Charming knelt in respect as the king and his knights turned to face him.
"I am indebted to the Knights of the Round Table. Thank you, Your Highness," Charming said.
"Your thanks will not be enough, Charming," King Arthur barked. "The beast destroyed my car. Trust that you will find a repair estimate in the mail this week."
Charming scowled, but as the party guests filed out of the half-destroyed mansion, he forced a smile. Mr. Seven rushed to the prince's side, carrying a large black pot he held out to the approaching crowd. "Friends, who says nothing exciting ever happens in Ferryport Landing?" The prince chuckled. But this time his wit and charm fell on angry ears. The people passed him, returning his laughter with disgusted looks.
"Is this what we're paying you for?" the White Rabbit said as he hopped past.
"People, there's no need to leave," Charming said. "We'll have the mansion back to its old self in just a matter of moments. There's plenty of food and drink and we've even arranged a door prize."
"As the elected leader of this community, I would have thought you'd take the safety of your constituents much more seriously," a Bengal tiger said as he stalked past them.
"I assure you, Shere Khan ..." But the tiger didn't stop to hear Charming's assurances.
"Well, if you all must go, please don't forget to donate to the Ferryport Community Fund," the prince continued, kicking Mr. Seven, who immediately held the pot higher so that everyone could see. But not a single penny was added to the donations.
"I do believe this town is in need of some new leadership," the Queen of Hearts said, as she left. Charming said nothing as he watched the last of his guests drive away.
"Put the pot down, Mr. Seven," he said. The dwarf slowly lowered the empty pot and took a peek inside.
"We want our grandmother and her friend," Sabrina demanded.
"This is all your fault!" Charming shouted as he turned on them.
"What?"
"You two brought him here."
"If you can't control your giant, then maybe you shouldn't be working with one," Daphne advised.
"I'm not working with any giant. Only a fool who wants to be someone's lunch would make a deal with a giant," Charming said.
"That's a lie," Sabrina yelled. "He's one of your goons, just like those guys you met at the cabin."
"Ladies, I am nobility. I don't have goons. Those men don't work for me. I was there to arrest them and their boss."
"Well, if you're not their boss, who is?" Sabrina demanded.
Charming snatched the video camera from Sabrina's hand. He opened a side panel where a small LCD screen folded out. Then he rewound the recording, pressed the Play button, and handed the camera back to the girls.
The image was shaky at first but then suddenly it cleared up as the person holding the camera set it down on the hill that overlooked Applebee's farm. Four men were talking to one another. Two of them were extremely tall, another was short and fat, and the fourth couldn't be seen. It was obvious who the other three were—Bobby, Tony, and Steve—the goons who had attacked the family at the hospital. Finally, the fourth figure stepped in front of the lens, leaned down, and grinned broadly. It was Jack.
"That's evidence we found on Jack when he was arrested. He wanted a tape of himself killing a giant," Charming cried. "It had nothing to do with the farmhouse. In fact, he admitted he thought the farmer had left town."
Jack laughed wildly at the camera, held up a small white bean, and then rushed down the hill. Soon, the familiar footage of the beanstalk and the destruction of the giant played again.
"So, you're not trying to buy up the town to rebuild your kingdom?" Daphne asked.
"On the contrary, I am trying to buy up this town," Charming said. "But there are better ways to get what you want than to let a giant loose on the countryside."
Sabrina didn't know whether to be furious with his admission or respect his honesty.
"So why did you send the sheriff after us?" Daphne asked.
"He was supposed to pick you up and take you somewhere safe until we could hunt down the giant and find your grandmother," Charming said.
"Every Everafter in this town wishes we were dead," Sabrina said. "Why would you want to help us?"
"I have my reasons."
"I'm confused," Daphne said. "Why would Jack bring us here and tell us this story about you being the bad guy?"
"And why did he want to stay in contact with these, if he was just going to take off?" Sabrina said, handing Charming her walkie-talkie.
"Because, if he kept you busy he could go back to your house," the prince said.
