cameras surrounding the property.

“Izzy, would you like one of us to stay with you in your room?” Trixie asked carefully. “We won’t let anyone hurt you while you’re staying with us.”

“Can’t I just stay with you in here? You have a big bed like my mama and papa has. They always let me stay with them when I was scared.”

Jim and Trixie exchanged a look. “Were you scared very often?” Jim asked her.

Izzy shook her head, “No, just mostly since Tio left.”

“When did Tio leave?” Trixie asked.

“After Papa and Mama and Tio argued Papa said Tio had to go away forever and he made him leave.”

Jim intervened at that point. “Izzy, you can sleep with us, but just this one time, okay?”

“Okay!” The petite tot immediately bounced to the middle of the king sized bed, snuggling under the covers and pulling the quilt up to her chin. “Aren’t you coming to bed, too?” she asked plaintively.

“Yes, let me put my shoes up,” Trixie answered hastily.

Jim followed her wordlessly into the bathroom. “No more questioning, Trix. See what you can find out without asking her any more questions. I’m worried that’s what might have scared her or it may cause nightmares.”

“Whatever you say, Dr. Frayne!” Trixie gave a mock salute. “Oh, by the way, didn’t you write a paper once about why children should not sleep in the parental bed?” she asked with a mock innocence.

“Not another word, Trixie,” he growled. “I knew you were going to bring that up.”

“Let the record show, it was the resident psychologist who gave permission!” She winked saucily as she returned to their bedroom. Her sudden stop caused Jim to crash into her from behind.

Isabella was sleeping peacefully in the middle of their bed, but it was the tall, husky, dark-skinned man sitting on the side of the bed that had shocked Trixie. He looked both solid and luminescent at the same time. Trixie felt the chill in the air as if he were a solid chunk of ice bringing down the room temperature with his presence.

She was scared for the first time since she had seen Ralph, so scared she couldn’t even move. She was frozen in time and barely even noticed that Jim’s arms had encircled her, pulling her back against him as if to protect her.

The eerie silence was finally broken by the figure sitting on the bed. “You’re looking good Bea!”

“Ralph… what are you doing here? What do you want me to do?”

“You know what I want you to do, what I could always count on you and Jim and Honey and your friends to do. The same thing everyone could count on your group to do.”

Trixie frowned. This apparition sounded like Ralph, but a little hollow; he looked like Ralph but she could still see through him. She was convinced she was having a dream.

“No, you’re not dreaming, Beatrix,” he spoke up.

Her hand flew to her mouth then, “Oh my God, you can read my mind!”

“Yeah, pretty cool, huh?” The large black man grinned. “You won’t have any more secrets from me for another week or two.”

“What happens in another week?” Jim spoke up. His voice sounded normal enough, which surprised him.

The figure shook his head, “You’ll have to figure that out. We’re only allowed to give so much help like this. I need you to get with it, Beatrix. I don’t have much more time.”

“But, I’ve found her!” Trixie cried. “Isn’t that what you wanted? You want us to have her, to adopt her and take care of her?”

Ralph shook his head sadly; as if he already knew that was what she thought. “No, Bea, this one, she’s not the one for you and Jim. Your turn will come. She’s the key, though. You can figure everything out with her and save her and the other. Please, Bea. I need you to save them.”

“Save them from what?” Trixie cried.

But it was too late, the figure had disappeared. The room warmed immediately. Through it all the tiny Isabella slept soundly in the middle of the bed.

Trixie turned to Jim and looked into his eyes, whispering, “Oh, Jim. I don’t know what to do! I thought she would be our little girl and that’s not what he wants at all.”

Jim shook his head. If he had not witnessed that scene he would never have believed it. “I don’t know, Trix. Just keep digging. Maybe Izzy can tell you something in the morning.”

