TWAU: Before the Crime

Chapter 8: What Bigby Loves Most

Smack.
"I'm NOT going to ask again!"
"I ain't got nothing' to tell ya!" Smack.
"Come on, Dee... Co-operate!" Blood splattered everywhere, and Dee's head snapped back when Bigby hit him again, for the sixth time.

"Now... I'm going to ask, one more time- what we're you doing with Crane?" Bigby was finally in his 'rage stage'- basically where he won't tolerate any more bullshit- and was willing to rip Dee's throat out, but seeing as that wouldn't get them any further in the case, he restrained his arm with great difficulty,

"Alright... Alright..." Dee choked, sniffing slightly, then spitting blood from his mouth where a tooth had once been, which was now on th floor. Lovely. Bigby leaned in closer to hear him, not that he needed to, but just to be intimidating,

"So? What do you know, Tweedle Dee?" Bluebeard asked from behind Bigby's shoulder. He looked at him with eyes wide, and sweat running down his face; he was scared,

"Crane... Crane has a thing for, Miss White," he began. Bigby shut his eyes, rage blazing inside him like a forest fire, but willed himself to go on with the interrogation, "and he wanted to," he gulped, staring straight ahead at Bigby, "do things, with her-" Bigby flung Dee's chair back, knocking him down with it. He put his hands behind his head, breathing heavily, and rapidly; he couldn't control himself. Snow had to be safe- he needed her.

"Bigby!" Bluebeard yelled, trying to draw his attention to him instead of destroying everything in the Fabletown Interrogation Unit. Bigby spun around, glaring into Bluebeard's soul with ghastly, golden eyes, snarling like a wild animal, "You need to calm down!" Dee spoke up, and Bigby's gaze swept from Bluebeard to Dee. "Snow might not even be in trouble! Pardon me Sheriff, but I think you may be slightly reactive- not overly, jus'... I dunno, you jus' need to chill out, calm yourself a bit." For once, he was right. Bigby needed to calm down and keep his head, otherwise he wouldn't get anywhere with the case. His breathing decreased into a steady pace, putting his head in his hand,

"Okay Dee, what more do you know?" He asked reluctantly, peeking from the top of his hand. Dee looked at Bluebeard, who nodded to proceed,

"But, the only way 'e could get to 'er-"

"Dee! Shut your mouth! We're not s'pposed to tell 'im!" Dum called from the next cell, testing Bigby and Bluebeard's patience.

"You'll get your turn when we ask you for information!" Bigby snarled, keeping Dum quiet for a short period of time. "Carry on, Dee."

"Yeah, the only way to get 'er was to get rid of you. That's why I gave 'im my knife, in case anythin' went dodgy..."

"So you were trying to kill him." Bluebeard wasn't asking.

"No, not intentionally, but Crane, like I said, wanted Bigby gone, but it seems that Swine'eart got there before Crane could kill ya." Bigby scratched his chin, and looked down at the wound, then to Bluebeard, then back at Dee,

"So, before this. Why did he go to see you?"

"He had a debt to pay, n' it were a massive one, but only 'cause he'd been buyin' glamours for prostitutes. Illegal ones. To make one fable look like another?"

"So, in this case, Crane wanted prostitutes to look like... Snow?" Bigby asked, his heart swelling, knowing what Crane has been thinking all these years, and how he never saw it, or smelled it! He was disgusted in Crane, purely and utterly, but more so with himself for not seeing it before.

"That's 'bout it, yeah." Dee finished, looking at his superiors, one to the other. Bigby knew he wasn't lying- he would have smelt it by now. He looked at Bluebeard, and made a conclusion,