Once Upon A Time: Into The Devil's Den, Part Nine

By Rebekkalee Mouri-Hibiki

Emma walked into Granny's, everyone going quiet as she walked in. She felt like all eyes were on her as she made her way to the counter and took a seat. Ruby came over, " So what will it be? "

" I could use some cocoa, " Emma sighed. " With a triple shot of espresso. "

Ruby smiled, " Good choice after the night you had. "

" So I guess everyone knows, huh? " Emma glanced around.

" Oh, we've heard things here and there, " Ruby said. " So was that guy that hung himself was really Harold Durbin? "

" Yes, " Emma nodded.

Ruby curled her lip and scoffed, " Not to speak ill of the dead but that guy was a scumbag. We had to ban him from here because he tried to put his hand up my skirt once. You know, back when he was when he was a disgusting slob. "

" Ewww, " Emma said.

Ruby nodded then shrugged, " Oh well, right? "

" I really need that cocoa, " Emma gently prodded Ruby with her tone.

" Oh yeah, " Ruby said. " Cocoa with a triple shot coming up. "

Emma watched as Ruby walked away then turned around on the stool to look around the cafe. Everyone she made eye contact with quickly looked away, which she found odd. She heard Ruby come back and turned to face her. " Thanks. "

" No problem, " Ruby said and started to walk away.

" Ruby, " Emma stopped her.

" What? " Ruby came back.

Emma looked around again then leaned closer to Ruby, " Can you tell me what people have been saying? "

" Um, " Ruby thought for a long moment. She sighed, " They're saying that guy hung himself and you got Mr. Gold out of the river. There's some other stuff that the nurses from the emergency room said when they came by after their shift but it sounded like gossip to me. "

" Like what? " Emma arched an eyebrow.

Ruby frowned, " It was just gossip. It didn't sound like anything you would do. "

" What. Did. They. Say. " Emma ground out and glared at Ruby.

Ruby looked scared then said, " They said you were holding hands with him and looked really concerned over him. "

Emma growled, " Damn. "

" So were you holding hands with him? " Ruby blurted out.

" No! " Emma said sharply. She looked around then back at Ruby, " I was checking his hands for defensive wounds. "

" Oh, " Ruby said. " Well, if it makes you feel any better, I didn't believe it. "

" Thanks, " Emma sighed and took a drink of her cocoa.

Emma sat in the police car, staring at Mr Gold's house. She had finally worked up the nerve to drive out there. She had put it off as long as she could, opting the write most of the police report at the Sheriff's office. She debated whether or not to just write out Mr. Gold's part herself but decided she had better not for fear it would come back to bite her in the ass.

However, she was still working on the gumption to get out of the car. ~Come on, ~ She told herself. ~You just have to get his statement and then hopefully you never have to come out here again. ~

When the word 'never' crossed her mind, it made her sad for an instant. She didn't understand why nor did she want to ponder it. She took a deep breath, deciding she had to get it over with. She got out of the car and started walking up the path to the house.

She made it about halfway up when the front door opened and Mr. Gold stepped out onto the porch. He gave her that disarming smile of his and it made her skin tingle. He looked no worse for wear excluding the bandage at his hairline and a dark bruise that peeked out from under it. " Good evening, Miss Swan. "

Emma nodded and walked the rest of the way up to the porch. She gave him a terse smile, " I guess you know why I'm here. "

" You need my statement for your police report, " Mr. Gold nodded. " Come in. "

Emma watched as he stepped aside to let her into the house. He followed her and shut the door. " I tried to call but all I got was your answering machine. "

" I was resting and didn't want to be bothered but I did get your message, " Mr. Gold said. He started walking towards the living room but stopped when he realized Emma wasn't following him. " Come along now. You said you wanted to talk. "

" I need to talk to you where it happened, " Emma said. The living room was the last place she wanted to be. She had a flash of the dream and she shivered.

" Are you alright dear? " Mr. Gold had noticed the tremble.

" Yeah, " Emma said. " I think I'm getting a cold from being in the river. "

" I hope that's all it is, " Mr. Gold's concern left Emma feeling more flustered but she tried to ignore it.

" Can we just go now? I don't want to waste any more daylight, " Emma tried not to sound too demanding.

