“Obvious to you, huh?” Swineheart said.
“Fine! We all came up with this idea,” Boarman surrendered. “The point is we had to get it away from him, and to do that we had to trick him. We spread the word that Old McDonald was concerned about how big his flock of sheep had gotten. We knew the stories of the Wolf and how much he enjoyed eating sheep, so we sat in the barn and waited for him. It wasn’t long before he showed up.”
“Unfortunately, we were dressed as sheep.”
“I was going to leave out the embarrassing parts of the story,” Boarman groaned.
“Don’t candycoat it,” Swineheart said. “It all turned out OK. Suffice it to say, the Wolf never saw us coming. When he stormed into the barn I hit him with a pickup truck.”
“You ran him over?” Sabrina gasped.
“I had to!” Swineheart said. “He’s huge and mean. If I had had a tank I would have driven over him. Luckily, the truck knocked the Wolf off his feet long enough for Hamstead to drop from the ceiling and scoop up the weapon. You should have seen it, kid. We were like three fat little ninjas. Hamstead swooped down on a rope. Boarman smacked him with a shovel. I gunned the engine. It was a big day for pigs everywhere.”
“And then you turned the weapon on him?”
“Heck no,” Boarman said. “We ran.”
“Wee-wee-wee, all the way home.” Swineheart laughed. “We had to. I’d never seen the big guy so mad. We hopped in our squad cars and hightailed it out of there. He chased us all over Ferryport Landing before he finally gave up.”
Boarman grinned from ear to ear. “Once we had the weapon, we practiced a few times, destroyed a little property accidentally, and prepared for the big showdown with the furball. The Wolf didn’t disappoint. He charged into the police station with his teeth and claws, looking to turn us all into pork chops, but he got the beating of his life. I’m telling you, kid—the Three Little Pigs laid the smackdown on his fuzzy behind.”
“But when the smoke cleared there was something none of us had expected,” Swineheart said. He took off his sunglasses, rubbed a smudge with his shirt, and put them back on.
“What? Was it the weapon? Did it break or something?” Sabrina demanded, praying that the device was still intact.
“Oh, no, the weapon was just fine. It’s just, well—we got a big surprise.”
“What?”
“Mr. Canis,” Boarman said.
“I’m confused,” Sabrina said.
“So were we. Still are to a certain degree,” Boarman explained. “All I know is that there was no such person as Mr. Canis before that fight. We didn’t know he existed until that moment. Maybe it was the weapon, maybe we just beat him so bad he split into another person, but when all was said and done there was no Wolf, only Mr. Canis, all gray-haired and skinny.
“Poor guy didn’t have any memories of who he was. He didn’t even know that he had once been a monster—he was like a full-grown man who seemed to sprout up out of the dust. We took him to your grandfather. Basil had a lot of experience with stuff like that, but it was Relda who took it upon herself to help him. Soon they discovered that Canis could tap into the Wolf’s power, and even better, he had control over the monster. Relda told me she thought that Canis could be a great ally, and he’s been living with your family ever since. For fifteen years we’ve all slept a little easier. I don’t know why he lost control, but it happened around the time you girls moved to town.”
Sabrina knew exactly what had happened. Canis and Jack the Giant Killer had come to blows and in the fight Canis had tasted Jack’s blood. After that, the bloodlust seemed to collapse the walls between their family friend and the monster inside him. Sabrina had never suspected how long those walls had taken to build.
“So, this weapon will stop the Wolf, but could it—”
“Give Mr. Canis control, again?” Swineheart interrupted. “It might.”
“And what is it? What is this weapon?”
Just then, Granny entered the kitchen with a tray of dirty dishes. “Oh, dear. I had no idea there was anyone in here. I’m afraid that we’re losing our little team. Jacob fell asleep an hour ago and Daphne just dozed off herself. Gentlemen, why don’t you two call it a night as well? We appreciate everything you’ve done.”
“Our pleasure,” the men assured her.
“Sabrina, why don’t you help your sister into bed while I say good-bye to our friends?” Granny asked.
