“Indeed I do! The prosecution calls Howard Hatchett.”

The double doors at the back of the room opened and a man in a flashy blue suit entered. He had a bushy red beard and a veiny nose. He was wearing a bright red ball cap with a logo advertising something called Hatchettland. He looked nervous, especially when he saw Mr. Canis. He even tried to run away several times, but two card soldiers stopped him and forced him into the witness stand.

Hatchett sat down, but he never took his eyes off Canis. Even when Bluebeard approached him and thanked him for taking the time to testify, Hatchett didn’t seem to hear him.

“Mr. Hatchett, are you well?” Bluebeard asked.

“I’m fine,” Hatchett said, shifting in his seat. “I have to admit I never thought I’d see this day.”

“Mr. Hatchett, could you tell the jury who you are and how you are related to this case,” Bluebeard asked.

Hatchett stammered. “My name is Howard Hatchett. Some people know me as the woodcutter or the hunter from the story of Red Riding Hood.”

Sabrina watched Canis frown.

“And you were there the day of the incident?”

Hatchett nodded, keeping his eyes on Canis.

“What kind of work are you in, Mr. Hatchett?”

“Well, I . . . I used to be a woodcutter. I cut down trees and sold the lumber to mills. I started out working for a man but then I saw an opportunity and went into business for myself.” Hatchett sat quietly, watching Canis. After a few minutes, his expression changed from fear to confusion, and he continued. “Then one day I thought to myself, ‘Hey! I’m one of literature’s greatest heroes.’”

“What did he say?” Daphne whispered.

“He’s bragging,” Puck replied.

“I saved Little Red Riding Hood’s life. I’m an idol to millions. I faced the Big Bad Wolf and lived to tell about it. I’m famous and beloved. So I started a company to provide products to people who want to be more like me.”

“Please explain.”

“People want to feel like they know me. I’m their hero, after all. Well, I can’t go out and meet everyone, so the best I can do is sell them things with my face and name on them. For instance, my company sells Woodcutter Three-Bean Chili, Woodcutter Toilet Cakes, Woodcutter Beef Jerky, Woodcutter Steel-Belted Radial Tires, Woodcutter Diaper Rash Powder—the list goes on and on. I also operate an amusement park, and of course, the Howard Hatchett Historical Museum located right here in Ferryport Landing. I’m currently seeking investors for my latest venture—a chain of Woodcutter Home-Cooking Restaurants.”

“How did you become this hero to millions?” the lawyer asked.

Hatchett glanced at Canis one last time. Sabrina watched his confusion turn to confidence, as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. “Well, it was sort of thrust on me. One day I was out in the forest and I heard a scream. I was just a regular working stiff back then, you know, just like everybody. I never thought of myself as a hero, but there are those who stand by and watch and a rare few who act. So, with nothing more than my wits and my ax, I raced off to help.”

“What did you find?” Bluebeard said, sounding inspired.

“I came upon a little house in the woods. Inside, there was this terrible shouting. I peered into the window and saw a monster attacking a child. Well, I suppose a normal person might have just run off, but I’m not normal. I knew people were in trouble. I knew I would fight to the death to save them.”

“You say you saw a monster. Do you see that monster in the courtroom today?”

Hatchett looked over at Canis, and for a moment, the man’s confidence dissolved. He pointed with a trembling hand at the old man. “It was him.”

“Let the record show that Mr. Hatchett is referring to the accused,” Bluebeard said, then turned his attention back to Hatchett. “You mean the Wolf. Were you afraid?” Bluebeard continued.

Hatchett shook his head. “When you’re a man like me, you go to a place where fear doesn’t follow. I look back on it now and I laugh. I should have been afraid.”

“Oh, brother,” Puck said.

The crowd turned to glare at him.

“Please, could he be any more dramatic?”

Judge Hatter slammed his desk with the sledgehammer, sending a portion of the wood to the floor. “Silence in the courtroom!”

“What happened next?” Bluebeard continued.

“I pounded on the door so hard it fell off its hinges. I’m a strong guy. I work out. I can bench about two-fifty, really. Then I rushed in with my ax raised. The Wolf had finished off the old woman—there was nothing I could do for her, but the little girl was still in danger. Now the monster knew he didn’t want to go head to head with me, so in desperation he turned and swallowed the little girl whole.”

Mr. Canis shifted uncomfortably.

“Good heavens!” Bluebeard cried. “What did you do?”

“That’s a situation where instinct takes over. I swung my ax at the monster’s belly. It split from end to end and the child spilled out, perfectly healthy. The assault caused the Wolf to pass out, so I filled his belly full of rocks and sewed it shut with some thread I found in a cabinet. Then I carried the creature on my back to the river and tossed him in. The weight of the rocks caused him to sink to the bottom.”

“Yet he lived,” Bluebeard said, gesturing at Canis.

“He’s a tough customer,” Hatchett replied. “But I’m tougher.”

“I appreciate your time,” Bluebeard replied as he took his seat. “I’m finished with this witness.”

Hatchett barely noticed. He continued promoting himself. “I tell the whole story on my Web site, hatchettland.com. It’s a great place to buy my various products, including my twelve-inch action figure with kung-fu grip, my Woodcutter All-Protein Organic Cereal Bars, Woodcutter Toilet Paper, Woodcutter Nasal Spray, and the new six-patty Hatchett EZ-Grill. It seals in the juices and drains the fat for perfect burgers every time!”

Robin Hood leaped to his feet. “I have some questions for you!” he shouted as he approached the man.

“Order!” the judge cried, but Robin ignored him.

“You claimed you saw a monster attack the women—can you be sure it was the Wolf?”

“Order!”

“How did you carry his huge body over your shoulder, filled with stones no less, and dump it in the river? How far away was this river? Did anyone see you do this?”

“Order! Order! Order!” the judge shrieked.

“I have the right to question witnesses, your honor!” the lawyer shouted.

“Objection!” Bluebeard cried.

Hatter slammed the heavy sledgehammer down on his desk, which split into two and collapsed. “Now look what you’ve made me do!”

“This trial is a sham!” Little John shouted, as he leaped to his feet.

“Guards, remove these men from my sight!” the judge demanded. A mob of card soldiers rushed forward and pulled Robin Hood and Little John from the courtroom, but they didn’t go peacefully. They fought and shouted that there was no justice in Ferryport Landing.

When they were gone, Judge Hatter got to his feet. “We’ll see you all here tomorrow.” He left, and the crowd started filing out of the courtroom. Guards dragged Canis out of the courtroom and back to his cell.

Granny rushed everyone outside, where they found Robin Hood and Little John crawling out of the gutter and dusting themselves off. Sabrina expected the men to be furious but they were both laughing.

“It’s been a while since we got thrown out of a place, hasn’t it, old friend?” Robin said.

Little John laughed. “McSorley threw us out of his pub last week, Robin.”

“Oh, yeah, I forgot!” The men roared with laughter.

“You two seem to be in a good mood,” Granny said.

“Actually, we’re in a rotten mood,” Little John replied. “But it’s important to laugh from time to time. As for this court case, well, it’s a joke. They aren’t going to let Canis defend himself.”