"But he can't get in. He doesn't have the keys," Sabrina replied.
"He doesn't need the keys," Daphne gasped. "We didn't say 'good-bye' to the house when we left. We used the ruby slippers. The house is unlocked."
Hamstead, in his human form, came rushing out of the mansion.
"I've got the deputies chasing the giant," he said. "He's heading into the woods in the direction of Widow's Peak."
"Good job," Charming said. The sheriff beamed with pride.
"We've also searched the grounds. There's no sign of Jack," Hamstead continued. "But we did find this."
He held out Jack's bloody handkerchief.
"So the giant would smell him and come running," Charming said. "You might as well join your men, Sheriff. The girls and I will call you if we need you."
"Where are you going?" Hamstead asked.
The prince took Sabrina's arm and urged Daphne to do the same. "We're going back to the Grimm house. I have an unsettling notion of what our giant killer is up to," Charming said.
Sabrina clicked her heels together.
"There's no place like home. There's no place like home. There's no place like home."
Instantly, the girls and Charming were standing outside of Granny's house. The front door was wide open and through the doorway they could see that Jack had ransacked their home. They walked inside. Bookshelves were tipped over, furniture was overturned, and even the couch cushions were thrown aside. He had searched through every kitchen cupboard, emptied closets, and destroyed antiques. But his crimes against the house weren't what was bothering Sabrina. What hurt her was that she had been tricked. In the last year and a half, Sabrina had learned to be street-smart and savvy. She was the one who was supposed to pull fast ones on people. She was the queen of the sneaks and she had been suckered.
Suddenly, the telephone rang. She picked up the receiver and said hello.
"Hello, this is Wilma Faye at Action Four News. I'm following up on a tip we got about a half hour ago. A Mr. Englishman said there would be a murder on Widow's Peak tonight. We've already got a camera crew on their way but we were hoping we might be able to speak to Mr. Englishman first," the woman begged.
"No, he's not here," Sabrina replied.
"Well, if you see him please tell him that we are very intrigued by the story and will have a camera team and reporter there as he requested," the woman continued. Then, with a click, she hung up.
"That was a reporter," Sabrina said. "Jack called them and told them there was going to be a murder on Widow's Peak tonight."
"This is exactly what I was trying to prevent. He's going to kill a giant on television so he can be famous again," Charming said. "When the world sees that, this little town will be turned upside down by reporters. There's too much here to explain. We've got to stop him."
"Elvis!" Daphne cried suddenly. The giant dog was nowhere to be seen. Daphne shouted his name and, after several painful moments of silence, a low bark could be heard from upstairs. Daphne rushed up the steps, followed by Sabrina and Charming. She threw open the door to Mirror's room and found Elvis lying on the floor in a small puddle of his own blood. He had a serious cut on his belly but he barked happily when he saw the girls. Daphne knelt down and kissed the dog gently on his nose. When she lifted her face, tears were pouring down her cheeks.
"He hurt Elvis," the little g
irl sobbed.
"Girls, we have to find Jack," Charming said coldly. "We don't have time for this mongrel."
Sabrina and Daphne looked at the man as if he were a moldy sandwich that had slowly turned to soup in the bottom of the refrigerator. The prince groaned and took his cell phone from his pocket. He dialed a number and sighed impatiently.
"Mr. Seven, I need you to send one of the Three to the Grimm house. The door is open so they can come right in. There's a dog that needs medical assistance ... Yes, a dog ... a D-O-G. No, Mr. Seven, I don't know what's wrong with him, maybe a broken rib . . . No, Mr. Seven . . . Yes, Mr. Seven . . . Mr. Seven, if you don't stop asking me questions, I'm going to feed you to this dog."
Sabrina eyed the man suspiciously and Charming caught her gaze.
"And Mr. Seven, my orders are that whichever one of the witches comes, she respect this house," Charming added. "No snooping."
Daphne wrapped her arms around the prince's neck and hugged him as he hung up his phone.
