Sisters Grimm 05 Magic and Other Misdemeanors by Michael Buckley

quarter of their size. They can chew through concrete and jump up to twelve inches. Plus, they're ravenous. They've got to eat fifteen to twenty times a day, so they're highly motivated. When you combine that with how many babies they make in a year--
    upwards of a hundred--you can see we are under assault. They're coming for us, kid. They're going to take over the world. It's not a matter of if... it's a matter of when."
    Just then, Daphne brushed against a cardboard box, knocking it to the ground. There was a heavy thump and clang, but Boots acted as if someone had just set off an explosion. He leaped behind a chair and shouted for everyone to get down.
    "We're under attack!" he shouted.
    Granny helped him back to his feet and assured him the invasion had not yet begun. When he had calmed himself, he went back to his search.
    "There's no holes down here and no tracks upstairs. I suspect it was only one mouse. Morgan probably carried it in from outside. They can leap onto a coat and cling to it for days. Mice are sneaky. In fact, their name comes from a Sanskrit word for thief."
    "Could it be something other than a mouse?" Uncle Jake asked.
    "Like what?"
    "Oh, I don't know--a little person, perhaps a Lilliputian?"
    "Sorry, Jake, that's not my specialty, but anything's possible."
    Granny reached into her handbag and found a pen and a small scrap of paper. "Would you call us if there are any other unexplained situations like this one?"
    Boots nodded. "You on some big case, Relda?"
    Granny smiled. "We are Grimms. This is what we do."
    * * *
    "I cant believe the effect that woman had on me," Uncle Jake said as they drove through town. "I think she's got some kind of magic over men."
    "I half expected you to offer to scrub her floors," Granny grumbled.
    Uncle Jake laughed. "Don't worry, Mom. I'm not going to bring a witch into the family. I've got my eye on a princess."
    "You should have had your eye on finding clues," Granny scolded him. She turned in her seat and looked at the girls. "Well?"
    Sabrina and Daphne gaped at her.
    "What are you asking us for?" Sabrina sputtered.
    "Because you two are detectives. This is your case. What have you detected so far?" the old woman asked.
    Daphne shrugged, causing Sabrina to grimace. She was hoping her little sister had noticed something she hadn't.
    "C'mon, girls," Granny begged. "What do these two robberies have in common?"
    "Stolen magical items," Daphne said.
    "Correct!"
    "Um, both were robbed by someone that the victims never saw?" Sabrina added.
    "Excellent!"
    "Both of the people who were robbed were witches," Daphne added.
    "And both have a mouse problem," Sabrina said.
    "So you have been paying attention," Granny said with a grin.
    "You think mice broke into their homes and stole their stuff?" Sabrina asked with a snort. "You sound as crazy as that cat!"
    "Uh, hello? We're in Ferryport Landing," Uncle Jake said. "It's more than possible."
    "The Three Blind Mice live in the town, as well as the Mouse King of Oz and his people," Granny said. "In fact, there are quite a number of mice living in this town, but I have what detectives call a hunch.'"
    "You think the criminal is something other than a mouse?" Uncle Jake asked.
    "Possibly. You mentioned Lilliputians back at Morgan's house. We did have to put an end to one of their crime sprees a while back."
    "But all the Lilliputians are in the town jail," Daphne said. "Then I suppose it's time to pay them a visit," the old woman replied.
    Sabrina and Daphne exchanged a look.
    "The new sheriff is not exactly one of your fans," Uncle Jake said. "Do you really think he'll be cooperative?"
    "Perhaps not." Granny Relda sighed. "But it cant hurt to ask."
    "Actually, I think it could hurt a lot," Sabrina said. Before Sheriff Nottingham was elected, the legendary villain of the Robin Hood story swore that when he became sheriff, he'd devote every waking hour to locking the Grimm family behind bars.
    Uncle Jake drove the family to the police