The Grimm Dossier

Chapter 40 - Grimm

England, West Coast
Devonshire, Dartmoor
St. George, house of the Jäger family
5 November 1898, 8:57 pm

The old woman's gaze slid to the door on the left, painted with vines and flowers. She did not want to follow the thought, but could not resist it. The eyes of the two seekers were also fixed on the door of the room, full of bewilderment. Their thoughts rolled over like a mountain slope that had let go of a tiny pebble and was now hurtling down a valley. Unstoppable and devastating.

"Anna would never do such a thing!" the old woman suddenly exclaimed harshly and rose again. But her legs and hands were shaking so much that she could not hide it. "She is a good child! She never hurt anyone!"

Kyle also found it difficult to think along these lines. Dr. Archer, however, found it easier than it should have been. Children saw the world through different eyes. He had already seen children, against their better judgment or for lack of alternatives, pull the trigger of a gun and smash stones against their heads. Sometimes, when their world was shattered, they would pick up the sharp-edged shards and use them as weapons against others. Simply because they had no choice. Desperation pushed humans beyond the boundaries of morality and made them more like the wild animals they had once been. Instincts were not as easily subdued as some would have you believe. Humans had proven many times that they were capable of terrible deeds.

Kyle was sure there had to be more to it than they had seen so far. Even if the little girl was born with abilities for arcane arts, that talent couldn't just take on such a life of its own. They were missing the crucial pieces to solving this mystery. He pursed his lips and ran a hasty motion through the black waves of his hair, disrupting the otherwise meticulously groomed order.

"We need to talk to Anna, Mrs. Jäger," said Dr. Archer seriously, taking a step towards the child's room. "Please get out of the way."

"No!" the old woman reached down onto the table in a lightning-like movement and pulled one of the knives from the tabletop. A red and white gleam crept swiftly like a small bolt of lightning across the sharpened blade. The old woman, who could not begin to match the doctor in height or width, reared up as if she had to protect the girl from terror and bravely held out the blade to the two men. She was ready to defend her only treasure tooth and nail. Alone in her eyes, however, shone the tears of despair. "You're not taking her away from me! She has done nothing!" she cried, her fingers around the handle of the knife turning white from the pressure that gripped the wood. "Take me with you! I did it!" she suddenly swung around and confessed what she had denied so vehemently before.

She was lying. It was a confession without guilt. Kyle and Dr. Archer both suspected as much, even though they had no solid evidence for either theory so far. To their own chagrin, of course, they understood why the old woman acted as she did. The girl was all the family she had left in this foreign land. The old woman had already lost everything and Annabeth was her anchor. It was clear to see how much she loved the girl. And the loving grandmother would indeed rather be hanged than see her child in a workhouse. This too was understandable - for this was tantamount to a death sentence.

"Mrs. Jäger." put in Kyle now, pushing past Dr. Archer and towards the woman. He knew the doctor would have his back should the need arise, for still, the man extended the barrel of the gun toward the old woman. "We need to talk to her to find out what is going on. We don't think Annabeth did anything out of ill will either." at this he raised his right hand for the lady to see. But the left continued to hold the wand as reassurance. Kyle had to weigh how dangerous this woman was. Considering the spell book, he had to be ready for anything. On the other hand, rather than use her magic, she reached for a knife. "You don't want any more people to die either."