A Different Tale, d.s[1]

TWENTY TWO

(CHAPTER 22 - FRUIT OF THE POISONOUS TREE)

🦢🗡

Flashback

In the King's garden, the genie cut an apple from the apple tree and began to slice it when he heard footsteps approaching him from behind.

"I was beginning to worry you wouldn't come," Genie said.

"You were expecting the Queen?" Henry Senior asked as he looked around, holding a box.

Genie turned to him, "Who are you? What have you done with her?" Genie asked.

"The king has locked her away in her chambers," Henry Senior looked at him, "My daughter is a prisoner in her own kingdom," Henry Senior said.

"You are the Queen's father?" Genie questioned.

Henry Senior presented the box out to Genie, "Please, take this to her. The palace guards won't allow me into her chambers. They know I'd die for her. But you..." Genie took the box, "The King trusts you. He doesn't know that you have my daughter's heart. The guards will allow you in. Give her this box," Henry Senior said.

"Wait. I don't understand. What is in it?" Genie asked.

"This is the only thing that can free her from that wretched life. If you truly care for my daughter, I know you'll do whatever it takes to set her free," Henry Senior said and walked away.

On top of the box, there was a key which Genie picked up to take a closer look at.

End of Flashback

Elias parked in front of the Town Hall and he and Sidney got out of the car, then walked to the entrance as Elias typed on his phone.

"What are we doing here?" Sidney asked.

"We know she bought land from Gold. We don't know why. I'm willing to bet it's for personal reasons but we have to know for sure. We need documents that officially link her to that land," Elias said as he pocketed his phone.

"So, you wanna break into her office. It's locked. And she's got a state of the art security system and alarm," Sidney said.

"If we don't show this town who Regina really is, who will?" Elias said as he put his gloves back on.

"Do you think you can crack her code?" Sidney asked.

"Yep," Elias said as he picked up a lock and smashed the window on the front door, setting the alarm off then he reached through the broken window, unlocking the door.

"Elias!" Sidney said.

"Who does the alarm system alert? The police. Me and Em are the police. Two minutes for her to get a call from the alarm company, one minute to get her coat and keys, three minutes to drive here. We got maybe six minutes," Elias said and they entered the Mayor's Office.

Elias walked over to the computer, hacked the system, and opened up the her files involving the land payment, "I just uncovered every file that references the tract of land she bought from Gold," he printed the files and turned off the system, "Nice," Elias began to look around the room and discovered a key ring with several skeleton keys on it, "What the hell do these open?" Elias asked as he held them up.