Once Upon a Crime (The Sisters Grimm, Book 4) Page 15

  Sabrina looked down at the prison she had just escaped from and quickly fought the urge to barf when she realized she had just been inside her own cocoon. Granny Relda and Oz rushed to her and wiped away the layers of goop.

  "How are you feeling?" Granny asked.

  "I feel fine, though I'll never eat eggplant again as long as I live," Sabrina said, looking down at the crushed cocoon.

  "The cocoon removed the poisons from your system and allowed you to heal," Oz explained. "What Moth used would have been lethal without it."

  "She tried to poison you like she did Oberon," Daphne said, rushing to her sister and wrapping her arms around Sabrina's neck. "The pixies made her confess."

  "She told me everything," Sabrina said. "She was trying to impress Puck. She was hoping to prove herself so he would marry her. Where is she?"

  "She has been arrested. She'll see a judge as soon as we can determine who might be qualified to be one," Mustardseed said. He smiled and turned to his brother. "Mom's waiting."

  "Duty calls," Puck said as he rolled his eyes. He waved to Sabrina and left with his brother.

  Granny hugged Sabrina and burst into tears. "I am sorry, Sabrina. I would never forgive myself if you got hurt. I should protect you. I should prevent any harm from happening to you."

  "This wasn't your fault," Sabrina replied. "We knew Moth was mean, we just didn't know she was homicidal. We need to question her about the Scarlet Hand now. She can tell us things.

  She might even know who kidnapped Mom and Dad and put the spell on them."

  Granny shook her head. "She confessed to everything. She isn't in the Scarlet Hand."

  Chapter 9

  On Christmas Eve morning, Sabrina, Daphne, Granny Relda, Mr. Canis, Mr. Hamstead, Bess, Mustardseed, Puck, Titania, Oz, and a slew of fairies stood on a desolate bank of the Hudson River. On the shore was a boat carved from the trunk of an enormous tree. Inside, Oberon's body rested, gently rising and falling with the river's waves. A long sword was in his hands and he was wearing a suit of leather armor with a lion painted on the chest plate.

  Titania gave a speech, wishing her husband a safe passage into the next world. She placed a red rose on his chest, which she said had been grown in the fairy homeland, and then she stepped aside. Mustardseed followed, sharing memories of his father: his bravery in days long ago, his struggles as Faerie's new home in America collapsed, and even his plans to rebuild. He p

  laced a white rose next to his mother's red. Then it was Puck's turn to speak.

  "My father was a complicated man--one of strong traditions. He had unbendable beliefs and those beliefs often got in the way of new beginnings. He wanted the best for us but he didn't always know how to make that happen, and he was easily frustrated when we disagreed. As I am the new King of Faerie, his blood will endure."

  Puck tossed a green rose onto his father's chest. One of the ogres from the Golden Egg stepped forward with a torch and handed it to Puck. The boy fairy took it and set the boat ablaze. Then he and his brother pushed it out into the water. The flames quickly engulfed the floating casket and the river took it away. Soon, it was out of sight.

  Oz stepped up to the Ferryport Landing group. "I suppose you'll be leaving soon."

  Granny Relda nodded. "We've got to get back home and see if we can wake up the girls' parents."

  "I wish you the best of luck," Oz said as he turned to the girls and shook their hands. "Well, I've got to get back to work. It's Christmas Eve and another one of the elves is on the fritz."

  The crowd began to drift away. Granny suggested they return to their hotel for some rest before the long drive home. Sabrina said she'd be along in a minute and then turned back toward Puck. He was discussing something with his brother. Mustardseed nodded and his wings popped out of his back. He took to the sky and flew away.

  Sabrina walked over to join Puck. He didn't notice her at first but when he did he quickly wiped his tears on his sleeve. He forced a smile but then let it fade. She reached out and took his hand and they stood looking out at the river in silence.

  "So, what do I call you? Your Majesty?"

  "You should have been calling me that all along," Puck said.

  "What you said was very nice," Sabrina said.

  "My mother wrote it for me. She didn't care too much for what I came up with myself."

  Sabrina smiled. "There's no one here now. Why don't you go ahead with your version?"

  Puck tilted his head curiously at Sabrina and smiled.