Sabrina was eager to learn more about the weapon but she knew the time for questions was over for the night. She said her good-byes and went searching for her sister.
Daphne was asleep on the sofa. She gently shook her and the girl woke enough to walk upstairs. Once they were in their room, Sabrina took off her sister’s clothes and pearl necklace and helped her into her pajamas. A vial of Sabrina’s lip gloss slipped out of Daphne’s purse and rolled across the floor. Sabrina frowned and scooped it up. She pulled the covers up to her sister’s elbows and turned off her bedside table lamp.
“You comfy?” she asked the sleepy girl.
Daphne mumbled something unintelligible. Moments later, the little girl was sound asleep and snoring.
Sabrina lay there watching her little sister. A sliver of silver shined in Sabrina’s eyes. The moonlight was reflecting off the tiny key around Daphne’s neck.
For the second morning in a row, everyone was woken by a loud banging on the front door. Sabrina hurried out of bed and down the stairs, smoothing her hair as she went and wishing Robin Hood wasn’t such an early riser. But when she stepped into the hallway, she heard her uncle, who had beaten her downstairs, cry, “It’s here! It’s here!” to the gathering group.
“What’s here?” Daphne asked the others.
Granny shrugged.
Uncle Jake opened the door and on the other side was a small spotted rabbit wearing a blue jacket and matching ball cap. His shirt had a company logo that read thd tortoise and hare deliveries worldwide. Under his little arm he held a clipboard and ink pen and next to him on the porch was an immense wooden chest sitting on the back of a large green tortoise.
When Daphne saw the animals, she squealed. “You are so cute I could eat you!” she cried, but when she saw Sabrina’s amused smile, she straightened her face. “I mean . . . I’m pleased to meet you.”
“You Jake Grimm?” the rabbit squeaked.
“Yes,” Uncle Jake said.
“You gotta sign for this,” the rabbit said, gesturing toward the delivery.
Uncle Jake took the clipboard, found his name, and signed it.
“What you got in this thing, anyway?” the tortoise asked. “It weighs a ton.”
“Oh, this and that,” Uncle Jake replied.
The rabbit held out his paw and stared up at the family.
“Well, thanks for bringing it by,” Uncle Jake replied.
The rabbit and the tortoise didn’t budge.
“I guess you probably have other deliveries to make,” Uncle Jake continued.
“Listen, pal. Let’s not beat around the bush. It’s customary to tip for a delivery, especially a backbreaking shipment like this. We brought this thing all the way from the truck and we got it here fast. I could have had my partner deliver it but you wouldn’t have gotten it until next year. You know how long a tortoise takes to deliver a package?”
“Long time, pal,” the tortoise said.
“Real long time. That kind of express service deserves a little tip, don’t you think? I mean, I got a big family. Really, I’m talking big. So how about throwing me a couple extra bills?”
“Of course,” Uncle Jake said, digging in his pockets. He pulled out a wadded five-dollar bill and stuffed it into the rabbit’s shirt pocket. Then he took the chest off the tortoise’s back.
“Thanks, pal. Oh, there’s one more thing,” the rabbit said as he took off his ball cap. There he had hidden a long brass key, which he handed to Uncle Jake. “Have a nice day and remember to use THD. We get it there at any speed you n
eed.” The rabbit turned, snatched the back legs of the tortoise like he was a wheelbarrow, and headed back to their truck.
“What’s this?” Granny asked.
“You’ll see,” Uncle Jake said. “Get dressed and meet me in the Mirror’s room.” When they joined him ten minutes later they found him standing in front of the chest. “So, girls, remember when we started looking for Goldilocks and I suggested we send her a letter?”
The girls nodded.
“Well, I realized early on that we weren’t going to be able to do that,” Uncle Jake said. “Goldilocks keeps moving from one place to the next, faster than we could ever get a letter to her. So, I called a few friends for some help and they sent me this.”
“What is it?” Sabrina asked.
“It’s a traveler’s chest,” Uncle Jake said.
“A traveler’s what?” Sabrina asked.
