Chapter 16
Past
It had been a few days now, and Rothbart left with Odette with plenty of bruises to Derek's horror. Rothbart always made sure that she was hit away from the Queen while threatening the soldiers that he would tear out their hearts and feed them to dogs if they ever utter one word to Queen Regina. Derek knew he needed to get her out of here, especially seeing how she tried to cover her bruises now. At least he didn't touch her face, but Derek knew that the vile sorcerer only did that so that Queen wouldn't notice. Derek was sure though that parts of Odette body ached whenever she moved. She was lucky that none of the soldiers whoever beat her never broke any bones as Derek went to check with Odette's permission.
Derek then noticed an empty cart and saw a bunch of soldiers getting ready for something. "What's going on?"
"Recruiting more men to join our side by orders of the Queen."
"Are they going to be recruited now?"
The soldier shook his head, answering, "Later this afternoon. There's a chest filled with gold in the treasure room. We'll be taking it with us to persuade the villagers."
As Derek looked back at the chests, he knew that they were going to try to pay people off. If Derek was honest though, the economy was horrible, which was why he joined after the Queen promised to pay those who would join her. If any man was struggling to help their family like Derek, then they would surely join the cause even if they disagreed with hunting down Snow White. However, this gave Derek an idea.
"Well, I have nothing more to do today. Perhaps I could do be the one to do it."
The soldier looked at him before shaking his head, telling him, "We already have enough men to help."
At that moment, Derek made sure none of the soldiers were looking as he handed him his last gold coins inside a small pouch. He was saving it for his family, but he knew that Odette's fate in this castle would be much worse than his family's if she stayed here any longer. He even owed her so much after helping his friend here. Derek also knew that the soldier would accept it since they were all like him-desperate for money to help feed their families.
"Fine, but you'll carry it yourself."
Derek smiled at him as he told him, "Gladly."
He excused himself from the soldier and went back inside while coming up with a plan as he headed to Odette's room. He made sure to bring a tray of food before hand since the guards posted outside her door were much stricter now since they hardly allowed to let Odette leave her room unless it was to have dinner with Rothbart in his chamber. The guard looked at Derek skeptically as usual before allowing him to enter. Derek then shut the door in privacy as he made his way over to Odette who sat by the window staring solemnly out in the open until she noticed Derek.
Derek set the tray on the table beside her before looking back at the door to make sure that the guard didn't hear as he whispered, "I have a way to get you out of here, but we don't have much time. Are you ready to leave?"
It took her a minute, but she eventually nodded. He knew she was scared since if they got caught, then not only would she receive a harsh punishment, but Derek may lose his life too. It was a risk, but they needed to take it to escape. Derek then leaned in and told her the plan as Odette listened intently.
Present
A bright light flashed against Mary Margaret's face. Graham was in charge of taking her mug shot, and although him and Emma didn't think she did it, they had no choice but to take Mary Margaret in. It didn't look good at all especially with her fingerprints all over the murder weapon and a clear motive to do it. Everything was stacked against her, and Graham and Emma were trying to figure out what to do.
As Mary Margaret turned to the right so that Graham could get a profile shot, she argued, "Guys, this is a mistake. I didn'tkillKathryn."
"We don't have a choice. We have to go where the evidence leads," Graham reminded her.
"Which points tome?" When Graham didn't answer, she turned to Emma, who stood there silently, taking everything in. "Emma, yesterday it was David. There's something not right here."
"I know, but your fingerprints were on the murder weapon, and his are not...so now we have to deal with...this."
"Evidence that says I poisoned Kathryn andhidthe murder weapon in a hut in the woods? This is insane."
It sounded crazy, but Graham didn't have any excuse since he couldn't come up with one as he set the photos on his desk. "Look, we know how upset you are. Someone could be setting you up, but with all of this evidence, there's no other way. That's why as sheriff and deputy, we needed to take you in. If we didn't, then Regina will see it as favoritism since you and Emma are close, giving her a reason to fire us for not following protocol."
"He's right," Emma agreed. "She'll bring in someone whowillrailroad you. That's why you need to be patient with us. But, in the meantime, you need to bear with me. I have to ask you a few questions."