" Yes. We should go then, " Mr. Gold replied as he walked towards the dining room. " Then you can show me what you think happened. "

" Exactly, " Emma said and walked over to him but didn't get too close. They walked through the dining room and to the kitchen. " I'd like to begin my interview and take a few pictures while we're in here, if you don't mind. "

" I don't, " Mr. Gold said. " What would you like to know? "

Emma got her cell phone out and switched it to camera mode, " Where you were standing when you heard the door open. "

Mr. Gold walked over to the coffee maker, " I was standing right here. "

Emma nodded and took a picture. She looked at it to make sure it was clear and noticed something. The flash had reflected off of something metal under the edge of the cabinet. She looked at Mr. Gold, " Could you move? "

" Do you see something? " Mr. Gold stepped aside as Emma knelt down to look closer.

Emma nodded and got a rubber glove from her jacket pocket. She pulled it on and swept her hand under the cabinet, finding what she had seen. She brought it out and held it up. " The other probe, " She muttered.

" Those are such ghastly looking things, " Mr. Gold frowned.

" Yeah, " Emma nodded. She stood up, " Where were you hit? "

Mr. Gold put his hand on his left side just above his waist, " Here. "

" Right, " Emma said. She had read it in the chart from the hospital but asked anyway. She looked at the kitchen door then where Mr. Gold was standing. " Less than five feet from the door, " She muttered as she took a picture of the door.

Emma quirked her mouth as she walked to the door and opened it. She stood just outside and pretended to shoot at Mr. Gold with her index finger and thumb. He smirked at her playfully, " Planning something, my dear? "

" Not yet, " Emma gave him a sardonic smirk of her own. The moment of joking around alleviated a bit of tension Emma was feeling for just a brief moment. " I'm trying to figure out exactly where he shot you from. "

" Well I recall nothing after I turned around so it's up to you to tell me what could have happened, " Mr. Gold walked towards Emma. " Shall we go out to the yard now? "

" Yes, " Emma said. " I need to see if there's any footprints or other evidence I might need. "

" So I am to assume a stroll to the pond is out of the question then? " Mr. Gold asked.

" He took you out the side gate so I don't need to go that far out into the yard, " Emma said.

Mr. Gold frowned slightly, " And here I was hoping to show you Nessie. "

Emma furrowed her brow, " Nessie? "

" My prized koi, " Mr. Gold said. " She's over a foot long with bright orange scales that shimmer like fire. "

" Maybe later, " Emma tried to sound distracted. She looked around, " So, I came out here when I saw you were gone. I walked to the back to look around but you weren't there so I came back. That's when I noticed the gate was open. "

" Did you go out the gate? " Mr. Gold asked.

" No, " Emma shook her head. " I went right back inside to look for a flashlight and that's when I found one of the probes. "

" Perhaps you missed something over there then, " Mr. Gold suggested as he pointed to the gate.

" Yes, " Emma said and started walking. Mr. Gold followed behind her just a bit too close for her comfort. She walked faster to put a little more space between them but ran out of room quickly as she reached the gate. She reached out and opened it, taking a sharp breath as her eyes went to something she had indeed missed.

" What is it? " Mr. Gold moved to her side to see what she had seen.

Emma turned her face to him, " Tire tracks. Mr. Durbin took you away in a car. "

Mr. Gold nodded, " Seems that would be the case. How else would I have ended up so far from home? This end of the bridge is the north side and I was found on the south side, was I not? "

" You were, " Emma nodded. She put her hand over her face and tried to recall everything about the night before, " I didn't even hear a car pull up. Why didn't I hear it? I would have heard it... "

" No you wouldn't have, " Mr. Gold stopped her. " The house is soundproof. "

Emma furrowed her brow, " What? "

" I told you, " Mr. Gold said firmly. " This is my sanctuary. I don't want any outside noises disturbing me. "

Emma growled then realized something else. She looked at Mr. Gold, " I have to go check the toll bridge again. It was still dark when I investigated it this morning. "

" Do you think his car will still be there? " Mr. Gold arched an eyebrow.

" It's worth a shot, " Emma shrugged.

" Can I come with you? " Mr. Gold asked.

Emma furrowed her brow, " Why would you want to? "

" For my peace of mind, " Mr. Gold said. " Perhaps I would like to make sure you do a thorough job in case Regina comes around asking if I thought you did one. "

Emma tried to think of a counter argument. Sadly, she could think of no rebuttal for his reason. She sighed, " Fine. You can come but don't touch anything when we get there. "

" If I see anything you may have missed, I will simply tell you and let you pick it up. Is it a deal? " Mr. Gold gave her that damn smile again.

