Inside the club, the strobe lights flickered intensely, as the techno house music blasted out of ten foot surround sound amplifiers. The elevated dance floor was so crowded with gyrating bodies, that the beautiful people could only stand perfectly still and sway with the beat. High up on a rafter over looking the dance floor, a young girl stood.
Dressed in a shaggy green mini-dress with blonde hair cut short, her gossamer wings swayed in the air conditioned breeze. Those in attendance this night, were too absorbed in the club atmosphere to notice the girl until after she jumped and splattered onto the center of the floor.
Nick Burkhardt received the call at 9:03. He arrived at 9:08. His partner, Hank Griffin, and their associate, Sergeant Wu, were already there.
"This one's going to be fun!" Wu sarcastically noted, motioning over to a group of a dozen people cordoned off in a corner of the club. Those dozen were all decked out in costume.
"Who are they?" Nick asked.
"Witnesses!" Wu replied.
"I don't understand!" Nick said.
"Theme night at the disco!" Hank interrupted, "tonight's gimmick to get them through the door at $25 a pop, was Fairytale Theatre!"
"And they're waiting to be interrogated!" Wu laughed.
Nick noted they had one Cinderella, two Prince Charmings, two Goldilocks, and three bears, one pig, and one wolf, a Red Riding Hood, and Pinocchio.
"Wait til you see the victim!" Hank said, as he led Nick down onto the dance floor, over to a blanket covering a bloody body. Nick peeled the blanket back to reveal a girl dressed like Tinker Bell!
"Her name was Stephanie Gault," Hank said, "worked as a secretary for a real estate firm. Obviously was here for tonight's costumed festivities!"
"She with anyone?" Nick asked.
"Apparently by herself!" Wu answered, "witnesses said she was seen dancing earlier in the evening, then the next thing anyone knew, she was dead on the floor!"
"Tragic," Nick replied, "but this sounds like an accident or a suicide, not a murder, unless someone saw her pushed. So, why are we here?"
"Look at her eyes," Hank answered.
Nick took a pin light and flashed the light across the victim's eyes.
One pupil was dilated. The other completely glassed over.
"Strange," Nick mumbled.
"Strange, indeed," Hank replied, "obviously, we'll have to wait for the initial autopsy report but she may have taken, or was forced to take, some type of drug I've never seen before!"
Nick nodded.
"So, I guess we'd better start asking the Fractured Fairy Tale Players what they know!" Hank suggested.
"We'll each take four!" Nick said.
"Which four?" Hank laughed.
"Hank," Nick began, "you question Cinderella, one of the Charmings, one Goldilocks, and the Wolf. Wu, you question all three bears, and the pig. I'll take the other Charming and Goldilocks, Red Riding Hood, and Pinocchio!"
"Why do I get all the bears?" Wu asked.
"Cause Hank and I had enough of bears for awhile!" Nick replied.
They split off to their respective characters.
Charming, Goldilocks, and Red Riding had nothing to add. None saw the victim jump until after she had hit the floor. Pinocchio was the last one Nick interviewed.
"Yeah, dude! I'd seen her around partying pretty hardy for a fairy!" Pinocchio laughed, amused at his own joke.
"Did you observe her talking to anyone or taking anything from anyone?" Nick asked.
"No," Pinocchio replied, "just partying like anyone else. But I'd say that obviously any chick that would take a flying leap like that has gotta be taking something! Unless!"
"Unless what?" Nick asked.
"Unless, she really was Tinker Bell and was just too drunk to fly!" Pinocchio guffawed.
"Yeah, well," Nick continued, "maybe YOU gave her something to make her think she could fly?"
"No, man," Pinocchio replied, "like I said, I just saw her at a distance. Besides, you know I'm telling you the truth!"
"And how do I know that?" Nick replied.
"Cause if I had been lying," Pinocchio laughed, "my nose would've grown!"
"Make sure you give us your phone and address," Nick replied, rolling his eyes, "we'll be back in contact, if we have any further questions. Here's my card, if you remember anything else!"
Nick got up to check with Hank and Wu, to see if they were doing any better with their interviewees, when he was approached by a pretty girl, with long dark hair and darkly intense eyes. She wasn't in costume.
