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Chapter 21: The Fall Out

After all the turmoil had finally settled down, and they were in the confines of Gold's mansion again, Belle interrogated him fiercely. She was shouting at him in his dark wooden home office. Gold's protestations that she should stay in the dark in case the cops came questioning were scornfully laughed away. She didn't need protection; she needed the truth!

Eventually he explained what had happened. How he intended just to bring the coach down, blackmail him into keeping Brant on the team if he returned and keeping silent about Brant's habit. How he had learnt that it was all a lot more complicated. Match-fixing, back-stabbing, drugs provided by the coach. How these 'Ladies' were behind it all.

"And that's what you needed Gus for..?" Belle suddenly realized. "To get to the drugs."

"Yes," he answered. "I needed a reliable criminal, which he turned out to be."

Belle scowled. "Reliable," she huffed, "if you say so."

"Please don't be angry, dearie," he said. "I needed to save Brant. Save his position on the team, but get the drugs out, the coach as well. These things need a bit of preparation, secrecy, and a few criminals too."

"Like that Dr. Whale… What's the deal with him?"

Gold recounted the tale of missing bodies and unsavoury experiments. Belle was horrified yet also strangely intrigued. There was much more to her lover than met the eye.

"Laxatives? Laxatives? And how on earth could that have happened?!" the eldest Lady shouted at both George and the coach in a deserted changing room. "What the hell is going on here?!" They were surrounded by hastily removed, stinking clothes and soiled towels, laying on the wooden benches.

"Looks like the King dropped the ball…" her daughter said. "Perhaps we should crown someone else in his stead."

George looked furiously in her direction but bit his tongue. Best not enrage the Ladies even further.

"There must have been something with the latest batch…" the coach whimpered. "The players that," he halted briefly, "they were the only ones that were affected."

"So someone has had access to them?" Regina said, her eyes narrowing. "Which brings us again to you, George?"

"It is under lock and key!" he said agitatedly. "I'm the only one with access!"

"Precisely," the mother said, her eyes menacing. "Who are you working for? Who told you to destroy us? One of our competitors?"

George swallowed hard. "I wasn't offered anything. I haven't done anything!"

"The coach here is the only other candidate," Regina pointed at the man, who had broken down, and was even crying. She rolled her eyes. What a wimp!

"I didn't do anything," he whispered. "I'm in enough trouble as it is! The cops are investigating this too. Not just the college…." The coach hid his face in his hands, tears dropping onto the tiled floor.

"It has to be either of them…" Regina said to her mother as they were driving home in their luxurious car. "And we'll have to deal with the police as well…"

"All in my control, darling," her mother replied. "The investigating officer… well, he owes me one, or two… Let's just say, he won't be bothering us too much."

Regina nodded. That left just the problem of who had tampered with the supplies.

"It has to be the coach then…" she mumbled. "I had one of my.. men, rough him up a little, and he confessed to doing his own match-making without informing us."

"We'll let the police have him, then," her mother replied. "A coach providing his team with drugs... Won't go down too well," she tutted disapprovingly. "He will be hung out to dry."

Regina laughed. He would get what he deserved.

"We'll trust George for the time being," her mother said. "But we'll also put a spy on him. For the moment, we'll have to lay low though, at least until the cops are done."

"We'll survive," Regina said.

"We always do," the other woman replied, smiling broadly.

"I don't believe it!" Gold gritted his teeth. It was a few days later and he was reading his paper whilst eating his toast in the dining room. "The bastards!"

"What's going on?" Belle asked, nearly spilling her orange juice. "What does it say?"

"The Ladies," Gold read aloud, "were deeply shocked at the revelation of the football coach's wrongdoings. Appalled, they redrew their support for him. He has been arrested as further investigation follows."

"They are getting away with it?" she said, her eyes growing big. "Will Gus be safe?"

She still couldn't stand him, yet didn't care to seen him locked up either. Besides if he was caught, he might lead them to Gold.

"Looks like they've managed to confound the police. For now…" He sighed. "This may get us into trouble though." His brow darkened. "Yet Gus cannot leave the warehouse job. It will raise suspicions if he does."

"So just the coach is gone? That means they will continue," Belle realized. "They'll wait a bit and start all over again.."

Gold nodded frustrated. "Yes, looks like the cops didn't even notice the match-fixing either!" He let out a hollow laugh. "I always assumed they were stupid, but this! This makes Kenneth look like an expert!"

Belle rolled her eyes. "How are they to know what's going on?" she challenged him. "They've found drugs, the coach provided it to them. Perhaps they will get to the bottom of this as the investigation continues…"

"He won't speak. Not if he knows what's good for him." Gold replied ominously. "These Ladies are harder to bring down than I anticipated."

"I'm sure you'll find a way," his lover said. "You're a very resourceful man."

"That I am," he chuckled, delighted with her approval. "I'll figure something out."