The Mystery of the Antique Doll

the shop.
    At last, she was within reach of the doorknob. At a moment when Carl Reid was safely in the back room, she quietly turned the knob until she felt the bolt disengage from the door jamb. Then she pushed gently on the door, hoping it wouldn’t squeak.
    Luckily the door was quiet. Trixie kept her eye on Carl Reid, knowing that at any moment he would return with a new stack of bills to be banded and put in the suitcase. She decided to wait until his next trip into the back room before making her escape.
    As Trixie expected, Carl Reid came into the front of the shop. He stopped for a moment after placing the bills on the table. He looked at the silent group as if realizing there was something different about them. Trixie held her breath. Unable to determine what was bothering him, he returned to the back room.
    Trixie watched until she was certain all three men were engrossed in their tasks. Then she pushed the door a little further open and slid as quickly as she could out onto the landing. Her heart pounded wildly and, as she stood up, the ropes fell around her feet.
    In an instant, she heard a howl of rage. Before she could disentangle her feet from the ropes, Carl Reid was at the door. His arm shot out and grabbed her jacket. Trixie tried to pull her arms out of the sleeves, but failed, and Reid dragged her back into the shop.
    “So, you thought you could run off and call the cops or something, eh, kid? Well, that was a big mistake, if you don’t mind my telling you.” He pushed her back down into a sitting position, far away from the others.
    “This time, I’ll tie you up myself,” he said icily, shooting a disdainful glance in Bill’s direction. “And, believe me, you won’t get out of it because I know a thing or two about tying someone up.”
    Trixie saw Mart giving her a sympathetic look. He shrugged slightly, as if to say, “At least you tried!”
    Better to have tried and failed, she thought, than never to have tried at all.
    But Trixie had to admit Mr. Reid could certainly tie a tight knot. Not only that, he had tied her wrists behind her back instead of in front, and the ropes bit into her wrists and upper arms painfully.
    Di started to cry softly. Hearing her, Brian had a look of barely controlled fury on his face as he watched Carl Reid.
    Whatever happens next isn’t going to be good, Trixie thought glumly. She didn’t feel like facing the others, knowing that her sleuthing had put them all in the most horrible danger. I should have taken everyone’s advice for once and kept my nose out of this!
    One fact was now inescapable: Now there was no way to save themselves.



13 * The Rescuers

    JUST WHEN Trixie thought her heart would break from guilt and despair, she heard a scraping sound outside the shop. Before she knew what was happening, the door was thrown open and Sergeant Molinson burst into the room.
    Behind him came two of his men. All three held drawn guns. A quick look of shock passed over their faces as they took in the scene before them—the whole Bob-White group sitting tied up on the floor, and a table piled with money in the center of the room.
    It was almost more than they could accept.
    Sergeant Molinson quickly assessed the situation. As the three men in the back room spun around, reaching for their guns, the Sergeant was ready for them. Holding his gun in front of his face with both hands, he went into a partial crouch.
    “Lay down the guns!” he snapped. “You’re under arrest!”
    The counterfeiters placed their heavy revolvers on the floor, and the Bob-Whites heaved a collective sigh of relief. The officers with Sergeant Molinson quickly went into the back room, and slapped handcuffs on the three men.
    Trixie and Mart—not to mention the rest of the Bob-Whites—wanted to be untied instantly. But only after the Sergeant was completely satisfied that the alleged perpetrators were safely under lock and key did the police turn their attention to the Bob-Whites and Inspector Patou. Then with remarkable speed, they had them all untied and standing, happily rubbing their sore wrists and flexing their stiff arms. Trixie looked around her in wonder. Two minutes ago, she’d been convinced it was all over, and now, suddenly, they were safe and sound—and all thanks to Sergeant Molinson.
    “Oh, wow,” she said, turning to face him, a big grin on her face. “I’ve never been so glad to see anyone in my entire life! How did you know you were supposed to come and