"Detective Burkhardt?" she asked.
"Yes?" Nick replied.
"I need to talk to you in private!" the girl urgently requested.
Nick motioned for her to head over to a booth off to the far side of the club.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"I'm Clarissa Bealey," the girl answered, "I have some information regarding the victim."
"What kind of information?" he asked suspiciously.
"I saw the victim," the girl stated, "buying something from someone!"
"Did you personally know the victim?" Nick inquired, "and what she was buying and from whom?"
"I didn't know who she was," Clarissa answered, "but I knew what she was and she bought some Dust from a dude named Henry."
"Dust?" Nick asked.
"Dust!" Clarissa explained, "It's a new type of hallucinogenic that's just hit the streets!"
"What's it do?" Nick inquired.
"Gets you high, of course!" Clarissa laughed.
"High enough to jump?" Nick wondered.
"Obviously!" Clarissa answered.
"You said you didn't know who the victim was, but WHAT she was," Nick wondered, "so tell me, what was she?"
"How was she dressed?" Clarissa smiled.
"As Tinker Bell," Nick answered.
"Precisely!" Clarissa replied.
"I don't understand?" Nick said.
"And you're a Detective?" Clarissa laughed, "and what is Tinker Bell?"
Nick shrugged, "A Fairy?"
"Bingo!" Clarissa replied, grinning.
"You're saying Stephanie Gault was a Fairy?" Nick skeptically asked.
"I thought all Grimms knew stuff like that!" Clarissa said.
"A Grimm?" Nick cautiously asked, "what do you know about Grimms?"
"I know you're one!" Clarissa coyly smiled.
"How do you know what I am?" he nervously asked. Nick didn't like the direction this conversation was beginning to turn.
"Look," Clarissa began, "I know you're a Grimm and I know this Stephanie, or whatever her name was, was an actual Fairy, who was buying Fairy Dust!"
"Fairy Dust! That's the new hallucinogenic out on the street?" Nick asked.
"Bingo, again!" Clarissa replied.
"So Tinker Bell, uh, Ms. Gault," Nick stated, "bought some of this "Fairy Dust", got high, then jumped!"
"You got it, Columbo!" Clarissa replied, "but the Dust she bought was bad, diluted with Witch's Moss that can cause an adverse reaction!"
"What kind of adverse reaction?" Nick wondered.
"The kind where you think you can fly!" Clarissa answered.
"But if Stephanie was a real Fairy," Nick stated, "then couldn't she actually fly?"
"Come on, Grimm!" Clarissa snickered, "Fairies can't fly, that's just an Old Wives tale!"
"And who are you, Ms. Bealy?" Nick asked, "you seem to know about Grimms and Fairies and such. So tell me, what are you?"
Clarissa shook her head. Immediately, Nick saw her eyes bulge into a large black mass, as her face was covered with a fine fuzz. A tube-like tongue protruded from her mouth! She then morphed back into a beautiful girl.
"You're a Mellifer?" Nick shockingly asked.
"Yep!" Clarissa replied, "and I want to help you. As I've told you, there's some bad Dust going around. Its been sold to other Mellifers. My own sister bought some and ended up jumping off the Portland bridge!"
"Sorry about your sister," Nick replied, "but you said you knew who was selling this "Dust?"
"Yeah, dude by the name of Henry Goblet," Clarissa answered, "he's your typical sleaze bag, drug pushing, Hexenbeist!"
"He's a Hexenbeist?" Nick exclaimed.
"The worst kind! A true sociopath!" Clarissa replied, "I can't get close to him. He knows who I am and that I know he sold some bad Dust to my sister! But if I could get to him, I'd shoot him up with Apixtoxin, myself!"
"Don't suppose you know where I could find this Henry Goblet?" Nick asked.
"Of course," Clarissa answered, "he lives under the bridge out by Story Park!"
"Okay, I'll check it out!" Nick said.
"Don't just go and check it out, Grimm!" Clarissa said, "I came to you and told you all this for a reason. You can't just go and arrest this Hexenbeist. You'll have to kill him, along with his Troll!"
