Noble Maiden Fair

Clark sat in Jack's office at the station. Jack came over and handed him a mug of tea.

"Thank you. I hope Evelyn's somewhere warm, not out in the cold."

"Clark... I think you need to start worrying about yourself a little bit more here." Jack advised. "Your wife is missing. You're in love with another woman. There's this... unexplained phone call."

"I know, I know. I just... I can't explain why it says that. I didn't do anything to my wife."

"I'm pretty good at spotting a liar. And honestly, liars have better material. Now go home."

"I can go?"

Jack opened the door to his office. "We don't even know if there was a crime yet. So get some sleep."

"Thank you." Clark stood up to leave.

"And, Clark, maybe... get a lawyer."

———–

At the Diner, Michelle was flirting with a customer sitting at one of the tables.

Ellen stood behind the counter, doing the books. "Michelle?" She called for her daughter, but she ignored her. "Michelle!"

"Just give me a sec!"

"Michelle! Stop flirting and get over here!" Ellen again called Michelle over, knocking on the counter.

"I can't believe you did that. That was humiliating." Michelle approached the counter, angrily.

"I want you to start working Saturday nights."

"Come on. We have an agreement about Saturday night."

"I want to start training you to do the books and the reorders. Business is booming lately, and with more money comes more paperwork."

"Yeah. None of that sounds good." Michelle said, sarcastically.

"It's got to be done."

"Is this a punishment for talking to that guy?"

"If I wanted to punish you, I'd have better reasons. For one thing, you were late. For another thing, Liza, you dress like a drag queen during Fleet Week."

"And you dress like Norman Bates when he dresses like Norman Bates' mother." Michelle argued.

"Michelle, you're a grown woman. You can't keep acting like some kid."

"You just want me to act like you until I turn into you. Well, I'm not a fossil yet, Mum. I should be out there having adventures!"

Ellen angrily closed her book and walked around the counter. "Well, as long as you work here, you are going to listen to me."

"I didn't ask to work here."

"Well, then what's keeping ya?"

"Nothing. I quit!"

Ellen looked shocked as Michelle stormed out of the diner.

———–

Laura Reed ran to catch up with Jack on the sidewalk. "Is he okay? Clark?"

The two of them started walk together.

"Oh, yeah. He's a little shaken up, but he's headed home. He's fine."

"Any word from Evelyn?"

"Nothing new."

"Did you check with Boston again?"

"She's not there."

"So, we have no idea what happened to her?"

"All we know is that she found out about you two, gave you a well-deserved slap, and then disappeared."

"'Well-deserved?'" Laura Reed asked, looking offended. "Do you really believe that?"

"No. I'm just preparing you for what everyone else is going to think." They both exchanged looks. "You two are going to look bad until we figure the truth out."

"You mean Clark? That people are going to think in order to... be free with me..."

"Some are." Laura Reed looked slightly horrified. "And he's not doing himself any favors. So, if there's anything you could think of to pin down his whereabouts that night--"

"He wasn't with me. We really are through."

The two of them came across Michelle, who was waiting at a bus stop with a suitcase, and talking to Dr. Whale.

"Sorry. No, don't need a ride."

"It's awfully cold out here."

"I'm fine. Really."

"I can carry your bag. Where are you headed?"

"Dr. Whale?" Laura Reed greeted him.

"Laura Reed. Jack. Hello there."

"Hey."

"I was just having a talk with Michelle here. But, I should, um..."

"Yeah. Yeah, you should." Jack nodded.

"Yeah..." Dr. Whale turned and left.

"Was he bothering you?" Laura Reed asked.

"The day I can't handle a lech is the day I leave town, which this is, I guess."

"You're leaving?" Jack wondered.

"I had a fight with my mother. Quit my job."

"You quit? Where are you going?" Laura Reed asked, concerned.

"I don't know. Away."

"Yeah, well, buses out of town don't really happen. And you might want a destination first." Jack said.

Michelle looked worried, for she hadn't thought of that.

Laura Reed glanced at Jack and back at Michelle, getting an idea. "Hey, if you need a place to figure things out, you could always come home with us."

