"Ugh, it smells like someone died," another complained.
Granny ignored the reaction to the cocoon and approached the front desk, requested three rooms, and asked that sets of keys be left for Mr. Hamstead and Mr. Canis. A bellhop looked at the family with an odd expression when he was told they had no luggage. He took them up to their room on the fourth floor. Inside they found two queen-sized beds, a bathroom with a marble tub, and a pamphlet on the sights and sounds of the Big Apple.
"This is unacceptable," Moth said before they had even t
urned the lights on. "I am royalty and accustomed to refinements. We need to find a more suitable room for the prince and I! One that is private!"
Sabrina rolled her eyes and flipped on the light switch.
"Hello, Mrs. Grimm," a voice said from across the room. The women let out a shriek and nearly fell over themselves. There, sitting in a chair by the window was Mustardseed. Oz stood behind the fairy prince. "I hope that none of you was harmed this evening," Mustardseed said. "I'm sure you can understand that my mother's actions were due to stress and heartbreak."
"Well, she nearly flame-broiled us back there!" Sabrina cried.
"Yeah, she's a jerkazoid!" Daphne added.
Oz stepped forward. "But she was the only one of us who was thinking clearly at the time. Her only choice was to run everyone off. She had to allow the killer a chance to escape."
"Escape?" Granny cried. "Why on earth would she want to do that?"
"To protect the new king," Mustardseed said. "Otherwise, the killer might have hurt the heir to the Faerie throne."
"What's an heir?"
Daphne asked.
"Someone who inherits something from a relative," Sabrina explained, then turned back to Mustardseed. "But I thought there wasn't a Faerie anymore."
"Faerie exists in our hearts and hopes," Mustardseed explained. "Some day we will find a way to rebuild it. Then we will need our king."
"So you're saying your mom was trying to barbeque us so she could protect you?" Daphne said.
"You are confused," Mustardseed said. "I am not the heir to the crown of Faerie. That honor falls to Puck."
"Puck is the new king?" Granny said, astonished.
Mustardseed nodded. "Protecting Puck was my mother's greatest concern. I knew you could be trusted to keep my brother safe. After all, you brought him here."
"Well, I hope Titania doesn't think we killed Oberon," Granny said.
Oz nodded. "We know that. Oberon was poisoned."
"With a concoction only a fairy could make," Mustardseed added. "It takes something very powerful to kill an Everafter. The ingredients for this particular poison came from the original fairy homeland and the recipe is one passed down within our kind. Only fairies and a few Everafters know it."
"And do you have any suspects?"
Mustardseed shook his head. "My father had many enemies."
"We suspect it was a fairy, or someone aided by one," Oz said.
"Unfortunately, whoever it was is now free on the streets of New York City. We know your reputation as detectives. We could use your family's help in finding the murderer."
Sabrina tried to wrap her head around this task. New York City had over eight million people living in it. It encompassed five different boroughs, linked by hundreds of miles of subway lines. Sure, Sabrina had grown up here, but there were so many streets and neighborhoods, no one could know them all. This wasn't Ferryport Landing, where they knew everyone. They didn't know these urban Everafters or even where they lived in the city. The job seemed impossible.
"This is not going to be easy," Granny said, obviously sharing similar thoughts.
"If you are half as resourceful as Veronica, I will have no worries at all," Mustardseed said.
"Folks, I'm afraid we've got one more favor to ask," Oz said. "Puck might be the killer's next target and after today's fiasco, we're pretty confident that you people can handle just about anything, including guarding him. He won't be safe at the Golden Egg."
"Of course, he's like one of my own grandchildren," Granny said.
Mustardseed rose from his seat. "Moth, you will stay with the Grimms. You will watch over your betrothed and assist the Grimms in any way they might need."
"As you wish, Your Majesty," the little fairy said with a deep bow.
"Oh, this is just getting better by the second," Sabrina said sarcastically.
Mustardseed turned to Granny Relda. "I want to be kept abreast of every development. I will be quite busy, so you can report your findings to Oz at the store in which he works." He bowed deeply, then turned to the window, opened it, and leaped out into the night. Above the howl of the wind, Sabrina could hear the sound of mighty wings flapping. Oz turned and closed the window tight.
"Any idea where we should start?" Daphne asked him.
The Wizard shook his head. "We don't exactly have an Everafter phone book."