“Where did you get this?” Granny Relda asked as she looked at the chest. “Your father used to talk about these, but I always thought he was pulling my leg.”
“The Andersen triplets loaned it to us. It’s going to help us find Goldilocks,” Uncle Jake said. “At least that’s what they told me it will do.”
Sabrina examined the chest. “How does it work?”
Uncle Jake took the brass key and opened the lock on the front of the chest. He lifted the lid, but the box was completely empty.
“An old empty chest is going to help us find Goldilocks?” Daphne asked.
“Oops,” Uncle Jake said as he closed the lid. “I forgot to tell it where I wanted to go.”
“I’m confused,” Daphne said.
“All you have to do is tell the chest where you want to travel. Watch!” Uncle Jake said. “Chest, I’m traveling to the Hotel Cipriani at Guidecca 10 in Venice, Italy.”
Sabrina and Daphne stared at their uncle, then looked at each other.
“I think he’s finally lost it,” Daphne said.
“It was bound to happen,” Sabrina added.
“Ha! You want to see?” Jake cried. He turned the key in the lock and lifted the lid. Instead of an empty box, Sabrina saw a spiral staircase and immediately felt the familiar tingle of an enchanted item.
“Daphne first,” Uncle Jake said as he helped the girl onto the staircase. Daphne looked up at Granny Relda as if she were unsure of what to do, but Granny’s nod gave her permission to go. Sabrina went next, followed by Uncle Jake.
“Mom, want to come along?”
Sabrina could see her grandmother’s nervous face over the edge of the chest. “No, one of us has to stay here,” the old lady said. “Besides, I’m going to bake some muffins and take them to Robin and Little John.”
“Be careful,” Uncle Jake said.
Granny promised she would, then backed out of view.
Sabrina examined the inside of the chest. The light was dim and grew dimmer as they descended. When they found themselves in pure darkness, Uncle Jake took a small red amulet from one of his jacket pockets. He whispered something into it, and it lit up their path. They continued down, step after step, until Sabrina was convinced there was no bottom. She was about to suggest they turn back when she heard her sister bang into something. From her groan, it sounded as if it was something quite hard.
“Could someone have warned me there would be a door down here?” Daphne complained.
“Sorry,” Uncle Jake said. “You can open it, but don’t step out until you’ve looked both ways. These traveler’s chests have a tendency to be imprecise, and that door is leading into the real world. Anything could be on the other side.”
Daphne opened the door and looked to her left, then her right. “Looks all clear!” she said, stepping through the opening. A moment later, Sabrina heard a huge splash and Daphne’s cries for help.
abrina rushed through the door. There she found her sister bobbing up and down in a canal. She nearly fell into it herself, but Uncle Jake pulled her back just in time.
Several men in white pants and shirts were standing in long, thin boats they maneuvered down the waterway using tall poles. One used his pole to nudge Daphne to the side of the canal, where Uncle Jake fished her out.
When she was safely back on land, she reached into her pocket for her dictionary, but the book was waterlogged and ruined. Her face crinkled up in frustration, and she tossed it into a nearby trash can. “What does imprecise mean?” Daphne snapped.
“It means not exact,” Sabrina said.
Daphne scowled.
“You should have asked before,” Sabrina said.
Daphne scowled harder, then emptied the water from her shoes.
“Welcome to Venice, girls,” Uncle Jake said.
Sabrina studied her surroundings. Scarecrow had been correct. There weren’t streets in Venice, at least not in the part of the city where they were. Instead, the neighborhoods seemed to be connected by an elaborate canal system lined by narrow sidewalks. The elegant hotels, office buildings, and apartments on either side of the canals were built high so that doorways never touched the water. Boats of various shapes and sizes sailed by: some were taxis, and others were for tourists to take on romantic rides through the majestic arches and bridges of Venice. As a native New Yorker, Sabrina was rarely impressed with anything outside of the Big Apple. After all, once a person had seen the Statue of Liberty or had one of Nathan’s hot dogs at Coney Island, there was little reason to see the rest of the world. But she had to admit Venice was awe-inspiring.
