The Mystery of the Castaway Children

got a chance to raise a whole hunk of money from the parents of all these kids!”
    Trixie saw Brian’s arms tremble at Sax’s threat. Sax grinned boldly at Roger. “In other words, we have to keep this bunch under control, don’t we? It’ll be simple!” With a quick change of mood, he stalked across the kitchen and poked the gun at Bobby’s chest. Coldly he told Trixie, “Turn loose of that hand, sis, or he’s had it.”
    “Y-You’ll have to kill me, too!” Trixie said, clutching Bobby’s hand even tighter. She could hear moaning sounds coming from Bobby. She glanced down and saw that he wasn’t crying. Bobby Belden was angry.
    “I don’t mutual you!” Bobby yelled as he kicked Sax in the shins.
    “Don’t make him mad, Bobby!” begged Trixie. “I can handle the kid—it’s you that’s making me mad, sis,” Sax sneered. “Let go of him.” Trixie obeyed.
    “I gotta go to the bathroom!” Bobby roared. Sax looked disgusted. “Take him,” he told Roger, “but make it snappy.”
    While Bobby and Roger were out of the room, Sax’s snake eyes flicked from one face to another. When he noticed Mart’s hand inching toward the knife rack on the wall, Sax warned silkily, “Don’t bother, kid.”
    “Oh, Mart, keep your temper,” Di pleaded. “You’d better ask him to do the same, Di,” muttered Dan. “This little man has seen too many shoot-’em-ups.”
    For the first time, Sax’s anger flared. “Higgins!” he shouted. “Bring that kid back here so I can get going!”
    Bobby caused as much commotion as possible when Roger dragged him back to the kitchen, and Dodgy began to wail.
    “Look what you did!” Davy shrieked at Sax. “I’m sorry,” said Sax with mock concern. “But I must be on my way. I’m receiving a donation of twenty thousand beautiful green ones!” He picked up Bobby’s jump rope, which was hanging over the back of a chair. Sax tossed the rope to Roger, who started to tie Bobby’s hands behind his back.
    “Put it around his neck,” Sax suggested, “so you can jerk it if anybody gets a brainstorm about tackling you.”
    Roger looped the jump rope around Bobby’s neck, a smile showing between his beard and moustache. “While I’m here, I’ll start writing the notes to their daddies. They were so polite about bringing one to mine!”
    “You do that,” Sax said. His gun in one hand, he saluted smartly with the other and stepped backward through the screen door, grinning from ear to ear.
    Then, to everyone’s amazement, Sax twitched as though he’d received an electric shock, and his grin changed to a look of dismay.
    A familiar voice, coming from behind Sax, barked, “Drop that gun!”
    The weapon clattered to the floor as Sax’s hands shot into the air and were immediately fastened with handcuffs.
    Roger Higgins looked as though he couldn’t decide whether to reach for the gun on the floor or to try to escape into the rest of the house.
    As his grasp tightened on the rope around Bobby’s neck, Sergeant Molinson and another police officer stormed into the kitchen. An instant later, Roger’s hands were also handcuffed.
    Dizzy with relief, Trixie rushed to Bobby and hugged his sturdy body. While the others followed her example, Davy pulled on Brian’s sleeve.
    “Please let me touch Dodgy,” Davy said shyly.
    Brian sat down in a kitchen chair and held out the crying baby. Davy laid his cheek against the baby’s and crooned, “Oh, Dodgy, I’ve missed you. Don’t cry—you’re safe now.”
    Trixie gulped when Dodgy stopped crying. The baby seemed to recognize Davy’s voice and touch. This was what she had been working for— the reuniting of a family.
    The sergeant held out a big solid hand to Trixie. She placed hers in it for a bone-crunching handshake.
    Trixie put an arm around Davy’s shoulders. She said, “This is Davy Dodge.”
    The sergeant bent down to shake Davy’s hand, too. “Am I glad to meet you!” he said gruffly.
    “Where’s Jim?” Trixie asked suddenly.
    “I told you we should have kept track of that redheaded kid!” Sax growled at Roger.
    Sergeant Molinson ordered both handcuffed men to sit down and keep quiet. Then he turned back to Trixie. “We passed Jim on the road,” he said. “He waved us on. He looked beat. I knew something was wrong when you people didn’t show up at the station like you were supposed to. Seeing Jim alone on Glen Road confirmed my suspicion, and we got over here as fast as we could.”
    Even