Regina had almost giggled herself to sleep after finding Belle's black eye. She couldn't care less what had really happened, no, all Dean Mills cared about was destroying Gold once and for all. Leaving him nothing but a pile of smoke and ash. After some thinking the next morning in her office on how best to destroy him she decided that the middle of the day while he was teaching would be best, and the most fun. He wouldn't suspect a daytime attack and so wouldn't be prepared for his doom. Everyone already hated him and all the students were afraid of him, so no one would question it. Perfect Regina told herself right before making the call.
XXXX
Gold stood at the front of the lecture hall as he always did, educating his terrified class and trying desperately not to smile at his new wife. Focus Cam would often scream to himself when he could feel his strength failing him.
"Victor Frankenstein doesn't give his creature a name." Cam began. "What does this do for the story? What does it say about us in society today that we think the creatures name is Frankenstein? Or for that matter that we call Victor's creation a monster when the text doesn't refer to him as that anywhere."
The class was silent for a moment as they scribbled down notes, everything was normal...until the double doors burst open. Two police officers quickly made their way down the carpeted stairs and directly to Gold. One was nothing more than a beat cop but the other, now he was the one in charge.
"You Cameron Gold?" Asked the authoritative one in a thick Irish accent.
"Yes. Who are you and why do you want to know?" He shot back in his equally accented voice.
"I'm Detective Graham Humbert. And you are under arrest for assault of a student."
In that moment it all made sense. He had long waited for the day that Regina would strike and it seemed that it had finally revealed itself. It was clear that she had gotten Professor Glass to call some of his cop buddies and move things along. Detective Humbert probably just got told to come and arrest him by a superior without knowing the full story. The entire lecture hall was on the edge of their seats waiting to see what would happen. Here we go then he said to himself.
"And who am I supposed to have assaulted, may I ask?"
Graham looked almost taken back by the question.
"Miss Isabelle French."
All the students turned their attention to Belle except Ruby who looked on at the scene in horror just like her best friend. They knew the truth of what had happened.
"You were seen flirting with Miss French and as soon as she refused your affection you struck your pregnant student."
Cam had to admit Regina had thought it all through, shame she didn't have all the pieces of the puzzle to make it watertight. Cameron raised an eyebrow.
"No, I think you have something wrong, Detective."
"Really?"
"Yeah." Cam leaned past Graham to see the terrified looks Ruby and Belle wore. "Belle, Ruby would you mind coming here and explaining what happened with the bruise?"
"He didn't hit me." Belle said without hint of fear as Ruby helped her stand and make their way to Cam and the policemen.
"She's not lying." Added Ruby.
"This happened because of Ruby. I know you probably hear 'I walked into something' a lot but I did. We were putting away groceries and Ruby left a cupboard open I turned around and slammed straight into it."
"You're right, we do hear that a lot."
"Well its true." Ruby sounded more angry than Belle and Cam combined. "If you are arresting anyone for this its me."
"He would never hurt me, never."
"How can you be so sure Miss French?" It was a logical question.
"Because she's not Miss French any longer." Cam said before he could stop himself.
"Oh? Then who is she?"
The had got that far and if it meant that Cam wasn't arrested then she would happily let people know. Belle's words sounded more forceful than she had planned but it got her point across.
"I'm his wife." She announced holding up her hand to show off her ring and then moved a little closer to Cameron. "Missus Gold not Miss French."
Graham stood in shock for a moment and the students behind him seemed to have grown so quiet that for a moment they seemed not to exist. Even Ruby was in shock that they had admitted it.
"Wife?" Asked Graham like he was in a dream.
"Yes Detective." Cam confirmed. "Wife."
In that moment Regina's plan royally backfired on her. Graham seemed to have forgotten he was meant to arrest Cam and instead just stood there with a confused look on his face.
"Then why would we get a call that said..."
"Because the Dean is a cruel woman that's obsessed with destroying me because of what I know." Cam interrupted, no longer caring who was around him.
"And what do you know?"
"Embezzlement." Cam stated flatly and that peaked Graham's interest.
"Go on."
Cam rounded his desk and pulled open a draw retrieving a brown file, he handed it to he detective and then began his destruction of Regina Mills. She had ruined his last few months as a teacher with Belle, he was going to leave anyway but now she had angered him, suggested he would hurt his darling wife and so she would get no mercy. She had released the monster and Gold was so much better at an attack than she was, after he finished Regina would wish she was never born.
"You seem like a smart man." He told Graham. "About ten years ago I noticed that the English department was slowly getting less and less of a budget for; trips, equipment and such. For a long time I thought it was nothing..." Lie, Gold had known from the second he noticed that Regina was keeping it for herself, he was just holding onto it for a rainy day. "...Just that the college had less of an income to be split between faculties, but recently..." Lie again, it wasn't recent at all. "...I've been able to prove that the income and department budgets don't match up. There is a significant amount that vanishes from the budget before it makes it to the departments."
"And how can you be sure its the Dean?" A valid question, Cam was surprised Detective Humbert was keeping up so well.
"Everything goes through her, she is the intermediary between the departments and the accountants. Regina Mills is the only one who could change the figures and have access to the accounts without someone noticing. The only reason I did was because I was suspicious and looked for it."
Graham flicked through the file and then looked up at Gold. His accent relaxing a little as he spoke.
"I'll need you and em...your wife to come down to the station and give statements. If this is true we have to make a case and quickly." The both nodded and then he looked to Ruby. "You too Miss?"
"Lucas. And sure."
Yes, Regina was royally screwed.