The two of them climbed into bed, Trixie ending up in the middle with Isabella and Jim on either side of her. For some reason, she and Jim both needed to be able to touch each other.

~~~~~

The only person to whom Trixie and Jim confided the entire story was Honey. Fortunately, between what was happening with her friends and the mysterious Spanish-speaking phone caller, Honey never doubted their story for an instant. She couldn’t explain it, but she knew something very strange and different was going on; something like the X-Files or a ghost story. Honey had no difficulty believing in the mysterious and unexplained phenomena that happened in life. Her husband on the other hand, was too much a scientist and she decided to keep her knowledge of the current happenings to herself. She could help Trixie more if she kept Brian out of it. Instead, she called the one person who would believe, who had always had the most open mind of any of the Bob-Whites of the Glen.

Dan came to her office while Trixie was out, tracing down a lead at the courthouse. He leaned back and propped his legs on the edge of Honey’s antique desk, causing her to frown.

“What’s the deal, Honey? You, Trixie and Jim are tiptoeing around like a volcano is going to explode any moment.”

Honey took a deep breath, and told the story from the beginning, starting with Trixie seeing Ralph’s ghost.

Dan whistled as she finished up. “Okay, Honey. If this were anyone but you girls and Jim, I would be voting for a trip to the funny farm. What do you need my help with?”

“We’ve got it figured out, Diego, Ginny and Isabella. What we don’t have is the connection to Ralph. We don’t want to call Ralph’s sister. Is there any way you can look at his personnel records?”

“Damn, Honey! Why don’t you just ask me to break into the Mayor’s office and plant a bug?”

“Come on, Danny. You’re the one working internal affairs right now; you have a right to look.” Honey wheedled, batting her eyes flirtatiously. She knew Dan couldn’t resist anything she, Trixie and Diana asked him to do. He was like a brother, only better! More like a kissing cousin, she had mused with the girls one time.

“I HATE working in internal affairs, and you know it!”

“It’s only two more months, just through the end of the year,” Honey said consolingly. “And just think, you can actually help us because of it.”

Dan sighed. “Its two months, three days, six hours and about thirty minutes! But okay, I’ll see what I can do.”

“Today?” Honey asked sweetly as she leaned back and rubbed her swollen tummy. “It would really help me relax if I could get that information today.”

“There you go, playing the damn pregnant woman card,” Dan rolled his eyes at her. “You and Diana both know I can’t tell you “no” anyway and when you’re both pregnant it’s even worse.”

“Well, it could be worse,” Honey smiled. “Trixie could be pregnant too!”

“Yeah, like that’s ever going to happen!” he muttered.

“Daniel Mangan! What on earth is that supposed to mean?” Honey cried in surprise.

“Oh, come on Honey! Can’t you see how it’s killing Jim for Trixie not to have a baby? Right now, this business is all she’s wanting. I think she’ll always be happy to just have the business as her family.”

“Oh, Danny!” Honey’s eyes filled with tears. The poor man had no idea. “Having a baby sounds easy enough, especially to a man. But be careful where you’re going. I don’t think getting pregnant has been so simple for Jim and Trixie.”

“What are you saying? What did she tell you?” he demanded.

“Nothing, that’s just it, she hasn’t said a single word to me about it. That’s what has me so worried. If she were just waiting a few more years, she would tell me. They both would tell all of us. But neither of them has said a word and other than a few “what if”, obscure medical questions that Jim asked Brian, nothing has been said.”

“What are you saying, Honey?”

“I’m saying I think they’ve been trying to have a baby for quite some time now, it just isn’t happening for them for some reason.”

“Are you sure?” Dan asked suspiciously.

Honey nodded, “As sure as I can be without Trixie telling me.”

“Damn! Honey, I’ve been giving her the cold shoulder for months now. It’s been obvious something was bothering Jim and I thought it was Trixie not wanting to have a baby. Oh, God, I’m an insensitive jerk!”

“Yes, you sure are!” the voice spoke from the doorway. “If you wanted to know, you could have asked me. I would have told you.”

“Oh, Christ, Trixie!” Dan rubbed his hand over his face, “I’m so sorry. I’m an insensitive jerk and a poor excuse for a friend.”

