Jack Frost: The Last Fairytale (Jelsa)

The Investigation Begins

Detective Lightyear, waited for the boy to leave and turned to the Sheriff.

"I know you didn't call me in here just to have me meet the boy. What is this really about Sheriff?"

"I needed to talk to you." Woody sat at behind his desk and offered a seat to Lightyear.

Lightyear sat down.

"What if I told you the Westergard family was behind this tragedy?"

"They would need to answer for it. But it doesn't add up, their son could have easily been shot in the madness." Lightyear looked concerned.

Woody waved his hand through the air, "evidence is so tricky these days sometimes we'll lose things, sometimes tests come back negative the second time. Even if we were to get evidence what is the point if we can't guarantee it. Maybe we should just drop it all, forget I ever said anything. If the Westergard's are involved we may as well not get invested, I'm sorry for wasting your time detective." Woody's started going through his papers.

"Listen Sheriff, I may be new to town but if you have some evidence that you are withholding because the Westergard's are involved, I will investigate and hold you accountable." Buzz pointed at Woody with his threat.

"Is that a threat? Detective, this is not the police station. I'll have you know that I am in charge here, and I have some powerful friends who don't take kindly to threats."

That frustrated Lightyear, "nobody is above the law Sheriff, not even the people who uphold it. I wouldn't have pegged you as the type to call me here for something so trivial. If you know anything about this case and aren't telling me I will charge you with obstruction of justice. I don't take kindly to threats either, or having my time wasted." Lightyear stood up visibly agitated.

"You're just a detective, Mr. Lightyear. Are you going to fight the whole city based on a hunch?"

"Sheriff, it is my job. I will not be intimidated, I don't care if I have to pursue this myself, I will find out what you are hiding. Even if I have to do it alone."

"I have friends in high places, Detective Lightyear I only need to have one of them make one call to make you stop investigating and that will be the end of it. No judge will grant you a warrant, no one will sympathize. No one that really matters anyway."

Lightyear slammed his hands on Woody's desk, "I don't care if the president and commander in chief tells me to stand down. Nobody is above the law." Lightyear straightened his back and then his suit. "If you will excuse me, I think I have learned everything I can here for now." Woody smiled as Buzz turned to leave but was stopped by the name Woody threw into the air.

"Morris Hatters, that was the name of the shooter, we grew up together." Detective Lightyear had passed the sheriff's test at least for now. "I think you are right this isn't a good place to talk about this. Do you like Chinese?"

** ** **

"What are we doing here Sheriff?"

Buzz and Woody looked over the beach. The sun was high, but the cold air blowing on the pier chilled their bones. Their shoes clattered on the old wood as they leaned against on the railing. Woody looked around him to make sure nobody was in ear shot. "The walls have ears, as head detective I'm sure you can appreciate that."

"Better than most. Tell me about Morris Hatters."

"Before I do there are a few things I want to set straight, first I want to apologize for the scene I made in my office. There is a darkness surrounding the Westergard's and it has infested that police station. There a few there that have nicer cars and homes then what a government salary pays if you know what I mean. At this point it's easier to trust a stranger than someone I've known for years. That's why I pushed so hard for a transfer, when the last head detective was caught with his hand in the cookie jar. So, for what it is worth, I am sorry I got you involved with our town drama."

Woody took a deep breath trying to organize his thought away from how much he hated his situation. "I am probably to only one who still calls him Morris Hatters, anybody else you talk to will call him the Mad Hatter now. Before he was the Mad Hatter he was a man among men, Kind, honorable, he knew how to engage a room with a crazy story from his adventurous childhood. He had a wife and a daughter. They were beautiful girls."

Buzz caught the use of past tense. "Were?"

Woody nodded soberly, "about a year ago Morris found himself on the wrong side of the Westergard's. He owned a very successful store in town and the Westergard's decided they wanted it. But he wouldn't give it to them."

Woody looked out at the water betraying his calm with a tone full of regret. "Nobody would have looked down on him for selling out the Westergard's, they probably would have let him run it exactly the same way. By refusing, he issued a challenge to their power, and they didn't like that. I should have talked him into selling, but I admired my friend for standing up to the Westergard's I thought if he did the rest of the town would too. I was wrong."

The sheriff removed his hat and admired the workmanship a somber light played the events in his mind as he retold what he could. "That's when things started going downhill and fast. At first, there were regular visits from suits trying to buy his store. Everything you could imagine started going wrong, pipes burst, broken windows, stolen or ruined product, electrical malfunctions. All of it was sabotage and nobody would do anything, and any that would couldn't."

"What do you mean wouldn't, the police should have..." Buzz couldn't finish his question, the glare of sadness and disgust the sheriff flashed him answered his question. "...Oh."

Woody looked back at his cowboy hat, "it's a magnificent hat isn't it. The seams are precise and the attention to detail is immaculate, with a life-time guarantee it is a custom piece of art. I had it appraised after I paid for it, fifteen thousand dollars. I didn't pay more than five hundred for it. Morris made it by hand for me, I was trying to contribute to his business by ordering an expensive hand-made item. It only took him a week to finish, the money I gave him would have saved his business. Maybe I should've convinced him into selling rather than trying to save his business."

Woody paused, preparing to say the next words filled him with emotion, and he tripped over his words. "It was the last thing he ever sold, we went to the bank and he finished paying off whatever ridiculous legal nonsense the Westergard's gave him as an ultimatum. He was dirt broke with the biggest smile I'd ever seen, that was when we heard the sirens. A faulty wire sparked and his store went up in flames. There were two victims who perished in the fire, I'll give you one guess as to who they were."

"I'm so sorry." Buzz whispered.

"In one fell swoop he lost everything, all his money, his business, his family. As a man he broke, and he was never the same again. The Mad Hatter was born. He worked odd jobs and turned to drugs, the depression meant he could never hold down a steady job. He was made an example to anyone who defied the Westergard's. His story came to a tragic conclusion last night, my theory is that he recognized Hans and tried to kill him. His heart exploded shortly after being shot by

Cole but it was the stress on it and a drug overdose that cause it."

Buzz was shocked to say the least. How could the people he worked with have let such a tragedy happen?

"There is a virus in this town sucking every good thing out of this town and corrupting or destroying everything in his wake. I am only one man and the people I have under me are few. You're my only hope Buzz, but I understand if you choose to keep the status quo, I don't expect to come out of this fight intact." Woody donned his Cowboy hat. "Of course I also don't plan on getting out of this life alive, and I'd rather die fighting than live knowing there is evil hurting the ones closest to me." Woody stood in the sunlight like a beacon of justice. "I'll give you twenty four hours to marinate on this information, if it is too big a pill to swallow I recommend you transfer again." Woody tipped his hat and walked around him to leave.

Buzz placed his hand on Woody's shoulder. "Sheriff, I don't need twenty four hours, I will give you my answer now. I have noticed something strange, something wrong about this place, and you just answered all my questions. I know that the Westergard's are bad news, but I had no idea what they were capable of. I don't take kindly to dirty cops, I might see if I can bring in my old team. You're not in this alone anymore Sheriff. If you're taking down a corrupt family and dirty cops, you've got a friend in me." Buzz held out his hand and Woody took it in a brotherly familiarity.