“So, where’s Goldilocks?” Sabrina said, pulling her attention away from the amazing scenery and back to the group. She noticed her uncle seemed to be hypnotized by something. He was looking up at the third floor of a hotel across the canal.
“There,” he said, pointing at a beautiful woman standing on the balcony. She had tight blond curls, a sun-kissed tan, and a warm smile. She, too, was gazing out at the amazing city.
Sabrina was overwhelmed, unsure of whether to laugh or cry. For months she and Daphne had thought their parents abandoned them, only to find out they had been kidnapped. Rescuing them had provided little comfort since they were both victims of a magical spell. Now that obstacle was almost hurdled, too. Hope, wonder, and joy were building in her heart, threatening to explode like a shaken bottle of soda pop. The feelings were mirrored in the faces of her family as well. Daphne, despite being soaked, was grinning ear to ear. Uncle Jake’s fatigue seemed to melt away as he waved for the girls to follow him.
They crossed a bridge to get to the hotel and rushed into the busy lobby. The Hotel Cipriani was even more impressive than the Scarecrow had led them to believe. The floors were made from priceless marble. Opulent arches framed the doors and beautiful sculptures decorated the lobby. The ceiling hung so high above them, Sabrina wondered if clouds ever drifted into the hotel. Dozens of bellhops rushed to and fro, carrying expensive luggage and helping guests to their rooms. Unfortunately, the group’s arrival did not go unnoticed and a chubby, gray-haired man in a black suit approached them. His face was full of disapproval. Sabrina realized how odd they looked for such an elegant place, her sister dripping wet and her uncle in his wrinkled blue jeans and bizarre overcoat.
“Posso aiutarvi?” he said.
“I’m sorry, we don’t speak Italian,” Uncle Jake said.
His comment caused the man’s frown lines to deepen. “Americans,” he huffed. “Are you lost?”
“No, we’re looking for a guest of the hotel,” Uncle Jake said.
“What is this guest’s name?”
“Well, this is going to sound silly, but her name is Goldilocks,” Sabrina said, bracing herself for a laugh. However, the man didn’t even blink.
“You are friends with Ms. Locks?” he said.
Uncle Jake nodded. “Yes, we’re very close.”
The hotel manager seemed reluctant.
“Listen pal,” Uncle Jake said, “are you going to help us find her or should we just start knocking on doors?”
The man’s eyes widened in horr
or. “Take the elevators along the east wall. She’s on the third floor—suite 311.”
“Thank you,” Daphne said.
The group took an elevator to the third floor and followed the hallways until they found the room.
“This is it,” Daphne said, taking Sabrina’s hand. “I can’t wait to talk to Mom and Dad. They’re going to be surprised by how much we’ve grown.”
“You want to do the honors?” Uncle Jake asked her, gesturing to the door.
Sabrina nodded. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. It drifted open at her touch. The lock and doorjamb were splintered and broken.
The Grimms looked at one another, suspicious. Uncle Jake frowned, pulled a magic wand from his overcoat, and stepped through the doorway. Nothing else seemed to be disturbed in the front room, but there were doors leading to others.
“Hello?” Jake called out.
There was no answer, but a moment later Sabrina heard the sound of breaking glass. Uncle Jake held up his hand to motion for everyone to be quiet. They heard a door slam and followed the sound, walking through the beautiful suite filled with elegant furniture, paintings, and linens. When they got to a closed door, their uncle turned the doorknob and pushed the door open. “Goldie? Are you OK?”
Just then, a tall man in a black jacket and pants appeared from behind the door. He was wearing a black motorcycle helmet that disguised his identity. On his chest was a horrible mark: a handprint in red paint. The paint ran down in drips like blood. The girls had seen the mark many times, but never so far from home. It was the mark of the Scarlet Hand.
The mysterious man punched Uncle Jake hard in the face and pushed past the girls and out of the room. As soon as he was gone, Sabrina and Daphne helped their uncle to his feet.