Tales From the Hood Page 10

  Uncle Jake turned to Granny Relda. “What cages?”

  Granny shook her head. “I’ve read nearly every version of the event and I’ve never seen any mention of cages.”

  “Red, can you tell us more about these cages?” Robin Hood asked.

  “NO!” the child shrieked. There was so much anger and hate in her voice it startled even Little John. He nearly fell over his chair as he tried to back away.

  “It was my turn to ask a question!” Red cried. “You have to play the game right.”

  “Of course, my friend,” Granny said in a calming voice. “We didn’t mean to skip your turn. What is your next question?”

  “Can I go home?”

  Sabrina shuddered. Her fear seemed to be shared. The rest of the group seemed just as unnerved by the suggestion. Ferryport Landing was on the verge of chaos already. The last thing it needed was Red walking around free. Eventually, Granny mustered the courage to answer. “You’re very sick and you need to get better. Once that happens you can go home.”

  “I don’t feel sick. I don’t have a runny nose.”

  “That’s because you are sick inside your mind. It’s a different kind of illness. You can’t feel it at all.”

  Red frowned. “OK.”

  “Can we ask a question, now?” Granny asked.

  Red Riding Hood nodded.

  “Tell us about these cages,” Robin Hood said.

  “The doggie was in one and then there was wind and then he wasn’t in the cage anymore. The doggie wasn’t in the doggie anymore. He was in the man. The man with the ax. He was an angry doggie. He made the other man scared. The other man cried. My turn! How is my baby brother?”

  Granny searched the faces of the group for an answer but everyone was silent. She turned back to the child. “I didn’t know you had a baby brother, Red.”

  “Oh yes,” Red cooed. “He’s got bright red hair, pink skin, and big green eyes. I just love him so much. Is someone taking care of him?”

  Sabrina and Daphne looked at each other knowingly. They suspected that this baby brother of Red’s wasn’t really a relative, but a child she and the Jabberwocky had stolen. They had found a crib and baby toys in Red’s hiding place, once, but who the child was or where he might be now was still a mystery.

  “Yes,” Granny lied. “He’s perfectly safe.”

  “Good,” Red sighed. “Your turn.”

  “You said that there was a man at your grandma’s house,” Robin Hood said. “Who was he?”

  “Which one?”

  Granny looked shocked. “I’m confused. Are you saying there were two men in your grandmother’s house?”

  Red nodded. “One was the doggie. One was the man.”

  “This is pointless,” Sabrina whispered to her grandmother. “Even if she does remember what happened, she is so confused—how can we trust anything she says?”

  Granny nodded reluctantly. “I’m afraid I agree. Perhaps we should go.”

  “Will you come and visit me again?” the little girl asked.

  Sabrina cringed at the idea of making another visit to the murderous Everafter.

  “We’ll try,” Granny said. “In the meantime you work on feeling better.”

  “Tell the doggie I said hello,” Red said.

  Once outside, Nurse Sprat set down her sandwich and went to work on the various locks and bolts that kept Red inside and safely away from others. Once Sabrina had calmed down, she noticed something in Robin and Little John’s faces.

  “What?” she asked.

  “Something isn’t adding up here,” Robin said. “She spoke of cages. It might not mean anything, but I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t look into it. I think we need to go see our furry friend again. I’m guessing there’s a secret locked inside the cage in his head and we need to get it out.”

  Uncle Jake dropped the lawyers, his mother, the girls, and Barto off at the jailhouse, saying he needed to get back to the mirror and keep track of Goldilocks. Elvis also needed to be fed and let out of the house. Little John assured Jake he would keep the family safe. Barto was offended by this and claimed he didn’t need the big man’s help.

  “Nottingham is never going to let us see Mr. Canis again,” Daphne said.

  Robin Hood smiled. “I think that’s something my strong friend can remedy.”

  Little John grinned. “Finally! It’s about time we started having some fun.”

  The big man walked over to a trash can, hefted it off the ground, and tossed it across the street and through the front window of a jewelry store. An alarm rang out that seemed to shake the air around Sabrina’s ears.