"This is crazy. I would never hurt anyone," Mary Margaret said before following Emma and Graham to the interrogation room where Regina was waiting as she greeted Mary Margaret as Miss Blanchard with a deceptive smile. "What is she doing here?"
"She asked to be here as a third party to make sure that Graham and I stayed impartial. It can only help you," Emma explained.
Mary Margaret took her seat with Graham and Emma sitting opposite of her. while Regina stood behind them. "I have nothing to hide. Ask me anything."
Emma then turned on the tape recorder to begin the interrogation. "The murder weapon was found near the old toll bridge. Have you ever been there before?"
"Yes, many times. It's where David and I liked to meet."
Graham really didn't want to do it, but since she brought up meeting David at the toll bridge, then he needed to weigh in on her as he displayed photos of the hut on the table. "Do you recognize this place?"
As soon as Mary Margaret took the photo that showed the outside of the hut, she nodded her head and shamelessly admit, "Yes. That's where...David and I were having an affair.I'm not proud of what happened and I'm sorry. But that doesn't change the fact that I did not kill Kathryn."
Both Graham and Emma looked at each other a bit worried since they never told Mary Margaret where they found the murder weapon as Emma told her, "The murder weapon was hidden there in the floorboards."
Realizing how much of a bigger hole Mary Margaret was in, she looked over at Regina, who quickly looked away, so Mary Margaret felt the need to defend herself by talking some sense into Emma and Graham. "Don't you see what's happening here? Someone must have already known about my affair with David and used my fingerprints in there to frame me. I'm innocent!"
She was desperate. It was obvious to everyone, and Graham didn't blame her for it. If he was convicted of a crime he didn't commit, then Graham would probably act this way, maybe even worse. He just thought the situation was getting worse when Regina took her hand and used her facade as a compassionate mayor by taking Mary Margaret's hand and assuring her, "Miss Blanchard, it's okay. I know what you're going through. I know what it's like to lose someone you love. To be publicly humiliated. It put me in a very dark place. Changed me. I can only imagine what losing David Nolan did to you."
"I haven't changed," Mary Margaret said, quickly withdrawing her hand away. "I'm still the same person I've always been-a good person. I did not do this."
Emma couldn't stop narrowing her eyes at Regina as she like Graham were well aware of what the mayor was trying to pull. "Can I speak to you in the hallway please?"
When Regina and Emma left Graham and Mary Margaret alone in the interrogation, Graham huffed out a breath as he shut off the recorder and looked back at the photos while listening to Mary Margaret. "Graham, you have to believe me. I would never do this."
The look in her eyes proved to him that she didn't kill Kathryn. It was just like with Derek, when Graham had a gut feeling that Amir killed him. This was no different. He knew Mary Margaret wouldn't be capable of this. Someone else clearly did and wanted to frame her for it, but he couldn't figure out what motive there was to kill Kathryn and frame Mary Margaret unless if the killer knew about Mary Margaret's affair with David as she claimed, then she was the logical choice to frame.
"We'll do what we can," Graham promised before looking back at the photos and wondering more about the killer.
Past
Training was fine for Sinbad, but he noticed someone missing: Derek. He thought that she may be in her room to see how she was doing after Rothbart's cold treatment towards her. Sinbad even admitted that he didn't like what Rothbart did to her, but as long as he didn't face any repercussions, then Sinbad didn't mind so much. However, that didn't mean he wanted to see her spirit broken so easily. Then again, she seemed like a tough lass, so Sinbad believed that she was more than capable of pulling through.
"Let me through," Sinbad ordered the guard stationed at her door.
As soon as the guard let him inside her room, Odette was nowhere to be found. He quickly realized that she must have used the secret passageway to leave her room to meet with Derek somewhere. He smirked to himself and shook his head, somewhat hoping that she wouldn't get caught by Rothbart for sneaking out to be with Derek.
When he exited the room, he thought he might as well ruffle their feathers a bit just for fun, so he asked one of the soldiers if they had seen Derek, but his smile wavered when he heard the soldier explain, "He went to go deliver the gold to recruit more soldiers."
Sinbad's brow rose as he pressed, "When was this?"
"A little while ago."
