2 - The Seeker’s Facade: Shadows of Wonderland, page 1
part #2 of Shadows of Wonderland Series
The Seeker’s Facade
Shadow of Wonderland, Book 2
Isadora Brown
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Did You Like The Seeker’s Facade?
Acknowledgments
Newsletter Information
Chapter 1
The first thing I did when I came back to work after that break Lindsay forced me to take was to reject her offer of working full time. Maybe it was learning about Tom Charming and everything he did to Ella. Maybe it was because there was a chance the Mad Mage was trying to figure out a way to come back and reclaim the small town he had had control over twenty-five years ago, before the Red Queen banished him. Or maybe it was because I didn’t want to be in the records department at the police station longer than I had to. Whatever the reason, I walked into Lindsay’s office the second she came in — around eight in the morning, two hours after I got there — and told her that while I appreciated the offer, I was happy working thirty-two hours a week and having more freedom and time than if I were here full time.
Lindsay stared at me for a long moment, her eyes flickering up and down. I wasn’t sure if she was looking for evidence that I was telling a joke or if it was something else.
“He’s not going to be pleased,” she murmured, dropping her eyes to her desk and gathering some papers together.
“Who?” I furrowed my brow. “My father?”
As the police chief, my father had the ability to pull strings and get me a position here that was full time if I wanted it. As just and moral as my father was, if it meant securing me a job, I didn’t think he was above nepotism in order to make sure I was taken care of.
Lindsay didn’t respond to my question. However, from my position in front of her desk, I noticed that she had gone slightly pale. Did my father threaten her if she didn’t get me to take the job? I didn’t think he would. He understood I didn’t want to be at the station for that amount of time, especially not in the records department. Maybe that was what he preferred, to keep me out of trouble, but he wouldn’t threaten his own employee if I rejected him.
“I-I’m disappointed to hear that,” Lindsay said, looking down at her desk and fiddling with a picture frame. “Are you sure nothing can be done to change your mind?”
I furrowed my brow. What was going on here? Even if I had said yes, it would take months to process my application, pass a written exam, have two rounds of interviews, and then a final interview with my father. I didn’t see a drastic need to bump me up to full time so soon, especially since the position only posted today.
“Look, Lindsay, I can talk to my father myself and explain to him —"
“That won’t be necessary,” she said, snapping her eyes up to me. “If you don’t want the job, you can go back to your desk. As we discussed before, please refrain from using your phone unless it’s an emergency.”
I nodded and left her office. I had enjoyed my time off. Not only did I solve Ella Byrne’s rape, I got to sleep in and catch up on a couple of television shows.
I also pored over everything I could remember from Anna Skaarsgard’s murder. Thanks to Rumpelstiltskin coming to me with evidence that the wrong man was in prison for it, I was trying to figure out what to do about it. I still found myself in this back and forth of wanting to protect my father and have faith that he had done all he could and wanting to understand why this still felt like it was unresolved, even now. Even after everything. There was still no hard evidence that Beast—Grant Daloway was responsible for it — but there were too many questions left unanswered. Unfortunately, the case was sealed shut. I couldn’t get any new information out of what I did have available, and that was just a few newspaper clippings I’d saved from before.
Of course, I could always ask my father about it, considering he was the arresting officer, but I didn’t want to bother him with it until I knew more about why Rumple thought Beast was innocent.
I took a seat at my desk and Crim Hawthorne leaned over hers, clearing her throat. I turned to look at her over my shoulder and she gave me a little wave.
“It’s so good to see you,” she said. “The last few days have been so boring. I brought you something.” She reached inside of her desk and pulled out a red plastic bag wrapped with a red ribbon. “I know how much you love cookies. My grandmother sells these at her bakery so I packed some up for you this morning.”
My eyes widened. Cookies were a weakness of mine, and everyone knew Grandma Hawthorne was the best baker in Wonderland. I reached for them, giving her a small smile.
“Oh my gosh, you’re the best,” I said, meaning every word. “These will probably last five minutes.”
Crim chuckled. “Please,” she said, waving a hand. “Don’t even worry about it. Grammy loves making cookies for those who truly enjoy them.”
At that minute, the phone rang, interrupting our conversation. Considering I had been in a meeting with Lindsay the last ten minutes and Crim had to deal with answering the phones by herself because no one else in records would bother, I grabbed it.
“Wonderland Records, how can I help you?”
“You know,” Bianca Snow began, her voice low in order to ensure no one could hear her, “if you and” — she cleared her throat — “Rumpy are going to be meeting at the station, the least you could do is give everyone a heads-up.”
“Rumpy?” I asked, wrinkling my nose.
“You know who,” she insisted. “He told me to tell you he’s in the break room and wants you to meet him there. Now.”