  “I suggest we hide,” Robin said.

  The family and their lawyers hurried around the corner of the jailhouse and ducked down behind some bushes. Seconds later, they watched Sheriff Nottingham rush out of the building and across the street. He glared at the broken window and then dashed inside the store.

  “Let’s go,” Robin said.

  The family raced inside the jailhouse and closed the door.

  “John, I believe we might need the princess,” Robin said.

  Little John nodded. “I believe you’re right. I’ll bring her back as soon as I can, but you know how she gets. If there’s a hair out of place she’ll refuse to come.”

  “I’m sure you can persuade her,” Robin replied.

  The big man grinned. “My pleasure.” Moments later, he was gone.

  The group hurried back to the jail cells. Canis was slumped in the corner of his, breathing hard and attending to wounds he had suffered at the hands of the card soldiers. He looked tired, though Sabrina kept her distance. A tired Big Bad Wolf was still more dangerous than anything else known to man.

  “Why have you come?” he said when he saw the family.

  “We spoke to the child,” Granny Relda said.

  “You are wasting your time,” Canis growled. “Can’t you see your efforts are for nothing. Even if I wanted my freedom, Heart and Nottingham would never allow it.”

  “If we don’t prove your innocence, they are going to put you to death,” Robin said.

  “So be it,” Canis sniffed. “You cannot prove the innocence of a guilty man.”

  Everyone was quiet until Robin broke the silence. “Still, I believe we have a legitimate defense that needs to be explored. You and the Wolf are two separate beings sharing the same body. If that’s true then we have to prove that you aren’t in control when you are the Wolf. To do that we need to know exactly what happened that day.”

  Canis shook his head.

  “C’mon, Mr. Canis,” Daphne said. “You can at least answer some questions.”

  “Fine,” Canis said. “What do you want to know?”

  “What do you remember?” Robin asked.

  Canis sat quietly for a long time, then sighed. “Nothing.”

  Granny Relda’s face turned red and she angrily waved her finger at the old man. “Mr. Canis, you better start talking right now or I swear I’ll . . . I’ll . . . well, I don’t know, but you won’t like it!”

  “Relda, I have no recollection of that day or any before it,” Canis said. “When I am the Wolf I only see tiny moments, like snapshots of events. I remember the blood. I hear someone screaming but nothing is clear. When I am Canis I only know that something terrible has occurred.”

  “Red Riding Hood mentioned that she saw cages in her grandmother’s house when she arrived that day. She says you were in one of them,” Robin said.

  Canis shook his head. “The child has an imagination. I wouldn’t take what she says too seriously. The things the Wolf did that day . . . it was too much for a little girl to see. The damage I’ve done to that poor child’s mind is inexcusable.”

  Just then, there was a terrific racket in the hallway. Sabrina gasped, fearing that Nottingham had returned, but when the door flew open she saw Little John, who was carrying a woman in a blue dress over his shoulder. The woman was holding a miniature pug in her hands. The little
dog barked and snapped frantically.

  “Here she is, boss,” Little John said.

  “John, you put me down this minute!” she cried. “I am royalty, you know. I have never been so offended in my life.”

  Robin approached the duo and looked up into the woman’s face. “Hello, princess.”

  “Robin, so help me, if your lummox doesn’t put me down this instant—”

  “Of course,” Robin chuckled. “You can set her down, John.”

  Little John eased the princess to her feet, and she complained bitterly about how he had wrinkled her expensive gown. When the woman was finished straightening her dress and looked up, Sabrina recognized her immediately. Her name was Beauty, though many people knew her because of her famous husband, the Beast. The duo were like night and day in appearance: She was a devastatingly attractive woman, he was a horrible nightmare with fur, yellow eyes, and tusks creeping out of his mouth. Sabrina had had a few run-ins with the couple already, and she knew the Beast was a member of the Scarlet Hand. Whether Beauty had joined as well, Sabrina didn’t know.

  “What are they doing here?” Beauty asked, alarmed.

  “These are my clients,” Robin said. “And they are in need of some of your special talents.”