He then had a horrible feeling as he didn't even bother excusing himself to go to the treasure room. All of the gold, jewels, and treasures were inside chests and encased in glass, but Sinbad's eyes widened when he saw a mountain of gold in a pile. That was when Sinbad realized that Derek threw out the gold to carry Odette inside the chest. Sinbad dreaded telling Rothbart since he knew how he would react if he found out how she escaped. Sinbad admired Odette though since she was certainly full of surprises, and Rothbart wouldn't know what hit him.
Present
"It's not looking good," Graham told Mary Margaret who was locked away in her cell.
"What do you mean?" She then turned over to Emma and noticed how she looked away. "You both don't believe me, do you?"
"We do," Emma argued, "but with the evidence piling up, it doesn't matter what we think. That's why we think about hiring a lawyer."
After discussing it with Emma, Graham even knew that it was the only shot Mary Margaret has. However, he was also aware that it was going to be tough to find her not guilty of the crime. All of the evidence was stacked against her. Unless if Emma and Graham found anything else that could help Mary Margaret's case, then there wasn't much they could do.
They all soon turned to the door when they heard, "An excellent idea."
There was Mr. Gold standing there, watching them. Even though Nora forgave him, Graham didn't. He never trusted him, and Emma didn't seem to trust him either as she seemed confused why he was here. That was why Graham addressed it, "What are you doing here?"
"Offering my legal services."
"You're a lawyer?" Emma questioned.
Graham didn't like how Gold's smirk stretched from ear to ear as he explained, "Ever wondered why I'm so adept at contracts? I've been following the details of your case, Miss Blanchard. And I think you'd be well advised to bring me on as your counsel."
When Mary Margaret asked why she would need him, Gold argued that after Deputy Humbert and Sheriff Swan arrested him, Mr. Gold persuaded the judge to drop the charges, while Gold argued to Emma that asserting influence was what the case needed after she told him that it wouldn't be good for Mary Margaret's case. "What'sneededhere is to let the sheriff and me do our jobs," Graham told him off.
He didn't care that Mr. Gold got annoyed with him as he said, "Well, no one's stopping you and Sheriff Swan, deputy. I'm only here to help."
"Enough. Please go," Mary Margaret cut in.
Believing that they won against Gold, Emma turned to him to say, "You heard her."
"No. I was talking to you and Graham." Both Emma and Graham were confused as they listened to Mary Margaret argue, "He's right. I need help. And you both need to do your job or else I'm screwed. So, just please do your jobs the best you can and you'll prove me innocent. Until you do, I need some practical help."
Graham glared at Gold when he reminded them, "Trust me. This is in Miss Blanchard's best interests."
He didn't want to leave her alone with him when Emma told him follow her out to give them privacy. Everyone in town had a good reason for not trusting Gold. What Gold did to Nora and him was unacceptable. It proved to Graham what a horrible man he was, but Mary Margaret was desperate enough to recruit him, so he was going to allow it for now to buy Emma and him enough time to help her as he walked out with Emma.
Past
After realizing how Odette escaped the castle, Sinbad told Rothbart, and he wasn't surprised at all by his reaction when he told him everything. Rothbart was absolutely simmering. His eyes hardened at the announcement, and his lips curled into a tight line. Sinbad almost flinched when Rothbart used his magic to smash some glass bottles against the wall.
"Is there no way to track her?" Sinbad asked to try to figure out a solution to calm him down since he knew what Rothbart was like when he was angry.
"As long as she wears the diamond, it repels any sort of magic away from her, so she cannot be found through magic."
"What would you have me do then?"
At that moment, a chill swept over Sinbad's spine when Rothbart turned to him and barked out, "Find her now!"
And Sinbad was willing to do just that by going off to rally some of the soldiers so that they could bring Odette back. He couldn't bring a lot of them since the Queen would grow suspicious, and she was already questioning who Odette was enough. That was why Sinbad needed to bring her back quickly before the Queen discovers her disappearance.
Present
It was a new day, and Graham was looking over Derek's file in his apartment. He couldn't believe all of this was happening again. First Derek's killer got away and now Kathryn Nolan's killer framed Mary Margaret? Even though Amir managed to get away with Derek's death, Graham was determined to help Mary Margaret before it was too late. He wasn't going to allow someone innocent be put behind bars over a crime she didn't commit. Graham was sure of it and Emma was sure of it too.
When he heard a knock on his door, he put everything back inside the file and opened the door, revealing Emma. "Hey, I tried calling you. You good?"