  "My father was mean, arrogant, horrible, and selfish. He cared little for anyone and less for those who disagreed with him. His only love was for his precious kingdom."

  Sabrina raised her eyebrows, admiring the boy's honesty, but remained quiet.

  Puck turned to the water as if his father were still there, listening.

  "I hated you!" he shouted. "You took every opportunity to remind me that I was weak and stupid!"

  Suddenly, Puck fell to his knees. Tears streamed down his cheeks. Sabrina rushed to him, knelt down, and used her scarf to wipe them away.

  "When I was barely out of diapers he took me aside and told me I would never be king. He said I was a disappointment to him and he would never give up his throne to me. I went to my mother in tears and she explained him to me. She said he was worried about the kingdom's future and feared that his successor would destroy it--even if that successor was his own son. But my mother swore that one day I would wear the crown, and he would never see it coming. Until then, I would have my own kingdom. Then she gave me my name: the Trickster King. I've worn it proudly ever since.

  "When I got older he tried to force me to marry Moth. So I told the old man he was nuts. Disobeying your father is a crime in our world. He banished me. But, here I am, the King of Faerie anyway. My mother was right. He never saw it coming."

  He stood up and wiped his eyes on his sleeve. "If you tell anyone I was crying, you'll regret it, pus-brain."

  "I won't tell, stinkpot," Sabrina said affectionately. "Looks like you and me finally have something in common."

  "What's that?"

  "Families we're not sure we want to be part of," Sabrina replied.

  "The old lady told me you're quitting," Puck said.

  "I'm not quitting. I'm retiring. You can't quit something you never wanted to do in the first place," Sabrina said defensively.

  "You can't quit something you never tried either."

  "I tried! But people got hurt when I tried," Sabrina said. "Look at Mr. Canis, and you!"

  "Oh, poor Sabrina. Such a walking disaster. I was there. Mr. Canis didn't get hurt because you were being stupid. You were the one that saved him, and the rest of us. If you hadn't done what you did we'd all be dead. The truth is, and I hate to admit it, but you're a hero and a pretty good one. You help people when no one else can. From what I hear that's what your mother did, too. It's in your blood, and blood isn't something you can walk away from."

  "When did you suddenly become Mister Maturity?"

  Puck laughed. "Don't worry. It won't last." Then he belched in her face. "See! It's over."

  "So, I guess you're going to have to stay and take over what's left of Faerie," Sabrina said softly.

  Before Puck could answer, there was a loud commotion up on the hill overlooking the river. People were shouting and screaming.

  Puck and Sabrina looked at each other and then ran to find out what was going on.

  Mr. Hamstead was lying on the ground. Bess knelt beside him. Tony Fats was hovering above the couple with clenched fists. Poor Mr. Hamstead looked as if he had been socked in the eye.

  "I told you to leave my girl alone!" Tony Fats yelled.

  "And I told you I'm not your girl anymore, Tony!" Bess cried.

  Mr. Hamstead crawled to his feet. "Bess, I can handle this." He turned to Tony Fats. "Is this how you want to do it? That's fine with me."

  The two men rushed at each other, throwing fists and landing horrible blows. Tony Fats was the firs
t to fall but he quickly got up and knocked Mr. Hamstead into a mud puddle. The portly man fell with a painful thud.

  Sabrina spotted Mr. Canis in the crowd. He was watching as if he had no concern for his friend. Sabrina raced to him and tugged on his sleeve. "We have to stop this. Mr. Hamstead is going to get hurt."

  Mr. Canis shook his head. "The pig is tougher than he looks, child."

  "Tony Fats is twice his size!" Sabrina cried. "And the Wolf is four times his size and Hamstead had no trouble taking me down. As I said, he's tougher than he looks."

  Tony Fats kicked Hamstead mercilessly, forcing him to flounder in the mud. Each time their friend tried to get up, Tony attacked, keeping him on his hands and knees.

  "You don't come to my town and steal my girl!" Tony Fats bellowed. "You don't know who you're messing with."

  "Leave him alone, Tony!" Bess demanded.

  Tony's face twisted into a demented smile. "I've got to teach your friend here how we do it in the big city." He lifted his leg to deliver another nasty kick, but this time Hamstead caught it. He pulled hard and Tony Fats fell onto his back. Hamstead leaped onto him and the two men wrestled for dominance.

