"You don't have the guts, geek."
Even though Daphne wasn't speaking to her, Sabrina instinctively came to her defense. "Hey Harold! Why don't you go steal some more money out of Smirt's office and then pretend you found it for her? How did that turn out the last time? Didn't she send you to live in a petting zoo?"
The kids in line roared with laughter. Harold slammed down his tray and stomped away.
Sabrina and Daphne were the last ones allowed to eat, though neither had much of an appetite for what was left at the bottom of the pot. Instead, they grabbed a couple slices of stale bread and found a table in the back of the cafeteria. Sabrina took a bite of her bread and cringed. It was as tough as cardboard.
"I suppose we're going to meet Greeley today," she said. But despite their united assault on Harold, Daphne didn't respond. Defeated, Sabrina went back to her bread and munched as quietly as she could.
David Greeley was a skinny guy with stringy muscles and thin chicken legs. His face could have used a shave two weeks earlier, and he had a crooked smile to match his crooked teeth. His forearms were covered in tattoos, many of which looked as if they had been done while riding a horse.
"Yo!" he said when he met them on the front steps of the orphanage.
"Say hello to your new daddy," Ms. Smirt said as she reached down and gave the girls one of her trademark pinches on the shoulder.
Sabrina nodded at their new foster father, but Daphne said nothing.
"Good, they're quiet. Nothing worse than a couple of yapping kids," the man said. "I had a neighbor who had a dog that made a lot of noise. He ain't got no dog no more if you know what I mean." Greeley made a gesture as if he were cocking a shotgun.
Daphne crinkled up her nose and looked as if she was preparing to kick the man in the shins. Sabrina stopped her with a warning hand on the shoulder.
Greeley bent over and rubbed the girls' heads as if they were beagles. "Let's get some things straight, girls. I'm in charge. I don't take no guff and I don't give no guff."
"What does guff mean?" Daphne asked.
Sabrina shrugged.
"It means lip, sass, back talk," Greeley answered. "I'm your father now and as your father I deserve a little respect. You do what I say without question and things will go smooth. You don't do what I say then we're going to have problems. There's only one way to do things-my way or the highway."
"So, just to be clear, you want us to do what you tell us to do,"
Sabrina said, though she knew the sarcasm was lost on Greeley. He nodded and smiled. Smirt, on the other hand, gave her another painful pinch.
"It's important to be firm," Ms. Smirt said. "Tough love might just be what these girls need."
"Yeah, so, you said I was going to get some cash for this," Greeley said.
"Yes, your assistance check will come in the mail in seven to ten days," Smirt replied.
Greeley frowned and spit something brown onto the ground. "Well, there goes Atlantic City, doesn't it? Come on, kids. I just got out of the joint and haven't seen my old lady in years. If she plays her cards right she might be your new mommy."
Sabrina took her sister's hand and allowed Mr. Greeley to lead them to his pickup truck.
"Don't come back, girls," Ms. Smirt said with a wicked smile.
The girls climbed into Greeley 's truck and he gunned the engine, then whipped it into fourth gear and let the wheels spin until they burned tracks on the ground. He chuckled to himself as if proud of this display, then shifted back into first gear.
"All right, let's get into some trouble," he said.
He drove through the city with reckless abandon. He made turns that were far too dangerous for the amount of snow on the ground and cut people off with glee. He ran several red lights and swore at everyone he saw. He turned one corner and hit a patch of slushy snow, showering water and filth on an old man with a cane. Then he blasted his horn and laughed.
"That was mean!" Daphne shouted.
"That's why it was funny," Greeley said.
"You should go back and see if he's OK."
"Yeah right, kid. I'm not going back to check on that old fool. You don't go back to help someone if you meant to hurt them. He'd beat me to death with his walking stick. Don't you know nothing?"
"What did you just say?" Sabrina asked. "About not going back."
"I said you never go back. What would I say? I'm not sorry? You only go back if you want to help."
Greeley 's words echoed in Sabrina's head.
You don't go back to help someone if you meant to hurt them.
"Daphne, Cobweb didn't kill Oberon!" Sabrina cried.
Daphne turned to her sister. "What?"
"He came back to check on us. He thought we might have been hurt. In fact, he came back twice. Those aren't the actions of a guilty person."
"What the heck are you two babbling about?" Greeley asked.
Sabrina ignored him. "He was worried about us."
"But Oberon told us that Cobweb killed him," Daphne argued. "Do you think he was lying?"
"No, yes, I mean, I don't know. Oberon was a lunatic but there are other things that don't add up. Both Oberon and Cobweb said they had never heard of the Scarlet Hand. Then how did their mark get on the king's body?" Sabrina asked.
"Someone else must have put it there," Daphne said. "Then why did Oberon think Cobweb was the killer?"
"Cobweb was the last person the king saw before he died. He brought him some wine to celebrate their plans. What if someone put the poison in the wine before Cobweb even got it?"
"Hey! Why don't you go back to the no-talky-talky that you were doing when we met. You're givin' me a migraine," Greeley complained.
"We've got to find Granny," Daphne said.
The car stopped at a red light and before Sabrina knew what was happening, Daphne had jumped out of the car, dragging Sabrina with her. The girls had pulled this trick a dozen times but Sabrina had always taken the lead. This time Daphne was doing it and Sabrina was completely unprepared. She fell on the icy pavement as Greeley threw his door open and ran after them screaming, "You come back here!"
Daphne raced ahead, seemingly unaware that Sabrina had fallen. Before the older girl could get to her feet, she felt Greeley 's hands in her long blonde hair. He was yanking her up by it.
"Let's go get your sister," he said, pulling her along with one hand and carrying a crowbar in the other. They crossed a busy street, dodging cars and pedestrians, then zipped into an alley. Unfortunately, Daphne had led them all into a dead end. Sabrina watched her sister spin around in panic.
"I thought you were right behind me," Daphne cried. "I'm sorry."
Greeley dragged Sabrina into the alley and tossed her at her sister's feet. Then he smacked his crowbar into the palm of his hand. It made a sickening sound.
"What did I say? What did I say?" he growled. "I said it's my way or the highway."
"I guess we took the highway," Sabrina said, rubbing her sore head.
"Now we've got a problem," Greeley said. "You see, I've got me a temper and when I get angry I do things I regret."
"Don't take another step toward us!" Sabrina shouted.
"See, this is what I'm talking about. I don't want no guff, you little brat," Greeley said. "Didn't they tell you I'd killed seven people?"
"Is that all?" a voice said from above. Sabrina looked up and saw a huge figure dropping out of the sky. He landed on the ground hard, cracking the cement underneath him. When he stood, Sabrina smiled. It was Mr. Canis. "Hardly a number I'd brag about."
Greeley took a step back but then clenched his fists. "Where did you come from? OK, you want to get in my business?" He swung his crowbar threateningly.
"I know I want to get into your business," another voice said from behind the thug. It was Mr. Hamstead.
"I was thinking I'd like to as well," a third voice said from above. It was Bess, floating down from the sky with her rocket pack blasting. She touched down on the ground and the flame went out.