"Yeah." He then gestured over to the file. "I just lost track reading over the file."
Emma already had an idea what it was when she went over to it and opened it, revealing Derek's photo. She then read over some of the documents inside and a few more photos such as the crime scene. She looked over at Graham and saw a sad expression looming over his face when he couldn't take his eyes off his friend.
"You really cared about him, didn't you?" When Graham confirmed it, Emma looked back at the photos and said, "You never really said how he died."
"That's because I don't believe it," Graham told her gruffly.
"Believe what?"
"That was killed by a snake bite."
Emma furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as she pressed, "A snake bite? I've never really seen any snakes around here."
"Well, I don't either, but that's what Whale confirmed."
He then showed her a photo of the wound on Derek's side. It took a moment, but Emma's eyes slowly widened as she leaned in a bit to get a good look at it. Graham was a little confused why she was staring at it so closely until she asked, "Did you ever look at the autopsy report?"
"No." Emma's lips slightly parted in utter bewilderment, and Graham didn't understand what was going on, so he felt the need to ask, "Emma, what is it?"
"What if it's not a snake bite?" Graham was still confused until Emma showed him the photo carefully. "Look. They look just like the same puncture mark that Kathryn Nolan had. I think these cases are connected."
The hairs on the back of Graham's neck stood on edge since he believed that Amir killed her, but he didn't understand why. Graham knew that Amir didn't like Derek since Derek tried to warn Graham that something was going on with Amir. However, what motive would Amir have to kill Kathryn? Amir wouldn't go after someone without reason. None of this was adding up. It wasn't even like he could go just to confront him since Amir was incredibly dangerous. One wrong move, and Graham was sure to end up like Derek.
"You think the autopsy report says differently?"
Emma then reminded him, "Remember when Gold said about asserting influence? Maybe Derek's killer paid Whale off to tell you that so that you wouldn't have a reason to look at the report."
Past
Derek didn't know how long he had been riding in the cart. Another soldier sat beside him since there had to be at least two soldiers to go recruit more soldiers for discretion. However, Derek needed to make sure they were far enough from the castle so that he could hurry to escape. He was certain that they must have found out that Odette escaped by now, so he needed to wait for the opportune moment.
He finally unsheathed a hidden dagger from his sleeve, catching the soldier by surprise as he stabbed him in the belly before stabbing him again in the chest. The man grunted in pain and tried to fight back, so to make sure he wouldn't stand up against him, Derek finished the deed by slitting the man's throat before he quickly grabbed the reins right at the moment the horses were becoming hysterical and controlled them by pulling the reins. The dead soldier slumped and fell off the cart in a bloody mess, leaving Derek a bit sick. He didn't have time for that though. He had a mission to help Odette as he took the key out from his pocket and unlocked the chest, revealing a hidden Odette.
He helped her out, and she froze when she saw the solder's lifeless body on the ground, so he snapped her out of it by taking her shoulders, "Odette, look at me. I had no choice. Now, the longer we're here, the better chance they'll find us. We need to leave. Now."
When Derek went over to the cart to release the horses from their strappings, he only needed one of them as he climbed on and extended his arm out to her. She looked back, probably because she was worried about the soldiers coming for her. Odette then turned back to Derek to take his hand as he hoisted her up and wrapped her arms around his middle as he told her to hold onto him. There was no saddle, so it wasn't going to be much comfortable, but Derek had plenty of experience since he grew up on a farm, so it was natural for him as he rode on the horse and away from the cart, giving himself and Odette a fair shot to get away from the soldiers quickly.
Present
Emma and Graham headed to the hospital to talk to Dr. Whale. When they arrived, they talked to the receptionist and asked for Dr. Whale, but she told them that he had many appointments today, so Emma told her that they would wait then. They then waited in the waiting area after Emma told the lady that they weren't going to leave because they needed to talk to him. Hearing the urgency in her voice, the receptionist then called Dr. Whale and told them that he would be with them soon.
Eventually, he came out and noticed Graham and Emma as he greeted them with a polite smile. "Sheriff. Deputy. What can I do for you?"
Getting straight to the point, Emma went over to him to say, "We want to see Derek's autopsy report-the previous deputy."
