Life Is Futile, by Itsy Bitsy Spider. She scooped them all up, set them on the table, then went back to scan the collection of family journals. Every Grimm since Wilhelm, the man who brought the Everafters to Ferryport Landing, had documented his or her experiences in the town. Each journal was packed with eyewitness accounts, and they frequently proved very helpful in solving cases.
For hours, Sabrina and Daphne pored over the old books. They read about the Mouse King of Oz, who ruled a million mice; sorted through the various campaigns of an army of tin soldiers; and learned about the history of Lilliput. But they found nothing concrete and soon they came to a dead end. It was very late and they were very tired. Even Elvis was asleep under the table.
"I thought detective work was supposed to be exciting," Sabrina said, closing the book that lay before her.
"I'm excited," Daphne said.
"You're always excited," Sabrina replied, resting her head on the giant oak dining room table they used as a desk. "Granny has probably solved this case already and won't tell us what she knows."
"We're training," Daphne reminded her. "She wants us to figure this out for ourselves."
"She wants to drive us crazy. This town is filled to the brim with talking animals and tiny people, not to mention witches who might be able to shrink themselves. How can we narrow it down?"
"We'll figure it out," Daphne said. "Remember, we're a great team."
Sabrina was tired but she had to smile. "C'mon, Elvis, you've probably got to go out," Sabrina said as she got up from the table.
The big dog nearly knocked Sabrina over as he charged for the front door. Sabrina opened it and Elvis barreled out. "Don't go far," she shouted at the dog, then crossed back through the dining room on her way to the kitchen.
"I'm getting some water," she said to her sister. "Want anything?"
Daphne shook her head. She was half asleep with her head resting on a big book about a village in Oz whose citizens were made of jigsaw-puzzle pieces.
Sabrina went into the kitchen, took a glass from the cupboard, and opened the refrigerator. Inside, there were several containers of leftovers, a package of bologna, and a bowl with a little sign on it that read
DANGER! SAUSAGES! KEEP AWAY FROM ELVIS AT ALL COSTS
! Sabrina knew the explosive effect they had on the dog. She reached past them for the jug of water her uncle kept in the fridge. She poured some into her glass. Tilting her head back, she took a long refreshing drink and let the cool liquid cascade down her throat. Then she heard Elvis's angry bark.
She peered out of the kitchen window and saw the big dog growling and barking at the edge of the woods. Puck was probably in the backyard preparing another humiliating trap for her, or maybe Elvis was spooked by the odd swirling clouds hovering over the house. Elvis hated thunder and lightning and often hid under the girls' bed during particularly loud storms.
She turned to put the jug back in the refrigerator but spun back around when she heard a loud cry. Sabrina bolted to the window. There in the moonlight she saw her uncle Jake running through the yard. He looked panicked. Suddenly there was a whipping sound, and he crashed to the ground. An arrow was stuck in his back.
Chapter 4
Sabrina dropped her glass, and it shattered on the kitchen floor. The crash snapped her out of her shock and she sprang into action. She raced into the dining room, pulled her sister from her chair, and shoved her under the table.
"Stay here!" she ordered, then ran for the front door, shouting for Granny and Mr. Canis. In her bare feet, she raced outside and around the corner into the backyard. She found her uncle lying facedown. Sabrina gently turned him over and he let out a groan.
"Uncle Jake!" she cried, though looking at him closely, she wasn't positive that he was her uncle. There was something wrong with his face. He had a goatee and a large scar on his neck that looked as if a rope had been tied around it.
His hair was gray on the sides and his eyes seemed dull. He was clearly in a great deal of pain. '"Brina?"
"Granny and Mr. Canis are going to help you. They're on their way," Sabrina said through sobs.
"'Brina, you look so young," he said. "You look just like you did when you were twelve."
He's raving from the pain,
Sabrina thought to herself.
He needs a doctor right away.
"Someone help us!" she yelled. The storm above was incredibly loud, so she shouted again. She climbed to her feet and turned to the house. "Help!"
Elvis joined her cries with baleful barking, and in no time, Granny and Mr. Canis were rushing out of the house.
"Liebling, what is the matter?" Granny begged. She was in her nightgown and slippers and had a green mud mask on her face.
"It's Uncle Jake. He's been hurt," Sabrina cried, turning to the fallen man. But there was no sign of him. Bewildered, Sabrina scanned the edge of the woods. How could he have crawled away so quickly, and without her noticing? She studied the lawn, searching for a trail of blood, but there was nothing.
"But... he was lying right here on the ground. I saw him. I saw the arrow! He was dying."
Elvis rushed to the place where Uncle Jake had been lying. He sniffed the ground and whined.