"Thank you," she sobbed and, for a brief moment, Charming seemed to enjoy the hug, but then he pulled away from her.
"You're ruining my suit," he replied, wiping his lapel clean of the girl's tears. "We should check the mirror."
Sabrina gazed over at it. The little man who was usually in its reflection was missing.
"Mirror!" Charming shouted.
"You have to step through it," said Sabrina.
"I'm aware of how it works," the prince said impatiently. "I used to be engaged to one of its former owners."
He stepped into the reflection and disappeared. Sabrina followed closely behind, leaving Daphne to nurse Elvis.
The little man known as Mirror was lying on his side on the cold marble floor, barely conscious and covered in bruises. Charming knelt down to him and lifted the pudgy man's head. Mirror slowly opened his eyes and grimaced in pain.
"He was too strong and fast for me. I couldn't stop him," Mirror groaned.
"What did he take?" Charming asked.
"I tried to fight him off but he just laughed at me. You wouldn't believe how quick he is," Mirror complained.
"Focus, man! We need to know if Jack took anything."
"He took the beans," Mirror replied.
"How? He doesn't have a key," Sabrina asked, reaching into her pocket and pulling out Granny's key ring.
"I forgot to remind you to lock the door after you let him take a peek at the jar," said the little man.
"I don't get it," Sabrina said. "If killing the giant will make him famous again, what does he want with the beans?"
"It's insurance. If his fame starts to fade, he'll let another giant out with another one of those beans. The giant will kill people and destroy things and then Jack will come to the rescue," Charming explained.
"But how is he going to find the giant in the first place?" Sabrina asked. "We haven't been able to find him and he's two hundred feet tall."
"He's not going to have to find it, it's going to find him," Charming answered. "Giants have a great sense of smell, especially when it comes to blood. That's why the giant showed up at the mansion. Jack left his bloody handkerchief and the giant could smell it. It's amazing, really, that they can smell anything over their own stink. If one touches you, you can't wash off the odor for weeks."
Suddenly, Sabrina thought of the two pieces of fabric Elvis had brought into the room just before the group had left for Charming's mansion. One was Granny Relda's cloth from the giant, the other was a piece of Jack's pants. Elvis was trying to warn us that Jack had been near a giant, Sabrina realized. She was a terrible detective—she couldn't recognize a clue when it was offered to her by a two-hundred-pound Great Dane. She wanted to kick herself, but she had to focus on what Charming had said.
"But if giants have such great noses, why didn't this one attack us here? Jack was in our house for hours," she said to Charming.
"Protection spells. If Relda is anything, she's careful. We have one on the jailhouse, too," he replied.
"So, what are we going to do?"
"Mirror, I'm going to need something," Charming said.
• • •
Sabrina unlocked the door labeled MAGICAL ARMORY and let the prince inside. The room was filled with all types of weapons—bows and arrows, swords, a nasty-looking pole with a spiky metal ball attached by a chain, and hundreds of others. Some things were obviously magical, as they glowed or hummed, while most were just shining with horrible possibilities.
Charming pointed to a sword on the wall. "That's the one," he said.
Mirror hobbled into the room with a worried face. "I find this very unwise. There is already one Everafter running around with magic; this town does not need a second. Especially with Excalibur. Any person whose skin is pierced by its blade is a goner. Even the tiniest scratch will kill you."
Sabrina took the sword off the wall and held it in her hand. It was long and wide, with a jewel-encrusted handle. An odd tingle raced through her when she held it with both hands. She felt powerful, the way King Arthur must have felt when Excalibur belonged to him.
"Sabrina, is this someone you can trust?" Mirror asked.
"No, he's not," she said. "I've heard what this town thinks of my family and what my death might mean for your freedom. How do I know you won't just stab me in the back when I'm not looking?"