  The little pug sniffed the air and yipped. The poor creature was wearing a little black doggie tuxedo, with a pocket square that matched his owner’s dress and a tiny top hat. “Hush, Mr. Wuggles!” Beauty said, then turned her attention to the crowd. “Mr. Wuggles is not happy!” She proceeded to kiss the dog and speak to him in baby talk for several minutes.

  “Boss, I don’t think we’ve got a lot of time,” Little John said. “Nottingham will be back when he gets bored.”

  “Good point,” Robin said, and turned to Beauty. “Princess, we need you to hypnotize someone so we can ask some questions.”

  Beauty craned her neck to see into the cell. Her eyes grew wide and she shook her head. “Robin Hood, you’ve lost your mind if you think—”

  “You’re the only hope we have,” Robin said.

  “But that’s the—”

  “We know, but your husband was just as wild as the Wolf when you met him. You know the kind of effect you have on savages. If I thought we could get the information any other way, I would.”

  Beauty stepped up to the cell and looked inside. Mr. Wuggles did the same and whined. “Oh, boy,” the princess sighed.

  “What’s she going to do?” Sabrina asked.

  Beauty turned to her. “I calm down animals, even put them into hypnotic states. I guess you could say I’m the monster whisperer.” Beauty turned back to the cage. “OK, pal. I’m going to come in there, but you have to promise not to eat me.”

  Canis nodded.

  Little John raced to the cell door with a set of keys. “Nottingham ran out of here without them.”

  The cell door swung open. Beauty shoved her dog into Sabrina’s arms and stepped inside. “Close the door,” she said.

  “And lock it,” Canis added.

  Little John did as he was told.

  Beauty sat down on a crude chair next to Canis. “Well, are you ready to get started?”

  Canis looked to Granny Relda with an expression of doubt.

  “For me, old friend,” Granny said.

  Canis nodded.

  Beauty rested her hand on Canis’s muscular arm. All at once the tension in the old man seemed to dissolve. His body relaxed, and the wild animal scent that filled the room disappeared. The anger and hate in Canis’s eyes were replaced with a calm, almost sleepy expression.

  “Feel better?” the princess asked.

  Canis nodded.

  “What do you want to know?” Beauty asked the lawyers.

  “Ask him to describe what happened the night Red Riding Hood’s grandmother died,” Robin replied.

  “Awww, that’s going to be so gross,” Beauty complained. She pointed at Sabrina. “You, cover Mr. Wuggles’s ears. He’s very sensitive. I don’t want him hearing this.”

  Sabrina did her best, though the dog refused to cooperate. Instead, he squirmed in Sabrina’s arms until he was facing her, then proceeded to lick every inch of her face.

  “OK, big guy,” Beauty said to Canis. “I want you to hear my voice only. You will see only what I ask you to see and though what you might see will be shocking, it won’t bother you at all. In fact, it will be like you are watching a movie.”

  “OK,” Canis said and he closed his eyes.

  “Let’s go back in time. I want you to go back to one night in particular. It was the night you met Little Red Riding Hood. Are you there?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. Tell me what you see and hear.”

  Canis shook his head. “It’s fuzzy. I can’t make out anything.”

  “Concentrate,” Beauty said. “Try to bring it into focus.”

  Canis’s body went into convulsions. His head swung back and forth violently.

  “He’s fighting me,” Beauty told the crowd.

  “Keep trying,” Little John replied as he nervously watched the door for Nottingham’s return.

  “It doesn’t work like that,” Beauty snapped. “It’s not a matter of trying harder. His brain opens up or it doesn’t. There’s something he doesn’t want to tell me.”

  Suddenly, Canis relaxed. “I’m running.”

  “Where to?” Beauty asked.

  “There’s a tiny house in the woods.”

  “Do you see anything else?” Beauty asked.

  “Light is blinding me and the trees are leaning over,” he said.

  “He’s talking crazy like Red,” Sabrina whispered to her grandmother.

  “Why are the trees leaning over?” Beauty asked, ignoring Sabrina’s comment.

