Operation Cobra (Book Two of The Savior Fables)

Chapter Twenty-Six: Red-Handed

After quitting Granny's diner, and with her self-esteem at an all-time low, Emma hires Ruby to be her assistant in order to help her discover what it is in life that she's good at while also investigating Kathryn's disappearance without her family to help.

***

"Dad," Emma sighed, handing David a cup of tea how she knew he liked it before taking a seat at her desk in front of him. "You know why you're here don't you?"

David nodded, wrapping his hands around the heated cup. "I hope Kathryn is somewhere warm, not in the cold," he admitted.

Emma sighed again and nodded. "Now I know you had nothing to do with this, but it doesn't look good with your wife - cursed wife - missing and you being with Mom. Plus, there's this, which people will absolutely question." She held up the phone records from Kathryn's phone and hands it to him, and David glared at the highlighted line. "There's an eight-minute phone call between you both, and while I know that you were with us at that time and haven't called her, it's still there."

David shook his head in frustration. "Well, seeing as I didn't do this, it's clear someone is trying to frame me. Emma, you know I had nothing to do with this. I didn't do anything to her."

Emma nodded. "I know that, but the others don't. The Mayor, Glass, and Gold all believe you have something to do with this, even if you don't. Plus, you know my lie detector. It'd be telling me if you were lying, and I know you're not, and so does my lie detector. It also helps that liars have better material."

David laughed, nodding in agreement. "So where do you . . . we . . . go from here?"

"You can't exactly be my detective while this investigation is going on, so go help Harry with his studies, and I'll see you later," Emma replied. "I'll tell Newt to put his sleuthing cap on for this one."

David nodded in agreement, and Emma stood from her chair to hug him. He held her tightly against him, and he chuckled softly as she smiled into his chest. "Definitely my daughter," he said decidedly, dropping a kiss on top of her head.

Emma just laughed at him as he walked out. After he was gone, however, she frowned at the phone call records, already plotting who to call next. She knew these records were a lie . . . now she just had to prove it.

***

Victor watched Ruby and August with Remus and Queenie as they sat at a booth and listened to August recount his traveling stories. "You can't be serious!" Ruby gaped. "A whole year without a roof over your head?"

August shrugged like it was no big deal. "You get used to it after a while. Plus, I had the motorcycle so, if I didn't like a place after a while then I could - "

He was cut off abruptly with a shout of Ruby's name. He peered past the waitress, but Ruby shook her head, choosing to ignore the call. "I've never even been out of Storybrooke," she said, leaning against the table and watching August intently. "What was your favorite place?"

When August laughed, charmed by Ruby's attention, Victor and Remus both narrowed their eyes at the man's back, and Queenie laughed at the scowls on their faces. "Nepal," August declared with a grin. "Best people. They have these prayer temples carved into mountains that are overrun with lemurs."

Ruby blinked. "What's a lemur?"

"Ruby!" Granny called again.

Ruby growled under her breath. "Give me a sec!" she shouted in return, and she leaned in closer to August expectantly.

August raised an eyebrow, but he continued to speak. "They're little animals. And they have these eyes that reflect light, so at night, it looks like they glow."