"Now!" Uncle Jake cried once they were safely rowing back toward the shore.
Sabrina watched as Puck pulled the pins on his glop grenades and launched them onto the deck of the ship. They exploded, but not in a wave of disgusting filth like usual. These grenades were filled with a soft pink dust that covered the passengers. Sabrina recognized it as Forgetful Dust, and though she knew it was necessary to wipe the memories of everyone on the
New Beginning so that history couldn't be altered, she still regretted the opportunity they were giving up. They had a chance to change some of the things that made life in Ferryport Landing so hard. Maybe they could have stopped the uprising that led to the barrier's construction. Maybe they could have changed the hatred so many of the Everafters felt for the Grimms. The possibilities were endless. She watched as the passengers stood on the sides of the boat, glassy eyed. The Beast and his wife, the Frog Prince, Little Bo Peep, Morgan le Fay, Cinderella and her mice assistants looked back at them, and then the ship was gone, swirling into the nothingness of the storm that hovered above. But in its wake Sabrina finally understood who had stolen the magical items.
"I just solved the case!" she shouted, leaping up from her seat. She was so excited she fell overboard into the cold water. Uncle Jake snatched her by the sleeve and pulled her back into the boat.
"Sabrina! Are you OK?"
"I've solved the mystery!" she said as she wiped water out of her eyes. "I know who stole the magic items. It was Cinderella!"
"I don't believe it!" Daphne gasped.
"She came to our house with her husband, Tom. She must have brought her mice friends, and they snuck into the witches' bags," Sabrina said in a rush. "That's how they got into everyone's homes. They went as mice and turned into men to steal the objects. You saw them on the boat. They can shape-shift!"
"That explains the locker at Frau Pfefferkuchenhaus's office," Daphne added. "She must have stuck her bag inside and trapped one of them in there. He turned into a man and was able to kick the door open from the inside."
"But why? Why would Dr. Cindy need to steal this stuff?" Uncle Jake asked as he rowed the little boat to shore. "You heard her husband. The radio show is going national. They're going to be rich. They don't need to steal anything."
"I say we ask Dr. Cindy ourselves!" Granny Relda said as they reached the dock. Mr. Canis was there, waiting to help everyone back onto shore. His handkerchief was stained through with blood from his eye injury.
"Baba Yaga has nearly demolished the police station," Mr. Canis informed them. "It won't be long before she moves on to her next target."
"Not to worry, old friend," Granny said as Uncle Jake helped her out of the boat. "I think we know who has her wand."
The family rushed down the street to the radio station. On top of the building was a huge metal tower with a red light, and above that, there was another of the frightening time storms. They pushed through the doors of WFPR and headed for the stairs, where a sign read studio--3RD floor
. But before they reached the first step, they were stopped in their tracks by a huge security guard.
"Can I help you?" he said, though his tone sounded not at all helpful.
"We need to talk to Dr. Cindy," Granny Relda explained. "Well, she's on the air right now, so I suggest you give her a call."
"You don't understand," Sabrina said. "She's doing something very dangerous!"
"Like listening to callers whine about their miserable lives?" the security guard said sarcastically. He reached down and turned a knob on a radio. Dr. Cindy was indeed on the air, trying to help a woman understand that she would never find happiness in food.
"Now, like I said, she's busy," the security guard said roughly. He opened the door and ushered everyone back outside.
"Something's going on up there," Daphne said. "I can feel it." The magic detector was nearly bouncing out of her hand.
"Maybe Mr. Canis could eat the guard," Puck said.
Canis shrugged as if that wasn't such a bad idea.
"I don't think we need to eat anyone," Sabrina said, turning to Puck and studying the arsenal of glop grenades he had strapped to his chest. "Got any of those with real glop in them?"
Puck smiled.
Uncle Jake propped the door open just a crack. Puck pulled the pin on a grenade and Sabrina tossed it inside. A second later there was a loud splat and the security guard came running outside, covered in a funky-smelling goo.
"I'm going to be sick," he cried, rolling around on the ground. With the guard incapacitated, the family rushed back inside the station and hurried up the steps.
Moments later, they stormed through a door with a sign above it that flashed on air