Trixie shook her head, “Its okay. I know you all had to be wondering. But it’s just not something I can talk about and neither can Jim. Just give us some time, okay? It’s not causing problems between Jim and me, we just find it hard to talk about with our friends.”

“Trixie, is there a problem?” Honey asked.

She shook her head as she replied, “No, nothing obvious that they can find. The doctor says to just give it more time, the whole process is hit or miss and we’re probably just missing.” She gave a weak smile, “Do you two mind if we change the subject?”

Dan nodded, “If you’ll accept my apology.”

Trixie struggled to increase the wattage of her smile. “If you’ll look up the records on Ralph like I’m sure Honey has already asked you to.”

“You had her ask on purpose, didn’t you?” he accused, knowing she had set him up. “You know I can’t tell a pregnant woman no!”

“Well your wife did mention that to me the last time she was pregnant,” Trixie told him, her smile becoming brighter. “Then I think Diana confirmed it and well, I take it you told Honey yes?”

“I can’t win,” Dan muttered. “Let me get back to the office, I’ll call you when I know something.”

“Give my love to Beth and give Billy a kiss for me,” Trixie instructed. Dan was the only Bob-White who still lived in the city, although he and his wife returned to Sleepyside for many weekends, staying in the cabin Dan had inherited from Mr. Maypenny.

“Will do; and Trixie, you’ll get that hit and if you don’t I know about this really great school that has lots of boys available for adoption.”

Trixie’s smile was incandescent now and Dan knew he was forgiven. “Get out of here, Mangan. This business is for profit and you’re wasting our time.”

Dan left and the barometric pressure in the room seemed to rise as the two partners were left alone.

“Trixie, I wasn’t gossiping about you,” Honey started. “But I could tell Dan had the wrong impression and, well, I just knew he wasn’t right.”

“It’s okay Honey, really it is. I would have told you, in fact I was going to tell you, but then you told us you were having a baby and I just couldn’t.”

Honey nodded, “I thought it was something like ---”

“What? What’s the matter?” Trixie asked as she stared at her friend. Honey was pale and clammy as she sat down.

“Ralph?” she said weakly.

Trixie felt the chill as she turned and looked. He was there, in the office.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded. “You don’t need to upset her; can’t you see she’s pregnant?”

“Feisty as ever, aren’t you Beatrix?” Ralph said calmly. “A few shocks are good for pregnant mothers; it makes the babies better prepared when they get here.”

“You need to tell her about the clubhouse,” Ralph spoke, obviously to Honey.

“How did you know about the clubhouse?” Honey replied dumbfounded.

“Oh, didn’t I tell you? He can hear your thoughts,” Trixie told her, still obviously upset with her former partner. She turned and looked at him, her arms crossed defiantly. “Can’t you just tell me this stuff? Why are you making me run all over town to figure out things that you know, instead of telling me?”

“I can’t tell you anything you can’t think or figure out yourself. Anything I’ve ever told you or told anyone is a thought you’ve already had,” Ralph explained carefully.

“Well, whoever comes up with these rules about ghosts, really needs to get a life!” Trixie grumbled.

“Oh, don’t worry, Beatrix. They already had their life!” On that note he disappeared.

Trixie sniffed. Being miffed at a ghost was something she had never experienced before. Suddenly her life seemed -- well -- surreal!

Before the business day was over, Honey received a call from Dan. “Are you going to be there much longer?”

“Well, I can be. Why? What do you need?”

“I’m heading over with a copy of this damn file; I want to make sure you two are there.”

“We’ll wait, or at least I will. Trixie may have to get home to see about Isabella.”

The minute Trixie heard the news she was on the phone to her other sister-in-law. Diana immediately offered to take Izzy home to spend the night with her kids. Trixie was to call later and check on things. She then paced until Dan arrived, almost snatching the file out of his hands.

“Nice to see you again so soon, too!” He smiled at his impatient friend. It was a relief to see they were both back to their old familiar behavior after the events of the morning.

“Right, Mangan,” Trixie responded as she greedily began flipping through the file and walked over to the table. There it was, she as she had suspected it would be. “Bingo!” she whispered.

“What?” he asked, looking over her shoulder.

“Let’s just say Isabella calls Ralph, Tio for a very good reason.”

“He’s her uncle.” Dan said slowly, looking at Honey.

“Right, Honey, let’s see if you can get Janise on the phone.”