" Deal, " Emma sighed.

Emma pulled to a stop on the side of the road that led up to the toll bridge. She shut the car off and got out, going to the trunk. She started rummaging around as Mr. Gold got out and walked to the back of the car. " Are we walking from here? " He asked.

" We have to. The road ahead is in pretty rough shape, " Emma said as she pulled out two flashlights. She held one out to Mr. Gold. " Do you think you can handle it? "

" I have quite a bit of stamina in spite of my condition, " Mr. Gold took the flashlight.

The way he said the statement sent a shiver down Emma's spine as again she tried not to think of the dream. " Right. Well just be careful. I don't want you getting hurt out here, " She said.

" I will, " Mr. Gold turned on the flashlight. " So which way? "

Emma shut the trunk and looked around at the dense bushes. " This stuff is undisturbed. We need to look for any broken foliage or anything else that looks like someone tried to hide something. "

Mr. Gold nodded, " You take one side and I'll take the other? "

" Sounds good, " Emma said. " Remember, call me over if you find anything. "

" Not like I can touch anything with my hands full, " Mr. Gold muttered.

" And go slowly, " Emma added. " It's muddy. "

Mr. Gold didn't reply as they started up the road, shining their flashlights into the shrubbery. A few feet in he stopped. " Emma? "

" Yes? " Emma glanced over.

" I think I found some tire tracks, " He said. " Come look. "

Emma walked over and took a look. She frowned, " They look about the same but they're in bad shape as well. "

" So no help at all? " Mr. Gold asked.

" Not at all, " Emma sighed. " Let's keep moving. "

" As you wish, " Mr. Gold said.

It took about five minutes for them to reach the bridge, no sign of anything in the greenery. When they reached the bridge, Emma frowned. " How can there not be a car here if he drove you out here? " She wondered out loud.

" Perhaps he didn't drive out here, " Mr. Gold replied. " Perchance someone drove him and I out here. "

Emma looked at him, " Who would have helped him though? I thought he didn't have any friends left. "

" Well obviously someone was still willing to help him, " Mr. Gold said.

Emma nodded, " Obviously but there's no useable evidence to prove anything. I can't solve this without some kind of proof. "

Mr. Gold frowned, " That is a shame but the main threat is gone. We'll have to be happy with that. "

" I guess so, " Emma sighed. " I guess I'll just have to finish my report with that and tell Regina I did all I could do. "

" I am sure you did, " Mr. Gold said gently. He looked down at the river, " So is this the place? "

" Yeah, " Emma pointed to the shallows on the right side of the water. " You were right there, face up. "

" That bank looks quite steep, " Mr. Gold pointed at it with the flashlight. " How did you get to me? "

" I slid down, " Emma aimed her flashlight to the bank. " See those ruts in the mud? "

" Yes, " Mr. Gold nodded.

" My boots did that, " Emma said.

Mr. Gold looked at Emma, " You did that? For me? "

" I had to make sure you were alright, " Emma tried to avoid his eyes. Making eye contact with him was almost as bad as when he touched her. It was like his eyes were looking right into her, uncovering even her darkest secrets. " It would have been irresponsible of me not to. "

" I see, " Mr. Gold murmured. He was silent for quite a while, looking down at the water. He glanced at Emma, " So where was he? "

Emma pointed a few feet away, " He tied the rope to the bridge right there and jumped. At least that's what I figured. There was no evidence to prove he was pushed. "

" I see, " Mr. Gold said. He looked back at the water.

He was so quiet, Emma started to become concerned. She looked at him just in time to see a tear fall from his face and land on the bridge. She hesitated, reaching her hand out to his back. After a moment of inner debate, she placed her hand right in the middle of his shoulders.

" Are you okay? " Emma asked after realizing he was trembling a bit. She wondered why he was crying but didn't dare ask.

Mr. Gold took a deep breath and let it out, " I'm fine. Just... remembering. "

" Oh, " Emma pulled her hand away.

" I would like to go home now if you don't mind. I am still tired from my ordeal last night, " Mr. Gold stood up straight.

" Sure, " Emma nodded. " I am too. "

Emma walked up to Storybrooke City Hall, the folder containing the report in her hand. She was preparing herself for Regina's reaction to her findings when she walked by Regina's car. It was shiny like it had been recently washed and a chill ran down her spine when she realized the car had four brand new tires...

To Be Continued