Before I could ask anything more than that, she hung up the phone. I furrowed my brow, opening my mouth to try and resume my conversation with Crim, but I forgot what we had been talking about.
“I have to…”
“Go ahead,” Crim said, nodding to the door. “I’ll cover you.”
My heart squeezed. I wasn’t exactly the most popular person in Wonderland. I didn’t have very many friends. But Crim was growing on me. She was proving reliable and she didn’t need me to be someone who talked to her all the time in order for her to actually like me.
I stood up and headed out of the records department, hailing a left and headed to the break room. The room was small, filled with the noise of a conservative news show. Rows of officer mailboxes were to the right, and a bulletin board of city jobs, training opportunities, and things for sale was to the left. There was even a picture of Chessy, still missing as far as I heard. I wondered if Jack was still searching for him, but then pushed that thought to the back of my head. The last person I wanted to think about right now was Jack.
And there was Rumple, looking ridiculously out of place in a sharp suit, black hair slicked back, ankle resting on his knee.
“Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes, darling?” he asked, a grin sliding across his chiseled face. He stood up, playing with the silver cufflinks that decorated the sleeves of his nearly black crimson shirt.
“What do you want?” I asked, arching a brow, crossing my arms over my chest.
Instead of going to sit with him at the chipped round table — one of three placed in the room — I stood exactly where I was. I didn’t trust him. I couldn’t. Rumple was known for making deals with the vulnerable and using it against them later. What did he want with me? Why had he come to me, asking me to do a job for him? Why was he so interested in a murder from a year ago that had already been closed? Unless it had to do with the fact that I was some sort of Seeker who could track down the Mad Mage – if he was even still around. It made no sense and he wasn’t offering any sort of explanation.
“Is that how you greet a friend?” he asked.
“Is that what we are?”
“Certainly.” He stepped around the table, dropping his arms to his sides. “Because I only let my friends speak to me in such a way without punishing them for it.”
I pressed my lips together and looked away. He was right, of course. Rumple was not to be disrespected. Even children knew that. And here I was, acting like some sort of spoiled brat. I was lucky he didn’t… Well, I had heard rumors about what he was capable of, but I didn’t know what he would do to me for being outwardly rude.
“I’m sorry,” I muttered. I didn’t like that he got to play by his own rules. I didn’t like that I was practically forced to be afraid of him and I didn’t understand why.
Even if he was helping me with Anna’s case.
“Alice Winter apologizing?” He smiled. “Shall we move on?”
I nodded once.
“Good.” He flicked his wrist and suddenly, he was holding on to a folded piece of paper.
I widened my eyes, stepping back. Even though I knew Wonderland was full of magic, because the Red Queen forbade it, I had never actually seen magic until Tom Charming attacked me and his brother with it. As such, a simple trick
Rumple reached out so he could hand the magicked paper to me.
I hesitated in taking it. I looked behind me, at the only way in and out.
“No one is coming in,” he told me. I didn’t know how he knew that for sure, especially at a busy police department where everyone took their breaks at different times. “You need to take this so you can see it for yourself.”
“What is it?” I asked. I finally stepped forward and took the paper from his hand, careful not to touch him. I wasn’t sure why, but touching him seemed dangerous.
“Do you remember our conversation about Beast?” he asked. “About him writing someone else, and we just didn’t know who that was?”
I nodded my head. Being close to him, I suddenly smelled the subtle hint of something clean and expensive with a very small trace of musk. It was an interesting scent for him and I couldn’t help but be drawn in by it.
“I found out who he was writing to.”
I lifted my brows and dropped my eyes to the folded paper. I wasn’t sure whether to unwrap the letter and start reading it or if I should wait. I didn’t even know if I was allowed to read it in the first place.
“Go on.” He nodded his head once, his dark eyes on the letter as well. “You can read it if you want.”
I swallowed and slowly began to unfold it. There was the telling faded rose on the back of the paper, the one that indicated this was stationery from the prison. I wasn’t sure what I expected to find in this letter. I highly doubt there would be the explanation I was looking for, something that indicated why Beast was doing what he was doing — assuming he was, indeed, innocent and taking the fall.
But that was a big assumption.
Once I had the letter unfolded, I dropped my eyes from Rumple’s and began to read the writing. It took me a moment to get used to Beast’s scrawl — it was slanted to the right. Most letters were capitalized, but every now and then, a lowercase letter jumped out at me. A couple of sentences required me to go back and reread them.