~~~~~

It was Diana who inadvertently gave Trixie the missing link she needed. “Are you sure everything’s okay with Izzy?” Trixie asked anxiously while waiting to see if Janise would return her phone call.

“Trixie, I think I can handle one more little girl!” Diana told her indignantly. “If not, I guess I should rethink this whole being pregnant thing, huh?”

“Sorry, Di, I forget.”

“Are you going to let her go trick-or-treat? What are you and Jim doing for Halloween this year, Trix?”

“I don’t know, is there a party?”

“Well, no, I think we’ve all been too busy and Brian absolutely forbade Honey to even think about planning a party. You know how I get when I’m in the middle of a project. I can’t even think about anything except Mummy and Daddy’s anniversary party. I want to finish the family tree I’ve been working on and the anniversary party is November 2^nd.”

Trixie smiled, “The same as Ralph’s birthday.”

Diana nodded, “Yeah, I remember five years ago we celebrated their 25^th wedding anniversary and Ralph’s 25^th birthday on the same day.”

“Ralph would have been thirty,” Trixie mused. “Guess it’s true what they say -- only the good die young.”

“I’m not so sure Ralph would agree with you comparing him to a song about Catholic girls starting too late!” Diana teased.

“True!” Trixie laughed, “Come out Virginia, don’t make me wait…” she sang off-key and then stopped suddenly, frozen in time.

“Trixie?” Diana was obviously perplexed at the sudden silence.

“I’d better run, Di. I think I heard the phone ring.” Trixie hung up in a hurry.

“Honey!” she yelled, using what their office manager had laughingly referred to as the Sleepyside intercom. “We’ve been looking in the wrong state.”

~~~~~

From there everything fell into place. Honey located the information that had been searching for in Virginia. Then the mysterious Spanish-speaking woman had called while Trixie was in the office. A quick and hurried conversation had Trixie shaking her head. In one case they hadn’t looked close enough to home and in the other they hadn’t looked far enough away. Just like Ralph had always told her, you just have to keep looking.

Honey smiled across the plan at her closest friend. The tension that she had felt for the past several months was gone. They were on there way back from a very quick trip to Arizona. Once they had gotten what they needed from Janise, it was apparent to both of them that they needed to be in New York.

“Trixie,” Honey said smiling. “Could I ask you a very personal question?”

Trixie was so pleased with the results of their trip that she let her guard down. “Sure, Honey. Ask away!”

“Have you and Jim ever made love in the clubhouse?” Honey asked demurely, as she looked down at her perfect manicure.

“Madeleine Grace Wheeler Belden!” Trixie said in a horrified voice. “How could you ask me a question like that?”

“Well I told you it was personal!” Honey said with a mock innocence.

“What about our agreement that we wouldn’t talk about things like that? The whole mi hermano su hermano thing?” Trixie reminded her friend studying Honey’s face.

“Well… you don’t have to answer, but I don’t think the mi hermano su hermano thing bothers me anymore. If it bothers you we don’t have to talk about it.” Honey was smiling as she answered.

Trixie groaned inwardly. She knew that smile! Honey was remembering some moment between her and Brian, one of the moments they had agreed years ago they would never discuss! “Okay, okay. I’ll answer your question. No, we haven’t ever done anything like that in the clubhouse.”

“Oh!” Honey was surprised. “I guess you two are the only ones then,” she said quietly.

Trixie’s mouth formed a perfect “O”. Her face turned bright red and she was totally flummoxed. “Do you mean that you and Diana have both --?”

Honey nodded; there was really no need for Trixie to finish the question. “Yes, Dan too!”

“You see, Trixie, I have this theory that the clubhouse is a well, it’s a like fertility temple, in a way.”

“What do you mean?” Trixie asked suspiciously.

Honey sighed. There was absolutely no tactful way to tell her friend what Ralph had wanted her to tell Trixie. “Look, Trixie. I’m positive this baby was conceived in the clubhouse. If you ask Dan, he’ll tell you that he and Beth conceived Billy in the clubhouse as well. Diana will swear that the twins were conceived there. All I’m doing is telling you that Dan, Diana and I have this theory --a concept. We call it the Clubhouse Conception Concept. Well, I’m telling you about it in case you want to try it.”

“Honey…. You can’t possibly… I mean it’s impossible… but…” Trixie had no idea what to say.

“Come on, Trixie,” Honey finally decided she would not be self-conscious about this. “You and Jim had to have had a few sexual adventures in the past seven years. You never considered the clubhouse?”

“Well, maybe.” Trixie admitted, deciding to throw her inhibitions out the window. “But the clubhouse it just a little too close to the road for us. We prefer the old schoolhouse.”

“The old schoolhouse!” Honey grinned at her friend. “Is that the strangest place you and Jim ever did it?”

“Oh, no!” Trixie grinned. “But it’s the closest we ever got to the clubhouse!”

