Chapter 3

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Mabel did her hair up and inspected it in the mirror. Dipper frowned from behind her.

"What are you doing?" he asked in confusion as Mabel applied mascara, trying to ignore him fluttering behind her.

"I'm getting ready." She commented when it appeared he wouldn't leave. Dipper frowned.

"For what?" he asked.

"I'm going on a date with Oakley." Mabel said. Dipper blinked.

"Oh… well… have fun I guess…" Dipper said. Mabel smiled before she left. Dipper turned to the bar where Pacifica was planning her next round of cases. "I have to admit… I find it a bit surreal…"

"What?"

"Well… all of it… a year ago I would be in some far flung city in America investigating who knows what for some hopeless relative… now I'm back in Gravity Falls… and it almost feels like nothing's changed…"

"That's because nothing ever happens here." Bill commented with a bored look. Pacifica rolled her eyes.

"Actually Bill, I think you'll find that a lot happens around here, but you don't want anything to do with anyone so you don't notice." Pacifica murmured. Bill frowned.

"That's not true… I hang out with you don't I?"Bill commented. Pacifica groaned.

"That's exactly what I mean Bill; you need to get out more. You wouldn't have all these questions about humanity if you actually talked with somebody." Pacifica argued. Bill scoffed.

"Everyone else is boring." Bill said. Pacifica frowned.

"Complimenting me won't make me forget what we were talking about Bill." Pacifica said. Bill made a face like he hadn't expected her to figure that fact out. Dipper laughed. Suddenly the door burst opened. Into the bar stepped Grenda and two FBI agents.

"Dipper Pines! You're under arrest for the murder of Preston Northwest!" one of the agents yelled.

"WHAT!" the three at the bar cried in confusion. The agents stepped forwards and grabbed Dipper and hauled him off the seat.

"Hey! Hey! What do you mean murder!" Dipper cried even as he was handcuffed and dragged away. Grenda left a lingering apologetic look on Pacifica as she closed the door again. Pacifica just stood there in shock.

"I know it was you Pines. We have solid proof." The tall FBI agent cried. Dipper stared at him in confusion.

"I didn't even know he was dead! How could I have killed him?" Dipper asked in confusion. The FBI agent growled before he pulled him over a TV.

"These are the Northwest mansion security camera's." the man said as he inserted a tape into the video player. Time stamped at 7:45 pm Dipper was seen walking through the front gate of Northwest Manor with a grim face. Ten minutes later Dipper was seen leaving the manor his face set into a harsh frown. The man paused the tape and placed his hands wide apart on the tale across from him. "Preston was found dead ten minutes after you left Pines. You can't worm your way out of this one." Dipper suddenly had a snap of recognition.

"Parkson? Donald Parkson? What are you doing here?" Dipper asked with a harsh frown.

"I should hardly think it matters. You're the one who's going to prison… oh wait… I forgot." Donald stood in the door way for a few seconds and threw an evil look Dipper's way. "Oregon has the death penalty." With that the door slammed in Dipper's horrified face.

Pacifica stood before the Northwest gates in slight trepidation. With a shaky hand she pushed the button for the intercom.

"Yes, who is it?" Pricilla asked shakily

"Pacifica." The blond responded with a waiver in her voice.

"What do you want?" the elderly woman asked harshly.

"To know if my father is really dead." Pacifica murmured quietly. The gate buzzed and Pacifica entered the place she had only months ago considered home. Just inside in the main parlor Pricilla was waiting with a stretched face. Pacifica stared up at her mother and waited.

"Yes… he is… I found him in his study… after your fiancé left." Pricilla said with a quiet tone. Pacifica blinked in shock.

"You know?"

"Yes… Pines came to ask if Preston and I would be coming to your wedding… Preston said no… Pines stormed out after that. I went in a few minutes later and found him dead on the desk." Pricilla said with a horror to her voice. Pacifica frowned as she heard that.

"May… May I see his office?" Pacifica asked. Pricilla frowned.

"The investigators already combed through it…" Pricilla said with an untrusting glare. Pacifica held strong.

"I'd like to conduct my own investigation." Pacifica said. After a few seconds Pricilla relented and led Pacifica to her father's office. Pacifica stepped in and felt like a teenager again, thinking to all the times her father had called her into his office to scold her. Pacifica shook her head and looked around. Everything was meticulously organized, just as she remembered. Then Pacifica frowned. There was a bottle missing from the liquor cabinet. Pacifica looked around before she looked into the waste basket. There was a broken bottle. Pacifica pulled out a note pad and wrote that down. She looked around the desk before she found a few bottles of pills. She wrote the names down quickly before he flipped through the appointment book on the desk. Apparently Dipper had arranged an appointment with him ahead of time. Pacifica frowned. Why hadn't Dipper told her he was going to see him? Pacifica sighed then she noticed something. Near the end of the notebook was the note Preston had written to himself. 'Send gift. D+P P.' Pacifica choked back a slight sob. That note was written for the date that Pacifica and Dipper had agreed to get married on. Preston may have refused to come but perhaps he had still cared. Pacifica rubbed away a tear even as she closed her notepad and exited the office. She made her own way out of the mansion but told herself she would send a wedding invitation to Pricilla, even if she didn't attend.