Jack looked at Laura Reed with a 'what are you doing?' look. She stared back at him, trying to convince him. "Y-y-yeah. Just for a little while."

"Come on." Laura Reed led Michelle to their building, Jack following behind.

———–

Laura Reed drove her car along the road out of Pixfare and pulled over just before she reached the sign. She got out of the car and went into the woods. A short ways into the woods, she froze when she heard a rustling and footsteps approaching.

She sighed relieved as Clark appeared through the brush. "I-it's you. Are you okay? You're looking for Evelyn, too?"

"I'm looking."

"He knows you didn't do anything. Jack, I mean. He can tell when people are lying, so... he knows. And I'll stand with you. I'll tell everyone this isn't possible. She's going to turn up somewhere. That's why we're out here, right?"

"I'm looking." Clark repeated.

Laura Reed noticed that he wasn't quite all there. "Clark?" He began to wander back into the woods. "Clark. Clark!" She called to him, but he didn't hear her.

———–

At the Sheriff's station, Hilary searched the internet looking for jobs for Michelle, who sat next to her, while the phone on the desk continuously rang.

"How about doing archery in a Renaissance fair?"

"I'm not so sure that's a real job." The phone rang again. "Why do the phones keep doing that?"

"Oh, the non-emergency calls go to a machine when Jack's busy." Hilary explained.

The phone rang, again, and Michelle answered it.

"Sheriff's station. How can I help you? Mmhmm. I'll get her to return. Thank you, too." She answered the next call. "Sheriff's station. Hey, Miss Ginger. Uh, no, that's not a prowler. That's Felix's dog, Dug. Throw him a vanilla wafer. He'll quiet down. Did you still want to talk to Jack? Great. Glad I could help." She hung up.

Jack, who has overheard Michelle on the phone, walked in the room. "How's it going, you two?"

"Great, except I can't do anything."

"I'm sure that's not true. I just saw you on the phone. That was good."

"That? That's nothing."

"No. No, it isn't." Jack got an idea. "I actually have some money in the budget if you want to help out around here."

"Yes! Thank you." Michelle cried, excited. "Yes. Um, I could answer phones and help out. Um, is there anything else that you need done? Organize files, cleaning up? Please. I want to be useful."

"I'm swamped with the Evelyn Grimm thing. If you maybe want to grab us lunch, I would never say no to a grilled cheese."

"Done. You want anything?" Michelle asked Hilary.

"Um, two chocolate chip cookies, an apple pie, and a hot dog."

"She ate at school." Jack said.

As Michelle was about to leave, Laura Reed entered the station.

"Hey. Lunch, Laura Reed? I'm getting for everyone."

"Uh, no. I'm not hungry." She turned to Jack, who smiled to see her. "Clark's in the woods. There's something wrong with him. He looked right through me. It's like... It's like he was a different person."

———–

Michelle's smile disappeared as she approached the Diner. She looked sad for a moment, but put on a brave face and entered. Everyone looked at her as she walked up to Ellen at the counter.

"I need a couple of grilled cheeses." Michelle ordered. "I'm working over at the sheriff's station now."

"Ah." Ellen wrote down her order.

"Sort of like a... like a Deputy, you know? I guess sometimes, your fate finds you."

"Seems kinda like you're doing the same thing you always have done."

"Plus so much more."

"Hmm." Ellen smiled. "Those will be right up."

There was an awkward silence between them.

"I help solve crimes."

"I'm sure you do. I hope you're finding what you're looking for."

"I am."

———–

Jack was getting ready to leave the station, while Hilary was hiding her book in a desk drawer.

"Okay, kid. Don't mean to kick you out, but I got to go see if Clark's in some kind of trouble out there."

"It's okay. I'm supposed to meet my dad." She locked the drawer. "There."

"Nice."

Hilary grabbed her backpack. "You know, you can let Michelle do more. She's Merida."

"With the bow and arrow?" Jack looked skeptical and laughed. "Yeah, she seems like a tough girl."