  Then, all at once, Sabrina saw a magic wand appear in Tony Fats's hand.

  "Hamstead, look out!" Canis roared.

  Mr. Hamstead must have spotted the wand himself as he sent an elbow into Tony's gut. The fairy godfather let out a wheeze and dropped the wand but then scampered to get it back. Hamstead was right on top of him and the two fought for control over the weapon. They rolled around in the mud, struggling viciously. But just as Mr. Hamstead gained the upper hand, a transformation came over him. His arms and legs suddenly shrank into stubby hoofed feet. His clothes disappeared and his pink skin blanched white. His ears migrated up his head and turned into furry points. In a matter of seconds Mr. Hamstead's true form was revealed. He was a pig.

  But he was a pig with a magic wand in his snout. He flicked his head in a circle and a beam of magic shot out of the starry tip. It hit Tony Fats. There was a puff of smoke, and when it disappeared the big fairy godfather was gone, replaced with a beady-eyed rat. The rat twittered, sized up the enormous pig hovering over him, shrieked, and then raced off, disappearing over the hill.

  "I told you so," Mr. Canis mumbled.

  Sabrina nodded. She had to admit Mr. Hamstead was a lot more resourceful than she had ever given him credit for being. Daphne raced to the enormous pig and gave him a big hug around the neck.

  "I'm so proud of you, Mr. Hamstead," the little girl said.

  "Ernie?" a voice said from behind them. The pig looked up and Sabrina followed his gaze. Bess was standing there, looking confused and shocked. "Ernie, you're a…"

  "Pig." Mr. Hamstead had suddenly morphed back to his human form. He looked as if he wanted to be a million miles away. "I'm a pig, Bess. One of the Three Little Pigs. I should have told you. It wasn't fair. I'm sorry."

  Hamstead turned abruptly, pushed his way through the crowd, and disappeared.

  "Ernie!" Bess cried after him, but he was gone. "We should go get him," Daphne said to her grandmother. "No, liebling"

  Granny said sadly. "He needs some time to himself."

  * * *

  When they got back to the hotel, Mr. Canis decided to meditate while they waited for Hamstead to show up. The old man was sure the traffic out of town would test his temper. Granny bought a suitcase so they could pack the few things the family had purchased during their stay in the city. While they packed they enjoyed a big lunch, compliments of room service. Puck, who had come to see them off, spent most of the afternoon talking to the numerous pixies who visited at the hotel window. He gave them several orders and answered their questions, and they raced off to do his bidding. King Puck was already hard at work.

  Sabrina slipped into the bathroom for some privacy. She washed her face, brushed her teeth, and studied herself in the mirror. She had her father's golden hair and blue eyes, but her face was Veronica's. She knew when she was older she would look a lot like her mother.

  But as her mother's features stared back at her, she wondered why she hadn't gotten more of her mother's spirit. Why had

  Veronica chosen to take on the family responsibility? Why had she chosen such a dangerous life? If only Veronica were awake and Sabrina could ask her.

  She took her mother's pink wallet out of her pocket and opened it. Inside was the picture of Veronica, Sabrina, and Daphne. Next to it was the business card of her mother's best friend, Oz Diggs, also known as the Wonderful Wizard of Oz--a man who claimed to know her better than anyone. And suddenly Sabrina had an idea.

  She burst out of the bathroom and found Daphne and Puck finishing off three huge hot fudge sundaes. "I want to talk to Oz," Sabrina said to her grandmother.

  "Sabrina, we should get on the road as soon as rush hour is over. I thought you wanted to get back home so you could help wake up your mother and father," Granny said.

  "This is about my mother and father," Sabrina said. "Please! I need to ask him some questions. I need to understand my mother."

  * * *

  Sabrina, Daphne, Granny Relda, and Puck took a taxi down to Thirty-fourth Street. It was evening by the time they reached Macy's and there was a steady stream of exhausted shoppers flooding out of the doors, but the family managed to squirm their way inside. The store security guard blocked their path, frowned, and tapped his watch. "Christmas Eve, folks. We're closing in five minutes."

  "We're not buying anything. We're looking for the Wizard," Sabrina said.

  "The who?"

