The Unusual Suspects

"It'll have to do," Sabrina said as she raised her hand as well. Gra

"I do solemnly swear to protect and serve the inhabitants of…"

"What does inhabitants mean?" Daphne interrupted.

"It means the people who live in a particular place," her sister answered, noting Charming's impatient face.

"Why didn't you just say the people, then?" the little girl asked.

"Let him finish, lieblings," Gra

"I do solemnly swear," Charming started over, "to protect and serve the people of Ferryport Landing to the best of my ability. I vow to protect the peace, secure the safety, and uphold the rule of law."

The Grimms repeated what he said, word for word, and then lowered their hands.

"You are now officially deputized under the laws of Ferryport Landing," the mayor said, as he pulled out a set of keys and handed them to Gra

"What are these?" Gra

"Keys to the school," Charming said. "You'll need them to get inside."

Gra

"Well, I'd love to keep this happy event going all night, but as you know, I can't stand you people," he said, leading them to the door. As his hand clutched the knob, he turned and looked the girls in their eyes. "Snow is important to me. I would appreciate you keeping a close eye on her."

"No problem, Billy," Daphne replied, wrapping her arms around the mayor and hugging him tightly. "It's sooooo romantic!"

Charming sneered, opened the door, and forcefully shoved the family outside.

"You should really tell her that you love her," Daphne said, right before the mayor slammed the door in her face.

Sabrina had been to a lot of schools in the last year and a half, and they all had a few things in common. Every one of them had a couple of grouchy teachers, a bully, a bully's punching bag, a weird cafeteria lady, a bathroom that everyone was afraid to go into, and a librarian who worshiped something called the Dewey Decimal System. None of those schools, however, had a teacher-killing monster scurrying through its hallways. And they said New York City had everything.

Gra

"Mr. Canis looks terrible, and for him, that's particularly bad," Sabrina said to the old woman as they crept along.

"In the past he has been able to tap into the Wolf's strengths without losing himself," her grandmother explained, "but this time he made a complete transformation and worse, he tasted human blood. It's been a very long time since that has happened and the Wolf is not going to be put away without a fight. Don't worry, children. Mr. Canis will win this battle."

"And if he doesn't?" Sabrina asked.

"He will. I'm sure he'll be happy that you are concerned for his well being."

I'm more concerned about waking up in his belly, Sabrina thought.

When they got to Sabrina's homeroom, the crime scene tape and Grumpner's body were already gone. The broken window had been replaced and all the cobwebs were cleared away. Even the blood-red hand painted on the chalkboard was gone. Other than some misplaced desks, there was no evidence of the gruesome scene they'd witnessed only hours before. Principal Hamelin had obviously cleaned the place up.

"Whatever it was didn't catch him by surprise," Gra

Sabrina shuddered as she imagined her teacher fighting off his attacker. Whether it was a giant spider or a thousand little ones, the fact was that the man's death had been a nightmare for him. Even a grouch like Grumpner didn't deserve to die so horribly.

"Why are we here now?" Daphne asked, as they walked into the classroom. "We'll never find anything in the dark."

"Some of the best clues are found in the dark," Gra

"His wife?" Sabrina asked, as Gra

"He was probably a very different man at home," the old woman replied. "You told me once you thought your father was too careful, but the Henry Grimm I know threw caution to the wind. There are many sides to us all."

"His wife must be very sad." Daphne sighed.

Gra

"Well, we found a picture," Sabrina said, eyeing a shadow in the corner that looked like the boogie man. "Can we go now? This place is giving me the willies."

"Don't be scared," Daphne said. "I'm a police officer, ma'am. I'll protect you." She leaned down and struggled with her belt, then walked around the room mimicking Sheriff Hamstead's bowlegged gait.

Sabrina laughed so hard she snorted.

Gra

The girls hurried to their grandmother. Daphne took the goggles and looked down at the floor. "That is so punk rock!" she said.

Eager for a turn, Sabrina snatched the goggles away from her sister and peered through their special lenses. They revealed ghostly white footprints-the last traces of the late Mr. Grumpner.

Gra

A bit of the dust floated up into Sabrina's nose and she sneezed violently.

"Gesundheit," Gra

"They come from out in the hallway," Sabrina said, opening the door and following the glowing footprints.

"Notice anything about the steps?" her grandmother asked, following closely behind.

"They're very far apart," the girl said. "Three of my steps are equal to about one of his."

"That's because he was ru

"Hey!" she complained, as she turned on her little sister. "If you wanted to wear them, all you had to do was ask!"