~~~~~

Looking back, it hadn’t really been as difficult as she had thought it would. Once Dan had the file and Honey had located the marriage certificate it all came together. Trixie was certain she knew what had happened. She knew if she quizzed Izzy, she could get it confirmed, but she didn’t want that. She wanted Izzy not to realize what had happened, to grow up and be happy like Ralph wanted her too. There were a couple of ways she could play it, but there was only one way for her to save all three of them.

She walked into the room at Family Services, pleased that the environment wasn’t like a police station at all. As he had promised, John Harris had delivered Diego to the family services center in the Bronx. She breezed in, smiling, hoping beyond all hope she could pull this off.

“Diego,” she began extending her hand, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

He reluctantly took her hand, glaring at Detective Harris and Dan as they sat there observing. They had both agreed to let Trixie run the show.

“Don’t know why it’s a pleasure,” he muttered. “What’s some bee-atch like you want with a homeboy?”

“Oh, a few things,” she said pleasantly. “I was really hoping you might give me your cell phone number.”

“Why? You want to holla at met?” he grumbled.

“Oh, I don’t, but your daughter does.”

That got his attention. “What you talkin’ bout?”

“Izzy, your daughter, Isabella Allegra Sanchez Garcia. She is your daughter, isn’t she?”

“¿Qué sabe usted acerca de mí?” He demanded sitting up, his face flushing.

“Sé que todo allí deberá saber!” she shot right back at him.

“Who be asking?” he demanded.

“Listen up, Homie,” she leaned over and got in his face. “I’m here to help. This can be hard or this can be easy. The way I see it you have two choices. You can tell me what happened and make a statement in front of these two fine law enforcement representatives, or I can take Isabella and fix things so you never see her again. Now which way you want to play it?”

“Why you be getting all up in my bizness? Why some Betty like you care about some dawg like me?”

“Because Ralph cares about you,” she answered simply.

“How you know the bro’?” he mumbled.

“Ralph was my partner until he transferred into the gangs’ task force,” she told him. “It’s up to you, Diego. You can make a life with Izzy if you want, or you can keep going. It’s already cost you Ralph and Ginny, is it worth Isabella as well?”

“Got no way to get out,” he mumbled.

“We have a way for you,” she said simply. “Your sister-in-law Janise, she wants both of you to come and live near her in Arizona. We have a job lined up for you. You would be working on a ranch with a place for you and Izzy to live and where she can go to school. It’s up to you.”

“What about Ginny?” he asked suspiciously.

“What about her?” she asked.

“Where will she go? Will she not come with us?”

Trixie smiled. The hip-talking young gang member was disappearing and now she had the attention of the concerned and loving father that had heard so much about from Izzy.

Trixie shook her head, “Everyone thinks it’s for the best if Ginny stays where she is. Even Ginny thinks so.

“But Izzy needs her mama!” Diego protested.

“Ginny can’t do that right now,” Trixie said. “She has too much guilt over what happened. She needs to stay where she is.”