BELLE,
I HOPE YOU ARE WElL. IT’S BEEN oVER A MONTH SINCE THE LAST TIME WE’vE SPOKeN. I WANT TO THANK yOU FoR ALL YOu’VE DONE, HELPING mY SISTER GAIN ACCESS To MY CASE FILES. I’M SUrE IT WASN’T eASY TO dO SO. I TAKE nOtHING FOR GRANTED THE wAY I USED TO BaCK WHEN i WAS A FREE MAN. HOWEVER, I UNDERStAND WHY I AM HERE. I CANNOT fORGET WHY I AM HERE. I WoN’T FOrGET WHY I Am HeRE.
GRANT
I furrowed my brow and reread the letter. That was it? Just a note about case files? Sure, the handwriting seemed strange, but considering Beast was serving life in prison with no chance for parole, I didn’t think much of it. The pattern here was rudimentary at best. Anyone who read it would be able to string the letters together and figure out what message he was truly sending.
I folded it back up and gave it to him. I waited. I didn’t want to play the game where I guessed what this meant to him. Clearly, he wanted me to read it. Clearly, he wanted me to understand something from that letter. And I did. I just wasn’t sure if it was what he wanted me to find.
Rumple cocked his head to the side, waiting. “Well?” he urged. “What do you think?”
“I think he wrote to someone about his case files,” I replied. “And he’s adamant he won’t forget why he’s there in the first place.”
Rumple looked away, a frustrated look on his face. “Are you —?” He stepped towards me and snatched the letter from my hand. “I come here and give you a key piece of evidence that proves Beast’s innocence and all you can call it is a letter? Unbelievable.”
I cleared my throat, looking away. I didn’t like that Rumple was disappointed with my deduction. It made my stomach do weird little flips that just didn’t sit right inside of me. I didn’t like admitting that I was wrong about something, especially when it came to Rumple. I shouldn’t care what he thought about me. It shouldn’t bother me that I was disappointing him in some way.
“I —"
“He wrote it to Belle,” he emphasized, raising his brows.
“Why would he write to Belle?” I asked, wrinkling my nose. “From what I know, she’s a librarian. I didn’t even know they knew each other.”
Rumple nodded his head once. “Exactly.” He shook his head. “Part of me thinks you don’t care about this at all.”
I stepped closer to him, dropping my voice and ignoring his barb. “Wait,” I said. “So, we have no idea why he’s writing her?”
“We have some sort of clue from the letter.”
“Case files.” I frowned. “Why would she be interested in his case?”
“That’s the question, isn’t it?” He took the letter and placed it in a pocket inside his jacket. The whole time, his eyes never left mine. “I say we go and ask her about it.”
“Right now?” I glanced behind me. No one had come in yet. It had to be Rumple and his magic. It had to be. Officers were in and out, grabbing coffee, checking their mailboxes. I had never been in the break room for this long and have it stay completely empty like this.
“Not right now,” Rumple said. “You are obviously at work. I wouldn’t want to interrupt it any more than I already have.”
“You need to stop coming here,” I said without thinking. “Lindsay ripped into me about getting visitors.”
“Yes, well you’re something Lindsay shouldn’t actually be worried about,” he said dismissively. “Although you are correct. Our meetings should be more discreet. People might think we’re having some sort of affair. That would be quite the scandal.”
“I highly doubt people believe you would ever be interested in me,” I said.
“People make assumptions based on their own personal beliefs.” He grinned. “Who’s to say what I want or when I want it? You are someone here I actually enjoy.” Before I could say anything else, he tilted his head to the side. “Later, then. We shall go visit Belle later to discuss the case with her.”
I glanced over to the mailboxes, not clear when this “later” was. I opened my mouth to ask and looked back at him, only to find that Rumpelstiltskin had already vanished.
Chapter 2
I hated Rumpelstiltskin. I hated the fact that he could come to my place of work, all slick outfits and English accent, and basically make me question things I shouldn’t be questioning. I hated that I was starting to wonder about Anna’s real killer, as if Beast wasn’t the one who was responsible when he was the one who confessed. When my father was the one who put him away.
Rumple had left hours ago, and yet, I continued to stare at my computer screen. I was curious to actually read Anna’s case report. I wanted to know what it said. I wanted to see for myself how they went from a dead body to Beast, especially with Rumple’s questions. I eished I had access to the report. I wished it wasn’t classified.
With my father being involved, the last thing I wanted to do was get him in some kind of trouble, especially since he was promoted to chief as a result of all of his good work on that case. If I started looking into it and I found that he made a mistake, that he screwed something up, what then?
His reputation would be ruined.
And yet, at the same time, his reputation was a lie if an innocent man was sitting in a prison cell for the rest of his life.
By the time my shift ended, I still wasn’t sure where I stood. Maybe if I talked to my dad, I could get a better understanding of why my father decided to focus on Beast instead of anyone else. From what I remembered, Beast was the only option he had. But what if there was someone else? Rumple was not in the business of being wrong, and if he was looking into things, that had to mean something.