"Troll?" Nick replied with a touch of surprise.
"Troll!" Clarissa answered, "its his "body" guard! So, good luck Detective!"
Clarissa got up to leave, but before Nick could say anything else, she buzzed off so fast, she literally disappeared.
Nick went over to Hank, who was still interrogating one of the Goldilocks.
"Hank, I've got a lead and I've got to check it out fast. I'll catch you back at the station!"
Hank shrugged, "Okay, partner! You sure you don't want me to tag along?"
"Not on this one!"
On the way over, Nick stopped off at the storage yard, where he kept his Aunt Marie's trailer. After reading some entries from his Aunt's journal, he went over to the storage cabinet. took an item, and placed it in his jacket pocket. He then headed over to Story Park.
It was a dark park. Thick oak trees permeated the grounds, like an enchanted forest.
Nick parked, then headed over to the bridge. Crickets chirped loudly. He wondered if the crickets were sounding an alarm.
He slowly circled the bridge to see if he could spot anyone or anything. Nothing. He then crossed the bridge to check from the other side. Still nothing. He cautiously walked down an embankment, that led under the bridge. Something! It stepped from out of the shadows!
It looked like a toad on steroids! Quickly, it let out a gnarly growl that included slews of green spittle. It was, Nick guessed, the Troll!
Nick quickly pulled his gun.
"Portland Police!" Nick shouted, "I'm here for Henry Goblet!"
Nick didn't know it the Troll had understood what he had just said and Nick didn't speak Troll!
The Troll didn't reply. Instead, it charged! Nick emptied the gun clip into its wart covered flesh!
Green fluid, as to what Nick guessed was Troll blood, flowed out its body, as it let out a painful, banshee-like scream, just before it fell to the ground… dead!
Suddenly, another creature emerged from under the bridge! It had leathery green skin and sprouted slightly pointed ears. Nick figured this was Henry Goblet.
"Goblet!' he cried out, "Portland Police! Down on the ground. Keep your hands where I can see them!"
"What's this all about?" Henry, the Hexenbeist, asked.
"I'm taking you in for questioning in the deaths of two women!" Nick replied.
"Don't know what you're referring to, Grimm!" Henry answered, as he quickly charged Nick, tossing him effortlessly up onto the bridge.
Momentarily stunned, Nick shakily stood up, just in time to see the Hexenbeist alongside him!
"It was that Mellifer Bitch who sent you, huh?" Henry growled.
Nick stood unsteadily, "You've been pushing something called, Fairy Dust, haven't you?"
"Hexenbeists gotta make a living, too!" Henry replied, "its all about supply and demand! If there's a demand, then I supply!"
"I was told this Dust had been diluted with something called Witch's Moss!" Nick replied.
"Witch's Moss enhances the experience!" Henry answered, "Look, its not my fault that certain Fairies or Mellifers can't handle the Dust and freak out!"
"Still, your actions resulted in the death of two creatures!" Nick replied.
Henry laughed, "Since when does a Grimm care about such creatures? I thought your job was to kill them! I'm helping you out!"
"I'm a new kind of Grimm!" Nick replied, "a Grimm with compassion!"
"Bull!" Henry replied, as he quickly leaped upon Nick, knocking his gun away.
Nick immediately punched both his fists into the Hexenbeist's face! It bellowed in anger, before sending Nick into a flying tumble and landing on the soft mud banks beside the park's river.
The Hexenbeist leaped off the bridge, coming to a halt right in front of Nick, who was wearily crawling back up on his feet. It let out another deafening growl, before charging once again!
Nick quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out a Mini-scythe, the item he had taken from his Aunt's cabinet. He swiftly swung the Scythe, which immediately made contact and decapitated the Hexenbeist!
Henry's head rolled along the ground, as his body continued on into the river, where it finally collapsed and began to float downstream.
Nick took the Hexenbeist's head and tossed it into the river. He then quickly went over to the Troll and rolled its body back under the bridge. He figured it would be best if no one found out what had happened here this night!
Detective Nick Burkhardt knew the world wasn't quite ready to learn about the creatures that walked amongst them and he wasn't ready to announce he was something called a Grimm. At least not yet!