"But why didn't you pass it on to Dad?" Daphne wondered.
"Your grandfather lost his life because of our responsibilities," the old woman said as she lowered her eyes. "Henry wanted something else for his children, so when your mother became pregnant with you, Sabrina, they left Ferryport Landing. He wanted to protect you and give you normal lives. Even if it meant telling you I was dead."
"Don't talk about my mom and dad like you knew them!" Sabrina shouted. The rage inside her was bubbling over. "I've sat here and listened to your silly story, but you're not going to tell a fairy tale about my parents."
The old woman was startled and tried to stammer out an answer, but Sabrina wouldn't let her. She had Mrs. Grimm on the ropes and she wasn't going to let her up.
"You are not our grandmother!" the girl raged. "Our grandmother died before we were born! My dad told us so."
"Your dad lied to you, liebling. Henry tried to run from his destiny. He didn't want this life for you, but it is your destiny as well. Your being here is evidence enough that it is impossible to escape. You will see the truth soon enough, and when you do we will prepare you for what lies ahead."
"My father never told a lie in his life," Sabrina cried.
The old woman laughed as she got up from the table. "It sounds like he hid more from you than the family history. I'm sure you need some time to let this sink in, and I have some things I need from upstairs. We're going to the hospital to see the poor farmer who owned that house. He might be able to tell us more about what he saw."
She left the room and went up the stairs, where the girls could hear the jangling of keys and knew she was opening her secret room.
"That woman is a lunatic," Sabrina whispered.
"She is not!" Daphne cried. "What's a lunatic?"
"A crazy person. She thinks people live in the woods, she's nailed all the windows shut, she talks to the house, and now she thinks fairy tales and giants are real. We can't stay here."
"What if I don't want to go?"
"You don't get a say. Mom and Dad put me in charge when they weren't around, and you have to do what I tell you to do."
"You're not the boss of me." Daphne crossed her arms in front of her chest and huffed indignantly.
"We're out of here as soon as I see a chance," Sabrina declared.
? ? ?
After dinner, they were off to the hospital, with Mr. Canis driving again. Asking the old woman questions was pointless, as the car was as loud as ever. Once they had arrived at the hospital and Mr. Canis had turned off the engine, Mrs. Grimm said to the children, "OK, let's review what we know so far, so we don't get confused. It's important for detectives to review their clues."
The previous night was catching up with Sabrina. She was so tired she didn't even have the energy to argue.
"First, a farmhouse was destroyed by what appears to have been a giant's foot. A footprint surrounded the destruction," Mrs. Grimm continued. "Second, a giant beanstalk leaf was found at the scene, a definitive sign of a giant. And it has been touched by a giant."
"How do you know that?" Sabrina asked.
"Because Elvis smelled its scent on the leaf."
"How does Elvis know what a giant smells like?"
"Because," Mrs. Grimm said, pulling the brown fabric out of her handbag that she had held under the dog's nose that morning, "he smelled this. It's cloth from a giant's trousers. Take a sniff."
Daphne smelled the piece of cloth and looked as if she might be sick. "E-gad!"
"Everything has its own particular scent, but giants are really stinky," the old woman explained. "Everybody and everything they touch will stink like them, too. I knew Elvis's nose would help us find a clue."
"This is nonsense," Sabrina said with equal amounts of scorn and exhaustion.
Mrs. Grimm ignored Sabrina's protests. "Of course, there's also the lens cap from a video camera we found on the hill overlooking the farm. My guess is the criminal wanted to videotape the giant when he arrived. And lastly, Mayor Charming showed up and he's ..."
"Is Mayor Charming Prince Charming?" Daphne asked.
"Why, yes, liebling."
The little girl squealed in delight. "We met a celebrity!"
Mrs. Grimm chuckled, and then broke into a full laugh when she noticed the scowl on Mr. Canis's face.
"As I was saying, Mayor Charming showed up and tried to get us to give up our investigation," Mrs. Grimm continued. "If this were just an accident, he wouldn't have bothered to come by and check on it."
"When he first arrived, he was angry that someone he called the Three hadn't done a good job cleaning up the place," Daphne offered.
"The Three isn't a person, they're a coven of witches; Glinda the Good Witch of the North, Morgan Le Fay, and the gingerbread house witch, Frau Pfefferkuchenhaus. They work for the mayor. He calls them magical advisors, but they really just sweep whatever trouble there is under the carpet."