His grin wasn't humorous at all but more nervous as it wavered for a split second. "What? Why would you want to look at his autopsy report? Derek was bitten by a snake."
Graham was actually amused to see Emma lay down the law to him. "Listen to me, Whale. If you don't give me that document, then I will arrest you for obstructing justice."
Whale then looked over at Graham was glaring at him, and Whale knew he wasn't going to get out of it. Both Graham and Emma believed that he was going to try to talk them out of it, but when he saw how serious Emma made with her threat, then he hd no choice but to look through his files to give them Derek's autopsy report. It took a while, but eventually he got it for them.
They immediately looked through the file, and Graham pointed it out on the document. "Snake bite."
Emma was clearly upset by that, but her eyes soon narrowed when she looked at the top of the document and noticed the small red letters as she turned to Dr. Whale and stated in an accusatory tone, "This is revised. Where's the original?"
"I don't have it."
"You know we could arrest you for obstructing justice if you don't tell us the truth," Graham reminded him.
"Look. I wish I could, but I really can't, because I reallydon'thave it. It's been shredded."
Hearing his announcement made Emma and Graham on edge as they realized what Dr. Whale was getting at. "What do you meanit's been shredded?"
Whale was conflicted to say something, but he eventually complied by telling them lowly without having anyone hear him except for Graham and Emma. "Someone sent me over a grand in cash to change his autopsy. They clearly didn't want to make his case a bigger issue than it was."
"Who sent it to you?" Emma asked.
"That's just it. I don't know. It came in an envelope, addressed to me, and it was sitting on my desk with clear instructions, telling me what to do with the original report."
"And? What did you change?"
He shrugged, admitting, "I honestly don't remember the specifics, but he was poisoned for sure."
Emma stared at Whale and realized he was telling the truth, and in that moment, she knew that Derek was killed with oleander poisoning. It was too much of a coincidence for it not to be. That also meant that whoever killed Derek, killed Kathryn Nolan too, and Emma had an idea who Graham thought it was since he was convinced that it was Amir Khan.
They thanked Whale for his time and excused themselves as they headed out with Graham trying to convince Emma, "We need to stake out Khan's bar."
"We don't have enough evidence against him."
Graham wasn't going to let this go. He was determined for Emma to hear him out especially since there was a connection between Kathryn and Derek's deaths. He went in front of her to stop her so that he could make his point. "You're right. We don't, but that doesn't mean that we can't rule him out."
"How are you so convinced it's him anyway?"
He huffed out a breath, reminiscing about the past for a moment before admitting, "Derek." When Emma raised a brow quizzically, clearly asking for more, he added, "He believed that there was something going on in his bar, so he kept trying to investigate, and I think that's why Amir killed him."
As Graham mentioned it, Emma remembered when she tried talking to Sean only for Amir to interrupt them. He didn't just looked annoyed at their conversation, but he was also angry for some reason. She realized that maybe Amir didn't want her to be around his bar for some reason just as she was sure that Graham received the same treatment whenever he was around.
"If we're doing this, then maybe we're gonna need help."
"From who?" Graham questioned.
"Someone who's already helping Mary Margaret."
Past
When Derek rode his horse up a river, he pulled the reins to stop it. He looked around to see if there was a quick way across, but the only way he saw was to go around it. However, Derek didn't have time to go around. He couldn't risk the soldiers to find them. They needed to go across. It didn't look deep at last, but he knew that the horse wouldn't go across considering how strong the current was.
Derek immediately climbed down his horse and helped Odette off before he slapped the horse's rear, causing it to run off. "What are you doing?" Odette asked with concern.
"It'll slow us down if I force it across."
"We're going across?"
"It'll take too long if we go around. We can't risk the soldiers to find us." Without any hesitation, he took a few steps into the river and turned back to Odette, extending his hand out for her to take. "Come on. I'll help you."
Odette willingly took his hand, and as soon as she took the first step, she froze at the coldness and immediately brought her leg back, but she eventually stepped in when Derek encouraged her to keep going. She was afraid of being caught by the soldiers, and that was what motivated her to keep going. She clenched her teeth at how colder it was getting as the water kept rising until it reached halfway to her chest. Sometimes they slipped with the current trying to carry them away, but they managed to help each other. Eventually they made it across, and Derek helped her up when she fell again.
