The cell door slams shut, trapping the group in the only remaining cell. Persephone was sure this was the most amount of criminals that this Jericho police station had ever harboured under one roof.
Sheriff Galpin was more than pleased to see the majority of the Addams clan locked up in cells. "Get comfortable. You can post bail in the morning." His words fall on deaf ears as Morticia and Gomez reunite passionately.
"Not even the long arm of the law could keep us apart." Gomez whispers, voice heavy with desire.
"At least we'll have one last night together." Morticia replies with an equal amount of passion as they continue kissing through the bars.
"I've seen jackals with more self-control than you two." Wednesday murmurs in disdain, making the couple break apart.
Belladonna sighs in relief, "Thank god. I thought we were gonna let them... you know, do it through the bars." Persephone face palms in embarrassment of her mother as Hades lets out a muffled snigger.
"Neither one of you are strong enough to serve hard time." Wednesday informs her parents harshly, with Hades unable to do anything but nod in agreement. "And thanks to us, you won't have to."
"I knew our little jailbird would have an escape plan. If not, then Malakai surely would've come through." Gomez comments, knowing his old friend loves a good jailbreak.
Wednesday holds up a severed finger on a square of fabric. "It's a souvenir from our outing. I borrowed it from Garrett." Morticia takes the item from her daughter's grasp.
"This means he did die from nightshade poisoning." Belladonna comprehends, recognising the symptoms easily.
"The remarkable preservation of soft tissue and blue tint confirms it." Wednesday adds, agreeing with the older woman.
"Which means Garrett was already dying before mother stabbed him." Hades discerns, causing Morticia to gasp and turn to her husband.
"You look even more ravishing as an innocent woman." Gomez compliments as they revel in their delight.
"You're not off the hook just yet." Belladonna reminds them, beginning to miss the comforts of her husband's arms the more she watches Morticia and Gomez.
Wednesday agrees with her roommate's mother. "She's right. For once, could you two get off of each other and focus." Wednesday plucks the finger out of her mother's grasp only to be thrown into a vision.
Her mother's gentle whisper of her name snaps her back to reality. "Did you have a vision? What happened? What did you see?"
Wednesday face hardens with determination. "The night Garrett died, he had a vial of nightshade poison that broke in his pocket. He wasn't just trying to kill father. He was going to use the nightshade poison to murder the entire school." The revelation shocks the older adults. That night could've ended with a lot more death than it did. Garrett's death had saved a whole generation of outcasts.
A quiet hissing interrupts the stunned silence as Persephone glances around with a knowing look in her eyes. "I recognise that sound." She states before she spots a familiar friend slithering through the bars of the cell. "Monty!" She calls out happily, rushing to collect the snake from the ground.
"Monty?" Hades questions, watching with a hint of jealousy as the snake wraps affectionately around her shoulders.
"Addams Family meet Monty the Python." Persephone introduces, smiling at her father's albino ball python. "Now, what on earth are you doing here?" She coos at the reptile as if she was greeting an adorable puppy.
"It seems your father has sent us a message." Belladonna speaks up, noticing the piece of paper attached to the snake. Persephone plucks the note from Monty and laughs to herself as she reads her father's message. "What does it say, dear?"
"'How dare you two get arrested without me!'"
◇ ◇ ◇
"Thank you for seeing us at such short notice, Mr. Mayor." Morticia smiles sweetly at the man they are trying to get on their side. The two female adults stand side by side, a powerful front that no man can match. Their three children stand on the other side as a united team with Monty coiled around Persephone's shoulders. There was never a more formidable team than a group made up of Addams and Ambroses.
"Yes, well, veiled threats have that effect." The mayor seethes out, focusing his jab at Hades, who smirks proudly, and Wednesday, who steps forward to speak up.
"Garrett Gates wasn't killed by a stab wound." She delicately lays the finger wrapped in fabric on the mayor's desk. The man stifles a gag at the sight but covers it up as clearing his throat.
Belladonna adds in her expert knowledge, "That blue sheen is a telltale sign of nightshade poisoning."
Hades cuts in quickly, "But you already knew that, didn't you? Because back when you were sheriff, you were in charge of the case and covered it up."
The mayor inhales sharply before letting out a deep exhale, weighing up all his options. He seems to make up his mind and reveals, "Ansel Gates hated outcasts and Nevermore. He claimed the land the school was built on was stolen from his family over 200 years ago. Garrett went there that night to spike the punch and kill all the kids at that dance. Ansel confessed the whole thing to me in a drunken stupor. It was his idea."
Persephone couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her faith in all the authority figures around her was dwindling. So many people seem willing to cover up the truth. Persephone isn't sure who to trust anymore. Boiling with anger, she grits out, "So why did you instruct Dr. Anwar to falsify the autopsy report?"
Hades does not hesitate to back the girl up, encasing her hand with his own and giving it a squeeze to let her know that he was right with her. "You knew the truth about how he really died."
"Listen, my job was to keep the peace. Now if there had been a trial both Jericho's and Nevermore's reputations would have been trashed." The mayor defends making Persephone scoff. He was worried about reputations when innocent people's lives were on the line.
"I think the only reputation you were worried about ruining was your own." Morticia speculates, arms crossed defiantly. "I remember Garrett bragging to me that his father had the sheriff in his pocket. One year later, you get elected mayor. Hmm."
"No doubt with the full support of Ansel Gates." Belladonna joins in with her friend's taunting, rather enjoying watching this supposedly 'powerful' man squirm like a fish on a hook.
"I resent your implication." Mayor Walker snaps but Morticia is having none of it.
She places her hands on his desk and leans forward. "What I resent is that you could have prevented Garrett's death if you had done your job when I lodged my complaint about him stalking me. But no. Men like you have no idea what it feels like not to be believed."
The mayor sighs and looks down to avoid eye contact. He knows that he cannot win this battle. "What do you want?"
The group exchange looks before allowing Morticia to offer their terms. "All charges dropped."
"My father will be released immediately with a full and unequivocal apology from the sheriff's office." Wednesday clarifies making the mayor look hesitant and unsure.
Mayor Walker's eyes dart anxiously to Hades, who twirls his favourite dagger in his hand to add a bit more incentive to the mix. But it is Persephone who seals the deal. She leans forward to place her hands on the desk, small vines sprouting from her palms and wrapping menacingly around her hand. She wanted to remind the mayor just who he is trying to mess with and let him know that he is not the one who holds the power in this situation. Monty slithers down her arm onto the desk and hisses protectively. "Do we have a deal?" She asks in an intimidating voice, her face serious and deadly. A hurried nodding of the head confirms that they have been successful in their mission. She allows a sadistic smile to spread across her face as she straightens up. "Thank you, Mr. Mayor... for your cooperation."