“Para siempre?” Diego asked carefully.

“No, only until she can forgive herself.”

“¿Puedo hablar yo con ella?”

“Si, ¿Qué hará usted?”

“If you can get me out with Izzy to Arizona like you said, I’m ready to go right now.”

“Will you give these officers a statement about what happened?”

“Yeah, but it was an accident.”

“I know, Diego. We all know, but we need it for the file.”

~~~~~

Three hours later, Trixie stood outside the Spanish-styled mission. Dan had understood Diego much better than she had. She did not understand why he wouldn’t leave when Ralph had asked him. It was the job of course. He had to be able to support his family; his Hispanic heritage was strong, stronger than Ralph’s even.

She read the historic marker, noting the classic architecture and wondering why she had not paid more attention to such a beautiful example of Spanish architecture so close to home before. Jim stood next to her, with Isabella waiting between them. Her suitcase was in the car. She hadn’t been with them long but it was long enough to acquire quite a wardrobe as well as a few toys. The one she loved the most was the stuffed horse that looked remarkably like Susie. She had been thrilled to learn she would have riding lessons at her new home.

“Tia Trixie,” Izzy spoke up. “Will you come see me in Arizona?”

Trixie shared a look with Jim before answering, “I don’t know, Izzy. Probably some day I will. You know Tia Janise is waiting for you, right? You and your papa, you won’t have to worry about the bad guys.”

“I know, Tio Jim explained it all to me. I just wanted mama to come with us.”

“She’ll be there, Isabella. She just needs time to get better. She still misses her brother.” Jim spoke up, reassuring the young girl. “She wants to be there.”

Trixie smiled as she watched Diego come out of the convent. The Sisters of the Divine Compassion would take good care of Ginny until she could handle having killed her brother. Trixie smiled, thinking how John Harris had corrected her, “Her half-brother, Frayne. He was only her half-brother.”

She had answered him in typical Bob-White fashion. “You don’t understand, John. When it comes to family, there is no half. You’re either family or your aren’t. He’s her brother and Janise is her sister. They just have different mothers.”

Dan was the one who had convinced John and Donald, that Trixie had the right solution. Diego had insisted it was an accident. The tearful account Trixie and Honey had gotten from Ginny, while not as insistent, was still compelling. It had been an accident and Ginny was consumed with guilt over it.

Finally, they had made the trip to Arizona and confronted Janise. She broke down and admitted it was likely true that it would have to be an accident. “I’m sorry, Bea. I know Ginny would never shoot Ralph on purpose. It was just seemed so much more, well dignified, for Ralph to be shot in the line of duty than killed by his sister in a fight over leaving her husband.”

Now, it was working out like Ralph had wanted. Diego and Isabella were flying to Arizona, courtesy of the Wheeler jet. There would be no record of their leaving the state. Ralph’s sister, Virginia Maria Sanchez Garcia would live at the Convent of the Sisters of the Divine Compassion until she could reconcile herself to the death she had caused. Then, hopefully, she would join her husband and her daughter in Arizona, far from the gangs and temptations presented by New York. They would be a family again. Trixie and Jim knew they would be okay, Janise would watch over them as well.

Trixie and Jim said good-bye there, at the convent in White Plains. Neither could have handled the trip back from the City without Isabella. Trixie fought to hold back the tears as the tiny young girl who had won their hearts climbed happily into the back of the limousine with her papa. Diego, the sullen and disrespectful gang kingpin was now a young girl’s beloved papa. He held her hand tightly. Obviously she was the most important thing in the world to him.

As the limo pulled out, Trixie felt it and couldn’t stop the shiver. She spoke without turning around, “Happy Birthday, Ralph.”

“You done good, Bea. You and Jim, you both done good.”

He was gone, then. Trixie knew that was it, she wouldn’t see or hear from him again. Trixie exchanged a look with her handsome husband, thankful again that she had him in her life.

“Jim,” she said as she gave him a quick hug before they walked towards their car. “Have I ever told you the story about the Bob-Whites and the clubhouse conception concept?”