  "We're looking for Mr. Diggs," Granny interrupted.

  "He's probably in his workroom," the guard grumbled. "Just don't dillydally, all right? Some of us would like to go home."

  They found Oz's workroom. Sabrina knocked once and waited patiently for several minutes, but no one answered.

  "C'mon," Puck said as he opened the door and pushed Sabrina inside.

  "Children, we are intruding," Granny worried.

  "He might be in the back and can't hear us," Daphne said, pulling the old woman inside.

  The room was as big of a mess as the first time they had seen it. Several tables had parts on them that were still moving, including a head that kept opening its eyes and lifting its brows in surprise. Tools were scattered around the room, some of them seeming to have found permanent homes on the floor.

  "Ugh, do you smell that?" Puck asked.

  "No. What are you talking about?" Sabrina said defensively.

  She thought the cocoon smell had finally faded but worried that maybe she was just getting used to it.

  "Hard work, I smell hard work in here. It's horrible," Puck said as he picked up a circuit board and examined it. "I might gag."

  "Oz?" Sabrina called out, but there was no answer, only the buzz of electric engines. "Oz, I want to ask you about my mother."

  "Perhaps we should sit and wait for him," Granny said.

  Sabrina hoped the security guards wouldn't lock them inside, but she took her grandmother's advice and sat down on a stool. When Daphne did the same, a robotic head that was sitting on the table next to her sprang to life and started giggling. The little girl screamed and snatched a hammer off the table, then smacked the head a couple times until it stopped laughing.

  "Uh, relax," Sabrina said.

  "You taught him a lesson, didn't you, marshmallow?" Puck said as he took the hammer from the little girl. He hit the head himself for good measure and scanned the room for something else to beat on. After awhile, he sat down and started peeking through a stack of papers on the desk.

  "Don't snoop," Granny Relda scolded.

  "Then someone better keep me entertained 'cause this is boring," Puck replied.

  Sabrina got up and took the papers away from the fairy. "This is his stuff. Some of it might be private." She tried to collect them in a neat stack, but shoved in the middle of the pile was something quite different: a small, leather-bound journal with gold writing on it
s cover.

  Fairy Tale Accounts June 1992 to present Veronica Grimm

  Sabrina felt her heart rocking in her chest. With trembling fingers she picked up the book and opened it.

  "What did you find?" Granny Relda said.

  "It's my mother's journal," Sabrina replied. Veronica's curvy, slightly sloppy script filled every page. There were hundreds of entries chronicling her experiences with the Everafters of both Ferryport Landing and New York City. Sabrina read feverishly, turning pages faster and faster, absorbing as much as she could about her mother's secret life. There was story after story of the lives she had changed. She had helped people move, find jobs, and track down missing friends, and she had done plenty of detective work as well. On one of the pages she wrote:

  My work with these people is exciting, fascinating, and most of all--important. I've found that there is more to being a Grimm than Henry ever told me. It's more than being a detective… sometimes, I'm the only hope an Everafter has of making it in this world. If only I could get them to work together…

  Sabrina flipped to the back and found several folded pages from a yellow legal pad, covered with writing. She read through them, including all the scratched-out parts and tiny notes in the margins. It was a speech.

  "This is the speech everyone was talking about. It was her plan for the Everafters. She was supposed to give it the day she disappeared," Sabrina said.

  "Then what is Oz doing with it?" Daphne asked, taking the journal from her sister.

  Granny got up from her chair.

  "Lieblings,

  I think it would be wise of us to--"

  A voice from the shadows cut her off. "Oh, I wish you hadn't found that."

  Oz stepped into the light. "Your mother was a remarkable woman, Sabrina. She had a charisma that was almost, well, supernatural. She could convince people to do anything she wanted. It was a talent I always envied. Your mother collected an army of supporters using only her smile.

  "And I was one of them. I loved the little adventures we used to get into. She was part saint, part detective, and for a long time I thought I wanted to be like her. But then I would come into work every day, and have my boss criticize the displays. I'd go home to my little apartment in Queens and spend the rest of my time holding the hand of King Oberon. And it dawned on me that my life had taken a turn for the worse. I used to be the 'great and terrible Oz!' I was the ruler of an entire nation. People feared me. What had happened?"