"She is. She just doesn't remember how cool she is or what she's capable of. But it's true."

Michelle soon returned with the food as Hilary left.

"Hey, Michelle."

"Hey, Hilary. Got your grilled cheese." Michelle put the to go bag on the desk.

"Thank you." Jack noticed the look on her face. "You all right?"

"I guess. I mean, this is something I know how to do, so yay." She took a sip of her drink.

"Okay, let's pack these back up, and we can eat it in the car. I need to do a little wilderness search, and I need your help."

"I'm pretty sure I'm just going to screw it up. I mean, I'll screw it up with flair, but..."

"No, you won't. Come on. You can do this." Jack assured her.

———–

Jack and Michelle were searching through the woods.

"This place is massive. How are we supposed to find one guy?" Michelle wondered.

"Shh. Hey, shh. We might be able to hear him. I'm following the path because there are boot prints, so just stay close."

"I shouldn't even be here. I'm just going to screw everything up. Oh, wait."

Michelle stopped walking and Jack bumped into her.

"Michelle."

"I hear him."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really. I hear him or... something. I... I know where he is. Don't you?" Michelle took off running through the woods.

"No. What are you doing?"

"He's over here!"

Jack followed behind her. "Michelle! Michelle?" He found her standing over a bleeding and unconscious Clark. "Clark? Oh, God. Come on." Jack knelt next to him and tried to shake him awake. "Clark, come on. Wake up. Clark, wake up."

Clark's eyes slowly opened. "Jack? What? Michelle?"

"Do you remember where you are?" Jack asked.

"No, I... What the?" Clark slowly sat up, looking confused. "I was-- I was in your office. Did you bring me here?"

"You don't remember anything since you were in my office? Last night?" Jack and Michelle looked at each other, shocked.

"No. I don't."

———–

Jack and Clark were at the hospital, where Clark was being treated by Dr. Whale.

"Well, he's bruised, scratched up, a little dehydrated... What'd you expect."

"He's got a cut on his head." Jack said.

"It's superficial. I can refer him to Dr. Cutter for a mental health eval, but it's my opinion that whatever caused this blackout is the same phenomenon we observed when he came out of the psych ward-- Moving around, acting out, not remembering it later."

"We will figure it out." Jack assured Clark.

"It's so strange. I can't even believe it happened."

"How functional could he be during one of these episodes? I mean, he talked to someone." Jack asked.

"Well, people in similar states-- even under sleep medication-- do all sorts of things-- Cooking, talking, driving a car." Dr. Whale explained.

"You want to know if I could've made that call." Clark said to Jack. "Or more. You... you want to know if I could've... what, kidnapped her? Killed her?"

"Now, take it easy there." Dr. Whale tried to calm him down.

"No one's saying you did anything bad, Clark." Jack assured him.

"No, but it would explain why it didn't seem like I was lying. I wouldn't know."

Derek quickly stormed into the room. "Stop talking, Clark." He turned to Jack. "What are you doing here? Why doesn't this man have a lawyer present? Have you even read him his rights?"

"No, because he's not under arrest. We're just talking."

"Right. Just talking."

"What are you doing here?"

"Mayor Brodie is still Mr. Grimm's emergency contact." Dr. Whale replied.

"You have to be kidding me." Jack said, annoyed.

"I thought that changed to Evelyn?" Clark said.

"Well, Evelyn's currently unavailable. Some people haven't found her yet." Derek looked accusingly at Jack. "Stop trying to place blame and just find her."

"There's a whole lot of Maine to search, Derek."

"Well, you covered this room. I suggest you branch out."

———–

Michelle answered a phone call at the station. "Sheriff's station, thank you for calling. How may I direct your--"

"Hey, stop. It's me." Jack's voice came from the other side. "Here's the thing – the last time Clark went for a dream walk, he went to the Toll Bridge. You know the one? It's a crazy hunch, but I want you to take my bug and go and see if he was there."

"No, I could get somebody else to."

"Michelle, you were great out there. I still don't know how you found him. You can do this."

"I don't know."