"Grimm, I am not your friend," Charming said. "I resent your family for the life they have forced me to live for the last two hundred years and I resent you for the future that you represent. And if I were doing this for your worthless family, you would probably be right. But I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it for me. As much as Baba Yaga's spell has trapped me in Ferryport Landing, it has also benefited me. I have power here. I have wealth and respect. If Jack shows the world that giants and fairy tales are real, then life in this town will change and my position as its ruler ... I mean mayor, might be challenged. Therefore, you and I are in an unusual situation. Tonight, I am your ally, and I will help you save your grandmother and Canis. If that is the only solution, then so be it. But rest assured, Grimm, tomorrow I am your enemy again."
Sabrina looked up into his eyes and saw that he was being honest, even if his brand of honesty made her sick to her stomach. Could she trust him? She reached into her pocket, took out the picture of her family, and gazed at their faces—her mother and father, Mr. Canis, and finally, Granny Relda. She had to do something to get the old woman back. She wasn't going to lose her family all over again. She took the heavy sword and handed it to him.
Mirror continued to protest, limping along, as Charming and Sabrina exited the room and returned through the mirror. Daphne was waiting for them with Elvis. They gently carried the dog into the hallway and then Sabrina carefully locked the door to Mirror's room.
"You stay here with Elvis," Sabrina ordered her sister.
"No way!" Daphne cried. "We're Grimms, this is what we do!"
"This is dangerous."
"Whatever," the little girl said, grabbing Sabrina's hand tightly.
Sabrina surrendered, hooked her finger into Charming's pocket, and clicked Dorothy's shoes together.
"There's no place like where Jack is," she said.
"Sabrina, wouldn't these shoes take us to wherever Mom and Dad are?" Daphne wondered aloud. Sabrina's eyes grew wide with possibility.
"We can save them next," her sister said happily.
"All right," Sabrina said, clicking her heels together. "There's no place like where Jack is. There's no place like where Jack is."
The lights went out and the familiar squeaky wheeze filled Sabrina's ears. In a split-second, Charming and the girls were standing in the woods on Widow's Peak. They had little time to adjust to their new surroundings. Sabrina looked above her and saw the giant's massive foot preparing to crush them all.
They managed to leap out of the way but the aftershock tossed them around as if they were on a sinking ship. The ground split apart, sending stones and soil into a gaping c
revice where the group had once stood.
The giant leaned down to get a better look at the three people scurrying at his feet. He reached to snatch them, but a flaming arrow zipped from the tree line and landed in the side of the giant's face. The monster cried in pain as he plucked it from his cheek, only to have a second and third arrow pierce his chin.
"Stop it, Jack!" Sabrina commanded. "There are people in the giant's pocket and if you kill him they'll die when he falls!"
Jack peeked his head out from behind some branches in a nearby tree and laughed.
"Oh, it's not time to kill him yet," Jack shouted, remaining safely hidden in the trees. "I'm just trying to get him good and angry."
"We know about the reporters, Jack," Charming said. "We're never going to let that happen."
Jack fired several more arrows into the giant's face, landing a painful shot to the monster's lower lip. The giant raged as he tried to pluck it out. While the giant was busy, the young man dropped out of the tree and landed as nimbly as a cat.
"Blimey! Charming and the Grimms on the same side? I never thought I'd live to see the day," he said. "Has the prince turned traitor like that worthless mongrel Canis?"
"The only allegiance I have is to myself," Charming said as he waved Excalibur in the air. "Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. But the result will be the same. You're going back to jail."
"Sorry, Prince, but I've spent my last day in the Ferryport Landing lockup. My fans await," Jack said, loading another arrow into his bow and firing it at the giant. It pierced the skin between two fingers of the giant's left hand, and he shrieked. Overcome with rage, the giant swept his arm across the tops of the forest trees, cracking many ancient cedars in half. A sizable chunk of one fell from the sky and nearly hit Charming in the head.
"Oh, he's angry now." the giant killer laughed, loading his arrow again. This time he aimed it at Charming.
"Jack, don't!" Sabrina cried.
The Fairy-Tale Detectives (The Sisters Grimm, Book 1) Page 16
