Tales from the Hood by Michael Buckley

well. She also knew that Mr. Canis had been the one to destroy their homes. Were the pigs lying for him?
    “You don’t see the Wolf?” Bluebeard asked as he pointed at Mr. Canis.
    Swineheart puffed up his chest and grinned. “That ain’t the Wolf. That’s a fellow we know by the name of Mr. Canis.”
    “Don’t play games with me!” Bluebeard bellowed and slammed his fist down on this table. “The Wolf and Mr. Canis are the same person.”
    “No, you’re wrong,” Boarman added. “They aren’t the same person. Mr. Canis is the man; the Wolf is a monster locked up inside him. If you put Mr. Canis on trial for crimes the Wolf committed, you’re punishing the wrong man.”
    The audience erupted into babble but quickly stopped when Judge Hatter tossed his hammer through a window.
    “Fine, let me ask you this,” Bluebeard pressed. “Would the two of you characterize yourselves as friends of the Wolf . . . I mean Mr. Canis?”
    “Well, sure,” Boarman said.
    “We’re not hanging out at the ice-cream parlor together, but I’d say we have a lot of respect for him. We’ve helped one another in the past,” Swineheart explained.
    “Would you say Ernest Hamstead was friends with Mr. Canis?”
    “Ernest was very close with Relda Grimm,” Boarman continued. “He spent a lot more time with Canis. I think he’d come to trust him. I’d say they were good friends.”
    “So your missing friend, Ernest Hamstead, and Mr. Canis were chummy. This Mr. Hamstead is an interesting fellow. He built a house out of straw and was surprised at how easily it was demolished. He also came to befriend the monster that destroyed his property and tried to eat him. He sounds very trusting.” Bluebeard turned to face Mr. Canis. “Maybe a little too trusting. Tell me, monster, were you truly friends with the pigs or have you been biding your time, waiting for the day when you could finish the diabolical work you started with a huff and a puff?”’
    Mr. Canis snarled.
    “Let’s face it. Hamstead doesn’t sound like the sharpest knife in the drawer. Did you finally see the opportunity to kill the dumbest of the bunch and feast on his bones? Did you kill and eat Mr. Hamstead like you did Little Red Riding Hood’s defenseless old grandmother?”
    “Objection!” Robin Hood shouted. “Mr. Canis is not on trial for killing Mr. Hamstead. There is no proof that Hamstead is even dead. Where is the body? Where is the murder weapon?”
    “The murder weapon is the savage teeth on this brute!” Bluebeard shouted. “And the body is probably slowly digesting in his belly!”
    Mr. Canis roared with rage. He swatted at the table in front of him, knocking it against a wall. It crumbled into splinters. A dozen card soldiers appeared and sprang on Canis. They clubbed him with the hilts of their swords, but their blows didn’t seem to faze him. Sabrina watched in horror. She had never seen Mr. Canis lose his temper so quickly. He tore into the guards like they were nothing, bellowing savagely. Eventually, reinforcements arrived, and the soldiers managed to drag Canis from the courtroom.
    Judge Hatter, who had been wildly hammering with his fists, slumped in his chair and wiped his face with his robe. “We’ve heard enough for today. We’ll meet back here Tuesday.”
    “But your honor,” Bluebeard said. “Tuesday was yesterday.”
    “Hmmm . . . you may be right. When would you like to meet, again?”
    “Tomorrow?”
    “My good man, you’re a genius. We can’t exactly begin yesterday can we? No, really, can we?”
    Bluebeard shook his head.
    “Very well, time marches on despite our best efforts. We shall meet tomorrow,” Judge Hatter said.
    “But your honor!” Little John cried. “We haven’t had an opportunity to question the witnesses.”
    Unfortunately, the judge ignored the big man’s protest and darted out of the room. The Five of Diamonds dismissed the crowd and they began to file out through the double doors. As she