Dipper was pacing in his holding cell when Grenda walked in.

"You have a visitor." She said with an apologetic voice. She escorted to the visiting room. Before they entered she faced him. "Just so you know… don't think you killed him… or anyone for that matter…" Dipper didn't respond as the pair entered the room. Mabel was sitting at the table. Dipper sat across from her.

"What is going on? Bill came and told me Northwest is dead and you're in jail. What happened?"

"Mabel… I need you to get me a lawyer."

".. Dipper… please, just tell me what's going on."

"An old colleague is trying to get me on Death Row."

"WHAT?!" Mabel cried in panic. Dipper quieted her.

"Please, just call your best lawyer and get them over here." Dipper said worriedly. Mabel opened her mouth to respond when the door banged open. Agent Parkson was standing in the door way and he was very angry.

"I didn't say he could have visitors!" he snarled at Grenda. Mabel threw him a dirty look even as Grenda came in led him away.

"Pacifica is investigating! We'll get you out of this Dipper!" Mabel cried as Dipper was led away back to his cell.

Pacifica sighed as she leaned into the bar top. Bill was revising her notes, trying to find some piece of proof that would free Dipper.

"Ugh… why can't I just go back in time and see if he really did kill Northwest or not?" Bill asked in annoyance tossing the notes back onto the pile. Pacifica groaned.

"Because that won't hold up in a court Bill. It's impossible to go back in time remember." Pacifica grumbled. Being able to go back in time would solve a lot.

"No it's not." Bill commented in confusion.

"It is for normal people." Pacifica clarified

"Oh yeah." Bill said with a frown. As they were sitting there Mabel walked in with a tall man in a black suit with a red tie. He smiled at the pair and held out his hand.

"Hi there, names Augustus Riegnfield. I understand your investigating this case as well?"

"Yes…" Pacifica said warily eyeing him. Mabel sighed.

"Augustus is one of my lawyers." She said sadly. Pacifica's eyes widened.

"Wait! You mean he's already being charged?! But I'm not finished my investigation! I registered with the town and everything! They can't move forward until I'm finished!" Pacifica cried in horror. Augustus sighed.

"Donald Parkson is a very powerful FBI agent. He has quite a bit of influence. I have a feeling he's going to try and have you discredited. He might even go as far as having your investigation license revoked."Augustus said with a bitter tone. Pacifica stared at her hands in dread.

"So there's nothing I can do?" she asked in fear.

"Well… I have some good news and I have some bad news." Augustus said with a business like tone. "The good news is I can protect you from Donald for quite a while… the bad news… this isn't the first time Dipper has been accused of murder." The trio stared at him in horror.

"What?" Mabel asked in shock. Augustus pulled out a case file.

"He was never charged. Her name was Elizabeth Michaels. According to Parkson, Dipper shoved her into the line of fire during a fire fight in Chicago." Augustus said gravely. Pacifica frowned.

"Parkson was the one to accuse him?"

"He was there during the fire fight. According to him he watched Dipper physically hold her in front of him as a shield. The courts wouldn't accept his testimony because they said he was a trauma victim. Apparently he never forgave them for letting Dipper get away with murder."

"No… there's no way…" Mabel murmured in horror. Pacifica was staring at Augustus feeling sick to her stomach. Bill was simply thoughtful as he watched the lawyer with a frown. After a few seconds Pacifica spoke.

"Why did Parkson press charges?"

"Elizabeth was his sister." Augustus said. Pacifica let out a breath of air in defeat.

"But what if he's really innocent?" Mabel asked. The trio stared at her. She looked back at them with determination. "It's our duty to him to try as hard as we can to get him out of prison, maybe we can't, but we have to try!"

"There's something you should know Mabel…" Augustus said worriedly, not wanting to cause her any more stress.

"What?" Mabel asked uncertainly. Augustus swallowed heavily.

"Dipper is being charged with aggravated murder." He murmured. Pacifica paled drastically and slumped in her seat slightly. Bill steadied her and looked at the lawyer angrily.

"What! What does that mean?" he asked accusingly. Mabel was glaring at him too. Pacifica whimpered. The pair turned to her. She had tears in her eyes.

"The death penalty." She whispered. It was Mabel's turn to faint. Her eyes rolled into her head and Augustus rushed to catch her.

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