Disclaimer: I still don't own HTF. But I'm getting evil enough.

AN: After the last chapter I feel very evil, but we're getting closer to a conclusion.

Chapter 6: That's Handy

Cuddles looked at the tattered photo in his hands, an old picture of the museum from back when it was built. Black and white of course, the museum was the oldest still standing building in Happy Tree Forest and in front of it stood a young beaver, holding a hammer in his hands and smiling triumphantly. Handy looked a lot better in these old pictures, back before the curse. He shook his head, looking up from the photo and up at Giggles, she lay huddled in the corner, wrapped in a large patchwork blanket that had belonged to Cuddles' mother. She looked awful, her fur was a mess, her face stained with tears and her hands with blood. She hadn't spoken since they had got back from Petunia's and he was beginning to dread that she never would. He rounded on the caveman infront of him.

"How could you make her do this?"

Silence.

"Answer me! I don't care what your reason is, just tell me. Why'd you make her go alone? Why?"

Still silence.

"TALK TO ME!" He turned away from the silent, frowning caveman and walked slowly towards Giggles. "If you won't tell me," His voice was a lot quieter now, "If you won't talk to me, then tell her. Tell her why you let her go alone." No answer, but this time he could feel the reason. Cro hadn't moved but Cuddles could feel the regret etched on the air itself, he turned his back on the frozen detective his voice barely a whisper "Why?"

... ...

A dark figure slipped away from the house, moving quietly with practiced stealth and speed the murderer, as they were currently known, moved towards the large snow globe.

... ...

The girl woke slowly. Well, maybe she'd already been awake, in any case she came to her senses. Shapes were moving slowly infront of her. Yellow shapes. A person. She tried to remember who it was but she just didn't feel up to it right now. All she knew was that this person was pushing something into her hands. A bowl of something.

"It's soup," The voice said, "Cro says you need to eat something, and for once I agree."

She smiled slightly, lifting her arms to try and take the bowl, but her limbs had never felt so heavy and they fell to her side before she had finished the action. The figure in front of her frowned slightly, before lifting the bowl to her mouth. She smiled and tried to sit forwards, once again failing. The figure lifted a spoonful of soup to her mouth and smiled as she swallowed.

After a few minutes she felt stronger, strong enough to take the bowl from the figure and eat under her own power. She sat and watched the figure, trying to remember where she'd seen him as he turned away to talk to a person behind him.

"She's getting better isn't she?" Silence followed, "I know, I know, but this is getting out of hand... She can't go anywhere at the moment Cro... That's okay just as long as you're sure she'll be fine, she doesn't seem to remember us." He listened for a moment, "In English?... Good." He crossed back to her, bending down to her level, "We need to go somewhere just now Giggles," She assumed he was talking to her, yes 'Giggles' that sounded right, "You'll be fine here," He gestured to the book-filled, ice cold room, "It's the safest place we could find."

The figure stood again and crossed the room, leaving Giggles alone. She sighed, trying again to remember where she'd seen him before, something Petunia had said about him? Wait, Petunia. A flood of memories whirled back, the death, the murder and Cro. That boy had been there too, the yellow rabbit... Now what was his name? And why did he seem so important?

... ...

The hammer dropped to the ground and Handy stood back to admire his work, behind him the two figures watched amazed. Handy turned to them and smiled, "See, just because I've got no hands, doesn't mean I can't build things. Now," he smiled triumphantly at Cro, "What did you want to ask?"

Cuddles stepped forwards, looking over to Cro and smiling slightly, now it was his time to shine, "Mr Handy, we just wondered..." He broke off and glared at Cro, "I didn't interrupt you so let me finish."

Handy laughed, these was hardly the professional detectives he'd expected, "Would you two just get on with it, or do you want me to use my hammer again?" He motioned to an incredibly large hammer next to him, he probably couldn't lift it, but after what they had just seen it wasn't safe to take chances.

... ...

The rest of the interview is best told in a different way. To put it simply Handy is one of the most easily angered and most long winded people in Happy Tree Forest and as a result what the two detectives were treated to was a seven hour rant about how much he hated everyone. For this reason both of them kept a diary of sorts on what they had learnt and while Cro's is far more in depth, it is also in Hebrew, so it is probably best to explain the interview through Cuddles' words. (This article has been edited for irrelevant content and pointless self gratification):

We started the interview as usual... Cro stealing all my best lines, why did he have to drag me along? I mean the whole interview was practically pointless.

Cro started by asking Handy if he knew anything about Flippy's death. Shouldn't it have been obvious? He wasn't even there. But Cro said we had to do it by the book. The book? There are hundreds of books, why'd we have to use his?

But I'm getting off point, Handy ranted about the Mole for half an hour until I managed to ask him what he knew about Petunia's death, after all that was the only way he was connected with this. What does he do then? He bites my head off, goes on and on about what he's going to do to whoever kills Petunia. Ugh... Then he just starts yelling his head off, shouting at us and blaming us for everything. Finally we calmed him down enough to ask him about something else, and of all things, Cro asks about the museum. What about Nutty's death, or Russell?

All he wanted to know about was some passage that led under the museum out to the park, he said everyone knew about it. Something about the school children using it (Why didn't they tell me?) Handy told us he'd built it at the same time as the hospital, a few years after the curse had began, it started at the museum but it had several stops before it reached the park (I don't even know why I'm bothering to write this, it's so irrelevant.) he said anyone could have got there, and that it came out right next to some exhibit on ancient weaponry. He took us to the mine to see one of the entrances. Personally I think... (This is where the editing comes in) ½ a page later... Then I saw some dark shadow, Cro will say that he saw it first but he's always just bluffing (Like I really believe he met Tutankhamen). We had just asked Handy about Nutty's death when the shadow flickered up against the rocks near the mine entry. Then the whole tunnel started shaking and quaking, and a huge boulder tumbled down from above and struck Handy sending him straight over and into a great big hole in the floor. I rushed over to help him, while Cro just sat back and frowned (He is really useless at this kinda stuff). I told Handy to take my hand, he didn't have to take it so badly.

"Take your hand, who do you think you're talking to, you idiot. I suppose you think you're a real funny-man, I can't take your hand, I..." That's when it hit me, Mime. It hit me like- like... Like that second rock that came down, it struck Handy in the head. His head collapsed, he lost his grip and plummeted, I can't get his face out off my mind... It was horrible...

(The writing tales off, the next 5 pages are covered in meaningless scribbles and water stains).

... ...

Giggles stood pinned against the wall, her legs would have collapsed an hour ago were it not for the large knife that pierced her right shoulder. The blood that had trickled from the wound a while ago had stopped flowing and dried. She had tried to get the knife lose but had long since resigned herself to the fact that she wasn't that strong. Why had this happened to her? She felt tears beginning to flow again. Why couldn't that knife have gone a few inches to the left, into a vital organ? But no, it was stupid to wish for that, she just had to stay strong. She raised her hand to the large blade once again and gritted her teeth, pulling with all her might. The steel didn't budge. She let out a silent sob, all she could do was wait for Cro and Cuddles to get back, her arm flopped to her side. All she could do was wait.

Moral: A friend in need is a friend indeed.