"It's going to be dark out soon. Clark's going to be let out. If there is something there, we've got to get there first. We don't have time to argue. Can you do this?"

Michelle looked unsure, but didn't answer.

———–

Later, Michelle drove Jack's car to the Toll Bridge. "I mean, what am I even looking for?" She got out, of the car while still on the phone with Jack.

"Anything out of the ordinary. Something that doesn't belong there."

Michelle headed toward the bank of the river flowing under the bridge. "And... if I find something?"

"Just follow your instincts."

Michelle found a board near the water. She put Jack on speaker and placed the phone on a nearby rock. She flipped the board over, revealing a patch of sand underneath it. She grabbed a stick and began to dig until she hit something hard. Michelle brushed the sand away with her hands. The object turned out to be a shoebox. "You...can't give me a clue what I'm looking for?"

"Anything of Evelyn's."

Michelle pulled the shoebox out of the ground, surprised.

"Michelle? What's going on? Did you find something?" Michelle looked nervous. She opened the box but suddenly dropped it, screaming. "Michelle? Michelle?"

———–

At the station, Jack and Michelle stared at the open shoebox sitting on the desk.

"Is... Is that what I think it is?"

"Yeah."

"I can't look." Michelle turned around, still freaked out.

Jack shut the lid of the box. "You okay?"

"I don't know what I am.

"It's going to be all right. We can figure out what happened now. Michelle, you did good."

"This is doing good?" She felt tears in her eyes.

"Yeah. It's amazing. First, you found Clark, and now, this. I know you say you don't know what you are, but whatever it is, I got to say, I'm impressed."

"Don't be. I'm... I'm scared out of my mind."

"But you did it anyway."

———–

Ellen stood at the counter when Michelle entered the diner. "You look good."

"Thanks."

"Want something for the Sheriff?"

"No."

"What are you doing here, Michelle? You here to tell me more about your fine new job?"

"I want to come back."

"Why? You were pretty mad."

"I wasn't mad."

"Looked like mad from here."

"Mm-hmm, yeah. Here's the thing – um... You were talking about having me do all this stuff and I...wasn't sure. I-I said that you wanted me to turn into you, but... What I meant was... I don't know how to be you. You're a tough act to follow."

"Oh."

"And then you wanted me to take on all this extra responsibility, and I... guess I just got... scared."

"Don't be. You shouldn't be." Ellen laid out a small stack of menus.

"Well, I am. But, it's okay. I can do it anyway. I sort of found someone in myself that was more than I expected."

"What about adventure?"

"Did that. Found out I could do that and also that I don't want to. I don't want a job where a good day means ruining someone's life. I want to do something that makes me happy. Somewhere I love."

"Look... just so you know, I wanted you to do the books and everything so you could take over when I retire. Own the whole place."

"Own it?" Michelle looked surprised.

"Sure. I mean, who else would I give it to but someone who loves me back?"

Michelle smiled and they hugged.

"Proud of you."

"What was that?" Michelle teased as Ellen returned to the counter.

"You heard me."

———–

Clark and Laura Reed were in the lobby of the animal shelter.

"Clark, it's going to be okay." She assured him.

"Really? How do you know that? Because I honestly can't say anything about my actions anymore."

"Well, there has to be an explanation."

"You're right. But the problem is, I don't think it's a good one."

Laura Reed opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, Jack entered with a bad news look.

"What is it? Did you find her?" asked Clark.

"We found a box."

"Wait. Wait. What does that mean?"

"We think it... We think that she..."

"What?"

"There was a human heart inside it."

"Oh, my god." Laura Reed looked horrified.

Clark began to break down. "No. No."

"We're going to send it out for some tests, but there aren't any other missing people." Jack continued.

"Maybe you should go." Laura Reed suggested to Jack before kneeling beside Clark.

"There's more. There were fingerprints inside the lid of the box. I ran them through the records of everyone in town, and there was a match."

"Arrest me." Clark stood up and walked towards Jack.

"No. Clark." Laura Reed tried to stop him.

"Arrest me, Jack. Do it."

"Clark, the fingerprints were yours." Jack revealed.