  Canis shook his head. “The wind is incredible. I’m pounding on the door. I want him to follow me, but he’s afraid.”

  “Who is afraid?” Beauty repeated.

  Canis was silent. “I can’t see him anymore. I’m inside the house. The old woman is there. The child is crying.”

  “Are you talking about Red Riding Hood?” Beauty asked.

  Canis nodded. “Then there is wind. So much wind.”

  Beauty turned to the lawyers. “Is any of this making sense to you?”

  Robin shrugged. “Ask him if he sees any cages.”

  Beauty repeated the question, and for a long moment the old man was silent. Then he nodded.

  “Yes, cages,” he said. “Something is in one of them, but the wind is so strong I can’t see it. It’s some kind of animal. It’s out! It’s coming at me!” Canis let out a horrible scream that startled everyone, then his eyes flickered open and he looked at Beauty. “Who’s that playing around in my head?” he growled.

  The princess fell backward and ran toward the cage door. Luckily, the chains that bound the Wolf’s arms and legs held him back. He laughed at her fear and promised he would kill her someday. Then he looked over at the Grimm family and smiled. “Your day is coming, too.”

  Once Little John helped Beauty out of the cell, Canis seemed to regain control of himself. He apologized and slumped back into his corner while the big lawyer locked the cell door tight.

  “I’ve lost the connection,” Beauty said, as she caught her breath. “Not even my soon-to-be ex-husband was this difficult.”

  “You and Beast are splitting up?” Robin said with a sly grin.

  “Does your wife, Marian, know what kind of a flirt you are?” Beauty said with a little laugh.

  Sabrina’s heart sank. Robin was married.

  “Beauty, the two of you have been together for centuries,” Granny said.

  “He’s in the Scarlet Hand. I can’t convince him to give it up, and I just can’t reach him anymore. He’s not the man I married.”

  “So you haven’t joined?” Daphne asked.

  “No, I’m no revolutionary,” Beauty said. “I remember the last time this nonsense came up. That’s how we all got stuck in this town. Beast says Ever
afters should be in charge. He says the Master is going to rule the world, and we’ll enslave the human race, blah, blah, blah . . . I’ll have none of it. All I want from this world is a new pair of shoes every day for the rest of my life.”

  She reached over to Sabrina and took her dog. “And of course a diamond-studded collar for Mr. Wuggles,” she cooed to the dog. She showered the slobbery little mutt with kisses and he licked her face happily.

  “The only thing you’re going to get is the edge of my blade, you traitorous idiot,” a voice bellowed from the doorway. The group spun around to see Nottingham step into the room, his curved dagger clenched firmly in his hand.

  ottingham charged at Beauty but Little John punched him in the face, knocking him backward against the bars of a jail cell. The sheriff groaned but lunged again, and soon Sabrina and Daphne were caught in the middle of a melee of flying fists and slashing daggers. Sabrina snatched her sister by the arm and fought her way out of the chaos until they joined their grandmother, Barto, Beauty, and Mr. Wuggles huddled in a corner. Soon, the lawyers had managed to subdue the evil sheriff. They had him flat on his back, while he kicked and cursed at them. Sabrina rushed over to help, grabbing Nottingham’s flailing leg and holding it down.

  “You’re all going to join your mongrel friend at the end of a hangman’s noose,” Nottingham seethed, his deadly dagger still several feet from his greedy fingers.

  “What are we going to do with him?” Beauty asked. “He’ll tell everyone I was helping you. You don’t want to be on the wrong side of the Scarlet Hand these days, even if your husband is a member.”

  “Princess, have you ever done your little hypnotizing trick on a person?” Robin asked Beauty.

  “Never tried,” she said. “I think it only works on beasts.”

  “Well, he’s about as beastly as a man can get,” Little John said.

  Beauty reached down and placed her hand on Nottingham’s forehead. He fought a moment longer but then relaxed. “Go to sleep,” she said, and a moment later the sheriff was out cold. “Sheriff, you’re not going to remember the fight that just happened. You aren’t going to remember that you found us in the jail. You aren’t going to remember me or anyone who was here.”