They then ran into the woods, but Odette soon stopped him by pulling her arm back, "Derek, wait! Where are we even going?"
"Someplace we'll hopefully be safe-my village."
She wanted to find Grim so that he could help them, but she didn't even know where he was. Odette also wanted to think about his safety too since she knew that Grim would be in danger if he helped. On top of that, she wasn't sure if he honestly would now that he had his freedom. The only reason why he stayed was because the Queen had his heart, but as soon as Odette procured it back for him, he left. It even made her heart clench just thinking about it. It looked like Odette didn't have much of a choice but to follow Derek to his village.
Present
Graham and Emma didn't hesitate going inside Gold's shop as they headed into the backroom and grasped his attention, so he smirked and turned to them. "Sheriff Swan, Deputy Humbert, what can I do for you?Any developments in the case I should be aware of?"
"Mary Margaret was set up." As soon as he sat down, Emma showed him Derek's file as she pointed out the documents and the photos. "This. There's a link between Derek and Kathryn's deaths. Derek had to have been killed by the same murder weapon that was used on Kathryn."
"And this surprises you?" When Gold saw their faces, his smirk grew wider as he gave in, "Who do you think killedboththe previous deputy and Mrs. Nolan?"
"Amir Khan," Graham immediately answered.
For some reason, that seemed to have amused Gold as he said, "Very well. Show me your evidence and we'll get this over with immediately."
"Yeah. That's the thing. There isn't any. Anything that's court-worthy. But we know it now," Emma told him.
"Look, who's suddenly become a woman of faith." Even though he carried a sickening grin, he didn't seem pleased by her answer. "Why are you here then? To spin conspiracy theories?"
"Except you clearly want to see Khan behind bars." Gold then turned to Graham as he continued, "If you didn't, then you wouldn't have given Emma the file against him. He killed Derek because he wanted him out of the way, and he may have killed Kathryn too."
"That is quite an accusation, but I'm afraid without a clear motive to paint a full story, then it wouldn't matter. If you present this evidence in a court of law, then I am afraid that Miss Blanchard may be facing a double homicide charge since her fingerprints were all over the murder weapon."
He didn't understand what game Gold was playing at. Gold definitely wanted Amir to get arrested, but for some reason, it seemed as if Gold was backpedaling. It was like he wanted Emma and Graham to figure it out all on their own, and he didn't understand why. Maybe he knew what Amir was capable of, so he didn't want to cause any trouble, which meant that he wanted Emma and Graham to do his dirty work to expose Amir Khan.
"We don't have time for this," Emma said before addressing Gold. "We need your help."
"From me?"
"Every time I've gone up against Regina, I've lost. Except for once, when I became sheriff. When you helped."
Graham was well aware what Emma was referring to. The word around Gold setting the fire at Regina's office to make Emma a hero spread throughout town. Everyone was aware of it, and it gave Graham all the more reason not to trust him, but now, he didn't have any other choice to go to him for help since Emma pointed out that even though she disapproved Gold's methods, she ended up with a good result. Now, she was sheriff, and she did have Gold to thank for that.
"And you're willing to go as far as it takes?" Gold asked her.
"Farther."
"Now, we're talking. Fear not, Miss Swan. Regina and Amir may be powerful, but something tells me, you're more powerful than you know."
Here's the sixteenth chapter! I know this was a short chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it. I also understand that Hook/Killian still hadn't appeared yet. Season 1 is just focusing on Grim x Odette's storyline, so we unfortunately won't get to Hook until season 2, but I think you'll like what I have in store for Odette/Nora when she meets him as I have a few tricks up my sleeves. There also seems to be confusion as to why Graham doesn't have enough evidence against Amir, and it's because Amir is similar to Gold where he has influence over almost everyone in town. We'll also get some sort of idea as to why Rumple wanted Odette's curse to be broken, and I will say that I have hinted about it in one of the earlier chapters, but I won't say which one hehe. Finally, the last chapter where Ruby was working with Graham and Emma didn't have anything to do with having any leverage against Amir. It was more about her boosting her confidence so that she wouldn't feel worthless about herself. However, don't worry. Amir will get what's coming to him soon since we are towards the end of season 1. Please let me know what you think though and what your expectations are. Stay tuned for more chapters heading your way!