Red

Chapter Six: Jack and the Beanstalk

We could see the beanstalk from a mile away.

Since I wasn't the world's greatest driver, Gran insisted on driving. Luckily, when he wasn't in a hundred-year-old car he drove like a normal teen, and we got to Giant Valley, where Jack lived, in record time.

The house was big, of course, and far nicer than the shack that used to be there. It was an adorable little Victorian ranch that sat placidly next to an obviously new, shiny red barn amid the hills of Giant Valley.

Gran went to knock on the door, but I stopped him. "Look up."

We could see a small redheaded figured descending from the beanstalk quickly, growing into a six-foot guy around our age. Once he was about six feet off the ground he leapt down, landing with ease.

He was really attractive. Windblown red hair, grey eyes sparkling with mischief, a chiselled jawline, full lips in a bad boy smirk- he had it all. He obviously had muscles from climbing the beanstalk, but he was still tall and lean without being too buff.

Gran elbowed me. "You're staring."

"What?" I whispered back. "He's hot."

Gran rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

I ignored him and stepped forward. "Jack Sommers?"

He nodded, squinting into the sun. "Yeah, that's me. And you are?"

"I'm Red Benedict, and this is Gran Vega, GGPD." I stuck out my hand to shake, and he shook it.

He grinned, showing off his perfectly straight white teeth that gleamed in contrast to his tanned skin. "What can I do for you two?"

"Can we ask you a couple of questions about Prince Charming's party last night?"

"Yeah, of course. I'm always willing to help a pretty lady," he said, winking.

I blushed, unsure of what to say. Being hit on sort of scared me. "Oh. Uh, thank you. May we come in?"

"Sure, sure, come in," he agreed. "So, Charming's party? Is this about what he did to Rosie?"

"Yeah, and a couple other things," I hedged.

The inside was just as nice as the outside with cozy decor and high vaulted ceilings.

"My mom decorated this place," Jack explained as we walked through the house. "She passed away about a year ago."

"I'm sorry," Gran and I said together.

Jack's lips twitched. "Thanks. It's not really my style but... I haven't had the heart to redecorate."

I put one hand on his shoulder. "That must have been really hard. I know what it's like to lose a loved one... I'd never want to have to go through that again."

He managed a smile, pulling off mournful very well. "I replanted the beanstalk in her memory... the day she cut it down was the strongest I'd ever seen her. Of course, it's not nearly as tall as the original, but it's like she's still around." He gestured to a small sitting room. "Is in here all right?"

Gran nodded. "This will do fine."

We sat down and Gran got out his notebook. "How old are you?"

"I just turned eighteen this past March." He looked at us. "What about you two? Aren't you a little young to be detectives?"

Gran shook his head. "Actually, I finished school early so I started working early. We're both seventeen. And Red's not a real detective. She's more like-"